The visual differences coupled with the Ultimania guide saying that sorceresses have a normal lifespan is a pretty strong argument. Ultimecia does not look much older than Rinoa. Even if Rinoa fell into a time hole (or anything you want to bring her into Ultimecia's time), at a normal rate of aging, such changes would not occur. Especially when their eyes are completely different colours!

And a complete personality switch can be used, but normally, the writer will build up this personality change without an event. Do you think any half-decent writer would write a story with a sunny, bubbly, optimistic character, who lives in the moment, and then, without any warning or build-up, turn her into the complete opposite: depressed, pessimistic, so afraid of losing somthing that she's to scared to live, a loner.

Regardless, the burden of proof is not on me. It is on those who are wanting to prove R=U. What I'll say is that there are 3 questions that must be addressed before one can believe R=U, and these must be addressed from material in the game, or related to the game (Ultimania).

1) If Rinoa is Ultimecia, why do they not look the same? (And to say that a lot of time has passed is not a reason, because then Rinoa would be old, grey and frail).

2) How can Rinoa be Ultimecia when Ultimecia lives many generations in the future, and Rinoa, even as a sorceress has a normal lifespan?

3) How did Rinoa's personality do a complete flip? (Again, one cannot say: "Oh, many things could have happened. This discussion is based on a game, and therefore, all evidence must come from the game).