Tifa Lockhart/Barret Wallace
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Tifa Lockhart x Barret Wallace |
| Alternative name(s): | Barret x Tifa, barrifa |
| Gender category: | Het |
| Fandom: | Final Fantasy VII |
| Canonical?: | Non-canon (Close friends, but not described as romantic) |
| Prevalence: | Uncommon |
| Archives: | Barret x Tifa @ deviantArt (Fanart); Tifa/Barret tagged works @ AO3 (Fanfiction) |
| Other: | somekindalady (fanwork collection) @ tumblr; somekindalady_feed @ DW |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Tifa/Barret pairing explores the possibility of a relationship between two major characters in the game Final Fantasy VII and other associated fandoms. Barret/Tifa, Tifa/Barret and the shortened name combination barrifa are often used interchangeably among fans of the relationship. While it does include one of the major characters in the Love Triangle Debate, it is only occasionally addressed in the actual debate.
Background
Barret and Tifa are not shown in the canon to be romantically involved; in supplemental materials, no relationship is shown between the two of them at all. [1]
The events of the original game show that there is, if nothing else, a strong bond of friendship between them. The two have known each other long enough at the start of the game for Barret to feel comfortable leaving his precious daughter Marlene alone in Tifa's care; this continues even after the original game, when Barret is searching for new energy supplies and Tifa is helping him look after Marlene. Tifa is shown to calm Barret many times, even when he's at his worst moments, as when he believes his daughter is dead. Barret displays a great deal of trust for Tifa as well; he listens to her concerns and trusts her judgement, even concerning Cloud, whom he has no reason to trust besides her word. Barret tries to encourage Tifa when she hesitates or feels discouraged, and risks his own freedom to save her; at one point he is captured because of his attempt to rescue her when she is unconscious.[2] Even when they do disagree and separate for a short time, he eventually admits to her that he shouldn't have doubted her.
At first glance, some fans have stated that they believed that Barret and Tifa were a married couple, and were surprised to learn that they were not. [3] But not all fans who are interested in the relationship between the two of them are interested in a romantic or sexual relationship, partially due to a difference in their ages. Familial and platonic headcanons are also common.
Fandom Activity
Fanworks involving Barret/Tifa, especially works of fanfiction, were extremely rare in the earlier days of the fandom. The most common theme in the ones that did exist was Barret trying to cheer Tifa up after she is rejected by Cloud. In the past five years, however, fanworks have become easier to find, possibly due to the creation of tumblr and the actions of fans to bring the widely scattered fanworks together for easier viewing.
The vast majority of Barret/Tifa fanart is drawn by Western fans. Artists are de-centralized and scattered, but many pieces of art that involve the two of them are collected in the Barret x Tifa group on deviantArt.
There is no currently active discussion community for Tifa/Barret fans. A community was created briefly in approximately 2006, but was quickly abandoned, due to inconsistent moderation and difficulty finding new members and content. Until mid-2015, fanworks, meta and screenshots were posted and reblogged by barrifa @ tumblr; however, this tumblr was deactivated suddenly and without explanation in July of 2015. Currently the works are being posted and gathered by tumblr log somekindalady, which also has an RSS feed for Dreamwidth users.
Inter-ship Interactions
Many Barret/Tifa fans favor pairing Cloud with any number of characters in a complimentary relationship. Cloud/Aerith is the most popular, to the point that some fans to wrongly concluded that Barret/Tifa exists only to conveniently remove Tifa from the love triangle and pave the way for Cloud and Aerith's relationship. Cloud/Zack and Cloud/Sephiroth are also sometimes seen as complimentary relationships.
Occasionally Barret/Tifa fans will come into conflict with other shippers who support Tifa in a different relationship. Cloud/Tifa fans sometimes raise objections, although many of them are willing to agree to disagree or enjoy multishipping.
Essays, Articles and Meta
- Never Forget Them: Barret and Tifa @ Eyes On Final Fantasy
References
- ^ Ultimania Omega Character Map, translated by Schala-Kitty. Accessed Sept. 1st, 2015.
- ^ Barret Wallace Character Profile Ultimania translation. Accessed Sept. 1st, 2015.
- ^ GameFAQS forum, FFVII: Who Thought Tifa and Barret were married? Accessed Sept. 1st, 2015.
