If you’ve been following discussions about FF7 Rebirth, you’ve probably heard people talk about Sephiroth wanting to “free the worlds from fate” or create “multiple possibilities.” After all, he talks about “worlds unbound by fate and histories unwritten,” right?
Here’s the problem: that interpretation is completely backwards.
Sephiroth doesn’t want multiple free worlds. He wants the exact opposite.
The Misunderstanding: “Worlds Unbound by Fate”
At the Temple of the Ancients, Sephiroth reveals his plan. He declares that it shall encompass “worlds unbound by fate and histories unwritten,” and that he plans to reunite not only the fragmented pieces of Jenova, but the “errant worlds” as well.
At first glance, this sounds almost noble. “Worlds unbound by fate” – worlds freed from predetermined destiny! “Histories unwritten” – new possibilities opening up! Maybe Sephiroth is liberating reality from the Whispers’ control?
Wrong.
What “Worlds Unbound by Fate” Actually Means
To understand Sephiroth’s plan, you need to understand what he’s actually describing:
“Worlds unbound by fate” = the current state of the multiple worlds
After the party defeated the Whisper Harbinger at the end of Remake, the Whispers – Fate’s enforcers – were destroyed. All these divergent worlds that now exist are “unbound” because there’s no longer a Fate dictating a single predetermined path. They’re free-floating, uncontrolled realities.
The planet now exists as Sephiroth describes: “a multitude of worlds, ever unfolding.”
But Sephiroth’s plan isn’t to keep them that way.
His plan is to “encompass” these worlds – to gather them, merge them, and unify them into ONE single world. And in that unified reality, there won’t be freedom or multiple possibilities.
HE will control Fate.
What Sephiroth Actually Wants
Sephiroth’s declaration should be read like this:
“My plan will bring together all these currently-free worlds (‘worlds unbound by fate’) and consolidate them into one reality where I alone control destiny. Once unified, all those divergent histories will be erased (‘histories unwritten’), leaving only one future – the future I will write.”
Not multiple free worlds. One world. His world. Under his absolute control.
Think about what this achieves:
Benefit #1: Eliminates All Alternatives
In a multiverse where countless worlds exist with countless different outcomes, Sephiroth can never achieve total victory. There will always be a world where Cloud defeats him, where Aerith survives, where his plans fail.
Alternative realities mean alternative possibilities – and alternatives are threats to absolute power.
But in a single unified world? There are no alternatives. No other timelines where things turn out differently. No parallel versions of events that could undermine his control. Just one reality, shaped according to his will, with no possibility of escape or resistance from another world.
Benefit #2: The Power of Suffering
The merging process itself generates immense suffering. We see this directly when Cloud witnesses worlds colliding – the screams, the violence, the agony.
This isn’t just an unfortunate side effect; it’s a feature, not a bug.
At the Forgotten Capital, Sephiroth describes what’s happening:
“And so it begins. A confluence of worlds and emotions. Loss, chief among them. It engulfs fleeting moments of joy, transforming them into rage, sadness, hatred.”
Sephiroth has always drawn power from negative emotions and energy. The suffering caused by merging worlds feeds negative energy into the Lifestream – energy that Sephiroth has learned to tap into and control.
The merging process isn’t just a means to an end. The pain it causes strengthens him as he works toward his ultimate goal.
Benefit #3: Eliminating the White Materia
There’s a strategic reason for Sephiroth to merge and destroy worlds: eliminating all versions of Aerith and all versions of the White Materia before they can threaten him in the unified reality.
In the original game, Aerith’s prayer using the White Materia to cast Holy was what ultimately enabled the planet to stop Meteor. If multiple worlds exist, that means multiple Aeriths exist, and potentially multiple White Materias that could oppose him.
By merging worlds and eliminating the Aeriths within them before the final unification, Sephiroth aims to ensure that no White Materia – no Holy – exists in his unified world. Without the planet’s ultimate defense, nothing can stop him from achieving godhood.
However, this plan ultimately fails. Despite Sephiroth’s efforts, Cloud recovers the White Materia and returns it to Aerith in the main world. The potential for Holy still exists in the reality Sephiroth is trying to control.
The Ultimate Goal: Godhood Through Total Control
Sephiroth’s goal is the same as it was in the original Final Fantasy VII, but with an expanded scope:
To become a god by absorbing the Lifestream – not just of one world, but of all worlds merged into one.
By collapsing all realities into a single unified existence, Sephiroth creates a scenario where:
- All spiritual energy is concentrated in one Lifestream
- There are no alternative realities where he fails
- No White Materia exists to summon Holy against him
- The suffering of the merging process empowers him
- He controls the mechanisms of Fate itself
In this unified world “unbound by fate,” Sephiroth would be the one who writes history – as a god, unchallenged and unopposed, with all of reality under his absolute control.
Why He Calls Them “Errant Worlds”
Notice Sephiroth’s specific terminology: he calls these multiple worlds “errant worlds.”
Not “possibility worlds.” Not “alternate realities.” Errant worlds.
“Errant” means straying from the proper course, deviating from what’s intended. These worlds, from Sephiroth’s perspective, are mistakes – things that shouldn’t exist. They’re obstacles to his vision of a singular, controlled reality.
They’re “errant” because they represent resistance, alternatives, and possibilities he hasn’t controlled yet. His goal is to correct this “error” by merging them all into one world where such deviations cannot exist.
The Horrifying Simplicity of It
What makes Sephiroth’s plan so effective is how straightforward it is once you understand it:
- Multiple worlds exist (created when Fate was broken)
- Merge them all into one world through the Lifestream
- In the process, generate massive suffering (which empowers him)
- Eliminate all White Materias across worlds
- Concentrate all spiritual energy into one Lifestream
- Absorb that unified Lifestream to become god
- Control Fate absolutely in the single remaining reality
No alternatives. No resistance. No escape. Just Sephiroth’s singular vision of eternity.
What the Party Is Really Fighting For
Understanding Sephiroth’s real plan clarifies what’s at stake:
The party isn’t just fighting to save their world from Meteor. They’re fighting to preserve the existence of multiple worlds – multiple possibilities, multiple futures, multiple chances for hope and resistance.
They’re fighting to prevent all of reality from collapsing into a single nightmare where Sephiroth reigns as an unchallengeable god.
Sephiroth doesn’t want freedom. He wants the ultimate prison: a reality with no alternatives, no other possibilities, no way out. A universe where only his will exists.
That’s his real plan.
The Irony
There’s a cruel irony in Sephiroth’s plan. After defeating the Whispers and “freeing” the worlds from Fate’s control, the result isn’t freedom – it’s an opportunity for an even more tyrannical form of control.
The worlds are “unbound by fate” only temporarily, only until Sephiroth can bind them all under his fate instead.
The party didn’t free the worlds from destiny. They just changed who gets to control it.
Want to Understand More?
This article focused specifically on Sephiroth’s plan and motivations. For the complete picture including:
- How world merging actually works mechanically
- What all the different worlds are
- Evidence that merging is happening
- Aerith’s role in opposing Sephiroth
- What might happen to people during merging
Check out the comprehensive guide: Understanding Different Worlds in Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth: A Comprehensive Guide
Or read the other explainers:
TL;DR: Sephiroth doesn’t want multiple free worlds. “Worlds unbound by fate” describes the current state – he wants to merge them all into ONE world where HE controls fate. No alternatives, no resistance, no escape. Just his singular vision of reality with absolute power.
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