Lightning might not be the most popular Final Fantasy protagonist, but having starred in three different games, she’s certainly one of the most fleshed-out. Throughout her journey she’s changed as a person and much of her past has been explored in depth. Despite this thorough examination though, there’s still a lot about her that even some of her most diehard fans aren’t aware of.
Many, for example, don’t know that she has her own signature fragrance whilst others might be surprised to learn that she’s one of the only Final Fantasy protagonists without an official date of birth. Love her or loathe her, she’s one of the most interesting characters in the franchise.
10 She’s Also A Fashion Model
As part of a collaboration with Prada, Lightning and some of the other Final Fantasy XIII characters appeared as models for the fashion brand’s 2012 Spring / Summer collection. Although it was a collection of menswear, Lightning was included due to her being the game’s main protagonist. This wouldn’t be her only experience on the catwalk though.
A few years later, Lightning was again used as a model to promote Louis Vuitton’s 2016 Spring / Summer collection. The campaign included online ads, magazine spreads, and even a few billboards here and there. Her fashionista lifestyle is also reflected in-game, with many of the Prada and Louis Vuitton outfits she’s modeled making an appearance across the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy.
9 Her Similarities To Cloud Were Intentional
When designing Lightning’s appearance, Tetsuya Nomura was instructed to make her strong, beautiful and ‘like a female version of Cloud’. Although physically there are few similarities, her eye color and hairstyle are somewhat similar to Cloud’s and both characters wield large bladed weapons. Her physique however is perhaps more resemblant of Tifa’s.
When it comes to personality and backstory though, there are plenty of parallels between Lightning and Cloud. Both characters are running from their pasts and they each display a cold and stoic demeanor. Many gaming publications were critical of these similarities when Final Fantasy XIII first released.
8 Her Hair Was Originally Going To Be A Different Color
Perhaps had the development team stuck with one of their earlier designs for Lightning, the physical resemblance to Cloud would have been much stronger. Some early concept art showed her with blond and brown hair and there was also a period where her hair was planned to be silver. Ultimately, however, the team decided to give her pink hair in order to highlight her feminine qualities.
Hair color seems to be something that is changed quite often when it comes to Final Fantasy‘s main protagonists. Cloud, Tidus, and Noctis are just some of the other heroes whose hair color was changed during development. The team did like the idea of a silver-haired party member in Final Fantasy XIII though and so Hope was given silver instead.
7 Her Real Name Is Éclair Farron
Although it is sometimes Romanized as Claire Farron, Lightning’s real name in the Japanese release is Éclair Farron. This may seem a little arbitrary, but it’s actually a very deliberate choice by the game’s designers. Éclair is the French word for lightning whilst Farron is derived from the Gaelic word for thunder. It’s likely that her forename was changed in Western releases due to an éclair also being a type of French pastry.
Like Cloud and Squall before her, Lightning’s name is based on a type of weather. Interestingly, character designer Tetsuya Nomura had originally wanted to move away from the tradition of naming the games’ main protagonists after weather types and was surprised when one of the development team suggested the name Lightning. Prior to that, the team had planned to call her Averia.
6 She’s The Only Character Who Is Playable Across All 3 Final Fantasy XIII Games
They say that lightning never strikes twice, but she has now appeared in three numbered Final Fantasy titles. This is more than any other Final Fantasy protagonist – with the only other game to receive a direct sequel being Final Fantasy X. What’s more, of all of the characters who live on Cocoon, Lightning is the only one who is playable in each of the Final Fantasy XIII games.
Despite this, her appearances outside of Final Fantasy titles have been fairly limited when compared to some of the series’ other protagonists. She only appears as a playable character in Monster Strike, Puzzles & Dragons and the Final Fantasy themed Itadaki Street game. Although she doesn’t appear in the game herself, some of her outfits do feature in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.
5 She Shares A Special Connection With Aerith From Final Fantasy VII
It’s fairly common for the Western voice actors that portray Final Fantasy characters to be replaced between entries. In Japan however, voice actors will typically portray their characters in every production in which they appear. For this reason, it’s very rare to find one that voices two main protagonists in the series. Maaya Sakamoto is one of the very few voice actors to do just that.
She first took on the part of Aerith for the 2002 release of Kingdom Hearts and has reprised the role on 7 further occasions. Sakamoto was then cast as Lightning in 2009 and has provided her voice in 9 different productions. In total, she has appeared in 14 Final Fantasy titles, making her one of the series’ most prolific voice actors.
4 Odin Was Changed Because Of Her
Odin is one of the most prominent summons in the Final Fantasy series, having appeared in 10 of the 15 main entries. One of those appearances came in Final Fantasy XIII, although a big change was made to his elemental affinity in order for him to fulfill the role of Lightning’s Eidolon.
In earlier Final Fantasy games, Odin typically uses an instant death attack called Zantetsuken with any other attacks dealing non-elemental damage. Although he still uses Zantetsuken in Final Fantasy XIII, many of his additional attacks instead deal lightning damage. This is a strange choice by the developers, as in Final Fantasy IV it is explained that Odin has a weakness to lightning.
3 She Has Been Portrayed By An Actress On Several Occasions
A 16-second television commercial appeared in both Japan and the West ahead of the release of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Its primary purpose was to show off Lightning’s wide range of outfits in the game. During the commercial, footage of an actress is cut together with shots of Lightning with their outfits changing between cuts.
This wasn’t actually the first time that Lightning had been portrayed by a real person though. She made an appearance at a special stage show at the 2012 Asia Game Show to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy. It wasn’t the first time that a Final Fantasy character had been portrayed by a real person in a TV commercial either. Both Rosa (FFIV) and Terra (FFVI) appeared in live-live action commercials for their respective games.
2 Her House Was Going To Be A Location In The Game
The team had originally planned for Lightning’s home to be a visitable location in Final Fantasy XIII. Significant work was put into designing it and several models were constructed. Ultimately, however, the location was scrapped due to concerns over disc space.
This wasn’t the only location cut from the game. There are also remnants of a location known as The Seventh Arc still buried amongst the game’s files. According to the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega guide, the area would have been a dungeon of sorts and included an additional fal’Cie known as Nemesis. The area was cut due to it not meeting the high standards of Square Enix, although a reworked version of Nemesis later appeared in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
1 Her Signature Weapon Appears In Final Fantasy XV
The idea for a weapon that could be used either as a sword or a gun was first conceived by Tetsuya Nomura. He named them Gunblades. They first appeared in Final Fantasy VIII and were used by the game’s main protagonist, Squall Leonhart. Although they’ve appeared in several other Final Fantasy titles since then, Lightning was the only other playable character to have used them at the time of Final Fantasy XIII‘s release.
Despite her signature weapon being the Blazefire Saber, her best weapon is generally considered to be the Lionheart. This is the same name as Squall’s ultimate weapon, although his is written as two separate words. It may not be her strongest weapon, but the Blazefire Saber is undoubtedly her most iconic and was included in Final Fantasy XV as DLC. It can be wielded by Noctis, but only functions as a sword.
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