I know there are people out there that like Lightning (I've been told they exist somewhere), but the BEST female character in any Final Fantasy series to me is Freya. She's fantastic as both a story component and because she's an extremely valuable asset for her Dragoon like abilities.
Was just about to say this. Lightning feels like a failed reiteration of an archetype they already had down pat with Freya.
Yes, she is. She is also one of the best-looking characters in the entire franchise.
S-E is yet to create a female character as awesome as her.
That's a strange sentiment...her story revolves around her boyfriend and she vanishes from the plot about 1/2 of the way through the game after the Riverdancing.