Post by DSkillz on Feb 28, 2014 2:07:38 GMT
Lightning (Final Fantasy)
Lightning (ライトニング Raitoningu?) is a fictional character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. She first appears as a playable character and main protagonist of the role-playing video game Final Fantasy XIII, featuring as a former sergeant in the Guardian Corps whose sister Serah has been branded as a l'Cie. In her attempt to save Serah, Lightning and others are also branded and tasked with destroying their home by the fal'Cie, a divided race of demigods who rule the worlds of Gran Pulse and Cocoon. She reappears as a supporting character in Final Fantasy XIII-2, residing in the netherworld of Valhalla as protector of the Goddess Etro. She is the sole playable character in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, in which she sets out on a quest to save the people of her world, which is destined to end in thirteen days. She is also featured in other games within the series, most notably the crossover game Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.
Lightning was created by Motomu Toriyama, the game's director and scenario writer, and designed by Tetsuya Nomura. The idea was to create a female protagonist new to the series, who was strong, good at fighting, and less feminine than previous heroines within the franchise. Over the course of the games, she went through multiple design changes, many of which were meant to reflect her role and development in each game, particularly in Lightning Returns. Lightning's real name is Claire Farron in English and Éclair Farron (エクレール・ファロン Ekurēru Faron?) in the original Japanese-language version. She took the code name "Lightning" to escape her vulnerabilities and insecurities, and become a stronger person.
Critical and fan reception to Lightning's character was mixed owing to her cold personality, which resulted in comparisons with Cloud Strife, another character from the Final Fantasy franchise. The criticisms of her cold character came to the fore in Lightning Returns, where many saw her as underdeveloped and unlikable, though others found her better developed than in previous games. Nevertheless, her strength across the games and her development were well received for standing out within female characters in video games.
Lightning was designed by regular Final Fantasy character designer Tetsuya Nomura, who had previously served as the character designer for Final Fantasy VIII and X, both of which were also directed by Motomu Toriyama. Multiple designs were considered for her, including some designed by other staff members, although Toriyama later claimed that "one look at [Nomura's] design made [him] say 'This is it!' She looked so cool and strong that there was no need for any retakes." Because of the graphic capacities of the game's prospective platforms, Nomura could include far more detail in her design than characters for previous games, including her cape and facial features, though conversely this meant far more effort on his part. Nomura, commenting on her original design, explained that she is essentially a "cool character" and that "you can't have a cool character without anything inappropriate". Some of her earlier characteristics were blonde or silver hair and Asian-looking features. The final art was made less Asian-looking than originally conceived, while the silver hair color was given to Hope Estheim in favor of pink: her final hair color was made to reflect her feminine side. Her weapon, the Blazefire Saber (known as Blaze Edge (ブレイズエッジ Bureizu Ejji?) in the Japanese version) was created to mirror the transforming nature of the game's summons, the Eidolons, as well as the theme of change found within the gameplay.
Links:
Final Fantasy Wiki
Giant Bomb
Copyright Owner/Official Site
Square Enix
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Lightning was created by Motomu Toriyama, the game's director and scenario writer, and designed by Tetsuya Nomura. The idea was to create a female protagonist new to the series, who was strong, good at fighting, and less feminine than previous heroines within the franchise. Over the course of the games, she went through multiple design changes, many of which were meant to reflect her role and development in each game, particularly in Lightning Returns. Lightning's real name is Claire Farron in English and Éclair Farron (エクレール・ファロン Ekurēru Faron?) in the original Japanese-language version. She took the code name "Lightning" to escape her vulnerabilities and insecurities, and become a stronger person.
Critical and fan reception to Lightning's character was mixed owing to her cold personality, which resulted in comparisons with Cloud Strife, another character from the Final Fantasy franchise. The criticisms of her cold character came to the fore in Lightning Returns, where many saw her as underdeveloped and unlikable, though others found her better developed than in previous games. Nevertheless, her strength across the games and her development were well received for standing out within female characters in video games.
Lightning was designed by regular Final Fantasy character designer Tetsuya Nomura, who had previously served as the character designer for Final Fantasy VIII and X, both of which were also directed by Motomu Toriyama. Multiple designs were considered for her, including some designed by other staff members, although Toriyama later claimed that "one look at [Nomura's] design made [him] say 'This is it!' She looked so cool and strong that there was no need for any retakes." Because of the graphic capacities of the game's prospective platforms, Nomura could include far more detail in her design than characters for previous games, including her cape and facial features, though conversely this meant far more effort on his part. Nomura, commenting on her original design, explained that she is essentially a "cool character" and that "you can't have a cool character without anything inappropriate". Some of her earlier characteristics were blonde or silver hair and Asian-looking features. The final art was made less Asian-looking than originally conceived, while the silver hair color was given to Hope Estheim in favor of pink: her final hair color was made to reflect her feminine side. Her weapon, the Blazefire Saber (known as Blaze Edge (ブレイズエッジ Bureizu Ejji?) in the Japanese version) was created to mirror the transforming nature of the game's summons, the Eidolons, as well as the theme of change found within the gameplay.
Links:
Final Fantasy Wiki
Giant Bomb
Copyright Owner/Official Site
Square Enix
Record:
W:
L: