Template:FFXIII Character
Vanille is an endearing young woman with a relentlessly sunny disposition. Her bright personality gives no hint of the dark resolve that lies within.
Online Description
Oerba Dia Vanille [vʌ'niːɫ] is a playable character and the narrator in Final Fantasy XIII. Her full name stands for "Vanille of the Dia clan, from the village of Oerba".
In Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille is a mysterious girl who accompanies her childhood friend, Fang. Despite facing many hardships, Vanille remains a caring and upbeat person. After joining Hope Estheim and his mother Nora as a victim of the Purge, Vanille is drawn into a conflict to decide the fate of Cocoon.
In Final Fantasy XIII-2, she makes a cameo appearance alongside Fang when they meet Serah Farron in her dreamworld.
In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille has been gifted with a special power and lives under the care of the Order of Salvation, a major religious cult based in the city of Luxerion dedicated to worshiping the god Bhunivelze.
Appearance and Personality
Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2
Oerba Dia Vanille.
My name is Oerba Dia Vanille. I'm a l'Cie from Gran Pulse. And to everyone on Cocoon... evil.
Vanille to Sazh
Despite her chronological age, Vanille has the physical appearance of a nineteen year-old. Her bright red hair is tied in curled pigtails. She has green eyes, and pierced ears with silver hoop earrings. She wears a light pink halter top, an orange and yellow skirt, and beige boots. She wears a fur pelt around her waist, which she uses to carry her weapon. According to Dengeki PS3 magazine, it is made from a bear she defeated herself. She wears numerous bracelets, three beaded necklaces, and an assortment of beads attached to various parts of her clothing. Her outfit is inspired by the traditional clothes of the Namibian Himba women. Vanille's l'Cie brand is located on her upper left thigh, but mostly remains hidden beneath her skirt.
Vanille has a childlike innocence, and is considerate, understanding, and, at times, headstrong and stubborn, but has the maturity of someone her age. Vanille is empathetic, easily driven to tears, and cares deeply for other people, Fang in particular. Vanille tries to remain positive in situations others deem hopeless. She tries to cheer up her friends when they're down and see the bright side of things, but her sanguine personality is a façade to hide her fear and guilt. Throughout her journey, Vanille faces her past mistakes, learns to stop running from her problems, and to fight for her friends and what she believes in.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
For centuries, Vanille and Fang slept within a crystal pillar, holding Cocoon aloft in the sky. But then, a few short years ago, they awoke.
As Vanille opened her eyes, she realized she was given a special gift; she could hear the voices of the dead. Dubbed the saint, she spends her days under the Order's protection in Luxerion.Online description
Vanille now wears a headdress resembling a traditional Indian dupatta. The headdress is comprised of a semi-transparent red and gold veil that covers her hair and shoulders, gold ornaments that cover her forehead, and two long silver horn-like ornaments that resemble Bhunivelze's crest (the Order's symbol), attached to the back and curve around the sides of her head.
Living under the Order's constant protection and subject to its teachings, Vanille is now a devout follower of Bhunivelze. She is also close friends with Lumina, who describes them as being "thick as thieves". From listening to the voices of the dead and being deeply affected by their suffering, Vanille has become solemn and rarely shows any trace of her upbeat personality. She continues to feel guilty for the deaths that her past actions had caused and hopes to use her new power to atone for them.
Story
Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-
Vanille awakens from crystal stasis.
Let's give up! Forget our Focus, we don't need it!
Vanille to Fang
Vanille and Fang were residents of Gran Pulse in the village of Oerba. During the War of Transgression, Vanille and Fang lost their families at the hands of Cocoon's l'Cie and fal'Cie, and befriended at Oerba's orphanage. Fang decided to become a l'Cie to protect their home and Vanille tagged along. By the powers of the Pulse fal'Cie Anima, Vanille and Fang were granted the power of Ragnarok and given the Focus to destroy Cocoon.
Vanille was fearful of the power bestowed upon them, so Fang became Ragnarok alone, but only scarred Cocoon's shell. Taking pity on the people of Cocoon, the goddess Etro intervened and crystallized Fang and Vanille before they could finish the job. The crystallized Fang and Vanille were placed within the Pulse Vestige, which was taken into Cocoon in the war's aftermath.
Vanille and Fang are separated.
Centuries later, Vanille and Fang awaken from crystal stasis. Fang has lost the memory of their previous Focus and Ragnarok and not wanting more people get hurt, Vanille pretends she has as well, later taking on the burden of Ragnarok to spare Fang the guilt. Although Fang's l'Cie brand is scorched and unchanging, Vanille's brand is still active, and Fang vows to complete their Focus. After two days of looking for answers with no luck, they return to the Vestige and discover Serah has been branded a Pulse l'Cie. Vanille blames herself for Serah's misfortune, assuming Anima transformed Serah to complete their Focus.
After stealing a pair of ID cards two days later, Fang and Vanille travel to Euride Gorge to find the fal'Cie Kujata, which Fang plans to destroy to restore their memories. Dajh Katzroy enters the room and the fal'Cie brands him a Sanctum l'Cie in response to Fang and Vanille's threat. The two are pursued by PSICOM troops and separated when Fang forces Vanille to escape without her. Vanille returns to the Vestige where she leaves her weapon and then wanders around Bodhum, beginning to see Cocoon as a peaceful paradise.
Vanille confides in Serah about her problems.
Four days later, Vanille meets Serah on the beach. When Vanille tells Serah about her dilemma, Serah advises Vanille to find a way to overcome it. She tells Vanille about her nightmare of destroying the world and how she tried to run from it, but now knows she will get through with her friends' help. Vanille apologizes for her role in Serah becoming a l'Cie, but Serah is oblivious to Vanille's involvement and does not understand. Two days later, Vanille attends Bodhum's fireworks festival. Inspired by her meeting with Serah, Vanille wishes for Cocoon's safety. The next morning, the Sanctum announces its discovery of Anima within the Vestige and quarantines Bodhum in preparation for the Purge. The following day, Vanille meets Hope and Nora while queuing for the Purge train, and boards it with them in the hopes of returning home and escaping her Focus.
Final Fantasy XIII
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Vanille is rescued by NORA.
No one ever said the future would be easy. But I think we all saw the glimmer of a dream, somewhere in the sky that night. The tiniest spark of hope that we could change our fate. Who could say? That moment has come and gone.
Vanille, about the night of Bodhum's fireworks festival
While entering the Hanging Edge, the Purge train is derailed by Lightning and Sazh. Along with the rest of the Purgees, Vanille, Nora, and Hope are found by Snow Villiers and his resistance group, NORA. Nora joins their effort to fight PSICOM but is killed in battle, and afterward Vanille has Hope stick with her. Since Hope blames Snow for his mother's death, Vanille encourages him to approach Snow, but he leaves before Hope has the chance. Vanille and Hope steal Gadot's airbike and follow Snow to the Vestige.
They crash-land inside the Vestige and Vanille recovers her weapon. They are saved from a Cie'th ambush by Snow and accompany him. They meet with Lightning and Sazh, and find Serah outside Anima's Throne. Serah asks Lightning to save Cocoon and transforms into a crystal, meaning she had fulfilled her Focus. Lightning, Snow, and Sazh attack Anima, and Vanille's new acquaintances are branded l'Cie. PSICOM destroys the Vestige and they fall down to Lake Bresha with Anima's power crystallizing it on impact. Vanille pretends that she, too, had just been branded by Anima. The group interprets their Focus having something to do with Ragnarok and destroying Cocoon, although Snow remains positive their Focus is to follow Serah's wish to save it.
Soon after leaving Snow behind with Serah's crystal, the party happens upon a Sanctum airship which Sazh pilots out to the skies of Cocoon. The airship comes under fire from a wave of enemy ships and crash-lands in the Vile Peaks. Lightning announces she is heading for Eden to destroy its patron fal'Cie and take down the Sanctum. Lightning leaves with Hope chasing after her, and Sazh and Vanille choose to run from their fate in the opposite direction. On their way to Nautilus, Vanille and Sazh arrive in the Sunleth Waterscape and Vanille asks Sazh about his family. He reveals he is Dajh Katzroy's father and was branded in his attempt to complete the boy's Focus. Overcome with guilt, Vanille cannot bring herself to tell Sazh about her involvement.
Vanille is confronted about her guilt.
In Nautilus, breaking news footage of the chaos in Palumpolum is broadcast throughout the park. Sazh notes the appearances of Lightning, Hope, and Snow in the footage, but Vanille is shocked to see another familiar face: Fang. They attend the Pompa Sancta parade and visit the Chocobo Corral, where Sazh reveals he intends to turn himself in to the Sanctum to see Dajh one last time, even if it means his execution. Vanille tries to dissuade him by telling him who was responsible for the Euride Gorge incident, but before she has a chance to admit her involvement, they are attacked by the Sanctum. The two flee to the Clock Tower, where Dajh appears and crystallizes in Sazh's arms. Jihl Nabaat arrives with her troops, and the boy's Focus is revealed: to capture servants of the lowerworld fal'Cie. Then Nabaat reveals it was Vanille and Fang who threatened Kujata and made the fal'Cie brand Dajh.
Vanille flees the scene and Nabaat lets the enraged Sazh pursue her, curious as to how much data they could collect by watching two l'Cie duel. Within the courtyard of the Fiendlord's Keep, Vanille reveals her true nature as a l'Cie from Gran Pulse and demands Sazh to shoot her. He is unable to do so and his Eidolon Brynhildr manifests. The two defeat it together, but afterward Sazh again points his gun at Vanille. Vanille accepts her punishment but Sazh is too heartbroken to kill her.
Vanille is reunited with Fang.
They are captured by Nabaat's regiment and imprisoned on the Palamecia to be brought to Eden for a public execution. During their captivity, Sazh realizes that since Vanille awoke from crystal stasis, Dajh will awaken too, and he forgives Vanille when he realizes what happened to his son was an accident. With help from the Cavalry, Lightning, Snow, Hope, and Fang infiltrate the airship to rescue Vanille and Sazh. Sazh and Vanille escape their cell, retrieve their weapons, and meet the others halfway, where Vanille is reunited with Fang. The party reaches the bridge and confronts the Primarch, Galenth Dysley, who reveals his true identity as the fal'Cie Barthandelus. Dysley says the party's Focus is to destroy Orphan, the fal'Cie who sustains Cocoon, and that Serah's Focus was to gather them together to be made l'Cie and accomplish that goal. The party escapes the descending Palamecia with Menrva in its airship form, and is taken to the Fifth Ark beneath Eden.
In the Fifth Ark, the group's l'Cie powers are fully awakened and they run into the Cavalry leader Cid Raines. He reveals himself as a Sanctum l'Cie whose Focus is to help them destroy Cocoon and summon the Maker. Cid defies his Focus and attempts to kill them, but is defeated and to everyone's surprise, he turns to crystal. The party decides to also defy their Focus and after Vanille and Lightning help Fang tame her Eidolon, Bahamut, a new path to the Ark's lowest level is revealed. Vanille finds a Pulsian airship and everyone agrees to travel to Gran Pulse to find a way to change their fate.
Vanille's distress summons Hecatoncheir.
After days of searching, they find Gran Pulse void of human life and decide to journey to Oerba. When the party finds the ruins of Paddra in the Yaschas Massif, Vanille says she became Ragnarok and scarred Cocoon's shell centuries before. Fang is puzzled as to why she turned into crystal despite doing nothing in the war, but Vanille continues to lie. The party crosses the Archylte Steppe into the Mah'habara Subterra. In the Flower-filled Fissure, Fang says she was the one who became Ragnarok and scarred Cocoon, not Vanille. The shock of having her deepest lie exposed causes Vanille's Eidolon Hecatoncheir to manifest, and she learns Fang bluffed about regaining her memories to coax a confession from her. Once they tame Hecatoncheir, Fang reassures Vanille she is no longer alone, since their friends from Cocoon are their new family.
In the Sulyya Springs, Vanille tells Snow she had met Serah in Bodhum and how she was made a l'Cie because of her. She tells him Serah had the vision of Ragnarok like the rest of them, and theorizes Serah beat her Focus by passing Cocoon's fate over to them, and that was the act that made her turn to crystal. The party ascends Taejin's Tower and at the top, Vanille and Fang reminisce about their hometown, describing it as a village filled with flowers, but are shocked to see their home devoid of life and color. The party rides a capsule down to the outskirts of Oerba and traverse the dilapidated village, eventually encountering Barthandelus at the end of a broken railway bridge.
Vanille is tortured by Orphan.
Knowing Barthandelus has resurrected Raines and caused more chaos in Cocoon, the party heads to Eden with the airship Barthandelus left them to stop the fal'Cie's plan. They make their way through the chaos in Eden to Orphan's Cradle. As Fang falls under pressure, Vanille proposes they promise to protect Cocoon as their new home. Inside the Narthex, the party defeats Barthandelus but Menrva flies into a pool of liquid and awakens Orphan. The fal'Cie demands Fang to become Ragnarok and tortures Vanille to try and force her hand. Fangs submits to Orphan's demands and Vanille is released. Vanille and Fang see their friends transform into Cie'th — who attack Fang — triggering her transformation into an incomplete version of Ragnarok.
After Fang fails to destroy Orphan, she transforms back into a human. Orphan tries to force Fang to finish the job by subjecting her to a cycle of torture as Vanille helplessly watches. Vanille prepares to stand up to the fal'Cie, but Orphan explodes and sinks into its pool, releasing Fang. With the help of the memories of everything they had gone through, the rest of the party reverts from their Cie'th forms. They believe their transformation was another fal'Cie trick, and that their new Focus is to save Cocoon. The party's brands turn white. Orphan's true form rises from the pool and the party sets out to destroy it.
Vanille and Fang becoming Ragnarok.
After Orphan is destroyed, Orphan's Cradle vanishes and the party is left floating above Eden as Cocoon begins to fall. As Lightning, Sazh, Hope and Snow float away, Vanille and Fang stay behind. They join hands and become Ragnarok to stop Cocoon from crashing into Pulse by surrounding Cocoon with lava, summon the crystal dust from Oerba, and crystallize it and themselves, forming a crystal pillar to support Cocoon over Pulse. Lightning, Sazh, Hope, and Snow awaken from crystal stasis on the surface of Gran Pulse, beneath the newly crystallized Cocoon, with their brands gone. As Serah and Dajh appear over the horizon, they realize Vanille and Fang have fulfilled their Focus for all of them. Vanille and Fang remain within the core of Cocoon's pillar, holding hands, in crystal sleep.
Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-
Of course they do, silly! Kids are kids - it doesn't matter where they're from!
Vanille to Fang
Vanille feels at peace now that the harm she unintentionally caused has been undone. She says they will meet again someday, and tells everyone to live their lives as she and Fang will watch over them. Vanille knows that Serah will be strong enough to handle the realization of her and Fang's crimes and tells Snow to stand by Serah. After reassuring Fang that Serah will forgive her for getting her involved, they feel goddess Etro smiling at them. Hearing Fang telling Snow and Lightning not to try and rescue them, Vanille laughs and says, "What are you gonna do? You know what they're like..."
Final Fantasy XIII-2
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Vanille and Fang help Serah escape her dream.
Well, that's a good question. Hm, put it this way. It's the real me, but inside a dream. I'm still sleeping inside the crystal pillar, you see. And you're dreaming away, too. So it's like, we're meeting inside each other's heads.
Vanille to Serah
Dreaming within the pillar, Vanille reflects on how she and Fang felt Etro's presence the first time they turned to crystal, and again when they tried to hold up Cocoon as Ragnarok. Remembering how the priests of Oerba referred to Etro as a dark and scary goddess, Vanille wonders if they were wrong. She recalls Hope's visits to her and Fang, and urges Hope to save the future. She tries to call out to Serah to tell her she and Fang had a dream about being in a new place with a young man and woman they had never met before. Seeing how happy they were, Vanille tells Serah not to give up and make a future where everyone is happy again.
Vanille and Fang appear to Serah in her dream in the Void Beyond, explaining they could connect since they are all dreaming. They had come to save Serah from being trapped in the endless dream Caius Ballad placed her in, and that Noel needs her help before he becomes trapped in a dream of his own. Needing to resume their role in maintaining the pillar, Vanille and Fang disappear, leaving a portal to lead Serah to Noel. By the year 500 AF, Hope and the Academy, along with Sazh, save the crystal holding Vanille and Fang before the crystallized Cocoon finally falls.
Vanille crystallized in Oerba.
Vanille appears in the paradox ending, "Vanille's Truth", where Serah, Mog, and Noel find her in Oerba XXX AF, an alternate timeline where a crystallized Vanille remained in Oerba after the War of Transgression, continuing to lament about her inability to fight for the people she cared about, and how she wasn't there for Fang as she had promised. Serah hears Vanille's voice and promises to find Fang for her.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
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Vanille and her new friend, Lumina.
They've been swallowed by the Chaos, and now they're trapped inside. I can feel it. All their sadness... All their grief... They're swirling around me. Every single cry feels like a dagger...right in my heart.
Vanille to Lightning
Four hundred and eighty-seven years later, Vanille and Fang awoke from crystal stasis in the city of Luxerion in Nova Chrysalia and Vanille realized she could hear the voices of the dead. She and Fang were found by Lumina and taken in by the Order. Once they learned about Vanille's new power, the Order dubbed her a "saint" and confined her to their cathedral for her own safety. Fang didn't trust the Order and soon learned of the Soulsong, a ritual to purify the dead at the cost of Vanille's life. Fang attempted to take Vanille away but burdened by guilt, she refused and intended to carry out the Soulsong despite knowing it would kill her.
As Fang left for the Dead Dunes to find the holy clavis, a divine relic the Order seeks for the ritual and its ability to summon souls, Vanille remained in the cathedral under the Order's protection. She worked with the Order and spent her days listening to the dead, frequented by disciples and citizens, becoming a curiosity to the public.
Vanille reveals that she can hear the souls of the dead.
Thirteen years later, after awakening from crystal sleep and being made the savior, Lightning visits Luxerion. After hearing about Lightning's exploits in the city, Vanille requests to see her. After saving Noel's soul, Lightning heads for Cathedral Plaza where Vanille's servant, Aremiah, tells Lightning that a precious crystal shard has been lost. When Vanille awoke from crystal stasis she found herself grasping a piece of crystal and it has been her precious possession ever since, as it lets her glimpse the estranged Fang. Lightning finds the crystal with a delivery company employee who claims someone high up in the Order gave it to them with no receiver's address, and Lightning thinks someone from the Order wanted to steal it from Vanille. Lightning returns the crystal to Aremiah and is granted passage into the cathedral at night time.
She reunites with Vanille in the Hall of Devotion and finds her with Lumina. Vanille leads Lightning underground to God's Sanctum and shows her a concentration of Chaos around the altar, which Lumina refers to as the "wind of sorrow", lost souls in suffering. Vanille explains the souls of those who died after Valhalla's Chaos burst through Etro's Gate were drawn to the cathedral and that she can hear every cry of their pain. Lumina says the Order seeks the save the dead from their anguish by offering them oblivion and needs Vanille to call them to her. Lightning asks Vanille if she will be able to handle millions of souls at once, but she answers she doesn't have a choice and returns to the Hall of Devotion, leaving Lumina and Lightning behind. Lumina says the souls have been building up for years, and if Vanille does not call them to her and they ever escaped, they would destroy the world and the future as well.
Vanille begins the Soulsong.
As Lightning searches for the clavis with Fang in the Dead Dunes, she learns that Vanille continues to dwell on her past sins, believing her new power to be God's way of punishing her, and intends to atone by using the holy clavis to perform the Soulsong. When they find the clavis, Fang reveals the Order has tricked Vanille into believing she will save the dead through the Soulsong, when in reality, it plans to use her as a sacrifice her to 'purify' the dead by destroying them. Having been led to the Clavis Chamber by Lumina, the Order's Secutors steal the holy clavis, taking it to Luxerion where on the world's final day, Vanille will perform the ceremony and erase the dead forever, including Serah. At the end of the eleventh day, Lightning learns from the souls of the dead in the form of Cid Raines that, unknown to Vanille, she has the power to help them be reborn in the new world.
On the eve of the Apocalypse, Lumina reveals to Lightning that the Soulsong will wipe out the dead as the Order seeks to erase their existence from the living's memories, purifying them of their past burdens so they can be reborn in the new world with a clean slate and live in eternal bliss as per Bhunivelze's vision. With Fang joining her, Lightning storms God's Sanctum as Vanille begins the Soulsong with the Order's high priestess presiding. They tell her about the Order's true motives but Vanille can't ignore the cries of the dead and feels the need to pay for her sins. At Lightning's urging, Vanille listens to the dead and the high priestess attempts to force her to continue the ritual by claiming that her pain stems from the dead's corruption by the Chaos. After listening to the dead, Vanille learns none of them wish to be destroyed and she kept hearing them because, despite their suffering, they carry the hope of being reborn.
Vanille and Fang guide the dead to be reborn in the new world.
At Lightning's suggestion and Fang's willingness to assist her, Vanille stops the Soulsong and decides to guide the souls to the Ark so they can be reborn in the new world. To complete the ritual, the high priestess strikes Vanille down and has the holy clavis drain her life, producing a light powerful enough to destroy the souls but Vanille is saved when Snow destroys the clavis and obliterates the high priestess. After she and Fang guide the souls of the dead to the Ark together, Vanille receives her closure with her soul saved. After the final bell on the world tolls, Vanille's soul is taken by Bhunivelze along with Snow, Fang, and Noel, but she returns to Lightning's side during the final battle against Bhunivelze, before witnessing Nova Chrysalia's destruction and accompanying her friends to the new world to start her life anew, no longer a tool of the gods.
Battle
Vanille in battle as a Saboteur.
I'm not all smiles and sunshine!
Vanille in battle
Template:See Also Vanille concentrates on casting magic from a distance, as opposed to the close combat style of Lightning and Snow. Despite being able to use the Attack command at the start of the game, she cannot use it after Chapter 3 because she does not have the Commando role, which she unlocks in Chapter 10. When the player first acquires Vanille in the Pulse Vestige, she already has three ATB slots as she is chronologically already a l'Cie, though she is unable to select magical abilities or utilize paradigm shifts. She's the only one able to fight her Eidolon with five ATB slots as it's possible, albeit difficult, to acquire a third-tier weapon before that.
Vanille has the second highest Magic stat in the game, making her a good Ravager, and she can learn all elemental spells up to the -"ra" rank with Fire and Ice being her -"ga" specialty. She is an effective Saboteur, specializing in abilities that decrease the enemies' defenses. She has the only Full ATB Skill that is not a Commando or Ravager ability: Death, a Saboteur ability that deals heavy non-elemental magic damage to an enemy and may inflict instant KO. Vanille's greatest strength lies in her Medic role, where she rivals Hope when it comes to effective healing and, due to her higher HP stat, is less likely to be knocked out by powerful attacks.
- Base Statistics
| Stat | Beginning/l'Cie | Mastered Crystarium |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 350 | 21,050 |
| Strength | 23 | 1,400 |
| Magic | 35 | 1,700 |
Eidolon
Vanille and Hecatoncheir in Gestalt Mode.
Let's see some fireworks!
Attacking with Hecatoncheir in Gestalt Mode
Vanille's Eidolon is Hecatoncheir, a multi-armed, Earth-elemental Eidolon that transforms into a bipedal mech with four machine gun turrets. Vanille calls her Eidolon by the pet name "Hecaton" (a nickname found on the inner circle of his summon symbol, rather than 'Hecatoncheir').
Weapons
Vanille's rods.
Vanille's weapon is a Binding Rod. Its head piece resembles a pair of antlers and the body consists of four long wires with hooks that deal damage to enemies by latching on and pulling, similar to a fishing rod.
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Quotes
Creation and Development
According to the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, the development team at one point considered making Vanille the official main character, but dismissed the idea as they had already released a trailer and art featuring Lightning in that role.
Voice
Vanille and Fang speak with an accent different from the rest of the party. They speak in an Okinawan dialect of Japanese in the original version, and with an Australian accent in the English localization. The idea to cast two characters with Australian accents came from the localization team, who requested the voice directing team to look for either Australian- or New Zealand-sounding voices; the rationale was that the team wanted Fang and Vanille to sound like they were from another world, but more in a sense of having a different melody to their voices, rather than a thick accent.[2]
Vanille's Japanese voice actress is Yukari Fukui. Her English voice actress is Georgia van Cuylenburg. Georgia van Cuylenburg spent six months recording Vanille's dialogue; she had two recording sessions per week which lasted four hours.[3] As with the rest of the English cast of Final Fantasy XIII, Georgia van Cuylenburg was able to listen to the original Japanese dialogue, which had been recorded first, for tone reference.
While the other characters in Final Fantasy XIII were intended to be "Americanized", Georgia van Cuylenburg was asked to adhere to the original Japanese performance and use a "high, squeaky, and upbeat" voice,[3] as Vanille initially wants to misdirect the other characters with her happiness. Georgia van Cuylenburg has stated that the most difficult aspect of voicing Vanille was making a type of high-pitched moan required for the character, which was not easy to make sound natural.[3]
During the February 2014 interview with Final Fantasy Union, Georgia van Cuylenburg commented how she and Vanille are alike with their past as Georgia also had several issues and hid it under a cover of a carefree girl, and compared Vanille's breakdown in the scene with Sazh to the similar situation from years before recording Vanille to when she lost her hair, which helped her in relating to her voiced character and enhance her performance.[4]
Musical Themes
Final Fantasy XIII
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I created 'Vanille's Theme' to match a sad scene, but when the character and her scenes were revealed, I found that the sad piece didn't complement her any more, and an earnest and bright piece to fit the character's mindset popped into my mind.
Masashi Hamauzu; liner notes to Final Fantasy XIII: Original Soundtrack.
"Vanille's Theme" is composed of solo piano, and represents her cheerful nature and inner guilt. "Prelude to Final Fantasy XIII" recurs as a motif within "Vanille's Theme", which is intended to reflect her role as the game's narrator and originator of the story.[5]
Variants of her theme include two orchestral arrangements called "Lost Hope" and "Eidolons on Parade". The third variant "Memories of Happier Days", also begins with solo piano like her original theme, but turns into a melancholy but uplifting orchestral piece. A short reprise of her theme is heard in "Sulyya Springs", and at the beginning of "The Road Home". An orchestral motif of her theme is heard in "Nascent Requiem", the final battle theme.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
A revised version of "Memories of Happier Days" plays when Lightning reunites with Vanille, when Lightning reunites with Mog in the Wildlands, and when Lightning completes Bhakti's quest, "The Life of a Machine" in the Dead Dunes. It is mixed into the end credits theme, "Credits ~Light Eternal~". Vanille's leitmotif is reprised in "The Captive Saint", which plays during the cutscene after her reunion with Lightning and in "A New World", which plays as she and Fang guide the dead to the Ark.
Arrangement Album appearances
Piano Collections: Final Fantasy XIII
"Vanille's Theme" is part of the "Vanille's Theme ~ Memories of Happier Days ~ The Road Home" track on the album. It is the sixth track on the album.
Other Appearances
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
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Vanille is set to appear as a playable character and one of the representatives of Final Fantasy XIII.
This section about a character in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.
Pictlogica Final Fantasy
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Vanille appears in Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character. Her initial weapon is the Guard Stick.
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Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Template:Sideicon Vanille is an ally and a summonable Legend in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade. Her EX abilities are Bioga and Ruinga.
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This section about a character in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.
Final Fantasy Artniks
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Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Template:Sideicon Many cards depicting Vanille in the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game. One of them is a close-up of Vanille's face, and another displays her Final Fantasy XIII render. A card for Hecatoncheir in Gestalt Mode also exists, with Vanille riding atop it. Another card displays Vanille's render from Lightning Returns. The cards are earth-elemental.
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Non-Final Fantasy Appearances
Kingdom Hearts Mobile
Vanille appears as a selectable avatar in Kingdom Hearts Mobile. She and Sazh are currently the only characters from Final Fantasy XIII to appear in the game.
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Vanille appears as an avatar in the Nintendo DS Kingdom Hearts Re:coded game, along with Serah, Snow, Sazh and Lightning.
Merchandise
Action figures of Vanille have been released as part of the Play Arts series.
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Gallery
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Etymology and Symbolism
Vanille is French for "vanilla", a type of spice used as flavoring for various sweet foods. Dia is Spanish and Portuguese for "day", which may allude to her bright personality.
The Japanese pronunciation of Dia, with a long "i" sound, is also a common Japanese abbreviation for "diamond", possibly alluding to Hecatoncheir being an Earth-elemental summon.
The characters of Fang and Vanille are based on the Ragnarok myth of Líf ("life") and Lífþrasir ("eager for life") — the only humans who will survive Ragnarok. They sleep through earth's destruction and upon awakening will find the earth verdant again. Líf and Lífþrasir will become the progenitors of a new race of humans, and their descendants will inhabit the world. This is congruent with the idea that Fang was originally envisioned as a male character.
Trivia
The photo on a table in the house where Bhakti is found.
- Vanille's eidolith is used for the "Instrument of Faith" trophy/achievement.
- A replica of her eidolith appears as an adornment for monster allies in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
- Vanille shares her Japanese voice actress with Terra Branford from Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.
- Vanille shares her clan name with the spell Dia from Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy XI. However, the Japanese pronunciation of her clan name is different.
- A photo of Vanille and Fang can be found in Oerba, proof of their past existence.
- While her fellow comrades are branded on the upper half of their bodies, Vanille's brand is located on the lower half of her body.
- Final Fantasy XIII includes a nude character model for Vanille, for the scene where she comes out of crystal stasis.[6]
- In Episode Zero -Promise-, Fang mentions that Vanille loves cooking and making up her own meals, though they are not always good.
- Vanille is seen in a cutscene from the intro to the title-screen of Final Fantasy XIII, but the scene is never shown in the actual game.
The Binding Rod in Final Fantasy XIV.
- Vanille's Binding Rod is one of the special weapons reward in Lightning Strikes event in Final Fantasy XIV.
- In Lightning returns after you visit Vanille in the hall of devotion, Hope states that Vanille is looking well, Lightning believes he sounds happy while talking about her and questions him about having a crush on her which he instantly denies while sounding flustered and embarrassed.
- Vanille is the only character who has no weapon when she first joins the party.
References
- ↑ http://www.lightningreturns.com/characters/vanille
- ↑ http://www.ff-xiii.net/index.php?page=content&name_id=podcast
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Georgia van Cuylenburg Interview with Myouterspace
- ↑ [http://www.bungieunion.com/podcasts/finalfantasyunion/FF_Union_Interview_Vanille_2014.mp3 Final Fantasy Union's February 2014 interview with Georgia van Cuylenburg, @8m50s
- ↑ http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9121059
- ↑ http://kotaku.com/5451645/why-theres-a-naked-final-fantasy-xiii-character-model
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