Personality: At the beginning of the game, Lightning presents herself as a tough, no nonsense (and perhaps even callous) soldier. She seems to look at life as if every step/every meeting might lead to a battle. Because of said outlook, she knows that she (along with all of those around her) need to be prepared 24/7/365. If she is caught off-guard (or if her acquaintances are caught off-guard), the future, in her book, is grim indeed. (In fact, her strong feelings on being prepared/not showing weakness were the catalyst for summoning Odin.)
Yet, despite her strength, there is something almost childish about Lightning. While she does have strong ideals, she doesn't always hold her temper in check. In fact, she can be downright cruel when her buttons are pushed. And she is far too proud to come out and apologize, of course.
However, as the game progresses and more of her back-story is revealed, Lightning is shown to be a complicated woman. Underneath her cold resolve to never give into meaningless/useless emotion (and her bratty temper), "Lightning" is not as callous as she might seem. She does have softer feelings. At times, it seems like she faults herself for being weak in that regard. (Or perhaps she just becomes annoyed with herself for feeling softer/weaker emotions in the first place.)
But, when it comes to Serah especially, she can't help herself. In the few flashbacks we see of her interacting with her little sister - as well as her reaction to those memories in the present - Lightning shows a wider range of emotions. When Serah tells Lightning of her fate (that she is a l'Cie) as well as her desire to marry Snow, Lightning loses her temper and says some things that she seems to regret later. She realizes that she was too harsh to her sister and that she is the reason Serah ran away - this becomes especially apparent when Lightning too becomes a l'Cie.
Another situation where Lightning shows softer/more vulnerable emotions is when she is speaking to one of her superiors. Again, this memory is a flashback during the long journey she shares with Sazh, Hope, Snow, Vanille and, later, Fang. During said memory, one of her superiors compliments her and tells her to loosen up now and then and enjoy herself. Lightning seems caught off-guard by both actions and she looks quite young in this particular scene - though it's easy to tell that she looks up to the General and that she takes his words to heart.
Despite those scenes, Lightning retains her rock-solid facade. She doesn't know what Fate/Destiny/whatever has in store for her, but she sure as hell isn't going to lay down and take it. Now that she has been marked as a l'Cie, (the very group she had once hunted so ambitiously), she knows she can only rely on herself to save Serah from her terrible fate. When Hope comes to rely on her - in order to make himself stronger - all of the pressure builds up and becomes too much for her to handle. Her temper is set off and that is when (and why) she is able to Summon Odin.
Yet that burst of temper is a temporary thing and, as time passes, it's clear that she is even beginning to rely on and open up to her companions. Hope in particular seems to earn her affection rather than the contempt she showed him when they first crossed paths. By the end of the game, Lightning has grown damn fond of her companions and she vows to free Vanille and Fang from their crystallized fate too. In a way, that vow becomes her new Focus - especially since Serah is in good hands with Snow at the end of the game.
Thus, over the course of the game, Lightning matures and realizes that she can count on others and that there are others who are nearly as important to her as her sister in her life. Thanks to that realization, she softens and becomes less short-tempered. However she will always be a quick-witted soldier with a sharp tongue - especially if you happen to be her enemy. But her heart is in the right place and she is finally able to speak out and tell others when she needs help.
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Yet, despite her strength, there is something almost childish about Lightning. While she does have strong ideals, she doesn't always hold her temper in check. In fact, she can be downright cruel when her buttons are pushed. And she is far too proud to come out and apologize, of course.
However, as the game progresses and more of her back-story is revealed, Lightning is shown to be a complicated woman. Underneath her cold resolve to never give into meaningless/useless emotion (and her bratty temper), "Lightning" is not as callous as she might seem. She does have softer feelings. At times, it seems like she faults herself for being weak in that regard. (Or perhaps she just becomes annoyed with herself for feeling softer/weaker emotions in the first place.)
But, when it comes to Serah especially, she can't help herself. In the few flashbacks we see of her interacting with her little sister - as well as her reaction to those memories in the present - Lightning shows a wider range of emotions. When Serah tells Lightning of her fate (that she is a l'Cie) as well as her desire to marry Snow, Lightning loses her temper and says some things that she seems to regret later. She realizes that she was too harsh to her sister and that she is the reason Serah ran away - this becomes especially apparent when Lightning too becomes a l'Cie.
Another situation where Lightning shows softer/more vulnerable emotions is when she is speaking to one of her superiors. Again, this memory is a flashback during the long journey she shares with Sazh, Hope, Snow, Vanille and, later, Fang. During said memory, one of her superiors compliments her and tells her to loosen up now and then and enjoy herself. Lightning seems caught off-guard by both actions and she looks quite young in this particular scene - though it's easy to tell that she looks up to the General and that she takes his words to heart.
Despite those scenes, Lightning retains her rock-solid facade. She doesn't know what Fate/Destiny/whatever has in store for her, but she sure as hell isn't going to lay down and take it. Now that she has been marked as a l'Cie, (the very group she had once hunted so ambitiously), she knows she can only rely on herself to save Serah from her terrible fate. When Hope comes to rely on her - in order to make himself stronger - all of the pressure builds up and becomes too much for her to handle. Her temper is set off and that is when (and why) she is able to Summon Odin.
Yet that burst of temper is a temporary thing and, as time passes, it's clear that she is even beginning to rely on and open up to her companions. Hope in particular seems to earn her affection rather than the contempt she showed him when they first crossed paths. By the end of the game, Lightning has grown damn fond of her companions and she vows to free Vanille and Fang from their crystallized fate too. In a way, that vow becomes her new Focus - especially since Serah is in good hands with Snow at the end of the game.
Thus, over the course of the game, Lightning matures and realizes that she can count on others and that there are others who are nearly as important to her as her sister in her life. Thanks to that realization, she softens and becomes less short-tempered. However she will always be a quick-witted soldier with a sharp tongue - especially if you happen to be her enemy. But her heart is in the right place and she is finally able to speak out and tell others when she needs help.