Tidus

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Tidus
Tidus artwork by Tetsuya Nomura
Game series	Final Fantasy series
First game	Final Fantasy X
Designed by	Tetsuya Nomura
Voiced by (English)	James Arnold Taylor Cree Summer (younger) Shaun Fleming (Kingdom Hearts)
Voiced by (Japanese)	Masakazu Morita Yuuto Nakamura (younger)
Motion capture actor(s)	Masakazu Morita
Information
Weapon	Longswords
Special ability	Time magic
Overdrive	Swordplay
Race	Human, Dream of the Fayth
Home	Dream Zanarkand

Tidus (ティーダ, Tīda^?) is the protagonist in the Square Enix role-playing game Final Fantasy X. As the lead character, the player controls Tidus through the game, manipulating his actions through the unfolding storyline in traditional Final Fantasy style. Similar to the rest of the characters in Final Fantasy X, Tidus' abilities are built around a classic Final Fantasy job class—in his case a Fighter, a balanced melee class. However, he also features many abilities from the Time Mage class in the form of supportive spells for himself and his group. Tidus is one of three characters able to fight underwater.

The storyline of Final Fantasy X revolves around Tidus, a rising Blitzball star player from Zanarkand. After a mysterious creature called "Sin" attacked his hometown, Tidus was seemingly transported to the world of Spira. Lost, confused, and feeling out of place, Tidus soon meets a newly fledged summoner, Yuna, and her guardians. The summoner is soon to set out on a pilgrimage in an attempt to put an end to the very creature that attacked Tidus' city, and by joining them, Tidus hopes he will find his way home.

Contents 1 Character design 2 Appearances 2.1 Final Fantasy X 2.2 Final Fantasy X-2 2.3 Other appearances 3 Reception and legacy 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Character design

The game's scenario writer, Kazushige Nojima, has expressed the relationship between the player and the main character in a Final Fantasy title is always something he's concerned with, and when penning Final Fantasy X, he wanted to try something new. He wanted to attempt establishing a connection between the player and character such that—since both are finding themselves in a new world—the player's progress through that world and growing knowledge about it would be reflected in Tidus' own ever-developing understanding, a connection allowed to the player through Tidus' first-person narration of most of Final Fantasy X, in which the player advances that narration.^[1] Nojima created a brief description for Tidus to give the character designer, Tetsuya Nomura, a rough scenario to work with. Nomura used the description to create a sketch to get input from Nojima and other staff members.^[2]

Nomura has expressed after designing serious and moody main characters for Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, he wanted to give Tidus a cheerful attitude and appearance, which is reflected in the name Kazushige Nojima chose for him (Tidaa is the Okinawan word for "Sun").^[3][4] He's also explained he wanted his clothing and accessories to suggest a relationship with the sea. For example, his outfit bears a distinctive blue theme, and the symbol of Tidus' Blitzball team on his clothing is designed after a fishing hook. The symbol is designed as an amalgamation of the letters "J" and "T" (the first letters of Tidus' name and that of his father, Jecht).^[4]

Nomura has also mentioned a contrast between the lead male and female protagonists was established by Yuna's name meaning "night" in Okinawan.^[4] This contrast is also represented with the items required to empower their Celestial Weapons; the Sun Sigil and the Sun Crest for Tidus', and the Moon Sigil and Moon Crest for Yuna's.^[5] Due to the player having the option to change his default name, Tidus is never directly referred to by name during audible dialogue. The only in-game appearance of his name is on a name plate on an Auroch locker in the Luca stadium as "Tidu", written in the fictional script used in Spira.^[6] Because his name is never spoken out loud in Final Fantasy X, its intended pronunciation has been a subject of debate among fans. Interviews with James Arnold Taylor, Tidus' English voice actor,^[7] and spoken dialogue from the English version of Kingdom Hearts—which featured the character in a cameo—portray it as "tee-dus" (IPA: /tiːdəs/) whereas one instance in the English version of Kingdom Hearts 2 exists in which the character's name is uttered "tie-dus" (IPA: /taɪdəs/).

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Final Fantasy X

In Final Fantasy X, Tidus is introduced in medias res via an in-game cut scene showcasing the main characters around a campfire back dropped by the wreckage of a city, Zanarkand. He narrates most of the game events, revealing his thoughts on certain aspects of his journey. Tidus recounts how events have led to the present, starting at his life in Zanarkand where he was a sports celebrity in Blitzball, a fictional sport that combines elements of Hockey, Soccer, and Water Polo. During a Blitzball tournament, Zanarkand is attacked by an immense creature shrouded in water known as Sin. The city is destroyed in its path, and Tidus is taken by Sin to the world Spira.

After arriving in Spira, Tidus encounters an eccentric salvager race, the Al Bhed, and learns from a young Al Bhed girl named Rikku that 1000 years have passed since the destruction of Zanarkand. After another attack by Sin, Tidus is separated from the Al Bhed and drifts to the island Besiad. While on the island he meets Yuna, a summoner who planning a pilgrimage to destroy Sin, along with her guardians: Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri.^[8] Tidus navigates his way throughout Spira in the hope of finding his way home. Auron further reveals to Tidus that Yuna's father, Lord Braska; Tidus's father, Jecht; and Auron made the same pilgrimage and defeated Sin ten years ago.^[9] However, Sin returns every time it is destroyed and the current Sin is Jecht.^[10][11] As the party approaches Zanarkand, Tidus learns he is not an ordinary human being. He and the Zanarkand he hails from, are the cumulative dreams of the fayth.^[12] Their city, Dream Zanarkand, was created at the same time as the destruction of the original Zanarkand, when Sin was created in the war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. The fayth of the aeon Bahamut reveals to Tidus that they would like him to find a means to permanently defeat Sin, so that they can all finally rest. However, the fayth also reveals to him that if he does that, the summoning of Dream Zanarkand and all its people—including Tidus—will disappear.^[13]

Tidus reaches Zanarkand's ruins with Yuna and her other guardians. Inside Zanarkand, they learn from Lady Yunalesca that Yuna must choose one of her guardians to become her fayth for the Final Summoning. Tidus argues with the others that they must find another way to destroy Sin forever. Yuna refuses to undergo the rite of the Final Aeon after learning that it can never defeat Sin, and the party fights and defeats Yunalesca. The group then attacks Sin directly and enter its shell. Eventually, they find Jecht and Tidus is reunited with his estranged father, who transforms into his Final Aeon form and is defeated by the party. The party engages Yu Yevon in a final battle and destroys him, ridding the world of Sin permanently, as well as allowing the fayth to depart and the summoning of Dream Zanarkand to end. Tidus says goodbye on top of their airship and starts to walk away knowing that he will soon vanish. Yuna runs after him and, tells him that she loves him (in the Japanese version of the game, she says "Thank you" instead). Tidus hugs her and then dives off the airship into the clouds below, reuniting with the spirits of Auron, Jecht, and Braska in the Farplane.

[edit] Final Fantasy X-2

Tidus figures prominently into the plot of Final Fantasy X-2, though his appearances in the sequel are few. Also, because players have the option of renaming Tidus in Final Fantasy X, he is exclusively referred to with pronouns ("he" and "him") just like in the first game, and Rikku calls him "you-know-who" in Final Fantasy X-2. Two years after the events of Final Fantasy X end, Rikku shows Yuna a sphere found by Kimahri on Mt. Gagazet displaying a young man who looks like Tidus trapped in a prison. This compels Yuna to join the Gullwings, a sphere-hunting group, and travel around Spira in the hopes of finding more clues that Tidus may be alive. The individual seen in the sphere is eventually revealed to be Shuyin instead, but if the player presses the "X" button during the final scene in the Farplane, the player will be rewarded with an extra scene that features Tidus being revived by the fayth in gratitude of Yuna saving the world a second time. He is then reunited with her (the "swimming upwards" clip from the ending of the previous game is shown, and it is shown that he has been returned to Besaid) and allowed to live out a natural lifespan, so long as the Fayth can maintain it. In the ending, Yuna also begins narrating the events of the game to Tidus. If the player can manage to complete the game with 100% completion rate (doing not only the main storyline missions, but many other optional tasks), there is another final scene with Tidus and Yuna, at the Zanarkand ruins, in which he reveals the nature of his return.

[edit] Other appearances

Tidus has also appeared in games outside of the Final Fantasy X continuity. A more youthful version of Tidus on the Destiny Islands as friends of Sora and Riku appear in Kingdom Hearts series. In the first Kingdom Hearts, he appears with younger versions of Wakka and Final Fantasy VIII's Selphie Tilmitt.^[14] In the sequel Kingdom Hearts II, he does not actually appear within the storyline, but is briefly mentioned by Selphie.^[15] Tidus appears in Itadaki Street Special along with Auron and Yuna.^[16] He has also been confirmed as a playable character in the upcoming Square Enix action game, Dissidia: Final Fantasy.^[17]

[edit] Reception and legacy

Tidus has received an overall positive reception. He has been featured on the covers of the North American version of Final Fantasy X and related books. Tidus has also had various types of merchandise modeled after his likeness; for example, action figures and jewelry.^[18] GameSpot commented players might not initially like the character, but would eventually find him "suitably endearing". They stated he had the "surprising depth" characterized by past Final Fantasy protagonists, and called the ending involving Tidus "emotionally charged and satisfying".^[19] Eurogamer stated Tidus and the other characters "make much more dignified and believable decisions than those made by their predecessors in other Final Fantasy games."^[20] The relationship between Tidus and Yuna was listed by GameSpot as one of the "Great Loves" in video games. They referred to their relationship as "one of the best (and ultimately saddest) examples" of a mature romance in games and cited the progression of the romance throughout the story as one of the game's best elements. GameSpot called the story revolving around their relationship "interesting" and "tender".^[21]

Tidus was also compared to Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII. IGN noted the differences in appearances between the two protagonists, citing Squall's darker colored outfit and "permanent mope" and Tidus' brighter outfit and weapon along with "an indelible grin".^[22] Because of his English-language voice work, GameSpot commented they would have preferred "an almost-mute lead character, a la Squall from Final Fantasy VIII."^[21] Regarding the character's English-language voice work, IGN stated the character "has a tendency to speak a little too high and a little too fast when he gets excited."^[22] GameSpot referred to Tidus as "annoyingly whiny",^[21] and Eurogamer echoed similar statements by referring to his voice acting as "whiny" and "detestable".^[20]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Final Fantasy X website
• Behind The Game — Interview with James Arnold Taylor, Tidus' English voice actor

v • d • e Final Fantasy X and X-2 X music • X-2 music • Spira Characters Tidus • Yuna • Rikku