Serah Farron

“	Running away and leaving behind the people you care about? That isn't love. Though you might just want to keep them safe, shutting them out of your life only hurts them more. The point is, I have people I can count on. I'll make it through.	„
	~ Serah to Vanille

Serah Farron is a supporting character in Final Fantasy XIII, the protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII-2, who also appears in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. She is Lightning'syounger sister by three years, and Snow Villiers's fiancée. Lightning accuses Snow of failing to protect Serah and does not initially approve of their relationship.

Appearance

Serah has the same pink tint of hair Lightning has. She ties her hair into a ponytail on the left side of her head, much like how Lightning's hair is draped over her left shoulder. Serah has blue eyes like her sister, although Serah's are a darker shade.

She wears cat-shaped earrings representing NORA, a rebel group her fiancé belongs to. She wears a black armband on her right bicep like Lightning, red plaid-pleated skirt lined with black lace, a white sleeveless dress shirt, a semi-transparent pink sweeper vest, an extra matching hair tie on her left wrist, black thigh-high stockings with a white diamond shape attached to the top of her left stocking, ivory ankle boots, and a bandage on her left bicep to cover her l'Cie brand. She wears an engagement pendant in the shape of Cocoon after receiving it from Snow.

In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Serah wears a revealing form-fitting dress of white, reddish-pink, and gold consisting of a white top, pink sections on the front and back connecting the top to the skirt over black shorts, cut-out sides at the waist, crisscrossing pink straps on the sides of her torso, and two straps that go over her shoulders into a cross-back shape. She wears a storage pack on her right hip that hangs from her waist, pink and black thigh-high leggings, and purple ankle boots. The outfit mysteriously appears on her while she sleeps just before the first paradox manifests.

Serah retains her earrings and engagement necklace, and wears a pink choker, short pink sleeves under gray gloves that have gold ornaments, and gold armbands one in the shape of a bird that rests on her left bicep where her l'Cie brand used to be. Similar to Lightning's use of a gunblade that can switch between gun and sword, Serah wields a bowsword, though its true form is that of her new mooglecompanion, Mog. The symbol on the front of Serah's dress is also on Lightning's shield. Etro script is written on both symbols, the blades of Serah's weapon, the back of her dress and her storage pack. The script on Serah's outfit translates to: Witness to Times Forgotten — Restorer of Lines Disjointed.

Personality

Serah is mature and wise, and cares deeply for those around her. Despite the grave circumstances, she stays positive and believes in a better future as long as she has her friends by her side.

In the three years that have passed in Final Fantasy XIII-2, Serah is emotionally scarred by past events but she retains her strong and caring personality. Serah is a strict grade school teacher with a short temper, and like Lightning, can be scary when angered, which earned her the nickname "Meanie Miss Farron". Serah can hold her own in battle despite not having much prior experience in combat. She is determined to save the future despite learning of the peril it could put her in.

Story

Background

Serah was born three years after her sister, Claire. Their father died while they were young, and their mother had died of an unknown illness when she was twelve. Being orphans with no family left to turn to, Claire took it upon herself to raise Serah and changed her name to Lightning. Since then Serah had looked up to her sister as her guardian.

However after Lightning graduated from high school, she joins the Guardian Corps. Bodhum Security Regiment and lost sight of her goals, working many hours while spending little time with Serah.

Final Fantasy XIII

Two days later, during the Purge, Lightning and Snow both made their way through the Hanging Edge to the Vestige to save Serah. Before she was crystallized, she tells Lightning to save Coccoon, while leaving behind a crystal tear for Snow. Snow is convinced that she will awaken, but Lightning believes her to be dead. Lightning and Snow meet their new companions (Hope, Sazh, and Vanille), and all of them became L'Cie by Anima. The Vestige falls on Lake Bresha and crystallizes upon impact.

She became part of the crystallized lake and Snow remains behind, in an attempt to free her, while the others left. Both Serah's crystallized body and Snow are brought aboard the Lindblum, after they were captured by Fang and Cid Raines' troops, the Cavalry.

On the Palamecia, the Cocoon Fal'Cie's leader Barthandelus reveals that Serah's focus was to "assemble the tools to bring about Cocoon's destruction", or lure them inside the Vestige to be branded l'Cie with the task of bringing about destroying Cocoon. The truth cripples Snow, who believed that Serah wanted the opposite. After the team defeat Cid Raines in the Fifth Ark, and watched on as he enter a crystal state, despite going against his Focus, Snow comes out of his depression, and still wants to carry out Serah's wish to save Cocoon. In the Sulyya Springs Vanille tells Snow that what Barthandelus said about Serah's Focus, must have been a lie, and believes that Serah beat her Focus by putting the fate of Cocoon in their hands.

In Oerba, Barthandelus disguised himself as Serah, attempting to trick the team into becoming Ragnarok, but the team then realized that it was only an illusion. The party return to Cocoon while trekking through Eden, Barthandelus tells them that he is holding Serah, and Sazh's son Dajh hostage. In Orphan's Cradle, Barthandelus destroyed an illusion of Serah to unnerve Snow and Lightning. After Orphan's death, Fang and Vanille sacrifice by transforming into Ragnarok to stop Cocoon's descent, by forming a crystal pillar to support it above Pulse, Serah (along with Dajh) had woken up and reunited with Lightning and Snow, she forgave Lightning for not believing her and Snow begins to plan for their wedding, with Lightning congratulating the pair.

Powers and Abilities

Serah starts out with the Commando, Ravager, and Sentinel roles. She majors highly in Ravager and Saboteur, and is a good Medic, due to her high magic stats and faster casting speed than Noel's. However she is not a proficient Synergist, only learning a few spells for that role.

Her stat growth emphasizes magic. She can use monster crystals to summon them (via the Paradigm Pack), provided that she defeats them.

Serah is an agile fighter, jumping while firing her bow, which is likened to her sister's fighting style. Her strongest attack is the Ultima Arrow, an Ravager skill that can fill the enemies chain gauges with a flurry of attacks. Her weapon is the Starseeker, her moogle Mog transforms into the bowsword. She'll act accordingly, depending on its form and distance, as a Commando (with the paradigm set to "Cross"), Serah will attack using the sword.

Like Paddra-Nsu Yuel, Serah can see visions of the future (even cases such as Lightning's battle in Valhalla, but was left wondering was it real or a dream). However the more she changes the timeline, the closer she comes to death.

While not as experienced as Lightning, she is able to hold her own with or without Noel, despite not being a seasoned combatant.

Trivia

• The inscription on Serah's Starseeker, in Etro's script reads "The light that pierces the enveloping gloom of time, and illuminates the truth".
• During one scene in Valhalla's shadow, Serah and Caius are seen back to back, similar to a moment with him and Lightning in Valhalla.