View source for Tifa Lockhart

{{Fictional
|            photo = [[Image:TifaLockhart(FFVII_Remake).jpg|230px]]
|        body type = Slim
|        eye color = Brown
|       hair color = Black 
}}

'''Tifa Lockhart''' is a female protagonist from Square's (now Square Enix) role-playing game, ''Final Fantasy VII''. She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura. She is an expert in Zangan-Ryu martial arts and uses her fists and feet as her weapons. Tifa has long, dark brown hair with the ends parted like a dolphin's tail and deep brown eyes<ref>Tifa LockhartFinal Fantasy VII 10th Year Anniversary Ultimania</ref>, although in some depictions her eyes have been red. She is voiced by Yuko Minaguchi in ''Ehrgeiz'' and by Ayumi Ito in the Japanese versions of the ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Kingdom Hearts II''. She is voiced by Rachael Leigh Cook in the English versions.

==Conception and creation==
Tetsuya Nomura has revealed that he had difficulties deciding between giving her a mini-skirt or trousers, but in the end—with input from other members of the game's development staff—finally decided on the mini-skirt that is now an iconic aspect of the character's design. In contrast, the design of Aerith Gainsborough wears a dress.<ref name="designs2">{{cite web | author=Sheila | year=2003 | title=Tetsuya Nomura 20s | url=http://flaregamer.com/b2article.php?p=81&more=1 | work=http://flaregamer.com FLAREgamer | accessdate=13 April | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

==Appearances==
===''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.<ref name="mother">{{Cite book | year=2005 | editor=Studio BentStuff | title=Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω | pages=24–25 | language=Japanese | publisher=Square-Enix | isbn=4-7575-1520-0}}</ref>  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,<ref name="father">{{Cite book | year=2005 | editor=Editors of EGM magazine | title=Electronic Gaming Monthly October, 2005 | language=English | publisher=Ziff Davis Media | page=59}}</ref> 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.<ref name="cloud">'''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......"<span style="font-size: 90%;">(''Final Fantasy VII'')</span" /></ref>  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.<ref name="promise">'''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."<span style="font-size: 90%;">(''Final Fantasy VII'')</span" /></ref>

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 military police, 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.<ref>'''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." <span style="font-size: 90%;">(''Final Fantasy VII'')</span></ref>

===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, 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, particularly 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.<ref>{{cite web | author=Xcomp |title= 3N Interview | url=http://one.xthost.info/ffwebnovel/pinterview.htm | work=http://one.xthost.info/ffwebnovel/ FFVII WEB NOVEL | accessdate=6 November | accessyear=2006}}</ref>  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.<ref>{{cite web | author=Sheila | year=2005 | title= The Advent Children Project | url=http://flaregamer.com/b2article.php?p=109&more=1 | work=http://flaregamer.com FLAREgamer | accessdate=6 November | accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=1UP |title= Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Interview | url=http://www.ffinsider.net/ff7ac/interview2.php | publisher=Final Fantasy Insider | accessdate=2006-11-06}}</ref>

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.

===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 succesfully 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''.

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.<ref>'''Tifa:''' "Hmph.  He's not here, either." <span style="font-size: 90%;">(''Kingdom Hearts II'')</span></ref><ref>'''Tifa:''' "Hey... have you seen a guy with spiky hair? / '''Tifa:''' "Spikier." <span style="font-size: 90%;">(''Kingdom Hearts II'')</span></ref>  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.<ref>{{cite web | author=Kingdom Hearts II Ultimania |title= Tetsuya Nomura Interview | url=http://www.kh2.co.uk/?page=NI/KH2U | work''Kingdom Hearts'' Ultimania | accessdate=2006-11-06}}</ref>

==Musical theme==
Tifa's leitmotif has remained one of the most memorable themes in ''Final Fantasy VII'', having been performed by professional pianists and remixed by many aspiring musicians. In ''Advent Children'', her theme is interpreted in a classical form, via the piano. The song "Water" also makes references to Tifa's theme through the use of ambient bells. Tifa's theme is also the first track on the official piano compilation, ''Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.squaresound.com/final-fantasy-vii-piano-collections-p50.html|title=Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections|publisher=SquareSound|accessdate=2008-01-28}}</ref> Her theme was also arranged for an OverClocked ReMix project entitled ''Voices of the Lifestream'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ff7.ocremix.org/|title=Home - Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream, An OverClocked ReMix Album|publisher=OverClocked ReMix|accessdate=2008-09-26}}</ref> entitled "Short Skirts" as a humorous homage to Tifa's notorious outfit.

==Reception==
Tifa was named the eighth best character of all time in ''Dengeki PlayStation'''s 2007 retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation.<ref name="dengeki-awards">{{cite web | author=Gantayat, Anoop | date=2007-11-22 | title=Nomura Talks FFXIII | url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/837/837350p1.html | publisher=IGN | accessdate=2007-11-22}}</ref> GameSpot readers named her one of the ten best female characters in video games, with the site's editors noting they agreed.<ref>http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_females/page7.html Readers' Choice - The Ten Best Female Characters. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2009-01-11</ref> IGN listed Tifa as the thirteenth best Final Fantasy character of all time;<ref name="Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters - Day III">{{cite web | author=Smith, David | date=2008-05-14 | title=Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters - Day III | url=http://stars.ign.com/articles/873/873945p1.html | publisher=IGN | accessdate=2008-05-14}}</ref> in follow-up Reader's Choice edition of the list, Tifa placed first, which IGN attributed to her sex appeal.<ref name="Final Fantasy Reader's Choice">{{cite web | author=Pirrello, Phil | date=2008-05-20 | title=Final Fantasy Reader's Choice | url=http://stars.ign.com/articles/875/875562p10.html | publisher=IGN | accessdate=2008-05-20}}</ref> In a later article focusing solely on ''Final Fantasy VII'' characters she placed fourth, which noted that while her sex appeal contributed to her popularity, "Tifa helped drive a tradition of tough, independent RPG heroines."<ref>Smith, Dave (2008-03-25). http://stars.ign.com/articles/861/861824p8.html Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters. IGN. Retrieved on 2009-01-07</ref>

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."<ref>http://www.ugo.com/games/video-game-hotties/?cur=tifa-ff7&morepics=17 Top 50 Videogame Hotties. UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-14</ref> 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."<ref>http://www.ugo.com/games/gaming-girls/?cur=tifa-lockhart Top 11 Girls of Gaming. UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-28</ref> She was listed in Tom's Games as one of the "Top 50 Greatest Female Characters in Video Game History," which described her as "one of the more richly drawn and intricate female characters around."<ref>Wright, Rob (2007-02-20). http://us.tomsgames.com/us/2007/02/20/the_50_greatest_female_characters_in_the_history_of_video_games/page9.html The 50 Greatest Female Characters in Video Game History. Tom's Games. Retrieved on 2009-01-07</ref>


==Gallery==
[[Image:Tifa_Lockhart.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Tifa's original artwork design from ''Final Fantasy VII'']]
<br clear="left">

== If you like Tifa Lockhart, you may also like ==
* [[Lianshi (Dynasty Warriors)|Lianshi]] - similar face

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{cite web| url=http://na.square-enix.com/games/ff7/tifa-char.html| title=Character profile| publisher=square-enix.com}}

{{GFDL}}

[[Category:Fictional anime characters]]
[[Category:Video game characters]]