All this fighting over a female lead? My only comments...

For those against: Get over it! It's going to happen eventually in the series so be prepared and stop whining...

To those who are for it: Don't get your hopes up. Don't be playing this game in hopes that "Lightning" or whoever is the actual lead is going to be this definitive archtype of feminine empowerment. She'll probably end up breaking down and crying several times or whine about some worthless guy that the the developers go out of their way to make him a bigger bad ass than her. So don't get your hopes up.