Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Crimson Desert
  • Pokopia
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Starfield
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Don't miss these
Lightning in Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy Former Xbox exec suggests Japanese companies "wanted Sony to have competition but couldn't be too overt"
Low-poly Final Fantasy 7 characters stand facing camera amid HD environments
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy modder is bringing the OG character designs to Final Fantasy Rebirth because "them polygons got that aura"
Demon's Souls Dragon God roaring
Action RPGs FromSoftware experts find evidence Hidetaka Miyazaki's breakout RPG deleted some truly evil enemies
A scene from Final Fantasy 10 showing character Yuna standing on the water holding out her rod as the sun sets
Final Fantasy Best Final Fantasy games of all-time
Promotional art for Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy Before Final Fantasy 7 blew up, some Square Enix leadership thought there wasn't "real money" in English translations
An anime-style cutscene in Xenogears
JRPGs Square Enix shoutout has Xenogears fans behaving exactly as you'd expect on the classic JRPG's 28th anniversary
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
RPGs "The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 dev confirms it was filling your ears with spoilers
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 77% of US Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players were 30 or older, analyst says
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 14 boss Yoshi-P says the JRPG series is releasing games slower these days and losing younger gamers
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showing a man named Verso covered in dirt and blood, looking into the camera.
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 star didn't expect the RPG to have "the same impact" as Final Fantasy 16
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
JRPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead writer says it's "crazy" to see Final Fantasy legends praising Sandfall's game
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 1,200 hours in, Final Fantasy 14 fan trying to beat the MMO under RuneScape's Ironman rules clears biggest obstacle yet
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showing a man named Verso covered in dirt and blood, looking into the camera.
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Ben Starr worries the video game industry will learn the wrong lessons from its success
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
JRPGs The Trails series is "close to its conclusion," which is why the studio "needed to properly remake" the original JRPGs
Kingdom Hearts PS2 screenshot
Kingdom Hearts As Kingdom Hearts 4 fans await news, director celebrates series' 24th anniversary by telling them to check in next year
  1. Games
  2. RPGs

He's just like us for real: Final Fantasy 7's legendary composer spent 3 weeks going to work and thinking about Sephiroth

News
By Hirun Cryer published 13 March 2024

Nobuo Uematsu says figuring out One Winged Angel was a tough one

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Sephiroth looking at their hand in contemplation
(Image credit: Square Enix)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu has revealed he struggled with composing Sephiroth's now-iconic theme tune, One Winged Angel.

In the conversation with NewsPicks on YouTube just below, Uematsu recalls how he struggled to compose One Winged Angel and could only ponder Sephiroth for weeks at a time. "One Winged Angel was a song that I struggled with, actually. Every morning, I would go to work and think about Sephiroth and write something, about three or four musical phrases. And then I'd call it a day," Uematsu says (via a translation by @aitaikimochi on Twitter).

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

"And then I'd repeat it the next day: go to the office in the morning, think about Sephiroth the entire time, and write some more music," Uematsu continues. "After two or three weeks, I had a lot of different musical phrases to choose from, and I was able to figure out how to piece it together, for example choosing which melodies came first and so on. It was really tough to write this song, but it was very fun," the composer adds.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Final Fantasy X Switch Working with Final Fantasy is like "deciphering sacred texts," says veteran JRPG composer
  • Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7 Final Fantasy 7's Tetsuya Nomura reveals early art that "envisioned combat" not fully realized until FF7 Remake
  • Final Fantasy 9 Putting FromSoftware challenge sickos to shame, one fan smashes Final Fantasy 9's skip rope challenge blindfolded

The good news is that, after several weeks of struggling to piece the song together, One Winged Angel has since become an iconic track for the Final Fantasy series at large. Uematsu's theme song for Sephiroth has become synonymous with the character himself, and has even extended beyond the series itself, appearing as a powerful Keyblade in the Kingdom Hearts series.

In more recent Final Fantasy series news, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Queens Blood minigame is so popular that it might get an expansion. That's not a guarantee from Square Enix's developers, but game director Naoki Hamaguchi says that the response from players towards the card game has been so overwhelmingly strong that it's taken the developer by surprise.

If you've finished the latest in the remake trilogy, make sure to read our full Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ending explained recap for a look at what went down in the final hours. 

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Nintendo Switch Platforms Xbox PlayStation Nintendo
PRODUCTS
Final Fantasy 7 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Final Fantasy X Switch
Final Fantasy Working with Final Fantasy is like "deciphering sacred texts," says veteran JRPG composer
 
 
Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7's Tetsuya Nomura reveals early art that "envisioned combat" not fully realized until FF7 Remake
 
 
Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy Putting FromSoftware challenge sickos to shame, one fan smashes Final Fantasy 9's skip rope challenge blindfolded
 
 
A close-up of Cloud Strife during one of the best Steam Deck games, Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 7 Remake lead knows JRPG fans are time-poor, but thinks some options could help you finish it in one day
 
 
Promotional art for Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy Before Final Fantasy 7 blew up, some Square Enix leadership thought there wasn't "real money" in English translations
 
 
Low-poly Final Fantasy 7 characters stand facing camera amid HD environments
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy modder is bringing the OG character designs to Final Fantasy Rebirth because "them polygons got that aura"
 
 
Latest in RPGs
The Lantern of the Laughless Saint NPC grimacing
RPGs "Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so long that we're just making our own," RPG devs tell Todd Howard
 
 
A dragon blasts a man with a shield in Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls New Skyrim mod turns Bethesda's RPG into the "ultimate" MMO I've always wanted by transforming NPCs into real players
 
 
Paradox codes
RPGs Paradox codes (April 2026) for free rerolls and more
 
 
A trackers alliance agent cocks her head to the side as she tries to entice you to join the organisation
RPGs Starfield "doesn't even run properly" and is "unplayable" on PS5, report fans requesting refunds from Sony
 
 
Starfield Moon Jumper
RPGs Moon Jumper location in Starfield
 
 
Samara and Amani stand in their Goddess food truck mech in Dosa Divas key art, cooking up a big meal for surrounding villagers
RPGs Dosa Divas review: "I came for the culinary mechs and Jet Set Radio vibes, I stayed for the emotional rollercoaster"
 
 
Latest in News
A parade rolls down the street in the Race Day DLC for Cities: Skylines
City Builder Games Steam reviewer spends 30,000 hours playing Cities: Skylines, decides it sucks: "BY FAR most frustrating, enraging game"
 
 
Low-poly Final Fantasy 7 characters stand facing camera amid HD environments
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy modder is bringing the OG character designs to Final Fantasy Rebirth because "them polygons got that aura"
 
 
Ascendance of a Bookworm heroine Myne on blue sky background
Animated Shows My favorite isekai anime is back after 4 years, and Ascendance of A Bookworm season 4 is an upgrade
 
 
Gears of War E-Day release date: A close-up of Marcus Fenix with his face covered in blood during the Gears of War E-Day trailer.
Games Xbox Game Pass "has become too expensive for players," new CEO reportedly admits in leaked memo
 
 
Chucky TV Show
Horror Movies 2 years after the Chucky TV show was cancelled, franchise creator is making a new Chucky movie for theatrical release
 
 
Luke Cage
Marvel TV Shows Luke Cage actor Mike Colter spoils then deletes his MCU return in Daredevil: Born Again season 3
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. A parade rolls down the street in the Race Day DLC for Cities: Skylines
    1
    Steam reviewer spends 30,000 hours playing Cities: Skylines, decides it sucks: "BY FAR most frustrating, enraging game"
  2. 2
    Final Fantasy modder is bringing the OG character designs to Final Fantasy Rebirth because "them polygons got that aura"
  3. 3
    My favorite isekai anime is back after 4 years, and Ascendance of A Bookworm season 4 is an upgrade
  4. 4
    Xbox Game Pass "has become too expensive for players," new CEO reportedly admits in leaked memo
  5. 5
    2 years after the Chucky TV show was cancelled, franchise creator is making a new Chucky movie for theatrical release

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...