The Final Fantasy franchise is very well-known for its wide variety of games, stories, and characters. Of course, Final Fantasy VII is one of the more popular titles for a bunch of reasons. It introduced a graphics system that, for its time, was very advanced. The game also had a fantastic plot with very memorable characters. And of course, it had a character passing that shocked the video game world. To this day, Aerith’s passing still brings tears to the eyes of gamers.
But today, we’re not here to talk about Aerith. Today, we’re here to talk about a Final Fantasy VII character that’s well-known for all the wrong reasons. Tifa Lockhart is a strong, motherly character who always wants what’s best for her friends and loved ones. And yet, all people seem to care about are her looks and appeal. There’s so much about Tifa that people seem to gloss over. For one, her personality is interesting. Even though she’s very motherly, she actually can be pretty shy and standoffish.
She’s also freakishly strong and doesn’t have any issues holding her own in a fight. But with all of these qualities, people still focus on aspects of Tifa that aren’t nearly as important. So let’s discuss the craziest aspects and fun facts about Tifa Lockhart that you may or may not already know about. I hope this helps you better understand who Tifa is as a character and why she deserves a lot more respect.
25 Tifa Versus Yang
If you’re familiar with the show RWBY, then I’m sure you’re fully aware of the fact that the YouTube channel ScrewAttack! created a video where Yang Xiao Long and Tifa fight one another.
Go look it up if this interests you, but in the end, Tifa ends up losing to Yang, which makes sense.
But if you’re a nostalgic gamer who thinks that Yang would never beat Tifa, then watching that video isn’t for you. Regardless, both Yang and Tifa are strong characters in their own ways.
24 Not Too Close
So everyone seems to think that Cloud and Tifa were really close when they were little. Rather, they were just acquaintances. They also were next-door neighbors. But since both Cloud and Tifa were really awkward, shy children, they didn’t end up talking too much until they were a bit older. Yes, Cloud and Tifa grew up together, but they weren’t really as close as a lot of gamers seem to believe they were. Trust me, VII developed their relationship significantly.
23 A Loss Of A Mother
There are still times where I’ll go into an online chat related to VII and see that people are somehow oblivious to the fact that Tifa’s mother passed away when she was young. Did you forget that important flashback where Tifa goes to Mt. Nibel, believing she could see her mom again if she crossed the mountain? Of course, Cloud goes after her and protects her, but gets blamed for her getting hurt anyway, which puts a further strain on what little connection they had in the first place.
22 Learning The Arts
It’s fantastic to know that Final Fantasy VII didn’t take place in a time where hundreds of women were oppressed and forced to stay in the kitchen.
After all, it’s great to see a martial arts master like Zangan be so willing to take Tifa in as a pupil.
From what I understand of Tifa’s relationship with Zangan, they got along very well and Zangan didn’t disagree with teaching her martial arts whatsoever. As far as story writing goes, that type of development is very refreshing to see.
21 Left Alone
In Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the prequel game that explains a lot of backstory for Zack, Cloud, and Aerith, Tifa is severely injured by Sephiroth. To make matters worse, Cloud later admits that he saw Tifa’s injuries and just automatically assumed she was dead. Okay Cloud, but have you ever heard of checking this aspect of a person’s body called a pulse? I’m just saying that’s what most sane people would do. I’m still shocked that he basically left her for good.
20 AVALANCHE Impossible?
Personally, I don’t really understand how Tifa joined AVALANCHE. Even in VII, she still has a lot of self-doubt with herself. Even in prequel content, we see that Tifa is actually really shy and not really the outgoing type.
So what happened that led to this sudden change?
I get that she saw her father ended in front of her, but would that have been enough of a point to change her so drastically? It just doesn’t seem like a move Tifa would make.
19 Tifa The Cowgirl
There’s still so many people out there that I know haven’t played Crisis Core yet. Folks, you’re missing out! If you think Tifa is absolutely stunning in her top and miniskirt, you’re missing out on seeing her in a cowgirl outfit. However, if I’m being completely honest, it’s my least favorite of her outfits because it just doesn’t really fit her style. That, and Tifa in a cowgirl hat confuses me. It just seems unnatural and reminds me way too much of my hometown.
18 Confusion All Around
One aspect of Tifa’s behavior that always kind of bugged me is that she carried so much self-doubt of what she remembered regarding the Nibelheim incident.
I mean, Tifa, you were there through the whole thing.
You didn’t space on the fact that Sephiroth ended your dad, so why stay so quiet when you know Cloud is telling the wrong story? I get that we can’t find out until later, but why would Tifa hesitate with revealing that information?
17 Tifa And Zack
After Sephiroth ends her father, Tifa shouts that she hates Shinra and SOLDIER right in front of Zack. These words have led some fans to believe that Tifa hates Zack. However, Zack never did anything to hurt Tifa. Rather, he was the complete opposite in that he helped her out. But due to him being a SOLDIER, a lot of people assume that Tifa just hated Zack. Remember the time in VII where the party members meet Zack’s parents? Tifa didn’t storm out of that house in anger. She left because she was sad.
16 Attacking Sephiroth
This is also something that a lot of people seem to forget. But when Tifa saw her father ended in front of her, she actually grabs Sephiroth’s masamune and tries to end him.
Now, for any normal person to go face Sephiroth is a feat of his own.
On the other hand, Tifa was still pretty young when she made the decision to just go rushing after Sephiroth. That takes a lot of guts, and I really admire her for that.
15 An Admiration
Continuing off of a conversation of admiration, Cloud really admired Tifa when they were kids. Even though they weren’t really close, having not really been close childhood friends, he still wanted to impress Tifa. I mean, why else would he have invited her to the water tower just to tell her he was going to SOLDIER? And even in “Crisis Core,” upon seeing Tifa again, he keeps his identity a secret because he feels as if he’s failed her by not joining SOLDIER.
14 Helping Out
But even though Cloud feels like he’s disappointed Tifa, he does fulfill his promise of protecting her and keeping her safe by making sure she’s okay before taking action against others.
At least Cloud was able to do that much, and it’s honestly very sweet.
It’s great to see a character that people deem to be an emotionless bag decide to be caring and empathetic by helping Tifa out. Sure, it’s the stereotypical childhood promise cliché, but hey, I think it’s cute, so brownie points to Cloud.
13 Geostigma Discovery
In the sequel movie for VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Tifa is one of the first people to figure out that Cloud has Geostigma. She doesn’t even see it; rather, she just assumes as much based off of his distant behavior. Of course, her inner motherly side comes out when she lectures Cloud for basically running off and not letting others help him out, especially his friends. But hey, that’s Cloud for you. He tends to be emotionally distant from everybody, even Tifa.
12 In 7th Heaven
Now if you didn’t know this little tidbit of information, you must be pretty oblivious. In VII, Tifa runs an establishment called 7th Heaven.
How she got her selling license is beyond me, but the place also serves as the secret hideout for AVALANCHE.
Also, out of curiosity, but how did Tifa end up getting together enough money to afford buying 7th Heaven? Was it one of her lifelong dreams to own an establishment and restaurant? I’ll admit that running a restaurant definitely seems like something Tifa would want to do.
11 Monk
We all know that in Final Fantasy games, there are various job classes. So it should surprise nobody that Tifa is categorized in the Monk class. Tifa’s fighting style is bare-handed, with her main choice of weapon being her fists. Players can also equip Tifa with special gloves to boost stats as well. The Monk class should never be underestimated, as they really can pack a punch in a battle. Listen, just let me attempt to be somewhat punny here, okay?
10 Date Options
Anyone who’s played VII is well aware of Gold Saucer and all the wonders it holds for the characters. Of course, this includes several date options for our lovely spiky-haired protagonist.
Tifa is a date option for Cloud in this case.
During that date, she talks to Cloud about her insecurities and how she wishes she could tell him about something, but decides not to. Once again, this makes me really question why she didn’t want to say anything to him.
9 A Temporary Leader
Whenever Cloud is absent in the party due to a game event or cutscene, Tifa usually ends up being the party leader over Barrett, which I find to be fantastic. To me, that shows that a strong female can lead the party to action and that a man doesn’t always have to be the one in charge. That, and Barrett always thinks he’s the perfect fit for a leadership job when he actually has quite a few flaws that aren’t the best for leading a party.
8 The Implications
When VII was still in development, the creators stated there were plans for a scene where Cloud and Tifa would be shown exiting the Highwind the day before the Sephiroth battle together. Tifa would look around to make sure nobody noticed them and then followed Cloud. This scene was created to imply that Cloud and Tifa had romantically spent the night together. However, it was cut from the final creation. Maybe there’s hope for this in the remake? I’d love to see that.
7 A Popular Choice
Tifa is a popular cosplay choice for a lot of reasons. She was one of the first Final Fantasy female characters to stand out with her strength and personality. She wasn’t always a damsel in distress relying on others to rescue her. Her outfits also aren’t ridiculously detailed, which makes it easy for cosplayers of all skills and talents to cosplay as the beloved character. Who wouldn’t want to cosplay as this fantastic fighter? It’s easy to do and there’s a lot of love out there for her.
6 An Epic Fight Scene
In Advent Children, Tifa has a wickedly cool fight scene with Loz, and it’s honestly one of the coolest animated fighting scenes that I’ve laid eyes on. This fight sequence was even duplicated by Ivy, a Korean pop singer, for a music video. But due to copyright infringement, Square Enix ended up suing the pop star. However, the fight sequence was actually edited in the music video, ending it with Tifa ending Loz. I mean, I’m honestly okay with that edited version.
