Rinoa Heartilly
Template:FFVIII character Rinoa Heartilly is the main female character in Final Fantasy VIII. Rinoa is the seventeen year old daughter of General Caraway, a high-ranking officer in the Galbadian army, and Julia Heartilly, a famous singer and former lover of Laguna Loire.
Rinoa, along with Squall, is also featured in the electronic board game, Itadaki Street Special.
Biography
Rinoa is a member --NOT the leader-- of the Forest Owls, a small resistance faction seeking to liberate the small nation of Timber from Galbadian occupation. Rinoa first meets Squall Leonhart, the male protagonist of the game, at a ball at Balamb Garden, where she manages to charm--albeit somewhat aggressively--the usually taciturn and unfriendly Squall into dancing with her. Her purpose for visiting the Garden is revealed when the Forest Owls hire Squall, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt as mercenaries. She stays with them as they are forced to flee Timber, and ends up travelling along with them.
Outspoken, spirited, emotional and compassionate, Rinoa is in many ways the polar opposite of the cold and antisocial Squall; in fact, she was at one time romantically involved with his long-standing rival Seifer Almasy. Although their personalities do clash at first, Squall and Rinoa gradually fall in love, and their relationship is a major focus of the game's storyline.
Rinoa's weapon of a choice is a curious projectile device called the Blaster Edge. It appears to be a bladed ring, mounted to her wrist, that acts much like a boomerang. She is frequently accompanied by her faithful dog, Angelo, who figures prominently in her Limit Breaks. Due to events later in the game, she also acquires a secondary limit break called Angelwing, in which she goes berserk and begins randomly casting any spell she has on the enemy with greatly increased power.
Fan Reaction
Rinoa is a relatively controversial character among Final Fantasy fans. Many considered her an example of the stereotypical "princess" character - kindhearted, but also immature, weak in battle, overly dependent on others, and prone to being kidnapped- indeed, the other Timber Owls refer to her as 'princess', and being the daughter of a powerful general means she's used to getting what she wants. However, other gamers found that Rinoa's character flaws made her a more realistic and interesting character, and enjoyed the game's portrayal of her growing relationship with Squall, who required someone as intense as Rinoa to bring him out of his shell. Some fans liken Squall and Rinoa's relationship to Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough, seeing their personalities and roles are almost mirrored.
A further criticism (and highly controversial one) comes along racial lines. Rinoa's features are considered more obviously Asian than previous character designs, something which has become more obvious in later installments. Some fans state that many later heroines have a more generic similar look to each other as a result.
In a more controversal criticism, the features of Squall, her love interest, are considered Caucasian. Because of this, some fans (especially Japanese ones) have claimed that their relationship is a stereotypical interracial pairing of an Asian female with the (again stereotypical) larger, taller, and more virile white male (see also Ethnic issues in Japan). Though as interracial European-Asian pairings are quite uncommon both in fiction and in real-life, much to both "sides" chagrin, it should not be read in to much. However, it should be noted that this criticism is based on what outsiders consider to be a form of racism on the part of the Japanese.
Future Self?
One controversial theory suggested by some gamers is that Rinoa Heartilly and Ultimecia - the game's ultimate villain, a sorceress from the future - are in fact one and the same. However, recent translations (done by one 'Dark Angel' from adventchildren.net) of the Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania Guide (the official guide made by Square) have confirmed that a sorceress has a human lifespan. Since Ultimecia lives 'many generations' into the future, it is impossible for Rinoa to become Ultimecia, rendering this theory invalid. The translation reads as follows:
"Sorceresses
Said to have existed from time immemorial to the present day, the sorceresses are women who are said to have received their powers from the old god, Hyne. There is, however, no hard evidence to support this claim. Extraordinarily powerful, many sorceresses have harboured ambitions to rule over the world -- as a result, many people have come to equate the Sorceress with fear. However, there are also many Sorceresses who have chosen to live a quiet life sheltered away from civilized society; as such, the actual number of Sorceresses and the amount of power shared between them remains unknown.
The potential to become a sorceress is determined by one's capacity to wield such power -- their natural affinity for magic. This factor helps to determine Sorceress candidates for when a Sorceress passes on all of her power into the next Sorceress. The giving and receiving of power can be made between any two individuals -- it is not necessary for them to be related by blood. A Sorceress' lifespan is the same as a normal human's, however they cannot die until they have passed on their power to the next Sorceress."
Notice that although it says a sorceress cannot die while she has her powers, it is made clear through the game that whenever a sorceress is mortally wounded, their bodies will force them to give up their powers at the first possible occassion. Remember that all sorceress killed in the game more or less immediately give up their powers, indicating that simply keeping them and not dying is not viable, and would merely result in an extended life of agony. Of course, ignoring this, if Rinoa were Ultimecia, we would expect her to look like a very old, dying woman, which is clearly not what the game shows us. So in conclusion, the theory that Rinoa is Ultimecia is not justifiable based on the information given.