Tifa Lockheart

Tifa Lockhart is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. She also plays a supportive role in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. She is a friend of Cloud Strife, and a member of the resistance group Avalanche.

Tifa grew up with Cloud in Nibelheim, but lost contact with him years ago. When she meets him again, she convinces him to join Avalanche to fight the Shinra Electric Power Company, whom she bears hatred for due to the destruction of their hometown. She supports Cloud as his comrade and helps him and his allies fight Sephiroth. Tifa is reserved and empathic, acting as a motherly figure towards her allies when providing encouragement and emotional support. She also serves as the voice of reason grounding them to think things through and do the right thing.

In contrast to her shy personality, Tifa has a vigorous combat style, fighting with her fists. Trained by Zangan, she uses martial arts skills to fight opponents up close, and equips knuckles as her weapons. In the original Final Fantasy VII, unlike other characters, her Limitabilities, each a different martial arts technique, are not selected from a list, rather, each ability can be used consecutively if the slotsland on the "Yeah!" reel for the ability. Tifa has a similar role in Final Fantasy VII Remake as an agile close combat fighter making use of powerful techniques in battle, with a unique ability based on her Unbridled Strength chi level.

## Personality

Tifa is empathic, motherly, and reserved, both out of being observant and for being emotionally shy. Tifa identifies the feelings of others, offering sanctuary and protection for her teammates. While looking out for others, Tifa rarely discusses her own feelings: whenever she is asked, she will either express surprise, or quickly change the subject. Tifa prefers to consider all options and take in all information before acting, such as when she does not speak up about Cloud's confused past until she is certain of her own recollection of events. She also encourages others to practice restraint and think things through first. Tifa can and does fight to defend herself, often preferring to so as not to get others involved. While normally reserved, Tifa still shows aggression at times, particularly when interrogating Don Corneo and standing up to Scarlet. Tifa has low self-confidence and is self-critical of her faults, always pushing herself to do better.

Tifa is defined by her grief and loss throughout her life, manifesting in her conflicted nature, low self-esteem, and her reserved tendencies. As a child, she was more outgoing and extroverted, but the trauma of losing her mother at eight years old made her withdrawn at the time, and introverted later in life. As a teenager she lost her father and hometown in the Nibelheim incident, and as an adult experienced the fall of the Sector 7 plate. As a result, Tifa feels grief and anger towards both Shinra and Sephiroth, driving her desire for revenge. This, as well as her coping mechanism for pain being to withstand it rather than run from it, leads her to join Avalanche to get back at Shinra. While she acknowledges they have to be bold to make a change, she is ill at ease about the bombings and feels trapped, expressing guilt at many of their actions. Her conflicted nature allows her to resolve an argument between Cait Sith and Barret, able to understand both sides. Ultimately, when alone with Cloud to talk about her feelings of loss, she is overwhelmed and simply bursts into tears, showing her fragile emotional state which she tries to conceal.

As a supportive but troubled figure, Tifa shares mutual dependence with her friends. In her friendship with Barret, he depends on her as his moral compass, grounding him to do the right thing, whereas she depends on him to push her forward when she is indecisive. Tifa is protective of Aerith, while depending on her to remain optimistic and upbeat. The clearest example of her nature is with Cloud. Tifa depends on him as the only remnant of their hometown of Nibelheim following its destruction, and thus of her old identity. She is therefore protective of him, though this is mutual. Later, the two realize they were there for one another in times of need, but never knew it. Tifa's has implied romantic feelings for Cloud, growing jealous when seeing him grow close to Aerith, though her actions could also be interpreted as platonic. Aside from Cloud, Tifa shows little romantic interest in others, ignoring the advances of Johnny, Rude, and an Avalanche member who attempted to win her over with flowers.

Following the defeat of Sephiroth, Tifa attempts to put together a normal family, building a new bar and raising a family with Cloud, Barret, Marlene, and later Denzel. She tries to keep the family unit together when Cloud falls into depression, acting like a parental figure towards the children in her care, defending them in battle and supporting them emotionally. She appears hurt by Cloud's distantness, and in the Geostigma crisis, pushes him to take action and stop brooding over his past failures.