Characters of Final Fantasy X and X-2

The tenth installment of the Final Fantasy video game series, Square Co., Ltd.'s 2001 bestselling console role playing game, Final Fantasy X, revolves around a summoner and her guardians to defeat a creature known as "Sin" in the fictional universe of Spira. It is told through the eyes of the Tidus, a dream of the Fayth. The characters were designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and it continues the tradition of realistically proportioned characters, as the world of Final Fantasy X is rendered to scale relative to the characters in it; instead of a caricature of the character roaming around miniature terrain, as found in previous Final Fantasy games, every area is represented proportionally. The game's sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, takes place two years after the events in Final Fantasy X and uses almost the same cast of characters.

There are seven main playable characters in Final Fantasy X: Tidus, a skilled blitzball star and a dream of the Fayth, who is being summoned by Yu Yevon; Yuna, a reserved and soft spoken summoner; Kimahri Ronso, a member of the Ronso tribe; Wakka, the captain of the blitzball team in Besaid; Lulu, a black mage; Auron, a powerful warrior and an unsent; and Rikku, an Al Bhed and Yuna's cousin. Final Fantasy X-2 features Yuna, Rikku, and Paine as playable characters. Unlike other recent games in the series, there are no optional or secret playable characters.

Several non-playable characters (or "NPCs") important to the story are the parents of the main protagonists, such as Jecht (Tidus' father), Braska (Yuna's father) and Cid (Rikku's father). The primary antagonists of Final Fantasy X are Seymour Guado and the other maesters of the Yevon religion, while the malevolent creature known as "Sin" serves as the primary source of conflict. Final Fantasy X-2 features a new series of antagonists that alternate depending on how the player progresses the story. In addition, there is a vast supporting cast of named characters. Most of these characters feature voice talents complementing the principal roles.

Cast creation and influences

During the development of Yuna, Nomura based the overall costume design and appearance on Okinawan kimonos. When Nomura learned that the character was to perform the sending dance, he wanted her outfit to be able to flow with her movements. For this reason, the specific style of kimono he chose for her was a furisode, a kimono bearing long sleeves. Additionally, he adorned her dress and necklace with images of the flower also called Yuna (Hibiscus tiliaceus), and her name carries the meaning of "night" in the Okinawan language, a direct contrast with Tidus' Japanese name, Tīda, the Okinawan word for "sun". Nomura has explained that while all these subtle details may be unnecessary, he does not want his designs to be without explanation.

As for the minor characters, sub-character chief designer Fumi Nakashima's focus was to ensure that characters from different regions and cultures bore distinctive characteristics in their clothing styles, such that they could be quickly and easily identified as members of their respective sub-groups. For example, in her words, the masks and goggles of the Al Bhed give the group a "strange and eccentric" appearance, while the attire of the Ronso lend to them being able to easily engage in battle.

Main playable characters

Tidus

Tidus Tidus
ENG	James Arnold Taylor, Cree Summer (Younger)
JPN	Masakazu Morita, Yūto Nakamura (Younger)

Main article: Tidus

Tidus (ティーダ, Tīda) is the protagonist and a skilled eighteen year old blitzball player who is later discovered to be a dream of the Fayth. The player can rename Tidus at the beginning of the game.Note that his name won't ever be said through the game, in opposite of all the other characters. He plays for the Zanarkand Abes — whom his father also played for — and washes up on the Spiran mainland after being attacked by Sin during a blitzball game. He quickly becomes one of Yuna's guardians and is described near the end of the game as the greatest guardian of all time. Tidus is usually a cheerful and confident person. Throughout the game, he finds himself coming to terms with his father, Jecht; dealing with his increasing fondness for Yuna and the implications of her pilgramage; and discovering how and why he is a dream of the fayth.

Yuna

Yuna Yuna
ENG	Hedy Burress
JPN	Mayuko Aoki

Main article: Yuna (Final Fantasy)

Yuna (ユウナ, Yūna) is the female protagonist and seventeen year old human summoner. 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 upon 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 eight 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. Yuna returns in Final Fantasy X-2 (set two years after Final Fantasy X) as one of the lead protagonists.

Auron

Auron Auron
ENG	Matt McKenzie
JPN	Hideo Ishikawa

Main article: Auron

Auron (アーロン, Āron) is a thirty-five year old unsent warrior, attacking with various blades that fit into the Katana category. Auron's quiet, mysterious and dangerous nature helped make him very popular with fans, and his Bushido Overdrives use arcade-style button inputs to increase damage. Shortly after the disappearance of Tidus' father, Auron became something of a mentor for Tidus, watching over him from afar. In the game's present day, he — along with Tidus — becomes Yuna's guardian, as he was to her father. It is eventually revealed during the game that Auron attacked Yunalesca in a fit of rage after she revealed that Braska and Jecht needlessly gave their lives against Sin, and that she struck him down with a mortal wound that soon led to his death. Afterward, he became an unsent, and secretly held this status for nearly the entire duration of the game (but this is why Auron would not enter the farplane at Guadosalam in Final Fantasy X as he may not have been able to physically leave after entering), the exception being shortly after the defeat of Yu Yevon- he is sent, as he had desired to be once his quest was over. Auron was also once a warrior monk for Bevelle, but he holds no connection to the teachings of Yevon during Final Fantasy X. Auron has a brief appearance in Final Fantasy X-2, where his voice helps Yuna during her battle in the farplane with Vegnagun.

Wakka

Wakka Wakka
ENG	John DiMaggio
JPN	Kazuya Nakai

Wakka (ワッカ) is characterized by a long reddish-orange quiff and a Besaid Island accent (the real-world equivalent of which would be a Hawaiian accent). As such, he uses such speech-mannerisms as saying "brudda" for "brother" and finishing sentences with "ya?". His name means "water" in Ainu. In addition to being one of Summoner Yuna's guardians and childhood friends, Wakka is also a twenty-three year old professional blitzball player and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, a team that — as of the beginning of Final Fantasy X — went ten years without winning a single game. He uses blitzballs as his weapons in battle, and his abilities give the party boosts in attack accuracy and also inflict negative statuses — such as Darkness, Silence and Sleep — on enemies.

Wakka is one of the first people to befriend Tidus after his arrival in the mainland of Spira, due both to his blitzball prowess and his resemblance to Wakka's deceased younger brother, Chappu. Chappu, Lulu's former lover, was killed in battle while using a machina weapon provided by the Al Bhed, and for this reason, Wakka's religious distaste of the Al Bhed hardened into a more personal grudge. Wakka's hatred of the Al Bhed slowly transforms from racism into respect during the course of Final Fantasy X, as he closely befriends one of their number (Rikku), learns that Yuna is half Al Bhed, and realizes the irrational nature of his prejudice. Despite his former mistrust of machina and the Al Bhed, he takes to their airship with few misgivings and also fights unquestioningly in their defense during an attack on their city on Bikanel Island. Wakka and Lulu develop a deeper relationship of their own, marrying one another in the six months that follow the end of Final Fantasy X. In Final Fantasy X-2, Wakka stresses over the responsibilities of being the father of Lulu's soon-to-be-born baby, claiming it is "tougher than fighting Sin". He names their son "Vidina" — the Al Bhed word for "future" — after he is born.

A 15 year old version of Wakka has appeared as a non-playable character in Disney/Square-Enix's Kingdom Hearts series. First appearing in Kingdom Hearts, he is accompanied by Tidus and Selphie Tilmitt (from Final Fantasy VIII), who are both children. Wakka appears once again in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but this Wakka is only a fragment of Sora and Riku's memory within the walls of Castle Oblivion. He and Tidus are the only Final Fantasy X characters that appeared in the first Kingdom Hearts that don't make an appearance in its sequel. However, Selphie refers to them by name. In Kingdom Hearts, Wakka is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker in the English version and Kazuya Nakai in the Japanese version.

Lulu

Lulu Lulu
ENG	Paula Tiso
JPN	Rio Natsuki

Lulu (ルールー, Rūrū) is a twenty-two year old mage and one of Yuna's guardians. Her basic physical attacks are weak initially, but she is the only character (other than Kimahri) to be able to use Black Magic at that stage of the game. Lulu sends dolls — including cactuars, moogles, and other Final Fantasy creature types — to attack enemies by proxy. Lulu's Celestial Weapon is the Onion Knight, an homage to Final Fantasy III). Her Overdrive attack is called "Fury," and enables her to repeatedly cast any Black Magic spell she has learned without using any MP. The quantity of castings are dependent on the strength of the spell and how fast the player rotates the right analog stick on the PlayStation 2 DualShock controller.

Lulu — born on the island of Besaid, where she grew up with Wakka, Yuna, and Wakka's younger brother, Chappu — is often stern and scathing (particularly to Wakka). However, she is nonetheless caring toward others. She is also highly intelligent, and is one of the few Yevonites who easily questions the Yevon religion on objective terms. She is obviously extremely well endowed, and is often compared to Tifa Lockheart in this regard. Before becoming a guardian to Yuna, Lulu guarded two previous summoners whose pilgrimages abruptly ended prematurely. Her second pilgramage, that of Father Zuke, ended in the Calm Lands (a common decision among summoners). The pilgrimage of the first summoner Lulu guarded, Lady Ginnem, was cut short by her death in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. This event still troubles Lulu's memories, but when Yuna and company detour to the valley where the cave is located, Lulu decides to face her painful memories. At the back of the cave, the group meets the unsent bodily shell of Lady Ginnem. Lulu felt that she must fulfill a last duty to Ginnem as a guardian in ensuring that her spirit would depart to rest peacefully on the Farplane. After fighting and defeating Yojimbo — the aeon having been summoned by Ginnem — Ginnem's spirit departs for the Farplane. Lulu had been romantically involved with Wakka's younger brother, Chappu, and his death at the hands of Sin affected Lulu greatly. However, Wakka and Lulu fall in love and marry six months after Final Fantasy X. In Final Fantasy X-2, Lulu gives birth to Wakka's child, "Vidina".

Despite Lulu's classification as a Black Mage, Character Designer Tetsuya Nomura has ironically expressed that he wanted her character design that looked like the cross between as a Fashion Model and Black Mage to break the connotation in players' minds of the traditional Final Fantasy Black Mage. (See Vivi Orunitia for an example of this classic design.) This was achieved through — in Nomura's words — Lulu's "eccentric" hair and dress. He's also mentioned that — as technology advances — the Final Fantasy games allow for a greater level of detail to be incorporated into characters' outfits, and that he makes a point of challenging the game's visual programmers with his designs. In Final Fantasy X, this challenge came in the form of the interlocking series of belts on the front of Lulu's dress. Nomura said that this design has a specific order to the belts and that each buckles in a specific manner. His challenge to the game's design team was for them to recognize the belts' pattern and keep it consistent throughout the game, from beginning to end.

Kimahri Ronso

Kimahri Kimahri
ENG	John DiMaggio
JPN	Katsumi Chō

Main article: Kimahri Ronso

Kimahri Ronso (キマリ＝ロンゾ, Kimari-Ronzo) is a twenty-five year old Ronso and Yuna's first and most faithful guardian. He has known and protected her since she was a seven year old child. However, he was not well accepted by the other Ronso, who view him as inferior due to his shorter stature and broken horn. Kimahri doesn't speak much, and is extremely protective of Yuna. In Kimahri's fighting class, one can see echoes of the Dragon Knights of older Final Fantasy games (due to his choice of weaponry and his Jump attack, although his Jump attack hits instantly with only a slight increase in damage, unlike most other Jumps) and of the Blue Mage character class, as well (the Lancet ability allows him to learn enemy attacks). Kimahri's Spirit Lance is his ultimate weapon, and it can be noted that spear or lance weapons have been a staple of the dragoon class for some time. Kimahri is the only character lacking a pre-determined course on the Sphere Grid, allowing the player freedom to choose Kimahri's abilities from the time of his initial stat growth. Kimahri's Overdrive is unique in the way that he must learn his skills from fiends or bosses using his Lancet ability on them.

Rikku

Rikku Rikku
ENG	Tara Strong
JPN	Marika Matsumoto

Main article: Rikku

Rikku (リュック, Ryukku) is a chirpy fifteen year old Al Bhed who helps Tidus when he first arrives in Spira, but then disappears from the story for a while, becoming the last character to join Yuna's entourage of guardians. Rikku's character class is most similar to that of the Thief from earlier Final Fantasy titles combined with the Chemist class. Rikku's ability to steal, use a subset of items that no one else can, and — as her Overdrive — combine two of any item for greater effect grants a range of versatility to her playable use in the party. She can steal a large variety of items from fiends and bosses alike, many of which can only be acquired through theft. These items can be sold, used on the party or enemy (depending on the effect of each item) or spent to customize weapons and armor. The ability to customize becomes unlocked only after Rikku permanently joins the party. Rikku has a fear of lightning, this due to an accident involving her brother (Brother) who was attempting to rescue her from a fiend, but struck her with the Thunder spell meant for the creature (though by Final Fantasy X-2, she had managed to break her fear). Her attitude is somewhat childish, but is also quite cheerful and positive. An Al Bhed, she is also Yuna's cousin and loves her dearly, and, as such, wishes to prevent her from going through with her pilgrimage, becoming particularly insistent as the party climbs Mt. Gagazet toward Zanarkand. She is also the one who informs Tidus that Yuna would die if she summoned her Final Aeon. She and Tidus appear to have a close brother/sister relationship, and seem to be good or even best friends, as Rikku goes to Tidus for comfort, and is always the first to tell him what the others can't or wont say. In battle, Rikku uses a variety of claw-like weapons. Rikku returns in Final Fantasy X-2 as a main protagonist, now seventeen years old.

Paine

ENG	Gwendoline Yeo
JPN	Megumi Toyoguchi

Paine (パイン, Pain) is a new addition to the returning cast of Final Fantasy X, designed by Tetsuya Nomura. The character is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi in the Japanese language version and by Gwendoline Yeo in the English language localization. She is eighteen years old, and uses a sword for combat.

As part of one of Final Fantasy X-2's side-quests, the player can collect from around the world of Spira Key Items called "Crimson Spheres". These spheres document Paine's experiences as a warrior-fighter for the Crimson Squad, which was intended to be an elite unit to surpass the Crusaders, with the best members being assigned to lead Crusader chapters across Spira. These spheres reveal that Paine had been the recorder for a group of candidates named Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal, the game's present day leaders of the Youth League, New Yevon, and the Machine Faction, respectively.

Most of the Crimson Squad candidates died during the group's final field exercise, which took place in a cave beneath Mushroom Rock Road called "the Den of Woe". This followed as a result of the pyreflies within the cave overwhelming them with the despair of the unsent named "Shuyin", causing them to turn on one another. Only Nooj, Baralai, Gippal and Paine escaped alive, but later, Nooj — possessed by Shuyin himself — fired on his friends, effectively ending their friendship for two years. Just before Yuna joined the group, Paine enlisted in the Gullwings in the hopes of finding out more about why the Crimson Squad had been massacred — and because she had long desired to fly in an airship.

Paine appears in Kingdom Hearts 2 with an updated chibi and fairy-like design, as do Yuna and Rikku. The three are "treasure fanatics" working for Maleficent. After the three are abandoned by Maleficent during a raid by the Heartless, they join a committee to restore Hollow Bastion upon a false promise of reward by Donald Duck. Paine also appears in Itadaki Street Special.

Other major characters

Cid

ENG	Michael McShane
JPN	Kōichi Sakaguchi

Cid (シド, Shido) is the leader of the Al Bhed, Rikku's father, and Yuna's maternal uncle. He was responsible for bringing the Al Bhed together after being scattered by Yevon years before Final Fantasy X, but Home is destroyed during a Guado attack to kidnap Yuna. He also started the plan to abduct summoners after Braska's death during the Final Summoning. He is particularly insistent that Yuna not sacrifice herself to bring about the Calm. The group used his airship, the Fahrenheit, to fight Sin. After the events of Final Fantasy X, Cid is one of the few to receive a negative impact from Sin's demise. Although Cid intended to build a new Home, most of the Al Bhed part ways to set their sights on the changing Spira. In Final Fantasy X-2, he is responsible for converting Zanarkand into a tourist attraction.

Brother

Brother (アニキ, Aniki) is the son of Cid and older brother of Rikku. The character is voice acted by David Rasner in English and Takayuki Yamaguchi in Japanese. Brother participated in the Al Bhed expedition to salvage an airship from the ocean floor, where he meets Tidus. Brother makes another appearance later on near Macalania as he attempts to kidnap Yuna to prevent her from completing her pilgrimage, sending a machina after her and her guardians. Eventually, he goes on to support Yuna's struggle against Sin and Yu Yevon as the pilot of the salvaged airship, the Fahrenheit. Brother is also an avid blitzball player, and can be recruited to play for the Besaid Aurochs. During Final Fantasy X-2, Brother became the pilot of his own airship, the Celsius, and is leader of the Gullwing sphere hunter group. He has feelings for Yuna, and often makes passes at her. Rikku discourages Brother's pursuit of Yuna in-game on more than one occasion. Likewise, some fans criticized this relationship due to Yuna and Brother being cousins. Brother eventually resigns himself to an unrequited love, preferring a forward-looking Yuna with "her back to [him]" rather than a Yuna "that is facing [him]."

Jecht

ENG	Gregg Berger
JPN	Masuo Amada

Jecht (ジェクト, Jekuto) is Tidus' father, and a blitzball celebrity in his hometown of Zanarkand. Jecht is tall, muscular, surly, and has a tendency to drink. Jecht is from a magically-summoned replica of Zanarkand (Dream Zanarkand), created one thousand years before the events of Final Fantasy X; when a war was waging between Zanarkand and Bevelle. It was created by the leader of Zanarkand, summoner Yevon, who used the memories of those living in Zanarkand — fayth. As a consequence, Jecht and his son Tidus are dreams of the fayth. Yevon also created a malevolent creature called "Sin" to protect him, the fayth and Dream Zanarkand.

In the present, Jecht's son, Tidus, claims that he hates his father for putting him and his mother through hard times, and because he was left under a lot of pressure to live up to Jecht's fame. Whenever Jecht was around, Tidus's mother didn't pay her son any attention (so Tidus claims). Furthermore, Jecht constantly criticized his son and called him a "crybaby." In actuality, Jecht loved Tidus with all his heart, but was unable to express it in a gentle way. What he desired most was to make his son strong and thought that his criticisms would do this. Tidus, however, took Jecht's insults at face value, not seeing the intentions behind them, and grew to hate him. Jecht then disappeared one day while training out at sea, and it would be ten years before he was seen again in Dream Zanarkand, leaving Tidus with feelings of animosity toward his father.

Before Final Fantasy X, Jecht was taken to Spira by Sin, where he unwillingly stayed for 10 years. It is revealed throughout Final Fantasy X that Jecht (known as "Sir Jecht") and Auron accompanied Lord Braska (Yuna's father) as guardians on Braska's journey to defeat Sin. Jecht's tendency to drink led him into trouble, and he gave up for fear that his family would be ashamed of him. When they arrived at Zanarkand, Jecht gave up his life to become Braska's Final Aeon, which defeated Sin for 10 years. As a consequence, he became the new Sin. In Final Fantasy X, the protagonists gradually learn of Jecht's aforementioned actions, and also discover that Jecht is able to operate with free will when he hears the Hymn of the Fayth. Near the end of the game, they utilize this weakness to immobilize Sin. The group confront Jecht inside of Sin and defeat him, Tidus finally making peace with his father. Yu Yevon is subsequently destroyed, sending Jecht and Tidus to the Farplane, where they reconcile.

Jecht has a small voice cameo in the final battles of Final Fantasy X-2 along with Braska and Auron, during which time they give Yuna encouraging words and advice on where to strike. He also appears in a short flashback from the scholar Maechen.

Seymour Guado

ENG	Alex Fernandez
JPN	Junichi Suwabe

Seymour Guado (シーモア＝グアド, Shīmoa-Guado, formal titles: Maester Seymour Guado or Lord Seymour) is the leader of the Guado nation, a race of demi-humans in the world of Spira. He is also a maester of Yevon. He inherited both positions after the death of his father, Lord Jyscal Guado.

Seymour is actually half-Guado and half-human, as his father married a human woman in an attempt to foster friendship between the Guado and human races. However, many saw the boy as an abomination and Jyscal's decision to wed a human led to disunity in the Guado tribe. In order to avoid further strife amongst the Guado nation, Jyscal had his wife and son exiled to the island of Baaj. Afterwards, Seymour's mother — suffering from a terminal illness — gave her life in the Baaj Temple to become the fayth of the aeon Anima, believing that only in sacrificing herself for Spira's temporary peace (known as "the Calm") against the malevolent creature Sin would her son be accepted by the people. Horrified, Seymour refused the aeon and returned to Baaj, where he dwelled alone for years, becoming increasingly morose and cynical. In time, he came to believe that death was the only freedom from the suffering of life, and that it would be in everyone's best interests to die and thus developed a Messianic complex. But to achieve his aims, he had to have a power greater than Anima, whose power he eventually accepted, over even all of the aeons combined.

At eighteen years of age, during High Summoner Braska's Calm, Seymour's exile was revoked and he was summoned back to Guadosalam, the capital of the Guado nation, where he was then ordained as a priest of Macalania Temple. Seven years later, he returned to Zanarkand to accept Anima's power, and then had its fayth statue transported to Baaj Temple, which he revisited several times while deciding if he should carry out a plan he had devised. Due to his years of loneliness and ever growing morbid philosophy, Seymour had concluded that his duty to Spira and release them from the painful prison which he believed life to be. As a result, he knew he would need a power greater than all of the aeons combined; he saw Sin as Spira's only hope. Shortly before and during the events of Final Fantasy X, Seymour set in motion a plan to ascend the hierarchy of Yevon, with his ultimate goal being to become the next Sin, so that he may kill everyone in Spira.

Two years later, just before Tidus washed up at Baaj early in Final Fantasy X, Seymour murdered his own father Jyscal, ascending to the position of leader of the Guado nation and inheriting his position as one of the four Maesters of Yevon. In Luca, his eyes fell on Yuna, daughter of High Summoner Braska, and immediately became interested in her. During the tournament, he orchestrated an attack of fiends, which were formed and released into the stadium by Guado warriors. He used the attack as a means to display his power as a summoner using Anima, in order to gain the trust of the people. Later, at Mushroom Rock Road, Seymour was present along with Maester Wen Kinoc to support Operation Mi'ihen, a joint Crusader-Al Bhed offensive against Sin using Al Bhed weaponry (machina), which was forbidden by the Yevon order. The operation failed, and many Crusaders and Al Bhed died at the hands of Sin.

After the battle, Seymour returned to Guadosalam in anticipation of Yuna and her guardians. As revealed in Final Fantasy X-2, while waiting, he was visited by Baralai, who sought Seymour's aid after the Crimson Squad incident that occurred simultaneously with Operation Mi'ihen. Seymour agreed to help, allowing Baralai to go into hiding until such a time as it was safe for him to openly reveal himself. Once Yuna and her guardians finally arrived, Seymour used a sphere containing memories of Zanarkand collected from the Farplane to woo Yuna. He then asked Yuna to marry him, seemingly in order to further unite Spira, as they both had mixed parentage, being the half breed of a human and another race.

After Yuna's visit to the Farplane to seek guidance from her dead father concerning Seymour's marriage proposal, the party is shocked by the spirit of Jyscal who follows them out of the Farplane. Yuna sends him and retrieves a sphere that fell from Jyscal's unsent form. When she then goes to confront Seymour, she learns that he has already left for Macalania Temple. At Macalania, where he expected Yuna to accept his proposal of marriage, Seymour was surprised to find that she had come to stop him. The sphere Yuna received from the unsent form of Jyscal detailed Seymour's treachery and implored whoever saw it to stop him. He was then killed by Auron who led the group of guardians, sadly enough Yuna wasn't able to send his spirit due to interference from his Guado retainer, Tromell. As a result, Seymour's spirit was able to remain in the living world and become an Unsent.

Yuna was soon kidnapped on Bikanel Island by a Guado attack squad sent by Seymour to decimate the Al Bhed's base, Home. They then took her to Bevelle, the capital of the Yevon religion. There, Seymour forced Yuna into marriage. After she tricked him into believing that she will marry him — a ploy intended to allow her to get close enough to him to send him — her guardians attacked Bevelle in a rescue attempt and were quickly apprehended, leaving Yuna with no option but to marry Seymour or sacrifice her guardians. Yuna and her guardians were soon put on trial and convicted of high treason, sentenced to death in the winding, fiend-infested halls of the Via Purifico. They soon escaped from this fate, however, and confronted Seymour, who revealed his murder of Maester Kinoc and his plans for Yuna — to turn him into the next Sin so that he may kill all living things and grant them what he believes to be the highest favor imaginable. He then assumes the form of Seymour Natus after Kimahri attempted to run the villain through with his lance. After his defeat by Yuna and her companions, Seymour retreated before Yuna was able to send him.

He then pursued them to Mt. Gagazet, slaughtering nearly all of the Ronso tribe who dwelled there, and confronted Yuna and her guardians in battle once again in the form of Seymour Flux. He disappeared yet again before he could be sent, but this time, his component pyreflies were absorbed by Sin while Yuna's party were at Zanarkand. There, within Sin, Seymour began seeking a means to control the creature from within. During this process, he was confronted a final time by Yuna and her guardians, who had fought Sin directly and managed to break their way inside the creature's body, seeking Yu Yevon, the spirit dwelling within Sin that ensured its survival. Seymour, refusing to allow them to harm Sin, used the monster's power to become Seymour Omnis. However, he was defeated and was finally sent to the Farplane by Yuna, departing with the ominous warning that Spira's sorrow will continue, which came true during the events of Final Fantasy X-2.

Seymour's role in Final Fantasy X-2's story is small, appearing only in a flashback cut-scene accessed through the Key Item Baralai's Sphere. It is in this scene that Seymour's role in Baralai's escape from Wen Kinoc is revealed — though it does not fully support the claim that this ultimately led to Baralai becoming the praetor of the New Yevon Party. In Final Fantasy X-2 International, Seymour can be fought in the Battle Simulator tournament and also be added as a member of your party with the new Creature Create feature.

Sin

Sin (シン, Shin) is a giant whale-like fiend that has terrorized Spira for a thousand years. It is the summoner's task to destroy Sin with the Final Aeon, killing him/herself while Spira can enjoy the resulting Calm until Sin is reborn. However, the Final Aeon used to killed Sin is quickly possessed by Yu Yevon and refashioned into a new Sin. The first Sin born that way was Zaon and last is Jecht. During the course of the game, Jecht attempts to fight back his urges as Sin by using the Hymn of the Fayth as a calming mechanism; he is able to remain in his Final Aeon form within Sin. However, by the time Tidus and company arrive, Jecht has become less able to hear it. Jecht is killed, thus being freed of Yu Yevon; once Yu Yevon is destroyed, Sin quickly follows. The final death of Sin marks the beginning of the Eternal Calm.

Yu Yevon

1,000 years before the events of Final Fantasy X, Yu Yevon (エボン＝ジュ, Ebon-Ju) was a peerless summoner, the ruler of Zanarkand and the father of Lady Yunalesca. He is responsible for much of Spira's current tragic circumstances, first taking the lives of his own people to create "Dream Zanarkand," and then drawing on millions of pyreflies with Gravity spells to create Sin. Yu Yevon rebirths Sin by possessing the Final Aeon used to defeat it; this is how Jecht becomes Sin. The survivors of the events surrounding Sin's genesis adopted the Teachings of Yevon and built a religion around praising Yevon in the hopes that they may quell his wrath. In the end, Yuna and her guardians use her aeons to weaken the disembodied spirit of Yu Yevon, allowing them to destroy him and bring an end to Sin and the spiral of death that had consumed Spira for 1,000 years. Thus, Yu Yevon is Final Fantasy X's final boss battle.

Lenne and Shuyin

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• Lenne (レン, Ren): appears only in X-2. A famous singer-summoner from Zanarkand during the age of the Machina War, and Shuyin's lover. She was forced to the front lines to fight along with the other summoners in the city. Both she and Shuyin expected that the hopelessly overpowered Zanarkand would fall and that she would die in battle. Thus, Shuyin would attempt using Bevelle's machina weapon, Vegnagun, to defeat Bevelle and save her life. However, she was unwilling to allow him to take the lives of many others for her sake and asked him to stop just as he was about to make of use the behemoth machina. He consented to her request, but the two were not shown the same mercy by their oppressors, and were promptly gunned down by Bevelle soldiers. Upon her death, her spirit was somehow crystallized into the Songstress Dressphere, which contains her memories. Over the course of the game, Lenne attempts to communicate with Yuna, whose Songtress outfit is identical to Lenne's attire. Yuna begins to feel Lenne's presence and feelings more and more until they explode on stage, showing Lenne's final moments alive. It was because Yuna unknowingly served as Lenne's host that Shuyin only saw Lenne rather than Yuna herself whenever she donned her Songtress outfit. Using that fact, YRP attempt to reason with Shuyin by telling him Lenne's unsaid feelings. However, since Lenne's presence in Yuna had weakened, Shuyin became enraged and believed that Yuna and her friends had been deceiving him. After Shuyin is defeated, Lenne separates herself from Yuna and finally fades with Shuyin while thanking Yuna for helping her.
• Shuyin (シューイン, Shūin): A native of Zanarkand who had lived during the age of the Machina War between Zanarkand and Bevelle. The lover of the songstress-summoner Lenne, he refused to accept her fate when she was ordered to the front lines — from which she would most certainly not return — and attempted to commandeer Bevelle's machina weapon, Vegnagun, in the hopes of using it to end the war and save Lenne. Tragically, both Shuyin and his love were gunned down in front of Vegnagun after she prevented him from using it to take many lives for her sake. Sealed within the Den of Woes, Shuyin's unsent spirit-filled with despair and self-loathing-cannot fade away and be free of his suffering. Shuyin desires to destroy all of Spira in the hopes that his agony may be able to end and that there can never again be a war like the one that cost him and Lenne their lives. Upon first seeing him in the sphere Kimahri found on Gagazet that began her new adventure, Yuna mistook him for her lost love, Tidus, due to their striking physical resemblances to one another; the resemblance is due to Tidus possibly being the dream fashioned after the real Zanarkand Blitzball player. Unlike other Unsent, Shuyin can possess people, controlling those who are deep in malice as he is. He can also possess Fayth, using their Aeons to help him. He was eventually defeated and shortly reunited with Lenne as they faded.

Groups introduced in Final Fantasy X

The characters of Final Fantasy X mostly belong to religious orders, military groups or civilian factions.

Blitzball players and teams

Many non-player characters are free Blitzball players who can be invited to join the player's team, the Besaid Aurochs of Wakka. Biggs and Wedge, two characters whose names appear regularly in the Final Fantasy series, are among these players available to be scouted. The Besaid Aurochs are initially an inept team, having had a ten-year losing streak before meeting Tidus, with their motto being "Do our Best!". In Final Fantasy X, the player could choose characters in their lineup. In Final Fantasy X-2, the team are a successful Blitzball team as well as members of the Youth League.

Other Blitzball teams include the champion team of the Luca Goers.

Chocobo Knights

The Chocobo Knights are a team of three Chocobo-riding soldiers; namely Lucil the captain, Elma the second in command, and Clasko, the only male of the group. They are first seen in the game guarding the Mi'hen Highroad from a Chocobo Eater monster. After Sin's counterattack during Operation Mi'hen, they are seen among the few survivors, caring for a lone Chocobo. In Final Fantasy X-2, Lucil and Elma have joined the Youth League while Clasko has left to become a Chocobo breeder.

Crusaders

The Crusaders are a semi-military organization which role is to protect Spira's towns from Sin and other monsters. They were founded by Lord Mi'hen eight centuries before the events of Final Fantasy X, and have eventually been incorporated into the Yevon church. Members of the Crusaders include the high-ranked Luzzu and the younger, lower-ranked Gatta. When Luzzu confesses to Wakka and Lulu that he had convinced Chappu to enlist in the Crusaders, he is hit in the face and blamed for Chappu's death. Depending on the player's actions, either Luzzu or Gatta dies during Operation Mi'hen while the other one survives and returns to Besaid to rebuild the village's Crusader branch. None of the two characters reappear in Final Fantasy X-2.

Summoners

In addition to Yuna's own party, two other groups of summoners are encountered in the game. Dona is a female summoner and Yuna's rival, mocking her for having a large group of guardians while remarking that Lord Braska only needed two. Her unique guardian is Barthello, an admirer of Auron. When she is abducted by the Al Bhed, Dona shows a kinder side of her personality, sending the Al Bhed who died in the Guado attack. Dona eventually quit her pilgrimage, departing to Kilika with Barthello. In Final Fantasy X-2, Dona has joined the Youth League while Barthello has sided with New Yevon. Although they are on opposite sides of the conflict, they still have feelings for one another.

Isaaru is a summoner guarded by his younger brothers Pacce and Maroda. Since he was a child, Isaaru has always looked up to Lord Braska, and sets up a challenge with Yuna to see who will defeat Sin first. At Besaid, Isaaru's party gets kidnapped by the Al Bhed and are present at Home's destruction. He is later sent by Mika to prevent Yuna from escaping the Via Purifico, and reluctantly fights her with three Aeons. Defeated, he remains in Bevelle to preserve order along with Pacce and Maroda. The three brothers have parted ways in Final Fantasy X-2 but meet again at the Gagazet Springs.

Yevon Order

The Yevon Order is the unique religious organization in Spira. It has been ruled by Grand Maester Yo Mika since fifty years before the events of the game. When Yuna asks Yo Mika to send the unsent Seymour during her trial in Bevelle, Mika reveals that he too is an unsent, having remained in Spira to guide its people even after death. Although Mika condemns Yuna as a traitor for killing Seymour and questioning Yevon, he eventually repeals the condemnation in an attempt to prevent order from breaking down. When he learns that the party has defeated Yunalesca, and thus placed the Final Summoning out of reach forever, he departs to the Via Infinito, believing that the end of Spira is near. Mika reappears in Final Fantasy X-2 as the fiend "Concherer" and can be put to rest by the party.

Another Yevon maester is Wen Kinoc, the leader of the Crusaders and Warrior Monks. He once served as a Warrior Monk with Auron, and was promoted in Auron's place when the latter refused it and left. Kinoc is killed by Seymour while accompanying him on a mission to stop Yuna from escaping Bevelle. When Seymour admits to Auron to killing Kinoc, Auron is visibly angry, despite acknowledging that Kinoc had been corrupted by power. Kinoc's unsent spirit appears in Final Fantasy X-2 as the fiend "Aranea".

Kelk Ronso is a former Yevon maester and leader of the Ronso tribe. He is seen in Mt. Gagazet, having left Bevelle after learning that Seymour had committed a patricide. Kelk is eventually killed by Seymour while attempting to prevent him from pursuing Yuna past Gagazet.

Shelinda is a minor acolyte seen in the temples of Yevon. She eventually leaves the clergy for getting tired of being bossed around. She works as a journalist in Luca in Final Fantasy X-2 and is still bossed around, altough she likes her new job.

Zanarkand unsent

During the course of both games, the player encounters memories or unsent from the Zanarkand of the past. Lady Yunalesca is a legendary summoner and daughter of Yu Yevon from one millennium before the events of the games. In the backstory of the games, she was the first person to defeat Sin, using the process known as the Final Summoning, sacrificing her husband Lord Zaon. Although she died in the battle, Yunalesca remained as an unsent to instruct her successors in their pilgrimage to defeat Sin's ever-regenerating incarnations. When the party refuses to sacrifice a person in the Final Summoning, Yunalesca fights the party but is defeated. She reappears in the Via Infinito in Final Fantasy X-2 as the fiend "Chac", while Zaon reappears as the fiend "Paragon".

Maechen is an elderly itinerant historian. Although he seems to be an ordinary inhabitant of Spira, he reveals himself in Final Fantasy X-2 to be an unsent from Zanarkand who used to live before the city was destroyed, and grew so engrossed in his studies that he forgot that he died of old age and is actually an unsent. His memories of his time in Zanarkand were rekindled when he shook Yuna's hand and realized her ressemblance with Lenne.

Groups introduced in Final Fantasy X-2

Gullwings

The Gullwings are the group of sphere hunters to which Yuna, Rikku, and Paine belong. Brother is the founder of the Gullwings and the pilot of their airship, the Celsius. Other members include Buddy, co-pilot of the Celsuis and old friend of Brother; Shinra, a young Al Bhed technological prodigy; and the Hypello Barkeep. Interviews with scenario writer Kazushige Nojima and producer Yoshinori Kitase reveal that Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X-2 share a plot-related connection, where the Shinra corporation of Final Fantasy VII is founded by descendants of the Al Bhed Shinra.

Leblanc Syndicate

The Leblanc Syndicate are a group of sphere hunters based in Guadosalam and rival to the Gullwings. Leblanc, the arrogant leader of the Syndicate, became a sphere hunter because of her infaturation with Mevyn Nooj. The syndicate is composed of mercenaries led by Ormi and Logos. After Vegnagun begins to stir and retreats from Bevelle, Leblanc becomes depressed and goes to search for Nooj; she eventually decides to team up with the Gullwings to get into the Farplane, find Nooj, and fight Vegnagun.

Machine Faction

The Machine Faction is an Al Bhed group that pioneers in machina research. While they possess heavy military power, they prefer to avoid interventions in politics. Their founder is Gippal, a former candidate for the Crimson Squad, who once served with Nooj and Baralai. Their friendship was broken on the day of their final candidate exercise, when they turned on each other while under Shuyin's control. Gippal dedicates himself to studying machina to subdue or destroy Shuyin's Vegnagun. During the game, he and his former comrades reunite to help save Spira from Shuyin. Another member of the Machine Faction is Nhadala, an official in charge of an excavation in Bikanel Desert.

New Yevon Party

The New Yevon Party is a conservative organization inspired by the defunct Yevon religion. Their goal is to make up for the former Yevon Order's transgressions and help those who feel overwhelmed by the rapid changes sweeping Spira. Their motto is "One thing at a time", believing that a slow evolution of Spira's customs is the only way to prevent complete anarchy. Their leader, Praetor Baralai, is a former Crimson Squad candidate and replaced the previous chairman and his son when they abused their power. A sphere recording that can be obtained by the player reveals that during the events of Final Fantasy X, Baralai asked Seymour Guado for help after his parting from his former comrades Gippal and Nooj. Other members of New Yevon include Isaaru and Barthello from Final Fantasy X. The founder of New Yevon, Trema, has mysteriously disappeared at the time of the game's events; however, he can be found by the player and fought in the Via Infinito.

Youth League

The Youth League is an organization which emerged in the wake of Sin's defeat and whose members advocate radical reform of Spira's society. Its progressive attitude has attracted many former Crusaders and younger inhabitants of Spira to its ranks. However, its demographic makeup has earned its members a reputation as hot-headed and reckless. The League is led by the reckless Meyvn Nooj, a former Crusader who lost his left arm and leg during a battle against Sin and replaced them with machina prosthetics. Yaibal is a recent recruit who continually tries to sollicit Yuna's support for the organization; he first appeared in Final Fantasy X: Another Story, the epilogue featured in Final Fantasy X International. Beclem is a captain of the League assigned to oversee the Besaid Aurochs' training; it is revealed during the game that he once fought alongside Wakka's brother Chappu with the Crusaders. Other members include Dona, Elma, Lucil, and Maroda from Final Fantasy X.

Other characters

• Bayra, Donga, and Pukutak are musician spirits found in Macalania Woods. They respectively play the harp, the drum, and the horn.

• Belgemine is an older and more experienced summoner who assists Yuna throughout the course of her pilgrimage by challenging her to battles of Aeons. It is eventually revealed that Belgemine is an unsent who perished when she failed to defeat Sin. Following this revelation, Yuna sends Belgemine to the Farplane. Belgemine does not appear in Final Fantasy X-2.

• Benzo, appearing only in Final Fantasy X-2, is an interpreter of the Cactuar's language.

• Biran Ronso is the Ronso who quarrelled against Kimahri and broke the latter's horn when they were younger. He later regretted the deed. He is killed by Seymour along with his friend Yenke Ronso while trying to protect Yuna. The two do not appear in Final Fantasy X-2.

• Calli is a young girl seen on the Mi'ihen Highroad. She appears in Final Fantasy X-2 grown up and looking for Chocobos to ride. The player can assist her in a Chocobo hunt along the Highroad. Depending on the results, Calli may come aboard the Celsius and reveal that she likes Brother, noting that his Mohawk makes him look like a Chocobo.

• Garik, appearing only in Final Fantasy X-2, is a Ronso who challenges Kimahri's authority and insists on making the Guado pay for their crimes under Seymour Guado. The player can choose to challenge Garik to a duel to decide whether he should attack the Guado. Even if he is defeated however, he will still demand an answer from Kimahri on what is next for the Ronso. Kimahri, after some soul-searching; an encounter with Ronso children Lian and Ayde, who had gone out in the world on their own and befriended a Guado; and some advice from Yuna, forces Garik to realize that he must work to find his own answer for the future.

• O'aka XXIII is a merchant who sells weapons and items. Yuna reminds him of his late sister, who was also a summoner. He tells the party that he and his younger brother Wantz were not strong enough to become her guardians. O'aka is put in prison during the game for refusing to betray Yuna to the authorities. Wantz takes over his business during the imprisonment. In Final Fantasy X-2, O'aka has bought a shop at Macalania but is filled with debts to the Al Bhed, while Wantz disappears. The two brothers are eventually reunited, and O'aka makes Wantz his assistant, calling him "O'aka XXIV".

• Hana and Taro, appearing only in Final Fantasy X-2, are children who form with Paace the "Kinderguardians", a small group of sphere hunters.

• Rin is an Al Bhed travel agent entrepreneur. He is the creator of the "Sphere Break" game.

• Tobli is a talkative event organiser, often in need of assistance in organizing entertainment productions along the Moonflow.

• Tromell is a Guado who serves as a vizier to Seymour Guado. In Final Fantasy X-2, he is the de facto leader of the Guado tribe and is trying to restore their relations with the rest of Spira following Seymour's crimes.

Reception

The English release of Final Fantasy X-2 won the Seventh Annual Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences award in 2004 for Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance in recognition of the character Rikku.

External links

• Category: Final Fantasy X Characters at the Final Fantasy Wikia
• Category: Final Fantasy X NPC at the Final Fantasy Wikia