The Art of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

The Final Fantasy series has always been well regarded and highly appreciated for its art direction and aesthetic design. Last year, the characters were even the subject of a 'virtual photoshoot' with Prada, modeling their clothing in CGI.

The latest game in the series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, is no exception to the rule that all Final Fantasy art looks awesome—offering artwork and character design that's certain to stand the test of time not just for its creativity, but for allowing Lightning to become a stand-out character thanks to her dynamic outfits, all of which greatly compliment the color of her hair.

It's to this end that we've decided to create a gallery celebrating Lightning's character design, as well as the art direction of the upcoming Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Much of the artwork was compiled by members of the FinalFantasy-FXN.net community, which put together a huge list of all the publicly available artwork of the upcoming game.

Some of the forum members noted that it's a little telling how the upcoming game has more artwork available of it than Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which was announced around the same time as the original Final Fantasy XIII. It has yet to see the light of day, and we have to question what Square Enix plans to do with the game.

You can also check out our gallery of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII wallpapers.