Editing Tifa Lockhart (section)

===As a sex symbol===
A significant part of Tifa's reception has focused on her [[sex appeal]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tech.malaysia.msn.com/photoviewer.aspx?cp-documentid=250764311 |title=The hottest women in video game history |date=21 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228110539/http://tech.malaysia.msn.com/photoviewer.aspx?cp-documentid=250764311 |archive-date=28 February 2013 |website=[[MSN]]}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-hottest-game-babes/?page=21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915171811/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-hottest-game-babes/?page=21 |archive-date=15 September 2008 |title=Top 50 Hottest Game Babes on Trial |work=GameDaily |last=Buffa |first=Chris |access-date=28 June 2009}}
* {{cite web |url=http://computing.in.msn.com/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=3212260&page=6 |date=7 September 2009 |website=[[MSN]] |title=Gaming's Hottest Babes |page=6 |access-date=12 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714124105/http://computing.in.msn.com/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=3212260&page=6 |archive-date=14 July 2011}}</ref> with some unlicensed merchandise leaning heavily into this aspect.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[PC Gamer]] |title=I think we have to talk about this $730 twerking Tifa statue |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/tifa-jack-o-statue-final-fantasy-7/ |date=2022-05-06 |accessdate=2023-05-28 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528061611/https://www.pcgamer.com/tifa-jack-o-statue-final-fantasy-7/ |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' awarded her the "Hottest Game Babe" of 1997, calling her "as well-proportioned as they come", but also noted her physical and emotional strength as a character.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=1998 Buyer's Guide |date=1998 |title=The Good, the Bad and the Silly |page=24}}</ref> ''[[UGO.com]]'' shared similar sentiments, complimenting her outfit and describing her as a "bona-fide sex symbol", highlighting that she was a rarity among female characters in video games at the time.<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215191152/http://www.ugo.com/games/gaming-girls/?cur=tifa-lockhart |archivedate=2008-02-15 |website=[[UGO.com]] |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/gaming-girls/?cur=tifa-lockhart |title=Top 11 Girls of Gaming |accessdate=2023-05-28}}</ref> ''[[IGN]]''{{'}}s Phil Pirrello attributed a large part of her popularity to her chest size, noting that she was an example of how the series tried to add real sex appeal with ''Final Fantasy VII''. While her model in the original game was primitive by modern standards, he suggested it had a significant impact on the teenage demographic.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[IGN]] |last=Pirrello |first=Phil |title=Final Fantasy Reader's Choice |date=2017-08-16 |accessdate=2023-05-28 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/21/final-fantasy-readers-choice?page=10 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528034501/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/21/final-fantasy-readers-choice?page=10 |url-status=live}}</ref> Fellow contributor Dave Smith suggested similar, stating it was hard to sing her praises "without sounding just a little teeny-weeny bit sexist", but added that she helped define "tough, independent" role-playing game heroines that came after her.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[IGN]] |last=Smith |first=Dave |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/25/final-fantasy-vii-top-10-characters?page=8 |title=Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters |date=2012-06-15 |accessdate=2023-05-28 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528034459/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/25/final-fantasy-vii-top-10-characters?page=8 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The character has been a frequent subject of fan-made [[pornography]], cited in particular as a frequent search topic on [[Pornhub]].<ref>{{cite web |website=[[IGN]] |url=https://sea.ign.com/final-fantasy-vii-remake-ps4/159665/news/tifa-is-most-searched-final-fantasy-character-on-pornhub-followed-by-aerith |title=Tifa is Most Searched Final Fantasy Character on Pornhub, Followed by Aerith |date=2020-04-17 |accessdate=2023-05-28 |last=Lai |first=Adrian |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528154908/https://sea.ign.com/final-fantasy-vii-remake-ps4/159665/news/tifa-is-most-searched-final-fantasy-character-on-pornhub-followed-by-aerith |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/pornhub-chun-li-fortnite-overwach-most-searched-2023-1851109410 |title=Pornhub's Most Popular Video Game Character In 2023 Was Chun-Li From... Fortnite? |date=2023-12-18 |accessdate=2024-04-08 |first=Zack |last=Zwiezen |website=[[Kotaku]] |archive-date=August 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240828074653/https://kotaku.com/pornhub-chun-li-fortnite-overwach-most-searched-2023-1851109410 |url-status=live }}</ref> A study of such content on [[Rule 34]] websites such as Rule34.xxx and Sankaku Channel cited her as the most frequent subject of such content by a wide margin across multiple franchises.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20230707-19983/ |title=Japanese users rattled by results of "The top 100 most "pornified" media franchises" ranking |last=V |first=Amber |date=2023-07-07 |accessdate=2023-09-30 |website=Automaton |archive-date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815062235/https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20230707-19983/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2022, a [[Zoom (software)|Zoom]] video conference meeting in the [[Senate of the Republic (Italy)|Italian Senate]] was interrupted by a user displaying 3D-rendered pornography featuring Tifa engaging in sexual intercourse. The user was quickly removed, but due to the conference being televised, knowledge of the event went viral.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/italian-senate-meeting-interrupted-by-final-fantasy-pornography |title=Italian senate meeting interrupted by Final Fantasy pornography |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |work=[[Eurogamer]] |date=2022-01-19 |accessdate=2023-05-28 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528152249/https://www.eurogamer.net/italian-senate-meeting-interrupted-by-final-fantasy-pornography |url-status=live}}</ref> Although the choice to use Tifa was incidental, it led to a surge in the character's popularity. Jade King of ''[[TheGamer]]'' noted however that while much of the reaction revolved around [[fan art]] of a sexual nature, it also resulted in a large amount of what they considered "wholesome" art celebrating the character and the humor of the situation, usually portraying her in an awkward or comedic manner in association with the event or the country itself. King credited the response to the enduring nature of the character, compounded by ''Remake''{{'}}s recent release, calling it an "aspect of Tifa's character that will now be ingrained into her history".<ref>{{cite web |website=[[TheGamer]] |last=King |first=Jade |url=https://www.thegamer.com/tifa-lockhart-italian-icon-senate-hentai-final-fantasy/ |date=2022-01-24 |title=Tifa Lockhart Has Become A Wholesome Italian Icon |accessdate=2023-05-28 |archive-date=May 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527005128/https://www.thegamer.com/tifa-lockhart-italian-icon-senate-hentai-final-fantasy/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Other articles observed that the emphasis on her sex appeal sometimes overshadowed her other aspects. In another article for ''IGN'', the staff acknowledged that while her design was meant to emphasize physical beauty, her "awe-inspiring strength, complex background, strong will and her attachment to Cloud" defined her as more than "just an eye-catching woman", naming her a legendary heroine in the series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/100/1002062p1.html |title=The Wednesday 10: Gaming Heroines |website=[[IGN]] |date=8 July 2009 |access-date=9 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111082713/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/08/the-wednesday-10-gaming-heroines |archive-date=11 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The book ''The Legend of Final Fantasy VII'' noted that while Tifa has many attributes of a seductive woman, exemplified by her large breasts, she "thwarts the stereotypes associated with her appearance" due to being an independent and strong character, identifying her as the most "leveled headed" and pragmatic character in the game's cast.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Legend of Final Fantasy VII |first1=Mehdi El |last1=Kanafi |first2=Nicolas |last2=Courcier |pages=367–377 |isbn=9791094723555 |publisher=Third Editions |date=February 2018}}</ref> Philip Bloom of ''RPGamer'' felt that while fans and critics alike both overemphasized her beauty, to the point she set a perceived standard for other attractive female role-playing game protagonists, she "isn't that absurd of figure" and was instead "quite strong as far as female heroes go, often saving the day. But you wouldn't know it to listen to talks about her."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.rpgamer.com/editor/2004/q4/121304pb.html |first=Philip |last=Bloom |website=RPGamer |accessdate=2024-03-28 |title=Tifa's Bra-straps |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328100654/https://archive.rpgamer.com/editor/2004/q4/121304pb.html |url-status=live}}</ref>