Is Lightning a successful character?

[C i d]

This is not a thread to discuss about Squall or Cloud's originalities. Thanks for your cooperation =)
further off-topic posts will be deleted.
However, feel free to discuss the current topic about Squall/Cloud in a new thread, or through PMs. I am not restricting you from that.

 

[kratoscar2008]

Squall is pretty much a better developed version of cloud minus the alien parts.
Read this

Squall is kind of similar to Guts from Berserk.

They arent the same, their backgrounds arent the same and thus their actitudes are not the same. There are a lot of asses in the world but just not for that they are the same personality wise. You will never find a original character there will always be people that resemble others in one way or another but they are not the same.

The problem with Lightning is that it has their actittuded of them but she doesnt have a justificable reason to be like that not she evolves in a likeable person. She is like that for no reason whatsoever.

 

[Starships]

The problem with Lightning is that it has their actittuded of them but she doesnt have a justificable reason to be like that not she evolves in a likeable person. She is like that for no reason whatsoever.

Lightning had to be tough to protect her sister which is extremely lame imo. I didn't see Edgar having to act like a ass to protect Sabin. Faris going bitchy to protect lenna.

Kuja and Zidane are more created clones and "brothers " in the way that they were created the same way under the same person. Golbez was mind-controlled and I don't know FF XII enough to know the whole "evil twin " deal.

But can you imagine Edgar being a total dick towards Sabin ? He would be a terrible brother like how Light is a terrible sister to Serah.

​

 

[kratoscar2008]

Lightning had to be tough to protect her sister which is extremely lame imo. I didn't see Edgar having to act like a ass to protect Sabin. Faris going bitchy to protect lenna.

Kuja and Zidane are more created clones and "brothers " in the way that they were created the same way under the same person. Golbez was mind-controlled and I don't know FF XII enough to know the whole "evil twin " deal.

But can you imagine Edgar being a total dick towards Sabin ? He would be a terrible brother like how Light is a terrible sister to Serah.

​

Exactly, she has a reason? yes. Its justificable for her attitude? Hell no. For example if that were the reason Squall was so antisocial then i would had hated Squall just as Lightning, but his background is so well done that makes squall getting great character development.

 

[Starships]

Exactly, she has a reason? yes. Its justificable for her attitude? Hell no. For example if that were the reason Squall was so antisocial then i would had hated Squall just as Lightning, but his background is so well done that makes squall getting great character development.

And yet she's one of the most popular Final Fantasy characters out there and has floods of fans....

 

[Razberry Knight]

Exactly, she has a reason? yes. Its justificable for her attitude? Hell no. For example if that were the reason Squall was so antisocial then i would had hated Squall just as Lightning, but his background is so well done that makes squall getting great character development.

but this doesn't make Lightning a great character. It only makes her that much more cliche. typical tsundere background.

 

[AuronX]

Lightning is, in my mind, a successful character because she is a blend of what people aspire to be and what people really are. From the first time we see her she is a highly trained and strong personality, which is what most of us would like to think we'd be in tough situations like those depicted in the games (being honest I think most of us would be more like Sazh ). Then, as much inspiration as her initial presence is, when we get to know her better we see a much more human character in the past, and a much more kindhearted character in the future (using the first appearance as a reference point). Her initial strength and honed determination is never sacrificed, but she goes from being someone merely admirable to someone actually likeable. Not likeable like Serah is likeable for being nice to everybody, but that's not Lightning's role. She is, in essence, the player's representative in the Final Fantasy XIII universe. Lightning has to be something of an introvert so that her thoughts can carry the player through the story and bring the emotional gravity where it counts.

All this she succeeds at while being by far one of the most attractive characters SE has ever designed. And by 'attractive' I don't just mean her physical appearance or sex appeal; her clothing, weaponry, special effects (i.e. rose petals)--everything really, serve to make Lightning one of the most pleasantly recognizable FF characters ever.

Spoiler: (Rambling about other FF characters...)

That's why other strong female characters from the FF series don't get the same love. Yuna, Terra, Celes, etc were all great, but the latter two were only 8-bit sprites in most appearances, and although Yuna was a great character as well, her design just didn't have that special something that really makes the design grab your attention. I would say Tidus comes pretty close to being as recognizable as Lightning, but of course being a male he's not as pleasantly recognizable as Lightning is. Cloud and Tifa are also very, very recognizable, but the darker story behind them takes away some of the appeal. They almost don't look like part of the series if you're just comparing visuals, which is a result of the story that drives their appearances.

In the end, somehow Lightning just manages to reach a universal audience. However she manages to do it, it makes her successful.

 

[Razberry Knight]

1. Lightning isnt an introvert.

2. Sadly people like how unlikable she is. Or daring. But even then you guys change. When she opens up. It was bound to come. But it wasnt anything special. Thos character is already "trained". Her initiall aspects were just waayy to strong for her to change gradually

3 lightnings design isnt that great. The roses dont help. In fact they seem out of place.

4. Universal audience? Youre speaking as if you werent the minority. Amd any ff13 fan are...minority....sonto assume lightning reaches to univetsal appeal...its a lil much...

Its one thing to speak at a personal level but you inferring too much on others

 

[Starships]

Lightning is, in my mind, a successful character because she is a blend of what people aspire to be and what people really are.

You're kidding right ? You really believe that people aspire to be a grumpy bitch that goes around slapping people in the face ? And we're all like this too ? The only humans I know that act like Lightning end up in jail for domestic abuse.

From the first time we see her she is a highly trained and strong personality

What strong personality ? Lightning isn't strong ! If she was strong she would of been able to handle what she was going through. Instead she blamed other people like Snow and Fang for what went wrong. That isn't what a strong person does; that is what a child does.

In fact Eiko from Final Fantasy 9 acts more mature and adult than Light does and she's FIVE.

but she goes from being someone merely admirable to someone actually likeable.

Like we're already seen done a million times better with Squall Leonhart and this makes Lightning more better because ? Squall had a good reason to push people away Lightning thought that she was playing tough woman but she was acting like a immature brat. Who goes around hitting people ?

Squall was rude towards his teacher but at least he didn't slap her in the face and if Squall did that the whole gaming community would be a huge uproar but if Lightning does it, it's " girl power " ! No. Just no.

Lightning has to be something of an introvert so that her thoughts can carry the player through the story and bring the emotional gravity where it counts.

Lightning is not a introvert. A Introvert is somebody who needs some time alone to re-charge their batteries and usually enjoys quiet hobbies like reading, and they usually have trouble speaking to strangers and need a extra push to socialize. Lightning is nothing like that. And no she didn't need to act the way that she did. You do NOT go around slapping other people. Male or female. It's just plain rude and also you don't go around treating people like shit.

All this she succeeds at while being by far one of the most attractive characters SE has ever designed. And by 'attractive' I don't just mean her physical appearance or sex appeal; her clothing, weaponry, special effects (i.e. rose petals)--everything really, serve to make Lightning one of the most pleasantly recognizable FF characters ever.

So looks and appearance make everything okay ? You can act like a giant tosser and it's okay as longs as you're good looking ? If Lightning looked like Queen Brahne would you still think that she was "magical and awesome " ? I really doubt it.

That's why other strong female characters from the FF series don't get the same love. Yuna, Terra, Ceers...)]les, etc were all great, but the latter two were only 8-bit sprites in most appearances

Yuna and Terra get love and so what if they're 18- bit or 16-bit or whatever. Stop being so damn shallow. And the reasons why they're not getting attention is because you would rather put a physical abusive pink-haired child on a pedestal above them.

her design just didn't have that special something that really makes the design grab your attention.

Uh- Huh so in other words you hated the way that she looked so Lightning is better. Shallow again.

In the end, somehow Lightning just manages to reach a universal audience. However she manages to do it, it makes her successful.

Not she doesn't. Lightning is only reaching a high height within the Final Fantasy universe because she's the first female that the newer generation of the Final Fantasy gamers are seeing so of course they're going to love her, because they don't know any better just yet. When they back track they're bound to prefer some of the older female characters better. Well hopefully...

Go out on the street and slap a person and see how "awesome " " strong " and " heroic " you feel.

 

[kratoscar2008]

And yet she's one of the most popular Final Fantasy characters out there and has floods of fans....

I dont want to live in this world anymore! Kidding the thing is as i said in my first post she gives the impression of being a character that defies gender roles, basically the reason why Yuna isnt seen as a strong character is because apparently she is your typical damsel in distress wich is far from truth, the same way Lightning is seen as a strong and fresh character when in reality she is not anything like that.

And i wouldnt classify her as Cloud with boobs because that would be an insult to Cloud.

 

[AuronX]

Hmmm, do I really take the time to respond to people for misunderstanding my last post so much, and who will probably misunderstand this post as well, or take it out of context? I guess so...

1. Lightning isnt an introvert.

Lightning is not a introvert. A Introvert is somebody who needs some time alone to re-charge their batteries and usually enjoys quiet hobbies like reading, and they usually have trouble speaking to strangers and need a extra push to socialize.

I didn't mean to say she was a total introvert, but that she has introverted tendencies (hence "something of an introvert"). When we first see her she doesn't really speak to Sazh, or Hope. Even after she does talk to Hope and realizes she made a mistake in what she says, she stays quiet about it for a long while. Throughout XIII and more explicitly in XIII-2 we see that these quiet moments were not rudeness, but rather inner conflict and thoughtfulness. She had so much weighing heavy on her mind that she couldn't speak much to the people around her...until she came to trust and care about them, and they found themselves sharing similar burdens.

Besides, introverts get a bad rap. They're not necessarily reclusive as you say. "Intro"--inner, "vert"--orientation. Inner-oriented. Thoughtful. Serious. Emotional. You can be these things and still out in the world and a strong personality.

What strong personality ? Lightning isn't strong ! If she was strong she would of been able to handle what she was going through. Instead she blamed other people like Snow and Fang for what went wrong. That isn't what a strong person does; that is what a child does.

2. Sadly people like how unlikable she is. Or daring. But even then you guys change. When she opens up. It was bound to come. But it wasnt anything special. Thos character is already "trained". Her initiall aspects were just waayy to strong for her to change gradually

When I say 'strong' I mean in the same sense as you'd say a flavor is strong. The 'strong' you're thinking of is better fitted to Snow, which is a strong bound up in muscles and and a refusal to ever admit defeat even when charging straight ahead might be foolish. Lightning's personality is definitely not like that. But at the same time, she has a goal and will stop at nothing to reach it. However, she is driven by gravity; that is to say, the seriousness with which she approaches a situation motivates her. That is another introverted characteristic, yet still strong.

It sounds to me like you are suffering from stereotypes. Introverts are stereotyped as being one way, strong personalities are stereotyped as being another way. Because Lightning is both things without being the stereotypes you're used to you don't like her?

You're kidding right ? You really believe that people aspire to be a grumpy bitch that goes around slapping people in the face ? And we're all like this too ? The only humans I know that act like Lightning end up in jail for domestic abuse.

Ahem, I never said that Lightning didn't have a personality of her own and that she was purely made up of the player's personality. Her character contains aspects of common personalities in real people to make it possible to identify with her. And Lightning's abuse of Snow was not entirely unwarranted. If you've never been in a situation where a sibling has a romantic relationship with someone you really don't think is a good choice for them, you wouldn't understand. But I can tell you from experience that those situations are very, very tense, and even though punching is not the correct response, it is certainly understandable considering the element of the whole l'Cie thing that got thrown in. And besides, this is Snow we're talking about...his personality could very well require some rough treatment to get an idea through to him in certain situations. If it was Hope or Sazh Lightning punched it would be a totally different thing. Gender roles have nothing to do with it. And don't forget she smacks Fang, who is kind of a combination of Snow and Lightning in personality...that obviously can't be a gender thing, and again it was understandable considering the circumstances because of who she was dealing with, though not the best course of action.

So looks and appearance make everything okay ? You can act like a giant tosser and it's okay as longs as you're good looking ? If Lightning looked like Queen Brahne would you still think that she was "magical and awesome " ? I really doubt it.

3 lightnings design isnt that great. The roses dont help. In fact they seem out of place.

Ok, then pick your favorite FF character and make them look like Queen Brahne...I'll just go ahead and guess that they lose their attraction for you as well.

I agree looks aren't everything, and if you're one of the people that 'gets' Lightning's personality, she will be more than mere appearances. I will give you that preferences play a large role in favoring something's appearance though, so whether or not you think Lightning was designed well is up to you. But there are a lot of people out there that agree with me on her design being very good, so SE must have gotten something right, there.

4. Universal audience? Youre speaking as if you werent the minority. Amd any ff13 fan are...minority....sonto assume lightning reaches to univetsal appeal...its a lil much...

Its one thing to speak at a personal level but you inferring too much on others

You speak as if you weren't the minority as well. XIII sold 10,000,000 copies all over the world...you really think that only the minority of people in that figure actually like Lightning? If a million people were disappointed with her as a character that's only a tenth of XIII's global audience. I'd still consider that 'universal appeal'. Maybe it's more than that, maybe it's less, but I have a hard time believing the game would have sold so well if Lightning was being universally panned instead. I'm basing that on statistics and what I can see from XIII's audience as a whole (not just on this forum)--that's not inferring much on others.

Yuna and Terra get love and so what if they're 18- bit or 16-bit or whatever. Stop being so damn shallow. And the reasons why they're not getting attention is because you would rather put a physical abusive pink-haired child on a pedestal above them.

What I meant when referring to Lightning's looks versus the looks of 8-bit characters is that there's not as much to hold on to with the older characters because the lower graphics and lack of voice acting make them more like characters in a book than modern video game characters. You can have an idea of their appearances in your mind and enjoy their characters, but you can't, say, make a desktop wallpaper out of them because most of what you know of them is bound up just in words. They lack significant access to the visual channel of human memory and expression, both aspects of which are very important for the successful marketing of a character. Lightning is more widely recognizable/memorable because current technology allows her to be more realistic and to actually have a voice and visual presence. I'm not saying it necessarily makes her a better character, I'm just analyzing that this is what has made her more successful (which is what this thread is really about, don't forget--was she successful as a character, not was she your personal favorite or not).

So there we go. My first post was far less a statement of opinion than it was a statement of analyzation. That's what the question of this thread would cause a person to do: analyze and conclude, not dish out opinion. I tried to present my analyzations as opinion to keep people from tearing every word apart and pulling it all out of context to make the point that they hate Lightning to no end, but looks like that couldn't be stopped. So now I've tried to bring everything back into focus, and hopefully it made some sense to you all, since that is what I'm targeting here--not to change your opinions, since that obviously is not happening any time soon.

 

[Razberry Knight]

Let ke cut this down.


No, 13 fans ARE the minority. And even then tou can look up how she has received mixed reviews. On every forum whonare the lonesome few that love final fantasy 13? Youre probably the only one relying on sales to back up the game. But who does that? Does anyone ever consider anything a success by sales. Amd im talking about fan terms. Quality not quantity. Do you really fall for such shallow reasons? Heck youre probably the only 13 fan that is in denial of 13 fans being a minority. Im a 12 fan and i know they are a minority. At least level with it and call it. 50-50

And no. I do not say suffer from stereotype. I know what an introvert is. Lightning is nowhere near it.

 

[Starships]

Hmmm, do I really take the time to respond to people for misunderstanding my last post so much

We haven't. You like Lightning and you believe that she's a strong character. Even though she treats people like crap.

I didn't mean to say she was a total introvert, but that she has introverted tendencies (hence "something of an introvert"). When we first see her she doesn't really speak to Sazh, or Hope.

There is no such thing as somebody is half of a introvert that doesn't make sense. She doesn't really speak to Sazh or Hope because she was putting herself and her own issues and own everything first. That's not being a introvert. That's being selfish and arrogant.

Even after she does talk to Hope and realizes she made a mistake in what she says, she stays quiet about it for a long while. Throughout XIII and more explicitly in XIII-2 we see that these quiet moments were not rudeness, but rather inner conflict and thoughtfulness.

What's staying quiet got to do with anything ? Oh my God. What a load of bullshit.

How is Lightning facing " inner conflict " ? She only wants to protect her sister Serah which she has done a terrible job at. And then she blames other people for Serah turning into a crystal when she is partly to blame. But instead of feeling guilty or sad about it she rants about how she had to be "strong " to protect Serah which is a load of lies, she joined the army and left her alone. Lightning is all talk and if anybody else does bad she gives them a punch or slap because you know, Lightning is always right and never wrong and when she does wrong nothing happens.

She had so much weighing heavy on her mind that she couldn't speak much to the people around her...until she came to trust and care about them, and they found themselves sharing similar burdens.

Again what a load of bullshit. Lightning had nothing weighing on her shoulders. Nothing. She failed to protect her sister and that's her damn stupid fault. If she wasn't so arrogant and stopped believing that she was so high and mighty she wouldn't had any issues.

You know who's a Final Fantasy character who does have alot of weight on her shoulders ? So much that it's shocking that she gets stronger and doesn't make under the weight ? Yuna.

Besides, introverts get a bad rap. They're not necessarily reclusive as you say. "Intro"--inner, "vert"--orientation. Inner-oriented. Thoughtful. Serious. Emotional. You can be these things and still out in the world and a strong personality.

No they don't. Introverts have never got any sort of bad rap. I know what introvert means you know. Yes you can and Light is not a introvert.

The 'strong' you're thinking of is better fitted to Snow, which is a strong bound up in muscles and and a refusal to ever admit defeat even when charging straight ahead might be foolish.

.... No I'm not. I don't know how you got that idea.

Strong is somebody like Aeris, Terra or Yuna. Cloud who overcame depression and deaths of a friend and lover to come out in smiles. Squall who faced his fears of trusting others to also come out with a cheerful smile. That is strong. Aeris lost her mother at a young age and had to grow up in the slums. That is strong.

Lightning who throws a childish fit when her sister is turned into a crystal and believes that she has to act tough and abusive is not strong.

the seriousness with which she approaches a situation motivates her. That is another introverted characteristic, yet still strong.

* facepalm *

It sounds to me like you are suffering from stereotypes.

No I'm not. You however ? Yes. You have no idea introverted means and you keep on believing that Lightning is a introvert when she's nothing close to that type of personality. Not even close.

Ahem, I never said that Lightning didn't have a personality of her own and that she was purely made up of the player's personality. Her character contains aspects of common personalities in real people to make it possible to identify with her.

What common people ? Angry wife abusers ? Men that go home and beat their wives for not being good enough in their eyes and so they beat and injure them ?

And Lightning's abuse of Snow was not entirely unwarranted. If you've never been in a situation where a sibling has a romantic relationship with someone you really don't think is a good choice for them, you wouldn't understand.

One of my brothers is in a relationship that I don't agree with right now. I don't think she's a good choice for him because she's really loud and hyperactive and I think that he would enjoy a more studious girl more. So I have the right to slap her ? No thanks. She's loud for him; but she's a friendly girl and she loves to help other people which is really nice.

Plus I don't have the right to say " You shouldn't date her because I said so " ! And so does Lightning. What makes her think that she's so important and so high and mighty that she has the RIGHT to tell people who to love and who to not to love ? That's disgustingly rude !

But I can tell you from experience that those situations are very, very tense, and even though punching is not the correct response, it is certainly understandable considering the element of the whole l'Cie thing that got thrown in. And besides, this is Snow we're talking about...his personality could very well require some rough treatment to get an idea through to him in certain situations.

It's Snow so punching is okay ? Do you act like that with one of your friends ?

Hey it's Paul ! He likes to play Football so punching him in the face should be okay ! DeRP !

If it was Hope or Sazh Lightning punched it would be a totally different thing. Gender roles have nothing to do with it.

Exactly ! If a male punched Lightning the WHOLE gaming world would be a huge uproar; but when Lightning punches a male it's ' You go Girl, you slap that man " ! " Girl power " ! No, just no. Stop.

Gender roles have nothing to do with it ? My head is sore from the face palming...

Ok, then pick your favorite FF character and make them look like Queen Brahne...I'll just go ahead and guess that they lose their attraction for you as well.

My favourite character would have to be Zidane Tribal. Two words for you.

MONKEY. TAIL.

I agree looks aren't everything, and if you're one of the people that 'gets' Lightning's personality, she will be more than mere appearances. I will give you that preferences play a large role in favoring something's appearance though, so whether or not you think Lightning was designed well is up to you. But there are a lot of people out there that agree with me on her design being very good, so SE must have gotten something right, there.

You say that looks are not everything and yet you slam down the older female characters because they were made on a older graphical system and you rant about how beautiful Lightning is. Oh I get Lightning's persona. She's a cow. Plain and simple. Design on a character is only 20 per cent important and matters, what matters is the character's persona and how strong he or she is really. And I mean strong like Terra, not strong like Lightning because Light is the polar opposite of " strong ".

You speak as if you weren't the minority as well. XIII sold 10,000,000 copies all over the world..

Sales on games does NOT make a game any better, at all. It only shows how well they marketed the game to the gaming audience. A game could sell millions and be total dog poop. Take a game like Final Fantasy IX. It didn't really sell well at all but many people agree these days that it's one of the best Final Fantasy games that Square has ever created.

Sales only show how well they presented and advertised the game to the world; it does not mean that it makes the game any more brilliant.

What I meant when referring to Lightning's looks versus the looks of 8-bit characters is that there's not as much to hold on to with the older characters because the lower graphics and lack of voice acting make them more like characters in a book than modern video game characters. You can have an idea of their appearances in your mind and enjoy their characters, but you can't, say, make a desktop wallpaper out of them because most of what you know of them is bound up just in words. They lack significant access to the visual channel of human memory and expression, both aspects of which are very important for the successful marketing of a character.

Here is where I put a bucket to collect all the BS that is coming out. You CANNOT tell me that Rydia, Kain, Cecil, Terra, Celes, Locke, Setzer, Shadow, Edgar, Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Rinoa, Squall, Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Kuja, Eiko do not hold to " Lightning " because they're older than Lightning and do not have a VA doing their voices. Somebody like Vivi who is one of the strongest Final Fantasy characters to ever be made is not as "good " as Lightning because he has aged graphics and he doesn't speak ? That is one of the most silliest things that I have ever read on this forum.

Lightning is more widely recognizable/memorable because current technology allows her to be more realistic and to actually have a voice and visual presence. I'm not saying it necessarily makes her a better character

Basically you're saying. Final Fantasy XIII and Lightning have better graphics so that makes them all the better. Again more BS.

So there we go. My first post was far less a statement of opinion than it was a statement of analyzation. That's what the question of this thread would cause a person to do: analyze and conclude, not dish out opinion. I tried to present my analyzations as opinion to keep people from tearing every word apart and pulling it all out of context to make the point that they hate Lightning to no end, but looks like that couldn't be stopped. So now I've tried to bring everything back into focus, and hopefully it made some sense to you all, since that is what I'm targeting here--not to change your opinions, since that obviously is not happening any time soon.

What analysing ? You've done nothing of that ! You're basically made up nonsense reason to try and protect your love for Lightning's character and then downright admit that you love her because you believe that she looks better graphical wise. That's not analysing ! That's being a Graphics Whore !
" Tearing the every word apart and pulling it out of context " ? I'm really sick of your BS'ing. Really. We have nothing of the sort, we have only said that Lightning is not what you think or believe that she is. You believe that she's some sort of injured hero that becomes out better when she's nothing of the sort. Then you claim that Lightning is better than somebody like Rydia because Rydia is older and doesn't have a VA and speaks via text box which is a load of BS.

How do you know ? Somebody could re-play Final Fantasy XIII or read something here including what you're written before and start to love Lightning, you're assuming that everybody here is a Lightning hater just because your opinions on Lightning are being disagreed with. It's a Forum. Debates and disagreements are bound to happen. That's why we're all here to discuss and chat about Final Fantasy. Not just say " I like Lightning, you hate Lightning and that's never going to change because you hate her ". Stop assuming that you know everybody here and their daily life, personality and how they think & feel.

 

[Rapture]

With three games dedicated to a saga of herself...there's no question that Square Enix holds Lightning in high regards. So financially speaking, yes, she is a successful character.

As a personal opinion though, no she's not. She lacks any sort of depth and imo a Chia pet has more personality than she does. I don't understand why she's so popular myself. It's probably because she's the only character we've seen consistently because she's the only thing SE's been putting out for the past few years so we are being trained as to what to like by the gaming companies. She reminds me too much of Cloud...and they've been recycling characters, storylines, and even graphics (from XIII to XIII-2) a bit too much for me lately. It's fine though. I learned my lesson after XIII and I learned XIII-2 and Lightning Returns wouldn't be for me. I'm ready to move on from the Lightning saga. I was hoping they'd do that with Versus soon, but apparently I'm wrong.

 

[kratoscar2008]

FF13 fans are a minority just see how XIII-2 fared, you can say that FF13 is the best selling game but i wonder how many of those buyers returned their copy of FFXIII, how many of them got utherly dissapointed, Come on FFXIII was the next gen FF game so it was going to sell well so those numbers only talk of how good SE marketing is. I and my brother are FF fans and neither of us could withstand XIII.

And why SE likes so much lightning (Courtesy of Neogaf)
http://i.imgur.com/awic1.jpg

 

[Omegadruid]

Just one thing I would like to say. Just because XIII sold really well doesnt mean it is good.. Just take a look at today's pop culture. Do you really thing Justin Bieber's music is successful in terms of quality. Following your logic the answer would be yes. Just because it is popular doesnt mean it is good. But of course it all comes down to opinion.

As Stella Nox Fleuret said she is only successful financially speaking.

Also I wonder how can you really discredit characters from books for lacking "appeal".. Do you really have such poor interpretation skills.. You can make a successful character using only words and a simple concept art. Previous Final Fantasy games are a proof not to mention great literature characters that today are considered classics such as Sherlock Holmes, so successful that it spawned movies, cartoons,comics,etc..

 

[SkyKiller17]

I apologize for reviving in an old thread, but after reading the responses to the question I really can't help but add my 2 cents:

In general, I've heard many critiques about various types of things, specifically media (movies, tv shows, books, games, music...) and I'm fascinated by the different opinions and views. However, one thing I've recently realized is when someone makes a claim that a character isn't a character I feel a need to correct them: just because a character isn't as in-depth as another doesn't make them not a character!

The definition of character is: "A unique or extraordinary individuality; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who illustrates certain phases of character; a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something; the inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions;"

The character in question--Lightning from FF13--does meet the requirements of this definition--as does all characters in fictional media--however the debate is and should not be whether Lighting--and other characters for that matter--are actual characters, but likeable, realistic and useful characters in a particular story or form of fictional media. 1- and 2-definitional characters are just as much characters as 3- or more dimensional characters, they just aren't as in-depth as ones we'd like or know from other types of fictional media. Also, stereotypical characters are characters as well, they are just more predictable and maybe not as well liked to a certain type of person or group of people! Even in one of the posts here the Zelda games are brought up and mentioned how mediocre and 1-dimensional the characters are, however they aren't as harshly critiqued as say Lightning or others.

Even the very famous writer Isaac Asimov admitted how many of his characters for his novels and short stories are 1-dimensional and explained how less in-depth characters are required to tell a certain type of story. For the story of FF13 less in-depth characters were required, but that doesn't make the characters themselves not characters and the story and game bad.

One last thing: An opinion is a simple statement of something you like or dislike; critiquing is judging the quality of something and since each human being is different (some slightly and others largely), it doesn't make that critique right or wrong, merely a critique.

I personally like Lightning and one thing I do know that is very popular is the bad "guy" going good. Yes, Lightning starts out harsh and thinks with her blade, but throughout the course of events she matures and develops into a stronger and different type of characters. And just because she isn't as in-depth as pervious FF characters or other popular strong female characters from other types of fictional media doesn't mean she isn't an character/person!

 

[Josef Hare]

I can't say I ever found much depth to her character, but then I can't really say that about many of the XIII characters, bar Hope, Vanille and Fang. Having said that, I think she was a good protagonist regardless, I don't necessarily need the main character to be super duper interesting since they are the eyes onto the world. Lightning had an admirable goal and was in a tough situation that lead me to emphasize with her, even if she wasn't totally believable as a character, she was a great figure to lead the story because I was rooting for her and hoping that she could overcome all the obstacles.

 

[Razberry Knight]

Personally, her past doesn't make the personality she chose.

In FF13, i hated her immensely because there was indeed potential for more. She was heavily unappealing. But so far, she was the self-appointed leader. In Cloud's case, he was the leader before the story. But Lightning became the leader as the story progressed.

Saving her sister was part of the reasoning that i'm sure many can empathize. but the problem is that once she turned to crystal, their efforts just didn't seem so believable. Second, i genuinely believe she should've ended in the first.

Because at least in the first game, it showed signs of someone who can be something else. But XIII-2 and LR just evolved her into this pseudo character that no longer has an individuality of her own.

 

[Galadín]

But what has all of this to do about whether or not she's successful as a character?

Lightning is the face of the Final Fantasy XIII series and the popularity of her character has spurred on the continuation of the series through XIII-2 and Lightning Returns. Clearly this indicates that she is a success both commercially and to the fans of the game series itself. Square Enix seems to have been spearheading a lot of their marketing through a "pioneer character" (see the upcoming Final Fantasy XV) in their later series, as such it was this exposure to Lightning which got fans on board (I'm not implying these fans were die-hard Final Fantasy lovers).

As I see it, that's the core of the issue since individual opinions on her character development isn't what's being discussed here.