Do you guys think Lightning is a good heroine?

[Travis]

I want to know if I'm in a minority here.

I have been frequenting the Final Fantasy subreddit as of late.

I could be very mistaken with this, but I don't think I am.

I understand that it's a community of FF enthusiasts, but these people made very serious arguments about how great Lightning was as a character.

I think I should have seen red flags when this community seems like they in general like final fantasy xiv...

Anyway, I don't think Lightning is that great. I think she is an average if not below average hero. What do you guys think?

[Shunsq]

I think she is a bit lame, she has an empty back story: a cop that becomes a goddess for no reason. It is impossible to know what she is feeling at times. Is she sad? mad?happy?
She has no sex appeal. It is like the designer wanted to draw a male then changed his mind at the last second. It is really possible to draw a manly woman heroine: look at Korra in the last airbender, or Kuvira in the same show. Honestly Fang should have been a better lead character than lightning.

To make a comparison: Lightning and Vaan in FFXII are lame main character, whereas Fang and Bash/Balthier were underrated side characters.
I think the creators of Lightning wanted to have kind of an average hero any player would identify to: boys and girls, middle aged men and woman ( as she is a mature character that raise her little sister and is a justice servant)... But consequently she loses any charism, she doesn't evolve in her emotions , personality or even physical abilities.

[Covarr]

I think I should have seen red flags when this community seems like they in general like final fantasy xiv...

As in A Realm Reborn? Because as MMOs go, it's well above average. I'd take it over World of Warcraft any day. If they like the original Final Fantasy XIV, though... that's no good.

[Kaldarasha]

For me is Lighting a 70 years old granny captured in a body of 18 years old girl. But to be fair I think that FFXIII does represent the current situation in Japan of the new role of the women and the conflict of it with the old traditions. Lighting's character is very conservative designed like all the mostly male FF heroes before. I said this somewhere else but if they had designed Lightning at the age of 40+ the whole character would have made sense (of seeking her daughter and not her sister).