Her name has more than one syllable
"Lightning" isn’t cool enough. Yes she had big boots to fill after the awesome one syllable weather related names that we got from Final Fantasy VII and VIII, but Square could have done a lot better than “Lightning”. I mean not only is it a mouth full but it’s completely awkward to say. Unlike Cloud and Squall which can be pronounced more easily while maintaining an awesome ring to them, we are cursed with a lead character who even admits in the game she doesn’t like the name Lightning and would rather be called “Light.” Square screwed up really bad, I mean if they wanted to go with two syllables, couldn’t they have used “Thunder?” That is much more awesome.
She doesn’t have enough belts
Lulu from Final Fantasy X Wasn’t a lead character, but Lightning could have taken some fashion tips from her. The formula is simple, the more belts you have around your waist the more kickass you become, and the more difficult it becomes for cosplayers to replicate. Awesome lead roles wear awesome outfits with plenty of belts, which make the costumes more unique. I mean you don’t want fans of the series to purchase one belt for their Squall outfit come Halloween night. You want them to put the time, the effort and the sweat into those outfits by buying a dozen belts. Lightning’s lack of belts is a sign of weakness because it means easy access, while Lulu’s abundance in belts is a sign of strength because it means her Sh**’s secure.
Her sword isn’t big enough
“It isn’t the size of the weapon that matters, it’s how you use it.” Please allow me a minute to debunk this myth. Do you think Sephiroth was able to slay a 40 ft long serpent with a butter knife, or did he do it with his awesomely large and heavy masamune? Do you think Odin would be able to pull off his one-slash kill without his Zentsuken? Do you see Gilgamesh going around collecting kiddy pocket knives from high school dropouts? NO! They all prefer the big guns. A large sword is a sign of strength, pride and manhood. Lightning falls short because she doesn’t have a huge buster- like sword that she can wield like a paper weight. Instead she has a weapon that flips open like a pair of nail clippers.
No limit breaks = fail
Nothing compliments a huge sword like an awesomely well-designed special. What good is it to have that weapon when you don’t have an attack like Omnislash or Lionheart which makes the lead character unleash a barrage of 9999 HP attacks on a foe that only has 500 HP? It’s only natural that the hero shines after taking a beating or reaching a critical close-death moment. Lightning fails as a lead role because she never arose to the occasion. She never gave us that kick ass moment where she said, “ ya’ know, enough is enough. I’m going to launch this fiend into outer space and perform a 20 hit combo on this mo fo with cheesy lighting effects in the background without breaking a sweat.”
She isn’t emo enough
What are emos known for? Black hair! Some would argue that Cloud didn’t have black hair but I disagree because Zack is Cloud and Zack had black hair. Squall’s hair wasn’t black either but he made up for it with his scarf, tight pants and dramatic teenage crises. Lightning had brown hair. She also never blamed herself for her sister’s incident which contradicts the emo lifestyle. Instead she blamed Snow for every screw up that happened in the game. Lightning failed as an emo because she wasn’t depressed enough. She was cursed by the la ‘cie, her sister transformed into a rock and the whole world wants her dead. If that’s not enough to make you depressed then you are not qualified to lead the game. I think Snow would have made a better leader, but I’ll leave those thoughts for another time.
There you have it. This is why Lightning fails as a leading role in Final Fantasy. I’m sure I could come up with more reasons but I think I hit all the highpoints. I hope Square Enix learns from these mistakes and make the correct adjustments for Final Fantasy VS XIII. They are on the right path with Noctis, and he should set a new standard for lead characters in Final Fantasy.
I am the black sheep 
"of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong."-Robert Anton Wilson
