Anima (ファルシ＝アニマ, Farushi Anima^?, lit. "fal'Cie Anima") is a fal'Cie from Final Fantasy XIII, also referred to as "the Pulse fal'Cie". Anima resides at the top of a large structure that is laid out like a maze on the inside, known as the Pulse Vestige to the people of Cocoon. It is a mechanical being with a glowing crystal core.

DatalogEdit

See also: Datalog/The Fal'Cie.

Although it appears Anima was brought to Cocoon in the Vestige centuries ago, Sanctum authorities had no knowledge of the alien stowaway's presence. Its discovery, and the resultant fear that Bodhum’s population may have been tainted by its magic, spawned the Purge.

StoryEdit

Final Fantasy XIIIEdit

Before the War of Transgression and being moved to Cocoon, Anima was located in the village of Oerba and was the village patron protecting it from the hostile Gran Pulse wildlife. Five hundred years before the start of the game Anima branded Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille as l'Cie, giving them the Focus to transform into Ragnarok and destroy Cocoon. The plan failed as goddess Etro placed the l'Cie in crystal stasis before the task was complete, and the l'Cie's crystallized forms were placed near their fal'Cie in the structure where Anima resided.

Cocoon was badly damaged in the attack, and to repair the damage Cocoon looted Gran Pulse for materials. Anima's throne with the crystallized l'Cie still inside was lifted up into Cocoon and became Cocoon's Pulse Vestige located in the city of Bodhum. Anima remained dormant within the closed-up Vestige for the next 500 years until the l'Cie came out of their crystal stasis and left the building. With the door to the Vestige open, Serah Farron ventured inside and encountered Anima, who turned her into a l'Cie. After this PSICOM discovered the Vestige and a squadron of soldiers entered the building, all of whom were branded l'Cie, and went on to turn into Cie'th. The Vestige was closed off and was moved to the barred-off Hanging Edge area, with Anima still inside.

When Anima marked Serah Farron as l'Cie she saw a vision of Ragnarok. While the game presents conflicting cues on what Serah's Focus really was, the group is told by Barthandelus Serah's Focus was to "assemble the tools for Cocoon's destruction", i.e. to gather fresh l'Cie to become Ragnarok. However, in a flashback to Serah's first meeting with Vanille she claims she "dreamt she destroyed the world" which causes both Vanille and Snow to believe her Focus was to also become Ragnarok. This could be a hint to the later revealed idea that a l'Cie's Focus could be altered should the bearer pursue a different goal.

Lightning, Snow Villiers, Sazh Katzroy, Oerba Dia Vanille, and Hope Estheim enter the ruins to find Serah and confront Anima, who chooses them to become Pulse l'Cie. The god Pulse gifts them with brands and implants eidoliths somewhere on their bodies. PSICOM attack Anima with lasers, obliterate Hanging Edge and Anima falls into Lake Bresha crystallizing it. It is assumed this means the fal'Cie's death.

Final Fantasy XIII-2Edit

Serah and Noel Kreiss encounter a Proto fal'Cie, called Adam, that greatly resembles Anima, but although they retain the same appearance, they are not the same entity. It is unknown why the Proto fal'Cie resembles the Pulse fal'Cie, but it is possible Hope chose the design of a lowerworld fal'Cie to avoid similarities to the Sanctum ones. The Proto fal'Cie's Cie'th take form of Pulse Cie'th as well.

BattleEdit

Main article: Anima (Final Fantasy XIII Boss)

In Final Fantasy XIII, Anima is fought as a boss at the Pulse Vestige by Lightning, Snow, and Sazh.

GalleryEdit

Lightning attacks Anima.

Anima concept art.

TriviaEdit

• When Anima brands the party as l'Cie, they enter a dark realm where church bells chime. An entity with a man's face with one half of the face covered enters from a crystal structure and brands the party with the brand of the l'Cie. This entity is not Anima, but is revealed in the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania to be the god Pulse; the fal'Cie are the ones who choose the l'Cie, but the gods are the ones who do the branding. The dark realm where the party is seen during this scene is in a different dimension, referred to as the "realm of the gods".^[1]
• Anima is one of few fal'Cie to have visible crystal core, the other one is Carbuncle.

ReferencesEdit