Independence

The thing about Yuffie is, unlike other playable characters in the game, she has no actual significance in the main storyline. This is also the reason why she's a hidden character, and even though Vincent is one as well, his character means a lot to the story Sephiroth genesis-wise. Instead of bothering with the Planet's problems, Yuffie has a story of her own.

It is a fact that Yuffie has obviously developed a disliking for her hometown's parochial stances over the years, and her goal is clearly to rebel the forced traditions as much as possible. However, many argue that the real reason why she is stealing materia is to help Wutai. But does the ninja really have a deep, undying love for Wutai that she does not show on the outside or is she what she says she is... a plain materia hunter?

The Two Sides
"What happened to the mighty Wutai I used to know?"
Yuffie, as any other citizen of Wutai that experienced the great war between the Shin-Ra corporation and the graceful town, feels immensely let down by the fact that the once seemingly invincible Wutai was brought down so easily by a modern materialistic company as Shin-Ra. By stealing materia all over the world (and rightfully so!), Yuffie tries to restore the peace and glory to Wutai, hoping the town would return to its previous state of prosperity.

"That's my style! And it's my own business, not yours! Don't you try and dictate what I should do!"
But there is another side to this story. Throughout the game, Yuffie is constantly shows signs of selfish behaviour. Consecutively, Yuffie's materia stealing habits are a result of her consistent egocentric decisions. The stealing of materia is for Yuffie's personal gain, and by stating that she is doing it for Wutai, Yuffie creates the perfect excuse, covering her ill intentions up and trying to justify her behaviour towards her father and the party.

Conclusion
At the end of the day, Yuffie, like an 'normal' teenager, shows different types of radical behaviour based on her determined thoughts and extreme notions. Looking at Yuffie, the game depicts a phase of her life where she is not really sure of what she wants herself. One one side she wants to rebel against her birthplace, ashamed of the fact that it lost its glory in a split second. On the other hand, Yuffie could be the royalty that she really is and restore the town's glory. These two possibilities are the prime dilemma that Yuffie struggles with. Her lack of experience and guidance prevent her from making the right choice, so instead of facing and solving her problems, the adolescent decides to mask it and choose an "easy" (??) way out: joining Cloud and his party in the Planet's great battle against its downfall.

Further Analysis
In the movie-sequel Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Yuffie makes an appearance in the story that takes place in a 'future Planet'. The movie basically picks up a few years after the end of FFVII left off. In the FFVII:AC Reunion Files, it was confirmed that after the final battle with Sephiroth's many forms in FFVII, Yuffie returned to her father Godo's dojo where she grew up in Wutai, "to live a happy, relatively normal life". (Until the events of FFVII:AC with Kadaj and his awesome posse occur).

It is safe to assume that Yuffie learned a lot from her experience in the Party in FFVII, and naturally matured thanks to these experiences. Seeing more of the world and its harsh realities have shaped her into a more adult Yuffie, although she maintains to be an up-tempo and quirky girl as this is part of her character. Her conclusion upon seeing all that has happened in the Planet is that Wutai is where her heart and mind belongs, although this does not make her dependant on either her town or father!

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