Tiger Fangs (VII Rebirth)

Tiger fangs are a weapon for Tifa in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The weapon provides the Chi Trap ability, a magic-based attack which creates an orb that damages enemies it comes into contact with. The weapon has balanced stats, and a notably high materia slot growth in early levels.

Obtained[]

Tiger fangs are acquired in a chest in chapter 9, "The Planet Stirs", while controlling Tifa inside the Gongaga Reactor. Upon reaching a flooded room, at the nearest platform ahead, looking up will reveal a beam that can be grappled up to. Grappling further up the beams will reach the chest.

If missed here, the weapon can be purchased from shops in chapter 10, "Watcher of the Vale", onwards.

Upgrades[]

Level	ATK	MATK	Skill slots	New weapon skills
5	58	46	2	Utterly Unbridled Strength - Increases attack power while Unbridled Strength is active, with a 5% boost at chi level 1, and 10% at chi level 2. Steadfast Concentration - Activates Concentration after being revived. Max HP +200 - Increases max HP by 200. Altruistic Recovery +10% - Increases HP recovery by 10% when healing party members. Attack Power +20 - Increases attack by 20. MP Recovery Rate Up - Slightly increases MP regeneration speed during battle.
6	66	53	3	Selfish Buff Up - Increases duration of received beneficial status effects by 25%.
7	79	63	3	Enhanced Physical Guard - Reduces physical damage by 5% while guarding.
8	95	76	4	Max HP +200 - Increases max HP by 200.
9	113	91	4	Unbridled Stagger Siphon - Recover HP when dealing damage with unique abilities to a staggered enemy.

Use[]

Tiger fangs have modest but balanced stats across the board, with moderate Attack Power and Magic Attack. The main draw of the weapon is its strong defensive weapon skills, which mean equipping the weapon will sacrifice Tifa's damage output in favor of making her more durable. Another big strength of the weapon when first acquired is the materia slots provided, and quick materia slot growth thereafter.

The skills of the weapon make it unique, as they provide Tifa with more defensive, healing skills. Unbridled Stagger Siphon is unique to the weapon, allowing her to recover HP damage when using her Unbridled Strength attacks on staggered enemies, meaning she will both heal herself and boost their stagger bonus damage.

Compared to other weapons, tiger fangs provide only a modest boost to damage output. Other weapons such as Leather Gloves and Sylph Gloves will provide balanced but greater attack power and magic attack boosts. However, tiger fangs stand as unique in their ability to make Tifa more durable. This makes them worthwhile in builds or battles (or in running her for solo battles such as in the Chadley Combat Simulator) where these weapon skills are desired, at a slight cost to her damage output.

Etymology[]

Tifa also has another fist weapon, called Dragon Claws. [view · edit · purge]In East Asian cultures, the dragon and the tiger are considered eternal rivals. Various artworks depict the two fighting an epic battle, the dragon representative of things of Yang polarity and spirit, with the tiger representative of things of Yin polarity and matter. Ultimately, they represent the inevitable reconciliation of opposing but equal forces. The dragon is a creature of the skies, whereas the tiger is considered the king of all terrestrial beasts, and their bouts always end in a draw.

In the context of Eastern and Asian martial arts, the dragon represents the aspects of soft style and internal martial arts, focusing on accuracy, mental alertness, and fluid reactivity. The tiger represents the aspects of hard style and external martial arts, focusing on explosive speed, raw strength, and countering an opposing force with one's own. In martial arts fiction and fantasy, internal based martial arts are often seen with abilities centered on chi energy and spiritual powers, while external martial arts are depicted with unparalleled physical proportions, with the most reputable martial arts being able to harmonize and utilize both aspects as one force.