"One-Winged Angel"
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"I know that with every concert that we have, when we have the orchestra perform "One-Winged Angel", for some reason or another that's the one that has the biggest reaction, and everyone sort of expects that to be in a Final Fantasy concert. I still can't figure out why. I know that I pushed everyone to his/her limits, but then it worked out in the end."

—Nobuo Uematsu

"One-Winged Angel" (片翼の天使 "Katayoku no Tenshi") is the name of Sephiroth's theme in all his appearances throughout the Final Fantasy series. The song originally appeared at the end of Final Fantasy VII as the final boss theme, played during the battle with Safer∙Sephiroth. The song's name refers to Safer∙Sephiroth, who has six white wings and a grotesque black wing where his right arm should be.

The song is one of the most recognized tracks in the series, unseating what was originally Sephiroth's theme, "Those Chosen by the Planet". To that extent, the song and its title have become synonymous with Sephiroth, and "One-Winged Angel" has been used not only as the name of the song, but as a title for Sephiroth himself. "One-Winged Angel" has been remixed numerous times for different games in which he is featured, and to draw back to the appearance of Safer∙Sephiroth, Sephiroth is now commonly shown with a black wing extending from his right shoulder.

Contents 1 Development 2 Lyrics 2.1 Latin 2.2 English translation 3 Other Versions 3.1 Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks 3.2 Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VII 3.3 Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- 3.4 Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children 3.4.1 Lyrics 3.4.2 Latin 3.4.3 Official translation 3.4.4 Literal Translation[2] 3.5 Dissidia Final Fantasy 3.6 Kingdom Hearts series 4 Live orchestra recordings 4.1 20020220 music from Final Fantasy 4.2 More Friends - Music from Final Fantasy 4.3 Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy 4.4 Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home 5 Trivia 6 See Also 7 References 8 External Links

DevelopmentEdit

"One-Winged Angel" broke new ground in the Final Fantasy series by being the first song in a Final Fantasy game that had lyrics. The developers experimented with the song and took the recording of it and reduced it in a way it would fit the game; Uematsu has mentioned that "One-Winged Angel" is a good example of an experimental song, or a result that they didn't really expect from the beginning.

Uematsu had not been trained or been in an orchestra prior to composing "One-Winged Angel," but he wanted to keep the orchestral music atmosphere and be able to "rock it" and have sort of a thick orchestral feel to it. He had a bunch of samples of stuff he had prepared for the orchestra, but in the end he ended up tossing it over to them and seeing how they could perform it.^[1]

During the VOICES: Music from Final Fantasy concert, the encore piece was "One-Winged Angel" performed by both the Black Mages and the orchestra. Afterward Uematsu has stated: "At that moment, I knew that was the complete "One-Winged Angel". So I still think "One-Winged Angel" is a rock piece".^[1]

LyricsEdit

The verses were taken from the medieval poetry compilation Carmina Burana.

LatinEdit CHORUS Estuans interius Ira vehementi Estuans interius Ira vehementi Sephiroth Sephiroth REPEAT CHORUS Sors immanis Et inanis Sors immanis Et inanis REPEAT CHORUS Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa Sephiroth Sephiroth Sephiroth

English translationEdit CHORUS Burning inside with violent anger Burning inside with violent anger Sephiroth Sephiroth REPEAT CHORUS Fate - monstrous And empty Fate - monstrous And empty REPEAT CHORUS Come, come, O come, Do not let me die Come, come, O come, Do not let me die Come, come, O come, Do not let me die Come, come, O come, Do not let me die Come, come, O come, Glorious Do not let me die Noble Come, come, O come, Glorious Do not let me die Noble Come, come, O come, Glorious Do not let me die Noble Come, come, O come, Glorious Do not let me die Noble Sephiroth Sephiroth Sephiroth

Other VersionsEdit

Final Fantasy VII: Reunion TracksEdit

"One-Winged Angel" was included as an orchestrated rearrangement in the album Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks. Some versions of the album contain a hidden pregap track accessed by rewinding from the start of the album. This track is an instrumental version of "One-Winged Angel" without the choir.

The vocal version from the Reunion Tracks can also be found on the Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection album.

Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VIIEdit

A piano arrangement of the theme is included on this album, performed by Seiji Honda.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-Edit

The World's Enemy
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An arrangement of the song titled "The World's Enemy", plays during a flashback sequence where Sephiroth battles Genesis Rhapsodos, and the Sephiroth boss battle in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- along with "Controlling the Iron Beast". Compared to the original song, this arrangement features a shorter introduction leading into the vocals much earlier, and is shorter as a whole.

An interesting note is that this remix focuses on the song's orchestral elements, providing a sharp contrast between it and Genesis's themes, "A Beating Black Wing" and "SOLDIER Battle", which focus on rock elements.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent ChildrenEdit

Advent: One-Winged Angel
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"One-Winged Angel" was re-arranged for the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, for the final battle between Cloud Strife and Sephiroth. This arrangement is titled "Advent: One-Winged Angel" ("Sairin: Katayoku no Tenshi"), and was meant to be the main focus of the film's soundtrack. Notable from any past iteration of the piece, this new version features an accompanying performance by Nobuo Uematsu's metal band, The Black Mages.

The track also features new orchestration, altered from the original composition to accommodate the added metal accompaniment. For the movie's extended cut, Advent Children Complete, the song was again re-done with new orchestration. Since the scene during which the song plays had been lengthened, a new passage was added toward the end. It repeats the song as heard from 1:29-2:15, without the Latin chorus and metal band accompaniment.

In the commentary for Advent Children, Nobuo Uematsu comments that the previous orchestration never really quite felt right to him and, by contrast, the combination of orchestra and metal sounds seemed to be what the piece really required all along. Uematsu also noted various rock bands that had performed their songs with an orchestra, and failed, and stated that because "One-Winged Angel" was written for neither an orchestra or a rock band, the two styles ended up meshing together well for the song's remix.

The lyrics of the Advent Children version were completely different from those of the Reunion Tracks. There is a dispute concerning the official translation of the Latin lyrics and another, more literal translation of the first and last stanzas. Whether or not the official translation of the song conveys the same message as its literal translation is entirely a matter of opinion.

LyricsEdit

LatinEdit Noli manere, manere in memoria Noli manere, manere in memoria Sephiroth, Sephiroth Saevam iram, iram et dolorem Saevam iram, iram et dolorem Sephiroth, Sephiroth Ferum terribile, terribile fatum Noli manere, manere in memoria Noli manere, manere in memoria Sephiroth, Sephiroth Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili Hic veni, da mihi... Noli manere in memoria Saevam iram et dolorem Ferum terribile fatum Ille iterum veniet Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Qui mortem invitavis) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Poena funesta natus) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Noli nomen vocare) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Ille iterum veniet) Sephiroth, Sephiroth Sephiroth

Official translationEdit Won't remain, remain in memory Won't remain, remain in memory Sephiroth, Sephiroth Raging anger, anger and misery Raging anger, anger and misery Sephiroth, Sephiroth Fierce terror, fierce fate Won't remain, remain in memory Won't remain, remain in memory Sephiroth, Sephiroth Come, my son. Come, my son Come here, give me death once more Come, my son. Come, my son Come here, give me... Won't remain in memory Raging anger and misery Fierce, terrible fate The second advent My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son (By death's invitation) My son, come, come, come, my son (Painful tainted birth) My son, come, come, come, my son (Won't call the name) My son, come, come, come, my son (The second advent) Sephiroth, Sephiroth Sephiroth

Literal Translation^[2]Edit

Don't remain, remain in memory

Don't remain, remain in memory

Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Fierce anger, anger and pain

Fierce anger, anger and pain

Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Wild, terrible, terrible fate

Don't remain, remain in memory

Don't remain, remain in memory

Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Come, my son. Come my son

Come here, give me death once more

Come, my son. Come my son

Come here, give me...

Don't

Remain

In memory

Fierce

Anger

And pain

Wild

Terrible

Fate

That [Man]

Once again

Will come

My son, come, come, come, my son

My son, come, come, come, my son

My son, come, come, come, my son

My son, come, come, come, my son

My son, come, come, come, my so

He who invited death

My son, come, come, come, my son

[Was] born with an ill-fated punishment

My son, come, come, come, my son

Don't call his name

My son, come, come, come, my son

That [Man] will come again

Sephiroth

Sephiroth

Dissidia Final FantasyEdit

Dissidia Final Fantasy features the arranged version of "One-Winged Angel" from the Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks album as a battle theme, and may be heard whenever a story battle occurs in the Planet's Core. It can also be the default choice for fights against Sephiroth or Cloud. Like every other track in Dissidia Final Fantasy, this version is reused in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.

Kingdom Hearts seriesEdit

"One-Winged Angel" was remixed twice for the series, playing in boss battles with Sephiroth in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, as well as playing during his fights with Cloud in cutscenes. The remixes of the theme feature much shorter intros, leading almost immediately into the Latin vocals, and the vocals as a whole are more prominent than in the original version.

Live orchestra recordingsEdit

"One-Winged Angel" is typically performed as an encore on the Final Fantasy concerts.

20020220 music from Final FantasyEdit

"One-Winged Angel," performed live by Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, is included on this concert record album.

More Friends - Music from Final FantasyEdit

"Advent: One-Winged Angel" is included on this live recording of an orchestral concert, preformed by The World Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arnie Roth at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California on May 16th, 2005.

Distant Worlds: Music from Final FantasyEdit

"One-Winged Angel" was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in this live orchestra concert recording.

Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning HomeEdit

"One-Winged Angel" is included on this live recording of an orchestral concert, performed by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Arnie Roth held in Tokyo, in November 2010. Instead of being the encore, "One-Winged Angel" opens the concert.

TriviaEdit

• In Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories, "One-Winged Angel" appears as a Keyblade for Sora known as the One-Winged Angel. It is one of the more powerful Keyblades one can obtain, and is modeled after Sephiroth's Masamune. In Final Mix, it is obtained by defeating Sephiroth, while in Chain of Memories and its remake, it can be found in the Room of Rewards.
• "One-Winged Angel" is also the name of Sephiroth's exclusive Level 100 weapon in Dissidia Final Fantasy.
• Sephiroth's "One-Winged Angel" incarnation and its six white wings are a direct nod to the angelic description of Seraphim in Isaiah 6:2.

"Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft".

However, the name and title "One-Winged Angel" owe themselves not to these six white wings, but to the seventh single black wing.

• The melody of the lyrics "Sors immanis, et inanis", may be derived from Sephiroth's theme, "Those Chosen by the Planet".
• Nobuo Uematsu apparently got his inspiration for "One-Winged Angel" through Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho Theme. This is confirmed when Nobuo himself states it so in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children's special feature, "The Distance: Making of Featurette" on Disc Two of the Two-Disc Special Edition.
• The theme is also featured in a Robot Chicken skit that parodies Final Fantasy VII. Here, the only lyrics featured is the word "Hamburger" played comically when Sephiroth appears in the skit.
• Due to difficulties hearing the exact lyrics, various listeners have composed a myriad of misinterpreted lyrics of the song, some of which can be viewed on YouTube. A perfect example are the words ira vehementi, which players humorously assume as red bikini, which lead to the creation of images of Sephiroth clad in a red bikini which can be seen at DeviantArt.com. All these are attributed for comedy reasons.

See AlsoEdit

• "Final Boss Theme"
• "Battle to the Death"
• "Zeromus"
• "Neo Exdeath"
• "Dancing Mad"
• "The Extreme"
• "Grand Cross"
• "Decisive Battle"
• "Awakening"
• "The Battle for Freedom"
• "Nascent Requiem"

ReferencesEdit

External LinksEdit

• Alexander Pushkin's The Prophet (Full text).

v · e · d Final Fantasy VII
Characters
Player characters
Cloud Strife - Barret Wallace - Tifa Lockhart - Aeris Gainsborough - Red XIII - Cait Sith - Cid Highwind - Vincent Valentine - Yuffie Kisaragi
Temporary playable characters
Sephiroth
Shinra Staff
Rufus Shinra - President Shinra - Professor Hojo - Tseng - Reno - Rude - Elena - Heidegger - Scarlet - Palmer - Reeve Tuesti - Gast Faremis - Lucrecia Crescent - Mayor Domino - Deputy Mayor Hart - Manager - Zack Fair
Other characters
Big Bro - Biggs - Elder Bughe - Bugenhagen - Butch - Chole - Choco Billy - Chocobo Sage - Cloud's Mother - Mr. Coates - Dio - Don Corneo - Dyne - Eleanor - Elmyra Gainsborough - Ester - Godo Kisaragi - Elder Hargo - Mr. Holzoff - Ifalna - Jenova - Jessie - Joe - Johnny - Kalm Traveler - Kotch - Marlene Wallace - Mukki - Myrna - Priscilla - Seto - Shera - Teioh - Tifa's Father - Village Headman - Wedge - Zangan
Locations on the Planet
Eastern Continent
Midgar - Sector 1 - Sector 1 Reactor - Sector 8 - Sector 7 - 7th Heaven - Sector 4 - Sector 5 Reactor - Sector 5 Church - Sector 5 - Sector 6 - Wall Market - Honey Bee Inn - Train Graveyard - Shinra Headquarters - Midgar Slums - Midgar Wasteland - Kalm - Chocobo Farm - Marshes - Mythril Mine - Fort Condor - Junon - Junon Underwater Reactor
Western Continent
Costa del Sol - Mt. Corel - North Corel - Gold Saucer - Wonder Square - Battle Square - Corel Prison - Gongaga - Cosmo Canyon - Cave of the Gi - Nibelheim - Mt. Nibel - Rocket Town - Ancient Forest - Crystal Cave
Northern Continent
Bone Village - Sleeping Forest - Forgotten Capital - Icicle Inn - Great Glacier - Gaea's Cliff - North Crater - Whirlwind Maze - Northern Cave - Chocobo Sage's House
Other locations
Cargo Ship - Wutai - Da Chao Mountain - Temple of the Ancients - Mideel - Cloud's Subconscious - Materia Caves - Goblin Island - Cactus Island - Round Island - Bottom of the Sea - Gelnika - Debug Room
Races
Humans - Red XIII's Species - Cetra - Weapons
Terms
All Lucky 7s - AVALANCHE - Black Materia - Buster Sword - Chaos - Condor - Date Mechanics - Gi Tribe - Hardy-Daytona - Holy - Huge Materia - Jenova Project - Keystone - Leviathan Scales - Lifestream - Limit Break - Lunar Harp - Mako - Mako Reactor - Makonoid - Masamune - Materia - Meteor - PHS - Promised Land - Shinra Electric Power Company - Sister Ray - SOLDIER - Sephiroth Clones - Turks - Weapon - White Materia
Events
Aerith's Death - Nibelheim Incident - Raid on Midgar - Siege of Fort Condor - Wutai War - Zack's Final Stand
Transportation
Highwind - Buggy - Cargo Ship - Chocobo - Motorcycle - Submarine - Tiny Bronco - Train - Shinra No. 26 - B1-Alpha Helicopter - B1-Beta Helicopter
Music
Original Soundtrack - Reunion Tracks - Piano Collections "Opening ~ Bombing Mission" - "Those Who Fight" - "Those Who Fight Further" - "Turks' Theme" - "Aerith's Theme" - "J-E-N-O-V-A" - "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII" - "Farm Boy" - "Descendant of Shinobi" - "Cosmo Canyon" - "One-Winged Angel"
Archives
Accessories - Allusions - Armor - Demo - Enemies - Enemy Abilities - Items - Manual - Materia - Timeline - Translations - Walkthroughs - Wallpapers - Weapons

v · e · d Musical Themes from the Final Fantasy Series
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Recurring Themes
Battle Theme - Boss Theme - Chocobo's Theme - Dungeon - Ending Theme - Final Boss Theme - Final Fantasy - Good Night - Moogle's Theme - Prelude - Town Theme - Victory Fanfare
Final Fantasy
"Main Theme" - "Battle Scene" - "Chaos Shrine" - "Matoya's Cave" - "Gurgu Volcano"
Final Fantasy II
"Battle Scene 1" - "Rebel Army Theme" - "Main Theme" - "Battle Scene 2" - "Magician's Tower" - "Finale"
Final Fantasy III
"Into the Crystal Cave" - "Battle 1" - "Battle 2" - "Eternal Wind" - "Tozas" - "The Boundless Ocean" - "Elia, the Maiden of Water" - "Pavilion of Dorga and Une" - "Battle to the Death"
Final Fantasy IV
"Theme of Love" - "Final Fantasy IV Main Theme" - "Battle 1" - "Battle 2" - "Rydia" - "Edward's Harp" - "Mysidia" - "Dancing Doll Calcobrena" - "Battle with Golbez's Four Emperors" - "The Final Battle"
Final Fantasy V
"Main Theme of Final Fantasy V" - "Reina's Theme" - "Pirates Ahoy" - "Sorrows of Parting" - "Home, Sweet Home" - "Music Box" - "Battle at the Big Bridge" - "Legend of the Deep Forest" - "The Final Battle" - "Dear Friends" - "Ending Theme"
Final Fantasy VI
"Battle Theme" - "Decisive Battle" - "Terra" - "Kefka" - "Kids Run Through the City" - "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" - "Relm's Theme" - "The Fierce Battle" - "Searching for Friends" - "Dancing Mad"
Final Fantasy VII
"Opening ~ Bombing Mission" - "Those Who Fight" - "Tifa's Theme" - "Those Who Fight Further" - "Turks' Theme" - "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII" - "Farm Boy" - "J-E-N-O-V-A" - "Cosmo Canyon" - "Aerith's Theme" - "One-Winged Angel"
Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
"Theme of Elfe"
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
"Theme of CRISIS CORE" - "Why"
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
"Calling" - "Safe and Sound" - "The Promised Land"
Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
"Redemption" - "Longing"
Final Fantasy VIII
"Liberi Fatali" - "Blue Fields" - "Don't Be Afraid" - "Force Your Way" - "The Man with the Machine Gun" - "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec" - "The Oath" - "Fisherman's Horizon" - "Eyes on Me" - "Maybe I'm a Lion" - "The Extreme"
Final Fantasy IX
"The Place I'll Return to Someday" - "Vamo' Alla Flamenco" - "Hunter's Chance" - "Kuja's Theme" - "Rose of May" - "Daguerreo, the Hermit's Library" - "Unrequited Love" - "Not Alone" - "The Final Battle"- "Melodies of Life"
Final Fantasy X
"Zanarkand" - "Otherworld" - "Hymn of the Fayth" - "Via Purifico" - "Suteki da ne" - "Seymour Battle" - "A Contest of Aeons" - "Decisive Battle"
Final Fantasy X-2
"Eternity ~Memory of Lightwaves~" - "Real Emotion" - "Yuna's Ballad" - "1000 Words"
Final Fantasy XI
"Vana'diel March" - "Ronfaure" - "Fighters of the Crystal" - "Awakening" - "Distant Worlds" - "Memoro de la Ŝtono"
Final Fantasy XII
"Opening Movie (Theme of FINAL FANTASY XII)" - "Boss Battle" - "The Dalmasca Estersand" - "Giza Plains" - "Theme of the Empire" - "The Battle for Freedom" - "Kiss me Good-Bye"
Final Fantasy XIII
"FINAL FANTASY XIII ~The Promise~" - "Blinded By Light" - "Ragnarok" - "Eternal Love" - "March of the Dreadnoughts" - "Fighting Fate" - "Fang's Theme" - "Gapra Whitewood" - "Will to Fight" - "Sulyya Springs" - "Dust to Dust" - "Born Anew" - "Nascent Requiem" - "Kimi ga Iru Kara" - "My Hands"
Final Fantasy XIII-2
"FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 ~Wishes~" - "Noel's Theme" - "Caius's Theme" - "New World"
Final Fantasy XIV
"Answers" - "Primal Judgement"
Final Fantasy Tactics
"Hero's Theme"
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
"Main Theme" - "Teach Me, Mont Blanc" - "Shiroi Hana"
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
"Summer Vacation"
Final Fantasy Type-0
"Three Hours of Fate" - "Zero"
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
"Somnus"
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
"Sound of the Wind" - "Moonless Starry Night" - "Starry Moonlit Night"
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
"Kuule tää unelmain"
Dissidia Final Fantasy
"The Messenger"
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
"Cantata Mortis & God in Fire"