Fan Opinions

Normally I wouldn’t do this. But after seeing some particularly harsh comments about Quistis Trepe , I decided to add my own two cents worth on my opinion of her. I do like Rinoa as well, although I respect and admire Quistis more, and I believe that the so-called rivalry between them never actually existed in the first place. Before I get to that part, there’s a lot more that I’d like to point out about Quistis. There are some who feel that Quistis is “stuck-up” and a very immature comment on how she is “weird” as well.

Quistis obviously isn’t perfect and that is also what makes her such a beautiful and unique person, not to mention one of the more well rounded characters of FF8. However, there is plenty about her that invokes admiration, and I’m not just talking about her physical appearance or her credentials and intelligence.

First, Quistis tries her utmost to befriend her charges and she is never harsh with her students. This is evident from the way that she jests with Squall, after they came out of the infirmary, and even Seifer, before the exam, when the former tells her off about wishing him good luck. She is polite to him even when she reminds him that he shouldn’t inflict bodily harm on his sparring partners. Even as they undermine and ignore her, she openly acknowledges the fact that they are her 2 best students in the Fire Cavern. Despite the fact that they are her 2 most difficult students, Quistis still makes the effort to communicate with them. She has never given up on them although she isn’t always successful, and despite the fact that Seifer keeps on disobeying her. In my opinion, Quistis’s stoic-ness in dealing with them is testimony to her strength despite having to battle her own uncertainties and insecurities.

Even as Squall sees Zell as a “loud” character, Quistis chooses to focus on his “lively” nature instead. And even as she respects her students, she realizes the need to be focused and restrained whenever a mission comes up, as she gives her orders and hurries Squall as he walks towards the vessel. It clearly shows that Quistis understands how to conduct herself professionally and not let her personal relationships with her students get in the way.

When Quistis says "So you'll dance with someone you don't even know, but you can't stand being around me?", she was never directing her anger towards anyone. She was merely disappointed, which is perfectly natural, considering how aloof Squall is to her, and her numerous attempts to try and get him to open up. Personally, I thought it was pretty amazing that Quistis didn’t hit out at Squall even when he told her to go talk to a wall. Anybody else, even someone who liked him as much as Quistis would probably have yelled at him. Therein lies one of Quistis’s biggest strengths and weaknesses. The woman has amazing self-restraint, yet her belief in her own inadequacies stops her from lashing out. This seems to be yet another example of how she would rather shoulder full responsibility and accommodate everyone else. Even as she reminds him "Squall. It's not like everyone can get by on their own, you know?" she still carries herself with dignity. Never once does she lose her composure.

Another main issue would be the so called “rivalry” between Quistis and Rinoa. The truth is that I doubt that it even existed at all. Sure, Quistis might have felt a little upset and jealous, seeing that Rin manages to get closer to Squall when she’s barely known him, but she never lets it get to her head, or get in the way of her concern for Rinoa as well. I think that that’s a fact that many people overlook, and it’s Quistis’s care for Rinoa, practically treating her like a sister by the time they meet Seifer in the Lunatic Pandora. This is evident in several parts of the game. When they first get to Galbadia Garden, Quistis is the one that tries to comfort Rinoa upon learning of Seifer’s probable execution. She even apologises, fearing that she might not have been able to console Rin well enough. It’s also obvious that Rinoa looks up to her as well, instinctively jumping behind Quistis as Irvine comes over in the train to Deling City.

Even when Quistis chides Rinoa for treating the mission as a game, I strongly believe that it was because she was worried for the safety of the whole team, being a more experienced Seed, and obviously having been through much more missions than any of her friends. Quistis also comes back later to apologise, worried that she has been far too harsh on the younger girl. She later also voices her concern for Rinoa. All this shows that Quistis cares for the feelings of everyone around her, even for those whom she has barely met.

Many people also seem to overlook the fact that Quistis was the first one by Rinoa’s side when she lost consciousness, urgently calling for Squall to come over. This hardly seems like jealousy or rivalry to me. If you ask me, I somehow feel that besides Squall, in the later part of the game, Quistis cares for Rinoa the most as well, being the “bossy” big sister Quisty, as Squall puts it. Furthermore, when everyone is rounded up to arrange a surprise performance for Squall, Quistis and Zell go to fetch Rinoa. She never tried to get in between Squall and Rin, and conversely, graciously backs away as she herself says: “when Rinoa came into the picture”

As a matter of fact, it is thanks to Quistis that they managed to be together eventually. Without Quisty’s prompting “Squall, you’re a fool.” In the Ragnarok, things might have turned out much differently. It is terribly unjustified to even suggest that Quistis ever tried to pry Squall away from Rinoa or break them up. Her selfless actions were really the catalyst for her friends’ relationship to advance and blossom.

Quistis’s compassion and level-headedness has never been more evident throughout the game especially when she urges them to move on, as she tells Squall to ask questions later and offers to bring the missile base trio back to Balamb, and when she once again, voices her concern for Rinoa in a typically protective fashion in the Lunatic Pandora.

My admiration for this remarkable woman is boundless, and I just hope that if anyone wishes to criticize her, they will be fair and constructive, instead of saying demeaning things.

from Linus