Anima (Final Fantasy XIII)

Anima (ファルシ＝アニマ) is a fal'Cie from Final Fantasy XIII. It was also referred to as "the Pulse fal'Cie".

Datalog
''This fal'Cie had been hibernating deep within the Bodhum Vestige. It branded Serah, as well as Lightning, Snow, and the others, condemning them all to the grim fate of Pulse l'Cie. Although it appears Anima was brought to Cocoon in the Vestige centuries ago, Sanctum authorities had no knowledge of the alien stowaway's presence. Its discovery, and the resultant fear that Bodhum’s population may have been tainted by its magic, spawned the Purge.''

Final Fantasy XIII
Before the War of Transgression and being moved to Cocoon, Anima was located in the village of Oerba and was the patron of the village, protecting it from the hostile Gran Pulse wildlife. Five hundred years before the start of the game Anima branded Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille as l'Cie, giving them the Focus to transform into Ragnarok and destroy Cocoon. The plan failed as the goddess placed the l'Cie in Crystal Stasis before the task was complete, and the l'Cie's crystallized forms were placed near their fal'Cie in the structure where Anima resided.

Cocoon was badly damaged in the attack, however, and to repair the damage Cocoon looted Gran Pulse for materials. Anima's throne with the crystallized l'Cie still inside was lifted up into Cocoon and became Cocoon's Pulse Vestige located in the city of Bodhum. Anima remained dormant within the closed-up Vestige for the next 500 years until the l'Cie finally came out of their crystal stasis and left the building. With the door to the Vestige open, Serah Farron ventured inside the structure and encountered Anima, who turned her into a l'Cie. After this PSICOM discovered the Vestige and a squadron of soldiers ventured indoors, all of whom were branded l'Cie, and went on to turn into Cie'th. After this, the Vestige was closed off and was moved to the barred-off Hanging Edge area, with Anima still inside.

When Anima marked Serah Farron as l'Cie she saw a vision of Ragnarok. While the game presents some conflicting cues on what Serah's Focus really was, the group is told by Barthandelus that Serah's focus was to "assemble the tools for Cocoon's destruction". From what is told, this means that Serah's task was to gather fresh l'Cie to become Ragnarok. However, in a flashback to Serah's first meeting with Vanille she claims that she "dreamt she destroyed the world" which causes both Vanille and Snow to believe her Focus was to also become Ragnarok. This could be a hint to the later revealed idea that a l'Cie's Focus could be altered should the bearer pursue a different goal.

Lightning, Snow Villiers, Sazh Katzroy, Oerba Dia Vanille, and Hope Estheim enter the ruins to find Serah and end up confronting Anima, who chooses them to become Pulse l'Cie, and Pulse gifts them with brands and implants eidoliths along them. Afterward, PSICOM attack Anima with lasers, obliterate Hanging Edge and Anima ends up falling into Lake Bresha below, transforming it to crystal. It is assumed this means the fal'Cie's death.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
During the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2, Serah and Noel Kreiss encounter a Proto fal'Cie, called Adam, that greatly resembles Anima in appearance; although they retain the same appearance, they are not the same entity. It is unknown why the Proto fal'Cie have such a striking similarity to Pulse fal'Cie, but it is possible that Hope chose design of a lowerworld fal'Cie to avoid eventual similarities to the Sanctum ones. Also the Proto fal'Cie's Cie'th takes form of Pulse Cie'th.

Battle
In Final Fantasy XIII, Anima is fought as a boss at the Pulse Vestige by Lightning, Snow, and Sazh.

Trivia

 * When Anima brands the party as l'Cie, they enter a dark realm where the ominous sound of church bells can be heard chiming. An entity with a man's face with one half of the face covered enters from a crystal structure and proceeds to brand the party with the brand of the l'Cie. This entity is not actually Anima, but is revealed in the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania to be the god Pulse; the fal'Cie are the ones who choose the l'Cie, but the gods are the ones who actually do the branding. The dark realm where the party is seen during this scene is in a different dimension, referred to as the "realm of the gods".
 * Anima is one of few fal'Cie to have visible crystal core, the other one is Carbuncle.