I have no clue what Square's intentions are, but I don't like the idea of the realistic looking hero. The main reason being that Square is a Japanese company, and a realistic hero would look like a Japanese guy (like Tidus). Problem is I don't look like that and so it is hard for me to identify with the character, which is something I would like to do.

I don't think a hero needs to act like a 'badass', but he does need to look the part. I'd much rather see the guy donning the armor than parading around in a half a pair of pants. Looks are important. Tidus wasn't all that much of a wuss when you think about it, I mean the guy had a pretty emotional experience in that journey and dealt with it pretty maturely by the end. His problem was that whiney voice and that he said 'you know' way too often for me to have any sort of lasting respect for the guy.

Bottom line, I play fantasy games for a fantasy. I'm not interested in seeing people look and act like normal people. If I wanted that I'd go outside.