When one talks about some of the most iconic characters in video game history, then there are many names that might roll off of one's tongue. Dante, John Marston, Kratos, Cloud, Mario, Sonic, Zelda — the list is virtually endless, and chances are that two different people might not have the same names coming out of their mouth. However, if there's one thing that gamers can unanimously agree upon, it's the fact that Tifa Lockhart is definitely one such name that has become synonymous with video gaming as a whole. The character is iconic for a whole host of reasons — although most people try and boil it down to two major ones, if you catch my drift — which means that most ardent Final Fantasy VII fans have already gone above and beyond the call of duty to educate themselves on everything even remotely relevant about this character.

Keeping this in mind, it must be said that a large portion of the fanbase still has little to no clue about the various hidden facets of this characters that warrant a closer look. These are background elements that are only hinted at for the most part, which means that players need to do their fair bit of research to truly find out these things. Only the most devoted fans know about each and every one of these 25 elements about Tifa Lockhart, which have subtly shaped her character in more ways than one. So, without further ado, let us take a look at some of the hidden facts about Tifa's character that will surely intrigue any ardent Final Fantasy VII fan.

23 Her Last Name Has A Hidden Meaning

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All Final Fantasy VII characters have names with hidden meanings. Cloud Strife refers to the mental troubles that he had to deal with, Vincent Valentine is a reference to Lucrecia, and so on and so forth.

Similarly, Tifa's last name is also indicative of something... romantic.

For those of you in the dark, Tifa's last name is Lockhart, and is meant to hint towards the hidden feelings she has locked up in her heart for Cloud.

22 She Was Supposed To Have White Hair At One Point

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After serving as the backup character designer for the most part in the Final Fantasy series, Tetsuya Nomura finally caught his big break when he was tasked with being the lead character designer in Final Fantasy VII.

He made the designs for all the characters we know and love.

However, while his character designs were used for the most part, the original lead character designer — Yoshinori Kitase — also made some alternate designs, including a white-haired Tifa with red gloves and boots.

21 Cloud And Her Were Supposed To End Up Together Near The End Of The Game

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One of the strongest Final Fantasy fan theories that still holds true to this day is that — after the demise of Aerith — Tifa was supposed to be Cloud's one true love by the end of the series.

However, an overt romantic gesture was outright rejected.

The original plan was to feature a heavy implication of Cloud and Tifa together in the Chocobo stables, before leaving in a rather suspicious fashion that would indicate that they spent it together. This was scrapped, and both characters ended up having an intimate conversation under the Highwind instead.

20 She Actually Shared A Deep Bond With Aerith

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Most people might think that Tifa and Aerith weren't exactly big fans of each other, and it's understandable if you might consider this to be the case. However, this is a wrong assumption to make in every sense of the word.

We say this because both women actually held each other in high regard, identifying the positives they brought to the table and how they invigorated the party as a whole.

However, not everything was smooth sailing between these ladies.

19 There Was A Common Sense Of Jealousy Regarding Their Feelings Towards Cloud

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One of the main concepts around the creation of Final Fantasy VII was to have the main character in a love triangle between two women. In this case, it was Cloud who was torn between his unfound and unspoken feelings for both Tifa and Aerith.

So, it's only fair to state that both women knew how the other felt about Cloud, and tried their best to not let these feelings get in the way of their friendship. However, the animosity was always there.

18 Her Hair Was Shortened In Advent Children To Make The Animation Easier

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Tifa's long locks of hair were a trademark aspect of her character, which went a long way in helping fans discern the character from the rest of the pack. Unfortunately, by the time the idea for Advent Children was rolled out, the animation studio realized the futility of trying to animate incredibly long locks of hair.

Thus, to prevent the cost of animation from reaching incredible heights, a creative decision was made to shorten the length of Tifa's hair. This reduced the burden on the animation department.

17 She Was Emotionally Hurt By Cloud's Distant Behaviour In Advent Children

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Advent Children is an odd movie. Most people consider it to be a viable entry in the Final Fantasy VII universe, while others find it to be nothing more than a cash grab initiated after the Square Enix merger.

The latter mindset can be understood to an extent. The character of Cloud regressed again to being a social pariah — something that had already been eliminated to an extent in Final Fantasy VII. This sudden shift in mood alienated him from his friends, including Tifa, who was less than enthused about becoming a stranger in Cloud's life... again.

16 There's A Scene Involving Tifa In Advent Children That Was Cut Out For Time

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After Cloud faces off with the shadows of Sephiroth in Advent Children and gets whooped left, right, and center, he loses the little confidence he had. Moping about how the orphans were as good as gone, he's brought back to reality with a harsh and stern lecture from Tifa.

There was an additional segment where Tifa would regret taking to Cloud in such an angry tone. However, this was cut out from the movie at the last second to reduce the runtime.

One can only wonder what Tifa might've told herself at this point.

15 Tifa Had A Husky Voice In The Movie To Serve As A Contrast To Aerith's Melodious Tone

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It seems that the parallels between Tifa and Aerith would exist for quite some time, even after the latter's untimely passing. This can be seen in the creative direction that the creators took for the voice casting of both these characters.

To further draw a contrast between both these characters, Aerith was given a soft and melodious voice, while Tifa was given more of an authoritative and husky voice. It's an understandable — albeit weird — decision to make.

14 The Pink Ribbon Around Her Arm In Advent Children Is A Memento Of Aerith

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Regardless of what you might think as of right now, the fact of the matter is that Tifa and Aerith were still steadfast friends in every sense of the word. In fact, Aerith's untimely passing hurt Tifa as much as anyone else.

The respect that Tifa showed Aerith stretched even during the events of Advent Children. People with a keen eye would've noticed the fact that Tifa wears a red ribbon around her arm, in stark contrast to her black costume. This is meant to be a way for her to pay homage to a friend that lost her life for a worthy cause.

13 She's Always The Default Choice At Don Corneo's Place

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Keeping in line with the attractive nature of Tifa, we absolutely need to talk about one of the more memorable moments in Final Fantasy VII that occurs early on. Yep, you know it — we're talking about the infiltration of Don Corneo's mansion that involved dressing up Cloud like a girl.

Depending on how *ahem* well you manage to dress up Cloud, chances are that he'll be selected by Don Corneo. However, if you put in the bare minimum effort, then it's Tifa that is always chosen as the default option.

12 Cloud Might've Wanted To Join SOLDIER To Impress Tifa

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The childhood that Cloud shared with Tifa is quite sweet and endearing, providing some much-needed character development for both parties. During one of their usual hangout sessions, Cloud stated that he would join SOLDIER to become an elite warrior and protect Tifa from any harm.

While one might assume this to be nothing more than a spontaneous childhood promise, Cloud actually tried to accomplish this goal. This dedication might've stemmed from the fact that he actually had feelings for Tifa — feelings that evaporated along with his persona after the Nibelheim incident.

11 Tifa's Mind Was Protected From Mako Poisoning In The Lifestream Because Of Aerith

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After finding Cloud in a vegetative state, Tifa was saved from having to deal with the trauma of talking to a defunct Cloud with perhaps the most convenient earthquake of all time — an earthquake that sent both people crashing into the Lifestream, where Tifa managed to piece together Cloud's scattered memories.

However, if Cloud's had been addled early on due to Mako exposure, then Tifa should've experienced the same in this situation. Thankfully, she was saved from this ordeal, since Aerith used her all-encompassing presence in the Lifestream to shield Tifa's mind from any harm that might've been incurred otherwise.

10 Tifa's Immune System Is Strong Enough To Withstand The Geostigma Disease

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It seems that the protection that Aerith provided Tifa with might've actually stretched over for a long period of time. Why, you ask? Well, because she was able to avoid the debilitating effects of a Geostigma, which afflicted the Planet's population in Advent Children.

This disease was caused after the Lifestream's presence spread all over the planet at the end of Final Fantasy VII, which did save the Planet but had the unexpected side effect of spreading this once-unknown disease amongst all the residents.

9 Tifa's Letters In Nibelheim

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One of the biggest secrets in the game is found in the hometown of Tifa and Cloud. Players with a keen attention to detail could read some of Tifa's private letters in her house in Nibelheim, which shed some light on various pivotal moments in the plot.

Ironically enough, none of these letters have been written by Tifa herself — rather, they've all been addressed to her. It's kinda weird, since one of these letters is instructions by one of Hojo's subordinates, while the other two are written by Johnny (a boy Tifa knew) and Zangan.

8 She Struggles To Express Her Feelings

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You'd think that someone like Tifa would be incredibly headstrong and do whatever she can in her power to obtain what she wants, regardless of the consequences. While this is true for the most part, there are times when her resolve doesn't come out because of one trait that people don't really attach with this character — shyness.

Yep. Unlike the straightforward Aerith, Tifa is actually quite reserved when it comes to opening her heart up to people. After all — if you remember the entry in which we've discussed this in detail — her last name is an indicator of this trait.

7 She Is Deceptively Strong

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However, don't get us wrong — just because Tifa is somewhat shy in certain matters doesn't mean that she won't wipe the floor with someone who so much so as even looks at her the wrong way.

The fact that she's the Monk of the party should be enough to indicate the sheer brute strength that she's capable of harnessing at a moment's notice. One need only look at her incredible limit break to witness the limits of her strength — if there's any, that is.

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The story of Nibelheim is a tragic tale that Final Fantasy VII fans know all too well. A peaceful town that was burnt to the ground due to Shinra's meddling, both Cloud and Tifa are understandably baffled when they come back to the town to see that things are as normal as always.

Thus, to maintain her grip on reality, Tifa's relationship with Cloud became all the more vital to ensure her mental stability. The fact that she needed to help Cloud revert back to the person he was became all the more crucial after witnessing how Shinra had masterfully covered its tracks.

5 Tifa's Father Didn't Approve Of Her Friendship With Cloud

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To explain this point, we need to go back in time and talk about the passing of Tifa's mother. In a foolish bid to witness her mother's spirit one last time and say goodbye, a young Tifa decided to make the perilous trek to the peak of Mount Nibel. Cloud, being her ever-doting friend, was hot on her heels.

However, a flimsy bridge that they both tried to cross at the same time broke, rendering Tifa with serious injuries. After this incident, Tifa's father always blamed Cloud for the incident, since he wrongfully thought that Cloud was the one who egged her onward.

4 She Wasn't Sure If Cloud's Memories Were Wrong Or Not

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After escaping from Midgar and reaching the first inn outside the city, the party sat down to hear Cloud's story about Sephiroth and the Nibelheim incident. Tifa, being Cloud's oldest friend, knew something was up after hearing his side of the story.

However, Tifa herself had been traumatized heavily during the Nibelheim incident. This made her doubt her own memory of the event, and she decided to stay mum instead of facing Cloud for what felt like the longest time.