Wow, you and I see the character so differently! I really fail to see why you find him a douchebag, shallow, unsympathetic.Originally Posted by Laddy
If you want to get a measure of his character, remember the Luca Blitzball tournament: He is an extremely skilled athlete that has just made a tremendous difference in the team's performance, practically winning the game for them. Instead of basking in a justified public admiration he leaves and gives the chance for spotlight to Wakka, a guy he has barely met, and a guy who has been losing games for years, and who had nothing to do with their victory in the current game. Tidus leaves the field and let Wakka finally get the appreciation he has craved for so long. "It was his time to shine" he says. How many famous athletes / actors would do that for a perfect stranger ?
That scene alone proves he is a sensitive, decent guy who was sympathetic to Wakka's plea of wanting to retire from blitzball with a victory. Not only he helped the team achieve the victory but he made sure Wakka got all the credit and respect. A selfless generous act that shows a lot of character. Shallow ? What shallow person would let another take his spotlight ? Unsympathetic ? His selfless act then and there proved he is anything but.
After that scene, I was a Tidus fan, no matter how many whinny scenes came after. To me anyone plucked from their world and put on a world so different would freak out. His whining was him being human and not a cardboard hero that never has any doubts or feelings.
Ya he was self righteous and stupid sometimes. But he was right! It was stupid to care for Yevon's religious traditions while Yuna could be in danger. It was stupid to sacrifice a summoner every time Bevelle wanted a reprieve from Sin. The entire society revolved about a lie and Tidus had no sympathy for that lie. But if Tidus didn't rebel against that, would Yuna have rebelled ? To me his self righteousness encouraged her to examine her traditions and her faith in Yevon / Bevelle's crap. Without him clinging to his own view of what was right and what was important - keep Yuna alive while still defeating Sin - we would have had just another dead summoner and the cycle would have never been broken.
Also, his willingness to sacrifice himself did not just come out of the blue to a lousy character. It fits integrally to the type of person we see him being. Again I bring you to the Luca Stadium scene. He sacrificed himself there, to give Wakka the retirement exit he wanted. From the start of the game Tidus is selfless, sacrifices himself and puts himself in danger for others. It iis no wonder he does the ultimate sacrifice at the end. He could do no less. He feels their pain.. You can see how much he feels it when he stupidly throws himself in the ocean after Sin, in pain and rage after seeing all the death after the Mir-hen operation. Smart ? no. Shallow ? Anything but. Unsympathetic ? Who throws themselves at a gargantuan monster, because of dead people he / she has no sympathy for ? Tidus had no sympathy for Bevelle's/ yevon crap of a religion but he cared a lot for Spira's people. He "died" for them, people he never met, not from his world. How many would do that for strangers in a far away land ?
I have also always admired the fact the he was humble and friendly, in spite of being a sports idol, a big star, in his own world, the "Michael Jordan" or "Tim Tebow" of blitzball. Most star athletes are self centered entitled douchebags and act like Tracy Morgan of 30 Rock, but not Tidus. He humbly helps Wakka and Yunna and has no need for a star's entourage and the flattery that goes with it. He believes he has woken up 1,000 years into his future and freaks out - as any of us would - but still manages to be helpful and sympathetic to the people of this strange world he has been thrown in. He feels their pain, even though they are not from his time and he doesn't know them. He doesn't just get a ride with them to Zanarkand to resolve HIS problem. He actually helps those people in any way he can. He never thinks about getting back to being a famous blitzer, or about taking the Aurochs from Wakka. He joins Wakka's group and never makes any attempt at stealing the spotlight from Wakka or Yuna.
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