Editing Tifa Lockhart (section)

==Conception and design==
[[File:Tifa-lockhart-conceptart-remake.png|thumb|upright=0.85|left|Although Tifa's attire has varied, a [[miniskirt]] has usually been a staple of her design.<ref name="p23"/>]]

Tifa was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and was not present in early versions of ''Final Fantasy VII'' as, initially, the game was to have only three playable characters: the protagonist [[Cloud Strife]], [[Aerith Gainsborough]], and [[Barret Wallace]]. However, during a phone call to project director [[Yoshinori Kitase]], it was suggested that at some point in the game, one of the main characters should die. After much discussion as to whether it should be Barret or Aerith, the producers chose Aerith.<ref name="egm">{{cite magazine |title=Interview with Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura |issue=196 |date=October 2005 |page=59 |url=http://www.ff7citadel.com/press/int_egm.shtml |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |access-date=9 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011164522/http://ff7citadel.com/press/int_egm.shtml |archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref> Nomura later joked that this was his idea, so as to enable him to introduce Tifa into the game.<ref name="lockhart2">{{Cite book | year=1997 | editor=Famitsu | title=Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho | language=ja | publisher=Famitsu | isbn=978-4-7577-0098-7}}</ref> The notion of having two concurrent heroines and having the hero waver between them was something Kitase liked, describing it as something new in the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series.<ref name="8-13">{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania |year=2009 |isbn=978-4-7575-2560-3 |language=ja |publisher=[[Square Enix]] |pages=8–13|edition=Revised}}</ref> She was designed to use the "[[Recurring elements in the Final Fantasy series#Classes|monk]]" [[character class]] that appeared in previous games in the series,<ref name="early"/> and many aspects of her personality were taken from Aerith's initial design.<ref name="yj">{{cite web |website=[[Weekly Young Jump|Young Jump]] |script-title=ja:YJ45周年記念スペシャルインタビュー 第2弾 野村哲也 |trans-title=YJ 45th Anniversary Special Interview Vol. 2 Tetsuya Nomura |language=ja |accessdate=2024-10-09 |page=2 |url=https://youngjump.jp/yj45_interview/02/index2.html |archive-date=October 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007171624/https://youngjump.jp/yj45_interview/02/index2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a change from previous entries in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, the development team worked from Nomura's character designs; longtime series artist [[Yoshitaka Amano]] created his own versions as background, wanting to depict the characters in futuristic clothing.<ref name="amano2">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly7Rd4OOB8I |title=The Art of Final Fantasy VII: An Interview with Yoshitaka Amano |via=[[YouTube]] |author=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=2017-01-09 |accessdate=2024-05-07 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613073203/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly7Rd4OOB8I&gl=US&hl=en |archivedate=2020-06-13}}</ref><ref name="amano">{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy 25th Memorial Ultimania Vol. 2 |publisher=[[Square Enix|SE-Mooks]] |editor=[[Studio BentStuff]] |page=12 |date=January 2012 |isbn=9784757537705 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Tifa's outfit consists of a white [[crop top]] and a black [[miniskirt]] held up by a pair of narrow black [[suspenders]]. She wears red boots and gloves, with black sleeves extending from wrist to elbow; a metal guard covers her left elbow. She stands about 5&nbsp;feet 6&nbsp;inches (167&nbsp;cm) tall.<ref name="p23"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://na.square-enix.com/games/ff7/tifa-char.html |title=Character Profiles "Tifa" |publisher=[[Square Enix]] |access-date=2009-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051001144325/http://na.square-enix.com/games/ff7/tifa-char.html |archive-date=2005-10-01}}</ref> Her hair is long and very dark brown in a style that resembles a dolphin's tail.<ref name="prologue">{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Prologue |year=2005 |isbn=978-4-08-779339-0 |language=ja |publisher=[[Square Enix]]}}</ref> This longer fixed hairstyle helped to differentiate her visually from Aerith and was also easier to animate.<ref name="yj"/>

Unlike most other characters for ''Final Fantasy VII'', Nomura wrote down her [[bust/waist/hip measurements]] in his concept art for her, defined as 36-24-35" (92-60-88&nbsp;cm).<ref>{{Cite book | year=2005 | editor=Studio BentStuff | title=Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω | language=ja | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn=978-4-7575-1520-8 | page=533}}</ref> Nomura wanted each character to have one striking feature, and in Tifa's case it was her large breasts.<ref name="Jugemu"/> Internally in the game, the development team jokingly referred to her as "Boing-chan", an allusion to her bust.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/final-fantasy-7-unsured-party-selection-text-nickname-tifa-miss-busty-prefer-aerith/ |title=Final Fantasy 7 Devs Nicknamed Tifa "Miss Busty", But Definitely Preferred Aerith |last=Foster |first=George |website=TheGamer |date=2023-04-14 |accessdate=2023-05-23 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528040051/https://www.thegamer.com/final-fantasy-7-unsured-party-selection-text-nickname-tifa-miss-busty-prefer-aerith/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In an interview with Japanese magazine ''Jugemu'', they discussed her character design, with composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]] commenting that her breasts were "a bit...overly ample." Cutscene director Motonari Sakakibara countered that the rest of the team insisted against reducing their size. Nomura himself added "at the end of the day we all like them. [...] If I made them smaller, everyone would get angry at me."<ref name="Jugemu">{{cite magazine |magazine=Jugemu |date=April 1997 |title=FFVII |pages=51–53 |first=Mitsuhiko |last=Satoda |issue=4 |language=Japanese}}</ref>

Initially, Nomura had difficulty deciding whether to go with a miniskirt or long pants. Seeking input, he passed his sketches around Square's offices and the majority of the staff members approved of the miniskirt design.<ref name="lockhart2"/> This additionally served as a contrast to Aerith, whose "long skirt" was her trademark.<ref name="gamesTM-63">{{Cite news | date= November 2007 | title=Hall Of Fame... Aeris |issn=1478-5889 | periodical=[[GamesTM]] | publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]] | issue=63 | pages=150–151}}</ref> The attire was explained as giving her freedom of movement, due to her hand-to-hand combat specialty and the skirt, referred to as "quite short [...] giving a considerable degree of exposure",<ref name="p23"/> was kept as a staple of her alternate costumes.<ref name="42-47">{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania |year=2009 |isbn=978-4-7575-2560-3 |language=ja |publisher=[[Square Enix]] |pages=42–47|edition=Revised}}</ref> The developers noted that due to her figure, her otherwise plain garments took on a pleasant appearance.<ref name="p23">{{Cite book | year=2005 | editor=Studio BentStuff | title=Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω | language=ja | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn=978-4-7575-1520-8 | pages=22–27}}</ref> The development team later clarified that the miniskirt was more akin to a [[skort]] instead of bare underwear, to keep her from being exposed during combat.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[V-Jump]] |date=November 1996 |title=Final Fantasy |language=Japanese |pages=182–185 |issue=41}}</ref>

===Post-''Final Fantasy VII''===
When producing ''[[Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children]]'', co-director Takeshi Nozue had difficulty developing a visual framework for Tifa that was "balanced, yet showed off her feminine qualities". Her outfit was redesigned with emphasis on expressing those qualities, while still being pleasing to the eye.<ref>{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn= 978-4-7973-3498-2 | page=24}}</ref> Nomura describes her character in ''Advent Children'' as having several dimensions, calling her "like a mother, a sweetheart and a close ally in battle" and "remarkably strong, not only emotionally, but physically as well".<ref name="reunion 19-20">{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn= 978-4-7973-3498-2 | pages=19–20}}</ref> In the film, she wears a white tank top with a black zipped up vest, a pink ribbon around her left bicep, and boots. She also wears a black buttoned-up skirt that covers her thighs and wears shorts beneath it, with a piece of cloth similar to a [[Coattail effect|coattail]] extending from the back of the skirt's waistband and ending at her ankles. She no longer uses suspenders to hold up her skirt and she wears her gloves during the film's fight scenes. Her hairstyle was changed to end at the middle of her back, with the removal of the dolphin tail from her original design.<ref>{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn= 978-4-7973-3498-2 | pages=18, 24}}</ref> This alteration was due to the difficulty of animating her original length of hair, as well as visibility problems that arose from its black color and the lighting.<ref name="prologue" />

For the ''[[Final Fantasy VII Remake]]'' series, the development team worked heavily with Nomura to refine her design,<ref name="ult"/> working with artist Roberto Ferrari and character modeler Dan Suzuki.<ref name="yj"/><ref name=remake-ultimania/> Details like charms were added around her wrists, and roughly twenty hair colors were considered before settling on ashen brown.<ref name="ult">{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania |publisher=[[Square Enix|SE-Mook]] |author=[[Studio BentStuff]] |date=October 29, 2020 |isbn=9784757568693 |page=31 |language=Japanese}}</ref> The development team wanted to avoid favoring either Tifa or Aerith so they deliberately tried to give them equal screen time, as they wanted both to be positioned as heroines,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/final-fantasy-7-remake-developers-interview-feature-tifa-aerith-cloud-romance |title=Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Developers Tried to Avoid Playing Favorites With Tifa and Aerith |website=[[USgamer]] |date=2 April 2020 |first=Kat |last=Bailey |access-date=2 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408093026/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/final-fantasy-7-remake-developers-interview-feature-tifa-aerith-cloud-romance |archive-date=8 April 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> and emphasized Eastern aesthetics and the cuteness of her face to contrast with Aerith's Western aesthetics.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Final Fantasy VII Remake |magazine=[[Weekly Famitsu]] |pages=18–19 |date=July 2019 |issue=1596 |language=Japanese}}</ref> They additionally wanted to emphasize her athletic physique, so they gave her visibly defined [[abdominal muscles]].<ref name=gematsu>{{cite web |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2019/06/final-fantasy-vii-remake-director-tetsuya-nomura-confirms-honey-bee-inn-cross-dressing-event-new-events-dialogue-options-and-enemies |first=Sal |last=Romano |accessdate=17 June 2023 |date=19 June 2019 |title=Final Fantasy VII Remake director Tetsuya Nomura confirms Honey Bee Inn cross-dressing event, new events, dialogue options, and enemies |website=Gematsu |archive-date=June 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617101809/https://www.gematsu.com/2019/06/final-fantasy-vii-remake-director-tetsuya-nomura-confirms-honey-bee-inn-cross-dressing-event-new-events-dialogue-options-and-enemies |url-status=live}}</ref> Square Enix's ethics department requested changes to her clothing, giving her black undergarments and a form-fitting tank top to "constrict" her chest so it would not "come off as unnatural during heavy action sequences".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://onlysp.escapistmagazine.com/square-enix-ethics-department-tifa-character-outfit-change-final-fantasy-vii-remake/ |title=Tifa's Outfit Changed in Final Fantasy VII Remake on Advice From Ethics Department |work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |date=21 June 2019 |first=Nathan P. |last=Gibson |access-date=4 May 2020 |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109054217/https://onlysp.escapistmagazine.com/square-enix-ethics-department-tifa-character-outfit-change-final-fantasy-vii-remake/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="gameindustry">{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109054310/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-06-20-square-enix-ethics-department-advised-change-to-breast-size-on-final-fantasy-vii-character |title=Square Enix "Ethics Department" advised changes on Final Fantasy VII character |website=[[gameindustry.biz]] |first=Matthew |last=Handrahan |date=21 June 2019 |accessdate=17 June 2023 |archivedate=9 January 2021 |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-06-20-square-enix-ethics-department-advised-change-to-breast-size-on-final-fantasy-vii-character}}</ref> Suzuki considered the innerwear an improvement to her design.<ref name=remake-ultimania>{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania |publisher=[[Square Enix|SE-Mook]] |author=[[Studio BentStuff]] |date=October 29, 2020 |isbn=9784757568693 |pages=75–77 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Some media outlets however misinterpreted the information and claimed her bust size had been reduced;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/06/tifas_chest_size_reduced_in_final_fantasy_vii_remake_per_square_enix_ethics_department_request|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622062439/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/06/tifas_chest_size_reduced_in_final_fantasy_vii_remake_per_square_enix_ethics_department_request |archivedate=2019-06-22 |website=Push Square |title=Tifa's Chest Size Reduced in Final Fantasy VII Remake Per Square Enix Ethics Department Request |first=Sammy |last=Barker |accessdate=2024-11-09 |date=2019-06-19}}</ref><ref name="gameindustry"/> the development team later illustrated that when creating her character model, a padded Japanese G70 cup size (95&nbsp;cm) bra was used on a real-life model to portray it accurately.<ref>{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania |publisher=[[Square Enix|SE-Mook]] |author=[[Studio BentStuff]] |date=October 29, 2020 |isbn=9784757568693 |pages=54–55 |language=Japanese}}</ref>

Ferrari created the multiple alternate outfits included in ''Remake'' for Tifa, aiming for designs that would be easier on the animation team but would also pay homage to outfits she had in the original game. Various ideas were considered during development, including a maid costume and a bikini modelled after a [[chocobo]], one of the ''Final Fantasy'' series' mascots. They ultimately settled on a black [[cheongsam]] with her hair worn in pigtail buns, as well as a black kimono, both of which are worn with stockings. Ferrari commented that the latter was particularly difficult to create, as several of his design submissions were rejected during the process.<ref name=remake-ultimania/> In ''Final Fantasy VII Rebirth'', two beachside outfits were added for her: a blue [[crop top|tied-up shirt]] and [[short shorts]] with her hair in a bun adorned with a flower, and a white- and blue-frilled bikini with a similar hairstyle.<ref name=inside-bikini>{{cite web |url=https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2024/03/08/153423.html |first=Gen |last=Gumachi |script-title=ja:『FF7 リバース』の「水着ティファ」は目のやり場に困る！ 隠し切れない大胆な胸元とショートパンツの色香にKO寸前 |website=Inside Games |language=Japanese |accessdate=2024-05-08 |date=2024-03-08 |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510084359/https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2024/03/08/153423.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Casting===
Nomura noted that he liked [[Ayumi Ito]] as an actress and wished to work with her on ''Advent Children''. With Aerith's voice actor already decided, Nomura asked Ito to voice Tifa, feeling her "husky voice" would offer a good contrast to [[Maaya Sakamoto]]'s soft-spoken Aerith.<ref>{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn= 978-4-7973-3498-2 | page=22}}</ref> Although Tifa's updated design had already been finalized, Ito's casting motivated them to blend many traits from the voice actress into the character's appearance.<ref>{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=[[Square Enix]] | isbn= 978-4-7973-3498-2 | page=21}}</ref> Cloud's voice actor [[Takahiro Sakurai]] said that while he recorded most of his work individually, he performed alongside Ito for a few scenes. These recordings left him feeling "deflated", as the "exchanges he has with Tifa [could] be pretty painful".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files|publisher=[[Square Enix]]|year=2006|isbn=4-7973-3498-3|editor-last=SoftBank|pages=13–14|language=ja, en}}</ref> Ayaka Mitsumoto voiced Tifa in the flashback from ''Remake'' where a teenage Tifa interacts with Cloud.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1248572634146586624|user=theatreacademy|date=April 10, 2020|access-date=2020-05-02 |language=ja |title=本日発売！！PS4ゲームソフト「ファイナルファンタジーVIIリメイク」ムギ役 #中村文徳 エアリス幼少役 #田中千空 マリン役 #梅崎音羽 ベティ役 #鎌田英怜奈 ティファ(8才/13才) #三本采香 クラウド(13才) #相澤幸優 皆さん、是非遊んチェックしてみてください！！#FF7R #FF7リメイク |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410112704/https://twitter.com/theatreacademy/status/1248572634146586624 |archivedate=2020-04-10}}</ref> Whereas young Cloud's casting was a challenge, they found an actress to match Ito's voice quite quickly.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202003/02193727.html |website=[[Famitsu]] |accessdate=2025-05-15 |date=2020-03-02 |script-title=ja:『FF7 リメイク』女装アイテムは複数用意、小説からの登場キャラも――野村哲也氏インタビュー |trans-title=''FF7 Remake'' has multiple crossdressing items, and characters from the novel also appear in the characters - Interview with Nomura Tetsuya |language=ja}}</ref>

[[Rachael Leigh Cook]], Tifa's English voice actor in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', stated that she enjoyed playing Tifa and described her as "very strong physically and emotionally, [but also] very sensitive" and "really multi-dimensional".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qsWOnvFDyY|title=Rachael Leigh Cook Interview~Tifa|website=[[YouTube]]|access-date=May 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226030605/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qsWOnvFDyY|archive-date=December 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In voicing the character, Cook listened to Ito's recording as a guide to how the character sounds. Following ''Advent Children'', Cook thanked Nomura for the film he created as she enjoyed it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children-us-premiere/|title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children US premiere|date=April 4, 2006|website=Siliconera|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704011132/https://www.siliconera.com/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children-us-premiere/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Britt Baron]] voiced Tifa in ''Final Fantasy VII Remake'' and ''Final Fantasy VII Rebirth'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://au.ign.com/articles/2019/06/11/final-fantasy-vii-remake-breaking-bad-supergirl-stars-in-voice-cast-e3-2019|title=Final Fantasy VII Remake: Breaking Bad, Supergirl Stars in Voice Cast - E3 2019|website=[[IGN]]|last=Wade|first=Jessie|date=10 June 2019|access-date=11 June 2019|archive-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119192840/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/11/final-fantasy-vii-remake-breaking-bad-supergirl-stars-in-voice-cast-e3-2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and Tifa as a child is voiced by Glory Curda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Final-Fantasy-VII-Remake/Tifa-Lockhart-Young/|title=Tifa Lockhart (Young)|website=Behind the Voice Actors|access-date=May 4, 2020|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108134415/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Final-Fantasy-VII-Remake/Tifa-Lockhart-Young/|url-status=live}}</ref>