FFXIII-2 Serah's Character

[Lirael]

After hearing a lot of complaints and some praise for Serah, I thought it'd be interesting to discuss her character.

Did you prefer the XIII-2 Serah to the XIII Serah?

I personally liked both. Although many people argue that she is whiny and needy in XIII, I would like to argue in Serah's favour.

XIII (not XIII-2) spoilers below.

Spoiler

Although Serah does lean on Snow and Lightning, her brand is essentially a time limit for the rest of her life. This in itself is frightening as it means she can't possibly fulfil her goals and must be apart from the people she loves. Furthermore, she will be conscious in 'death' (as Ceith and l'Cie are).

The fact Serah doesn't know her Focus must also be extremely frightening as it may cause pain for others. I am willing to bet that a lot of people in Serah's shoes would find the situation extremely difficult and would therefore cry a lot, suffer anxiety attacks and have to lean on their family.

I admit I wasn't sure what to think of Serah either at first as there is very little we do see of her. However, the scene on the beach with Vanille in which Vanille apologizes to Serah made Serah appear mature and balanced.

I can only find it with a fandub, so Serah's voice is different, but her words and expressions still show maturity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwdr0Oo7YUE

However, XIII-2 improved on Serah's character by fleshing her out. She did mature.

XIII-2 spoilers below.

Spoiler

This is where we got to see Serah more closely. At first, she did come across as a little naive, but she grew strong very quickly and matured into a positively beautiful young woman. She was determined, passionate about her cause, willing to sacrifice herself for others, unafraid. Midway through the tale, she began to remind me of Yuna and the likeness grew. Like Yuna, Serah sacrifices herself for the common good. Despite the odds (she could die), she strives to change the future. She is willing to die if it means saving others and bringing them peace.

Her strength in the face of adversity is very similar to Yuna's. You can sense that both are a little afraid, yes, but find strength in their friends and their love.

 

[Kenjin]

In my opinion, Serah's character in FFXIII was a bit too clingy to Lightning and Snow. It was the typical damsel-in-distress type of character. Snow's constant whining over her pissed me off around the beginning and middle of the game. However, by the end; when Vanille shares her insight on Serah, I gained a bit of respect and insight as well.

She wasn't too bad.

Then XIII-2 came. And she became awesome.

I have to say that Serah's XIII-2 self was very good. It was just... correct. She was scared of her situation, but powerful enough to continue the quest. I just love her internal change from damsel-in-distress to reluctant hero to warrior. She's just like a teenager who's learned the real meaning of independence.

So... I guess, XIII-2 Serah would be best.

In any case: I just plain don't like Noel Homewrecker

 

[Grimer]

I found her more annoying in XIII-2 but thats just because i had to see more of her in XIII-2 since she was the main protagonist. She seems to be more confidant in this title tho compared to XIII-1.

 

[vixvicco]

I found her to be about the same. It nice they developed her character but I wish she could grow a bit of backbone. I mean, she's tough because she battles monsters and can hold her own, but she lets Noel berate Snow right in front of her and all she can do is smile weakly? She never gets angry at any annoying thing Noel does (not he does much that is wrong, I do actually like him). She does not annoy me, she's just kind of too complacent.

 

[Master Cat]

I didn't form much of an opinion of Serah while playing FFXIII since we barely got to really see her in action && whatnot. I never passed Chapter 10 though, so maybe I'm missing something? xD;

I grew to love Serah's character in FFXIII-2, and like Kenjin mentioned, I really enjoyed seeing her character develop and transition from being afraid and dependent to confident and self-reliant.

I can also see the resemblance between Serah and Yuna in that they both demonstrate an ability to place the welfare of everyone else over themselves in the most ultimate sense, which is something that you don't see too often in FF games.

Sure, every protagonist wants to save the world, but usually it's just a final boss battle with the rest of the crew. How many people would be willing to endure the journey while knowing that only his or her life is at stake? It adds another dimension of morality into the mix aside from the whole "good vs. evil" concept, which I think is absolutely awesome. ^^

 

[Artemisia]

I liked Serah so much that when

Spoiler

dropped dead at the end

I was really, genuinely upset! I liked Serah from the original XIII and XIII-2 made her even better. She is probably one of the strongest and most likeable female leads in the series after Tifa, imo.

 

[saajuk]

serah needed to stay a support character. Shes not interesting at all and they made here a main character! I liked her more in the first game when I only saw her in cut scenes from the past and she left a more positive impression on me then but now... I cant stand her.