Rinoa Heartilly

Basic Profile

Name: Rinoa Heartilly
Age: 17
Height: 5' 3.5" (163 cm)
Birthday: March 3
Blood type: ?
Weapon: Blaster Edge
Special Skill: Combine / Angel Wing
Ultimate Weapon: Shooting Star
Hometown: Deling City, Timber

descriptions

A lively young woman with the ability to touch people's hearts. Open and honest with her feelings, she speaks her mind without concealing anything. Driven by success, she is known to be difficult at times. - FFVIII game manual

A member of the Timber resistance group "Forest Owls," Rinoa fights against the Galbadian President, Vinzer Deling, whose dictatorship has caused great suffering in her homeland for far too long. Rinoa is very emotional, and tends to go with her gut feeling when acting. Her best friend is her dog, Angelo, who often rushes into battle to help Rinoa when she's in trouble. - FFVIII Strategy Guide

 

Personality

In stark contrast to Squall, our taciturn and distant protagonist, Rinoa is extremely expressive. She is very open about her opinions, not hesitating to scold Squall when he is unkind to others. Because she communicates every thought and concern, this gives her the appearance of someone who is very emotional. A better description is that she is just very attuned to her emotions. Whatever mood comes, she accepts it, tries to work through it, and then acts. Her frank nature sometimes leads to Rinoa putting her foot in her mouth or surprising others with her direct words. She rarely intends to insults others though, she merely wants to understand them and make things better.

One of her best attributes is that she's brave. Her bravery shows in how she fights along side her friends, despite not having any formal battle training. While the others had years of military training, Rinoa doesn't encounter her first life threatening fight until the game events. Naturally, she was scared, as most ordinary people would be. Mastering her fear, she continues to battle, because she knows there are important things to fight for.

Another positive attribute is that she is proactive - she will take definite action to help them. Her role as resistance group member is evidence of that. When there are people being oppressed or bullied, she can't stand by and watch. She wants to help people emotionally as well. While everyone attempts to reach out to Squall, Rinoa is the most persistent, despite Squall's frequent and cold dismissals. Her relentless belief in him is the thing that finally breaks his bastard exterior.

Rinoa's has much empathy as well. Even when she has the power to boss others around, she doesn't give in to arrogance. She shares her ideas with others because she wants everyone to be heard and to receive proper consideration. This is a trait that is often praised in good business managers. When a tough decision had to be made, she chose one that she believed benefited the greater good, even if it meant sacrificing herself.

Initially, Rinoa is idealistic and impulsive to the point of recklessness. Over the course of the game, she changes. She becomes more realistic and thoughtful. Her insistent optimism turns into a supportive calm. She faces her doubts and gains a stronger resolve. Her development is less drastic than Squall, but she definitely faces her worst times and comes out with newfound maturity.