FFXIII: Lightning Returns–From Protagonist to Sexual Object

A recent interview with the director and character modeller for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII has caused quite a stir, and rightly so. The topic of conversation was Lightning’s upgrade from a C cup to a D cup as shown in the E3 coverage of the game, and quite frankly the way they discussed her made me feel ill. In one fell swoop, they invalidated Lightning as a protagonist and turned her into an object for the audience’s sexual gratification. In the interview, conducted by Famitsu, a lot of attention was given to Lightning’s new character model, and how gamers can best…take advantage of it. 

Q: Is it true you said you wanted Lightning-san’s size from a C cup to a D cup?

Nobuhiro Goto (Character Modeling Designer):  Toriyama-san said “I want it bigger” so…

Motomu Toriyama (Director): [What a] cop-out! (laughs)

Goto: Yes, it was enlarged.

Q: Was it a C cup until now? Does it even jiggle this time?

Goto: Yes!

Toriyama: It’s determined by clothing, like the so-called corrective underwear. (laughs)

Masaru Suzuki (Designer): There’s an unreleased costume that exposes the l’Cie scar on her chest. Please think [carefully], is there any other information that should be disclosed? (laughs)

Q: So there were costumes that were rejected?

Goto: I think there are a few designs that were rejected.

Suzuki: If reproducing the outfit proves to be difficult, then I’ll consult with the artwork designer as much as possible, but if the costume design slows down to a crawl, it gets scrapped.

Q: I heard that the chest jiggles?

Goto: Yes, her chest jiggles. Since everyone can decide what costume she’ll wear, you can make sure it does (laughs). By the way, since Lightning swings her arm when you change her weapon in the menu screen, that’s a recommended action for sure-fire jiggling! To see it even better it could be useful to equip a small shield. Look forward to it!

Some female gamers are upset by the move, which yet again takes a strong female character and reduces her to eye-candy. One step forward, five giant leaps back. 

Making a character attractive isn’t the issue…Making a character sexy specifically for the enjoyment of the audience is objectification in its basest form. It sends a poor message – that the character is there primarily for sexual gratification, and that’s something a lot of key figures in the industry have been distancing themselves from.