Cosplay Girl Wearing Tifa Lockheart Costume

When developing Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, director Takeshi Nozue had difficulty developing a framework for Tifa's body that was "balanced, yet showed off her feminine qualities". Her outfit was also redesigned at this point, with emphasis on expressing those qualities while being pleasing to the eye. A white tank top with black zipped up vest covers her front, a red ribbon wraps around her left biceps, and boots cover her feet. A black buttoned-up skirt covers her thighs with shorts beneath, with a piece of cloth similar to a coat tail ending at her ankles extending from the back of the skirt's waistband. While her gloves remain, they are worn only during the film's fight scenes, her hands otherwise being bare. Her hairstyle was changed to end at the middle of her back, additionally removing the dolphin tail tip from her original design. This last alteration was done due to the difficulty of animating her original length of hair, as well as problems that arose due to its black color and lighting.
Nomura described Tifa's character as having several dimensions, calling her "like a mother, a sweetheart, and a close ally in battle" and "remarkably strong, not only emotionally, but physically as well". He noted he liked Ayumi Ito as an actress, and wished to work with her on the project. With Aerith's voice actor decided already, Nomura requested Ito take on the role of Tifa for the film, feeling her "husky voice" would offer a good contrast to Aerith. Nomura additionally noted that after completing the Tifa's updated design they debated on her finalized details, but once Ito had been cast for the role they chose to blend many traits from the voice actress into the character's completed appearance.