Oerba Yun Fang

Oerba Yun Fang is a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII who appears as a non-playable character in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and as a temporary party member in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Her full name stands for "Fang of the Yun clan, from the village of Oerba".

In Final Fantasy XIII, Fang is introduced as a Gran Pulse l'Cie working with a division of the Sanctum's military under unknown pretenses. A strong woman surrounded by mysteries and driven by a personal agenda, Fang aims to complete her Focus to save her friend Vanille from a fate worse than death.

In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Fang appears alongside Vanille in Serah Farron's dreamworld.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Fang is the leader of a guild of bandits based in the Dead Dunes called Monoculus, and is in search of an important relic.

Appearance and Personality


Fang is a tall woman at 5'9" and has the physical appearance of a twenty-one-year-old. Fang has bronze skin and wavy dark brown hair with a braid behind her left ear. Fang's eyes are green and there is a beauty mark beneath her right eye. Fang wears purple claw-shaped earrings. She has scars on her right arm and shoulder, and wears blue clothing resembling a traditional Indian adorned with tribal accessories. In addition to the sari, Fang wears a short black top, black sleeves over her forearms, tan leather open-toed sandals, and two fur pelts hanging from a cord beneath the belt that holds her spear. Fang has the brand of a l'Cie on her right shoulder and a large tattoo on the other. Unlike the other l'Cie whose brands are black and progress, Fang's l'Cie brand is white and static.

Fang is a cocky, confident, and stubborn, and like Lightning, is sarcastic, determined, and independent, but expresses insecurity whenever talking about her past. She displays a quick wit and a dry sense of humor and can be strict. Although she comes across as cocky and confident, Fang has a caring and compassionate side, especially towards Vanille, whom she would protect by any means. She cares greatly about her friends, willing to take extreme measures to protect them. In Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-, Lightning comments on Fang having a "wild fearlessness to her", and indeed, Fang never back down from a fight regardless of her opponent. She believes in Lady Luck.

Unlike the other party members, Fang never undergoes any big change and thus remains largely the same in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-


Fang and Vanille hail from the village of Oerba on Gran Pulse. During the War of Transgression between Pulse and Cocoon, Fang and Vanille lost their families at the hands of Cocoon's l'Cie and fal'Cie, and became close friends after meeting at Oerba's orphanage. Fang developed a grudge against Oerba's patron fal'Cie, Anima, for failing to protect the people of Gran Pulse, and became a l'Cie to protect both Pulse and Vanille, with Vanille becoming a l'Cie alongside her. Together, Fang and Vanille gained the power to become the beast Ragnarok to fulfill their Focus of destroying Cocoon.

Vanille was fearful of the power bestowed upon them and Fang became Ragnarok alone to complete their Focus. Fang's Ragnarok cracked Cocoon's shell and, taking pity on the people of Cocoon, the goddess Etro intervened and crystallized both Vanille and Fang before they could complete their Focus. Fang and Vanille's crystallized forms ended up in the Pulse Vestige, Anima's resting place, and in the war's aftermath, Cocoon's fal'Cie raided Pulse for materials to fix the damage Cocoon had sustained, and the crystallized Fang and Vanille were brought into Cocoon.

Hundreds of years later, Fang and Vanille awaken from crystal stasis. Fang awakens with no memory of the past events dealing with Ragnarok and Vanille lies about losing her memory as well, taking on the burden of Ragnarok to spare Fang the guilt. Fang finds her l'Cie brand scorched and unchanging but Vanille's brand is still active, and over the next two days Fang tries to remember their Focus to prevent Vanille from becoming a Cie'th.

Within the Vestige, Fang and Vanille find an unconscious Serah, who has been transformed into a l'Cie. They take Serah outside and watch over her until she regains consciousness and leaves. Fang thinks their Focus must have something to do with attacking Cocoon and two days later, using stolen ID cards, they board a train to Euride Gorge to see its fal'Cie, Kujata. Fang proposes she and Vanille attack it to restore their memories, but before they can make their move Sazh Katzroy's son, Dajh, happens upon them. Kujata senses Fang and Vanille's threat and brands Dajh a Sanctum l'Cie. Realizing the depth of the situation, the two flee before Sazh finds them.

Sanctum troops flood the facility and Fang forces Vanille to escape alone. Fang fights off their pursuers and returns to Bodhum, but is captured by the Cavalry the next day. She is brought aboard the Lindblum and meets Sanctum official and Cavalry leader, Cid Raines, who explains the Cavalry stands apart from PSICOM. Captain Rygdea reveals the Cavalry helped her escape from Euride Gorge and makes a deal with Fang to search for Vanille. When Rygdea returns from Bodhum empty-handed the following day, Fang is not surprised he did not find her.

In the four days since the Euride Gorge incident, Fang stays on the Lindblum to avoid capture, but worries she is wasting Vanille's time by not resuming her search for her. Two days later, Fang revisits the Vestige while still in contact with the Cavalry and unknown to her, just misses Vanille. Fang, warned of PSICOM's presence by Rygdea, retreats to the Bodhum beach café and watches the annual fireworks display. After Fang is called back to the Lindblum it is announced PSICOM has discovered Anima within the Vestige, and the Sanctum is ordering a Purge of everyone in the quarantined area.

Knowing Vanille will be herded onto a Purge train, Fang has Raines and Rygdea help her rescue Vanille in exchange for the promise she and Vanille will help them take down the Sanctum. Two days later, after the last Purge train leaves Bodhum, the Lindblum lands on the surface of Lake Bresha and Fang rides in an airship with Rygdea to the Purge train's destination, the Hanging Edge.

Final Fantasy XIII


During the Purge, Anima and the Pulse Vestige are destroyed and Vanille and the newly branded l'Cie: Lightning, Sazh, Snow, and Hope Estheim, are cast down to the now-crystallized Lake Bresha. As they escape PSICOM, their conflict regarding their shared Focus splits the group up. Snow stays behind to dig out Serah's crystal while Lightning leads the others out of the lake to outdistance PSICOM. When Fang arrives with Rygdea and several Cavalry troops, she only finds Snow guarding his crystallized fiancée from a PSICOM attack.

After Snow tames his Eidolon, the Shiva Sisters, Fang orders the Cavalry to capture Snow and take Serah's crystal with them. Aboard the Lindblum, Raines tells Snow of the Sanctum's plan to publicly execute the l'Cie once they are captured, and leaves Snow no choice but to help him find the others. Fang tells Snow she is looking to hunt down the l'Cie herself, but does not divulge her connection to Vanille.

The Lindblum flies out to Palumpolum, where Fang and Snow rescue Lightning and Hope from the Sanctum's attack. They split up as Snow leaves with Hope and Fang with Lightning, keeping in contact with wireless communicators. After deciding on Hope's home in Felix Heights as their rendezvous point, Fang reveals her origins to Lightning and that she and Vanille were indirectly responsible for Lightning's sister Serah being made a l'Cie. Fang and Lightning realize Pulse and Cocoon are more similar than they initially thought in how both worlds feared and hated each other, but Fang is willing to be an enemy of Cocoon if it will save Vanille. Fang explains how a l'Cie's brand shows the time they have until they transform into Cie'th, and explains strong emotions can quicken the process. Fang reassures Lightning that Serah will come out of crystal stasis one day.

Passing PSICOM Warmechs alert them that Hope and Snow are in trouble. Lightning and Fang find Snow and Hope just in time to help the latter fight an Ushumgal Subjugator. They go into hiding in Hope's home and take refuge with his father, Bartholomew Estheim. As they try to figure out how do deal with the Sanctum, the house is attacked by PSICOM forces led by Yaag Rosch, but Rygdea arrives with Cavalry troops disguised as PSICOM soldiers and saves them. The party is led onto the Lindblum, where they learn Vanille and Sazh were captured in Nautilus and are being held captive aboard the Palamecia to be brought to Eden for a public execution.

With the Cavalry's help, the group infiltrates the Sanctum airship to rescue the prisoners and Fang and Vanille are reunited. Fang checks the progression of Vanille's brand and is relieved she still has time left. Before the party escapes the Palamecia, they face the Sanctum Primarch, Galenth Dysley, who reveals his true form as the fal'Cie Barthandelus. After defeating him in battle they learn their Focus: to destroy Cocoon by transforming into Ragnarok and destroying Orphan, the fal'Cie that sustains Cocoon. While the rest of the party are coming to terms with the gravity of their task, Fang is troubled by Barthandelus taunting her for forgetting her Focus. The party escapes using an airship Dysley left behind and crash into the Fifth Ark hidden beneath Eden.

In the Ark, the party's l'Cie powers are fully awakened. They meet Cid Raines, who is revealed to have been a Sanctum l'Cie branded by Barthandelus all along, with the Focus to help them destroy Cocoon. Raines tells the party the Cocoon fal'Cie want Cocoon's destruction to call back the Maker and remake the world. To defy his fal'Cie master Cid attacks the group intent on killing them to stop the fal'Cie's plan. The party defeats Raines and he unexpectedly turns to crystal. While the rest are inspired by Raines's sacrifice and vow to fight their Focus as well, Fang turns on the party, willing to "smash Cocoon out of the sky" if it means saving her friends from turning Cie'th. Her Eidolon, Bahamut, manifests and after the battle, Fang relents and agrees to help the others search for a way to defy their Focus and wipe their brands clean. A path to the Ark's lowest level is revealed. They board an old Pulsian airship and fly through a gate to Gran Pulse.

After emerging in Pulse's atmosphere, a wyvern attacks the airship. With Lightning's help, Fang summons Bahamut and saves the others. With the Vallis Media as their base camp, the party spends days searching Pulse for answers but come up empty-handed. Hope's brand advances and he falls unconscious. Vanille suggests returning to Oerba to look for answers. After Hope comes to, he urges the others to go on without him. His Eidolon Alexander appears and Fang and Lightning help him tame it, now knowing the Eidolons' true purpose. The party's hope is renewed and everyone decides to go to Oerba together. In the ruins of Paddra in the Yaschas Massif, Fang and Vanille tell the others about their role in the War of Transgression. Fang remains puzzled over having entered crystal stasis despite not doing anything in the war, but Vanille continues lying to hide her guilt.

The group crosses the Archylte Steppe and in the Font of Namva, Fang apologizes to Sazh for her part in what happened to Dajh. He forgives her, ultimately blaming himself for not watching his son. The group enters the Mah'habara Subterra, where they stop briefly in the Flower-filled Fissure. Fang lies to Vanille about remembering her previous Focus to coax a confession out of her, which signals the appearance of Vanille's Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, making Fang realize Vanille had always remembered everything about their Focus. After taming the Eidolon, Fang reveals she had been suspicious of Vanille ever since they awoke in Cocoon, but assures she is not angry with her and that they no longer just have each other; they now have a new family.

After passing through the Sulyya Springs and climbing Taejin's Tower, Fang and Vanille are shocked to see Oerba abandoned and dilapidated. The party rides a capsule down to Oerba's outskirts and navigate its dilapidated, Cie'th-infested ruins. They encounter Barthandelus, who claims he has arranged for Cocoon's destruction even without the Pulse l'Cie's help by resurrecting Raines as the new Primarch and tricking the Cavalry into going after Orphan. After defeating him again, the party heads to Eden to stop his plan.

After Sazh pilots an airship into the Eden Grand Prix, the party ambushes the city with their Eidolons and head straight for Orphan's Cradle and find members of the Cavalry turned into Cie'th. As Fang falls under pressure, Vanille proposes they promise to protect Cocoon as their new home. After defeating Barthandelus in the Narthex, Orphan rises from its pool and tortures Vanille to make Fang become Ragnarok. Fang submits and Orphan releases Vanille. Fang tries to attack Vanille but the others stop her.

Everyone except Fang and Vanille transforms into Cie'th who relentlessly attack Fang. Fang's brand re-activates and she again transforms into an incomplete Ragnarok. She attacks Orphan, but only breaks the protective barrier around the fal'Cie before reverting. To force Fang to become Ragnarok again and finish the job, Orphan tortures her in an agonizing cycle of being attacked and then healed. Fang begs Vanille to run but she refuses and prepares to face Orphan. The fal'Cie is attacked by the others and sinks back into its pool, releasing Fang. The rest of the party overcomes the illusion of being turned into Cie'th with the help of the memories of everything they had gone through. Fang is released from Orphan's clutches and together they resolve to defeat Orphan once and for all, not to destroy Cocoon, but to save it, and with that promise, all of their l'Cie brands turn white.

With Orphan's destruction, Orphan's Cradle vanishes and the party is left floating over Eden as Cocoon begins to fall. As Lightning, Hope, Sazh, and Snow drift away, Fang and Vanille sacrifice themselves to save Cocoon by becoming Ragnarok. Ragnarok surrounds Cocoon with lava and summons the crystal dust from Oerba to crystallize Cocoon, the pillar of lava, and Fang and Vanille. The crystallized Cocoon is left erect over Pulse supported by an enormous crystal pillar. On Pulse, the others awaken from their brief crystal stasis to find not only their brands wiped clean, but Serah and Dajh safely returned to them. Fang and Vanille's crystallized bodies remain within the pillar's core, holding hands, in crystal sleep.

Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-
Seeing Dajh smile helps Fang forgive herself for the Euride Gorge incident. Fang wants Serah to forgive her as well, but Vanille reassures Fang that Serah is a kind person and therefore she will. With the responsibility of supporting Cocoon, Fang does not mind wasting away in a deep sleep as long as Vanille is with her. They feel the goddess smiling at them, and Fang feels missing pieces of her memory returning, although she still cannot remember everything. Looking down upon her friends, Fang knows both Snow and Lightning will want to save her and Vanille despite her trying to tell them not to.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Inside the pillar, Fang wonders why Lightning is protecting Etro in Valhalla, believing her to be a cruel goddess who sends the Eidolons to dispose of her l'Cie. Seeing that Lightning has no way out of Valhalla, Fang urges Serah to listen to her heart as she might hear Lightning's voice that way. Fang sees Snow is determined on getting to the Coliseum for her and Vanille's sake, and wishes that instead of worrying about them he would help reunite Serah and Lightning.

In Serah's dream in the Void Beyond, Fang meets Serah and says she and Vanille have come to save her from being trapped in the endless dream Caius Ballad put her in. Fang creates a space-time distortion and tells Serah she needs to help someone else out before he becomes trapped in an endless dream himself. Vanille and Fang disappear, leaving the portal to lead Serah to Noel Kreiss. After missing her chance to apologize to Serah for her role in Serah's transformation into a l'Cie when they met, Fang does so and vows she and Vanille will repay their debts by holding up Cocoon. She tells Serah to help Lightning and deal with Caius. In the year 500 AF, Hope, Sazh and the Academy safely remove the crystal holding Fang and Vanille from the pillar just before Cocoon falls.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII


Four hundred and eighty-seven years later, Fang and Vanille awoke from crystal stasis in Nova Chrysalia, and were taken in by a religious organization known as the Order in Luxerion. Vanille had gained the power to hear the voices of the dead, became revered as a saint by Luxerion's people, and fell under the Order's protection. Fang began to feel that the Order is using Vanille and abandoned the group while Vanille stayed behind in the Luxerion cathedral. Fang took up residence in the Dead Dunes and founded a band of thieves called Monoculus, who explore the ancient ruins for buried treasure. Fang searches for a relic called a clavis, an item said to summon the dead, which the Order needs in their agenda with Vanille.

Thirteen days before the Apocalypse, Lightning comes out of crystal stasis and is chosen to be the savior by the god Bhunivelze. Fang reunites with her former ally when she is brought to her by her associate Adonis as a new recruit, having kept tabs on Lightning since her arrival at the Dead Dunes. In her search for the clavis, Fang's efforts are challenged by the Order's Secutors and she asks Lightning to help her find the clavis before they do.

As they traverse an underground maze, Fang and Lightning find murals depicting how Etro, Lindzei and Pulse were created by Bhunivelze, and how humans were created by Lindzei from Etro's spilt blood to be used as tools of the gods, like how Bhunivelze is using Vanille through the Order. Another mural shows Bhunivelze, who saves pure souls and banishes the dead, as he believes them to be impure. Fang tells Lightning about how the Order wants the clavis for a ritual that only Vanille can perform, and says Vanille is still pained with guilt over her past sins and seeks to atone by sacrificing herself through the ritual to save the dead from their suffering within the Chaos.

When Fang and Lightning find the clavis, Fang tries to destroy it, but it forces her and Lightning back. The Secutors arrive and unleash a beast on them while they go after the clavis. By the time Fang and Lightning kill the monster, the Secutors have claimed the clavis. Then Lumina appears, taunts Fang for not fully trusting Lightning and suspecting her to be an agent of the Order. Lumina reveals that she was monitoring Fang and Lightning and she the one who led the Secutors to them. Lumina says the Secutors are taking the clavis to Luxerion, where on the day of the Apocalypse, Vanille will perform the ritual.

On the final day, Noel and Fang infiltrate the Luxerion cathedral to help Lightning save Vanille from the ritual. Fang learns that Vanille has the power to guide souls and help them achieve rebirth, and the Order's plan is to sacrifice Vanille to obliterate the dead so the memories of their existence will be erased from the living, who would be 'freed' of their past regrets to live in perpetual bliss in Bhunivelze's new world. Fang and Lightning find Vanille on the cathedral altar amidst of performing the ritual and tell her of the Order's true intentions, but Vanille still wants to pay for her sins. She listens to the dead and learns that, despite their suffering, they carry the hope of being reborn. She stops the ritual and Fang offers to help her atone for the past.

Vanille is struck down by the high priestess demanding her to continue the ritual. Snow arrives and Fang gives him her spear, enabling him to destroy the clavis. Together, Fang and Vanille guide the dead to Hope's Ark to be reborn in the new world, with her and Vanille's souls as their guiding light. Then Hope, possessed by Bhunivelze, arrives and captures Fang, Vanille, Noel, and Snow. Fang returns to aid Lightning in defeating Bhunivelze before witnessing Nova Chrysalia's destruction and accompanying her friends to the new world.

Final Fantasy XIII


Fang wields a double-bladed spear that can split into a. Fang's Full ATB Skill, Highwind, is a powerful jump attack. Out of all six playable characters Fang has the longest Crystarium expansion. She is the only one to not obtain the Ravager role before the Crystarium expansion in Chapter 10.

Fang consistently has the strongest physical attack power, which makes her an excellent Commando. Her Full ATB Skill, Highwind — a reference to the Dragoons of earlier installments — is a powerful Commando attack that will wipe the target's stagger gauge. Despite not majoring in the Ravager role Fang learns all elemental strikes as well as spells up to the -"ra" level with Water and Wind being her -"ga" specialty. Fang is a powerful Saboteur, specializing in abilities that hinder enemy movement.


 * Base Statistics

Eidolon


Fang's Eidolon is Bahamut, who has no element. Bahamut takes flight in his Gestalt Mode.

Bahamut uses physical attacks and non-elemental spells. Using Fang's Saboteur role with it provides a deadly combination to some of the toughest enemies in the game.

Weapons
Fang uses a spear that has two forms like most weapons do in Final Fantasy XIII: her two-bladed spear can split into a three-section staff (sansetsukon in Japanese) in battle. On the blades of her spear Fang's name is engraved in the Pulsian alphabet. Fang's ultimate weapon is an allusion to Kain Highwind, a Dragoon from Final Fantasy IV.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Fang aids Lightning in battle as an uncontrollable guest character. She wields her default weapon from Final Fantasy XIII, the Bladed Lance. She will attack enemies quickly if the player casts Poison or other weakening spell on enemies.

Creation and Development
Fang was originally written as a male character. Early in development, Lightning was meant to be a flirtatious character with more sex appeal but these traits were transferred to Fang to make Lightning a more serious character. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura has stated that when compared to the other characters personality-wise, Fang is stronger than Lightning and more stubborn than Snow.

Voice
Fang and Vanille speak with a different accent from the rest of the party. In the Japanese version this is the Okinawan dialect of Japanese, and in the English localization they speak with an Australian accent. The idea to cast two characters with Australian accent came from the localization team, who requested the voice directing team to look for either Australian or New Zealand sounding voices. The rationale was that the team wanted Fang and Vanille to sound like from another world, but more in a sense of having a different melody to their voices rather than a thick accent.

Musical Themes
In Final Fantasy XIII, "Fang's Theme" is a short and uplifting orchestral piece, something unusual for a character of the "strong and tough female" archetype. It contains a small variant of the main battle theme, "Blinded By Light", and plays at many points during the game.

Two rearrangements of her theme include the second version of "The Pulse l'Cie", which plays during her flashback of the fifth day when she and Vanille separate at the Euride Gorge energy plant, and "Dust to Dust", a melancholic theme with vocals that plays as Fang tells Lightning about her past in Palumpolum and as the background theme for Oerba.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Fang has a new leitmotif titled "Fang's Theme ~The Boss~", an orchestral piece with a haunting chorus that plays during moments in the Dead Dunes' underground maze.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Fang makes a cameo appearance in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy as a tutor in the in-game manual. She teaches the player about Assists alongside Hope.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Fang appears as a card in the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game. She is shown in a close-up view, the same picture shown on her Status screen in the main menu.

Merchandise
An action figure of Fang were released as a part of the Play Arts series.

Etymology and Symbolism
In Korean 'Yun' means "allow, consent" or, "soft, sleek". In Chinese, the name 'Yun' means "cloud".

The characters of Fang and Vanille are based on the Ragnarok myth of Líf ("life") and Lífþrasir ("eager for life") — the only humans who will survive Ragnarok. They sleep through the destruction of the earth and upon awakening will find the earth verdant again. will become the progenitors of a new race of humans, and their descendants will inhabit the world. This is congruent with the idea that Fang was originally envisioned as a male character.

Trivia

 * Many assumed Fang's eidolith is supposed to take the form of a fang as an allusion to her name, but Fang's crystal appears in Final Fantasy XIII-2 as an adornment for monsters where it is called "Crystal Petal".
 * Fang's crystal is used for the "Treasure Hunter" trophy/achievement.
 * Fang loves salty foods, as mentioned in Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-.
 * A photo of Fang and Vanille can be found in Oerba, proof of their past existence on Gran Pulse.
 * Fang is the only playable character not present in Chapter One. She is briefly seen in Snow's flashback at the end of Chapter Two, and makes her first proper appearance in Chapter Three. This makes her the only party member who was not in the Purge.
 * If one turns on subtitles on at the beginning of Chapter 7, Fang's name appears when she is talking, but her Datalog entry will still not display her name.
 * Unlike Vanille's, Fang's full name is never spoken in-game.
 * Fang shares a battle quote with Rikku: "It's all in the wrist!"
 * Fang is the only character in Final Fantasy XIII to see Lightning's l'Cie brand.
 * Fang is the only character to ride a chocobo sidesaddle.
 * When Fang uses the elevator lever in the Taejin's Tower she pushes it with her leg while the others use their arms.