Originally Posted by
Shiirow
Ghaleon by a landslide solely because of magic prowess, we saw how he faired against Dyne who was, like Sephiroth, more enchanted Melee. Without materia, Sephirothe is just another sword wielding nut job. Though Ghaleon didnt really go insane, he was just really pissed off and decided he should be the one calling the shots in the first game. In the second, he became more of a tragic hero because while he played the part of the villain, he tried to make up for his mistakes in the end really.
As for character development, yeah Ghaleon too. Personally, those two games, Silver Star Story and Eternal Blue, were much richer in story and development than FF7 could ever hope to be. Square dropped the ball in terms of engaging plots after 6 and went the route of "Cool 3D visuals".
Of course this being Sephirothe, all the frothing FF7 fanboys will choose him regardless.