Originally Posted by
Roogle
Selphie was one of the few perky characters of the Final Fantasy series that I learned to appreciate.
Final Fantasy VIII manages to make use of its small playable character cast to put every character in a position of leadership at some point. Selphie takes charge on the mission to stop missiles from hitting Balamb Garden and, as the player, this forces you to feel a bit of camaraderie with her. We see her in various emotional states throughout the game besides being happy and positive all the time. This helps lend credibility to her character as someone who is a positive thinker yet realistic in light of the circumstances around her.
I think that if Final Fantasy VII had done this with characters besides Cloud, Tifa, and Cid, then other members of the cast would have been received slightly better: Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Vincent come to mind.