Since you mention it, I do see some similarities with VII. Although I think IX does a lot of it better than VII. Kuja actually has a connection with Zidane and rooted in jealousy. Where Cloud’s obsession is the opposite and rooted in revenge (the clone part in particular ending up being a false flag for Cloud).
I think a lot of the similarities are superficial. The actual story is quite different. But it’s interesting to see common tropes in Final Fantasy games. Lost memories, for example, is extremely common.
Since you mention it, I do see some similarities with VII. Although I think IX does a lot of it better than VII. Kuja actually has a connection with Zidane and rooted in jealousy. Where Cloud’s obsession is the opposite and rooted in revenge (the clone part in particular ending up being a false flag for Cloud).
I think a lot of the similarities are superficial. The actual story is quite different. But it’s interesting to see common tropes in Final Fantasy games. Lost memories, for example, is extremely common.