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Fang is a mysterious woman who is working with the Sanctum military despite bearing the mark of the detested l'Cie. Strong-minded and disinclined to mince words, she has the demeanor of someone wholly unconcerned by life's trivialities.

Booklet Description

Oerba Yun Fang is a character in the Lightning Saga, being a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII who appears as a non-playable character in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and as a temporary party member in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

In Final Fantasy XIII, Fang is introduced as a Gran Pulse l'Cie working with a division of the Sanctum's military under unknown pretenses. A strong woman surrounded by mysteries and driven by a personal agenda, Fang aims to complete her Focus to save her childhood friend from a fate worse than death. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Fang appears alongside Vanille in Serah Farron's dreamworld. In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Fang is the leader of a guild of bandits based in the Dead Dunes called Monoculus, and in search of an important relic.

Profile[]

Appearance[]

Fang

Oerba Yun Fang.

Fang has olive skin and wavy dark hair with a braid behind her left ear. Fang has green eyes, a beauty mark beneath her right eye, and wears purple claw-shaped earrings. She has scars on her right arm and shoulder and wears a blue garb resembling a traditional Indian sari adorned with tribal accessories. Fang wears a black bra top, black sleeves over her forearms, tan leather open-toed knee-high boots, and two fur pelts hanging from a cord beneath the belt that holds her spear. Fang has the l'Cie brand on her right shoulder and a large tattoo on the other that somewhat resembles the two-pronged tip of her weapon, the Bladed Lance. Unlike the other l'Cie whose brands are black and progress, Fang's brand is white and static.

Personality[]

You want to keep breathing? Shut up and come quiet.

Fang, while apprehending Snow
Fang's render in Lightning Returns.

Fang is cocky, confident, and stubborn, and like Lightning, is sarcastic, determined, and independent, but insecure whenever talking about her past. She has a quick wit and a dry sense of humor and can be strict. Despite coming across as proud and bold, Fang has a compassionate side, especially towards Vanille, whom Fang would protect by any means. She cares greatly about her friends, willing to take extreme measures to protect them. In Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-, Lightning comments on Fang having a "wild fearlessness to her", and indeed, Fang never backs down from a fight regardless of her opponent. She also has a strong belief in Lady Luck.

In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Fang doesn't undergo any significant change and remains virtually the same. In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Fang still greatly cares about Vanille but seems to have become detached and resigned towards the world's condition and the new status quo. She now also comes across as occasionally hesitant as she looks unsure what to do, not as sure of things as she was formerly.

Story[]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-[]

Now, don't you worry. I'll come and find you, no matter where you go.

Fang to Vanille
Fang amnesia

Fang wakes from crystal stasis with no memories of her past.

Fang and Vanille hail from the village of Oerba on Gran Pulse. During the War of Transgression between Pulse and Cocoon, Fang and Vanille lost their families at the hands of Cocoon's l'Cie and fal'Cie and befriended at Oerba's orphanage. Fang begrudged Oerba's patron fal'Cie, Anima, for failing to protect the people of Gran Pulse, and agreed to the ceremony of being made Anima's l'Cie as a way to get close enough to confront it. Fang had an outburst in Anima's chamber and was going to be put to death for blasphemy by the Oerba priests. Vanille, who was next in line to be branded a l'Cie, shielded Fang and begged for her life to be spared, offering her own to complete their Focus together so that they would never be apart. Together, Fang and Vanille gained the power to become the beast Ragnarok to fulfill their Focus to destroy Cocoon.

Vanille feared the power bestowed upon them, and Fang became Ragnarok alone to complete their Focus. Fang's Ragnarok cracked Cocoon's shell, and, taking pity on the people of Cocoon, the goddess Etro intervened and crystallized Vanille and Fang before they could complete their Focus. Fang and Vanille's crystallized forms ended up in the Pulse Vestige, Anima's resting place. In the war's aftermath, Cocoon's fal'Cie raided Pulse for materials to fix Cocoon's damage, and the crystallized Fang and Vanille were brought into the floating world.

Kujata brands Dajh

Fang and Vanille's threat causes Kujata to brand Dajh a l'Cie.

Hundreds of years later, Fang and Vanille awaken from crystal stasis. Fang awakens with no memory of the past events dealing with Ragnarok. Vanille lies about also losing her memory and bears the burden of Ragnarok to spare Fang the guilt. Fang finds her l'Cie brand scorched and unchanging; however, Vanille's is still active. Over the next two days, Fang tries to remember their Focus to prevent Vanille from becoming a Cie'th, a crystalline monster a l'Cie transforms into upon failing their Focus.

Within the Vestige, Fang and Vanille discover an unconscious Serah, a local Cocoonian girl, transformed into a l'Cie. They take her outside and watch over her until she regains consciousness and leaves. Fang thinks their Focus has something to do with attacking Cocoon, and two days later, using stolen ID cards, they board a train to Euride Gorge to see its fal'Cie, Kujata. Fang proposes she and Vanille attack it to restore their memories, but before they can make their move, Sazh Katzroy's son, Dajh, happens upon them. Kujata senses Fang and Vanille's threat and brands Dajh a Sanctum l'Cie. Realizing the depth of the situation, the two flee before Sazh finds them.

Fang Vanille Escape

Fang forces Vanille to escape the Euride Gorge Energy Plant.

Sanctum troops flood the facility, and Fang forces Vanille to escape alone. Fang fights off their pursuers and returns to the town of Bodhum, but the Cavalry captures her the next day. They bring her aboard their airship, the Lindblum, and meets Sanctum official and Cavalry leader, Cid Raines, who explains the Cavalry stands apart from PSICOM, the army tasked with protecting Cocoon from Pulse. Captain Rygdea reveals the Cavalry helped her escape Euride Gorge, and he makes a deal with Fang to search for Vanille. When Rygdea returns from Bodhum empty-handed the following day, Fang is not surprised he did not find her.

Fang talks with Lebreau

Fang asks Lebreau about Vanille.

In the four days since the Euride Gorge incident, Fang stays on the Lindblum to avoid capture, but worries she is wasting Vanille's time by not resuming her search. Two days later, Fang revisits the Vestige while still in contact with the Cavalry and, unknown to her, just misses Vanille. Fang, warned of PSICOM's presence by Rygdea, retreats to the Bodhum beach café and watches the annual fireworks display. After she is called back to the Lindblum, the Sanctum announces PSICOM discovered Anima within the Vestige, and the Sanctum will Purge everyone in the quarantined area.

Knowing Vanille will be herded onto a Purge train, Fang has Raines and Rygdea help her rescue Vanille in exchange for the promise she and Vanille will help them take down the Sanctum, the fal'Cie-guided government of Cocoon. Two days later, after the last Purge train leaves Bodhum, the Lindblum lands on the surface of Lake Bresha, and Fang rides in an airship with Rygdea to the Purge train's destination: the Hanging Edge.

Final Fantasy XIII[]

I've got a few screws loose, but I'm a l'Cie, same as you. Difference being... I wasn't born on Cocoon. I'm from Gran Pulse. The 'world below' you all hate so much. My partner and I'd turned to crystal there and gone to sleep. But when we came around, here we were. The reason Cocoon's in an uproar is the same reason you're here now. Vanille and I woke up.

Fang to Lightning
Snow captured in Bresha

Fang, Rygdea, and the Cavalry capture Snow.

During the Purge, Anima and the Pulse Vestige are destroyed, and Vanille and her newly-branded l'Cie companions: Lightning, Sazh, Snow, and Hope, are cast down to the now-crystallized Lake Bresha. As they escape PSICOM, their conflict regarding their shared Focus splits the group up. Snow stays behind to dig out Serah's now-crystallized body, while Lightning leads the others out of the lake to outdistance PSICOM. When Fang arrives with Rygdea and several Cavalry troops, she only finds Snow guarding his crystallized fiancée against a PSICOM attack.

After Snow tames his Eidolon, the Shiva Sisters, Fang orders the Cavalry to capture him and take Serah's crystal with them. Aboard the Lindblum Raines tells Snow of the Sanctum's plan to publicly execute the l'Cie once they are captured and leaves Snow no choice but to help him find the others. Fang explains to Snow that she is hunting down the l'Cie but doesn't divulge her connection to Vanille.

Lightning&fang talk

Fang and Lightning discuss their fate.

The Lindblum flies out to Palumpolum where Fang and Snow rescue Lightning and Hope from the Sanctum's attack. They split up as Snow leaves with Hope and Fang with Lightning, keeping in contact with wireless communicators. After deciding on Hope's home in Felix Heights as their rendezvous point, Fang reveals her origins to Lightning. She also discloses that she and Vanille were indirectly responsible for Lightning's sister Serah becoming a l'Cie, as Anima sought a replacement after seeing Fang and Vanille neglecting their Focus.

Fang and Lightning realize Pulse and Cocoon are more similar than they initially thought in how both worlds feared and hated the other, but Fang is willing to be an enemy of Cocoon if it will save Vanille. Fang explains how a l'Cie's brand shows the time they have until they transform into Cie'th and how strong emotions can hasten the process. Fang reassures Lightning that Serah will come out of crystal stasis one day.

Passing PSICOM Warmechs alert them that Snow and Hope are in trouble and find them just in time to help the latter fight an Ushumgal Subjugator. They go into hiding in Hope's home and take refuge with his father, Bartholomew Estheim. As they try to figure out how to deal with the Sanctum, PSICOM forces led by Yaag Rosch attack the house, but Rygdea arrives with Cavalry troops disguised as PSICOM soldiers and saves them. The Cavalry leads the party onto the Lindblum, where they learn PSICOM captured Vanille and Sazh in Nautilus, and are now bringing the captives aboard the Palamecia to Eden for a public execution.

Fang Vanille Reunited

Fang reunites with Vanille.

With the Cavalry's help, the group infiltrates the Palamecia to rescue the prisoners, and Fang and Vanille are reunited. Fang checks the progression of Vanille's brand and is relieved she still has time left. They face the Sanctum Primarch, Galenth Dysley, who reveals his true form as the fal'Cie Barthandelus, the true ruler of Cocoon. After defeating him, they learn their Focus: to destroy Cocoon by changing into Ragnarok and destroying Orphan, the fal'Cie sustaining Cocoon. While the rest of the party is coming to terms with their task's gravity, Fang is troubled by Barthandelus taunting her for forgetting her Focus. The group escapes using an airship that Dysley left behind and crashes into the Fifth Ark hidden beneath Eden.

Bahamut Fifth Ark

Fang's confused rage summons Bahamut.

In the Ark, the party's l'Cie powers are fully awakened. They meet Cid Raines, revealed to have been a Sanctum l'Cie branded by Barthandelus all along, with the Focus to help them destroy Cocoon. Raines explains the Cocoon fal'Cie want Cocoon's destruction to call back the Maker and remake the world. To defy his fal'Cie master, Cid attacks the group to kill them and stop the fal'Cie's plan. The party defeats Raines, and he unexpectedly turns to crystal. While Raines's sacrifice inspires the rest to vow to fight their Focus as well, Fang turns against them, willing to "smash Cocoon out of the sky" if it means saving her friends from turning Cie'th. Her Eidolon, Bahamut, manifests, and after taming it, Fang relents and agrees to help search for a way to defy their Focus and wipe their brands clean. A path to the Ark's lowest level reveals itself, and they board an old Pulsian airship and fly through a gate to Gran Pulse.

After emerging in Pulse's atmosphere, a wyvern attacks the airship. Fang summons Bahamut and saves the others with Lightning's help. With the Vallis Media as their base camp, the party spends days searching Pulse for answers but comes up empty-handed. Hope's brand advances, and he falls unconscious. Vanille suggests returning to Oerba, and after Hope comes to, he urges the others to go without him. His Eidolon Alexander appears, and Fang and Lightning help him tame it. The party's faith is renewed, and everyone decides to journey to Oerba together.

In the Paddra ruins in the Yaschas Massif, Fang and Vanille tell the others about their role in the War of Transgression. Fang remains puzzled over having entered crystal stasis despite not doing anything in the war, but Vanille continues lying to hide her guilt.

Fang Vanille Mah'habara

Fang comforts Vanille.

The group crosses the Archylte Steppe, and in the Font of Namva, Fang apologizes to Sazh for her part in what happened to Dajh. He forgives her, ultimately blaming himself for not watching his son. The group enters the Mah'habara Subterra where they stop briefly in the Flower-filled Fissure. Fang lies to Vanille about remembering her Focus to coax a confession out of her, which signals the appearance of Vanille's Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, making Fang realize Vanille had always remembered their Focus. After taming the Eidolon, Fang reveals she suspected Vanille ever since they awoke in Cocoon but assures she isn't angry with her and that they no longer just have each other: they now have a new family.

After passing through the Sulyya Springs and climbing Taejin's Tower, Fang and Vanille are shocked to see Oerba abandoned and dilapidated. The party rides a capsule down to Oerba's outskirts and navigates its Cie'th-infested ruins. They encounter Barthandelus, who claims he has arranged for Cocoon's destruction even without the Pulse l'Cie's help by resurrecting Raines as the new Primarch and tricking the Cavalry into going after Orphan. After defeating him again, the party heads to Eden to stop his plan.

Ragnarok

Fang transforms into an incomplete Ragnarok to kill Orphan.

After Sazh pilots an airship into the Eden Grand Prix, the party ambushes the city with their Eidolons and heads for Orphan's Cradle where they find members of the Cavalry turned into Cie'th. As Fang falls under pressure, Vanille proposes they promise to protect Cocoon as their new home. After defeating Barthandelus in the Narthex, Orphan rises from its pool and tortures Vanille to make Fang become Ragnarok, claiming that calling back the Maker to remake the world is the only salvation available for them. Fang yields and Orphan releases Vanille. Fang tries to attack Vanille, but the others stop her.

Everyone except Fang and Vanille transforms into Cie'th, and they attack Fang. Fang's brand reactivates, and she transforms into an incomplete Ragnarok. She attacks Orphan but only breaks the protective barrier around the fal'Cie before reverting. To force Fang to become Ragnarok again and finish the job, Orphan tortures her in an agonizing cycle of being attacked and then healed. The rest of the party relive the memories of everything they went through and turn back to humans. Fang begs Vanille to run, but she refuses and prepares to face Orphan. The others attack the fal'Cie, and it sinks back into its pool, releasing Fang from Orphan's clutches. Together, they resolve to defeat Orphan for good, not to destroy Cocoon, but to save it; with that promise, all of their l'Cie brands turn white.

Vanille&Fang crystal

Fang and Vanille are crystallized after saving Cocoon.

With Orphan's destruction, Orphan's Cradle vanishes, and the party is left floating over Eden as Cocoon begins to fall. As Lightning, Hope, Sazh, and Snow float away, Fang and Vanille sacrifice themselves to save Cocoon by becoming Ragnarok. Ragnarok surrounds Cocoon with lava and summons the crystal dust from Oerba to crystallize Cocoon, the pillar of lava, and Fang and Vanille. The crystallized Cocoon is left erect over Pulse supported by an enormous crystal pillar. On Pulse, the others awaken from their brief crystal stasis to find not only their brands wiped clean, but Serah and Dajh safely returned to them. Fang and Vanille's crystallized bodies remain within the pillar's core, holding hands in crystal sleep.

Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-[]

Don't even think of trying to help us, or bring us back, or whatever stupid plan you might come up with. Don't you dare. You worry about yourselves, you hear me?

Fang to Lightning and Snow

While in crystal sleep, Fang and Vanille lament the events. Seeing Dajh smile helps Fang forgive herself for the Euride Gorge incident. Fang wants Serah to forgive her, and Vanille reassures she is a kind person and, therefore, she will. With the responsibility of supporting Cocoon, Fang does not mind wasting away in a deep sleep as long as Vanille is with her. They feel the goddess smiling at them, and Fang feels missing pieces of her memory returning, although she still cannot remember everything. Looking down upon her friends, Fang knows Snow and Lightning will want to save her and Vanille despite her trying to tell them not to.

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]

We've come to pull you out of this fantasy of yours.

Fang to Serah

Inside the pillar, Fang wonders why Lightning is protecting Etro in Valhalla. Fang believes Etro is a cruel goddess who sends the Eidolons to dispose of her l'Cie. Seeing that Lightning has no way out of Valhalla, the middle world between the mortal world and the unseen realm of the dead, Fang urges Serah to listen to her heart as she might hear Lightning's voice that way. Fang sees Snow is determined to get to the Coliseum for her and Vanille's sake and wishes that, instead of worrying about them, he would help reunite Serah and Lightning.

Serah Fang Vanille

Fang and Vanille appear to help Serah escape from her dream.

In Serah's dream in the Void Beyond, Fang meets Serah and says she and Vanille have come to save her from being trapped in the endless dream Caius Ballad put her in. Fang creates a space-time distortion and tells Serah she needs to help someone else before becoming trapped in an endless dream himself, whom Serah figures to be Noel Kreiss. Vanille and Fang disappear, leaving the portal to lead Serah to Noel. After missing her chance to apologize to Serah for her role in Serah's transformation into a l'Cie, Fang does so and vows she and Vanille will repay their debts by holding up Cocoon. She tells Serah to help Lightning and deal with Caius. In the year 500 AF, Hope, Sazh, and the Academy safely remove the crystal holding Fang and Vanille from the pillar just before Cocoon falls.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[]

Perfect timing. Glad you could make it. Took you long enough, didn't it?

Fang to Lightning
LRFFXIII Fang First Meet

Fang reunites with Lightning.

Four hundred and eighty-seven years later, Fang and Vanille awoke from crystal stasis in Nova Chrysalia, the world formed after Valhalla merged with Gran Pulse. After being found by Lumina, a mysterious girl who resembles Serah, the Order of Salvation in Luxerion took them in and revered Vanille as the "sacred one" they waited on for centuries.

After a few years of living under the Order's care, Fang grew to distrust those in the upper ranks, deeming the Order only interested in Vanille for her newfound ability to hear the dead. Fang learned of the Soulsong, a ritual to purify the dead at the cost of Vanille's life, but when she tried to get Vanille to safety, she was shocked to learn her friend was willing to sacrifice herself to give the dead peace. As Vanille stayed behind out of guilt for the deaths they had caused in the past, Fang escaped to the Dead Dunes, where she took charge of a band of thieves called Monoculus to find the relic the Order needs for the Soulsong: the holy clavis. For the next four or five years, Fang found herself competing with the Order's Secutors, who also seek the clavis.

Thirteen years after Fang awoke from crystal stasis, the Apocalypse is fast approaching. Lightning comes out of crystal stasis and is chosen to be the savior by the god Bhunivelze. When Fang's associate Adonis brings Lightning to her as a recruit, they reunite as Fang kept tabs on Lightning since her arrival to the Dead Dunes. Due to Lightning's status as the savior, Fang enlists her aid to reach the Temple Ruins beneath the desert.

Fang and Lightning find murals depicting humans being created by the deity Lindzei from Etro's spilled blood to use them as tools of the gods, like how Bhunivelze is using Vanille through the Order. Another mural shows Bhunivelze, who saves pure souls and banishes the dead, believing them to be tainted. Fang tells Lightning the Order wants the clavis for the Soulsong, revealing Vanille's motivation to seek atonement by saving the spirits of the dead from their suffering within the Chaos.

Holy-Clavis-LRFFXIII

Lightning and Fang find the clavis.

Upon finding the clavis, Lightning prevents Fang from destroying it, and the Secutors ambush the two. As Fang and Lightning deal with a Grendel the Secutors unleash on them, the Order's agents escape with the clavis. Fang tells Lightning the full story of Vanille's intent to sacrifice herself, along with how she wanted to keep the clavis away from her while ensuring Lightning is not an agent of the Order. Lumina appears and taunts Fang for not trusting Lightning and using her, revealing she was the one who led the Secutors to their location. After Lumina says Vanille will perform the Soulsong on the world's final day and destroy the dead, Lightning says only Fang can save Vanille. Fang decides to disband Monoculus while promising to meet Lightning at Luxerion on the last day.

On the day of the Apocalypse, along with Noel and Snow, Fang infiltrates the Luxerion Cathedral to save Vanille before facing a Chimera. Joined by Lightning, she learns Vanille can guide the dead and enable their rebirth in the new world Bhunivelze is crafting. The Order's true objective is to destroy the dead with the Soulsong and erase the living's memories of them, "purifying" them of their burdened pasts so they can start in the new world with a clean slate, which is what Bhunivelze wanted all along. Once Fang and Lightning find Vanille on the altar in God's Sanctum amid performing the ceremony, they reveal the truth the Order hid from her.

Fang vanille

Fang helps Vanille guide the dead to be reborn in the new world.

After Vanille learns that the dead want to be reborn, Fang offers to help her guide the souls to the Ark. The Order's high priestess refuses the others to thwart the Soulsong and commences the ritual. Fang lends her spear to Snow to destroy the clavis and obliterate the high priestess. Once she and Vanille guide the dead to the Ark, Fang receives closure as the noble act saves her soul alongside Vanille's. Bhunivelze uses Hope's body to capture Fang, Vanille, Noel, and Snow, but Fang returns to aid Lightning in defeating the god. She witnesses Nova Chrysalia's end before accompanying her friends to the new world to begin life anew.

Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories-[]

The Order exploited Vanille’s feelings. They welcomed Vanille into the Cathedral, fed her pretty lies, things she wanted to hear. She’s the type to take everything seriously, and she believed everything they told her, never suspecting anything. She took it into her head that she could help everyone so long as she did whatever the Order wanted.

Fang

Fang and Vanille stay together in the new world and move to an arid region near a remote village in an area full of cattle ranches and rocky wilderness. The pair makes their abode amid abandoned ruins as they "remind them of home". A reporter named Aoede interviews them on her quest to uncover the truth behind people's latent memories of another world. Though Fang is initially cold toward her, the two discuss how they saved Cocoon and remained in crystal sleep for centuries; how Hope salvaged their crystal before the crystal pillar shattered; and how the organization he formed, the Conseil de Renaissance, safeguarded them.

When they awoke, Hope disappeared, and they fell under the Order's watchful eye. They spent the next few years under the group's care, which were, as Fang puts it, "the easiest days of our lives". The pair don't know why they awoke from crystal stasis but speculate it to be the work of either Bhunivelze or Lumina, whom Fang describes as a brat who was "Chaos personified" and was attached to Vanille for some reason.

Fang says that many of the Order's followers were decent people who treated her and Vanille well. However, those in the upper echelons were rotten garbage, who exploited Vanille's desire to help the suffering populace and atone for the past to control her. The Order told Vanille what she wanted to hear and made her believe that she could help everyone by doing whatever the Order desired. Fang explains the Order would've erased everyone's memories of the past if Lightning hadn't saved them. When Aoede gets excited from hearing about Lightning's heroics and expresses wanting to thank her in person, Vanille and Fang assure her Lightning's wish for the world has come true if everyone is content with living in the new world.

Spoilers end here.

Gameplay[]

Fang poisoned

Fang in battle in Final Fantasy XIII.

Fang is a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII who also appears as a guest in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. She is a solid physical attacker who also specializes in defending and inflicting status ailments on opponents. She wields a double-bladed spear, and her signature attack is a jump attack called Highwind. In Final Fantasy XIII, Fang consistently has the strongest physical attack power, making her an excellent Commando. Fang's Eidolon is the non-elemental Bahamut that takes flight in his Gestalt Mode.

Fang is the only character who rides a chocobo sidesaddle. Although in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning also rides sidesaddle if she wears a dress.

Though Fang's eidolith may resemble the shape of a fang, her crystal in Final Fantasy XIII-2 when used as an adornment for monsters is called "Crystal Petal". The "Treasure Hunter" trophy/achievement uses Fang's crystal.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Fang aids Lightning in battle as an uncontrollable guest character. It is impossible to observe her stats directly, and as she doesn't have an HP gauge, she can't be KO'd in battle.

Musical themes[]

In Final Fantasy XIII, "Fang's Theme" is a short and uplifting orchestral piece. It contains a minor variant of the central battle theme, "Blinded By Light", and plays at many points during the game.

Two rearrangements of her theme: include the second version of "The Pulse l'Cie", which plays during her flashback of the 5th day, and "Dust to Dust", a sad theme with vocals that plays when Fang tells Lightning about her past in Palumpolum, and as Oerba's background theme.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Fang has a new leitmotif titled "Fang's Theme ~The Boss~", an orchestral piece containing a haunting chorus that plays during moments in the Dead Dunes' underground maze.

Other appearances[]

Fang has appeared in the following games throughout the Final Fantasy series:

Behind the scenes[]

Fang sketch

Concept art of Fang.

Fang was originally written as a male character.[2] Early in development, Lightning was meant to be a flirtatious character with more sex appeal but these traits were transferred to Fang to make Lightning a more serious character.[2] Character designer Tetsuya Nomura has stated that when compared to the other characters personality-wise, Fang is stronger than Lightning and more stubborn than Snow.

Director Motomu Toriyama stated that since Final Fantasy XIII one of Fang's defining characteristics is her willingness to do whatever is necessary to protect Vanille. In Lightning Returns she seems resigned, which is the dark side of her heart. She is more hesitant, as though she fears the consequences of her actions.[3]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)
Fang Vanille Photo

Photo of Fang and Vanille in Oerba.

One can find a photo of Vanille and Fang in Oerba on a table in the house where Bhakti is, as proof of their past existence on Gran Pulse.

Fang is the only playable character not present in Chapter 1. She briefly appears in Snow's flashback at the end of Chapter 2 and makes her first proper appearance near the end of Chapter 3; therefore, making Fang the only party member who wasn't in the Purge and the only playable character not present in the player's party in Chapter 1. If one turns on subtitles and speaker names at the beginning of Chapter 7, Fang's name appears when she talks, but her Datalog entry still doesn't display her name. Unlike Vanille's, no one speaks Fang's full name in the first game, although after reuniting with her in Lightning Returns, Hope calls Fang by her full name when talking about her with Lightning.

The Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega has a l'Cie brand progression chart FFXIII lCie brand progression chart from FFXIII Ultimania Omega that shows the progression of each l'Cie's brand, as well as the events that make the brands advance. Fang's brand is static, halted at stage 12 until she turns into Ragnarok in Orphan's Cradle, at which point the brand becomes active again and enters stage 13. Her betrayal makes everyone but Vanille's brands advance to stage 13 as well and turns them into Cie'th. Fang returning to her human form makes the brand white again, and it's erased after her prolonged crystal stasis while holding up Cocoon in the pillar.

Spoilers end here.

Voice[]

Fang's Japanese voice actress is Mabuki Andou, while her English voice actress is Rachel Robinson. Robinson also provided voice for Holly Whyte from Bravely Default.

Fang and Vanille speak with a different accent from the rest of the party. In the Japanese version, this is the Okinawan dialect of Japanese, and in the English localization, they speak with an Australian accent. The idea to cast two characters with an Australian accent came from the localization team, who requested the voice directing team to look for either Australian or New Zealand sounding voices. The team wanted Fang and Vanille to sound like they're from another world, but more in the sense of their voices having a different melody rather than a thick accent.[4]

Fang shares a battle quote with Rikku from Final Fantasy X: "It's all in the wrist!"

Merchandise[]

An action figure of Fang was released as a part of the Play Arts series.

Gallery[]

Etymology and symbolism[]

Fang's full name stands for "Fang of the Yun clan, from the village of Oerba".

In Korean yun means "allow, consent" or, "soft, sleek". In Chinese, the name yun means "cloud". Yun may also refer to Zhao Yun (or Chou Un in on'yomi), a Chinese war general well-known during the era of the Three Kingdoms and is a popular character as portrayed in adaptations of the novel loosely-based on the said period, Romance of the Three Kingdoms; Zhao Yun in those instances was well-known for wielding a spear with great skill.

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 the destruction of the earth and, upon awakening, will find the world verdant again. Líf and Lífþrasir will become the progenitors of a new race of humans, and their descendants will inhabit the world. This concept is congruent with the initial idea that envisioned Fang as a male character.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Final Fantasy XII Scenario Ultimania, p.030
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tanaka, John (2009, October 21). "Final Fantasy XIII Update". From IGN. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021.
  3. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition Guide p.341
  4. http://www.ff-xiii.net/index.php?page=content&name_id=podcast
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