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In Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille is separated from her childhood friend and appears alongside Hope Estheim and his mother Nora as a Purge victim. She gets drawn into a conflict that forces her to confront her past demons and decide Cocoon's fate.


In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille has been gifted with remarkable power and lives under the care of a religious cult called the Order of Salvation.




Oerba Dia Vanille.

In Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, Vanille has bright red hair tied in curled pigtails, green eyes, and pierced ears with silver hoop earrings. She has the physical appearance of a nineteen-year-old. According to an interview with Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama, Japanese model and singer Meisa Kuroki inspired Vanille's face.[2] The traditional clothes of the Namibian Himba women inspired Vanille's outfit. She wears a pink halter top, an ombré orange and yellow skirt, beige boots, and a fur pelt around her waist she uses to carry her weapon, made from a bear she defeated herself according to the Dengeki PS3 magazine. She wears numerous bracelets, three beaded necklaces, and an assortment of beads attached to various sections. Vanille's l'Cie brand is located on her upper left thigh, concealed by her skirt.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille wears a headdress resembling a traditional Indian dupatta. The headdress has a red, gold, and transparent pink veil that covers her hair and shoulders, as well as gold ornaments that cover her forehead. Its two silver horn-like ornaments resemble Bhunivelze's crest, which also serves as the Order of Salvation's emblem, attached to the back and curving around the sides of her head.



Vanille, speaking to Sazh's Chocobo Chick

In Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille has an eccentric childlike innocence. In Episode Zero -Promise-, Fang mentions that Vanille loves caring for animals and cooking, though her meals are sometimes bland. She is thoughtful and empathetic, easily driven to tears, and cares deeply for others, especially her childhood friend Fang. She takes offense when others mock her intelligence and accuse her of not taking things seriously. Despite facing many hardships, Vanille remains a caring and upbeat person who tries to stay positive in situations others deem hopeless. Vanille uses her carefree persona to mask her fear and guilt; when her guard drops, she wallows in her misery and beats herself up for her flaws. During her journey, Vanille learns to stop running from her problems and past mistakes and become strong enough to fight for her friends and beliefs.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, due to living under the Order's protection and subjected to its teachings, Vanille has become a follower of Bhunivelze and helps the group carry out his will. She is close friends with Lumina, who describes them as "thick as thieves". Vanille has become solemn, rarely showing a trace of her upbeat nature; she continues regretting the suffering her past actions caused and hopes to use her new power to make amends. In Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories-, Vanille is described as taking everything seriously and being a gullible pushover; therefore, she's easy to manipulate by telling her what she wants to hear.


Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-[]


Vanille to Fang

Vanille awakens from crystal stasis.

Vanille and Fang were residents of the village of Oerba on Gran Pulse. During the War of Transgression, they lost their families to Cocoon's l'Cie and fal'Cie and befriended at Oerba's orphanage. Fang begrudged Oerba's patron fal'Cie, Anima, for failing to protect the people of Gran Pulse and agreed to become a l'Cie as a way to get close enough to confront the fal'Cie. Fang had an outburst in Anima's chamber and would be put to death for blasphemy by the Oerban priests. Vanille, who was next in line to become a l'Cie, shielded Fang and begged for her life to be spared, offering her own to complete their Focus together so they'd never be apart.

Vanille and Fang were granted the power of Ragnarok and given the Focus to destroy Cocoon. Vanille feared the power bestowed upon them, so Fang became Ragnarok alone and scarred Cocoon's shell. Taking pity on the people of Cocoon, the goddess Etro intervened and crystallized Fang and Vanille before they could finish the job. Their crystal forms were placed within the Pulse Vestige and brought into Cocoon in the war's aftermath.


Centuries later, Vanille and Fang awoke from crystal stasis. Fang had lost her memory of their previous Focus and Ragnarok, and not wanting more people to get hurt, Vanille pretended she had as well and later took on the burden of Ragnarok to spare Fang the guilt. Although Fang's l'Cie brand was scorched and unchanging, Vanille's brand was still active, and Fang vowed to complete their Focus at any cost. After two days of fruitlessly looking for answers, they returned to the Vestige in Bodhum and discovered a local girl named Serah Farron had wandered inside, and Anima branded her a Pulse l'Cie. Vanille blamed herself for Serah's misfortune, assuming Anima transformed Serah to complete their Focus.

After stealing a pair of ID cards two days later, Fang and Vanille traveled to Euride Gorge to find the fal'Cie Kujata, which Fang planned to destroy in a bid to restore their memories. As they prepared to attack Kujata, Dajh Katzroy wandered into the room. The fal'Cie branded him a Sanctum l'Cie in response to Fang and Vanille's threat. PSICOM troops pursued the duo, and Fang forced Vanille to escape without her. Vanille returned to the Vestige and left her weapon there before roaming around Bodhum, beginning to see Cocoon as a peaceful paradise.

Vanille confides in Serah about her problems.

Four days later, Vanille met Serah after scraping her leg on the beach. When Vanille told Serah about her dilemma, Serah advised her to find a way to overcome it. She told Vanille about her nightmare of destroying the world and how she tried to run from it but realized she would get through with her friends' help. Vanille apologized for her role in Serah becoming a l'Cie, but Serah was oblivious to Vanille's involvement and didn't understand. Two days later, Vanille attended Bodhum's fireworks festival and, inspired by her meeting with Serah, wished for Cocoon's safety.

The following morning, the Sanctum announced finding Anima within the Vestige and quarantined Bodhum in preparation for the Purge. Unable to return to the Vestige, Vanille went to the station, hoping to return to Euride and look for Fang but found the walkway blocked off. Evading soldiers, she returned to the shopping mall before making her way back to a field by the beach to spend the night. The following day, Vanille returned to the station and queued for the Purge train, noticing Lightning and Sazh Katzroy also line up. She bumped into Hope and Nora and boarded the train with them, hoping to return home and escape her Focus.

Final Fantasy XIII[]


Vanille, about the night of Bodhum's fireworks festival

Vanille meets Snow after NORA rescues her.

When the Purge train enters the Hanging Edge, Lightning and Sazh derail it. Snow Villiers and his resistance group, NORA, find Vanille, Nora, Hope, and the rest of the Purgees. Nora joins their effort to fight PSICOM but dies in battle, and Vanille has Nora's son Hope stick with her. Since Hope blames Snow for his mother's death, Vanille encourages him to approach Snow, but he leaves before Hope has the chance. Vanille and Hope steal Gadot's airbike and follow Snow to the Vestige.

They crash-land inside, and Vanille recovers her weapon. Snow saves them from a Cie'th ambush and asks them to come with him for protection. They meet with Lightning and Sazh and find Serah outside Anima's Throne. Serah asks Lightning to save Cocoon and transforms into a crystal, meaning she had fulfilled her Focus, mystifying Vanille. Lightning, Snow, and Sazh attack Anima, and the fal'Cie brands Vanille's new acquaintances l'Cie. PSICOM destroys the Vestige, and they fall to Lake Bresha with Anima's power crystallizing it on impact. Vanille pretends that she, too, had just been branded by Anima. The group interprets their Focus as having something to do with Ragnarok and destroying Cocoon, although Snow remains convinced their Focus is to follow Serah's wish to save it.

Soon after leaving Snow behind with Serah's crystal, the party happens upon a Sanctum airship, which Sazh pilots out to the skies of Cocoon. The airship comes under fire from a wave of enemy ships and crash-lands into the Vile Peaks. Lightning announces she is heading for Eden to destroy its patron fal'Cie and take down the Sanctum, Cocoon's government. Lightning leaves with Hope following her while Sazh and Vanille choose to go the other way to run from their fate. On their way to Nautilus, the two arrive in the Sunleth Waterscape, and Vanille asks Sazh about his family. He reveals he is Dajh's father and became a l'Cie in his attempt to complete the boy's Focus. Overcome with guilt, Vanille cannot bring herself to tell Sazh about her involvement.

Vanille faces Sazh and confronts her guilt.

In Nautilus, news of the chaos in Palumpolum broadcasts throughout the park. Sazh notes Lightning, Hope, and Snow appear in the footage, but Vanille is shocked to see another familiar face: Fang. They attend the Pompa Sancta parade and visit the Chocobo Corral, where Sazh reveals he intends to surrender himself to the Sanctum to see Dajh one last time, even if it means his execution. Vanille tries to dissuade him by telling him who was responsible for the Euride Gorge incident, but before she can admit her involvement, the Sanctum attacks.

The two flee to the Clock Tower, where Dajh appears and crystallizes in Sazh's arms. Jihl Nabaat, a PSICOM officer, arrives with her troops and reveals the boy's Focus: to capture servants of the lowerworld fal'Cie. When she discloses Vanille and Fang's threat is what made Kujata brand Dajh, Vanille flees the scene crying. Nabaat lets the enraged Sazh pursue her, curious about how much data they could collect, under the assumption that Sazh will kill Vanille. Within the courtyard of the Fiendlord's Keep, Vanille imagines Sazh calling her a coward and cold-blooded killer, accusing her of using others as shields, and telling her to die if she can no longer live with her guilt. When Sazh arrives and aims his gun at her, Vanille reveals she is a l'Cie from Gran Pulse and demands that he shoot her. He is unable to do so, and his Eidolon, Brynhildr, manifests. The two defeat it together, but afterward, Sazh points his gun at Vanille again. Vanille accepts her punishment, but Sazh is too heartbroken to kill her.

Vanille reunites with Fang.

Nabaat's regiment captures and imprisons them on the Palamecia to bring them to Eden for a public execution. During their captivity, Sazh realizes that since Vanille awoke from crystal stasis, Dajh will awaken too, forgiving Vanille when he realizes what happened to his son was an accident. With the Cavalry's help, Lightning, Snow, Hope, and Fang infiltrate the airship to rescue Vanille and Sazh. The pair escapes their cell, retrieves their weapons, joins with the others, and Vanille and Fang reunite. The party reaches the bridge and confronts the primarch, Galenth Dysley, who reveals his true identity as the fal'Cie Barthandelus. Dysley claims the party's Focus is to destroy Orphan, the fal'Cie who sustains Cocoon, and that Serah's Focus was to gather them together to be made l'Cie and accomplish that goal. The party escapes the descending Palamecia with Barthandelus's familiar Menrva in its airship form, which takes them to the Fifth Ark beneath Eden.

In the Fifth Ark, the group's l'Cie powers fully awaken, and they run into the Cavalry leader Cid Raines, who reveals himself as a Sanctum l'Cie whose Focus is to help them destroy Cocoon and summon the Maker. Cid defies his Focus and attempts to kill them but is defeated. To everyone's surprise, he turns to crystal, inspiring them also to challenge their Focus. After Fang tames her Eidolon, Bahamut, with Vanille and Lightning's help, its defeat reveals a new path to the Ark's lowest level. Vanille finds a Pulsian airship, and everyone agrees to travel to Gran Pulse to find a way to change their fate.

Vanille's distress summons Hecatoncheir.

After days of searching, they find no signs of human life on Gran Pulse and decide to journey to Oerba. When the party finds the ruins of Paddra in the Yaschas Massif, Vanille says she became Ragnarok and scarred Cocoon's shell centuries before. Fang is puzzled as to why she turned into crystal despite doing nothing in the war, but Vanille continues to lie. The party crosses the Archylte Steppe into the Mah'habara Subterra. In the Flower-filled Fissure, Fang says she was the one who became Ragnarok and scarred Cocoon, not Vanille. The shock of having her most profound lie exposed manifests Vanille's Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, and she learns Fang bluffed about regaining her memories to coax a confession from her. Once they tame Hecatoncheir, Fang reassures Vanille she is no longer alone since their friends from Cocoon are their new family.

In the Sulyya Springs, Vanille tells Snow she had met Serah in Bodhum and how Anima made Serah a l'Cie because of her. Vanille says that Serah had the vision of Ragnarok like the rest of them and theorizes Serah beat her Focus by putting Cocoon's fate in their hands, and that's what made her turn to crystal. The party ascends Taejin's Tower, and at the top, Vanille and Fang reminisce about their hometown, describing it as a village filled with flowers. They are shocked to see their home devoid of life and color. The party rides a capsule down to the outskirts of Oerba and traverses the dilapidated village, encountering Barthandelus at the end of a broken railway bridge.

Knowing Barthandelus has resurrected Raines and caused more chaos in Cocoon, the party heads to Eden with the airship Barthandelus left for them to stop the fal'Cie's plan. They make their way through the chaos in Eden to Orphan's Cradle, and as Fang falls under pressure, Vanille proposes they promise to protect Cocoon as their new home.

Orphan tortures Vanille.

The party defeats Barthandelus inside the Narthex, but Menrva awakens Orphan. The fal'Cie demands Fang to become Ragnarok and tortures Vanille to try and force her hand. Fang submits to Orphan's demands, and Vanille is released. Vanille and Fang witness their friends transform into Cie'th—who attack Fang—triggering her transformation into an incomplete Ragnarok.

After Fang fails to destroy Orphan, she reverts. Orphan tries to force Fang to finish the job by subjecting her to a cycle of torture as Vanille helplessly watches. Vanille prepares to stand up to the fal'Cie, but Orphan explodes and sinks into its pool, releasing Fang. With the help of the memories of everything they had gone through, the rest of the party had reverted from their Cie'th forms, believing their transformation was another fal'Cie trick and that their new Focus is to save Cocoon. The party's brands turn white, and as Orphan's proper form rises from the pool, the party sets out to destroy it.

Vanille and Fang prepare to become Ragnarok.

After the party destroys Orphan, Orphan's Cradle vanishes, and they emerge floating above Eden as Cocoon begins to fall. As Lightning, Sazh, Hope, and Snow float away, Vanille and Fang join hands and become Ragnarok to stop Cocoon from crashing into Gran Pulse. They surround the planetoid with lava, summoning the crystal dust from Oerba and crystallizing it and themselves forming a crystal pillar to support Cocoon over Pulse.

Lightning, Sazh, Hope, and Snow awaken from crystal stasis on Gran Pulse's surface beneath the newly crystallized Cocoon with their brands gone. As Serah and Dajh appear over the horizon, they realize Vanille and Fang fulfilled their Focus for all of them. The crystallized Vanille and Fang remain asleep within the core of Cocoon's pillar.

Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-[]


Vanille to Fang

Fang and Vanille crystallize after saving Cocoon.

Vanille feels at peace after helping reverse the harm she unintentionally caused. She believes they will meet again someday and tells everyone to live their lives as she and Fang watch over them. Vanille knows that Serah will be strong enough to handle the realization of her and Fang's crimes and tells Snow to stand by her. After reassuring Fang that Serah will forgive her for getting her involved, they feel goddess Etro smiling. After hearing Fang tell Snow and Lightning not to try and rescue them, Vanille laughs and says, "What are you gonna do? You know what they're like..."

Final Fantasy XIII-2[]


Vanille to Serah

Vanille and Fang help Serah escape her dream.

Dreaming within the pillar, Vanille reflects on how she and Fang felt Etro's presence the first time they turned to crystal and again when they held up Cocoon as Ragnarok. Remembering how the priests of Oerba referred to Etro as a dark and scary goddess, Vanille wonders if they were wrong. She recalls Hope's visits to her and Fang and urges him to save the future. She tries to call out to Serah to tell her she and Fang had a dream about being in a new place with a young man and woman they had never met before. Seeing how happy they were, Vanille tells Serah not to give up and make a future where everyone is happy again.

Vanille and Fang appear to Serah in her dream in the Void Beyond, explaining they could connect since they are all dreaming. They had come to save Serah from being trapped in the endless dream Caius Ballad placed her in, and that Serah's friend Noel needs her help before he becomes trapped in a dream of his own. Resuming their role in maintaining the pillar, Vanille and Fang disappear, leaving a portal to lead Serah to Noel. By the year 500 AF, Hope, and the Academy, along with Sazh, save the crystal holding Vanille and Fang before the crystallized Cocoon finally falls.

Vanille crystallized in Oerba.

Vanille appears in the paradox ending, "Vanille's Truth", where Serah, Mog, and Noel find her in Oerba XXX AF. In this alternate timeline, a crystallized Vanille remained in Oerba after the War of Transgression, continuing to lament her inability to fight for the people she cared about and how she wasn't there for Fang as she had promised. Serah hears Vanille's voice and promises to find Fang for her.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[]


Vanille to Lightning

Vanille performs her duties as the Order's saint while Lumina watches.

Four hundred and eighty-seven years later, Vanille and Fang awoke from crystal stasis in the city of Luxerion in Nova Chrysalia, the world formed after Chaos entered the mortal realm. Vanille realized she could hear the voices of the dead. Lumina, a mysterious girl who resembles a young Serah, found Vanille and Fang, and the Order of Salvation took them in to live in the Luxerion Cathedral. Once the Order learned about Vanille's new power, they dubbed her a "saint" and confined her to the cathedral for her safety. After a few years of living under the Order's care, Fang grew to distrust those in the upper ranks and learned of the Soulsong, a ritual to purify the dead at the cost of Vanille's life.

Fang tried taking Vanille away but burdened by guilt, Vanille refused and intended to carry out the Soulsong despite knowing it would kill her. As Fang left for the Dead Dunes to find the holy clavis, a divine relic the Order seeks for the ritual, Vanille remained in the cathedral under the Order's protection. For the next four or five years, she worked with the Order to prepare for the Soulsong, spent her days listening to the dead, and giving hope to the populace. Becoming a curiosity to the public, citizens frequented the cathedral hoping to meet Vanille. Lumina often visited her as well, and the two became friends.

Thirteen days before the end of the world, Lightning awakens from her crystal sleep, becomes the savior, and visits Luxerion. After hearing about Lightning's exploits, Vanille requests to see her. After saving Noel's soul, Lightning heads for Cathedral Plaza, where Vanille's servant, Aremiah, tells Lightning a precious crystal shard belonging to Vanille is missing. When Vanille awoke from crystal stasis, she found herself grasping a piece of crystal, and it has been her prized possession ever since as it lets her glimpse the estranged Fang. Lightning finds the shard with a delivery company employee who claims someone high up in the Order gave it to them with no receiver's address. Lightning theorizes someone from the Order wanted to steal it from Vanille. Lightning returns the crystal to Aremiah and is granted passage into the cathedral at night time.

Vanille reveals that she hears the dead and feels their pain.

Lightning finds Vanille and Lumina in the Hall of Devotion. Vanille leads Lightning underground to God's Sanctum and shows her a concentration of Chaos around the altar, which Lumina refers to as the "wind of sorrow", lost souls in suffering. Vanille explains the souls of those who died after Valhalla's Chaos burst through Etro's gate were drawn to the cathedral and that she can hear every cry of their pain. Lumina says the Order seeks the save the dead from their anguish by offering them oblivion and needs Vanille to call them to her. Lightning asks if Vanille can handle millions of souls at once, but she answers she doesn't have a choice. Lumina says the souls have been building up for years, and if Vanille does not call them to her and they ever escaped, they will destroy the world and the future as well.

Vanille believes that she and Fang awoke to atone for the deaths caused by their past actions. Though Fang left years ago to find the holy clavis, Vanille does not worry as her crystal shard shows Fang happy. Vanille can hear the dead and feel their pain and desires using her power to help them find peace; thus, she chooses to stay in the cathedral. Even though she would like to see the others again, she knows it's impossible since Sazh left for the Wildlands, Snow is unable to leave Yusnaan since he is the patron, and Hope has disappeared. Vanille had wanted to gather everyone to greet Lightning upon her return, but they had gone their separate ways.

As Lightning searches for the clavis with Fang in the Dead Dunes, she learns Vanille continues to dwell on her past sins; Vanille believes her new power is God's way of punishing her and intends to atone by performing the Soulsong. When they find the holy clavis in the Clavis Chamber, Fang tries to destroy it, but the Order's Secutors appear and steal it. Fang tells Lightning that the Order sought the clavis for its ability to summon souls, and she left the Order to find the clavis and keep it away from Vanille. Lumina appears and reveals she led the Secutors to their location and says the Secutors are taking the clavis to Luxerion, where on the world's final day, Vanille will perform the Soulsong and erase the dead, including Serah.

Vanille performs the Soulsong.

When Lightning returns to Luxerion, Vanille tells her the holy clavis acts like a coffin to contain the dead when she calls them to her during the ritual. She says that even if the Soulsong will wipe out the dead, she needs to do it; otherwise, the souls will suffer inside the Chaos forever. Vanille says that after the Soulsong kills her, she will join the dead, erased from all memory with them. At the end of the eleventh day, Lightning learns from the souls of the dead in the form of Cid Raines that, unknown to Vanille, she has the power to help them be reborn in the new world.



At Lightning's urging, Vanille listens to the dead, and the high priestess attempts to force her to continue the ritual by claiming her pain stems from the dead's corruption by the Chaos. Vanille learns none of the dead wishes for oblivion, and she kept hearing them because, despite their suffering, they wish to be reborn. She halts the Soulsong and decides to guide the souls to the Ark so they can be reborn in the new world.

To complete the ritual, the high priestess strikes Vanille down for her defiance against God and has the holy clavis begin to drain her life, producing a light powerful enough to destroy the souls. With Snow's timely arrival, he destroys the clavis, and the released energy obliterates the high priestess. Guiding the dead to the Ark with Fang's help saves Vanille's soul as well. After the final bell on the world tolls, Bhunivelze takes the souls of Vanille, Snow, Fang, and Noel. She returns to Lightning's side during the final battle before witnessing Nova Chrysalia's destruction. She then accompanies her friends to the new world, no longer a tool of the gods.

Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories-[]

...That’s always been one of my faults. You know how it is, you keep thinking you have to fix your weaknesses, but in the end, you can’t ever change. My feelings were caught in a dead-end, so before I knew what I was doing, I’d bought into the Order’s – no, God’s plans.


Fang and Vanille stay together in the new world and move to an arid region near a remote village in an area full of cattle ranches and rocky wilderness. The pair makes their abode amid abandoned ruins as they "remind them of home". A reporter named Aoede interviews the two on her quest to uncover the truth behind people's suppressed memories of another world. Fang and Vanille tell her how they saved Cocoon by turning to crystal and remained asleep for centuries. Hope had their crystal salvaged from the pillar before it shattered, and the organization he had formed, the Conseil de Renaissance, safeguarded them.

When they awoke, Vanille had wanted to thank Hope, but Bhunivelze had already kidnapped him, and thus the pair fell under the Order's watchful eye. As she saw the Order's teachings act as a lifeline for the suffering populace after Hope's disappearance, Vanille wanted to help the organization as their saint, unaware they were manipulating her and using her as a means to an end. The Order told her what she wanted to hear and convinced her that, by following their orders, she could help everyone. Vanille took their lies at face value, and before she knew it, she bought into Bhunivelze's scheme.

They don't know how or why they awoke from crystal stasis but speculate that either Bhunivelze or Lumina was responsible. Fang describes Lumina as a brat who was "Chaos personified" who was yet attached to Vanille for some reason. Vanille says Lumina might have been the one who woke them up so she would have someone to indulge her because even though she came across as a spiteful prankster, in reality, Lumina was a lonely girl who wanted attention.

Fang says that many of the Order's followers were decent people who treated her and Vanille well. However, those in the upper echelons were rotten garbage who exploited Vanille's desire to help the suffering populace and atone for the past to control her. Fang explains the Order would've erased everyone's memories if Lightning hadn't saved everyone. When Aoede enthuses over learning more of Lightning and wants to thank her in person, Vanille and Fang assure her Lightning's wish for the world has come true if everyone is content with living in the new world.

Spoilers end here.


Vanille casts Fire in battle.

Vanille is playable in Final Fantasy XIII with main roles as Ravager, Saboteur, and Medic, making her a more support-oriented party member. She wields binding rods in battle, and her Eidolon—whom she acquires last of all party members—is the Earth-elemental Hecatoncheir. Her full ATB skill is Death. She has slow casting animations but high Magic Power and more HP than the party's other dedicated mage character: Hope.

The "Instrument of Faith" trophy/achievement uses Vanille's eidolith. A replica of her eidolith appears as an adornment for monster allies in Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Musical themes[]

Final Fantasy XIII[]

"Vanille's Theme"


"Vanille's Theme" is composed of solo piano and represents her cheerful nature and inner guilt. "Prelude to Final Fantasy XIII" recurs as a motif within "Vanille's Theme", intended to reflect her role as the game's narrator and originator of the story.[3]

Variants of her theme include three orchestral arrangements called "Lost Hope", "Eidolons on Parade", and "Memories of Happier Days". The third variant, "Memories of Happier Days", begins with solo piano like her original theme but turns into a melancholy yet uplifting orchestral piece. "Face It Later", "Sulyya Springs", and the beginning of "The Road Home" have a short reprise of her leitmotif. "Nascent Requiem", the final battle theme, and "Determination" have an orchestral motif of her tune.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[]

"The Captive Saint" begins with a revised version of "Memories of Happier Days" and transitions into a calm, then eerie piece. It plays when Lightning reunites with Vanille, and they converse in God's Sanctum. "Memories of Happier Days" plays when Lightning reunites with Mog in the Wildlands and when Lightning completes Bhakti's quest, "The Life of a Machine" in the Dead Dunes. It is mixed into the end credits theme, "Credits ~Light Eternal~". Vanille's leitmotif is also reprised in "A New World", which plays as Vanille and Fang guide the dead to the Ark.

Arrangement album appearances[]

Piano Collections: Final Fantasy XIII[]

"Vanille's Theme" is part of the medley "Vanille's Theme ~ Memories of Happier Days ~ The Road Home" as the sixth track on the album.

Other appearances[]


Vanille's Binding Rod Vanille' Binding Rod in Final Fantasy XIV is also one of the special weapons rewards in the event Lightning Strikes in Final Fantasy XIV.

Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances[]


Behind the scenes[]

Concept art.

According to the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, the development team at one point considered making Vanille the official main character; however, they dismissed the idea as they had already released a trailer and art featuring Lightning in that role.[4]

Of all the main characters introduced since Final Fantasy XIII, Vanille might be the one who changed the least. In the original game, her lies cost many people their lives. The torture she suffered from the resultant guilt led Vanille to believe that sacrificing herself to save the souls of the dead would rectify everything, but her "purity" made her easy to mislead about the actual consequences of her well-intentioned sacrifice.[5]


A photo of Vanille and Fang Photo of Vanille and Fang in Oerba. can be found in Oerba on a table in the house where Bhakti is found, proof of their past existence.

Brand progression chart

The Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega has a l'Cie brand progression chart showing each the events that make each character's brand advance. It goes from stage 1 to 3 when she realizes it's her fault Dajh became a Sanctum l'Cie. It advances to to 4 when meeting Serah on the beach, and when Vanille shows her brand to the others in Lake Bresha, it is in this stage. It progresses to 5 when Sazh talks about Dajh in the Sunleth Waterscape, and Vanille realizes Sazh is Dajh's father. It goes from stage 5 to 7 when Nabaat reveals Vanille's involvement in the Euride incident; to 8 when the party's l'Cie powers are fully awoken in the Fifth Ark; to 11 during the party's initial exploration of Gran Pulse; to 12 when the party arrives in Eden; and to stage 13 when she transforms into Ragnarok with Fang. Unlike the others, Vanille's brand never turns white, likely because Etro doesn't interact with her as she does with them (reverting Fang from her Ragnarok state during the War of Transgression and possibly releasing the others from their Cie'th state when they face Orphan). Vanille's brand is rarely seen due to her skirt covering it.

Final Fantasy XIII includes a nude character model for Vanille for the scene where she comes out of crystal stasis. VanilleNudeSpriteCensored3

Spoilers end here.

The intro cutscene before the title screen of Final Fantasy XIII shows Vanille, but the scene of her overlooking Gran Pulse isn't part of the actual game.


Vanille and Fang speak with an accent different from the rest of the party. They speak in an Okinawan dialect of Japanese in the original version and with an Australian accent in the English localization. The idea to cast two characters with Australian accents came from the localization team, who requested the voice directing team to look for either Australian- or New Zealand-sounding voices. The rationale was for Fang and Vanille to sound like they're from another world, but more in the sense of their voices having a different melody rather than a thick accent.


Her English voice actress is Georgia van Cuylenburg, who spent six months recording Vanille's dialogue. She had two recording sessions per week, which lasted four hours.[6] As with the rest of the English cast of Final Fantasy XIII, Georgia van Cuylenburg listened to the original Japanese dialogue, which had been recorded first, for tone reference.

While the other characters in Final Fantasy XIII were intended to be "Americanized", Georgia van Cuylenburg was asked to adhere to the original Japanese performance and use a "high, squeaky, and upbeat" voice,[6] as Vanille initially wants to mislead others with her happiness. Georgia van Cuylenburg has stated the most challenging aspect of voicing Vanille was making a high-pitched moan required for the character, which wasn't easy to make sound natural.[6]

During the February 2014 interview with Final Fantasy Union, Georgia van Cuylenburg commented how she and Vanille are alike with their past since Georgia also hid some issues under a carefree girl's guise. She compared Vanille's breakdown in the scene with Sazh to a similar situation from years before recording Vanille when she lost her hair to alopecia, which helped her relate to Vanille and enhanced her performance.[7]


Action figures of Vanille were released as part of the Play Arts series.


Etymology and symbolism[]

Vanille means "vanilla" in French. Dia means "day" in Portuguese, Spanish and Occitan.

In ancient Greek religion and folklore, Dia means "heavenly", "divine", or "she who belongs to Zeus". The name is attributed to several figures and treated like an honorific or title. This may allude to her bright personality.

With a long "i" sound, the Japanese pronunciation of Dia is also a common Japanese abbreviation for "diamond", possibly relating to Hecatoncheir being an Earth-elemental summon. Vanille shares her clan name with the spell Dia from Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy XI. However, the Japanese pronunciation of her clan name is different.

The characters of Fang and Vanille are based on the Ragnarok myth of Líf ("life") and Lífþrasir ("eager for life")—the only humans who will survive Ragnarok. They sleep through the earth's destruction and, upon awakening, will find the world verdant again. Líf and Lífþrasir will become the progenitors of a new race of humans; their descendants will inhabit the earth, congruent with the original idea that Fang was to be a male character.


  1. 1.0 1.1 Final Fantasy XIII Scenario Ultimania, p.018
  2. Square Enix Presents E3 2013 - Day2 [#08]-俺、北瀬だけど質問ある？FF X/X-2 HD & LRFFXIII Twitter session (Accessed: April 17, 2019) at Youtube
  3. Lightning Returns Q&A: Music of the Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy Sounds of the Lightning Saga discussed by the composers (dead) (Accessed: August 26, 2013) at 1Up (dead)
  4. Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, p.508–511
  5. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition Guide, p.341
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Georgia van Cuylenburg Interview with Myouterspace
  7. Final Fantasy Union's February 2014 interview with Georgia van Cuylenburg, @8m50s