Animations

Rinoa's body language and stances.  

Rinoa's movements in the game were programmed by Character Modeling Director Tomohiro Kayano. In FF8 a new form of character modeling called 'Single Skin' made the joints barely visible. This allowed the characters to have smoother and more human-like movements. Some of her movements were reused in FF11 on Elvaan females.


Battle Stance

At the start of battle, Rinoa has both hands at her hips. She goes onto the balls of her feet and brushes her hair aside before going into her fighting stance. She bounces up and down on her toes while waiting for her turn.

Her Blaster Edge is worn like a shield because it's heavy. When she fires the weapon, she brings her left arm up to her field of vision and then pulls the trigger (she's right handed). She gets slightly tossed by the backfire and waits for the weapon to return to her arm like a boomerang.


       

Special Abilities

Whenever Rinoa uses Magic or Summons, she takes in a deep breath and lifts her right arm in front of her face. She looks into her palm and then tilts her head back before making a motion as though she is showing the Magic which way to go.

During Combine, Rinoa calls for Angelo by finger whistling and rewards the dog with either some petting or a bone shaped treat. During Angel Wing, Rinoa bends over as wings appear and levitates with her arms open. When she reaches the highest point, she arches back towards the light. Feathers fall and the wings disappear as she returns to the ground.


       

Win Pose and Injury

Rinoa lifts her arms into the air a few times as though she's cheering when the battle ends. She then turns to her right and flips her hair behind her shoulder blade. She often does this outside of battle as well.

While in critical condition or when hit with status ailments, she sits on the floor with her knees up and writhes in pain. If knocked unconscious she lays down on her right side with her left leg over her right.


       

Passive Motion Habits

Whenever nervous, Rinoa clutches onto the rings on her chain or holds onto one of her forearms. When scared, she puts her knees to her chest when crouching or sitting, similar to a fetal position. She also sleeps in a fetal position, which represents how vulnerable she is. When she's bored or feeling defeated she sits on the floor and puts her knees up. She also crouches onto the floor when talking to Angelo or having meetings with the Forest Owls. Sometimes when thinking to herself, she sits with her legs straight and slowly swings them with pointed toes.

When saying something faster than she's thinking, she averts her eyes by looking at the floor and dragging her feet. She is seen doing this while asking Squall to give her a tour of Balamb Garden and while in Trabia Garden. When trying to feign innocence, she holds her hands behind her back. She does this when trying to trick Edea in Deling City and whenever Squall knows what she's really thinking.


           

Active Motion Habits

When taking charge of a situation, Rinoa puts her hands on her hips. She does this when she first asks Squall to dance, when she has to reassert her position as a 'client', and when she tells Squall how to be a compassionate leader.

When complimenting or flirting with Squall, she bends forward so that she can look into his eyes. When feeling slightly sorry for him, she puts her hands on her knees while doing so. When feeling a little shy, she keeps her hands behind her back. She may also walk around with her legs doing a Ballet-style battement tendu to the front for each step.

When enthusiastically happy about getting her way, she cheers by jumping and throwing her arms into the air. She also puts her hands together in glee while jumping if a plan of hers seems to be coming together.

She also uses many hand signals. When you first meet her, she does a movement with her wrist to 'cast a spell' on Squall. Later in Deling City, you see her rudely waving Colonel Caraway away. When denying something, she shakes her index finger in a "no no" motion. She also does a "stop" signal in F.H. to stop Squall from talking.


               

Under Control

Rinoa is possessed and controlled by Ultimecia multiple times throughout the game. Each time it happens, she moves like a puppet. The first time occurs during Edea's Parade, before Rinoa is to be sacrificed. The second time is at G-Garden, after Rinoa inherits Edea's powers.

The third time occurs at the Lunar Base, when Rinoa drifts along like a zombie and ghostly after-images trail her nearly invincible body. The final occurrence is at Lunatic Pandora, after Rinoa inherits Adel's powers. Rinoa stands with her arms out and palms facing upwards, similar to what she does during Angel Wing.