Selphie was the second character drawn by Final Fantasy VIII artist Tetsuya Nomura after the game's lead protagonist Squall Leonhart.

Selphie has received a generally positive reception, being noted for her relatable personality as well as her carefree and energetic demeanour, although some critics did not respond well to her characterization as a childlike female character.

[1] Selphie is given a flip hairstyle which was popular in the United States during the latter years of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, an aesthetic design Nomura considered to be improper in real life.

She participates in many extracurricular activities, such as planning the Garden Festival[12] and running the school's online website, the Study Panel.

Meagan Marie from Game Informer considered Selphie to be one of her "personal favorite" Final Fantasy female characters.

[24] Dave Smith from IGN praised Selphie as one of the game's few bright lights, highlighting her hairstyle and her cheerfulness as an effective foil for the angst-filled personalities of its cast.

[27] WomenGamers gave a positive assessment of the character, noting that while others may underestimate Selphie's intellect due to her perky and energetic nature, she demonstrates that she is competent when a problematic situation arises and appears to be as smart as her prodigious comrade Quistis.

[28] Selphie received high scores from WomenGamers for the stance and marketing effort behind her, with praise for the lack of sexualization surrounding the character's appearances in promotional material for Final Fantasy VIII and her balanced portrayal as a clumsy yet capable fighter.

[17][30][31][32] Parish argued that Selphie never seemed "overbearing or forced" to him, unlike many other female characters in the series who also occupy the same "genki girl" niche.

[33] Conversely, Andy Kelly from PC Gamer recognized Selphie as the light-hearted Final Fantasy character archetype "who gets hit extra hard when something tragic inevitably happens", but found her to be "almost sickeningly friendly and good-natured", and her "bouncy and eager to please tendencies" unendearing.

[35] Alexa Ray Corriea noted that Selphie's appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series, where she is depicted as an actual child, fall into the same trope as other female characters present in its male-dominated setting, as none of them make enough of a significant impact within its narrative.