Sephiroth has a number because he's also one of Hojo's experiments. I think his number was "I" wasn't it?

Leading onto that point - do the Black hooded subjects share the same, or nearly the same, DNA as Sephiroth? I'm sure at one point he describes them as his family, and it might explain (in fictional terms of course) why he has some sort of power over them.

They have Jenova Cells, about it really. Sephiroth can control them because he has control over Jenova and the cells.

Exactly what I was thinking....first of the experiments but I'm sure he'd noticed that some idiot has soiled his skin for life with a quite lousy tattoo .

Hahaha weird shizzle

Didn't someone say that the Sephiroth with the tatoo on the arm was actually Jenova? If so, then Hojo obviously put it there, lol.
As for the Nibelhiem story, if you watched Last Order you could save everyone a bit of explaining.

ohhhhhhhhhhh! thanks guys! That has ALWAYS bugged me!! I saw Last Order but Never saw the letters in Tifa's room so it gives me a good reason to play the game again hehe. seriously tho Im so glad you cleared that up for me, Il enjoy the game so much more now! I owe you all a pint!

Also, to add to the clone you fnd in the tunnel in Midgar discussion... a while ago I read somewhere (possibly in a walkthrough) that he was somehow linked with the revival of Aeris. In the version where this can be done, (didnt they have a directors cut out in Japan or something??) further in the game after Aeris is killed Cloud goes to speak with the clone in Midgar, maybe to ask him about Sephiroth or Hojo Im not sure tbh.. anyway what I heard is that he holds the key to Aeris' revival. Thats what I heard anyway..

But by Aerith's revival they could have meant anything, lol. They could even have meant Holy. They're always chattin like nutters.

btw I might take you up on that pint mwa hahahaha.

Well the Sephiroth you follow during the game is actually Jenova in Sephiroth form, but I don't think Jenova's tattoo would show if she had one and would show Sephiroths instead because of the change.

that sick man is zack. he had a #2 tatoo. I forget when, but you can see a cut scene where Zack escapes Hojo's lab with Cloud. Then they are attacked by Shinra Soldiers and Zack is shot near Midgar. Now if you ask the people around the sick man, they say that he was found near Midgar, badly injured. This explains why Aeris wanted to help him. And I believe that Aeris's mother also said something like this "Aeris once had a bf in SOLDIER . . . and something terrible happend." That bf is Zack and the fact that she knows something horrible happend to Zack confirms that the man in the tube is in fact Zack. And after the reunion, if you go back, you'll see that he is no longer there. If you ask the people around, they will say "I dont know where he went, said he was going to some reunion or something" I really dont remember the exact words, but I remember for a fact that the word "reunion" was in there. So now we know for a fact that he is an Sephiroth Clone. The question is if he is Zack. O and if you're wondering how I know Zack was shot around Midgar, it is because of the reports in the lab in Niebliem. One of them says that "escapee #2" (might be 1, idk) was shot in the hills of Midgar (again Idk if it was hills but I remember it said Midgar). And the report of the other escapee stated that his "wherebouts are unknown" (I'm pretty sure this time it said exactly this). Thats Cloud.

*edit* ahh yes even in the last order it say they were shot around midgar and i also forgot mention that i think i remember one of the reports in the lab saying that one of the "samples" (escapees w/e) had a #2 tattoo (zack). However I think the makers decided the change the storyline a bit to make it a more suitable ending because in Crisis Core (which i have not played but have seen the ending) Zack actually dies or at least it looked like he did.