Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)

Lightning is a playable character and the main protagonist in Final Fantasy XIII. She is initially shown to be a cold person, who distances herself from her companions, but later shows a caring and compassionate side. She fights to survive and see her sister Serah come out of crystal stasis.

Appearance and Personality
Lightning has long, light pink hair, blue eyes, and a heart-shaped face like her younger sister Serah. She wears a light brown turtleneck along with a necklace with a lightning bolt pendant underneath a white soldier uniform. There is a green metal pauldron of the Guardian Corps with two glowing yellow stripes symbolizing her rank as a sergeant, a long red cape attached to her back on the left side, and a brown belt below her bust. She also wears a long black sleeve over her left arm that begins from her bicep, knee-high leather boots and a brown mini-skirt. She also has a navel piercing. Her gunblade is sheathed in a loose case behind her waist. Her l'Cie brand is located on her lower chest.

Lightning is very determined, concentrated and independent. Lightning has a lone wolf attitude, similar to that of Squall Leonhart in Final Fantasy VIII. Despite this, Lightning does show compassion, as she cares deeply for her sister's safety, but often fails to see how much Serah cares about her the same way. After their parents died, Lightning looked out for Serah as though she was her daughter, although she tends to be overprotective of her. She also shows her motherly side to Hope as she comforts him after the loss of his own mother and decides to take him under her wing. Interestingly, Lightning seems slightly shy towards physical proximity outside of a combat situation, as seen when Fang asks to see how far her brand has advanced.

Early Life
Lightning's parents died from an unknown sickness when she was fifteen. With no other family to turn to, Lightning was given the job of raising her younger sister, Serah. In an attempt to get over the pain her parents' deaths brought her, discard her childhood and become an adult as quickly as possible, she decided to change her name to simply "Lightning". Ever since then, she has acted as a sort of mother figure to Serah. After graduating from high school, Lightning decided to join the Guardian Corps Bodhum Security Regiment under Lieutenant Amodar, where she attained the rank of sergeant, and was scheduled for officer training before the events of the game. However, she slowly began to lose sight of her goals, and worked many hours while spending little time with Serah.

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero: Promise
Lightning has always held a disdain for the Bodhum group NORA - even when they rescued her from an aquatic ambush - particularly their leader, Snow Villiers, who is dating Serah, much to Lightning's chagrin. After a forced encounter with NORA, she vows to have nothing to do with Snow, and dissuade her sister's affections for him. As Lightning's 21st birthday approaches, Lightning feels guilty for her lack of attention to Serah being the reason that she got involved with Snow in order to quell her feeling of loneliness. Browsing the mall, Lightning overhears a conversation between two tourists, Nora Estheim and her son, Hope, inspiring her to plan a vacation away from Bodhum for her birthday with Serah. Then she notices two fugitive l'Cie, Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang, but believes they must be from Eden before she leaves the mall with her superior officer. A few days later back at work, the Cavalry are trying to hunt down Vanille. Though they do not explain the intention behind their investigation, Captain Rygdea asks Lightning to brief him on areas in Bodhum that teenagers are likely to visit in hopes of finding her.

While attending the Bodhum fireworks festival, Lightning learns of a Pulse-related incident being kept under wraps by the Sanctum. Amodar warns her not to investigate, as it would only lead to trouble. On Lightning's birthday, Serah reveals her fate as a Pulse l'Cie, as well as her engagement to Snow. Lightning refuses to believe either claim, before demanding Snow leaves her home. She is left to open Serah's birthday present by herself: a survival knife.

It is only when the Sanctum announces a Pulse fal'Cie is residing within the Bodhum Vestige in the seaside town. After learning that the Sanctum plans to Purge the entire town, Lightning immediately tries to find Serah. However, she discovers that she is too late, as Snow reveals that Serah is being held captive inside of the Vestige. Without a moment's hesitation, Lightning resigns from her job with the Guardian Corps and boards the Purge train. As she waits in line, she is approached by pilot Sazh Katzroy, who is also a voluntary Purgee. As allies of circumstance, they are forced together so she can rescue her sister before she is taken out of her reach.

Final Fantasy XIII
As the train enters the Hanging Edge, Lightning derails it with the aid of Sazh. While the surviving Purgees escape and are found by NORA, Lightning and Sazh fight their way through PSICOM sentries to reach the Pulse Vestige. Lightning keeps her own motives to herself, despite Sazh's probing, determined to reach the Vestige and find Serah.

Within the Vestige, Lightning finally reveals Serah's fate to Sazh, just before they find her unconscious outside Anima's Throne. Unbeknown to Lightning, Snow also infiltrated the Vestige to find Serah, and the two arrive in time just as Serah awakens. She asks Lightning to save Cocoon before she rises in the air and crystallizes before their eyes. Snow attempts to beg with the fal'Cie to release Serah, but Lightning takes a more aggressive approach, attacking Anima, alongside Snow and Sazh. Anima finally awakens, and in turn brands everyone a l'Cie, before casting them down to Lake Bresha below.

Down in the crystallized lake, the group of strangers try to deduce their Focus. Whilst the details still remain hazy, they recognise the beast Ragnarok, and presume they are tasked with destroying Cocoon. Despite Snow's optimism that they are to save Cocoon as Serah wished, Lightning is less than enthused about her new fate. Running from PSICOM troops, they come across Serah's crystallized form. Snow promises to stay behind and protect Serah, whilst Lightning stubbornly leads the group onwards and out of PSICOM's clutches. They find an airship that Sazh attempts to pilot, but it crashes in the Vile Peaks.

Lightning's impatience towards the group causes them to separate. When the group reconvenes by chance, Lightning resolves to head to Eden and destroy its fal'Cie, as she refuses to die as one of their tools. Hope decides to follow her, as Vanille and Sazh aimlessly wander in the opposite direction. At first, Lightning is unwilling to have the young man tag along with her, worried he would only slow her down. In her frustration and anger at having to look after him, she inadvertently summons her Eidolon, Odin. Unable to defeat it herself, Hope steps in to help her fight it. His aid in defeating the Eidolon persuades Lightning to have faith in the boy and help him "toughen up."

Lightning and Hope find themselves in the Gapra Whitewood, where she gives him the knife Serah gave to her as a birthday present for his protection. Hope reveals to Lightning the grudge he holds against Snow for his mother's death. Lightning helps Hope to devise 'Operation Nora' to keep him focused. After they escape the Gapra Whitewood and see Palumpolum in the distance, Lightning suggests that she and Hope visit his house, in order to change his mind about revenge and also because he needs to tell his father about his mother's death.

The city is littered with PSICOM and Sanctum officers, so Lightning and Hope are forced underground to avoid capture. When they reach the Nutriculture Complex and Lightning sees the fal'Cie, Carbuncle, she has a revelation: she has always been a fal'Cie pawn, even before becoming a l'Cie, and in having that comfort taken from her, she wrongly turned to blindly fighting to avoid facing reality. Realizing she had dragged Hope into the same delusion, Lightning tells Hope to abandon Operation Nora as she made a mistake. Reliving her guilt for not believing Serah when she told her she was a l'Cie, Lightning reassures Hope that she will not abandon him. The two ride an elevator back to the surface, where they are surrounded by soldiers led by Yaag Rosch in the Agora. Snow and Fang - a l'Cie working with the Cavalry - jump down from the Lindblum to aid them, and the group separates again under the gunfire: Hope runs with Snow, and Lightning escapes with Fang. They decide on Hope's home in Felix Heights as their rendezvous point using Fang's wireless device, but before Lightning can warn Snow about Hope's grudge, they are cut off. On their journey, Lightning learns of Fang's connection with Vanille, their origins from Gran Pulse, how they wandered Cocoon looking for their Focus, and how they were separated. Fang apologizes for her and Vanille's involvement in Serah's transformation into a l'Cie.

They reunite with Snow and Hope at Felix Heights, where Snow is badly injured from a fall. In Hope's place, Lightning looks after him and tends to his injuries. When he finally awakens, she explains the pain she felt for not trusting Serah. Then Lightning apologizes to Snow for her behaviour towards him and his relationship with Serah, which he gladly accepts. Their conciliation is interrupted by PSICOM troops, and the l'Cie are forced onto the rooftops to escape, where they escape on the Cavalry airship. Aboard, they learn Sazh and Vanille are being held captive on the Palamecia. Lightning recognizes that the Sanctum are trying to draw out the rest of the l'Cie, but joins them on their rescue mission. After rescuing Vanille and Sazh, Lightning and the others are confronted by Sanctum Primarch Galenth Dysley, who reveals himself to be fal'Cie Barthandelus. After he reveals Serah's true Focus, Lightning sees Snow in shock and distraught. The party escapes with an airship left behind and crash head-on into the Fifth Ark.

Within the Fifth Ark, the l'Cie's powers are fully awakened. Snow apologises to Lightning for being wrong about Serah's Focus, but she insists that they have to honor Serah's wishes and save Cocoon, even if it isn't their Focus. After fighting Cid Raines, they are inspired to try and defy the fal'Cie, just as he did, and head to Gran Pulse in hopes of finding answers.

Pulse is completely devoid of human life, and the party begin to lose hope. Lightning encourages Hope to remain positive, even though their situation seems dire. In his despair, Hope inadvertently summons Alexander and Lightning tells him that the Eidolon represents his inner power. She helps him tame Alexander with help from Fang. Afterward, the entire party agrees to journey to Oerba together so that they can find a way to remove their l'Cie brands, and they travel through the Archylte Steppe. After going through the Mah'habara Subterra, the party stops to take a break in the Skyreach of the Sulyya Springs. Lightning and Snow drift away from the party and discuss Serah's fate. For the first time, Lightning asks Snow about their planned wedding, and promises that they will see Serah soon, together, after they save Cocoon.

In Oerba, the party is surprised to see Serah there, reciting the legend of Ragnarok. Lightning is suspicious, and bids Serah to stop, when she reveals Lightning's real name tauntingly: Claire. Snow steps in between them and it is revealed that Serah is truly Dysley in disguise, trying to manipulate the party into completing their Focus and his bidding. Lightning leads the assault against him before they take an airship back to Cocoon, knowing Barthandelus has wreaked chaos and havoc in the capital, Eden.

Sazh manages to crash the airship into the Eden Grand Prix, where Lightning rides Odin in Gestalt Mode to escape the Sanctum and infiltrate the city, heading for Eden's heart, Orphan's Cradle. Approaching Barthandelus in the Narthex Throne, he summons the crystallized Dajh and Serah before the party. He quickly destroys them, much to the horror of Sazh and Snow. Lightning sees through Barthandelus' illusion and implores both Snow and Sazh to remain strong and keep fighting. In trying to force Vanille and Fang to become Ragnarok, Lightning and the others are turned into Cie'th. It is only when they relive their previous experiences that they manage to return to their human forms, overcoming Barthandelus' illusions. They defeat Orphan and begin turning into crystal as Cocoon falls from the sky. Lightning is crystallized along with the rest of the party at the foot of Cocoon.

They awake briefly afterwards, where they see that Vanille and Fang have managed to fulfill their Focus to save Cocoon by encasing it in crystal. As Serah and Dajh approach the party from the horizon and have their moments with Snow and Sazh, Lightning comforts Hope regarding Vanille and Fang's departure then reunites with Serah herself. Though she begins to apologize to her sister for not listening to her, it is cut short when Snow reminds them that they "have a wedding to plan". Snow then reassures Lightning that he will make Serah happy, Lightning says that she knows he will, and congratulates them.

In Battle
Lightning majors in the Commando role, having rather high physical and magical attack stats compared to most of her companions. However, her weapons give her the lowest stat boosts compared to the others. As a Ravager Lightning is quite utilitarian, able to use all four elemental "-strike" attacks, all elemental magic to the "-Ra" rank, as well as casting Thundaga. Lightning's Full ATB Skill, Army of One, increases the target's Stagger gauge.

Eidolon
Her Eidolon Odin is able to transform into the horse Sleipnir in Gestalt Mode, which Lightning rides on while wielding two massive swords that can be merged into one.

Weapons
See Lightning's Gunblades

Voice
Lightning is voiced by Ali Hillis in the English release of Final Fantasy XIII. In the Japanese release, Lightning is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto, who previously voiced Aerith Gainsborough in Advent Children, Crisis Core, and the Kingdom Hearts series.

Development
Early in development, Lightning was meant to be a flirtatious character with more sex appeal. In order to make Lightning a more 'serious' heroine in the veins of previous heroes Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart, Fang's character - which was originally a man - was rewritten as a woman, and Lightning's feminine traits were transferred to Fang. Though Lightning's real name is eventually revealed to be Claire, it was originally "Averia", referring to a species of flowering plants. At this stage, "Éclair" was used during auditions in place of Averia to keep the name secret.

Lightning's appearance has also developed greatly from its initial concept. Square released an initial CG render of Lightning before any of the other characters were seen; when the rest of the cast were revealed, Square released another render of Lightning, with some notable differences from the initial release. In the early materials she had slightly less feminine traits, her hair was a faded crimson color rather than pale pink, and her eye color was green instead of blue. Though her outfit remains the same, its overall colour scheme was lightened ever so slightly.

Musical Themes
In Final Fantasy XIII, "Lightning's Theme" is an acoustic orchestral variant of the main battle theme, "Blinded By Light". Her theme displays the fragile interior that she tries to suppress. It plays when she punches Snow at Lake Bresha, when she inadvertently helps Hope form Operation Nora, and when she tells Hope about why she changed her name. The melody is interwoven with many different tracks and appears in several different forms in the game, appropriate for the main character.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Lightning has been confirmed to appear as a playable character in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. She has been seen using her EX Burst, Zantetsuken, on Garland.

Nomura and his staff originally wanted to include Lightning in Dissidia Final Fantasy, but ultimately decided to leave her out to avoid revealing her abilities before Final Fantasy XIII was released. Nomura later stated he personally would include Sazh in a Dissidia sequel over Lightning.

In-game, Lightning can change Paradigm Roles, like in Final Fantasy XIII by pressing R and L. The roles available to her primary roles: Commando, Ravager and Medic.

Ligntning's EX Mode grants her Odin's blade, and during EX Burst, she splits the blade in two, just like in Gestalt Mode, and slices foes with the swords.

Itadaki Street Mobile
Lightning is set to appear in the upcoming Itadaki Street Mobile. So far, she is the only Final Fantasy XIII character to appear in the game.

Etymology
"Claire" is a French name, the feminine form of the common name Clair. As the feminine name, Claire directly translates as "clear", while Clair can mean light-colored, bright, and pale, among other meanings. "Éclair" is a French word that means "Lightning," but is more commonly associated with a type of pastry, which may explain why she is renamed "Claire" in the Western releases. The surname "Farron" comes from the Gaelic language, meaning "thunder." The combination of the two references thunder coming after the lightning.

Trivia

 * Excluding spin-offs and sequels, Lightning is the second central female protagonist in the main series after Terra Branford.
 * A special edition PlayStation 3 featuring an image of Lightning was released on December 17th in Japan.
 * On the day of the US release of Final Fantasy XIII, a special edition Xbox 360 featuring Lightning on a faceplate was released. The faceplate is only available through pre-order on certain websites and stores.
 * Lightning's initial weapon, Blazefire Saber, has an inscription that reads "White Flash. Call upon my name," written in the Cocoon alphabet.
 * The higher of the two bracelets that Lightning wears is also worn by her sister, Serah. Both wear it on their right arm.
 * Lightning's crystal has taken a shape of a rose, and the rose petals can be seen when Lightning summons Odin and also during Odin's change into horse in his Gestalt Mode.
 * Lightning appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy as a set of two player icons to represent Final Fantasy XIII, along with Noctis for Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the card-wielding character for Final Fantasy Agito XIII, though these icons can only be obtained through passwords.
 * In Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero: Promise, it is mentioned that Lightning is better at housework than Serah.
 * In her official CG render, Lightning is not wearing her lightning bolt necklace.