Here’s everything you need to know about using Tifa in combat in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Though the series may have become famous through the use of the Active Time Battle — ATB — system, it has embraced fast-paced real-time action in more recent years, and that is all the more apparent with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Blending real-time with a more tactical turn-based system has become the remake series' calling card.
To the benefit of players of the previous entry, FF7 Remake, Tifa plays almost identically to how she did previously. She still punches and kicks her way to victory and her Chi system is fundamentally unchanged. That said, she can still be quite a daunting character to get into, so feel free to refer to this guide to help come to terms with her moves.
Updated April 21, 2024 by Hilton Webster: While players have had their hands on Rebirth for a while now, it is a game brimming with content and various ways to experience that. Much of that content will be seen in combat, and characters like Tifa are simply packed with various ways to play. As such, we've added some more details to help you get a handle on how she plays.
Combat Overview
Battle Basics
As is true of all playable characters in Rebirth, Tifa has two basic actions in combat.
Square (Single Press) |
Pressing 'Square', the regular attack button, will have her perform a quick attack. |
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Square (Holding Down) |
Holding the 'Square' button will have her perform an uppercut. |
Triangle (Single Press) |
Pressing 'Triangle' will have her unleash her stacked special attacks one by one. |
Tifa is an exceptionally fast character, only outpaced in combat by Red XIII, and even then it is . She is all about landing hits rapidly and countering opponents before they have a chance to fight back. Because of this, the majority of her abilities activate absurdly fast so that her combo is never disturbed.
Tifa is, however, held quite firmly to the ground without either specific abilities or the help of Synergy Skills. This means that knowing all of her moveset is essential to being able to win battles with her. Button mashing will get you nowhere with Tifa.
Once she's in the air however she still retains her speed and the majority of her moves, including her stacked Special Attacks, can still be activated. She can also perform a diving punch to return her and enemies to the ground by holding the Regular Attack button.
Limit Breaks
Tifa also has two Limit Breaks by default, with her third acquired at the end of her folio with a high enough party level. Higher level Limit Breaks ca be used through increasing Limit level through Synergy Abilities in combat.
Somersault |
Somersault, a level one limit that has Tifa deal incredible damage to a single enemy while also launching them into the air. |
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Dolphin Flurry |
Dolphin Flurry, a level two limit that has Tifa deal massive damage to a single enemy through a series of spinning kicks while also significantly raising their stagger. |
Meteor Strikes |
Meteor Strikes, a level three limit where Tifa jumps into the air and unleashes a series of attacks on an enemy, like falling meteors. This significantly increases stagger. |
Chi Level, Explained
Playing as Tifa is all about maintaining her momentum, and a lot of that requires set-up. A major part of her is her ability, Unbridled Strength.
Using this has Tifa increase her Chi Level, which in turn adds another move to her Special Attack. The three stacked moves are as follows:
Whirling Uppercut |
The default Special Attack. |
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Omnistrike |
Added at Chi Level 2, that has Tifa perform a shoulder bash on the enemy. |
Rise and Fall |
Added at Chi Level 3, which sees Tifa performing a series of spinning kicks toward the enemy. |
Because Unbridled Strength is a regular ability, it means Tifa must first fill her ATB bar entirely before she gets access to her highest Chi Level, which is key to keep in mind.
Each extra level of Chi also adds an extra attack to Tifa's default Attack combo, meaning you will always want to have her Chi level maxed out.
Tifa also has the unique ability to increase the damage multiplier on staggered enemies through the use of her stacked Special Moves. With enough time on a staggered enemy, Tifa can bring the multiplier from 160 percent all the way up to 300 percent.
The ability Unfettered Fury, gained from the Crystal Gloves, also increases Tifa's Chi Level. Instead of giving moves that increase the stagger multiplier, Unfettered Fury grants selected moves the ability to fill the stagger gauge more quickly.
Unfettered Fury and Unbridled Strength can be used interchangeably. While on Chi level two with Unfettered Fury, using Unbridled Strength will bring you to Chi level three.
There are also certain weapon abilities that offer Tifa increased stats with each Chi Level, so it is essential to always keep her topped up as Chi Level decreases with time.
Tifa's Weapons
Including her initial Leather Gloves, Tifa has a total of seven weapons she can acquire over the course of the game. Many will be found in chests in the world, though some are also found as a result of minigames.
Weapon |
Ability |
Proficiency Bonus |
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Leather Gloves |
Divekick |
Finish off an enemy. |
Sylph Gloves |
Reverse Gale |
Exploit an enemy's weakness. |
Kaiser Knuckles |
Overpower |
Follow up with Attack after using the weapon ability. |
Dragon Claws |
Starshower |
Follow up with an offensive ability or spell after using the weapon ability. |
Tiger Fangs |
Chi Trap |
Strike an enemy. |
Crystal Gloves |
Unfettered Fury |
Stagger an enemy with a standard attack while active. |
Járngreipr |
True Strike |
Strike a staggered enemy. |
Each weapon supports a different playstyle, from either focusing on higher stats or giving you more Materia slots, giving Tifa greater diversity in her available moves.
Tifa's Ability List
Tifa has a great variety of moves at her disposal, though almost all of them promote her getting up and personal with enemies, never letting up on the pressure. This can require intimate knowledge of what each of Tifa's abilities do so she's never left standing still in battle.
Move |
Ability |
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Unbridled Strength |
This is Tifa's core ability and is used to increase her Chi Level by up to two levels. |
Focused Strike |
This operates as both an offensive and evasive move. Tifa quickly doges backwards and follows up with an attack that increases stagger immensely. |
Divekick |
This is Tifa's standard damage-dealing ability, which has her jump into the air to perform a descending kick. This move's activation can be accelerated by activating during the brief period she is in the air after an uppercut. |
Reverse Gale |
This ability, infused with wind elemental damage, operates differently whether it is used while on the ground or airborne. While on the ground, it has Tifa attack an enemy and drags them both into the air. If used while airborne, it has her instead drag the enemy to the ground with her. |
Overpower |
This ability has Tifa quickly performing a drilling attack against enemies that makes them more easily pressured with follow-up attacks. |
Starshower |
This ability has Tifa assail a single enemy in a series of blows, making her next command, be it an ability or spell, deal more damage. |
Chi Trap |
This ability has Tifa generate a static orb of chi that deals constant damage to any enemy touching it. |
Unfettered Fury |
Like Unbridled Strength, Unfettered Fury increases Tifa's Chi level, giving her regular attacks magic damage and causing them to build up stagger more rapidly. |
True Strike |
This ability has Tifa execute a powerful, well-aimed attack against a single enemy, causing immense damage to those already staggered. |
Trinity Strike |
Obtained through folios, this ability allows Tifa to perform a trio of moves by pressing the Attack button when a symbol appears on screen. Each attack of the ability deals more damage than the last. |
Fiery Impulse |
Obtained through folios, this allows you to perform a fire attack without expending MP and is guaranteed to hit |
Icy Impulse |
Obtained through folios, this allows you to perform an ice attack without expending MP and is guaranteed to hit |
Electric Impulse |
Obtained through folios, this allows you to perform a lightning attack without expending MP and is guaranteed to hit |
Gale Impulse |
Obtained through folios, this allows you to perform a wind attack without expending MP and is guaranteed to hit |
There is also a variety of elemental abilities. These allow Tifa to have access to all elements without ever sacrificing a Materia slot and can be acquired through the purple nodes in her folio.
Tifa's Synergy Skills And Abilities
Used to both deepen the combat and bonds between characters, Synergy Skills and Synergy Abilities are moves performed with your companions that let you cover the weaknesses of a character with the strengths of their allies. For Tifa, many of these allow her to take to the air more easily
Of worthy note — Synergy Skills, those performed free of charge and increase your ATB, and Synergy Abilities, those performed through the use of extra bits beside your ATB bar, are two separate, though very similarly named, things.
Synergy Skills
Synergy Skill |
Effect |
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Slip and Slide |
This skill has Tifa jump backward to dodge an attack before being flung forward by her partner to attack an enemy. It deals a powerful counterattack dodge successfully |
Soaring Flurry |
This skill, used with Red XIII and Cloud, has her partner throw Tifa diagonally through the air while she attacks |
Heavenly Ascent |
This skill, used with Barret, Yuffie, and Aerith, has Tifa's partner launch her directly up into the air, bringing any enemy she hits along the way up with her |
Bodyguard |
This skill, used with Barret and Red XIII, has Tifa's partner protect her as she moves across the area. It is most effective as a last-minute block |
For Tifa, many of these Synergy skills allow her to take to the air more easily or improve her evasion even further so she never has to be idle.
Synergy Abilities
Synergy Ability |
Effect |
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United Refocus |
This ability, available with multiple party members, has the duo focus and split their ATB gauge temporarily into three segments |
Relentless Rush |
This ability, used by Cloud and Tifa, has Cloud throw Tifa at an enemy before attacking, increasing stagger potency and length |
Synchro Cyclone |
This ability, used by Cloud and Tifa, has the duo perform a spinning attack on enemies that gives them both unlimited MP |
Avalanche Two-Step |
This ability, used by Tifa and Barret, has the duo perform a series of independent attacks on an enemy that increases the potency and length of a staggered enemy |
Divine Punishment |
This ability, used by Tifa and Aerith, has Aerith summon a magical barrier that Tifa bounces around in, dealing damage to everything trapped inside. This raises both their Limit Levels |
Bestial Barrage |
This ability, used by Tifa and Red XIII, has the duo launch a series of animalistic attacks at the enemy, raising both their limit levels. |
Call Of The Wild |
This ability, used by Tifa and Red XIII, has the pair assail enemies over a wide area for massive damage. Using this on staggered enemies increases their stagger multiplier as well as the length of stagger. |
Cyclonic Kick |
This ability, used by Tifa and Yuffie, has them both attack using Yuffie's throwing star against a single enemy. This increases the length and potency of an already staggered enemy. |
Moogle Dunk Shot |
This ability, used by Tifa and Cait Sith, has Tifa use her superior strength to swing Cait Sith's moogle with incredible speed, launching it at an enemy for incredible damage. This raises their limit levels. |
As you can see, Synergy Skills and Abilities cover many of Tifa's shortcomings, so it is always essential to remember the strengths of your party and how they can complement Tifa's fast-paced combat style.