Oerba Yun Fang

Oerba Yun Fang (ヲルバ＝ユン・ファング, Woruba-Yun Fangu, Fang of the Yun clan from the village of Oerba) is a fictional character in the 2009 video game Final Fantasy XIII.

Oerba Yun Fang
Final Fantasy character
Oerba Yun Fang, as seen in Final Fantasy XIII.
First gameFinal Fantasy XIII (2009)
Voiced by
  • Mabuki Andou (Japanese)
  • Rachel Robinson (English)

Concept and creation

Oerba Yun Fang is voiced by Rachel Robinson in English, and Mabuki Andou in Japanese.[1][2][3] She was originally intended to be male.[4] When they changed her to be female, they decided to give her sex appeal, while removing it from Lightning in order to differentiate them.[5] One aspect of Fang is her desire to protect Oerba Dia Vanille at whatever cost in Final Fantasy XIII, though she has feelings of resignation in Lightning Returns. Director Motomu Toriyama described this as the dark side of her heart.[6] The Japanese version of the game use an Okinawan dialect for both Fang and Vanille, while her voice in the English version was done with an Australian accent. This decision was made by the localization team to make them seem foreign from the rest of the cast. They had the voice direction team look into Australian and New Zealand accents for this.[7]

Appearances

Oerba Yun Fang first appears in Final Fantasy XIII. She also appears in its sequels, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. She also appears in various spin-off titles, including World of Final Fantasy and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

Reception

Initial reception for Oerba Yun Fang was positive.[8] Writer Mattie Brice called her "Women of the Year 2010."[9] Complex writers Peter Rubin and Ryan Woo praised voice actress Rachel Robinson for her performance of Fang.[10] GameSpot writers Garrett Martin and Maddy Myers included the relationship between Vanille and Fang in their list of the best love stories in video games, regardless of whether it is romantic or platonic. They say it may be "the only glimpse of human warmth in this otherwise ice-cold adventure."[11] Writer Kevin VanOrd noted his excitement to see Fang in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and that he wishes he could play a video game starring her.[12] Writer Joe Juba was disappointed that Fang, one of XIII's best characters, is in a background role in XIII-2.[13] However, Vice writer Aoife Wilson found her and Vanille's role in the ending to be one of the greatest Final Fantasy moments. They attributed this to the relationship between the two characters, which they note is implied to be romantic.[14] Video Game Music Online praised her theme music, though felt that it did not fit her character.[15]

Fang and Vanille's relationship has received generally positive reception. The relationship is a physically intimate one, causing fans to interpret it as a romantic relationship.[16][17] Screen Rant writer Scott Baird speculated that Fang's original status as a male character may have influenced the current relationship between Fang and Vanille, while RPGFan writer Chris Winkler speculated that this resulted in Fang being described as stronger than other male characters.[4][16] Writer Adam Beck noted that the characters Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang had opposite personalities, which helps their characterization during cutscenes.[18] Gameological authors discuss the two characters' relationship, noting them as two of the only good characters in the game due to their "human, affecting relationship."[19] IGN writer Kat Bailey praised the two characters' chemistry.[20] Writer Tim Turi expressed disappointment that she was central to the ending of Final Fantasy XIII rather than protagonist Lightning.[21]

Her Australian accent has received mixed reception. Writer Sammy Barker felt that it was ill-suited to her and found her irritating.[22][23] Mattie Brice discusses how her and Vanille having Australian accents alongside their "tribal inspired clothing and the uncultivated depiction of their home world" helps to distinguish them from the rest of the cast, who speak with American accents.[24]

References
  1. "Behind the Voice Actors - Final Fantasy XIII". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  2. "Behind the Voice Actors - Final Fantasy XIII-2". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  3. "Behind the Voice Actors - Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  4. Winkler, Chris (October 21, 2009). "Toriyama, Nomura Talk Final Fantasy". RPGFan. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  5. Tanaka, John (October 31, 2009). "Final Fantasy XIII Update". IGN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  6. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition Guide. p. 341.
  7. "FF Union Interview Fang 2014". Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  8. Triezenberg, Peter (December 1, 2017). "Crystal Tools Without A Craftsman: Examining The Development of Final Fantasy XIII". RPGFan. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  9. Brice, Mattie. "Valuing the Feminine: Why I Love Vanille". Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  10. Rubin, Peter; Woo, Ryan (March 3, 2011). "It's The Second Annual Complex Voice-Over Awards!". Complex. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  11. Martin, Garrett; Myers, Maddy (January 17, 2014). "14 Great Love Stories From Video Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  12. VanOrd, Kevin (October 14, 2013). "Lightning Returns: You Can Go Home Again". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  13. Juba, Joe (January 28, 2012). "Final Fantasy XIII-2". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  14. Wilson, Aoife (March 24, 2015). "The Greatest Moments of 'Final Fantasy,' Part 1". Vice. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  15. "Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  16. Baird, Scott (April 29, 2017). "15 Final Fantasy Characters Who Almost Looked Completely Different". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  17. Shaw, Adrianne (June 24, 2018). "Fang and Vanille in Final Fantasy III". LGBTQ Game Archive. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  18. Beck, Adam (October 13, 2014). "Review: Final Fantasy XIII (PC)". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  19. Agnello, Anthony John; Keiser, Joe; Nelson, Samantha; Sanskrit, Derrick; Teti, John (July 18, 2012). "Something other than a man: 15 games that pass the Bechdel Test". Gameological. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  20. Bailey, Kat (February 19, 2014). "4 Reasons Why Final Fantasy XIII is Underrated". IGN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  21. Turi, Tim (April 12, 2010). "Why Final Fantasy XIII Is My Least Favorite In The Series". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  22. Barker, Sammy (February 2, 2012). "Final Fantasy XIII Review (PS3)". Push Square. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  23. Barker, Sammy (October 2, 2013). "Oh No, Vanille's Going to Be in Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII". Push Square. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  24. Brice, Mattie. "Speaking in Accents and the American Ethnocentrism in Video Games". Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
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