Template:Sideicon Template:Sideicon Template:FFVIII character
The way I see it, as long as you come out of the battle alive, you're one step closer to your dream.
Seifer Almasy
Seifer Almasy is a temporary playable character and one of the main antagonists in Final Fantasy VIII. He is the rival of the main character Squall Leonhart and is the mirror image of him in many ways, such as wielding a gunblade.
Appearance and Personality
One of the top fighters of the Garden. His temperament kept him from becoming a SeeD member. Uses a gunblade.
Scan description as a player character
Seifer has short blond hair, blue-green eyes, and a scar across his forehead and nose received from Squall as retaliation during a duel. Seifer wears a blue vest, with a cross design lined in white, a gray coat with an emblem resembling the symbol of the Cross of Saint James on the sleeves, black gloves and boots and a silver chain with a tag. The cross is Seifer's symbol as much as the angel wings are Rinoa's and the Griever is Squall's.
As Squall's rival Seifer's appearance is directly opposite in many ways. His hair color is light, as opposed to Squall's brown. His chin is square whereas Squall's is oval. The color scheme of their clothing is opposite, as well as their coat lengths. Even though they both use a gunblade, their fighting styles are different, with Squall wielding his with two hands, whereas Seifer uses his with one. Seifer's friends, Raijin and Fujin, call themselves a "posse", whereas Squall is a loner.
Seifer is famous around Balamb Garden for being skillful in battle, but his stubborn, arrogant, reckless, and unpredictable nature has kept him from completing the SeeD exam. Aside from Squall, Seifer is the only gunblade specialist in the Garden.
Seifer and his dream.
There are many parallels between Seifer and Squall. Even though they are rivals, always battling to prove their superiority, they have an unspoken respect for each other's prowess. Both have a facial scar inflicted during their duel in the game's opening sequence; the scars are mirror images of each other, with Seifer's pointing up-left (from his point of view) while Squall's points up-right. Seifer is a stubborn, arrogant, loud and outspoken rebel, while Squall is a silent, strict follower of duty. Both are nigh-equally skilled in using the gunblade, but Seifer's temper often leaves him losing to Squall. Seifer's anger is believed to be possibly triggered by his true hidden feelings of attraction to Squall, hence why he harbors such anger towards him. Seifer's Triple Triad card is a mirror of Squall's, both having the same numbers.
Although he is belligerent and rude, Seifer is troubled rather than bad. He is twisted by the sorceress's power, and pursues a warped version of his dream, although the degree to which he is controlled or influenced by her power is left ambiguous.
Story
Seifer as a child in Edea's Orphanage.
Seifer was born 18 years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VIII. He was orphaned in the Sorceress War and sent to Edea's Orphanage. From a young age he bullied the other children in the orphanage, especially Zell. He became a student at Balamb Garden, where he studied to become a SeeD. Seifer would later forget his past in the orphanage due to the memory loss using Guardian Forces causes.
Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania reveals that when Seifer was a child, a popular movie was released about a sorceress who defended her country, and her knight who protected her. The film was Seifer's favorite, and inspired his dream to become a Sorceress Knight himself, copying the battle pose of the actor who played the knight in the film.
At Balamb Garden, Seifer would form the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee with his friends Fujin and Raijin, abusing their power to give fellow students punishment and detention. Seifer became a rival to Squall Leonhart, who had coincidentally grown up in Edea's Orphanage, although neither remembers this. Of all the students at the Garden, only Seifer and Squall chose a gunblade as their specialized weapon, and it can be presumed the two would often duel to hone their skills.
Squall and Seifer sparring.
Even though Seifer had great potential to become a SeeD, his behavior made him fail the exams, and he was labeled a "problem child". Seifer developed a "romantic dream" about becoming a Sorceress Knight and borrowed several books from the Balamb Garden library related to the subject. About a year before the events of Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer started a romantic relationship with Rinoa Heartilly, a girl working in a resistance group to free the occupied nation of Timber.
At the beginning of Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer and Squall have a fierce duel in a rocky field near Balamb Garden. Seifer casts a Fire spell sending Squall to the ground and strikes at Squall's face, giving him a bloody scar. As Seifer lets his guard down Squall strikes back, leaving a mirrored scar on Seifer's face.
For the SeeD field examination, Squall and Zell Dincht with Seifer as their leader form Squad B in the military operation against the Galbadian Army. Selphie Tilmitt later joins the group, but because of Seifer's disobedience during engagement, he fails the SeeD exam and grudgingly applauds Squall, Zell and Selphie, all of whom pass.
Seifer attempts to kill President Vinzer Deling.
While Seifer is sent to be disciplined for his actions during the exam, Squall, Zell and Selphie are assigned their first SeeD mission: to aid the resistance faction Forest Owls free the occupied nation of Timber. Rinoa, Seifer's former love interest, is a member of said faction.
Having heard of this, Seifer breaks out of the discipline room, injuring many people in the process, and embarks to assist the Forest Owls by holding the President of Galbadia hostage during a broadcast from the Timber TV Station. Backed into a corner and watched on by Squall, Zell, Selphie and Quistis Trepe; Seifer's teacher who had been sent to retrieve him; Seifer is saved by Ultimecia who appears in the body of Edea Kramer. Appealing to Seifer's darker side, Ultimecia convinces him to follow her. Seifer is announced executed by the Galbadian government and a saddened Rinoa reveals her past with Seifer to Squall.
Seifer is believed dead until he shows up in Deling City, standing at the side of Ultimecia having become her Sorceress Knight. Squall, with their new ally, Irvine Kinneas, had been assigned to assassinate the sorceress by shooting her, but Irvine, remembering his past at the orphanage, refuses to shoot Edea and disguises it as merely nerves.
Seifer tortures Squall for information on SeeD's intended purpose.
Squall convinces Irvine to shoot, but Ultimecia blocks the shot with a spell. Squall breaks into the sorceress's parade and fights her one-on-one. Seifer stops him and, claiming his new status as hero and Sorceress Knight, fights Squall. After Seifer's defeat, Squall fights Ultimecia, but Ultimecia casts Edea's Limit Break, Ice Strike, piercing Squall's shoulder.
When Squall comes to in Galbadia's D-District Prison he is transported to the torture room by Seifer, who tortures Squall for the truth about SeeD. Edea wants to know why the SeeD persecute sorceresses, but Squall, who knows SeeD only as a general mercenary force, does not understand the question. While Squall later escapes with his friends, Seifer, now head of the Galbadian Army, takes over control of Galbadia Garden under Ultimecia's orders. Enabling the Garden's mobile functions he embarks on the search for a girl named Ellone whom his sorceress wishes to find.
Seifer defeats Odin.
Galbadia Garden intercepts a similarly airborne Balamb Garden over the Centra continent near the ruins of Edea's Orphanage. With Seifer as commanding officer Galbadia Garden launches a full assault on Balamb Garden. The Balamb students and SeeDs turn the battle and infiltrate Galbadia Garden, where Squall and his party confront Seifer, who is defeated and left unconscious and disgraced on the floor. Despite Seifer's efforts Squall's party defeats Ultimecia within Edea's body, which results in Ultimecia leaving Edea's body to possess Rinoa and ordering Seifer to raise the Lunatic Pandora from the sea.
Under Ultimecia's orders Seifer embarks to resurrect the Esthar weapon Lunatic Pandora from the depths of the ocean. Restoring the device to active status he directs the pillar to be placed upon Tears' Point, starting the Lunar Cry. Squall and his party invade the construct with an Estharian airship. The toils have taken their toll on Seifer at this point, as his hair is unkempt and his coat is blackened and falling apart. Fujin and Raijin, who up until now had followed Seifer loyally, beg him to stop and go back to being their friend.
Seifer tries his hand at fishing.
Seifer claims it is too late to go back, and wishes them a good life. Before he fights Squall one last time, Squall asks him if he's still going to continue "with this knight thing" to which Seifer says he's retired from it. Seifer now considers himself a young revolutionary and says he's going to make it to the goal since he's come so far, with no interest in sharing it with Squall. If Squall has obtained Odin, Seifer bisects him when he is summoned in battle, and Gilgamesh takes his place, knocking Seifer down.
Despite his defeat, Seifer captures Rinoa and offers her to Ultimecia in the body of her new host, Sorceress Adel, whom she had resurrected. Seifer flees the scene as Squall's party intervenes. After Ultimecia is bested inside Adel's body by Squall's group, she casts time compression, allowing Squall to reach her era and defeat her. Seifer returns to Balamb with Fujin and Raijin, where they spend a day fishing together. Raijin catches a fish, causing Seifer to throw down his fishing rod in frustration, and Fujin kicks Raijin into the sea. Seifer laughs before looking up at Balamb Garden with a smile as it flies past.
In Battle
Originating as a temporary player character, Seifer is later fought against four times as a boss. Seifer is playable for the first portion of the Siege of Dollet during the SeeD exam. All the magic the player draws into his junction is passed onto Selphie after he leaves.
Weapon
Seifer wields a gunblade. His particular model is Hyperion, featuring a pistol handle based on the Beretta M9, rather than the revolver handles favored by Squall. The Hyperion might be lighter than Squall's Revolver, as Seifer holds it with one hand.
While Seifer is a playable character, pressing the trigger button when he strikes will boost his damage.
Limit Break
Seifer starts his Limit Break with Fire spells.
Seifer's Limit Break is Fire Cross. While there are three skills Seifer can use, only the first, No Mercy, can be used by the player. The other two, Demon Slice and Bloodfest, are used during battles against the player. Every Fire Cross Limit starts with him casting a Fire spell at his target in similar fashion as seen in the game's opening FMV.
Unlike the rest of the player characters, Seifer can use his Limit Break without having to be in HP Critical; the chance it becomes available is at 84% or lower from his max HP.
Stats
| LV | HP | Str | Vit | Mag | Spr | Spd | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 275 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 12 |
| 10 | 812 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 13 |
| 20 | 1400 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 13 |
| 30 | 1980 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 14 |
| 40 | 2553 | 29 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 15 |
| 50 | 3117 | 34 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 16 |
| 60 | 3674 | 38 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 16 |
| 70 | 4223 | 41 | 34 | 38 | 34 | 36 | 17 |
| 80 | 4765 | 44 | 37 | 41 | 36 | 39 | 18 |
| 90 | 5298 | 46 | 38 | 43 | 37 | 42 | 18 |
| 100 | 5823 | 48 | 39 | 45 | 38 | 45 | 19 |
Boss
Seifer is fought as a boss four times in the story. He uses Fire-based attacks and gains new Limit Breaks every time he is encountered. If the party has Odin a cutscene will occur the last time Seifer is faced. Seifer is the only enemy in the game who has the rare spell Aura available for drawing.
Triple Triad
Template:FFVIII Card
Other Appearances
Pocket Station Memorycard Icons
An icon sprite of Seifer appears in the Pocket Station memorycard file manager.
Dissidia Final Fantasy
Seifer is mentioned in the Museum under Odin's entry, where it is mentioned Seifer countered the Zantetsuken and bisected Odin. Several references to Seifer also exist in Dissidia Final Fantasy; Squall fights with a faster, one-handed style similar to Seifer, and begins his EX Burst by striking his opponent in an upside-down cross, similar to Seifer's Bloodfest Limit Break. Seifer appears as the name of a Ghost card, a Level 100 Ultimecia bearing the Green Gem and GF Eden battlegen items.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Template:IncompleteTable
The head of Balamb Garden's Disciplinary Committee and yet the most problematic student within its walls. Despite his superior fighting skills, Seifer's belligerent attitude and inability to follow orders have left him famous for being unable to pass the SeeD exam. When he crashes one of Squall's missions, he is caught by the sorceress Edea and turned against the Garden.
Online description
Seifer is a sub-character in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, obtained by collecting Gray Crystal Shards from Dark Note bosses.
| Level | HP | CP | Strength | Magic | Agility | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 241 | 6 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 |
| 10 | 961 | 11 | 38 | 37 | 32 | 35 |
| 20 | 1760 | 17 | 61 | 59 | 52 | 57 |
| 80 | 5979 | 50 | 185 | 180 | 158 | 173 |
| 99 | 6399 | 50 | 198 | 192 | 169 | 185 |
Abilities
| Ability | Level | CP | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirage (Lv 1) | 1 | 3 | Reactive (Probability) | Activates if Bad or worst score; 25% chance of avoiding damage. Only works 3 times per stage. |
| Mirage (Lv 2) | 20 | 5 | Reactive (Probability) | Activates if Bad or worst score; 50% chance of avoiding damage. Only works 3 times per stage. |
| Mirage (Lv 3) | 75 | 7 | Reactive (Probability) | Activates if Bad or worst score; 80% chance of avoiding damage. Only works 3 times per stage. |
| Weapon Break (Lv 1) | 5 | 3 | Reactive (Special) | Activated after second monster appears in BMS. Reduces monsters' attack power. (Low Strength) |
| Weapon Break (Lv 2) | 40 | 6 | Reactive (Special) | Activated after second monster appears in BMS. Reduces monsters' attack power. (Medium Strength) |
| Weapon Break (Lv 3) | 70 | 10 | Reactive (Special) | Activated after second monster appears in BMS. Reduces monsters' attack power. (High Strength) |
| Counter (Lv 1) | 1 | 5 | Reactive (Physical) | Used on BMS, up to 5 times; For every 3 Misses, executes a low strength attack. |
| Counter (Lv 2) | 60 | 10 | Reactive (Physical) | Used on BMS, up to 5 times; For every 3 Misses, executes a medium strength attack. |
| HP Up (Lv 1) | 10 | 4 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 800 to HP. |
| HP Up (Lv 2) | 50 | 8 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 1600 to HP. |
| HP Up (Lv 3) | 65 | 14 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 2400 to HP. |
| Strength Up (Lv 1) | 25 | 5 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 25 to Strength and multiplies attack power by 1.1 for BMS. |
| Strength Up (Lv 2) | 45 | 10 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 40 to Strength but drops Agility by 60. Multiplies attack power by 1.3 for BMS. |
| Wind Rhapsody (Lv 1) | 15 | 5 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 20 to Agility and then adds a further 40 to Agility during FMS. |
| Wind Rhapsody (Lv 2) | 35 | 10 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 30 to Agility and then adds a further 45 to Agility during FMS. |
| Wind Rhapsody (Lv 3) | 80 | 16 | Proactive (Augment) | Increases parameters while equipped. Adds 40 to Agility and then a further 60 to Agility during a FMS. |
| Lance (Lv 1) | 30 | 8 | Proactive (Special) | Active for the entire length of BMS. Character regains slight HP for every GOOD or better on a Trigger in their lane. |
| Lance (Lv 2) | 55 | 14 | Proactive (Special) | Active for the entire length of BMS. Character regains some HP for every GOOD or better on a Trigger in their lane. |
| Lance (Lv 3) | 85 | 20 | Proactive (Special) | Active for the entire length of the BMS. Character regains noticeable HP for every GOOD or better on a Trigger in their lane. |
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Though extremely skilled, his belligerent attitude and unwillingness to follow orders have kept him from passing the SeeD exam, making him an eternal SeeD-in-training. Harbors an intense rivalry with his fellow gunblade wielder, Squall.
Character Description
Seifer appears as a summonable Legend in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade. He is depicted in his default Final Fantasy VIII outfit. His abilities are Bloodfest, Demon Slice, Firaga and Zantetsuken Reverse.
Template:Gallery
This section about a character in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Final Fantasy Artniks
Template:Gallery
Template:Sec-stub
Final Fantasy All the Bravest
This reckless Balamb Garden disciplinarian really has a knack for failing exams.
Description
Seifer is an exclusive character only available from the Premium Character Shop as a random downloadable content, he uses the No Mercy ability during battle.
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Seifer appears in the trading card game of Final Fantasy and is represented by four cards. They are all Lightning-elemental.
Template:Gallery
Non-Final Fantasy Appearances
Kingdom Hearts series
A younger version of Seifer appears in Kingdom Hearts II. He is the leader of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee, together with Fuu and Rai, and is idolized by Vivi for his strength. Seifer is known for being a top Struggle fighter, who also likes street brawls. Seifer calls Roxas "chicken wuss", which he calls Zell in Final Fantasy VIII.
In DiZ's simulated Twilight Town, he is a rival of Roxas and his friends, while in the real Twilight Town, Hayner is his main rival since Roxas does not exist. He is antagonistic toward Sora, but after he saves Seifer's gang from the Nobodies, Seifer gives him the Struggle Trophy, an unspoken sign of respect. Although his rival Squall (under the name of Leon) appears in the series the two never meet, though they retain their trademark scars.
Seifer is voiced by Takehito Koyasu in the Japanese version and by Will Friedle in the English version.
Template:Gallery
Gallery
Template:Gallery
Etymology
Seifer's last name, Almasy, is from the common Hungarian family name Almásy (pronounced ɒlmaːʃi). It means "related to or from [the land] of apples". His first name could be based on the Semitic root s-y-f, seen in Arabic سيف (seif), Hebrew סיף (sayif), and Maltese sejf meaning "sword" or "saber". Even the word "Almasy" may be based on the Arabic word (which has the same pronunciation) ألماسي, which means "Made from Diamond". This is also likely the reason refining Seifer's Triple Triad card yields Diamond Armors. "Seifer" is also a variant of the name Siegfried (meaning victor); a common German first name.
Cifer, Seifer's German name, comes from Cipher, a type of encryption normally hard to read or understand without the original producer's clues. The spelling was most likely changed because Seife is the German word for "soap", thus Seifer can be understood as an agent noun "soaper".
Trivia
- Seifer uses a power similar to magic, though in-game information confirms he does not use real magic, but chi-based attacks.
- The red cross usually worn by Seifer is a variant of the Cruz de Santiago (Cross of Saint James), the emblem of an ancient Spanish order designated to protect the European pilgrims from the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.
- Seifer is the second-eldest character from the "orphanage gang", the eldest being Quistis.
- Although Seifer forms a posse with Fujin and Raijin, the player never gets to fight all three of them in the same battle.
- Seifer uses the more traditional meaning of "romantic", which can cause some confusion over the meaning of his "romantic dream".
- During the parade, Seifer is usually seen on the float with Edea during the FMVs, however, he appears to have momentarily vanished for one scene.
- Without even knowing it, the brief time he was an item with Rinoa, Seifer was living his "romantic dream" since Rinoa had the potential to become (and later became) a sorceress.
- On May 30th, 2012, official website for Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary, in the character section dedicated to Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer's katakana was correct while his English name was translated to "Sephiroth". As of May 31st, 2012, Square Enix corrected the error.
References
Template:FFVIII
Template:Theatrhythm