Gloves

Tifa's initial equipment is a simple leather glove, with basic Materia slottage and barely enough strength to see her through. Fortunately, she doesn't stay in the active party for very long and much better equipment is on its way. Don't let this put you off Tifa as a fighter, as she is much better than this would suggest.

An essential replacement for the Leather Glove, this glove adds a set of knuckledusters (remember kids, not legal) to bring her up to speed with Cloud. The extra Materia slot comes in handy, too.

Ouch. As if the knuckledusters weren't bad enough, this Wolverine-esque (someone had to say it) claw device is bound to cause someone serious internal injuries. As long as that someone is on the left-hand side of the battle screen, all's well.

Tifa's first taste of double AP may be found in the sunkissed Costa del Sol. The price you pay for the extra growth is a slight decrease in attack power and useful Materia slots compared to the Grand Glove. But is that a sacrifice you're willing to make?

Appearing in a chest on the dangerous Mt. Nibel, the Powersoul may surprise you with the attack power of a paper bag and woeful (though doubled) Materia. However, for risk-takers, this is a dream come true in the form of a glove which deals heavy damage when Tifa is low on HP.

That this is Tifa's strongest double-AP weapon is indicative of her position as the party's muscle. With that in mind, this is a good opportunity to level up your little-used Materia until its weakness starts to show.

The Tiger Fang and Platinum Fist make a good combination, with this spiky number covering the powerful battles while its sister handles Materia-fueled encounters.

Weak, but having the highest possible number of Materia slots, Tifa's Kaiser Knuckle may be found in the Whirlwind Maze and is ideally suited to magic-wielding support Tifas while not rendering her completely useless in a punch-up.

Fans of Tifa rejoice, for this mid-range equipment marks a significant improvement for her battle prowess. A respectable Materia array complements the high attack power well, making her useful in almost any combat role.

An improvement over the Diamond Knuckle in every way, the Dragon Claw is an essential piece of kit for Tifa to last her through the frozen northlands. Coming from Icicle Inn, it's not the cheapest of gloves, but its power and spiky looks are hard to ignore.

Near the end of the Temple of the Ancients, in the room with the evasive spirit, is a chest with Tifa's Work Glove. The loss of Materia is made up for by the massive increase in attack power, but does Tifa need all that much Materia anyway?

The Crystal Glove is probably Tifa's best overall weapon unless you don't mind the no AP of her Premium Heart. It loses out to the God's Hand in terms of attack, but makes up for it with an extra Materia pair. It can be purchased in Mideel.

Won in the Underwater Reactor, the God's Hand is truly a fine weapon to behold. Its high attack power, combined with perfect hit rate, is just what Ms. Lockheart needs in the later stages of the adventure. The relatively low Materia slot count, compared to other weapons of this calibre, need not be an issue as Tifa's main strength lies not in magic.

Tifa's ultimate weapon, with four pairs of Materia slots and attack power only just below that of the Ultima Weapon. Find it in Wall Market by sneaking back into Midgar on disc 3, and keep it equipped as long as AP isn't an issue.