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Cindy Aurum
Final Fantasy character
Cindy Aurum from Final Fantasy XV
First gameFinal Fantasy XV (2016)
Created byRoberto Ferari[1]
Designed byRoberto Ferari[2]
Yusaku Nakaaki[3]
Voiced byEN: Erin Matthews[4]
JA: Yū Shimamura[4]
Motion captureHaruka Shibai[5]

Cindy Aurum, known in Japan as Cidney Aurum (シドニー・オールム, Shidonī Ōrumu), is a character in the video game Final Fantasy XV. Created by illustrator Roberto Ferrari, she is a mechanic that helps repair and upgrade the protagonist's car. She fills the role as the game's "Cid", a recurring character archetype within the Final Fantasy series that often has an affinity for machinery, and is the first female iteration of such. Since her debut, she has appeared in other games related to both XV and the franchise as a whole. She is voiced by Erin Matthews in English and Yū Shimamura in Japanese, and her motion capture was done by Haruka Shibai.

Since her introduction she received mixed reception, with early player reactions and media outlets feeling she was too sexualized, the latter repeating such sentiments after the game's release. Other outlets saw her as an example of XV's shortcomings, while others felt she soured the game's experience as a whole. However she has also been a popular subject of cosplay and fan response, while other outlets praised her role in the game and considered her a breath of fresh air to the standard Japanese roleplaying game experience.

Concept and creation

Her skin color was lightened in the final game, while her shorts were lengthened.[1]

Created for Final Fantasy XV, Cindy, called Cidney in the original Japanese release, is a female mechanic created and designed by Italian artist Roberto Ferrari. Ferrari, who completed her design in 2010 when the game was called Versus XIII under Tetsuya Nomura, drew three poses for the character before leaving the development team due to a disagreement.[1][6] According to Ferrari he designed all aspects of the character, down to her makeup and accessories.[2][7] Some aspects of her appearance where inspired by his wife, Franca.[8] In his designs her skin color was much darker, meant to resemble that of musician Beyoncé, but in the final game it was changed to a paler tone.[6] Cindy is meant to fill the same role as recurring character concept "Cid" in the series, a recurring character archetype that is often associated with machinery and mechanical knowledge, and is recognized as the first female iteration of such.[9][10]

Standing 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall,[11] Cindy is a white blonde woman with short blonde messy hair that frames her face. Her outfit consists of a yellow cropped jacket that exposes her midriff while partially unzipped to reveal a pink bra, blue daisy duke shorts, black leather stockings that go midway up her thighs, and white tall cowboy boots over them on her feet. Her accessories include a trucker hat with her car garage's logo on the front, black gloves, goggles around her neck, and an angled utility belt with a large pouch on each hip.[1] When the project later became Final Fantasy XV under Hajime Tabata, Cindy's development was overseen by Yusaku Nakaaki.During an interview with Famitsu, when the interviewer commented about her cleavage, Tabata responded that the development team was "enthusiastic" regarding her, and early on her breasts were "shaking violently".[12]

In April 2015, the development team discussed feedback they had received from the game's demo, amongst which was a complaint from European players that Cindy was "too sexy". After Tabata responded that she was not intended to be an "erotic character" and she was instead a "very energetic and outgoing, a very active character". He added that coupled with her appearance, the team felt that she would not be seen as problematic. When the game's marketing manager Akio Ofuji pointed out to Tabata that feedback seemed particularly focused on her outfit in relation to her role as a mechanic, he responded they did not want to change her character concept, and questioned if it was about "moderating the way she’s presented" due to perceived "overly sexual themes are being brought to the forefront, because that’s not who she’s supposed to be." Nakaaki agreed, stating that the male members of the development team "did their best to create her", with Tabata stating their "heart and soul" went into the work, though affirmed that if they felt it was too excessive they would modify it to ensure players were comfortable while playing in their living rooms.[3]

Appearances

As introduced in the 2016 roleplaying video game Final Fantasy XV, Cindy Aurum is a minor character, and with her grandfather, Cid, runs the Hammerhead Service Station, where she will repair and offer upgrades for the protagonist's car, the Regalia. Prior to the game's events, when she was a young child, she witnessed her parents being attacked and killed by daemons, monsters in the game's universe.[13][14] Cindy also appears in the multiplayer expansion Final Fantasy XV: Comrades.[15] She is voiced in all appearances in Japanese by Yū Shimamura, while in English she is voiced by Erin Matthews,[4] who portrayed the character with a thick Southern accent.[16] Meanwhile, her motion capture was performed by Haruka Shibai.[5]

She later appeared as a playable character in Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire and its sequel Final Fantasy XV: War for Eos, mobile game spinoff titles.[17][18] Outside of the Final Fantasy XV series she appears as a playable unit in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius,[19] and on cards for the Final Fantasy trading card game.[20]

Promotion and reception

Though Cindy's design sparked controversy, she has also been noted as a popular subject of cosplay

Despite being a minor character, Cindy has been heavily promoted. She was first unveiled in the "Episode Duscae" demo for Final Fantasy XV,[3] and later at CEDEC 2016 she was showcased as part of a presentation discussing how the development team created the character models and textures for Final Fantasy XV.[21] A cosplay reference guide illustrating the individual parts of her model was also released.[22] In 2017, Play Arts produced a poseable 11 inch tall figurine of Cindy.[23] Meanwhile, her outfit is available as in-game clothing to customize player characters of Minecraft,[24] the character Kaori in Blue Reflection,[25] and the character Nono in #Compass.[26]

Since her initial reveal in the game's demo, her outfit and portrayal has the subject of heated debate, with sources such as GameRevolution comparing her to fellow controversial character Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V,[27] and The Guardian calling her "laughable male fantasy" while further expressing disdain for her attire and how she posed while maintenancing the protagonists' vehicle.[28] Chris Kohler in an article for Wired meanwhile argued that simply deleting the character would be an improvement for the game after playing the demo.[29] Jon Bailes of GamesRadar+ on the other hand felt that Cindy set "the tone for a game of mismatches" down to the plain nature of her name compared to the playable cast. To him, while protagonist felt polished, characters like Cindy represented the rougher edges of a game he felt went through a troubled development.[30]

The writers of Vice were particularly critical of her character. While Mike Diver had originally shared his wife's reaction to her design, stating "if the weather's good, and the work is messy, why wear too many clothes?"[31] He later stated he felt she was the game's "biggest negative" further describing her as "a single loose thread away from indignity" and "totally out of whack" with the rest of the game. Patrick Klepek agreed, feeling that her design made him want to be aware of who in particular was watching him play the title. He felt that Cindy as a character wasn't the problem, and if she had some expressed reason for her appearance, he'd have less of an issue. Austin Walker meanwhile argued that while Cindy was a problem for him, she felt to him more like a symptom of how poorly gender was handled in the game overall.[32]

Jérémie Kermarrec in the book La Légende Final Fantasy XV described her as one of the most sexualized characters in the franchise as a whole, and felt she represented a negative trope of "women as background decoration" in gaming. Acknowledging that other elements of sexualization were present amongst the male cast as well, he emphasized by comparison such was never done to "titillate" the viewer in their case as it was in Cindy's. While her role in the game was serious and her dialogue was never meant to paint her "as a bimbo supposed to tempt the main characters", he felt this only further illustrated the absurdity of her design, the disconnect between her character and appearance emphasizing that her visual design was created solely for seductive purposes. He closed with feeling that the development team's reaction to backlash regarding Cindy felt "straight out of another era" in the current climate of gaming at that time, when proper representation of women in gaming was a more widely discussed topic. At the same time, he added it was also important the recognize the role gender disparity in Japan had on such sentiments, and lamented the missed opportunity for the development team to demonstrate goodwill by acknowledging such issues.[33]

However, not all reactions were entirely negative. Nadia Oxford of USGamer felt that while her outfit and window-washing cutscene was "obvious fanservice" and particularly inappropriate for the weather she was in, it was inoffensive to her due to the game not being centered around "male wish fulfillment".[16] Inverse's Jessica Famularo felt that the character deserved more in the game's story than just fanservice, noting that while sexualized characters were not uncommon to the franchise, they often had their own agency and stories.[34] Brittany Vincent of Shacknews on the other hand called her one of her favorite characters in the game and the title's "best girl". Describing Cindy as "a rugged, no-nonsense mechanic who's a cool drink of water for thirsty eyes and minds tired of the typical JRPG female character archetype", she emphasized that the character's presence was one aspect that gave Final Fantasy XV a more "Western" roleplaying game feel and set it apart from other entries in the Final Fantasy series.[35][24]

Peter Swann of ComicsVerse praised Cindy in an examination of how Final Fantasy XV challenged gender roles and called her the most important female character in the title. He explained that by filling a role in a field often dominated by men, she was a "badass woman" who enabled the male party members' whole journey, who due to their own ineptitude in the field of car repair and mechanics "would have been captured, or killed, ages ago" without her. While he acknowledged that the character was dressed in revealing attire, he argued that it was no different than the character Gladiolus, and felt that if people could enjoy him being "practically shirtless while fighting monsters, we can suspend disbelief over a scantily clad mechanic for other gamers to enjoy." He went further to express his belief that game developers were often more open-minded in design options but were bound to their demographics, citing an example of a male character in revealing attire that went through similar backlash.[36]

GameRant's Ben Grindle meanwhile compared her to previous "Cid" characters, and shared much of Swann's sentiments in that she was significantly more important to the title due to the role she played for the protagonists, while also helping to modernize the concept. While often the characters were portrayed as older gruff men who tended to have military backgrounds, often also estranged from their families, Cindy's lack of these aspects along with her close relationship to her grandfather gave her in Grindle's eyes a warming presence. He felt this "radical departure" of her personality in comparison to her predecessors was a breath of fresh air that helped modernize the character's concept, while retaining the familiar aspects players had come to expect from the archetype. Additionally he emphasized while the character was never playable, her role in the game as a source of side quests and helping to maintain the party's means of transportation gave her presence, and all combined to help push "the character’s portrayal into new areas" and provided her "a sense of fulfillment to this Cid’s story and role that’s unlike most that have come before her."[37]

Fan response to the character also differed from the media reaction. The feedback in player polls criticizing Cindy as "too sexy" incited backlash from certain quarters of the Final Fantasy fandom, who went on social media to defend the presentation of female characters like Cindy in the video game industry.[38] Cindy has also been the subject of frequent cosplay, with Tabata noting in an interview in Vice that she appeared to be the fan favorite from the title due to seeing someone dressed as her at every event prior to the game's release.[31] Kean Sullivan of GameRant observed that of all the female characters in XV Cindy was the most common to see cosplayed, attributing it in part due to her frequent presence in the title by also "how memorable her character design is".[39] Kermarrec also acknowledged the character's popularity in cosplay, feeling that she benefited not only from the low number of female characters in the game but also her expressive design with "very identifiable and easy-to-reproduce elements" despite his previous criticism.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Roberto Ferrari for The Art of Final Fantasy XV". Facebook (in Italian). December 19, 2016. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024. P.s. Come potete vedere il marchio dell'Hammer Head era diverso / le borchie intorno al capello di Cidney erano doppie. / Anche i suoi mini jeans erano più risicati^^ / Si, quelli che vedi in questa pagina li ho creati io. [P.s. As you can see the Hammer Head branding was different / the studs around Cidney's hair were double. / Even her mini jeans were smaller ^^ / Yes, I created the ones you see on this page.]
  2. ^ a b Ferrari, Roberto (September 29, 2015). Roberto Ferrari Art ロベルト•フェラーリ イラスト - Square-Enix Final Fantasy XV ☆ FF Versus Type 0 [Roberto Ferrari Art Roberto Ferrari Illustration - Square-Enix Final Fantasy XV ☆ FF Versus Type 0] (in Italian). Facebook. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2015. シドニー (Cindy o Shidony) / Character design :Roberto Ferrari / Hair (shape and colour) / Eyes / Face / Dress and jacket / Make up / Accessory / ...Body / In few words ALL about Cindy
  3. ^ a b c Romano, Sal (April 28, 2015). "Final Fantasy XV feedback live stream full report: Episode Duscae 2.0 coming mid-May". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "Cindy Aurum Voice - Final Fantasy XV (Video Game) | Behind The Voice Actors". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Shibai, Haruka [@Shibai_Haruka] (September 21, 2017). 雑誌のとある取材を受け東京ゲームショー行ってきました〜 モーションアクターがめちゃくちゃ真剣に芝居やアクションしてること、もう少し知ってもらえたら嬉しいなぁ 自分が演じさせてもらったキャラながらシドニーかわいい 張り付いて撮った笑 スライムもかわいい #TGS2017 [I went to the Tokyo Game Show after being interviewed by a magazine~ I would be happy if people could get to know a little more about how the motion actors take their plays and actions so seriously. Cidney is so cute despite being the character I got to play. lol Slime is cute too #TGS2017] (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ a b Ferrari, Roberto (November 5, 2016). "My FFXV Characters". Facebook (in Italian). Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024. Tra i vari personaggi esposti ne ho scovati 3 disegnati da me: Cidney, Cid (suo nonno) e Iris. / Hai ragione Salvatore sarebbe dovuta essere quasi come Beyonce, complimenti per l'attenzione. / Comunque dicono che me l'hanno cambiata per farsi belli ma come vedi al 95% è come l'ho partorita io / Patrick Betar, ho preferito lasciare il team quasi 3 anni fa per continuare a lavorare con Nomura-san piuttosto che restare nel gruppo di Naora-san con il quale avevo avuto qualche incomprensione. / Ciò che era stato presentato e realizzato fino a quel momento comunque è rimasto nel gioco, come hai potuto vedere. / Mi rammaricano solo tutti gli altri personaggi che non vedranno la luce [Among the various characters on display I found 3 designed by me: Cidney, Cid (her grandfather) and Iris. / You're right Salvatore should have been almost like Beyonce, congratulations for the attention. / Anyway they say they changed it to make themselves look beautiful but as you can see 95% of it is how I gave birth to it / Patrick Betar, I preferred to leave the team almost 3 years ago to continue working with Nomura-san rather than stay in Naora-san's group with whom I had had some misunderstandings. / What had been presented and created up to that point remained in the game, however, as you could see. / I only regret all the other characters who won't see the light]
  7. ^ Figueroa, Jovi (December 25, 2016). "Final Fantasy XV Designer On Why It Took 10 Years, Blames Dev Team". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Ferrari, Roberto (December 19, 2016). "Cindy Artwork". Facebook (in Italian). Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024. Moreno Tarchini Scusa se te lo chiedo... ma tu che ne sai del retro di Franca?! Che le assomigli non lo nascondo ma quando ho disegnato Cindy non eravamo ancora tornati a stare insieme...Destino? [Moreno Tarchini Sorry to ask... but what do you know about Franca's backside?! I don't hide the fact that I look like her but when I drew Cindy we hadn't gotten back together yet...Destiny?]
  9. ^ Saed, Sherif (December 22, 2014). "Final Fantasy 15 will have the first female Cid - video". VG247. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  10. ^ Burleson, Kyle (December 20, 2014). "Okay, Final Fantasy XV looks pretty damn awesome". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  11. ^ ファイナルファンタジーXV アルティマニア -シナリオSIDE- [Final Fantasy XV Ultimania: Scenario Side] (in Japanese). Square Enix. December 28, 2016. p. 24. ISBN 978-4-7575-5214-2.
  12. ^ 『FF零式HD』＆『FFXV』最新情報に関して気になる点を田畑Dに直撃！(2/2) [Directly ask Tabata D about the latest information on "FF Type 0 HD" & "FFXV"! (2/2)]. Famitsu (in Japanese). p. 2. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Blackman, Talisa (February 17, 2021). "10 Final Fantasy Side Characters With More Interesting Backstories Than Sephiroth". The Gamer. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Webb, Jack (April 24, 2023). "Final Fantasy 15: Complete Achievement/Trophy Guide". The Gamer. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "Final Fantasy XV Comrades Material Guide: best items for upgrading your weapons". RPG Site. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Oxford, Nadia (December 9, 2016). "Final Fantasy XV Lacks Female Characters, but It Still Keeps Women Players in Mind". USGamer. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  17. ^ スクエニ、『ファイナルファンタジーXV：新たなる王国』の公式twitter＆公式Facebookを開設　シリーズ初のオープンワールドMMOを開発中 [Square Enix opens official Twitter and Facebook for "Final Fantasy XV: A New Kingdom", developing the series' first open-world MMO]. Gamebiz (in Japanese). June 21, 2017. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Donaldson, Alex (October 28, 2022). "Final Fantasy XV's lesser-known sequel appears to finally have a shadow-dropped worldwide release". RPG Site. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  19. ^ 『FFBE』に『FFXV』より “蒼穹の剣ノクティス”“真紅の剣アーデン”が参戦！ ["Blue Sword Noctis" and "Crimson Sword Ardyn" from "FFXV" are joining "FFBE"!]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). December 31, 2020. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Aguilar, Matthew (March 27, 2020). "Final Fantasy TCG's Opus XI Set is Available Now and Here Are Some of the Best Card". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  21. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (August 27, 2016). "Final Fantasy XV: Check Out What the Charming Cindy Is Actually Made of". Dualshockers. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  22. ^ "Character Settings Reference Guide - Cindy Aurum" (PDF). Square Enix. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  23. ^ Sato (February 1, 2017). "Get A Closer Look At Cindy's Play Arts Kai Figure Releasing In July". Siliconera. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Vincent, Brittany (April 25, 2018). "Outfit Your Minecraft Characters With Sharp-Looking Final Fantasy XV Skins". Shacknews. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  25. ^ Sal, Romano (March 29, 2017). "Blue Reflection Final Fantasy XV costume collaboration announced". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  26. ^ #コンパス【カード】: 『FF15』コラボカード＆コスチューム徹底紹介！UR版ひめたるが目玉!?【8/29更新】 [#Compass [Card]: A thorough introduction to "FF15" collaboration cards and costumes! UR version Himetaru is the highlight!? [Updated 8/29]]. Appliv Games (in Japanese). August 29, 2021. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Paras, Peter (June 14, 2016). "E3 2016: Final Fantasy XV Has the Heart of a Millennial – Hands-On Preview". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  28. ^ Hern, Alex (December 14, 2016). "Final Fantasy XV review: enthralling and slick, but problems lie beneath". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  29. ^ Kohler, Chris (March 19, 2015). "Dissecting the Hotly Anticipated Final Fantasy XV Demo". Wired. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  30. ^ Bailes, Jon (November 11, 2023). "How Final Fantasy 15's spoiled royal camping trip was saved by the friends we made on the way". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Diver, Mike (August 23, 2016). "In Conversation with 'Final Fantasy XV' Director Hajime Tabata". Vice. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  32. ^ Klepek, Patrick (December 8, 2016). "'Final Fantasy XV' Has Some Big Problems". Vice. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  33. ^ Kermarrec, Jérémie (November 2019). La Légende Final Fantasy XV: Création - Univers - Décryptage [The Legend Final Fantasy XV: Creation - Universe - Decryption] (in French). Third Editions. pp. 797–799. ISBN 978-2-377-84111-0.
  34. ^ Famularo, Jessica (January 3, 2017). "'Final Fantasy XV' Still Has a Long Way to Go". Inverse. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  35. ^ "Game of the Year 2016 #4: Final Fantasy XV". Shacknews. December 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  36. ^ Swann, Peter (December 31, 2016). "How Final Fantasy XV is Challenging Gender Roles in Media". ComicsVerse. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  37. ^ Grindle, Ben (November 28, 2021). "Final Fantasy 15: How Cindy Compares to Her Cid Counterparts". GameRant. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  38. ^ Ortega, Brandon (August 11, 2016). "Final-ly Fed Up: Why Are Final Fantasy XV Fans So Anti-Woman?". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  39. ^ Sullivan, Kean (August 5, 2021). "Final Fantasy 15 Fan Shows Off Cindy Aurum Cosplay". GameRant. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  40. ^ Kermarrec, Jérémie (November 2019). La Légende Final Fantasy XV: Création - Univers - Décryptage [The Legend Final Fantasy XV: Creation - Universe - Decryption] (in French). Third Editions. p. 892. ISBN 978-2-377-84111-0.
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