I think it's very pre-emptive to worry about it when we have no idea what kind of character Vaan is. It's like saying "Well XI was online, so since Square differed in one game, does that mean all of them will be online now?"

I say wait until XII is out, then decide. Personally I dont mind either way. I dont see why people are so enamored of 'tough' characters anyway.

By the way, the tough character you listed werent all main characters... X has Auron, so why is it a 'lesser' game (by lesser I mean, without a tough hero)? Terra from VI wasnt very tough, but Shadow was in the game, right?