| “ | 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 character in the Final Fantasy XIII series. She is the younger sister of heroine Lightning and fiancée of Snow Villers.
In the first game, she is a minor character that needs to be rescued in the beginning and gets crystallized throughout the rest of the game, only to be freed in the end.
Next, in the sequel, she has become a major character and fights alongside time-traveler Noel Kreiss into finding Lightning and stop Caius from completing his plan. While doing so, she eventually gets futures of the future at the cost of her lifespan decreasing; as a result, she dies in the end after seeing a vision that Caius' plan has succeeded despite being dead. In Lightning's DLC episode, she appears as a spirit to Lightning, telling her despite of getting visions of the future at the cost of her lifespan, she still chooses to save the timelines.
She is voiced by Laura Bailey in English.
Appearance and Personality
Final Fantasy XIII
Serah is an 18-year-old girl with the same pink tint of hair that 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 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, an extra matching hair tie on her left wrist, black thigh-high stockings, ivory ankle boots, and a bandage on her left bicep, which she uses to cover her l'Cie brand. She eventually wears the engagement pendant she receives from Snow. Yoshinori Kitase describes Serah as "the cutest girl" in the game.
According to Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-, Serah is a straight-A student and one of her favorite subjects is history. Serah is depicted as mature and wise, deeply caring 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.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Now 21 years old, Serah wears a revealing, form-fitting dress of white, reddish-pink, and gold. Her dress consists 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, criss-crossing pink straps on the sides of her torso, two straps that go over her shoulders into a cross-back shape, a storage pack on her right hip that hangs from her waist, pink and black thigh-high leggings, and purple ankle boots. Serah retains her earrings and engagement necklace, and also wears a pink choker, short pink sleeves under gray gloves, and two gold armbands (one on each arm), 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 Moogle companion, Mog. The symbol on the front of Serah's dress is also on Lightning's shield. In addition, Etro script is written on both symbols, the blades of Serah's weapon, the back of her dress under the symbol of Etro's throne, and her storage pack. The script on Serah's outfit translates to: Witness to Times Forgotten -- Restorer of Lines Disjointed.
In the three years that have passed, Serah retains her strong and caring personality, showing concern for Noel's well-being, sometimes offering him words of advice and encouragement, and willing to look out for him as he does for her. Serah is now a grade school teacher, and according to her students, is strict and has short temper; she does not tolerate tardiness or misbehavior of any kind, and can be scary when angered, hence her nickname, "Meanie Miss Farron".
Serah says she is strict because her own teacher was, and that Lightning must have "rubbed off on her". In the Sunleth Waterscape 400 AF, she uses her experience as a teacher to scare a pack of destructive Miniflan back in line. As noted by Snow in Episode Zero -Promise- and later by Noel, Serah resembles Lightning whenever mad or serious, appearing nice at first but can become intimidating in an instant. Serah shows she can hold her own in battle, with or without Noel, despite not having much experience in combat.
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.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
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.