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 . Profile . 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 . Even though they both brandish a gunblade , Squall and Seifer ' s fighting styles are different , with Squall wielding his with two hands , whereas Seifer uses his single - handedly . Seifer ' s Triple Triad card is a mirror of Squall ' s , both having the same numbers . Appearance . 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 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 . Both have a facial scar inflicted during a duel ; the scars are mirror images with Seifer ' s pointing up - left ( from his point of view ) while Squall ' s points down - right . His choice of attire of a white coat with a red cross may allude to the real world . In " Kingdom Hearts II " , Seifer wears a gray long sleeveless coat with a short blue vest that shows his lower abs , brown baggy trousers with a matching brown tie and black combat boots . He wears a black bonnet hat with a gray stylized kanji of 俥 at the center . Personality . There are many parallels between Seifer and Squall . Even though they are rivals battling to prove their superiority , they have an unspoken respect for each other ' s prowess . Seifer is a loud and outspoken rebel , while Squall is a silent , strict rule follower . Both are nigh - equally skilled in using the gunblade , but Seifer ' s temper often leaves him losing to Squall . Seifer ' s friends , Raijin and Fujin , call themselves a " posse " , whereas Squall is a loner . Although he is belligerent and rude with delusions of grandeur , 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 . He has been bullying other kids since he was young , and is considered a " problem child " by the Garden staff . He defies authority figures and considers that others should defer to taking orders from him . He acts impulsively and his rash decisions get him into trouble until he feels he can no longer back out . Seifer displays some positive traits , as he ' s the first to clap in congratulation for the new SeeDs despite not making SeeD himself . He also becomes angry upon hearing that only three rookie SeeDs were sent off on an unreasonable mission with a vague time limit , and rushes to help . Story . Seifer is an 18 - year - old orphan who was born during the Sorceress War and sent to Edea ' s Orphanage . From a young age he bullied the other orphans , especially Zell . He was enrolled in Balamb Garden where he studied to become a SeeD . Seifer would forget his past in the orphanage due to the memory loss using Guardian Force s 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 the knight who protected her . The film was Seifer ' s favorite , and inspired his dream to become a Sorceress Knight himself , copying the selected weapon and battle pose of the actor who played the knight in the film . At Balamb Garden , Seifer would form the 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 also grown up in Edea ' s Orphanage before being enrolled in Balamb Garden , although neither remembers this . Of all the Garden students 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 . 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 . When he was seventeen , Seifer dated Rinoa Heartilly , a girl working in a resistance group to free the occupied nation of Timber . By the age of eighteen , Seifer is in instructor Quistis Trepe ' s class , but has little respect for his young teacher , and openly defies her . On the morning of a SeeD exam Seifer and Squall duel on a rocky field near Balamb Garden and Seifer casts a Fire spell sending Squall to the ground . He strikes at Squall ' s face , giving him a bloody scar . As Seifer lets his guard down , Squall retaliates , leaving a mirrored scar on Seifer ' s face . For the SeeD field examination on that day , Squall and Zell , with Seifer as their leader , form Squad B in the Siege of Dollet . Seifer begrudges having Squall and Zell in his team and declares that the Squad B rule is to follow his command . Unlike the others Seifer does not wear the the cadet uniform for the mission , and during the boat trip to Dollet acts indifferent and bored when Xu explains their objective , dissatisfied his squad was not given a more important task than securing the central square . Upon arriving to Dollet Seifer leads his squad to their post on the central square , and upon clearing it of enemy soldiers becomes frustrated with the following idleness . They spy the Galbadia ns heading to the mountains toward a radio tower , and , acting on impulse , decides to abandon their assigned position , with Squall and Zell following behind . Seifer goes on ahead leaving Squall and Zell behind when Selphie Tilmitt catches up with the them , bearing a message to the squad leader . Seifer single - handedly clears the radio tower of soldiers before taking the elevator to the top , where the squad finds Biggs and Wedge activating the tower . Selphie delivers the withdrawal order to Seifer , announcing they only have 30 minutes until the boats will leave . Seifer is furious they are ordered to withdraw when there are still enemy forces around , but is unwilling to be left behind . He again abandons his team to make his way back to the beach on his own , leaving Squall , Zell and Selphie to fight the X - ATM092 sent to pursue them . Everyone makes it back to the beach to withdraw in time , and upon arriving in Balamb Harbor Seifer complains about his squad members ' incompetence to Fujin and Raijin who had arrived to greet him . Seifer takes the SeeD Personal Carrier Vehicle back to the Garden leaving Squall and Zell to walk their way back . The exam results are announced , but because of Seifer ' s disobedience during the engagement he fails and grudgingly applauds Squall , Zell and Selphie , all of whom pass . While Seifer is sent to be disciplined for his actions Squall , Zell and Selphie are assigned their first SeeD mission : to aid the resistance faction Forest Owls free the occupied nation of Timber . Rinoa , whom Seifer had introduced to SeeD to hire them , is a member of said faction . Having heard of this mission , Seifer breaks out of the discipline room injuring many 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 — Seifer ' s former teacher who had been sent to retrieve him — Seifer is saved by Sorceress Edea . Appealing to Seifer ' s darker side , she convinces him to follow her . Seifer is announced executed by the Galbadian government and Rinoa reveals her past with Seifer to Squall and his party . Seifer is believed dead until he shows up in Deling City , standing at Edea ' s side having become her Sorceress Knight . Squall , with their new ally , Galbadia Garden sniper Irvine Kinneas , had been assigned to assassinate the sorceress during her welcoming parade . Despite having been saddened by the news of his death , Rinoa acts indifferent when informed Seifer is alive but that he may soon be killed by Squall . Edea blocks Irvine ' s shot with a spell and Squall breaks into the sorceress ' s parade to fight her one - on - one . Seifer stops him and , declaring his new status as hero and Sorceress Knight , fights Squall . After Seifer ' s defeat , Squall fights Edea who casts Ice Strike , piercing Squall ' s shoulder and rendering him unconscious . When Squall comes to in Galbadia ' s D - District Prison , he is transported to the torture room by Seifer who interrogates him 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 ( formerly headed by Fury Caraway ) , takes over Galbadia Garden under Edea ' s orders . Enabling the Garden ' s mobile functions he embarks on a search for a girl named Ellone whom his sorceress wishes to find . 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 . Squall and his party confront Seifer , who is defeated and left unconscious and disgraced on the floor . Squall ' s party defeats Edea who relinquishes her sorceress power to Rinoa , who , being possessed , revives Seifer and orders him to raise the Lunatic Pandora . During the entire ordeal Edea had been possessed by a sorceress from the future , Ultimecia , but it is unknown at what point Seifer learned of this . Edea is no longer a sorceress yet Seifer continues to follow Ultimecia ' s orders . Ultimecia wishes to destroy the world via time compression , but it is unknown if Seifer knows of her true goals . Under Ultimecia ' s orders Seifer has the G - Forces 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 , precipitating the Lunar Cry that decimates Esthar City and brings Sorceress Adel ' s tomb down from the orbit to be a new host for Ultimecia . G - Forces recover Ellone from the Lunar Base escape pod crash site , and Seifer holds her hostage inside the Pandora for Ultimecia ' s use while waiting for Adel to recover . Squall and his party invade the construct with an Estharian airship . The toils have taken their toll on Seifer , as his hair is unkempt and his coat is blackened and falling apart . As the G - Forces begin to question their loyalty to Seifer , Fujin and Raijin , who up until now had followed him loyally , beg him to stop , and release Ellone . Seifer claims it is too late to go back , and wishes them a good life as Fujin and Raijin depart and leave him to his own devices . Squall asks if he ' s still going to continue " with this knight thing " to which Seifer replies he ' s retired and now considers himself a young revolutionary , saying he ' s going to make it to the goal since he ' s come so far with no interest in sharing it with Squall . The two engage in battle and if Squall has obtained Odin , Seifer bisects him when he is summoned 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 . Seifer flees the scene as Squall ' s party intervenes . After Squall ' s group defeats Ultimecia within Adel ' s body , Ellone helps Ultimecia cast time compression allowing Squall to reach her era and defeat her . Seifer returns to Balamb Town with Fujin and Raijin where they spend a day fishing together . Raijin catches a fish and Seifer throws down his fishing rod in frustration , but Fujin kicks Raijin into the sea . Seifer laughs before looking up at the passing Balamb Garden with a smile on his face , implying he has put his hatred of them to rest and moved on . Gameplay . Seifer appears first as a temporarily playable party member . He wields the Hyperion gunblade , and like Squall , pressing as he hits will boost his damage by 50 % . His Limit Break is Fire Cross , and he is the only character who can use it normally without being HP Critical . Only his first Fire Cross ability , No Mercy , can be used by the player when he is a playable character . Seifer is also fought four times as a boss . He uses Fire - based attacks , and Fire spells can be drawn from him , as well as the rare Aura spell . If the party has Odin a cutscene will occur the last time Seifer is faced . As with other characters in the game , a Triple Triad card based on Seifer can be obtained . Other appearances . Seifer has made appearances in the following games in the " Final Fantasy " series : Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . Seifer has made key guest appearances in the following non - " Final Fantasy " games : Other media . A costume based on Seifer was released for the game " " in November 2014 . Etymology . Refining Seifer ' s Triple Triad card yields Diamond Armor . Cifer , Seifer ' s German name , comes from , 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 " soaper . "