How Old is Tifa During Crisis Core?

As a passionate Final Fantasy fan and content creator, I‘m often asked about the complex timelines and character ages across the various FF7 spin-off games. So let‘s examine the key question: how old is Tifa Lockhart during the events of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII? The answer is that she was 15 years old at that time.

Where Crisis Core Fits in the FF7 Timeline

As a prequel to the iconic PS1 game, Crisis Core is set approximately 5 years before the start of Final Fantasy VII. We meet a teenage Tifa around 7 years after the pivotal incident in her hometown of Nibelheim.

To understand Tifa‘s age, we need context on when these games fall in the FF7 chronology:

• Crisis Core – Runs from year 0002 to 0007 in the FF7 timeline
• Final Fantasy VII – Starts in year 0007 in the timeline

So in total, there is about a 5 year gap between Tifa‘s appearances in Crisis Core at 15 years old, and FF7 at age 20.

Comparison of Key Character Ages in Crisis Core

Below is a detailed table covering the ages of major characters during CC, for some interesting context behind this vital prequel story:

As we can see, many of the core cast are in their mid-late teens, while Yuffie is just a child during the CC timeline.

How Tifa‘s Age Impacts Her Crisis Core Role and Personality

So what does Tifa being 15 years old mean for her role in Crisis Core, versus her FF7 appearance age 20?

• She is still grieving for her mother‘s death several years prior
• Her father wants her to remain in Nibelheim for a quiet life
• She has a protective streak over weaker childhood friends like Cloud
• Her combat skills are not fully developed yet compared to FF7

Overall, Tifa comes across as a conflicted teenager – smarter and worldlier than her peers thanks to loss at a young age, but still lacking adult independence.

Her self-assuredness and nurturing personality as the heart of AVALANCHE isn‘t fully formed yet. So Crisis Core offers intriguing insight into Tifa‘s early coming-of-age trials.

How Her Age Impacts Relationships With Cloud and Zack

A 15 year old Tifa would also undoubtedly view older FF7 heroes like Cloud (16) and Zack (starts at 16, finishes story at 23) differently than her 20 year old self:

• She would look up to both as worldly, mysterious SOLDIER operatives
• Their relative maturity would appeal compared to local Nibelheim boys
• Her crush on Cloud may begin nurturing then, before deeper FF7 bonds

So Tifa‘s age breeds an intriguing dynamic – Zack as a grown mentor, Cloud as a peer/first love. This contrasts with her FF7 role as their emotional cornerstone.

How Tifa‘s Age Fits Fan Theories About CC and FF7 Connections

On the topic of Tifa‘s connections to Cloud and Zack, Crisis Core drops some intriguing unanswered story threads:

• Why do townspeople say Tifa has feelings for Cloud, hinting at their shared history?
• Why does no one mention Zack after Crisis Core, if he and Tifa bonded?

This opens up fan theories about past connections between them. Perhaps as more FF7 spin-off media releases, we‘ll gain clarity on questions like:

• Did teenage Tifa secretly admire Zack too, before his death?
• Does Cloud adopting Zack‘s memories complicate her feelings?
• How might a future FF7 story address these dangling CC plot points?

As an avid fan myself, I‘d be very excited to see a definitive exploration of Tifa‘s ties to both!

The Iterative Nature of FF7‘s Extended Universe

More broadly, Tifa‘s specific age in Crisis Core exemplifies the iterative worldbuilding process across the FF7‘s extended universe:

• Base FF7 game establishes core characters and ages
• Compilation (including CC) retrospectively expands backgrounds
• New Remake trilogy will add more layers to existing canon

Rather than outright reboots, Square Enix prefers expanding on existing FF7 lore across interconnected instalments.

So uncovering nuances like Tifa‘s age deepens our understanding over time – it‘s an exciting journey for long-term franchise fans!