Yuna (Final Fantasy)

Yuna
Yuna as she appears in Final Fantasy X. Drawn by Tetsuya Nomura.
Series	Final Fantasy
First game	Final Fantasy X
Designed by	Tetsuya Nomura Yoshitaka Amano
Voiced by (English)	Hedy Burress Jade Villalon
Voiced by (Japanese)	Mayuko Aoki
Motion capture	Mayuko Aoki
Fictional profile
Weapon	Staff
Race	Half Al Bhed
Home	Besaid

Yuna (ユウナ, Yūna) is a player character in the Final Fantasy series. She is the female protagonist of Final Fantasy X and the main protagonist of the sequel Final Fantasy X-2. She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura and voiced by Hedy Burress and Mayuko Aoki in the English and Japanese versions, respectively. In Final Fantasy X, she is the daughter of the High Summoner Braska, and seeks to becoming a High Summoner herself, with the help of Wakka and Lulu. She eventually meets up with protagonist Tidus. Due to the fan reaction for Yuna, the developers sought to create Final Fantasy X-2, starring her.

She has received mixed reactions for her role in both Final Fantasy X and X-2. She ranked 10th on IGN's top 25 Final Fantasy characters list. After appearing in a conservative, long dress in Final Fantasy X, the designers changed her outfit to a more revealing one to reflect the more carefree world of Final Fantasy X-2. This was met with both praise and criticism. She has also appeared in the form of several different pieces of merchandise, including a CD entitled "Final Fantasy X-2 Vocal Collections", featuring songs performed by Mayuko Aoki.

Concept and creation

Yuna was designed by Final Fantasy X character designer Tetsuya Nomura. The basis for Yuna's overall design was that of hakama, but Nomura has also mentioned that when he learned the character was to perform a dance called the "sending," he wanted to give her outfit something that would flow. For this reason, the specific type of kimono he chose for her was a furisode, a kimono bearing long sleeves. Nomura has explained that he adorned Yuna's dress and necklace with images of the hibiscus flower also called "yuna," and that her name carries the meaning of "night" (夕な) in Okinawan, establishing a contrast between her and the lead male protagonist of Final Fantasy X, Tidus, whose Japanese name (ティーダ) translates to "sun" (太陽) in Okinawan. This contrast is also represented in-game by items named for the sun and moon that empower Tidus' and Yuna's most powerful weapons. Nomura has explained that while all these subtle details may be unnecessary, he wants his designs to have meaning behind them. Yuna has heterochromia, a condition that gives the subject two different colored eyes; in Yuna's case, her blue eye comes from her half-Spiran ancestry while her green eye comes from her half-Al Bhed ancestry.

The fan reaction to Final Fantasy X convinced the developers to continue the story of Yuna and other characters with Final Fantasy X-2. Tetsu Tsukamoto, costume designer for Final Fantasy X-2, states that the radical design changes for Yuna from one game to the other reflect a huge cultural change. Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Final Fantasy X-2, added that they did not want to make X-2 feel like an extension of its predecessor, so they changed the clothing of Yuna, Rikku, and others' to make them seem more active. This was accomplished before the story and setting were created. Because Yuna, Rikku, and Paine live in a more care-free world, the designers wanted them to be able to dress up, a feature which became key to the game's gameplay. Kazushige Nojima, scriptwriter for X-2, described her new outfit as a "natural reaction to the heavy stuff she wore in FFX". Yuna's singing performance was used to demonstrate the pop feel that X-2 incorporates.

Appearances

Final Fantasy X's system has her use healing magic in the game, while also allowing her to summon powerful magical entities called "aeons." Already known throughout Spira as the daughter of High Summoner Braska – the man who, ten years earlier, brought a brief respite from Sin's destruction (The Calm) – Yuna has chosen to embark on the summoner's pilgrimage to become a High Summoner herself. The burden of this responsibility is expected to see Yuna journey to temples across Spira, acquire the aeon from each and ultimately summon the Final Aeon in a battle that will claim both its life and hers. Her weapons are a variety of staves, and she is able to summon ten aeons during the game. As Yuna's story progresses she gradually becomes more open and falls in love with Tidus. Because Yuna's mother was an Al Bhed she has heterochromia, so one of her eyes is green and the other blue, a reflection of her mixed heritage. Once coming to the place where Yuna can summon the final aeon, Tidus convinces the group to look for another way to defeat Sin that does not involve any sacrifices. Yuna and her guardians enter inside Sin's body where they defeat Yu Yevon who is responsible of reviving Sin every time it is defeated, allowing an eternal Calm start in Spira. However, due to Tidus' being the product of the Fayth who could not depart until Sin's defeat, in the game's ending, Yuna is separated from Tidus who fades away.

Yuna returns in Final Fantasy X-2, set two years after Final Fantasy X as the lead protagonist alongside the group the Gullwings, prominently featured as a Gunner. In X-2, Yuna journeys Spira in search of the truth behind a sphere containing a video featuring a man sharing a striking resemblance to Tidus in jail. The Gullwings always helps people in need, although her job as a sphere hunter may make her intentions seem more money focused. As the journey continues, Yuna discovers the man from the sphere was not Tidus, but Shuyin, an unsent person who wishes to destroy Spira in revenge for the death of his lover, Lenne. The Gullwings manage to stop Shuyin and depending on the player's development throughout the game, the Fayth revive Tidus in the ending so that she can reunite with him.

In other media

A 'chibi' version of Yuna is seen in Kingdom Hearts II where she, Paine, and Rikku are pixies that enjoy treasure hunting. The trio are bribed by Maleficent into spying on Leon's group, but they ultimately switch sides after being abandoned by the witch and told of Sora's cause. Yuna also appears in Itadaki Street Special, a board game-based video game, along with Auron and Tidus.

In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, an action game that features several Final Fantasy heroes and villains, Yuna is featured as one of the Final Fantasy X characters to be involved along with Tidus and Jecht.

Reception and promotion

Yuna's skimpier appearance in Final Fantasy X-2 was met with both praise and criticism. Drawn by Tetsuya Nomura

Yuna has received mixed reception for her appearances in Final Fantasy X and X-2. In an Oricon poll from 2008, Yuna was voted as the 10th most popular video game character. In 2001, Game Informer voted Yuna's relationship with male protagonist Tidus as the best relationship of 2001. Game Chronicles editor Jason Porter praised her realistic appearance, commenting that "you could walk down a street in Tokyo and see her looking in shop windows". Jen of Four Fat Chicks criticized her for her poor facial expressions, stating that she rarely cracks a smile, and when she does it seems fake. Netjak editor Clayton Chan criticized Yuna and other characters' super sweet peppy attitude, stating that it was enough to force him to turn off the game at times. Voice actor Hedy Buress has received mostly positive reception for her portrayal of Yuna, specifically in Final Fantasy X-2. IGN editor Jeremy Durham stated that Burress' portrayal of her in Final Fantasy X-2 seemed more comfortable than in the predecessor. GameSpot editor Brad Shoemaker stated that while her portrayal of Yuna in Final Fantasy X was dull and somber, her portrayal in X-2 brought her fully to life in accordance with the other changes to the character. GameSpy editor described her portrayal of Yuna in X-2 as superb.

Yuna's design change in Final Fantasy X-2 has been met with mixed reactions. She ranked 10th on the top 25 list of Final Fantasy characters by IGN. Editors state that while she was good eye candy, calling her sending scene "one of the best in Square Visual Works history", she did not stand out until she got her own leading role, adding that it gave her an appealing development in her personality. IGN editor Jeremy Dunham praised the clothing designs, which he states combine "proven and recognizable Final Fantasy styles" with a "revealing neo-modern fashion sense", referencing her warrior costume as a stand-out. GameDaily listed the Final Fantasy X-2 incarnation of Yuna as one of the top 50 hottest video game women, praising her revealing outfit as well as her alternate costumes. In authors Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown's book "Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes", they describe Yuna's appearance as being a "sexy MTV video star", adding that it's a "lesson to girls that being brave, strong, and ready to fight can only last so long - the next adventure is fashion, boyfriends, and sex". The pop music introduction to Final Fantasy X-2 was also met with mixed reactions. IGN staff stated that it fit the trailer well despite seeming out of place in a Final Fantasy game. Clayton Chan stated that this scene was the point in the game where players would decide to stick with the game or turn it off. Klepek criticized the scene, stating that it brought a feeling of dread after he viewed it. GamesRadar listed her as one of the 25 best new characters of the decade, describing the romance between her and Tidus as "legendary," also describing her as compassionate, generous, and dutiful. However, they noted that the change in design between Final Fantasy X and X-2 was not well-received by many fans, adding that the fact that she warranted a sequel showed how popular she had become. They also included her in the top 10 Square Enix couples list, stating that in spite of all that is going against them, they fight to keep it last.

She has been compared to other fictional characters, including the member of Charlie's Angels portrayed by Cameron Diaz by GameCritics editor Jason Karney and by Gaming Age editor Patrick Klepek. She has also been compared to Tomb Raider star Lara Croft, due both to her attire and gun-wielding skills.

She was included in a series of two figurines based on Final Fantasy X characters, including protagonist Tidus. Another figurine was produced based on her design in Final Fantasy X-2, which is accompanied by figurines of her partners Rikku and Paine. A CD entitled "Final Fantasy X-2 Vocal Collections" was released, featuring songs with lyrics provided by Yuna, as well as her partners Rikku and Paine. In an ASCII Media Works poll in which fans voted selected whose video game or manga character would like to name their children after, Yuna's name was second in the female category.