Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy
Tifa Lockhart is a character in Square’s Final Fantasy VII and was created by Tetsuya Nomura. Since Final Fantasy VII, Tifa Lockhart has made appearances in a number of other Final Fantasy Games and spin-off titles and will soon return in the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
She appeared in Final Fantasy: Advent Children, a 3D computer-animated sequel movie that takes place two years after the events depicted in the original game. Tifa is also a common choice for Final Fantasy cosplay enthusiasts and fan artists alike. Tifa Lockhart also appears and plays supporting roles in the games Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
Tifa Lockheart Profile
Tifa is the owner of a Midgar slum bar called the 7th Heaven and a childhood friend of Cloud Strife. The two both end up joining an organization known as AVALANCHE in a quest to stop the Shinra Corporation from harvesting the world’s Mako, or life force, for their own desires. She also ultimately aids him in defeating Sephiroth, the game’s main antagonist. Tifa Lockhart has been described as one of the most iconic female figures of gaming and is held as a great example of a strong, independent female character in video games.
Creation and Appearance
In early drafts of Final Fantasy VII, Tifa was not supposed to have a central role in the plot at all. Also, when it came to the organization known as AVALANCHE, she was originally only meant to give support behind the scenes. She would often cheer everyone on after missions were completed and had a crush on Cloud as well. In addition, she was designed to have partial amnesia and a large scar on her back that was given to her by Cloud. Final Fantasy VII was originally only meant to have three main playable characters (Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough and Barret Wallace). At some point in development, however, it was then decided that Aerith Gainsborough should die and Tifa Lockhart be introduced into the game to replace the spot left by Aerith. Ultimately, Kitase was intrigued by having two heroines in the series, even though the “love triangle” concept was new to the series. The design that Nomura gave Tifa for Final Fantasy VII includes straight, dark brown hair that falls below her waist and is tied up at the very bottom. She also wears a white tank top and black mini-skirt with a belt and suspenders. She wears red and black gloves that reach all the way to her elbows, red boots, black socks, and a metal elbow guard. Tifa was also designated as the “Monk” character class, resulting in Tifa being largely unable to wield any weapons other than her own fists.
Backstory
Tifa is a childhood friend of Cloud Strife from the town of Nibelheim, but had lost contact with him for many years. In flashbacks, we learn that Cloud and Tifa followed a path to a mountain near their home. Tifa was injured at that time and ended up falling into a coma for two weeks and her father blamed Cloud for the incident. Eventually, Cloud left his hometown to become a member of Shinra’s SOLDIER program, doing so to become stronger (though in reality, Cloud did this just to garner Tifa’s attention). Unfortunately, Shinra ends up destroying their hometown of Nibelheim, but Tifa survived the incident. She is taken to safety by her martial arts master Zangan and eventually reaches Midgar and meets AVALANCHE's commander, Barret Wallace.
When the childhood friends are finally reunited, Tifa manages to convince Cloud to join AVALANCHE to fight Shinra Electric Power Company, the group that was responsible for the destruction of their hometown. She supports Cloud loyally and aids him and his party in their quest against Sephiroth, who eventually manipulates and exploits Cloud’s mind. When Cloud recovers, he realizes his feelings of love and attraction for Tifa. She is generally quite shy, but has a big heart, often acting as a maternal figure for her allies by giving encouragement and emotional support. While Cloud is left virtually unconscious and unresponsive due to Mako poisoning, Tifa is the one that takes care of him while the rest of AVALANCHE continues on their quest.
Reception and Trivia
Since her introduction in Final Fantasy VII, Tifa has found incredible success and popularity among fans and critics alike. She is often listed in “best female character” ratings for various video game polls and lists. A scene supposed to signify her and Cloud being intimate was proposed by Masato Kato, an event planner, but it was ultimately replaced with a more innocent version by Yoshinori Kitase where a risky line is spoken, followed by a fade to black. In an interview, Nojima stated that none of the staff thought the scene would generate any controversy. Contrary to their beliefs, however, fans still argue about this scene to this day.