Waifu Wednesday: Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)

It’s the best time of the week, Waifu Wednesday! This week I want to talk about Tifa Lockhart — someone who has held a very special place in my heart for a long time.

In case you missed it, Final Fantasy VII Remake will be releasing a free PS5 upgrade later this year, and PS5 owners will be able to play the new Yuffie DLC. 

This new version, along with its additional content, got me excited for FF7 once again, which also means that I’m excited to see the greatest lady in video games — yeah, I said it — Tifa Lockhart, in all of her 60fps glory. 

Who is Tifa Lockhart?

Tifa Lockhart is one of the main cast members of Final Fantasy 7, along with being the childhood friend of Cloud Strife. Both of these characters grew up in the small town named Nibelheim and while they lived quite different lives, Tifa being quite popular and Cloud an outcast, the two had a connection. 

Cloud decides that he is going to travel to the massive steel city known as Midgar to become a member of the elite fighting force — SOLDIER. When he announces this to Tifa, she makes Cloud promise that, should anything ever happen to her, he will come to rescue her. It’s Tifa’s request that allows Cloud’s journey to truly begin — and also what ends up saving Cloud later down the line. 

Once settling into Midgar, Tifa opens a bar called “Seventh Heaven”, which also houses the secret headquarters of the eco-terrorist group known as Avalanche. During her time in Midgar, Tifa becomes an extremely competent and dependable person who is beloved by those living in the sector. Upon Cloud’s arrival in Midgar at the beginning of the game, Tifa becomes glued to our protagonist’s side — it’s adorable. 

Why we love her

Final Fantasy 7 is a game filled with larger characters with even larger personalities and as you might expect, these big personalities clash and create a lot of tension throughout the course of the game. Characters like Cloud and Barret have almost tunnel-visioned their views of the world in order to help them follow through with their missions. 

Tifa is a character who consistently offers a new and fresh perspective, often considering how things might affect others. She overall grants a larger scope as opposed to the previously mentioned characters by thinking about the bigger picture. Tifa cares about everyone and this is very evident as you travel throughout sector 7 in Remake — numerous NPCs and named characters will call out to her. 

Tifa is, quite obviously, infatuated with Cloud. She has loved him for a long time and when she finally meets him again, he isn’t quite the same as the Cloud she remembers; her feelings, however, don’t change. And when a potential love rival appears in Aerith, Tifa doesn’t ignore or act cold toward her; quite the opposite actually. Tifa and Aerith develop a wonderful friendship — the fleshing out of this relationship is one of my absolute favourite things about Remake. 

Why you’ll love her

Tifa is the ORIGINAL video game crush, and the fact that she lives in the hearts of numerous fans all over the world is a testament that Tifa as a character is larger and more important than the polygons that made up her chest in 1997. (Pointy! – Ed.)

If you’re anything like me and you like the type of lady that could both love you and beat the shit out of you then Tifa is quite clearly the greatest to ever exist. She’s kind, caring, loyal to the point she would potentially sacrifice herself, and the definition of a badass. Her iconic appearance will shake your heart, and her personality will make you melt. 

To top it all off, she’s incredibly fun to play as in Remake. She’s a martial artist who makes use of fist weapons and combos so she plays just like a fighting game character — I swear Tifa was made for me. Thank you, Nomura! 

Need more waifus? Go ahead, take your pick!

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