Tifa Lockhart Tifa Lockhart is a playable character in " Final Fantasy VII " , and the deuteragonist of " " . In " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " and " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " she plays a supportive role . Tifa is Cloud Strife ' s childhood friend but lost contact with him years ago . When she meets him again she convinces him to join the resistance group she is a member of , AVALANCHE , to fight Shinra Electric Power Company . Tifa supports Cloud as his comrade and helps him fight his nemesis Sephiroth , bearing the same hatred for him as Cloud does due to the destruction of their hometown . Profile . Appearance . Tifa has dark brown hair , occasionally appearing black , which falls below her waist and is tied at the tips to form a dolphin - tail split . In " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " and some other appearances , her hair is shorter and reaches the middle of her back — in " Advent Children " because longer hair is difficult to animate . Tifa ' s eye color has been officially addressed as red , but they have been depicted as a brown in some appearances . According to an official artwork , Tifa ' s bust - waist - hip measures are 92 - 60 - 88 cm ( 37 - 24 - 35 inches ) . In all her outfits across her many appearances , Tifa has worn some variation of a sleeveless shirt that exposes her midriff , a miniskirt and white teardrop earrings . In " Final Fantasy VII , " Tifa wears a white tank top and black mini - skirt with a belt and suspenders . She dons red and black gloves that extend to her elbows , red boots , black socks , and a metal guard on her left elbow . She wears the same outfit in " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " , " " and the " Itadaki " series . In " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " , and in flashbacks in " Final Fantasy VII " when she is a guide at Nibelheim , Tifa wears a cowgirl outfit with a short leather skirt and vest , a white shirt , cowboy boots and hat . In " Crisis Core " this outfit is given more detail , changing the top into a patterned , button - up corset , giving pockets and tassels to the skirt and vest and adding a belt around her hips . In her artwork by Yoshitaka Amano , Tifa has white hair and wears a red miniskirt with a white top and red gloves . This outfit is an alternate outfit for her in " Ehrgeiz : God Bless the Ring " and " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . In " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " Tifa wears a white shirt under a black zip - up vest with black shorts that fold at the waist , forming an additional utility pocket at the front and a short duster at the back extending to her heels . She wears a pink ribbon around her left arm in remembrance of Aerith Gainsborough , and a Fenrir ring on her right hand . Her gloves are black and shorter than in " Final Fantasy VII " , covering only her hands . Tifa wears this attire in the " Kingdom Hearts " series and in " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " , and it is available as an alternate outfit for her in " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Personality . While deceptively strong , Tifa is empathic and emotionally shy . While identifying and responding to the feelings of others , Tifa does not express her feelings often and when she does she struggles doing so . Tifa has motherly qualities , acting as a support for others , and keeping the others around her optimistic . In " Final Fantasy VII " , Tifa is a hard worker and spends her time caring for everyone but herself , keeping the feelings of uneasiness towards Cloud locked up . She offers sanctuary and protects those in need , and is often an emotional crutch for the other AVALANCHE members to lean on . Tifa finds them to be kindred spirits seeking to end the tyranny the Shinra Electric Power Company has brought unto the Planet , although initially she joined the rebel group to seek revenge for the destruction of her hometown and the deaths of her family and friends therein . Tifa helps Cloud along the way in his soul - searching to find himself , while reminding the other party members to " be strong . " Unlike the other party members , she does not explicitly have a backstory to tell the others , which can partly be attributed to her shyness , and partly to how much of it is shared with Cloud , as they hail from the same hometown . This forms a bond between the two , and Cloud is Tifa ' s emotional link to the old life she used to lead in Nibelheim , which was destroyed by Shinra ' s influence . In " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " , Tifa has grown more forward and tries to keep their family unit together when Cloud falls into depression . She acts like a parental figure towards the children in her care , both defending them in battle and giving them emotional support . Though not clingy , she appears hurt by Cloud ' s distantness . Tifa pushes him to take action and to stop brooding with what he considers to be his past failings . Story . Early life . Tifa was born in Nibelheim and was Cloud ' s next - door neighbor . She was outgoing and had many friends , but although she and Cloud were only a year apart in age , they were not close . Tifa ' s mother died when Tifa was eight years old in 1995 , leaving her upset and confused . Tifa believed her mother had gone to Mt . Nibel , and that she could meet her again if she crossed the mountain . Tifa headed off to Mt . Nibel and Cloud followed to protect her , but they fell from a rickety bridge . Tifa ' s father found her severely injured and blamed Cloud for leading her to Mt . Nibel . Five years later , in 0000 , Cloud decided to join SOLDIER like his idol Sephiroth , in part to impress Tifa . He called Tifa out to the water tower , a local date spot , to tell her of his plans , and Tifa made Cloud promise to protect her if she was ever in trouble . He left to join SOLDIER the following spring and Tifa kept checking the newspaper looking for some mention of him , and asking Shinra personnel if they knew him when they came to Nibelheim . She would find nothing , for Cloud never made it into SOLDIER , becoming only a lowly infantryman . Nibelheim Incident . Two years later , on September 21 , 0002 , a 15 - year - old Tifa works as a tour guide in Mt . Nibel and is taking martial arts lessons from Zangan . In " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " she is hired by the player ' s Turk to lead a Shinra expedition to investigate a faulty Mako Reactor . The expedition includes Sephiroth and a SOLDIER named Zack . During their stay she drops hints to Zack of dreaming of a blond - haired SOLDIER protecting her . Unbeknown to her , Cloud is one of the two Shinra guards accompanying Zack and Sephiroth , but is concealing his identity due to his shame of failing to enter SOLDIER . Without her knowing it he prevents her entry to the reactor , attempts to protect her from a monster attack shortly after ( trying to anonymously keep his promise ) and is helped down the mountain by her . Afterward , Tifa messages Zack expressing her worry for the soldier who helped her . Sephiroth goes berserk when he learns who " his mother " is , and on October 1st sets Nibelheim ablaze before setting off to the reactor . Tifa ' s father and others follow , but Sephiroth slays them . Tifa finds her father dead at the Nibel Reactor with Sephiroth ' s Masamune . Declaring her hatred of Sephiroth and Shinra , she attacks him but Sephiroth disarms her and cuts her down . Tifa falls down the steps and slumps to the ground . Zack finds Tifa injured but she doesn ' t trust him and refuses help . Zack then engages Sephiroth , but is defeated . Cloud arrives and carries Tifa aside before confronting Sephiroth himself ; he later admits he thought Tifa ' s wounds were fatal . Midgar and AVALANCHE . After Cloud had defeated Sephiroth but succumbed to his wounds , Zangan arrived and took Tifa away to Midgar for medical treatment , unable to save all three ( Cloud , Zack and Tifa ) from the reactor . Though he cast Cure on her he only barely kept her alive , and it is implied she has no recollection of the journey . After Zangan left Midgar , Tifa recovered and joined AVALANCHE , an anti - Shinra resistance group led by Barret Wallace . She became the owner and proprietor of the bar and restaurant 7th Heaven , which houses AVALANCHE ' s base in a secret basement . At the beginning of " Final Fantasy VII " , when Cloud returns to Midgar as a mercenary in late 0006 , he meets Tifa . Unaware Cloud was in Nibelheim during its destruction , but suspecting something is off about his behavior , Tifa recruits him to work for Barret to examine him further . Realizing Cloud knows several things he should not and has forgotten things he should know , and also initially doubting her own recollections when faced with Cloud ' s , Tifa conceals this information while trying to figure out the reason behind Cloud ' s different character and inconsistent memories . On December 9th , Cloud ' s first mission with AVALANCHE is a success , and he returns to Tifa ' s bar . Cloud attempts to quit AVALANCHE stating his indifference towards Shinra and the Planet , but Tifa pleads for him to stay reminding him of the promise they made as children . Cloud reluctantly assigns for the next mission and the next day Tifa accompanies him and Barret to Sector 5 Reactor . Cloud is separated and when they return to the hideout they find someone spying on them who points to the crime boss Don Corneo as a Shinra informant . Tifa concocts a plan to approach him , as Don Corneo is known for calling up girls to his mansion and choosing one as his " bride " for the day . Cloud catches Tifa being taken to Don ' s , and infiltrates Corneo ' s mansion with a girl he met at the Midgar Slums , Aeris . In the ensuing confrontation Corneo reveals Shinra is planning to drop the Sector 7 plate to crush the slums . Tifa and Cloud race to help Barret defend the pillar supporting the plate while Aeris takes Barret ' s daughter , Marlene , to safety . The other AVALANCHE members are killed , and the pillar and Sector 7 are destroyed . Tifa , Cloud and Barret escape while Shinra captures Aeris . Tifa , Barret and Cloud infiltrate Shinra Headquarters to save Aeris , but are captured . Sephiroth attacks the building and kills President Shinra , and in the chaos the group is released from imprisonment . The group flees from Midgar to Kalm with Tifa driving the others through the Midgar Highway in a pickup while Cloud follows in a Hardy - Daytona . In Kalm Cloud tells the group how he was deployed to Nibelheim with Sephiroth and how the latter destroyed the town . His version is faulty , but a confused Tifa does not confront him both to protect him and because she doubts her own recollection . Pursuit of Sephiroth . The group travels the world tracking Sephiroth with Tifa supporting the party when she can . In Gongaga they run into Zack ' s parents who worry about their son as they have not heard from him in years . Knowing Zack was the SOLDIER member who came to Nibelheim with Sephiroth , Tifa gets upset , but lies to Cloud when he asks what ' s wrong . When they arrive at Nibelheim they find the town rebuilt , and the villagers ( really Shinra employees hired to cover up the Sephiroth incident ) not remembering Cloud or Tifa ever living there . The group stays in Gold Saucer while the ropeway is being repaired , and Tifa is one of the possible date options for Cloud . If Tifa goes out with Cloud during the night she laments on being insecure with her feelings and how she wishes she could tell something to him but finds herself unable to . At the Temple of the Ancients Cloud is manipulated by Sephiroth into relinquishing the Black Materia , a powerful Materia that can summon Meteor . Aeris absconds to the Forgotten Capital alone and when Cloud doubts he should continue on the quest Tifa and Barret push him into going , promising to support him . They witness Sephiroth murder Aeris and Tifa kneels by her body before running away in tears . When the group tracks Sephiroth down to the Whirlwind Maze Sephiroth shows Cloud the true events of Nibelheim ' s razing . Sephiroth ' s manipulations take their toll and Cloud comes to believe he is not a real person , but someone made by Professor Hojo of Shinra with false memories . Cloud submits to Sephiroth ' s will and hands over the Black Materia they had stolen from Sephiroth earlier , before apologizing to Tifa as the North Crater shakes and the ancient beasts called Weapons awaken . Tifa and Barret flee on the Shinra airship , " Highwind " , as the crater collapses with the rest of AVALANCHE escaping another way . Tifa and Barret are brought to Junon where they are to be executed as scapegoats to show Shinra is still in control as Meteor looms in the sky . Meteorfall . Tifa is thrown into a gas chamber while the other party members hidden in the crowd save Barret . While gas seeps into the chamber Tifa breaks out of her restraints . Sapphire Weapon attacks Junon and blasts a hole in the gas chamber , saving her . Running to escape the Shinra forces , Tifa climbs onto the Mako Cannon . The Shinra executive Scarlet confronts Tifa , and the two descend into a cat fight . The " Highwind " commanded by the rest of AVALANCHE appears below the cannon and Tifa makes a leap for the airship . She is elected the party ' s temporary leader while Cloud is gone . Cloud is found in Mideel , suffering from a Mako overdose . Tifa remains to watch over him , but Cloud is not showing signs of improvement . Ultimate Weapon appears and Lifestream swallows Mideel . Tifa tries to push the unresponsive Cloud to safety but both fall into the Lifestream , the wellspring of the Planet ' s life energy . Being submerged in the Lifestream lets Tifa enter Cloud ' s Subconscious where she uncovers the truth about the Nibelheim incident , and helps Cloud restore his memories and motivations . Tifa learns Cloud admired her when he was young , and left to join SOLDIER to impress her . Tifa learns Cloud helped her during the Nibelheim incident even though she didn ' t know it was him at the time . According to a brief mention of Tifa in " Hoshi wo Meguru Otome " , after learning from Zack that Cloud truly is not himself , Aerith protects Tifa ' s mind from the Mako poisoning while she is in Cloud ' s subconscious , believing she can restore Cloud ' s true persona . After Cloud ' s memories have been restored the two wash ashore near Mideel where the others find them and take them aboard the " Highwind " . In the aftermath of Midgar ' s siege by Diamond Weapon and the impending chaos of Shinra ' s destruction , Cloud dismisses the party instructing them to find a reason to fight . Tifa stays behind with Cloud as she has nowhere else to go and the two spend the night under the " Highwind " . Depending on the player ' s interactions with her , the scene has two possible dialogue courses that vary in the amount of affection the two show each other . In late January 0007 the party descends to the bottom of the Northern Cave and defeats Sephiroth to release the power of Holy , the Ultimate White Magic Aeris had summoned before her death . After the battle Cloud feels Sephiroth is not fully vanquished , and Tifa stays behind as he descends into the Lifestream for a final battle . As he returns to his body the cavern falls apart and Cloud saves Tifa from falling . The party returns to the " Highwind " where they watch the Lifestream surge from the Planet to help Holy destroy the Meteor . Post - crisis . Tifa is the focus of " Case of Tifa " in " On the Way to a Smile " , examining her life and relationship with Cloud after the Planet was saved from Meteor . Tifa , Cloud and Barret ' s daughter Marlene become a family in the newly built city of Edge , and Tifa runs a bar called 7th Heaven while Cloud runs a delivery service . Her life with Cloud is initially happy , but Tifa becomes concerned with Cloud ' s secrecy and growing depression , which strains the family ' s unity . Cloud brings Denzel , a boy he found from the Midgar ruins , to the bar , and he joins the family . Cloud later leaves 7th Heaven with no explanation despite showing signs of happiness again . Tifa calls his cellphone several times , but the answering service takes over . Shortly thereafter , the events of " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " begin . Tifa has a minor appearance in " Final Fantasy VII Lateral Biography Turks - The Kids Are Alright - " . She is approached by Kyrie Canaan , a friend of the Evan Townshend ( the protagonist of the novella ) in Midgar , who asks her for the route to Nibelheim , which she reluctantly tells him . Later on she is approached by Leslie Kyle , a friend of Kyrie , and she lets him know she told Kyrie of his plans to travel to Nibelheim . Tifa is also mentioned when seen in a one of many pictures in Corneo ' s mansion , which is destroyed by Evan Townshend . Geostigma crisis . Two years after Midgar was destroyed by Meteor , during the events of " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " , Tifa serves as Cloud ' s emotional support , runs a bar called 7th Heaven in Edge , cares for Marlene and Denzel , and handles the business side of Cloud ' s delivery service . While taking Marlene to the Sector 5 Church to find Cloud , she discovers Cloud has Geostigma , a terminal illness . Loz , one of the Remnants of Sephiroth , shows up hoping to find Jenova ' s head under Cloud ' s care . He finds Tifa , whom he duels . Though she puts up a good fight , Tifa is defeated after Loz uses his superhuman speed and pile bunker . Cloud finds her unconscious and prepares to hunt down Marlene , but a bout of pain from his Geostigma stops him . They are discovered by Reno and Rude who bring them back to the 7th Heaven . Cloud first turns down Tifa ' s request to go to the Forgotten Capital to retrieve Marlene and Denzel , fearing he will be unable to help them , but Tifa lectures about his apathy and self - loathing , talking him into going . The next day , when Loz and Yazoo have mind - controlled the children with Geostigma into going to the memorial in the center of Edge , Tifa attempts to save Denzel from them , but Bahamut SIN knocks her out . She joins the battle with the remaining AVALANCHE members , and is the last person to physically help Cloud — with Aerith providing support from the Lifestream — into the air to deliver the final blow to the dragon . Tifa appears on the " Shera " , the party ; s airship , with the AVALANCHE members while Cloud fights Kadaj and Sephiroth . She arrives in the church with Denzel to heal his Geostigma , and shares a shy smile with Cloud as he relaxes with the children in the pool of Lifestream purified water . Deepground conflict . One year later , during " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " , Tifa appears during the ground assault on Midgar , leading the tanks with Barret and Cloud in the battle against a group known as Deepground . She appears when the gang is cheering on Vincent when he is " saving the world " , and at the end , when Yuffie enters 7th Heaven to inquire about Vincent . She is still running the bar , and lets Shelke live with them . Tifa can be heard during a phone call to Vincent during his descent into Midgar ' s underground , but in audio only . Gameplay . Tifa is a playable party member , who relies on her martial arts techniques in battle seen in her Limits , and wields claws and glove weapons . Her stats in " Final Fantasy VII " are designed around the Monk character class , meaning her physical stats are stronger than her magical stats . She has lower HP growth than other characters , but her Strength growth gives her the third highest potential Strength of any character ( behind only Cloud and Barret ) . Her ultimate weapon is the Premium Heart , which deals more damage based on how full her Limit gauge is . Tifa is a date option for Cloud in the Gold Saucer , determined by a hidden stat in the game . She starts with the second highest value , at 30 , which is 20 behind the highest , Aeris . In addition to being a playable party member , Tifa is a temporary replacement for Cloud as party leader at certain points in the story . This can have an impact on dialogue in various sidequests . It also allows her to participate in Chocobo racing and Snowboarding , although she has a chance to participate in these minigames in Cloud ' s stead when she is present in the party and Cloud is the leader . Creation and development . " Final Fantasy VII " . Designed by Tetsuya Nomura , the concept of Tifa was first created when the idea was suggested that , at some point within the game , a character would be permanently killed off . When it was decided to have Aeris die , attention went into developing her character and her relationships with the other characters ; this resulted in the idea to introduce Tifa as a rival for Cloud ' s affections . The notion of having two concurrent heroines and the protagonist torn between them was something director Yoshinori Kitase liked , describing it as something new in the " Final Fantasy " games . The " Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania " interviews with the creators of " Final Fantasy VII " reveal the original depiction of Cloud and Tifa ' s " moment " under the " Highwind " before their final battle against Sephiroth was more suggestive : following a fade - out scene , Cloud was to walk out of the airship ' s chocobo stable followed shortly by Tifa who would check around as she left , implying the two had spent the night together . This idea was rejected by Yoshinori Kitase for being too " extreme " and was replaced by the less risqué conversation scene . Initially Nomura struggled to decide whether to give Tifa a mini - skirt or long pants . Seeking input , he passed his sketches around Square ' s offices , and the majority of the staff approved of the mini - skirt design . The attire was explained in respect to the game as giving her freedom of movement due to her affinity to weaponless fighting , and the skirt , noted as " quite short [ . . . ] giving a considerable degree of exposure " , was kept as a staple for her alternate costumes . The developers noted that due to her figure , her otherwise plain garments took on a pleasant appearance . Two English demos for " Final Fantasy VII " exist , with Tifa appearing in the later one , released in 1997 after the Japanese version of " Final Fantasy VII " was already out . As the game was already out in another region the demo is near - identical to the final game . The main difference is that Tifa is in the party during the opening bombing mission of Sector 1 Reactor , and the party has access to many spells they cannot yet cast in the final version . " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " . Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima struggled to create the new Tifa and focused on developing the emotional backbone her character is to the cast . They ensured to portray her as a modern woman who can function without a man . When Tifa tells Cloud what ' s inside her heart , the original scene had Tifa feeling guilty about being blunt , but Nojima cut it for time . Takeshi Nozue had difficulty developing a framework for Tifa ' s body that was " balanced , yet showed off her ' feminine qualities ' " . Her outfit was redesigned with emphasis on expressing her physical qualities while being pleasing to the eye . Her hair was cropped due to the difficulty of animating her original length of hair , as well as problems that arose due to its dark color and lighting . Script writer Kazushige Nojima described Tifa ' s role in " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " as " very much like any woman who ' s been left behind by a man " , stating that while they didn ' t want her to appear clingy , they wanted to portray her as having been hurt emotionally . In the film ' s initial draft she was intended to have a more central role in the then - short film , which only featured herself , Cloud , and several children , with the story revolving around a note being delivered to him . Voice . With Aerith ' s " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " voice actress already decided , Nomura requested Ayumi Ito take on the role of Tifa for the film ; feeling her " husky voice " would offer a good contrast to Maaya Sakamoto , who played Aerith . Nomura additionally noted that after completing Tifa ' s updated design they debated on her finalized details , but once Ito had been cast for the role , they chose to blend many traits from the voice actress into the character ' s completed appearance . Tifa is voiced by Rachael Leigh Cook in her English appearance . In an interview for " Kingdom Hearts II " , Cook described Tifa as a " very cool character , both very strong physically and emotionally , but also very sensitive " , and " really multi - dimensional " . Musical themes . " Tifa ' s Theme " plays during Tifa ' s flashback of Cloud ' s promise , and as the background music for the 7th Heaven bar until the day of the Sector 5 Reactor mission , after which it switches to " Barret ' s Theme " . Tifa ' s Theme has been remixed for " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " as " Brief Reunion " , for the " Case of Denzel " as " Connected Heart " , and " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " as " Tifa ' s Theme " ( which serves as her world map theme ) . A piano version of her theme appears on the " " album , and in " Advent Children " at the Sector 5 Church . Other appearances . Tifa has appeared in the following games throughout the " Final Fantasy " series : Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . Tifa has made key guest appearances in the following non - " Final Fantasy " games : Other media . Impact . Tifa ' s popularity has caused her to be a popular cosplay choice among fans . Notably , Tifa has been named the pinup girl of the " cyber generation " by ' , being compared to from the ' franchise as an example of a strong , independent and attractive female character in video games . In many polls Tifa frequently appears highly in the lists . . Tifa , along with other characters , has also been ranked as the 19th most popular videogame character among Japanese audiences . She is often attributed to the drive of stronger female heroines , and in a 2009 article by IGN , it was said that " Tifa helped drive a tradition of tough , independent RPG heroines " . Television . Tifa makes a minor appearance in ' s show . She appears in season 1 , episode 16 , Gaming ' s next top model . Music . The fight sequence between Tifa and Loz from " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " has been duplicated for Korean pop singer MV ' s " Temptation of Sonata " music video , albeit with minor changes , such as small parts of the fighting choreography being altered due to the absence of Loz ' s Dual Hound , and Tifa ' s victory by snapping Loz ' s neck at the end . The music video was never aired on Korean television again and singer Ivy was sued by Square Enix for copyright infringement . Games . Throughout " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " , the player can find posters for LOVELESS , which appear to depict Tifa . As an allusion to Tifa ' s eventual role as the 7th Heaven ' s barmaid , in " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " Zack can speak to a man building a bar , who asks Zack what to name it . When Zack suggests " 7th Heaven , " the man loves the name and suggests getting " a young girl with a big bosom and long legs " to work the bar . Tifa Lockhart is among the names used in example sentences for the chat log filtering configuration in " Final Fantasy XIV " . Tifa ' s " Dilly dally , shilly shally " line from " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " was referenced in " The World Ends With You " , a game made by Square Enix . Tifa appeared in the online game ' ( now discontinued ) , as a costume . Tifa ' s costume is also available as DLC in the ' series ; first made for " " . It was part of a " Final Fantasy VII " costume pack also featuring Cloud , Aerith , Vincent and Sephiroth . In " Gunslinger Stratos 2 " , an arcade game also made by Square Enix , Tifa ' s costume was released in November 2014 . In " , a science - fiction JRPG also by Square on PlayStation , a poster of Tifa can be found hanging on the wall in a house in the upper - class Solaris community . Fandom . Tifa appears in ' s DEATH BATTLE ! series against from " . Tifa works as barmaid , alluding to her occupation from " Final Fantasy VII " . Tifa performs many of her Limit Breaks , and the stats displayed for her are the maximum stats she can achieve in the original " Final Fantasy VII " release at level 99 , with no additional Materia changes or items boosting stats used . Tifa appears in many episodes of Monty Oum ' s " Dead Fantasy " series as a combatant against the girls from the " Dead or Alive " video game series . Her main opponent is Hitomi , as they are both martial artists . Her fighting style is based on her " Ehrgeiz " counterpart , but she no longer utilizes Ken ' s fighting style . Her style is now Zangan - Ryu martial arts mixed with Materia magic and Tifa ' s moves focus on kicks , as her punches are based on Chinese Kempo . Tifa utilizes several Materia to mix with her martial arts . Her grunts from " Dead Fantasy II " until " Dead Fantasy V " are from Lisa Hamilton known as La Mariposa in " Dead or Alive " series , voiced by Maaya Sakamoto . She also appears in the two music videos Monty Oum created : " Dead Fantasy - Obsessed " and " Dead Fantasy - Gee " . She is portrayed in her cowgirl outfit from " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " and plays the role of Seo Joohyun , one of the members of Girls Generation . Merchandise . Tifa has appeared in numerous merchandise , including action figures and statues , key chains , Coca - Cola bottle cap figurines , and even a Potion can and a Zippo lighter . Etymology and symbolism . Tifa ' s name is pronounced with a long " e " ( " Tee " - fa ) rather than a short " i " ( " Tiff " - a ) . " Tifa " may be a shortened version of the name Tiffany . " Tifa " may also be derived from the Tifaret . This would tie up with the larger theme " Final Fantasy VII " has with Jewish mysticism . Tifa ' s last name , Lockhart , might be a reference to Tifa ' s reserved nature and hiding away her feelings for Cloud , " locking " them within her heart , or to her role in unlocking Cloud ' s psyche later in the game .