Scintilla

Scintilla (, Flash of Light) is Sephiroth's down special move. It is a counterattack that activates whether it is triggered by an opponent or not.

Overview
Sephiroth creates a barrier of cyan hexagons in a "honeycomb" pattern in front of himself, which bursts into a cloud of damaging sparkles a moment later. This separates it from most traditional counterattacks, as the attack is triggered even if Sephiroth is not attacked, where it will deal minimum damage to any opponent within range, in effect making it similar to Focus Attack.

Unlike most damage-based counters, which deal damage by multiplying the damage of the triggering attack, Scintilla calculates its power by linearly interpolating between two values based on the incoming hitbox's damage. The minimum amount of counterattack damage from countering a hypothetical 0% damage attack is 2% for multihits and 6.5% for the finisher (12.5% if all hits connect) and the maximum from countering attacks dealing 18% or more is 4% for multihits and 18% for the finisher (30% if all hits connect). Its hitbox also increases in size the more powerful it gets, covering above and below Sephiroth and even reaching slightly behind him at maximum strength. These traits allow Scintilla to deal respectable damage and knockback in a generous radius even when blocking weak attacks like multi-hit moves, and as such it is extremely effective for edgeguarding against recovery moves that carry a hitbox. If the barrier is not hit or is triggered by an attack that does not deal damage such as Sing, the multihits deal only 1% and 5% for the finisher (total of 8%), with no KO potential and a smaller hitbox that does not reach above or below him.

However, Scintilla's unique behavior comes with some unique weaknesses as well. It cannot counter attacks that deal more than 25% damage; the barrier instead breaks. Sephiroth will not take damage from the triggering hitbox, but this renders him unable to secure instant KOs by countering extremely powerful attacks like other characters with counters may achieve in niche scenarios, as well as makes Scintilla less effective in casual game modes where damage boosters such as items and spirits may be in play. The trigger hitbox placement also leaves him vulnerable from behind, and the counterattack itself is a projectile, so there is risk of it being absorbed or reflected back. As a result, using Scintilla against moves with both a hitbox and a reflector is very dangerous.

Additionally, Scintilla has an opening between its counter detection hitbox and the attacking hitbox where Sephiroth cannot counter an attack nor is attacking himself; specifically 10 frames naturally and 6 frames if the counter was struck. The 6 frames when hit are largely negligible – attacks with minimal or cancellable end lag may be able to escape the counterattack, but Sephiroth will have intangibility during this and be safe from punishment. The natural 10 frame window does not carry intangibility, however, and is long enough that an opponent can potentially time a punish and strike Sephiroth during his vulnerability.

The barrier resembles a reflector, particularly Reflect Barrier; however, despite its appearance, it is not a reflector itself.

When using the move, Sephiroth may say ("Come"). When performing the counterattack, he may say ("Pathetic"),  ("Disappear"),  ("Foolish"),  ("I like the look on your face"),  ("I will crush you"),  ("Kneel"), or simply chuckle.

Instead of using the magic effect on hit, Scintilla uses unique graphical effects that look like long yellow and cyan slashes with purple after-images.

Origin
Scintilla is a technique that originated in the Dissidia series of fighting games as one of Sephiroth's HP attacks. When triggered, Sephiroth raises a barrier to block attacks, then slashes twice with his sword, the first doing several hits of Bravery damage and the second dealing HP damage. However, depending on their damage priority, certain attacks can break the barrier to stagger Sephiroth, or hit him through it. Unlike in Dissidia, which was limited by the PSP's technical capabilities, the layout of which honeycomb tiles appear is randomized on each use in Ultimate. Scintilla also appeared in Final Fantasy VII: Remake as one of his attacks; Sephiroth no longer summons a barrier when using it and only attacks if the player attacks him.

Trivia

 * If the Shadow Assist Trophy freezes Sephiroth while performing Scintilla, the counter hitbox will remain active and trigger if hit. The frozen Sephiroth will not attack until being unfrozen, but will remain intangible in the mean time.

Centella