The Final Fantasy series has featured some wonderful protagonists over the years, but there are two who perhaps don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Lightning and Serah Farron each serves as the main protagonist at various points throughout the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy and while the games in which they feature can sometimes be a little lackluster in their delivery, their female leads are usually on point.
What makes these two siblings so well suited to their roles is actually how different they are from one another. Each brings something unique to the table and this helps them to carry their respective titles despite often being letdown by story and gameplay deficiencies. Just as they each have their strengths though, so too do they have their weaknesses.
8 Lightning Is A Role Model
While there have been plenty of memorable female characters throughout the Final Fantasy series, it’s somewhat rare to see one of them take a leading role. Yes, Terra and Celes were the stars of Final Fantasy VI, but, in the two and a half decades since then, Lightning is the only female character to have served as party leader in a mainline title.
That she was able to fill the role just as capably as her male counterparts even in spite of Final Fantasy XIII‘s weak story speaks volumes of the quality of her character. Her no nonsense attitude and badass personality provide some of the game’s finest moments and prove that series fans don’t really care too much about the gender of the main protagonist; providing, of course, that they know how to kick ass.
7 Serah Is Incredibly Likable
While Lightning’s badass antics are definitely enjoyable to observe, they don’t always paint her in the most flattering light. Yes, she is incredibly cool, but she rarely comes across as a genuinely nice person. Thankfully, however, this isn’t a problem for her younger sibling.
Through her interactions with other party members and NPCs, it’s clear that Serah is a decent person and this makes her infinitely more likable than Lightning. Of course, being kind and being likable are not at all mutually exclusive as many other video game characters demonstrate. In Serah’s case, however, her inoffensive personality definitely adds a lot to her appeal.
6 Lightning Is Deep
One of the biggest benefits of appearing in three different titles is that there is plenty of time for character development. She may not be the most popular, but there is a strong argument to be made that Lightning is the most well defined protagonist in the history of Final Fantasy as a result of her extended time on screen.
While Serah also receives her fair share of time in the spotlight, she never truly feels like a star. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but with the focus constantly being pulled onto her sister, it does leave her somewhat underdeveloped as a result. In a strange way though, this arguably works to her advantage.
5 Serah Is Ordinary
While being ordinary is often seen as a bad thing, it’s actually one of the qualities that makes Serah stand out the most. In a series that’s renowned for its broody, stoic heroes, meeting one who goes so fervently against the grain is as refreshing as it is surprising.
To be clear, there is a very good reason why Square Enix has gravitated towards characters like Lightning and Cloud over the years. It works. That said, while extraordinary characters can help to punctuate an out of this world story, too much repetition can very easily breed contempt. Replacing every main protagonist with someone like Serah would be an absolute disaster. Doing so every once in a while, however, can definitely make for a nice change of pace.
4 Lightning Is A Great Fighter
Although Serah becomes a fairly competent mage over time, she is nowhere near as adept in combat as her older sister. Compared to Lightning, controlling Serah feels a lot less exciting and a big part of this is down to the former’s natural aptitude for fighting.
As well as being incredibly strong, there is a fluidity to Lightning’s movement that makes combat incredibly satisfying to watch and control. Her debut outing also perfected the ATB system that’s used in some of the series’ more recent titles as well as the excellent and hugely underrated paradigm system.
3 Serah Is Relatable
Lightning’s badass attitude and superhuman fighting abilities make her a great hero, but they don’t necessarily make her a great protagonist. For some, being able to relate to a character is an incredibly important part of the role playing element of an RPG. Lightning is a lot of things, but relatable really isn’t one of them.
Serah, on the other hand, is almost the perfect protagonist in this regard. She may not be silent like Link or the Doomguy, nor can players rename her as they could in earlier Final Fantasy games. Thanks to the simplicity of her character though, it’s easy for players to project themselves onto her, just as it is for them to imagine and understand her thoughts and feelings as the story unfolds around her.
2 Lightning Is Memorable
Despite her somewhat generic character arc, there can be no denying that Lightning makes for a memorable protagonist. This is helped, of course, by the numerous fashion campaigns in which she featured; modeling clothes and accessories for the likes of Prada and Louis Vuitton. By contrast, there are far too few meaningful moments in Serah’s story arc to leave any kind of lasting impression.
While her ordinary personality does make her relatable, the lack of extraordinary qualities really doesn’t do her any favors in the long term. One suspects that Square Enix was well aware of this problem too, given that the developer opted to put Lightning on the cover of Final Fantasy XIII-2 despite Serah being the game’s main protagonist.
1 Serah Is Ditzy
The decision to veer away from series norms when it comes to Serah’s personality has both its pros and cons, but by leaning into this rather than trying to fight against it, the developers were able to come out with a character that is altogether unique. This is particularly evident during some of Serah’s ditzier moments.
Like most Final Fantasy protagonists, Lightning’s stoicism sets a very serious tone throughout much of the games in which she features and this can at times be a little exhausting. Granted, the stakes are often incredibly high and so a certain degree of tension is to be expected, but that shouldn’t mean that there’s no room for a little fun as well. Serah provides this in spades and is at times fairly reminiscent of Tidus as a result. Thankfully, her laugh is nowhere near as annoying.
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