What does this mean

[Verivici]

On FFVII pages, I have seen things like this

"This profile covers [insert character here] at their calculated and powerscaled peak of their power. It does not relatively reflect their general ratings, which are several tiers lower, and probably not the author's intent."

What the hell does this mean? Does it mean that the tiers they are at are probably not the author's intent, or something else?


--

Also, this is a GINOURMOUS n00b question, but how are FFVII characters solar system level if Sephiroth needed an extremely long prep to severely damage a single planet?

 

[The_Everlasting]

It means the creators probably didn't plan to make the characters this powerful, it's surprisingly common in fiction.

This is why we created a difference between Attack Potency and Destructive Capacity. Sephiroth has the energy needed to destroy a planet, but not the amount of AOE required to do so.

 

[Verivici]

But what does "general ratings" mean?

 

[The_Everlasting]

Earlier points in the story.