Tifa Lockhart

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Tifa Lockhart

Tifa Lockhart artwork by Tetsuya Nomura
Game series Final Fantasy
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
First game Final Fantasy VII
Designed by Tetsuya Nomura
Voiced by (English) Rachael Leigh Cook
Voiced by (Japanese) Yuko Minaguchi (Ehrgeiz)
Ayumi Ito (other appearances)
Information
Class/Job Martial Artist
Weapon Glove
Blood type B

Tifa Lockhart (ティファ・ロックハート Tifa Rokkuhāto?) is a player character in Square Enix's role playing game Final Fantasy VII. Created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, she has since appeared in the fighting game Ehrgeiz and cameo appearances in other titles, as well as the CGI film sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children and related games and media as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. She is voiced by Yuko Minaguchi in Ehrgeiz and as of Advent Children Ayumi Ito in the Japanese appearances;[1] in English localizations, she is voiced by Rachael Leigh Cook.[2]

Contents

[edit] Conception and design

Designed by Tetsuya Nomura, Tifa was not present in early versions of Final Fantasy VII, and instead only three characters were intended to be playable: protagonist Cloud Strife, heroine Aerith Gainsborough, and Barret Wallace. However during a phone call to project director Yoshinori Kitase, the idea was suggested at some point within the game to permanently kill one of the characters, and after heavy discussion it was decided to have Aerith die.[3] Nomura later joked that this was his idea to introduce Tifa into the game.[4] Regardless, the notion of having two concurrent heroines and the protagonist torn between them was something Kitase liked, describing it as something new not present in past Final Fantasy games.[5]

Tifa was developed to use the "Martial Artist" character class that appears in previous games in the series. In her initial character description, she was intended to have a large scar on her back caused by Cloud prior to the game, though this aspect was modified as development progressed.[6] Tifa has long, black hair in a style resembling a dolphin's tail at the tip, and garments described as simple and monotone consisting of a white tank top and black mini-skirt. In addition, red boots and gloves cover her hands, sleeves extend up her arms from her wrists to her elbows, suspenders connect her skirt to her shoulders, and a large metal guard covers her left elbow. She stands about 5 feet 5 inches (167 cm) tall,[7][8] and has three sizes of 36-24-35" (92-60-88 cm)[9]

Initially Nomura had difficulty deciding whether to give her design the mini-skirt or long pants. Seeking input, he passed his sketches around Square's offices, and the majority of the staff members approved of the mini-skirt design.[4] This additionally served as a contrast to Aerith, whose "Long Skirt" was her trademark.[10] The attire was explained in respect to the game as giving her freedom of movement due to her affinity of weaponless fighting, and the skirt, noted as "quite short [...] giving a considerable degree of exposure",[8] kept as a staple of her alternate costumes.[1] The developers additionally noted that due to her figure, her otherwise plain garments took on a pleasant appearance.[8]

When developing Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, director Takeshi Nozue had difficulty developing a framework for Tifa's body that was "balanced, yet showed off her feminine qualities". Her outfit was also redesigned at this point, with emphasis on expressing those qualities while being pleasing to the eye.[11] Her hairstyle was changed to end at the middle of her back, additionally removing the dolphin tail tip from her original design. A white tank top with black zipped up vest covers her front, a red ribbon wraps around her left bicep, and boots cover her feet. A black buttoned-up skirt covers her thighs with shorts beneath, with an piece of cloth similar to a coat tail ending at her ankles extending from the back of the skirt's waistband. While her gloves remain, they are worn only during the film's fight scenes, her hands otherwise being bare.[12]

Nomura noted he liked Ayumi Ito as an actress, and wished to work with her on the project. With Aerith's voice actor decided already, Nomura requested Ito take on the role of Tifa for the film, feeling her "husky voice" would offer a good contrast to Aerith.[13] Nomua additionally noted that after completing the Tifa's updated design they debated on her finalized details, but once Ito had been cast for the role they chose to blend many traits from the voice actress into the character's completed appearance.[14]

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Final Fantasy VII

Tifa Lockhart was born in Nibelheim and grew up next door to Cloud Strife. Though they knew each other since childhood, circumstances prevented them from getting close, and Cloud was left to admire Tifa from afar.

When Tifa was eight, her mother died, and soon after, believing that her mother's spirit may have passed through the mountains, she decided to follow the path leading up the nearby Mt. Nibel.[15] Her three closest friends, who were afraid to follow her up the mountain, abandoned her one by one. Cloud, however, who had been following them unnoticed, continued on after Tifa. When Tifa missed her footing on a rope bridge leading into the mountain, he ran to save her, but was too late, and both of them fell into the gorge below.

Cloud survived the accident while suffering no more than scraped knees, but Tifa was in a coma for a week, apparently from a class III concussion. Tifa's father held Cloud responsible for the incident,[16] and his relationship with Tifa remained distant.

At the age of fourteen, Cloud asked Tifa to meet him one evening at the well in the center of town. Cloud then told her of his plans to leave for Midgar and join SOLDIER. It is later revealed that this decision was largely influenced by a desire not only to become strong enough to protect Tifa, but also to impress her as well.[17] Tifa was both surprised and disappointed at Cloud's news; she asked him to promise that if he achieved his dream and that if she were ever in danger, he would come to her rescue.[18]

When she was fifteen, Tifa acted as a Nibelheim guide for a group of SOLDIER personnel inspecting the mako reactor on Mt. Nibel. The group consisted of the first-class SOLDIERs Sephiroth and Zack Fair, as well as two Shinra MPs, one of which, unbeknownst to Tifa, was Cloud. After the inspection, the group returned to town, and Sephiroth stayed in the basement of the Shinra Mansion to read through the research notes left by Professors Gast and Hojo. What he discovered brought about a gruesome change in him. Without warning, he set fire to Nibelheim in the night and slaughtered the townspeople.

With her hometown in ruins and most of her loved ones dead, Tifa pursued Sephiroth as he returned to the reactor, only to find that Sephiroth had murdered her father as well. In a blind rage, she attempted to kill Sephiroth with his own sword. However, he proved too strong for her, and with terrifying ease he disarmed and inflicted critical injury to Tifa, very nearly killing her. As Cloud made his way into the reactor, he found Zack and Tifa both critically injured. After a stalemate between Cloud and Sephiroth, Zangan as well as people from Shinra appeared on the scene, Zangan took the grievously injured Tifa to safety, while Cloud and Zack were taken by Hojo for study.

Due to the severity of her injuries, Zangan carried Tifa to Midgar for medical attention, where he left her in the care of a doctor before returning to his travels. Upon recovering, Tifa set up a bar called "7th Heaven" in Midgar's Sector 7. There she met Barret Wallace, the leader of the Shinra resistance group AVALANCHE. Tifa joined his resistance faction, as she wanted revenge on Shinra for the events that had occurred in Nibelheim.

One day, Tifa found a barely-coherent Cloud sitting at the Sector 7 train station and took him back to AVALANCHE's base to recover. It was, as far as she remembered, the first time she had seen him in seven years, though he would later say that it had only been five. Tifa soon realized that Cloud knew many things he should not have known, while apparently unaware of other things that he should have known. These inconsistencies, and other abnormalities in Cloud's words and actions caused her great concern for his mental welfare, and she persuaded him to join AVALANCHE so she could be with him and watch over him.[19]

[edit] Related Final Fantasy VII appearances

Tifa plays a minor role in Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, appearing mainly during Nibelheim's destruction and quickly afterward. In Before Crisis, Tifa owns a white cat that alerts Zangan of her location.

Tifa as she appears in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

Tifa, along with Cloud, is one of the main characters of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Her role in the film sequel is mainly that of emotional support for Cloud, urging him to come to terms with the unwarranted guilt he places on himself. She also displays a great deal of concern for the children in their care, Marlene and Denzel. Tifa takes part in a one-on-one battle with the new villain, Loz, and later joins in the fight against Bahamut SIN. Tifa's original length of hair in Advent Children was cut shorter due to the difficulty of animating its sheer length and color and lighting effects proved difficult while working with black hair.[20] Tifa was one of the only characters, along with Cloud and a few kids, that Advent Children featured in its very early stages when it was still meant to be a 20-minute special for the fans.[21]

Tifa also makes an appearance in the OVA Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. Last Order, narrated by Tseng, retells the events of Nibelheim's destruction based on flashbacks in Final Fantasy VII. Though she has relatively little screen time, Tifa is shown following Sephiroth after Sephiroth had set Nibelheim aflame, later reuniting with Cloud, and finally shown being carried by her martial arts instructor, Zangan.

On the Way to a Smile: Case of Tifa is a story from Tifa's point of view, set after Sephiroth was defeated, and before the events of Advent Children. Cloud and Tifa move to Edge, a new town being constructed just outside of Midgar, and set up a new 7th Heaven as they attempt to build a family life for themselves. After Barret leaves to settle his past, Cloud and Tifa tend to the orphan Denzel and Barret's adopted daughter, Marlene Wallace. During the story, Tifa tries hard to maintain a sense of family unity and the concept of a "normal family" itself. She particularly concerns herself with Cloud, as he begins isolating himself from her and the others as time goes on.

Tifa has a small role in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, appearing most notably during the World Regenesis Organization's full scale conflict with the Deep Ground organization. She participates in the siege of Midgar alongside Cloud, Barret, and the WRO ground forces, sends Vincent the map of the Shinra building, and later throttles an enemy soldier, helping to clear the way to Omega Weapon. She is seen at 7th Heaven in the final FMV, where she and Yuffie talk briefly about Vincent's apparent disappearance.

In Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Tifa appears, albeit in a different attire than her previous outfits, to be a tour guide to Sephiroth, Zack Fair, and two grunts, one of whom is Cloud. She appears throughout the course of the Nibelheim mission, but is absent afterwards.

[edit] Other appearances

Tifa's first cameo appearance is as a playable character in the fighting game Ehrgeiz. She is one of the last bosses in the arcade version, and her theme song was switched from her original theme from Final Fantasy VII to the "Interrupted by Fireworks". Players can also unlock additional costumes for Tifa in the game, which happen to be her mountain guide costume and a red version of her original costume, similar to art by Yoshitaka Amano. Her story mode title in the game is 'Summoner', and she can only be fought after successfully defeating Cloud and all previous matches under a time and no losses condition.

Tifa also appears in the electronic board games Itadaki Street Special for PlayStation 2 and Itadaki Street Portable for PlayStation Portable. She is shown in her Final Fantasy VII costume. A poster depicting Tifa appears in a room in the city Etrenank in the PlayStation RPG Xenogears.[citation needed]

Tifa makes a cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts II, seen in her Advent Children attire. She appears in Radiant Garden, but when Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet her, they learn that she is searching for someone.[22][23] In the Heartless war later in the game, she is seen to have spotted Cloud, who meets with Sephiroth briefly, to find that he has left, leaving her to fight the Heartless that quickly gathers. During the war, Sora fights alongside her in Radiant Garden, as well as against her later, in the Olympus Coliseum. In battle, she uses her famous "Final Heaven" Limit Break, as well as several other of her Limit skills from Final Fantasy VII, such as "Beat Rush" and "Water Kick". Tifa also gives Sora the Fenrir Keychain if he defeats Sephiroth in an optional boss battle. Despite appearing with them in her original game, Tifa has no interactions with her fellow Final Fantasy VII characters (Cid, Yuffie, or Aerith) with the exception of Cloud, who was off searching for Sephiroth.

Tifa was originally planned to appear in the Final Mix version of the original Kingdom Hearts. Because of time constraints, the staff members chose to incorporate Sephiroth and leave out Tifa.[24]

[edit] Reception

Since her introduction Tifa has received much positive reception. GameSpot readers named her one of the ten best female characters in video games, with the site's editors noting they agreed.[25] IGN listed Tifa as the thirteenth best Final Fantasy character of all time, describing it as an attempt by Square to "give Final Fantasy characters real, erm, sex appeal", and one that "could take care of herself in a pinch";[26] in a follow-up Reader's Choice edition of the list, Tifa placed first, with the staff repeating their previous comments while attributing her placement on the list to her breasts.[27] In a later article focusing solely on Final Fantasy VII characters she placed fourth, adding that while her sex appeal contributes to her popularity, "Tifa helped drive a tradition of tough, independent RPG heroines."[28] They later named Tifa one of the ten best heroines in gaming, describing her as "without a doubt, a legendary heroine of the Final Fantasy universe".[29]

UGO.com ranked her twenty-fourth in their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, stating "We can't get over how much better she looks in each subsequent game release."[30] They later listed her as one of the "Top 11" girls of gaming at number five, stating a preference for her over Aerith in Final Fantasy VII and adding "Tifa's outfit is a marvel of understatement – but it's her natural assets and unforgettable personality that earn her a spot on this list."[31] GameDaily ranked her thirty-first on their "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes" list, sharing UGO.com's preference for her and praising both her appearance and combat abilities.[32] Tom's Games listed her as one of the "Top 50 Greatest Female Characters in Video Game History," describing her as "one of the more richly drawn and intricate female characters around."[33] Joystiq named her their top pick out of twenty characters from the Final Fantasy franchise they wished to see in Square Enix's crossover fighting game Dissidia, describing her as one of the series' "greatest heroines".[34]

In June 1998, the New York Times Sunday Magazine featured her as the pinup of the "cyber generation".[35] That same year, Electronic Gaming Monthly named her the "Hottest Game Babe" of 1998, describing her as "well-proportioned as they come" and praising her as a viable alternative to Lara Croft.[36] In 2004, Play featured Tifa in the first issue of their Girls of Gaming annual periodical, describing her as "the most adored female in recent [Final Fantasy] history".[37] In 2007, she was named the eighth best character of all time in Dengeki PlayStation's retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation, one of six characters from Final Fantasy VII to appear on the list and the third highest ranked character from the game.[38] Also in 2007 Korean singer Ivy portrayed the character in a music video for the song "유혹의 소나타" ("Sonata of Temptation"); recreating a fight scene from Advent Children, the video was banned from airing on Korean television after a lawsuit by Square Enix.[39]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b (in Japanese) Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania (Revised Edition). Square-Enix. 2009. pp. 42-47. ISBN 1019740597. 
  2. ^ Pinckard, Jane (2006-02-08). "Kingdom Hearts II Voices Announced". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3147824. Retrieved on 2009-06-29. 
  3. ^ "Interivew with Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura". Electronic Gaming Monthly (196). October 2005. http://www.ff7citadel.com/press/int_egm.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-10-09. 
  4. ^ a b Famitsu, ed (1997) (in Japanese). Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho. Famitsu. ISBN 4-7577-0098-9. 
  5. ^ (in Japanese) Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania (Revised Edition). Square-Enix. 2009. pp. 8-13. ISBN 1019740597. 
  6. ^ Studio BentStuff, ed (2005) (in Japanese). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω. Square-Enix. p. 518. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0. 
  7. ^ "Square Soft Character Profiles "Barret"". Square Enix. http://na.square-enix.com/games/ff7/tifa-char.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-30. 
  8. ^ a b c Studio BentStuff, ed (2005) (in Japanese). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω. Square-Enix. pp. 22-27. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0. 
  9. ^ Studio BentStuff, ed (2005) (in Japanese). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω. Square-Enix. p. 533. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0. 
  10. ^ gamesTM Staff (November 2007), "Hall Of Fame... Aeris", gamesTM (Imagine Publishing) (63): 150–151 
  11. ^ SoftBank, ed (2006) (in Japanese/English). Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files. Square-Enix. p. 24. ISBN 4-7973-3498-3. 
  12. ^ SoftBank, ed (2006) (in Japanese/English). Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files. Square-Enix. pp. 18, 24. ISBN 4-7973-3498-3. 
  13. ^ SoftBank, ed (2006) (in Japanese/English). Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files. Square-Enix. p. 22. ISBN 4-7973-3498-3. 
  14. ^ SoftBank, ed (2006) (in Japanese/English). Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files. Square-Enix. p. 21. ISBN 4-7973-3498-3. 
  15. ^ Studio BentStuff, ed (2005) (in Japanese). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω. Square-Enix. pp. 24–25. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0. 
  16. ^ Editors of EGM magazine, ed (2005) (in English). Electronic Gaming Monthly October, 2005. Ziff Davis Media. p. 59. 
  17. ^ Tifa: "Now that you mention it, why did you want to join SOLDIER in the first place." ... / Cloud: "......I was devastated. ......I wanted to be noticed. I thought if I got stronger, I could get someone to notice........." / Tifa: "Someone has to notice you...? ......who?" / Cloud: "Who.........? ......You know who! ......You, that's who." ... / Cloud: "Tifa missed her step. I ran to her... but didn't make it in time. Both of us fell off the cliff. Back then, I only scarred my knees, but......" ... / Cloud: ""Tifa was in a coma for seven days. We all thought she wouldn't make it. If only I could've saved her... I was so angry... Angry at myself for my weakness. Ever since then, I felt Tifa blamed me... I got out of control... I'd get into fights not even caring who it was. That was the first time I heard about Sephiroth. If I got strong like Sephiroth, then everyone might... If I could just get stronger...... Then even Tifa would have to notice me......"(Final Fantasy VII)
  18. ^ Tifa: "Hey, why don't we make a promise? Umm, if you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind..... You come save me, all right?" / Cloud: "What?" / Tifa: "Whenever I"m in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once." / Cloud: "What?" / Tifa: "Come on--! Promise me----!" / Cloud: "All right.... I promise."(Final Fantasy VII)
  19. ^ Tifa: "...it's really been a long time. Actually, it's been seven years. You got your wish and joined SOLDIER, quit after the Sephiroth incident, and now you're a mercenary... You told me a lot about what happened after you left Nibelheim... But... Something's wrong. I felt there was something strange about the things you talked about. All the things you didn't know that you should. And other things you shouldn't know that you did... I wanted to make sure... But then I heard... you were going far away... And I didn't want that... ...I didn't know what to do. So, I thought I needed more time. And that's why I told you about the AVALANCHE job. I wanted to be with you, watch you." (Final Fantasy VII)
  20. ^ Xcomp. "3N Interview". FFVII WEB NOVEL. http://one.xthost.info/ffwebnovel/pinterview.htm. Retrieved on 6 November 2006. 
  21. ^ 1UP. "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Interview". Final Fantasy Insider. http://www.ffinsider.net/advent-children/interview2.php. Retrieved on 2006-11-06. 
  22. ^ Tifa: "Hmph. He's not here, either." (Kingdom Hearts II)
  23. ^ Tifa: "Hey... have you seen a guy with spiky hair? / Tifa: "Spikier." (Kingdom Hearts II)
  24. ^ Kingdom Hearts II Ultimania. "Tetsuya Nomura Interview". http://www.kh2.co.uk/?page=NI/KH2U. Retrieved on 2006-11-06. 
  25. ^ "Readers' Choice - The Ten Best Female Characters". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_females/page7.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-11. 
  26. ^ Smith, David (2008-05-14). "Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters - Day III". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/articles/873/873945p3.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-14. 
  27. ^ Pirrello, Phil (2008-05-20). "Final Fantasy Reader's Choice". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/articles/875/875562p10.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-20. 
  28. ^ Smith, Dave (2008-03-25). "Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters". IGN. http://stars.ign.com/articles/861/861824p8.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-07. 
  29. ^ IGN PlayStation Team (2009-07-08). "The Wednesday 10: Gaming Heroines". IGN. http://games.ign.com/articles/100/1002062p1.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. 
  30. ^ "Top 50 Videogame Hotties". UGO.com. UGO Networks. http://www.ugo.com/games/video-game-hotties/?cur=tifa-ff7&morepics=17. Retrieved on 2008-12-14. 
  31. ^ "Top 11 Girls of Gaming". UGO.com. UGO Networks. http://www.ugo.com/games/gaming-girls/?cur=tifa-lockhart. Retrieved on 2008-12-28. 
  32. ^ Buffa, Chris. "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes on Trial". GameDaily. AOL. http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-hottest-game-babes/?page=21&cp=5. Retrieved on 2009-06-28. 
  33. ^ Wright, Rob (2007-02-20). "The 50 Greatest Female Characters in Video Game History". Tom's Games. Archived from the original on 2008-01-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20080125054548/http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2007/02/20/the_50_greatest_female_characters_in_the_history_of_video_games/page9.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-02. 
  34. ^ Staff (2008-03-21). "Top 20 Final Fantasy supporting characters that should be in Dissidia". Joystiq. GameDaily. http://playstation.joystiq.com/photos/top-20/713843/. Retrieved on 2009-07-01. 
  35. ^ Steinberg, Shirley R.; Joe L. Kincheloe (2004). Kinderculture: The Corporate Construction of Childhood. Westview Press. p. 265. ISBN 0813391547. 
  36. ^ Staff (1998). "The Good, the Bad and the Silly". Electronic Gaming Monthly (1998 Buyer's Guide): 24. 
  37. ^ Staff (2003). Play Magazine Presents Girls of Gaming (1): 31. 
  38. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2007-11-22). "Nomura Talks FFXIII". IGN. http://ps3.ign.com/articles/837/837350p1.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-22. 
  39. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (2007-04-10). "Clip: Square Cracks Down On Korean Video". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/gaming/square-enix/clip-square-cracks-down-on-korean-video-251244.php. Retrieved on 2009-07-05. 

[edit] External links

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