Tifa Lockhart – Final Fantasy VII

Kie as Tifa Lockhart. Photo by Lionel Lum 2007
Photo by Lionel Lum 2007

First worn: San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival 1999

My very first cosplay!Β  I heard about a local cosplay contest last minute and needed something I could throw together quickly.Β  Tifa seemed the easiest.Β  My mom helped me put the costume together the night before the contest. I have to confess, although I was a huge fan of Final Fantasy IV and VI, I hadn’t played VII, but Tifa seemed like a character I would like.Β  I still haven’t played more than an hour or two of the game, because I never could get over the graphics quality, even back then.

In 2007, my friend Lionel suggested we do a new photo shoot of this costume, with no upgrades, as a tribute to “cosplay back in the day”, when few people wore wigs, and “good enough” was good enough.Β  Enjoy this relic!

Kie as Tifa Lockhart. Photo by Eurobeat Kasumi.
Photo by Eurobeat Kasumi – FanimeCon 2000