1 Actress & 3 Understudies

Unless Square starts licensing away movie and TV drama rights away in financial desperation, there will not be a live action version of Final Fantasy 8. However, for fun, if there was a live action version, who would you cast as Rinoa? I would choose the actress who has astonished thousands of Final Fantasy fans with her eerie likeness to this shrine's titular heroine: Camilla Belle.

Naturally, people age. However, for the sake of this recreational article, please assume that we're looking at these performers when they were in their early twenties.

- Quick Links - Camilla Belle | Honami Suzuki | Sunye Min | Yuri Kwon

Camilla Belle  

  Camilla Belle is an American film actress of Brazilian descent. As a child, she starred in such films as A Little Princess and Jurassic Park 2. As an adult, she's known for her roles in movies such as historical fantasy 10,000 BC, sci-fi thriller Push, and horror film When a Stranger Calls. She also participates in charity work. Given her striking looks, she has been in a number of fashion campaigns, including modeling for Vera Wang and Miu Miu. Camilla aspires to be a classical pianist.

What are some of the features that connect Rinoa and Camilla? (1) The slightly droopy eyes. (2) The strong and distinctive eyebrows. (3) The facial structure (compare Camilla with Nomura's portrait art of Rinoa. You'll see the same jaw line and cheekbones). Less striking similarities include her warm chestnut eye color and the soft youthful glow - she emits more of a cherubic charm, as opposed to a mature sex appeal. Mostly though, it's top 3 qualities I listed above.

The coincidental resemblance is uncanny. I gasped in surprise when I first saw Camilla and immediately recognized the real life, physical duplicate of Rinoa. The similarities are even more obvious in her movies than in pictures (where airbrushing eliminates some of Camilla's subtleties). I'm not the only one who thinks so. Google search the terms "camilla belle" and "rinoa" together and you'll find thousands of discussion threads talking about how strangely similar the appearances are. Most saw Camilla in a film and jumped online to confirm that others fans recognized the same thing.

     

But for the sake of making this page something more than a mini-shrine to Camilla Belle, I present to you some alternatives...

Honami Suzuki 

 Honami Suzuki is a Japanese actress who was active in various tv series and movies during the mid 1980s until the late 1990s. For over a decade, she quietly retreated from the spotlight to focus on raising her family. In 2010, she returned to film acting, much to the delight of her many fans. She has shown great versatility and skill through the myriad of genres she's acted in, from romance dramas to comedies to historical period pieces.

Honami is not on this list for physical resemblance. She's on the list due to her starring role in the tv drama that heavily influenced Final Fantasy VIII. Rinoa herself was based on a woman that Nomura worked with. However, the TV series Tokyo Love Story also inspired the FF8 storyline and its character roles - in terms of romance and character interaction (source). Honami played the "Rinoa" or bubbly love interest of the story. She very successfully captured the hearts of viewers with her depiction of a spirited young woman in love. To this day, her fans still consider it one of her most beloved roles.

   

SunYe Min 

  Sunye Min is a South Korean singer. She is the leader of a kpop girl group called Wonder Girls. Under her leadership, the group has survived despite unforeseen difficulties, such as two members leaving due to illness or academics, and injuries to current members. Those who work with her have complimented on her strong vocals and charismatic personality. She is known to be a hard worker, often staying behind to practice when all her band mates go home for vacation.

Rinoa's role in of the Forest Owls is not often focused upon in the game, but she is an important member and works hard for their cause. While Zone is technically their leader, Rinoa formulates plans and is often the one who takes more of a leadership role. For an outsider, earning the trust of the locals and members of a vigilante group must not have been easy yet, but she was charismatic enough to earn their loyalty and become their top strategist. She also works hard independently, using her connections to gather intelligence, create plans, and convince Garden headmasters to lend their SeeD mercenaries. Both Rinoa and Sunye become frustrated when they feel they cannot help their team, as shown by all of Rinoa's statements about proving herself good enough to fight with her friends, and they both work extra hard to overcome this perceived handicap.

     

Yuri Kwon 

 Yuri Kwon is a South Korean singer. She is part of a kpop girl group called Girls Generation (So Nyuh Shi Dae). Nicknamed the Black Pearl, Yuri is a supporting vocalist and the second main dancer. Her teammates say that Yuri actually messes up her dance moves a lot, but is able to play it off and not be noticed. She also has acted in tv series and been in various ad campaigns. She is known for her mischievous pranks, as well as her goofy and playful (yet somehow sexy) personality.

I swear I didn't intend to list two Korean pop singers. It just happened. Yuri is on this list because of fan-artist Montyoum's Dead Fantasy - Gee music video. In the video, 3D renders of the Dead Fantasy girls were coordinated with the dance choreography of the music video for Girls Generation's pop hit "Gee". Rinoa was assigned to Yuri's role. I agree with this assignment. Both Yuri and Rinoa have a very warm, playful personality that would be too much energy for their men to handle sometimes. Both are the type to bring fun and laughter into their group of friends.