| Yuffie Kisaragi | |
|---|---|
| Final Fantasy character | |
 Yuffie Kisaragi artwork byTetsuya Nomura forFinal Fantasy VII. | |
| First appearance | Final Fantasy VII (1997)[1] |
| Designed by | Tetsuya Nomura[2] |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Weapon | Shuriken |
| Home | Wutai |
Yuffie Kisaragi (ユフィ・キサラギ,Yufi Kisaragi) is acharacter fromSquare Enix'sFinal Fantasy series. She was designed byTetsuya Nomura, and was first introduced in the 1997 role-playing video gameFinal Fantasy VII as a youngfemale ninja princess and thief. She is an optional party member, and can be recruited through asidequest. Yuffie reappears in theCompilation of Final Fantasy VII series, which expands on her background and shows her after the events of the original game.
Yuffie has been featured in other Square Enix games, including theKingdom Hearts series, and in the 2005 animated filmFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children. She is voiced in Japanese byYumi Kakazu and Kino Sakai, and in English byChristy Carlson Romano,Mae Whitman, Brandilyn Cheah, andSuzie Yeung. Yuffie is popular in East Asia, but her reception in Western media has been more mixed.
During early development ofFinal Fantasy VII, Yuffie was envisioned as a 25-year-old ex-SOLDIER now working as a bounty hunter, seeking both the game's protagonistCloud Strife and its antagonistSephiroth, while having a bounty on her. Herjob class was originally listed as "ninja (assassin)" and she was intended to be a daughter of the long-deceased Kasumi Kisaragi. The Wutai sidequest present in the final incarnation of the game was significantly different.[7] Her age and description was different for each of the several wanted posters, with her appearance andlevel being determined by the last wanted poster viewed. She would encounter the party in arandom encounter or attack Cloud when he is sleeping in an inn. The Wutai scenario required Yuffie to be recruited to complete it.[8]
Having a close attachment to Yuffie's character,Final Fantasy VII event planner Jun Akiyama was responsible for mostcutscenes featuring her and her actions during fights.[9] Regarding the use ofJapanese pronouns, Yuffie usesatashi "as opposed to the other female characters who usewatashi, perhaps to make her sound more cute or youthful, as she is younger than the others".[10]Mae Whitman, who voiced Yuffie in the English versions ofKingdom Hearts II andDirge of Cerberus, said she was not "aware of the extent to which people were familiar with her character already". In a 2012 interview, Whitman recalled Yuffie as "bubbly and bright and nice. But still super cool!"[11] Yuffie's design inKingdom Hearts was partially based on the original appearance ofRikku fromFinal Fantasy X.[12] In thedownloadable content (DLC)INTERmission forFinal Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Yuffie wears a Moogle hood, which she puts on during covert missions and is a reference to her appearance inDirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.[13] DirectorMotomu Toriyama chose to focus the story of the DLC on Yuffie overVincent Valentine, stating that her optionality in the original game allowed them to expand her backstory.[14] Yuffie's original design was altered to include more realistic details while preserving its ninja aspects and Japanese style. While the tissue physics in the model run in real time, Yuffie's legwarmers are individually adjusted so they do not fall off.[15]Suzie Yeung, who voiced her in the DLC,[4] was unaware of Yuffie's popularity and surprised by the positive fan reception to her inclusion in the remake.[16] InFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth, director Naoki Hamaguchi expressed a desire to leverage the new gameplay and battle mechanics introduced inINTERmission, such as team-up attacks performed by Yuffie and Sonon Kusakabe, as he felt they made for a "different feel in battle strategy".[17]
Yuffie is voiced in Japanese byYumi Kakazu[7] and Kino Sakai.[8]Voice actresses who provided the voice of Yuffie in English includeChristy Carlson Romano forKingdom Hearts andFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children;[3]Mae Whitman forKingdom Hearts II,Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, andKingdom Hearts III Re Mind; Brandilyn Cheah forCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion;[18] andSuzie Yeung forFinal Fantasy VII RemakeIntergrade andFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth.[19]
Yuffie appears in the 1997 role-playing video gameFinal Fantasy VII as one of two optional party members along withVincent Valentine. She is a 16-year-oldninja and thief who wieldsshurikens that she can throw like aboomerang. She is a fiercely patriotic daughter of Godo Kisaragi (ゴドー・キサラギ,Godō Kisaragi), the leader of the nation of Wutai (ウータイ,Ūtai), which is based on East Asia; Yuffie feels her country has lost its former glory and become nothing more than aresort town.[20] After losing the war against the Shinra Electric Power Company, Godo began to turn Wutai into a tourist attraction. This did not suit Yuffie, who ran off, stealing Materia from travelers in hopes of someday becoming strong enough to change the situation.[21] Yuffie is sneaky and arrogant,[22] has atomboyish and charismatic[23] personality, and obsessively steals and collects Materia.[24] She also tends to be short-tempered and is prone tomotion sickness.[24] In combat, Yuffie possesses the special Materia "Throw", enabling her to throw most items from the player's inventory at enemies during combat. When leveled up, she unlocks the ability "Coin", allowing her to throw the party's currency at the enemy.[1]
Yuffie ambushes the protagonistCloud Strife and his allies in a random encounter in a forest biome, appearing as "Mystery Ninja". If the player defeats her in combat and then chooses the correct series of dialogue choices, she joins the player'sparty as one of theplayer characters.[25] Once in Wutai Village, Yuffie steals the party's Materia and hides, but she is kidnapped by a Don Corneo, aMidgar crime lord.[26] Once the group rescues Yuffie, she returns the stolen Materia and continues working with them.[27] In another sidequest, she proves herself by fighting thebosses of Wutai's five-storypagoda,[28] the last of which is against Godo.[29] These fights, and the subsequent sequence of conversations, enable her and Godo to understand each other and come to a mutual respect.[30] At Godo's request, Cloud officially takes Yuffie, who obtains her level 4Limit Break "All Creation",[31] with him on his quest.[32]
If Yuffie is present whenAerith Gainsborough is murdered bySephiroth, she shows an uncharacteristic display of emotion, as she breaks down in Cloud's arms after failing to control her emotions.[33] Yuffie's loyalty to the team is called into question after Cloud temporarily disbands his party ahead of their final confrontation with Sephiroth; when Yuffie is the last to return,Barret Wallace suspects her of abandoning the team in light of her earlier treachery at Wutai.[34] When Yuffie returns to the group, she rebukes Barrett for his judgement.[35]
Yuffie is featured inFinal Fantasy VII Remake, appearing as the sole playable character in its bonusdownloadable content (DLC)INTERmission, which takes place in parallel to the story of the main game.[15] She and her partner Sonon Kasukabe infiltrate Midgar to steal the "Ultimate Materia" from Shinra. When the mission goes wrong, Sonon sacrifices himself to save Yuffie, and she resolves to gather allies to take down Shinra. She returns as a party member inFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth.[36]
In the 2005 animated filmFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Yuffie reunites with her allies to fight against thesummon creature Bahamut SIN. In theOn the Way to a Smile novella "Case of Yuffie", which is set between the end ofFinal Fantasy VII and the beginning ofAdvent Children, the disease Geostigma spreads to Wutai, and Yuffie sets out to find a cure.[37]
In the 2004 action role-playing gameBefore Crisis, which is set six years beforeFinal Fantasy VII, Yuffie encounters Shinra's agents called the Turks in Wutai and unknowingly works with them against the eco-terrorist groupAVALANCHE.[38] In the 2006 third-person shooter gameDirge of Cerberus, which is set one year afterAdvent Children, Yuffie leaves home and joins the World Regenesis Organization, where she is placed in charge of espionage and intelligence gathering.[39]
A nine-year-old Yuffie makes brief appearances in the 2007 action role-playing gameCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, where she fights against Shinra following their invasion and takeover of Wutai.[23] After meetingZack Fair, she enlists his help to find treasures in several side missions.[23]
Outside theFinal Fantasy series, Yuffie has also been featured in theKingdom Hearts series. Inthe first game, a younger Yuffie acts as a supporting character in Traverse Town, helping to defeat the Heartless who destroyed her world.[40][41] Yuffie also appears inKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a projection fromSora's memories in Traverse Town.[42] InKingdom Hearts II, she aids Leon and the others as part of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee,[43] and appears in herAdvent Children attire. InKingdom Hearts andKingdom Hearts II, Yuffie is featured as an opponent in the Olympus Coliseum, whileKingdom Hearts Coded features avirtual simulation of her.[44] She also appears in the DLCRe Mind forKingdom Hearts III.[45]
Yuffie is an unlockable playable character in thePlayStation version of the 1998 fighting gameEhrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, appearing alongside other characters fromFinal Fantasy VII.[46][47][48] She is also one of the playable characters in thePlayStation Portable version of the 2006 party video gameItadaki Street, in achibi-style design similar to her model during the exploration gameplay mode ofFinal Fantasy VII,[49] and in the 2013 action puzzle mobile gamePictlogica Final Fantasy, also in achibi form.[50] She was the first DLC character released for the 2014 rhythm gameTheatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call.[51] Yuffie also appears as a playable character in the free-to-play role-playing video gamesFinal Fantasy Record Keeper andDissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia.[52][53]
Yuffie also makes appearances in some video games as anon-playable character. In the 2008 fighting gameDissidia Final Fantasy, she appears as a tutor of the in-game manuals and an unlockable friend card.[54] She is a "Legend" type assist character in the 2012 mobile gameFinal Fantasy Airborne Brigade.[55] Yuffie also appears in the 2018 fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as a spirit.[56]
Yuffie Kisaragi has received a notably positive reception in Japan and overseas, being described as one of the best ninja[57][58] and overall video game characters.[59][60][61]Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Yuffie's reappearance as one of the greatest moments ofKingdom Hearts.[62] David Smith fromIGN included her on their top tenFinal Fantasy VII characters, stating that she "belongs in the Wacky Sidekicks wing of the RPG hall of fame". Although commenting that Yuffie can sometimes be "a pain in the neck", Smith said that she became such an appealingsidekick character that Square would go on to use the "Yuffie formula" with Rikku forFinal Fantasy X.[63]
Final Fantasy VII directorYoshinori Kitase askedEGM "why American gamers love Yuffie so much". They were unable to come with a clear answer.[64] According toEdge, Yuffie, being one of characters that are "brands in and of themselves", created a newanime stereotype of giddy girl ninja.[65] WomanGamers.com gave the character an overall score of 7.0/10, opining that while "a 18 year old ninja girl was a nice refreshing change [...] it would have been nice if her character had matured and developed through this story".[66] Jef Rouner of theHouston Press described Yuffie's reaction to Aerith's death as one of the five most heartbreaking, missable scenes in theFinal Fantasy franchise, which he felt rivaled the emotional impact of anything found in the main narrative.[33] In his review forAdvent Children, James Mielke of1UP.com called her "as cutelyjailbait as ever";[67] the film itself was called "Ogling Legal-Age Yuffie" by Geson Hatchett ofHardcore Gamer.[68]
Yuffie's character also garnered negative reception. In her character profile,IGN called her "both impressively useful and incredibly annoying".[1]GameFan editor The 6th Man compared himself to Yuffie, as "in one word—annoying" but also having "that innocent, naive qualify".[69] In 2010, Scott Sharkey of 1UP.com described her as being in the category of "The Perky Idiot" alongside Rikku and Selphie while discussing the top five character types in theFinal Fantasy series.[70] That same year,GamesRadar's Mikel Reparaz called her as "hyper-annoying".[48] In 2013, Kyle Lowe ofComplex called her as the fifth most annoying classic video game character.[71] Joe Juba ofGame Informer included her among "Final Fantasy's particular breed of annoying companions, like Selphie andVaan".[72]Lisa Foiles ofThe Escapist included her in their "crazy, hyperactive teenager" on her top five annoying princesses in video games, calling her "just a definition of annoying".[73] As a result of calling her an unimportant character inFinal Fantasy VII due to how difficult is to get her,Paste regarded Yuffie's portrayal in the remake as far more entertaining take on Yuffie due to her role in the narrative,[74] whileKotaku praised and said that she's "irresistibly charming as Yuffie".[4]
Yuffie: "You turned Wutai into a cheesy resort town peddling to tourists...How dare you!? Da-chao Statue and Leviathan are ashamed!!"
Yuffie: ...I've been hearing that ever since I was little. Before I was born, Wutai was a lot more crowded and more important... You saw what it looks like now, right? ...JUST a resort town... After we lost the war, we got peace, but with that, we lost something else. Now look at Wutai... That's why... if I had lots of Materia I could...
Yuffie: Huh? Hey... HEY! Wait! I haven't even told you my name...... I'm Yuffie! Good to meetcha! (to herself) Heh heh...... just as I planned. Now all I have to do is... a little this...... and a little that...... nyuk, nyuk, nyuk...... (to Cloud) Hey, wait up! Wait for me!
Corneo: Hohi! I've finally got a new chicky! Two for me, in fact! Hohi, hohi! (...) /Cloud: ......Ok. Corneo took Yuffie from us. And without Yuffie there's no way we'll get our Materia back.
Yuffie: Huh? Oh, it'll be all right... Don't be so picky! Anyways, that sure was close...... No, normally I would kick their butts, Boom, Bang!! That Corneo guy's a real pain. I'd rather deal with my dad than deal with that guy. Oh, by the way, some of those guys from the Turks are good, huh? At least, after all that, we got the Materia back. Now come on everybody, let's continue our journey...
Staniv: The rule is the best fighter on each floor will be your opponent... Although it's a five-storied pagoda, the fourth floor is the highest... In other words, no one has ever defeated me---Master of Weaponry! You still want to try...? /Yuffie: Just come on!!
Godo: I'm glad you made it this far, Yuffie! /Yuffie: Why, why are you...... /Godo: I'll answer you by having you try your skills against me! Hold nothing back. Come as if you're trying to kill me! If you don't...then I'll have to kill you!
Godo: Yuffie...... I am the same now as I was before when I wanted the war. But, after I lost the war, I began to think... Is strength, only for defeating the enemy? ...or just something to show-off to others...? Might begets might. That's the same way as the Shinra... (...) I knew you were looking for Materia for the good of Wutai. But, the reason I hide my strength now, is also for the good of Wutai... And now, I realize both are necessary... Strength without determination means nothing. And determination without strength is equally useless...!
Godo: You there, please take Yuffie with you! I perceive that you all have both determination and strength! (...) Go, Yuffie! For the sake of strengthening Wutai! /Yuffie: Dad... /Godo: I'll take care of the Five Sacred Gods until you return! Go! And come back alive!
Barret: I guess that's everyone.Red: No, Yuffie's missing.Barret: She ain't gonna show up. 'Least this time she didn't steal our materia. Guess we gotta be thankful for that.
Yuffie: How could you say that!? I came all the way here after being seasick as a dog! I didn't go through all that just to have you guys have the best parts all to yourselves!
Yuffie: You're Shinra! Were you trying to trick me?! Damage Wutai some more?! /Player: No, you've misunderstood. I wasn't trying to fool you. /Yuffie: I hate them. But! I hate Shinra more!!
Yuffie: A female ninja who escaped to Traverse Town when her homeworld was taken by the Heartless. She stays strong and cheerful in any situation. She works with Leon and Aerith to unravel the secret of the 'key'.
Aerith: I don't think I have any memory of it...but somehow I still remember. Maybe Sora's heart is doing the remembering for us. /Sora: How does THAT work? /Aerith: We don't know you, Sora, but your heart is full of memories of us together. Those memories must resonate in our hearts, too. Maybe they tell us things we couldn't otherwise know.
Yuffie: Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house. C'mon! Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!
Leon: The name's...Leon. I wanted to help with the blocks, but something else needed my attention first. /Yuffie: Hey, I'm Yuffie. Thanks for looking after everybody! It's... Sora, right? Drop by again sometime. I bet we'd make a good team!
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