Serah Farron

Serah Farron [sɛrə] is a supporting character in Final Fantasy XIII and the main protagonist in Final Fantasy XIII-2. She is Lightning's younger sister by three years, and Snow Villiers's fiancée. Lightning accuses Snow of failing to protect Serah and does not initially approve of their relationship.

In Final Fantasy XIII, Serah is the first Pulse l'Cie in Cocoon in a long time and her destiny is one of the game's central plot points. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Serah sets off on a journey with Noel to find Lightning when all others believe she is dead.

Final Fantasy XIII


Serah is an 18-year-old girl with the same pink tint of hair that Lightning has. She ties her hair into a ponytail on the left side of her head, much like how Lightning's hair is draped over her left shoulder. Serah has blue eyes like her sister, although Serah's are a darker shade.

She wears cat-shaped earrings representing NORA, a black armband on her right bicep like Lightning, red plaid pleated skirt lined with black lace, a white sleeveless dress shirt, a semi-transparent pink sweeper, an extra matching hair tie on her left wrist, black thigh-high stockings, ivory ankle boots, and a bandage on her left bicep, which she uses to cover her l'Cie brand. She eventually wears the engagement pendant she receives from Snow. Yoshinori Kitase describes Serah as "the cutest girl" in the game.

According to Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-, Serah is a straight-A student and one of her favorite subjects is history. Serah is depicted as mature and wise, deeply caring for those around her.

Final Fantasy XIII-2


Now 21-years-old, she wears a revealing, form-fitting dress of white, reddish-pink, and gold. Her dress consists of a white top, pink sections on the front and back connecting the top to the skirt over black shorts, cut-out sides at the waist, criss-crossing pink straps on the sides of her torso, two straps that go over her shoulders into a cross-back shape, a storage pack on her right hip that hangs from her waist, pink and black thigh-high leggings, and purple ankle boots.

Serah retains her earrings and engagement necklace, and also wears a pink choker, short pink sleeves under gray gloves, and two gold armbands (one on each arm), one in the shape of a bird that rests on her left bicep, where her l'Cie brand used to be. Similar to Lightning's use of a gunblade that can switch between gun and sword, Serah wields a bowsword for use in battle, though its true form is that of her new moogle companion, Mog. The symbol on the front of Serah's dress is also on Lightning's shield. In addition, Etro script can be seen on both symbols, the blades of Serah's weapon, the back of her dress under the symbol of Etro's throne, and her storage pack.

In the three years that have passed, Serah retains her strong and caring personality, showing concern for Noel's well-being, sometimes offering him words of advice and encouragement, and willing to look out for him as he does her. Serah is now a grade school teacher, and according to her students, Serah is a very strict teacher with a very short temper; she does not tolerate any tardiness or misbehavior of any kind, and can be very scary whenever angered, hence her nickname, "Meanie Miss Farron". Serah says that she is strict towards her students because her own teacher was strict, and says that Lightning must have "rubbed off on her". In the Sunleth Waterscape 400 AF, she uses her experience as a teacher to scare a pack of destructive Miniflan back in line. As noted by Snow in Episode Zero -Promise- and later by Noel, Serah resembles Lightning whenever mad or serious, appearing nice at first but can become intimidating in an instant. Serah also shows that she is capable of holding her own in battle, with or without Noel, despite the possibility of having no past experience.

Downloadable Content Outfits
Serah has several alternate outfits released as part of downloadable content. "Summoner's Garb" was released on January 10th, 2012 in Japan and came as pre-order content in some countries and on March 16th, 2012, appeared as fully downloadable content; "Beachwear" was released on February 21st, 2012, in Asia and on February 28th, 2012, it was available worldwide; "N7 Armor", costume based on  ' s armor appeared on the net on March 27th, 2012, in Asia and the US, and the next worldwide; "Style and Steel", which was designed by Yuko Oshima, will be downloadable from April 10th, 2012. It should be noted that "Style and Steel" will be the only free DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2 once it is released. A White Mage costume has been announced for May 2012.

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-
Serah was about to attend the university in Eden when she fell in love with Snow during her summer vacation, much to her sister's dismay. Serah was interested in studying history, and the local landmark, the Bodhum Vestige, got her attention. One day, Serah noticed a door leading within the Vestige had appeared and ventured into the ruins. While inside, Serah was chosen by the Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, that was entombed inside the Vestige, and branded on her upper left arm as a l'Cie by Pulse. A while after falling unconscious within the Vestige, Serah awakens outside and notices her brand. She frantically tries to rub it off to no avail, and her fear causes her brand to advance. Distraught over her fate, Serah leaves the area.

Serah had a dream of transforming into Ragnarok and destroying Cocoon, but initially did not realize it was her Focus. Four days later, Serah tells Snow they are breaking up because she has been branded a Pulse l'Cie. She tells Snow he is her enemy now, and runs off crying. Snow refuses to abandon her and offers to aid her in any way he can. Serah tells him she does not know what her Focus is and that she will become a monster, but Snow reassures her they will figure it out and that l'Cie are granted eternal life after completing their Focus.

Two days later, Serah meets Vanille after the latter scrapes her leg on the beach. Serah listens to Vanille's problem about wanting to apologize to someone but never being able to find the words to do it, and tells her that if things are too much to deal with at first, she should face them later because things are easier to judge from a distance. Serah tells Vanille about her nightmare of destroying the world, and how she tried to run away from it after it scared her. She says that due to Snow coming after her, she now knows she will get through the mission with help from her friends. Vanille apologizes to Serah, since it was her fault Serah was made a l'Cie, but Serah, not knowing of Vanille's involvement, does not understand, and tells Vanille that she will soon find the words to tell her friend.

On the next day, Serah goes out with Snow to find a birthday present for Lightning. Snow slips away and buys engagement necklaces for them while Serah buys a survival knife to protect Lightning while she is on duty. The next night, Serah attends the fireworks festival where she and Snow discuss her unknown Focus. As she begins to despair about her impending fate, Snow shows her the engagement necklaces and proposes to her, which she accepts. Serah tells Snow she wishes she had the courage to tell Lightning of becoming a l'Cie, but he tells her that their engagement is bigger news. Serah and Snow kiss amidst the fireworks display, and she begins to cry, silently thanking Snow.

The next day, Serah and Snow tell Lightning about her becoming a l'Cie, and their engagement. This infuriates Lightning, believing that Serah is lying to her as an excuse to marry Snow, and drives her away. Shortly after this, Serah and Snow attempt to seek the council of the fal'Cie in the Bodhum Vestige. However, since PSICOM discovered the fal'Cie within the Vestige the night before, the town has been quarantined and the Vestige is off-limits, and so the couple is forced to evade the soldiers chasing after them. They escape on an aero bike and Serah jumps onto a ledge on the Vestige at Snow's request as he tries to steer the vehicle after it gets damaged. As Serah reaches out for Snow, she becomes trapped by a silver liquid substance that pulls her into the Vestige as the fal'Cie's prisoner.

Final Fantasy XIII
During the Purge, both Lightning and Snow make their way through the Hanging Edge to the Pulse Vestige to save Serah. When Lightning finds her unconscious outside Anima's Throne, Sazh attempts to kill her after seeing her l'Cie brand, but Serah awakes realizing that Lightning came for her. When Snow arrives, Serah takes his hand and asks if her hero has arrived. As Lightning scolds Snow for not protecting Serah like he promised, Serah tells Lightning to save Cocoon and subsequently crystallizes, leaving behind a tear-shaped crystal for Snow.

This phenomenon bewilders the group, as turning into a crystal means the l'Cie has completed their Focus. Snow believes that Serah will eventually awake, but Lightning believes her sister to be dead. As PSICOM launches its assault on the Vestige, both Snow and Lightning use their bodies to shield Serah from falling debris. The doors to the fal'Cie open and Snow tells Serah to hang on before he goes to confront Anima.

After the party is turned into l'Cie themselves and wake up in Lake Bresha, they eventually find Serah, who has become part of the crystallized lake. Soon after, Lightning, Vanille, Hope and Sazh abandon Snow, who stays behind to try to free Serah. She is brought aboard the Lindblum along with Snow when he is captured by Fang and Cid Raines's troops. On the Palamecia, Barthandelus tells the group Serah's Focus was to "assemble the tools for Cocoon's destruction", or lure them inside the Vestige to be branded l'Cie. This revelation cripples Snow, who until that point had believed their Focus was to save Cocoon just as Serah asked.

After meeting Cid Raines and observing him entering crystal stasis despite going against his Focus, Snow's spirits rise and he vows to follow Serah's wish to save Cocoon until the end. In the Sulyya Springs, Vanille reveals to Snow that Serah saw the same dream of Ragnarok they did, meaning Barthandelus must have lied to the group about Serah's Focus. Vanille reasons that Serah beat her Focus by stating, "I think she beat it. She handed Cocoon over to us, and that's what made her turn to crystal".

In Oerba, Barthandelus uses Serah's guise to try and trick the party into turning into Ragnarok, but they see through the illusion. In Orphan's Cradle, Barthandelus destroys an illusion of the crystallized Serah to unnerve Snow and Lightning, but Snow, remembering Serah's crystal at Lightning's insistence, realizes it was only another illusion.

After Orphan is destroyed and Vanille and Fang sacrifice themselves to keep Cocoon from crashing into Gran Pulse, Serah wakes up from her crystal sleep and reunites with Snow and Lightning. Serah forgives Lightning for not believing her, and Snow immediately begins to plan for their wedding, with Lightning congratulating the pair.

Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-
After reuniting with Lightning and the others, Serah contemplates seeing Cocoon from the outside for the first time, and what she can do now that she is back to normal. She and Snow talk about rebuilding on Gran Pulse and saving Vanlle and Fang. Serah asks Vanille what she is dreaming about within the crystal pillar, revealing that she knows about Snow staying with her at Lake Bresha since he carried her crystal tear, enabling her to hear him and see what he saw. Serah theorizes that the dreams people have in crystal stasis vary since Dajh told her about his dream of playing with chocobos.

After saying good-bye to Dajh and after Hope runs off to reunite with his father, Serah decides to become a school teacher and educate children on why Cocoon fell. She also wants to tell them their side of the story, and help them grow up into adults who can think for themselves. Shortly after, she discovers that Lightning is nowhere to be seen and becomes frantic and worried.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Due to the timeline becoming corrupted and Lightning removed from history after she is freed from crystal stasis, only Serah knows what was meant to happen after she is given Lightning's knife by Hope. Snow says Lightning is with Fang and Vanille inside Cocoon's crystal pillar, but Serah insists to him that her sister was with them a second ago and gave them her blessing to get married and breaks down crying.

Two years later, having yet to marry, Serah and Snow are living together at the NORA House in the village of New Bodhum, with the former becoming one of the few residents capable of using magic; she has also become a grade school teacher educating children on why Cocoon fell. One day on the beach, Snow tells Serah that he believes her about Lightning being alive somewhere out there. Giving her his engagement pendant, Snow promises to look for Lightning and bring her back home to get her blessing for their marriage, but a year goes by and he is also nowhere to be found.

One night, as Serah is in her room sleeping, she has a dream about Lightning fighting a mysterious man within a strange world, and a boy coming to New Bodhum to help her. Meanwhile, a crystal meteor crashes outside and she awakens to find that her clothes have magically changed out of nowhere. With little time to think, she leaves to investigate the noise outside. Everything continues to be dream-like as Serah sees that the village is now a barren wasteland. Once it returns to normal, however, she sees that the town is ravaged by mysterious monsters. Once time restarts, she gets caught in the middle of the chaos. As a monster prepares to strike her, Serah calls out for Lightning but Lebreau saves her and tells her to accept that Lightning can't protect her anymore and she now has to look out for herself. After Lebreau is attacked, Serah is promptly saved by Noel Kreiss, the boy she saw coming to her in her dream. Asking her if she can fight, Noel gives Serah a weapon, enabling her to fight off the monsters with him.

Afterwards, Serah befriends her new moogle companion Mog, whom she also recognizes from her dream. Noel says that Mog is a gift for her from Lightning, prompting Serah to grab Mog and ask Noel where he had seen her as Mog squirms in her embrace. She asks him if he met Lightning in Valhalla, and tells him about her dream. As they and NORA go to investigate the meteorite, Cocoon disappears and they are attacked by a Gogmagog. Cocoon reappears following its defeat, and everyone continues onward to where the meteorite crashed. Noel reveals to Serah that he is from 700 years in the future, and offers to take her to Lightning. When the members of NORA begin to argue with him, Serah steps in to prevent Gadot from harming him. Then she asks Noel if he knows where Lightning is. He takes Serah's hand and places it against the meteor, revealing it to be a Time Gate of which Noel says that Lightning is waiting on the other side in Valhalla. Later, Serah and NORA listen to Noel as he explains time being distorted and the nature of artefacts.

The next day, Serah tells Noel that she is still slightly hesitant to believe his claims, but he tells her to give him a chance. She and Noel ask the locals for information in order to find an artefact. They chase down her cat, which had been named after Snow, given to her as a present by NORA sometime after his departure. Serah finds Lightning's knife outside even though she keeps it in her room. She tells Noel about how everyone believed she was making up stories about seeing Lightning again after Cocoon's fall to avoid facing reality, but Noel tells Serah that her memory of being reunited with Lightning is the truth. They also come across some students from Serah's class. Then Serah learns from Maqui that one of her belongings had been stolen by one of her students named Rhett. After confronting Rhett and recovering Snow's engagement pendant, she shows it to Noel and tells him about Snow's promise to her. Noel asks Serah if she is waiting in vain since Snow has not returned, and why she is standing around doing nothing since she now has a chance to look for Lightning herself.

On the beach, Serah and Noel wonder if someone is messing around with them after finding Serah's belongings had been moved around. Back in her room, Serah finds a mirror that wasn't there before. Touching it gives her and Noel the artefact they need to use the time gate. Then she asks Noel what he wants, and he says, "A future that has people in it." She listens to his backstory as the last human left alive in his time and how he wishes to change that fate. He says that meeting Lightning gave him the chance to do so, after which Serah finally decides to believe him. On their way to the time gate, they re-encounter Gogmagog and defeat him again. Joined by him and Mog, Serah decides to set out and search for her lost sister. She tells Noel that she now believes in him just as Snow believed in her. She says that the members of NORA have already said their goodbyes by sharpening Lightning's knife and replacing the chain on Snow's pendant. Then NORA appears to say their goodbyes to Serah and see her and Noel off.

Serah, Mog, and Noel enter the time gate and travel through the Historia Crux. Noel tells her it is the crossroads of the time continuum, and she asks him if it is how he traveled back in time. They come out in the Bresha Ruins at 5 AF. She realizes that they are in Cocoon and points out to Noel that they can see the ground above them, before remembering it is his first time there. Then an arm attached to an invisible body swipes at them, but Noel pushes Serah out of the way to safety just in time. It attacks Noel, prompting Serah to charge it in his defense. Afterward, PSICOM warships fire upon Atlas causing him to retreat further into the Ruins.

She tries to flag down the PSICOM ships, but she and Noel suddenly find themselves surrounded by soldiers and are taken into custody. They are eventually freed by Academy scientist, Alyssa Zaidelle, and tasked with getting rid of Atlas before he causes the ruins to be closed off. Upon witnessing a monster turn into a crystal, Mog talks for the first time and tells Serah and Noel that they have the power to bring monsters under their control. Noel recalls Lightning having monsters with her in battle when they met. Then Serah asks Mog to show her how that power works in order to learn how to protect herself.

Through radio communication, Alyssa guides them through the area in order to locate a strange device that appeared with Atlas. Serah theorizes that since Atlas is a weapon built by humans, the machine will let them control him. As she and Noel go through the tunnels, Serah asks him if they can trust Alyssa since she appears to be using them for her own beneift. Upon approaching the device, however, Atlas's hand appears and takes the group into the Temporal Rift. Escaping the paradox, they activate the machine and weaken Atlas, enabling Noel and Serah to easily defeat him. The Bresha Ruins are restored and they find a nearby graveyard. Alyssa shows them the grave of a friend she had lost to the Purge, and reveals that she had gotten caught up in the Purge herself, for which Serah believes was her fault for being made a l'Cie in the first place. While activating a gate, Serah has a vision of Ragnarok crystallizing Cocoon but tells Noel it was nothing when he shows concern.

In Yaschas Massif 10 AF, Serah and Noel see the area darkened by a solar eclipse and Noel tells her a legend that a fal'Cie is said to appear and block the sun 500 years before his time, causing them to wonder if it's another paradox since the eclipse is only affecting the area. After Noel asks a researcher what year it is, Serah grabs Noel's arm and pulls him back in embarrassment. The researcher tells them it is 10 AF, confirming Serah and Noel's paradox theory. Trying gain entry into the Paddra Ruins, an Aloeidai appears to challenge Noel and Serah. As the monster is sucking them into a vortex after its defeat, they are saved by Hope. He reveals to them that after Lightning disappeared, Snow, Sazh and Dajh soon vanished as well. Then Serah, Mog, and Noel learn from Hope that a tribe known as the Farseers ruled by a seeress used to live in the ruins.

Hope and Alyssa talk more about the Farseers and how the seeress named Yeul had the ability to see the future and foretold the nation's destruction. Then Hope shows them the Oracle Drive, which enables them to see images of the events ten years ago, as well as grainy images of Lightning in Valhalla. Hope believes that the paradox affecting the area is also affecting the Oracle Drive, and gives Serah and Noel an artefact to help them resolve the problem. Finding a new gate in the Pass of Paddra, Serah can't help but notice that Noel has been acting differently ever since learning about Yeul.

After taking a gate to Oerba 200 AF, Serah, Mog and Noel find the place being consumed by a void. Mog says it's because of different time periods merging together. After solving a multitude of paradoxes and restoring Oerba, Serah is about to activate an Oracle Drive when she hears a girl's voice telling her not to. Serah does not react in time and activates the device, projecting various images of her reunion with Lightning. Then she and Noel encounter Caius Ballad and Yeul. Caius tells them Yeul does not exist as a single person, and that he has come to punish them for tampering with time. After battling Caius, he tells them that they will pay for their crimes with blood and sends blades of magic towards them. Noel constantly pulls Serah out of the way to protect her until Caius manages to take them down. Before he can kill Noel, Yeul intervenes and warns the latter and Serah that changing the future also changes the past before she and Caius leave.

With the paradox in Oerba solved, Serah, Noel and Mog return to Yaschas Massif in 1X AF, an alternate reality in which the eclipse never occurred. There, Yeul appears to Serah and Noel and gives Serah a cryptic message, saying that they are the same in how they can 'show others the way' and leaves. Serah and Noel repeat their introduction to Hope before he shows now clear images of Lightning in Valhalla with the Oracle Drive. After it shows everyone images of Cocoon falling and Caius apparently causing it, Serah asks Noel if Cocoon did not exist in his time. He says that Cocoon fell centuries before his birth, and after it did, the world fell into ruin. She reassures him that they can change the future and find a way to prevent Cocoon from falling, while Hope makes plans to help influence the future with everything he and the Academy do in the present.

Serah and Noel use the gate in the Pass of Paddra and emerge in the Void Beyond. Noel says that the place resembles Valhalla and Serah asks if Lightning is here, but he says that she is not since the area looks vastly different. As Serah begins to doubt the possibility of ever finding her sister, Noel tells her a legend about Etro that recites: "'Never give up, for the Goddess Etro watches always, and helps those who help themselves,'" Serah says it sounds like common sense but Noel says that thinking about those words helped him through hard times, and how even the most simple words can help people. He reassures Serah that they are one step closer to Lightning with each time gate they pass through.

Activating a time gate in the Bresha Ruins' underground tunnels, Serah has a vision of a giant flan monster and her with an seemingly injured Snow. Again, she lies to a concerned Noel and tells him she is simply staring out into space. Traveling to the Sunleth Waterscape 300 AF, they come across a trail of Miniflan. Seeing more of them appear out of nowhere, they guess that it is because of a paradox. Then Serah clutches her head in pain, falls back into Noel's arms, at the same time, reciting Yeul's prophecy about Cocoon's fall as though possessed. She has another vision of Snow, but this time, he appears to be in danger and about to be killed by the giant flan. Coming to in Noel's arms, she knocks him down and frantically runs off to find Snow. She finds him half-conscious and helps him come to. As he shields her from the nearby Royal Ripeness, Noel comes to their aid before they all enter battle.

As it reforms itself after its apparent defeat, Serah pulls a resistant Snow to safety at Noel's insistence to retreat. Then she introduces Noel and Snow to each other before explaining to the latter why they are there. Snow reveals that Lightning appeared to him in a dream telling him to protect Cocoon's crystal pillar as well as Fang and Vanille inside it, and Serah and Noel decide to help him by resolving the paradox causing the huge amount of Miniflans to appear. The three of them see the trail of Miniflan and decide to follow them in the hopes of finding an artefact. As the party follows the Miniflan, they come to a valley where Noel believes they should turn back when a giant Enlil appears. Snow tries to get its attention, causing a cautious Noel to tell him not to encourage the creature into attacking them.

After Snow gets Enlil's "permission" to ride on its back, Noel warns him that Enlil can swallow him whole, but Snow disregards Noel's warning and jumps onto Enlil's back. Serah, Noel and Mog follow suit and they all manage to get through the valley. They soon find some Miniflan gathered around an artefact. Defeating them puts it in the party's possession. Then Serah talks about how being in crystal stasis was the loneliest and scariest time of her life, but was comforted by the nice dreams she had while in her crystal sleep, like reuniting with Lightning and Snow. Finding the second artefact, she and Snow tell Noel about theme parks and Fang and Vanille, and how they were similar to him in how they were also from Pulse and found themselves in a new world they did not understand. Coming at a gate, Noel tells Snow not to do anything stupid and wait for him and Serah to return.

In the Coliseum, Noel, Serah and Mog encounter the Arbiter of Time, who demands them to leave while mentioning an omen of sorts. Noel believes the omen to be an artefact, and tries to bargain with the creature. He gestures Serah to stay back and tells the Arbiter of Time they will leave in exchange for the omen, and the creature vanishes leaving an artefact behind. Serah says Snow is waiting for them and Noel replies that he is not waiting quietly. She says that both Snow is like Lightning in how he charges ahead whenever he can, Noel however says that Snow is the type to charge straight into danger and get himself and other people killed. He says that Snow acts like he's everyone's boss, he is the type to charge into danger while abandoning concern for his own safety, and live in a fantasy thinking that self-sacrifice will save everyone even though people die anyway.

Serah tells Noel that he has saved her many times without a second thought for his own safety, causing Noel to tell her not to compare him to Snow, still believing that he walked out on her without considering how it might affect her or anyone else. By the anger on Noel's face, Serah understands that someone he cared about left him behind and it continues to hurt him deeply, which is why Snow angered him so much. Arriving in the Archylte Steppe at an unknown year, Serah is saved by Noel after nearly being trampled by a group of hunters riding Chocobos chasing after prey. Learning that the cause of a storm in the area is a dragon sucking Miniflan through its mouth, they figure that it's the cause of the anomaly in the Sunleth Waterscape. After Noel and Serah defeat the faeryl and stop Royal Ripeness from growing, she asks Noel if he is concerned about Snow but he only replies that she would want to see him again. She says that Snow is "as tough as a behemoth", and that she worries about him a lot when he's on his own, causing Noel to reflect on how everyone in his time had to treat every moment like it was their last.

When they return to Sunleth, they find Snow nowhere in sight despite his promise to wait for them. They find him struggling in front of a Mutantomato. After defeating it for good, Serah helps a still struggling Snow stand up as Noel yells at him for being reckless and calling himself a protector. After Snow entrusts Serah's safety to Noel and begins glowing, Serah tries to hold onto him. She notices a Pulse l'Cie brand on his arm before he fades away. Noel says that Snow probably asked to become a l'Cie again, but from first-hand experience, Serah asks why Snow would do that, knowing of a l'Cie's fate whether or not they complete their Focus. Noel says that Snow is the type to "damn the consequences and damn himself" by freely becoming a l'Cie to protect people. Serah asks Noel if he hates Snow for it. He replies that he does but he also understands Snow for it. Then Serah tells Noel about how Snow always puts himself in danger to save others, including her when she became a l'Cie. She says that it is now her turn to save him and make sure that they do meet again someday.

Back in the Void Beyond, Noel asks Serah if she has had any more dreams ever since they met, and she tells him that she has had more dreams the day after. She asks him about Yeul and if she is also traveling through time like them and Snow but Noel believes that all the Farseer tribes had a girl with the same appearance and power, so the name Yeul must have been passed down through the generations. When Serah asks him how his era will change if they solve all the paradoxes, Noel believes it will be a future where he does not exist but is fine with it if that were the case, because the world would be better off if his time never happened.

In Academia 400 AF, she, Noel and Mog witness numerous citizens suddenly transform into Cie'th. They are soon confronted by what appears to be Caius, threatening to kill them for tampering with the timeline. He says that they were killed as a result of learning the forbidden history within a tower two hundred years in the past and have now appeared before him alive, a paradox in itself. Serah asks if it is an event that has not happened yet. Caius summons Cie'th to surround Serah and Noel before he leaves them to die.

After giving chase to Caius, they eventually find Yeul by herself and under attack by Cie'th. After saving her, she is grabbed and thrown by a Zenobia. As Noel holds Yeul in his arms after the fight, Serah sinks to the ground in despair, fretting about how her and Noel's actions have determined the fallen Yeul's fate. Yeul dies and leaves behind an artefact that enables Noel, Serah and Mog to use a nearby time gate. Then Serah learns from Noel that the law of the Farseers forbids Yeul from trying to escape the death that awaits her, at the same time, Serah remembers that Yeul said Caius wasn't in the city, wondering if she and Noel met an imposter.

They arrive at the location mentioned by Caius, Augusta Tower, 200 years before the events at Academia. Noel and Serah learn that Hope had created a Proto fal'Cie to keep Cocoon airborne without its pillar. As they explore the tower, they notice there is something off about the people, and also see Caius wandering around. Noel, Serah and Mog eventually meet an artificial duplicate of Alyssa. As they ascend the levels of the tower, a blurry video of Hope, Alyssa, and other scientists being attacked by machines plays. The duplicate Alyssa reveals the video to be an playback of an incident that occurred in the tower 187 years ago at 13 AF, and that the two can never leave now that they know the truth.

On the tower's top level, they encounter Yeul, who Serah recognizes by her flower as the same one from Oerba. Yeul gives them an artefact and implores them to protect time. Then she reveals to them that Caius is an immortal Guardian and retains memory of all timeline events. Yeul tells them that even before they had met, history had been changed in accordance to the future being changed. She says that Lightning disappeared because the future had changed and if Serah and Noel solve the paradoxes, then the past will return to how Serah remembers it. Yeul also tells them the Caius from Academia was a deception made by a sentient machine within the tower while the real Caius is inside the tower, then implores that they show her a new future. Noel, Mog and Serah emerge from a time gate and enter a battle against the Proto fal'Cie Adam, who unfortunately keeps reviving itself whenever seemingly defeated. In a gambit, Serah charges Adam with her sword while shouting at Hope about his machines "driving her nuts". Just before she impales Adam's crystal, the fal'Cie disappears into thin air. She begins to fall over the platform's edge but Noel catches her by the hand just in time. Then Serah has another vision of the future and falls unconscious again. Noel calls out to her and manages to bring her back, collapsing on the floor with relief. Serah teases Noel for worrying too much and helps him up. Returning to where they spoke with Yeul, Serah uses the console to activate the nearby time gate. Noel quips on how Serah is like Lightning when she is mad, causing Serah to playfully warn him that Lightning might be watching them.

Through the time gate, they return to an alternate Academia in 4XX AF where the city is peaceful and the Proto fal'Cie was never created. Hope and Alyssa appear with the former saying this is the future they had saved. Serah and Noel are cautious from the events of Augusta Tower, but their minds are promptly put at ease. At Academy headquarters, they learn that three years after their last meeting with Hope and Alyssa, Hope created the plan for the Proto fal'Cie but scrapped it after seeing Serah yelling at him through the Oracle Drive, and he then devised the New Cocoon Project before he and Alyssa went into the future in a time capsule he invented.

Hope explains to Noel and Serah that his new man-made Cocoon that will be made airborne through the use of Graviton Cores like the one used to power the Thirteenth Ark. After bringing Hope the 5 Cores needed, Alyssa gives Serah and Noel an artefact to open the new gate in the city. When Hope and Alyssa come to see them off, Hope tells them how his friends saved him from being consumed by hate and despair, and Serah asks him if he means Lightning and Snow. He says that her wish for him and the others to save Cocoon motivated them to work together, and that to this day, Fang and Vanille continue to fulfill that wish. Promising to meet again in the future, Serah, Noel and Mog re-enter the Historia Crux but get separated from each other because of Alyssa's betrayal as her nature as a living paradox, doomed to disappear as a result of them fixing the timeline.

The artefact Alyssa gave them was booby-trapped by Caius as he uses the time gate to separate Serah from Noel into separate areas of the Void Beyond, with Mog's soul removed from his body. Finding several apparitions of Yeul, Serah learns that she is in one of Valhalla's many shadows. She learns she is also a seeress chosen by Etro and how the goddess released her and the others from crystal stasis. In front of Etro's throne, the last Yeul asks Serah why she wants to change time and stand in Caius's way, before warning her that she brings herself closer to death the more she changes the timeline.

After being confronted by the illusionary Yeul of his design, Serah finds herself fighting Caius. Sitting on Etro's throne, Caius tells Serah that Noel had quietly accepted his fate and is now resting in peace before knocking her down with a magic attack. Serah fires an arrow at Caius as he sits on the throne but he halts time and goes behind her. He unfreezes time and blasts her against a wall. She tries to reach for her weapon but Caius traps it under his foot as he reveals it was the miracle that Etro gave to her and the others that condemned Yeul. Telling Serah that her and Noel's meddling in his attempt to save Yeul is over, Caius stabs her through her chest from behind, causing chaos to emerge from her body.

Serah awakens in New Bodhum, in her old clothes, surrounded by NORA. However, when she finds Snow, he tells her that Lightning never disappeared and has been living with them ever since they got married. Serah knows this to be false and runs back outside to see the world coming apart. As she begins to question if she is in a dream, Serah finds Lightning on the beach. Serah asks her why she is here, and Lightning says it is because it's what she wanted. She says that they changed history, making it possible for her to come back. Then Lightning beckons her, saying that her family is waiting. Serah almost accepts the offer but after ultimately refusing to betray the others fighting to save the future, she refuses to comply and Lightning is engulfed in chaos.

Trying to escape from her dream, Serah hears a familiar voice giving her encouragement and soon encounters Vanille, who says that they managed to connect since they are both dreaming. Serah asks her why she is here, and Fang appears saying they are here to save her from being trapped in an endless dream in the Void Beyond. She says that Serah refused to believe the fake Lightning out of her own will, enabling her and Vanille to appear. Serah tells them she almost believed the fake Lightning but remembered her sister was really fighting in Valhalla, Snow and Hope were fighting their own battles, and that she was the only one running from the truth. Then Fang tells Serah that Noel needs her help before he becomes trapped in a dream himself. Vanille and Fang disappear, leaving behind a portal to lead Serah to Noel. Resolving to save him, Serah's new clothes reappear on her body as she enters the portal.

Exiting the spacetime distortion, Serah emerges in a dark desolate world under a red sky. She finds Noel but he does not acknowledge her and runs right through her. Believing to be in Noel's dream, Serah follows him as he interacts Caius and Yeul along the way. She eventually witnesses a one-on-one fight between Noel and Caius where the latter emerges as the victor, and she sees Yeul die in Noel's arms, leaving him all alone. Then as he is being pulled off the ground towards a light in the sky, Serah grabs hold of his arm and calls out to him, causing him to remember her. As they levitate, she tells him, "You were living in a dream, Noel. You're happy here, and you would be forever. But, I've come to take you away from it. I'm sorry." He thanks her for saving him and they begin to fall towards a Gogmagog in its true form, while Serah resolves to stand by Noel as she has no one else she can count on in their journey to change the future. After defeating Gogmagog, Noel's dream ends and light is restored to the Dying World in 700 AF.

Learning that Noel's dream restored some of his memories, Serah asks him if she is going to die soon because of being able to have visions like Yeul. He tells Serah that she should be alright since she can't see far into the future like Yeul but if they change history in a big way, then it will cost Serah her life. However, Serah chooses to continue changing the future as it is what Lightning wants, and that if they fix the timeline quick enough then she won't have to see the future anymore. After activating another Oracle Drive and viewing images of Noel's journey through time, they realize that Yeul had seen Noel fighting the save the future. Mog's soul is freed from the Void Beyond and he brings new information from Lightning about Caius. Mog reveals that Caius used to be a Pulse l'Cie tasked with the Focus of protecting Yeul. Then Caius was also saved from his fate by Etro and became immortal, watching over the seeresses for centuries, and using their visions to warp the timeline as he pleases.

They come out of a spacetime distortion and into New Bodhum at 700 AF, but it now resembles a wasteland similar to the Dying World. Serah opens a portal on the beach, and Lightning emerges before them, saying they are in a future she had failed to save. After Lightning explains everything to them, Serah theorizes that Caius's plan is to turn the real world into a timeless world like Valhalla. Lightning says that they will need to go to the year 500 AF, where Caius plans to destroy both the old and new Cocoons. She then has Mog reveal a new time gate for Serah and Noel to use. As Lightning leaves, Serah asks her if they will be together again once everything is over, but Lightning doesn't answer her clearly and leaves, only saying, "One thing at a time, Serah". Serah and Noel then find a message from Hope, who is waiting for them in 500 AF.

In Academia 500 AF, she, Mog and Noel see that the city is now filled with floating block platforms because of the chaos leaking from Valhalla. As they cross the platforms, they hear Yeul's disembodied voice warning them not to fight Caius and kill Etro. While approaching Academy HQ, Caius as Chaos Bahamut swoops down at them before flying off towards the new Cocoon. A horde of monsters appear to challenge them but Hope and a squadron of soldiers arrive to give them backup support. Atop a warmech piloted by Sazh, they give chase to Chaos Bahamut and fight him. He strikes and damages the airship but Serah saves Noel from falling over before Caius appears in human form.

He warns Serah that even if she saves the future, she will not survive to see it. Serah however tells him she knows how each change in the timeline threatens her life but doesn't care, still determined to save the future. Caius challenges her and Noel again until he manages to strike Serah down. Caius nearly delivers the final blow but Noel steps in and saves her. When Sazh flips the ship vertically, she and Noel strike Caius in midair before a giant wormhole tears open the sky behind them. Caius transforms back into Chaos Bahamut and flies into the hole. Serah, Noel, and Mog then encounter Hope flying on a warmech beside them trying to catch Caius. She tells him to stay behind and look after Fang and Vanille, which he reluctantly does.

Serah, Mog, and Noel jump into that wormhole and fall out into Valhalla. Odin saves them from their fall before they engage Caius in battle on the beach. After Noel strikes him down, Caius transforms into Jet Bahamut and fires an attack upon them from above. Noel tries to cover Serah from the blast before they find themselves falling into an abyss of light. Then Lightning reappears and saves them, pulling them towards the surface for the final battle. Afterward, Noel repeatedly refuses to obey Caius's demands to kill him. When Caius says that he killed Lightning and condemned her to an eternal slumber, Serah is shocked, but Noel tells her that Caius is lying. When Noel remains resistant, Caius lunges at Serah. Noel protects her and stops himself from stabbing Caius through the chest at the last second, but Caius stabs himself with Noel's blade. As Caius slowly fades away, Serah believes that he ended up believing Noel's words about Yeul, and had always wanted to return to Valhalla to die so he could end Yeul's cycle of rebirth.

Then a series of gates appear throughout Valhalla and Mog says the final paradox has been resolved. Noel asks Serah if she had another vision, but she says that she didn't. When Mog says that he doesn't sense Lightning anywhere in Valhalla, Serah worries that Caius was not bluffing about killing her, but Noel reassures her that Lightning will be with the others since they fixed the timeline. Serah, Noel and Mog return to Pulse at 500 AF, where they see the new Cocoon named Bhunivelze afloat in the sky and the gate to Valhalla close. Serah tells Noel she still feels alright and implores that they return to where everyone is waiting. With their journey now over, Serah thanks Noel but suddenly has another vision of the future and dies in his embrace. Afterward, Hope appears and both him and Noel grieve her death, but then the world turns dark and chaos consumes everything, transforming it into Valhalla.

Serah's ghost meets Lightning in Valhalla after she dies. Lightning blames herself, but Serah tells her that it is okay, and that she knew she was going to die, but decided to keep going because she made a promise to herself. Serah hugs Lightning and tells her that they will meet again before disappearing.

Abilities and Equipment


Serah fights with a bowsword and depending on what form she has it and the target's distance, she will use the appropriate model: the bow for ranged combat and the sword for melee. She starts with the Commando, Ravager, and Sentinel roles and majors in Ravager and Saboteur, but is also a good Medic, despite the fact that she can't learn Cura and Curaja, due to her high Magic stat and faster casting speed than Noel. However, she is not a proficient Synergist as she learns only a few spells for that role.

While her stats can be customized in the Crystarium, Serah's natural stat growth emphasizes high Magic.

Serah has an agile fighting style, jumping while firing her bow and performing backflips, demonstrating a fighting style similar to Lightning's. Serah's Full ATB Skill is Ultima Arrow. It is a Ravager skill that quickly fills the target's chain gauge with a barrage of attacks.

Weapons

 * See Serah's Bowswords

Creation and Development
According to the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, Serah was originally planned as a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII, but issues during development led to the decision of turning her into a non-player character. In an interview in Famitsu it was revealed Serah's clothing from Final Fantasy XIII-2 was designed by Yusuke Naora, based on plugsuits from , as requested by director Motomu Toriyama. Isamu Kamikokuryo, the art director of Final Fantasy XIII-2, has said that the character designs are built from the scenario and setting and the new designs for Lightning and Serah are reflected within the environments where they begin their journey. For Serah, he said that she was cute and girly in Final Fantasy XIII, but that she is a little more tough and battle-ready in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Kamikokuryo has also said that the balance between making a female character appealing for both genders of gamers was a challenge. The designers did not necessarily strive for a look that would appeal to both male and female gamers, but more of what design would end up the most memorable in players' eyes and mindset. With Serah being more active in Final Fantasy XIII-2, the designers wanted to maintain her feminine qualities, while still making sure she looks like she is ready for a battle. According to issue 219 of Game Informer, Serah was given a bow able to transform into a sword as a weapon to "preserve her femininity".

, member of AKB48 and leader of the JUDGE 13 test players, was asked to design two alternate costumes for Serah, one of which would become an official DLC by votes from fans in a contest starting on November 15th, 2011. The first DLC costume, called "Exposure and Defense", was designed when the AKB48 idol was wondering whether it is really possible for Final Fantasy female characters to fight with so much showing. Oshima thought that by adding pointed shoes and a shield, Serah would be more ready to fight. The second, unnamed option, was based on a concept of "Little Red Riding Hood". Oshima thought the idea of mixing red and white together defines a character transitioning into an adult, as Serah seems to do in Final Fantasy XIII-2. On December 3, 2011, the voting closed with "Exposure and Defense" winning by a large margin. Oshima wore this costume at the Final Fantasy XIII-2 launch event.

Final Fantasy XIII
In Final Fantasy XIII, "Serah's Theme" is a vocal version of the game's main theme, "The Promise", composed by Masashi Hamauzu with lyrics performed by Frances Maya. It often plays when Serah is featured or mentioned in the story, mainly during cutscenes that show flashbacks of her life before the Purge. "Serah's Theme" is played during the fireworks festival in English-translated versions, in place of "Eternal Love", which was played in the original Japanese version.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
In Final Fantasy XIII-2, "Serah's Theme ~Memories~" is a vocal piece played to the melody of "The Future", a variant of the game's main theme, "Wishes". The lyrics tell of how Noel's arrival and his strength give Serah hope towards the chance of reuniting with Lightning, and alludes to her fate of dying in Noel's arms. An orchestral version of her theme without lyrics is heard during the "Closing Credits".

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Serah appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game depicted in her Final Fantasy XIII official render.

Final Fantasy Brigade
Serah is set to appear in Brigade in her Final Fantasy XIII-2 attire. Her current role in unknown.

Kingdom Hearts
Serah does not make an actual appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series, but her hairstyle is available for the Avatars in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.

Serah is also a collectible Kingdom Hearts mascot cellphone strap appearing alongside the other characters of Final Fantasy XIII.

Etymology
Serah is a variation of "Sarah". The Italian word Sera means "evening". The name "Sera" in Latin means "Heavenly" or "Winged Angel". In Biblical terms, the Seraphim are the highest order of angels.

There is also a tradition of naming important female non-playable characters (usually princesses) "Sarah" in Final Fantasy. This is likely because the name comes from Hebrew word for "princess".

Trivia

 * Serah's engagement pendant resembles Final Fantasy XIII's [[Media:Final Fantasy XIII Logo.jpg|logo]]. A matching pendant is also worn by Snow Villiers.
 * Her crystal is in the shape of a tear drop that Snow holds onto for most of the story in Final Fantasy XIII.
 * Serah, Dajh, and Cid Raines are the only l'Cie that do not show their summons, and it is unknown if they have any. In the case of Serah and Dajh, this could be justified in how they complete their respective Foci in such a short period of time, giving them little opportunity to reach the state of despair that calls forth the intervention of an Eidolon.
 * Serah is a better cook than Lightning, who in turn is better at home-improvement work, as mentioned in Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-.
 * In Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-, it is revealed that Serah bought Snow's NORA pendant.
 * Serah shares her English voice actress, Laura Bailey, with the Cloud of Darkness in Dissidia Final Fantasy, and Belle in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.
 * Art director Isamu Kamikokuryo consistently draws Serah and Lightning with blonde hair in concept art, despite their more "official" appearance. Additionally, Kamikokuryo's Serah concept art for Final Fantasy XIII-2 looks noticeably older and less skinny than her in-game appearance, and a few details on her outfit are different (such as a different choker).
 * Serah appears on the 500th cover of Dengeki Playstation magazine with Lightning, Noel, Noctis, Machina, and Rem.
 * In her CG render for Final Fantasy XIII-2, Serah's ponytail is held by a pink band matching her outfit, but in-game, she retains the black band she wore in Final Fantasy XIII.
 * Serah mentions that she is strict on her students because her own teacher was strict, and that Lightning must have "rubbed off on her," implying that either Lightning was her teacher when growing up, or that Lightning disciplined her at home using styles and tactics based on her military training, and had another school teacher who was also strict on her.
 * Serah's bowblade shares a similar design with Rosso's double-bladed gun from Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-.
 * When Serah is defeated during battle, Mog hovers over her body worriedly.
 * Serah's first bowblade model, the Starseeker, is also the name of a recurring Keyblade in the Kingdom Hearts series.
 * Serah's initial Paradigm roles in Final Fantasy XIII-2 are the same as Snow's initial roles in Final Fantasy XIII: Commando, Ravager, and Sentinel.
 * Unlike Noel, Serah's official render isn't used in the menu screen in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and instead an alternate render - seen in her official artwork with Lightning - is used.
 * During one scene in Valhalla's shadow, Serah and Caius are seen back to back, similar to a moment with him and Lightning in Valhalla.
 * Serah being frozen in time by Caius while fighting is reminiscent of the fight between Squall and Ultimecia in Dissidia Final Fantasy.
 * In the dream world version of New Bodhum, Lightning holds her hand out towards Serah, asking her to stay there. Serah refuses, and darkness appears over Lighting. This mirrors the scene in Kingdom Hearts when Riku holds his hand out towards Sora, before also being swallowed by darkness.
 * Serah's Crystal Tear is used as the icon for the Master of Time Achievement/Trophy in Final Fantasy XIII-2 - the final Achievement/Trophy which, in the PS3 release, makes the game Platinum and awards the player with a Lightning theme.