There's a bit of an assumption that the popularity of the Final Fantasy VII character Tifa comes in part from her appearance, especially the modern version of the character in Final Fantasy VII: Remake and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. This has led to the character transcending generations and time, as following being created over 30 years ago, she recently won the award for the Best Character at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards, with these being fan-voted awards.
But Tifa's designer Tetsuya Nomura doesn't think her popularity is completely down to her appearance, as he stated during the show. As translated by Genki_JPN on X, Nomura stated:
"Thank you for voting for Tifa. It has already been about 30 years since I designed the original Tifa. Her getting such support, even now, after 30 years, is a great honor as a designer.
"However, a character is not just about appearance, personality is also important. I believe Tifa's good qualities are the combination of her character, expressions, voice, movements, combat abilities and all of her other charms.
"The entire team worked together to create her charm, and we are truly grateful for the recognition that it has received."
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth pretty much sweeped the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards, winning seven of the total awards, including Best Game.
