Hope Estheim

Hope Estheim is a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII. He is the son of Nora and Bartholomew Estheim, who works for the Sanctum. In the beginning of the game, he loses his mother in the Hanging Edge during the Purge. He blames Snow Villiers for her death and seeks revenge.

Appearance and Personality
Hope's outfit consists of a short-sleeved orange and yellow jacket, a green scarf over a black shirt, and black gloves with white palms. He also wears deep green pants, a black storage pack hanging from a black belt over his left leg, and light green shoes. His l'Cie brand is on his left wrist, mostly covered by his wristband. He has layered silver hair (comparable to that of Tidus from Final Fantasy X) along with blue-green eyes, and of all the playable characters, he is the shortest and the youngest. In Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero: Promise, when Lightning sees Hope and his mother shopping, she says that Hope's face resembles that of his mother's.

Being a victim of circumstance, Hope starts off as a sensitive and insecure child. On the other hand, he has an intense resentment towards Snow for the part he played in the death of his mother. On multiple occasions, he wants to confront Snow about his mother's fate, but he is so grief-stricken that he is never able to form the words that he wants to say. Hope's speech is usually reserved, but tends to make ourbursts of anger and frustration whenever his emotions get the best of him. He has a warm side to him as well as a sense of humor, which is briefly seen when he is with Nora in Bodhum, and again late in the game. Hope has always confided in his mother and relied on her for protection, due to having a distant relationship with his father ever since reaching adolescence. After Nora's death, Hope turns to Vanille for emotional support due to her kindness. However, he eventually turns to Lightning instead. Whenever Hope has moments of confusion and doubt, he turns to them for answers. He tries to follow Lightning's example as a former soldier in order to gain experience in battle and survive in the world. Ultimately, Hope matures into a brave and wise young man, partly due to his time under Lightning's tutelage.

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero: Promise
Hope and his mother, Nora, take a vacation in the seaside town of Bodhum to see the annual fireworks show; his father, Bartholomew, is due to join them, but calls at the last minute to cancel due to being too busy with work from the Sanctum, to Hope's relief. Before the show, Hope and Nora visit the Euride Gorge, alongside children who appear to be on a school field trip. With buzz still circulating about the incident at Euride three days prior, Hope and Nora return to Bodhum in slightly lesser spirits.

At the fireworks, Hope laughs at his mother's insistence on the wish-making tradition since he believes that it's for little kids. When Hope asks Nora what she wished for, he is quickly disappointed when he realizes his mother wished for his father to be able to be with them next time they visit. Unbeknownst to both of them, nearby in the town, PSICOM discover the Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, within the Bodhum Vestige. Both Hope and Nora are caught within the subsequent quarantine the next day, and forced upon the Purge train, alongside a young woman they bumped into on the platform, Vanille.

Final Fantasy XIII
On the way into the Hanging Edge, the Purge train Hope is traveling on is derailed by Lightning and her ally of convenience, Sazh Katzroy. Whilst the two rebels proceed elsewhere into the Edge, Hope and the rest of the Purgees are rescued by the resistance group, NORA, and their leader, Snow Villiers. Being chased by Sanctum troops, the Purgees decide to fight alongside NORA. Hope's mother is one of the last to join Snow's cause, despite Hope's silent protests. As the armed group follows Snow, Lebreau, and Gadot down one skyrail while the other NORA members lead Hope's group elsewhere along the rail. From a far bridge elsewhere, Hope and Vanille helplessly watch the bridge the other Purgees are on collapse, and his mother fall to her death, after saving Snow's life. Frozen with shock, Vanille is forced to slap him in order to keep him moving out of the Sanctum's clutches.

Vanille tries to comfort Hope on his loss, and he in turn decides to stick by her during the rest of the escape. When Snow and Gadot miraculously return from their fall and reconvene with the other Purgee group, Vanille encourages Hope to confront Snow about Nora's death. However, Hope hesitates long enough for Snow to leave the group again. Hope's grudge towards Snow intensifies when he learns Snow's group bore the same name as his mother. Vanille and Hope jump into Gadot's abandoned motorbike, and resolutely follow Snow into the Pulse Vestige.

After they crash-land inside the Vestige, Hope slightly regrets going due to the fear of becoming a l'Cie. However, his perky companion is determined to proceed and bring Hope along with her to finally confront Snow about what happened. They hear Snow's voice somewhere in the Vestige and realize he is headed their way, when they are ambushed by a group of Cie'th. They're saved by Snow, much to Hope's chagrin, who has Hope and Vanille stick with him for the sake of their safety. Inadvertently, Hope witnesses the crystallization of Serah Farron outside Anima's Throne alongside the two rebels who had derailed their train, and when Lightning, Sazh and Snow aggravate the sleeping fal'Cie, it awakens and brands them all l'Cie - including Hope, despite him attempting to escape, before casting them down into Lake Bresha below.

Hope is distraught about being caught up in what he believes to be other peoples' problems. He blames Snow and his fiancée, Serah, for dragging him into this and branding him a l'Cie. Despite their differences, everyone decides to work together to solve their Focus; though they identify the legendary beast Ragnarok, they still can't work out what they have been tasked to do. They head through the frozen lake, when Snow finds a crystallized Serah. Against Hope's wishes, he and the others leave Snow behind, where they find an old airship. Sazh attempts to pilot it, but it crashes in the Vile Peaks.

Lightning's determination to outrun PSICOM results in the remaining group being split up in the Peaks. Hope decides to travel alongside Lightning instead of Vanille and Sazh, though Lightning is reluctant to have him tag along. It is only after PSICOM separates them from Sazh and Vanille that Lightning allows him to accompany her. They decide to go through Hope's hometown, Palumpolum, to catch a train to Lightning's intended destination, Eden. However, Lightning's patience with Hope runs thin as he fails to keep up with her, and in her frustration, she inadvertently summons her Eidolon, Odin. Hope's aid in defeating the Eidolon persuades Lightning to have faith in the boy and help him "toughen up."

The two proceed into the Gapra Whitewood, with Hope deciding to take the lead in Lightning's place. In the hopes of keeping him safe, Lightning gives Hope the pocket knife Serah gave her for her birthday. Hope eventually reveals to Lightning his burning hatred for Snow as a result of the latter's role in the death of his mother. After Lightning tells Hope to form a strategy to help him survive, he conceives the plan 'Operation Nora', to avenge his mother's death by getting revenge against Snow and the Sanctum. After defeating an Aster Protoflorian and exiting the Gapra Whitewood, they see Palumpolum on the coast in the distance. It is only after Lightning learns of Hope's plan of revenge that she suggests that they stop by his house, but Hope objects since only his father is there. Lightning tells him that he needs to let his father know what happened to his mother.

Trying to avoid the PSICOM troops stationed throughout the city, Hope and Lightning head underground into the Nutriculture Complex, where they see the fal'Cie Carbuncle, which provides Cocoon with its food supply. As they continue on, Lightning realises that fighting blindly to make up for doubt and confusion is never the solution, and she tells Hope, "Operation Nora is over," much to his dismay and disbelief. With Eden no longer their end goal, Lightning proposes they visit Hope's father in Felix Heights. Hope agrees somewhat reluctantly, though their path is interrupted as they are ambushed by Yaag Rosch and his troops in the Agora. An explosion goes off with Snow and Fang arriving on the scene. Hope is surprised to see Snow again but has no chance to confront him, as Lightning forces him to run away with Snow to escape PSICOM's attack.

As they journey through the city, Snow's optimism and complete obliviousness to the situation pushes Hope's rage beyond his control, and Hope regrettably decides to go through with Operation Nora, against Lightning's wishes. When Snow and Hope have a chance to catch their breath by the edge of a building in Rivera Towers, Hope finally questions Snow about Nora's death. When his chance arises to stab Snow with Lightning's pocket knife, he uses his rage-induced l'Cie power to blast Snow off the ledge. As Hope is about to kill Snow with the knife, a Sanctum airship in the distance fires a shot behind him, sending him over the ledge. Snow jumps off after him, catching him in midair and shielding him from the fall with his body. Hope eventually awakens on the streets below to find Snow had saved him - even when Hope had nearly killed him - and they settle their differences, heading to Felix Heights together to reconvene with Lightning and Fang, and meet Hope's father.

In his home, Hope repairs his relationship with his father, who is willing to be arrested by the Sanctum for harboring l'Cie if only to keep them safe for a little longer. When PSICOM attacks the house, they hide Bartholomew, before Hope promises him he will return. Soon, Rygdea and more of Cid Raine's soldiers arrive and Hope and the rest of the party leave with them, boarding the Lindblum.

They head to the Palamecia upon learning that Sazh and Vanille are being held captive there. They reunite with the prisoners, and are forced to face Dysley in his true form, the fal'Cie Barthandelus. Sazh attempts to pilot a ship to freedom, but Dysley forces the ship to land in the Fifth Ark, where the party's l'Cie powers are fully awoken. They exit the Ark out into Gran Pulse, where they create a base camp in Vallis Media. It is here that Hope begins questioning their journey, and in fears of his friends getting hurt on his account, he inadvertently summons his own Eidolon, Alexander. After taming the Eidolon, he begins to believe that they come to give l'Cie hope, not to end their journey through death. As they continue on through Pulse, the fal'Cie Dahaka passes them in the Yaschas Massif. Vanille says that it resides near Oerba, so Hope suggests that they follow it.

They finally arrive in the dilapidated village of Oerba, where the party are confronted once again by Barthandelus. The party wonder whether they could destroy Orphan and fulfil their Focus if it means playing into Barthandelus' hands. Hope reminds Lightning that back on Cocoon, she told him that it is not a question of can or can't, and they just have to go and do it.

Upon returning to Cocoon from Gran Pulse, Hope summons Alexander on a highway in Eden in order to block off incoming Sanctum forces during Cid's race on the Grand Prix Circuit. After the party learns that monsters from Gran Pulse are roaming the city, Hope asks if they caused Barthandelus's prediction to come true by coming back. Later within Orphan's Cradle, Hope tells the party that Barthandelus is turning innocent people into Cie'th in order to make them feel guilty, lose faith, and become Ragnarok.

After Orphan's defeat, Hope grabs both Sazh and Lightning's hands as the party rises out of Orphan's Cradle. They witness Fang and Vanille sacrifice themselves to become Ragnarok and save Cocoon. Hope is crystallized alongside the rest of the party at the base of the crystallized Cocoon. Soon after, they awaken from their crystal stasis, with their brands wiped clean. Though Serah and Dajh Katzroy appear to awaken from crystal stasis too, Hope is upset to find Vanille and Fang have not awoken, but he remains positive, lightly remarking how they have defied their fate before. When Snow announces that they have to plan his wedding to Serah, Hope laughs and tells him that he does not waste any time.

In Battle


Hope fights with boomerangs that work differently from normal boomerangs, and they make him good at dealing long-ranged damage. Thanks to futuristic technology and design, he is able to throw the boomerang once and hit multiple enemies without having to throw it again.

But his true strength lies in his Magic Attack power; he has the highest magic growth out of the six characters (and can even have the highest attack value overall before the end of the game). He is the only character to learn all elements spells as a Ravager, but he lacks all of the -strike skills, so he cannot physically attack in the role. Hope's Full ATB Skill, Last Resort, deals non-elemental magic damage to all foes. Of all the playable characters, Hope has the lowest HP.

Eidolon


His Eidolon, Alexander, is a Holy Elemental Summon, who has the ability to turn into a fortress that stands on one side of the battlefield in his Gestalt Mode.

Weapons
See Hope's Boomerangs

Musical Themes
In Final Fantasy XIII, "Hope's Theme" is a melancholy tune composed with acoustic guitar representing his sensitive and vulnerable nature that plays during the flashback between him and his mother in Bodhum, and after his father accepts Snow's apology. An orchestral variant of his theme, "Sustained by Hate", is heard during his failed attempt at killing Snow, when Snow apologizes for his mother's death, and again when he summons Alexander for the first time. Another variant of his theme is called "This Is Your Home", which plays in his house after delivering the news to his father about Nora's fate.

Trivia

 * While Hope sometimes refers to Lightning as "Light" in the English version, he calls her "Light-san" for the rest of the game after she tells him to in the Japanese version. Presumably a minor error, Hope will sometimes call Lightning "Light" in battle shortly before the cutscene in which she tells him to do so.
 * Hope's crystal is in the shape of a star, almost resembling the crystal in the Final Fantasy IX [[Media:FfixLogo.jpg|logo]].
 * The animation sequence for Hope's full ATB skill, Last Resort, greatly resembles the White Magic spell Holy in Final Fantasy X.
 * Hope is the only member of the main party whose Eidolon is the same gender as its l'Cie partner.
 * Hope's weapon is the only one not visible on his person while outside of battle.
 * Hope is Fang's polar opposite. While Fang prioritizes physical strength and close range attacks, Hope sticks at a range and focuses on magical strength. Additionally, their Paradigms also mirror one another with Ravager/Synergist/Medic and Commando/Saboteur/Sentinel, belonging to Hope and Fang, respectively. Their in game personalities also serve as opposites, with one being timid, brooding and despairing, the other more open, friendly and free willed, a literal "Black and White".

Their interactions with characters also suggests this. For example, while Hope is babied and supported by Vanille, Fang herself carries the same guardianship towards Vanille. They both are also the only characters to refer to Lightning "Light". Lastly, Hope is the youngest of the l'Cie at 14, whilst Fang is the oldest at 521 (chronologically).