The Biblical Framework of Final Fantasy X: An Essay

[Masamune·1600]

The Biblical Framework of Final Fantasy X: An Essay

It’s been some time since I’ve written an essay for EoFF, but a recent in-depth discussion of Final Fantasy X has led me to consider the game more closely. In doing so, I feel I have stumbled across a symbolic framework for the game, grounded in the Biblical narrative and expressed through various subtle allusions and references to that book.

My thesis, then, is relatively simple: the overarching framework for Final Fantasy X can be understood to relate to and derive from the Bible, with major aspects of the FFX storyline allusions to Biblical concepts. Admittedly, while this skeleton for FFX quickly becomes apparent, there are many elements that do not coincide between the Bible and the game. This issue will be addressed later on, but for now we will turn to the actual question of the relationship, and where this symbolism can be seen and understood.

The Christian Bible is separated into two primary parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. As such, we will examine Final Fantasy X from this dual perspective: the Old Testament is the backstory to the game, while the New Testament is that which is actually played.

The first book of the Bible (and, of course, the Old Testament) is Genesis. Following Creation, man (Adam and Eve) disobeys God, thereby introducing sin into the world. Prior to this original sin, death was nonexistent, as Adam and Eve could eat from the tree of life. However, after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the two were expelled from Garden of Eden, in which the tree of life was located. Thus, through sin, death was introduced to the world.

Death existed prior to Sin in Final Fantasy X. However, the “spiral of death,” the endless cycle of sorrow and demise that was embodied by Sin, was the direct result of that entity.

Tidus: She'll make it? What, so she can die? Why is it...everything in
Spira seems to revolve around people dying?

Auron: Ahh, the spiral of death.

Tidus: Huh?

Auron: Summoners challenge the bringer of death, Sin, and die doing so.
Guardians give their lives to protect their summoner. The fayth are the
souls of the dead. Even the maesters of Yevon are unsent. Spira is full
of death... Only Sin is reborn, and then only to bring more death. It is
a cycle of death, spiraling endlessly.

In other words, because of Sin, everything in Spira revolves around death.

Following the expulsion from the garden (from Zanarkand, perhaps?), mankind dispersed throughout the world. Death had entered, however, and people died in the course of time. Meanwhile, the Israelites were often displaced, as seen by their slavery in Egypt and the Babylonian Exile (two episodes from the Old Testament). This can be understood to relate to the destruction of cities and towns by Sin—in such cases, the communities of Spira were disrupted, and forced to recover from their respective tragedies.

Throughout the Old Testament, various figures arose who have been described as God’s anointed (because they were anointed with oil as a sign of their offices). These figures included the prophets: of primary importance among their predictions were the messianic prophecies, which foretold the coming of a MESHIAH, or messiah. From a retroactive Christian perspective, this message was not correctly understood, either then or by people during the time of Christ. Thus, we can associate the High Summoners of Spira with the prophets of the Old Testament. Ohalland, Yocun, Gandof, and Braska intended to beat back Sin (death), but could not do so permanently, as the message (how to defeat Sin) was “misunderstood.”

However, as made obvious by Final Fantasy X, this spiral of death would not go unbroken. Just as Christ conquered sin and death in the Bible, so would Sin’s spiral of death be ultimately overcome in Spira. Given Tidus’ integral nature in undoing Sin and its spiral of death, this essay will view Tidus as a Christ figure; before we can move into the “New Testament” of the game, however, we must begin before Tidus.

Christ was preceded by John the Baptist, a figure who augured the coming of the Messiah. Calling on people to repent, he preached that one mightier than he (in reference to Jesus) was coming.

He [John the Baptist] proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me […]."

Similarly, Tidus is not the first Dream of the Fayth to reach Spira. Rather, he is preceded by Jecht, who himself implied the existence of Dream Zanarkand.

Yuna: But I believe you! I've heard, in Zanarkand...there is a great
stadium, all lit up even at night!

Tidus: Huh?

Yuna: Great blitzball tournaments are held there, and the stands are
always full!

Tidus: How do you know that?

Yuna: A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian.

In this way, then, Jecht can be understood to be a John the Baptist-like figure, “paving the way” for the coming of Tidus (the Christ figure). However, like John, Jecht will die as a part of the fulfillment of his mission.

King Herod had heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

In the Gospels, Jesus’ life between the ages of 12 and 30 is not explored. These years remain a mystery; the reader is merely told that…

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Jesus reappears years later, to be baptized and to begin his salvific mission. Likewise, Tidus is not known to Spira until it is time for his “mission” to start—the destruction of Sin, the conquering of death.

When Jesus reappears, it is marked by his baptism in the Jordan River. During this baptism, as he was coming out of the water, he was blessed by God (his father).

And a voice came down from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Similarly, Tidus receives a baptism of sorts prior to the beginning of his mission in Spira—Dream Zanarkand is attacked by Sin, and Tidus awakes to rise from the water near Baaj Temple. Moreover, there is a “communication” by his father during this “baptism;” Auron clearly communes with Jecht, who is by then embodied in Sin.

Auron: (to Sin) You are sure?

Auron picks up Tidus by the shirt.

Auron: This is it. This is your story. It all begins here.

Auron and Tidus are sucked into Sin.

Voice of Jecht: Hey! Hey!

Tidus: My...old man?

And, just as Jesus’ story really starts following his baptism in the Jordan, Tidus’ story (as Auron tells us) truly begins at this point.

Ultimately, the Bible tells us that Jesus came into the world to save humanity from death: in his death and Resurrection, Jesus conquers death, and saves us from (S)in. Tidus’ situation is remarkably, almost eerily, similar, as the fragility of his existence as a Dream of the Fayth becomes poignantly apparent. No matter how many times Sin is destroyed in the Final Summoning, it will again be reborn…

Fayth: Yes. Even if you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon
will live. Yu Yevon will join with the Final Aeon. He will transform it
into a new Sin.

Yuna: Yu Yevon merges with the aeon...

Fayth: Then, protected by this new Sin he has created, Yu Yevon
continues the summoning.

…however, Tidus and the party can defeat it. Sin is not, as it turns out, invincible; if Yu Yevon is defeated, Sin will be no more. Destroying Yu Yevon, however, also means the end of his Summoning of Dream Zanarkand. By extension, then, defeating Yu Yevon means the end of Tidus’ life. Like Jesus, who would have preferred not to die had there been another way…

He [Jesus] said “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup [his coming death] from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”

…yet was willing to, as it was necessary, Tidus was willing to sacrifice his life to destroy Sin.

Fayth: But, you know... When it is all over...we will wake, and our
dream will end. Our dream will vanish.

Tidus: Yeah. You've been dreaming a long time, haven't you?

Fayth: I'm sorry.

Tidus: I'm grateful.

Tidus: Everyone! This is the last time we fight together, okay?

Wakka: Huh?

Tidus: What I'm trying to say is...after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll
disappear!

Tidus does this, in spite of a desire to live…

Fayth: Yes, you're a dream of the fayth. You, your father, your mother,
everyone. All dreams. And if the fayth stop dreaming...

The screen flashes, revealing the destruction of Zanarkand.

Tidus: No! So what if I'm a dream! I..I like being here.

…as, like Jesus, he understands his death to be necessary. Tidus sacrifices his life to save everyone else; in this action, then, is the absolute embodiment of love. Moreover, in sacrificing his life, Tidus, like Jesus, saves the world (here, Spira) from Sin.

Also like Christ, however, Tidus will return to life. This is difficult to understand; we witness Yuna’s concluding speech, and then later see the mysterious (not so much after FFX-2, of course) image of Tidus rising from the sea. Like Jesus’ Resurrection, which was not immediately understood or even believed, Tidus returns to Spira in an ambiguous way, only to be later illuminated by the events of Final Fantasy X-2. Also, as is the case with baptism, Tidus rises from the water (death) to receive new life.

Tidus’ return, however, marks more than just the Resurrection episode. After all, the Bible continues following Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension. The Acts of the Apostles, the first book after the Gospels of the life of Christ, details the actions of Christ’s followers following his Ascension into heaven (and, interestingly enough, Tidus vanishes into the clouds, to join his father on the Farplane). The Bible, however, implies a wait for Christ’s second coming. Similarly, FFX-2 tantalizes the gamer with the return of Tidus, immediately revealing a mysterious sphere that seems to hint that, somewhere, that Tidus may still be alive. This sphere does not depict Tidus, of course, but rather Shuyin. However, in overcoming Shuyin, Yuna earns the gratitude of the Fayth—and Tidus makes his second coming to Spira, bringing this chapter of Final Fantasy to its final close.


As previously noted, there are numerous instances where the apparent Biblical allusions of Final Fantasy X do not perfectly correspond to the Bible. For example, there does not seem to be any real “God the Father” figure in FFX, a game which seems to have no deity at all. Moreover, there is no Marian figure, and Jecht is more like John the Baptist than Jesus’ “foster father” Joseph. The inconsistencies and less-than-exact parallels could be examined in greater depth, but, as previously suggested, there is an obvious reason for these would-be discrepancies. Beyond the difficulty of creating a game narrative that perfectly mirrors the Biblical tale, Final Fantasy X cannot adhere precisely to that framework. The game, after all, retains a unique narrative in spite of the Biblical skeleton. While complex, it fits neatly together, with a poignant story, enthralling plot twists, and interesting characters. However, were the Biblical account to be used as the primary basis for the game, FFX would surrender its uniquely crafted mythos and actual storyline, while also sacrificing much (maybe all) of its viability as a creative, engrossing story. As such, the decision its creator followed works best: the gamer is treated to a brilliant story, magnified by a subtle framework that challenges him or her on all new levels.

As always, your questions, comments, thoughts, and opinions are welcomed. I would request, however, that you limit your comments to the actual concepts put forward in the essay; this is meant to explore a possible framework for Final Fantasy X, not to raise the collective religious hackles of the EoFF community. This essay is meant to support no particular side of any religious debate; it merely places FFX within the perceived narrative skeleton of the Bible.

[Little Blue]

You note that the story lacks a God figure, and similarly, if my understanding of your essay is correct, a devil figure also. Could Yu Yevon be construed as a representation of both of the figures? He is ultimately the father of Tidus (Christ) due to him being responsible for the summoning, and he is also the bringer of Sin, as while the Devil merely brought temptation to Adam and Eve, which resulted in the first sin, Yu Yevon was the first Sin. This God/Devil analogy for Yu Yevon would also fit the description the fayth give him by saying he is not good or evil, as both the ethics of god and satan would cancel out in the same way.

This may also be complete rubbish on my part, i've never read the bible and therefore my knowlege of the contents is very limited, and i make some large assumptions

[?????]

It's fairly obvious that FFX draws a goodly number of references from the Bible. An interesting thesis, but the philosophy of Final Fantasy, and of Squaresoft in general, has tended to revolve around individual rights and freedom of choice rather than faith in anything save oneself. The story hardly lacks a God figure; Yevon is treated as God. Open rebellion against him is held as the only way to save Spira from the mind-numbing dictates of the maesters. Furthermore, Sin is explicitly stated to be the armor of Yevon, this god-figure. This can easily be taken to mean that unless humanity can mentally overcome the antiquated concept of sin and rely solely on reason, we will never progress beyond the spiral of death that persists in a state of ignorance.

Ah, this is why I dislike literary arguments, and indeed the whole of literary analysis; one can make a case for almost anything. I prefer suspension of disbelief, which allows one to make more objective conclusions about a given story based on what's presented.

[Captain Maxx Power]

Just a few thoughts I had on the manner:

Could the Al Bhed be seen as a kind of Jewish figure? They are constantly persecuted by the rest of Spira much like the Jewish, eventually finding a "home" is Isreal, or in the case of the Al Bhed Bikanel. Home is then destroyed by those with other religious beliefs, much like what has happened and is still happening in Isreal today. Not to the extent of complete destruction, but parallels could be drawn.

And also could Yuna be considered a Mary Magdalene of sorts? While it's never been confirmed that Mary was Jesus' spouse, there's a lot of theories going around, most sparked by the da vinci code, but maybe I'm just plucking at straws here.

Also could the Aeons be seen as Angels? They come in a sort of ethreal form and aid and guide our heroes, with one coming to Tidus to tell him of his mission. This has parallels with the Angel that came to Jesus to tell him of his saving of the human race and persecution by the Romans.

[rubah]

I always figured that the "chosen hero" of ffx was jecht. He was the one the fayths chose first, then he drug his son into the mix. That doesn't fit in when the biblical allegory very well.

tidus fits the role of a tragic hero, where Jesus doesn't quite so much. Jesus does die, and is of noble birth, but how can the Word from the beginning of everything have a startling revelation before they perish? Obviously tidus's revelation is realizing that he must die to save the lives of countless people in spira and yuna especially.

John the Baptist's mission in life was to inform everyone that the Christ was to arrive soon. Jecht didn't make much mention of Tidus to people, I don't think. That would be more akin to Jecht knowingly taking people out of the dream Zanarkand (in the way that you suggested might represent Tidus's baptism) and telling them 'My son is going to save the real world, go and live in it for a while!'

Arguably Tidus's 'rebirth' was just fanservice, where Jesus's was foretold in *his* own words and in Isaiah, I think.

It's a neat idea, and you drew a number of parallels, but not enough to make it a proper relation, I don't think. It would just be another religion story if the main boss hadn't been called Sin :]

[Masamune·1600]

You note that the story lacks a God figure, and similarly, if my understanding of your essay is correct, a devil figure also. Could Yu Yevon be construed as a representation of both of the figures? He is ultimately the father of Tidus (Christ) due to him being responsible for the summoning, and he is also the bringer of Sin, as while the Devil merely brought temptation to Adam and Eve, which resulted in the first sin, Yu Yevon was the first Sin. This God/Devil analogy for Yu Yevon would also fit the description the fayth give him by saying he is not good or evil, as both the ethics of god and satan would cancel out in the same way.

It's not a bad idea, but such a duality is completely at odds with the Bible. There are certainly a number of loose religious themes, references, and symbols contained in FFX, but only those that directly pertained to a Biblical "reading" of the game were used in constructing my essay.

It's fairly obvious that FFX draws a goodly number of references from the Bible. An interesting thesis, but the philosophy of Final Fantasy, and of Squaresoft in general, has tended to revolve around individual rights and freedom of choice rather than faith in anything save oneself.

Yes, and faith in the Yevonite Church doesn't work out in the game. However, the worldview implicit in many of the FF titles isn't necessarily reflected in the framework; here, I merely feel that the Bible provides a backdrop for the story. The parallels, particularly those involving Tidus, are certainly striking.

The story hardly lacks a God figure; Yevon is treated as God. Open rebellion against him is held as the only way to save Spira from the mind-numbing dictates of the maesters. Furthermore, Sin is explicitly stated to be the armor of Yevon, this god-figure. This can easily be taken to mean that unless humanity can mentally overcome the antiquated concept of sin and rely solely on reason, we will never progress beyond the spiral of death that persists in a state of ignorance.

The story certainly lacks any sort of omnipotent deity, but what really discounts Yu Yevon as a God figure in my reading is that it would be completely at odds with the Biblical framework I've examined. As with numerous other references, Yu Yevon could certainly be construed as a "God" with no ties to anything else, but certainly lacks that identity given the direction of the overall narative.

Ah, this is why I dislike literary arguments, and indeed the whole of literary analysis; one can make a case for almost anything. I prefer suspension of disbelief, which allows one to make more objective conclusions about a given story based on what's presented.

That certainly is one of the shortcomings of literary analysis, but most truly ridiculous (or anachronistic, or whatever the case may be) are moderately self-evident. In this case, while some of the points I've raised are probably matters of convenience, the overall "shell" (Tidus dying in overcoming Sin, only to return to life) seem too striking to ignore.

Just a few thoughts I had on the manner:

Could the Al Bhed be seen as a kind of Jewish figure? They are constantly persecuted by the rest of Spira much like the Jewish, eventually finding a "home" is Isreal, or in the case of the Al Bhed Bikanel. Home is then destroyed by those with other religious beliefs, much like what has happened and is still happening in Isreal today. Not to the extent of complete destruction, but parallels could be drawn.

I absolutely agree with this reading, actually. Nice idea. While it doesn't line up exactly with the Bible, it's not diametrically opposed; rather, it's merely situated differently. The parallels are certainly there.

And also could Yuna be considered a Mary Magdalene of sorts? While it's never been confirmed that Mary was Jesus' spouse, there's a lot of theories going around, most sparked by the da vinci code, but maybe I'm just plucking at straws here.

The Da Vinci Code isn't exactly the best place to look for any sort of legitimate historical fact, unfortunately. The real problem, though, is that such a view would be at odds with the direct Biblical narrative--since the Bible is ostensibly the framework, what it directly presents is more important than what happened historically. In other words, it doesn't matter whether or not the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene went beyond what is depicted in the pages of the Bible; it only matters...what is depicted.

Also could the Aeons be seen as Angels? They come in a sort of ethreal form and aid and guide our heroes, with one coming to Tidus to tell him of his mission. This has parallels with the Angel that came to Jesus to tell him of his saving of the human race and persecution by the Romans.

Again, this is a situation where the idea is not hurt by a less than exact parallel. However, I don't recall Christ having been informed by an angel of his salvific mission and forthcoming Passion. The ethereal, mystical nature of the Fayth certainly lends itself to such a comparison outside of the Biblical reading, but I'm not sure that it works within the specific framework.

I always figured that the "chosen hero" of ffx was jecht. He was the one the fayths chose first, then he drug his son into the mix. That doesn't fit in when the biblical allegory very well.

Jecht wasn't chosen by the Fayth in any way. His contact with Sin was purely accidental--had the Fayth been able to arrange contact between a resident of Dream Zanarkand and Sin, they would have been better served in doing it centuries before. Tidus wasn't chosen either, but that's because the Fayth couldn't choose someone and move them beyond the parameters of Dream Zanarkand.

tidus fits the role of a tragic hero, where Jesus doesn't quite so much. Jesus does die, and is of noble birth, but how can the Word from the beginning of everything have a startling revelation before they perish? Obviously tidus's revelation is realizing that he must die to save the lives of countless people in spira and yuna especially.

Tidus isn't sinless, either. It would be impossible to create a protagonist that mirrors some of the more extraordinary aspects of Christ, because it would be less than beneficial for the story as a whole. You might refer to my explanatory paragraph near the end. Again, I agree that the parallels are not perfect, but those that do exist are too salient to be ignored.

John the Baptist's mission in life was to inform everyone that the Christ was to arrive soon. Jecht didn't make much mention of Tidus to people, I don't think. That would be more akin to Jecht knowingly taking people out of the dream Zanarkand (in the way that you suggested might represent Tidus's baptism) and telling them 'My son is going to save the real world, go and live in it for a while!'

I likened Jecht to John the Baptist in that Jecht "foretold" the coming of a Dream, but only insomuch as his coming attested to a reality that Spira did not realize existed. Again, refer to the explanatory paragraph. The story is not meant to mirror the Bible exactly; it only uses it as a framework.

Arguably Tidus's 'rebirth' was just fanservice, where Jesus's was foretold in *his* own words and in Isaiah, I think.

Again, refer to the explanatory paragraph. Tidus' return goes something beyond fanservice, though, merely because he is seen rising from the sea at the end. While the meaning of that image was undoubtedly ambiguous prior to FFX-2, it did predate that sequel.

It's a neat idea, and you drew a number of parallels, but not enough to make it a proper relation, I don't think. It would just be another religion story if the main boss hadn't been called Sin :]

I would agree, but I don't think that it was exactly coincidental that the primary "adversary" was Sin. It's somewhat similar to FFVII in that regard; it would have been much more difficult to identify all the Kabballist symbolism had the villain not been named Sephiroth.

You've all made very good points, and I thank all of you for your input thus far.

[Rhi]

you've all thought this through just a little too much, but it's very interesting. Final Fantasy gets ideas from many places. In KH, for example, there's a reference to the Bible with the Trinity. In fact, to a certain extent, you can argue taht many things relate to the bible. However, this is so interesting because it's well known that Squaare uses things like the Bible in its games...

[rubah]

I was just saying you were stretching the truth a bit much. If square had wanted to use a biblical framework, they would've worked in those details you dismiss. Instead it's more likely that when writing the script or maybe even translating it they figured that these were religious words that would catch the attention of their audience. If they had named Sin something strange we wouldn't associate with religion, say 'Faphros' it wouldn't've had the same atmosphere. I'm not saying it's a coincidence, but rather done to set a tone, rather than to set a scene.

And as for tidus' return being fanservice. . . Well there's no way else to say it but that it is. If it had been a logical plot point in the ffx story, then there wouldn't be the normal endings in ffx-2:]

The scene at the end of the game could have been a number of places, maybe even the farplane. I havent seen it lately, though, but I don't remember him ever being plainly shown to be anywhere in spira.

Besides, his attitude before jumping ship showed markedly that he didn't plan on returning. He was taking a clean farewell to spare the emotions of his friends, and he was eager to go back to companionship with jecht and auron.

I never said anything about tidus being sinless or not or perfect or not. I just said he fit the mold of a tragic hero, but Jesus didn't.

[Masamune·1600]

you've all thought this through just a little too much, but it's very interesting. Final Fantasy gets ideas from many places. In KH, for example, there's a reference to the Bible with the Trinity. In fact, to a certain extent, you can argue taht many things relate to the bible. However, this is so interesting because it's well known that Squaare uses things like the Bible in its games...

The idea proposed in the essay is that FFX incorporates more than a loose reference (or references); rather, the entire framework of the story can be argued to mirror the Biblical narrative.

I was just saying you were stretching the truth a bit much. If square had wanted to use a biblical framework, they would've worked in those details you dismiss. Instead it's more likely that when writing the script or maybe even translating it they figured that these were religious words that would catch the attention of their audience. If they had named Sin something strange we wouldn't associate with religion, say 'Faphros' it wouldn't've had the same atmosphere. I'm not saying it's a coincidence, but rather done to set a tone, rather than to set a scene.

One might argue for such a point, but the parallels are much more striking than any questionable material. How frequently does a video game character knowingly give himself up to death in order to defeat (S)in and conquer death? The symbolism is far too involved to be merely accidental.

And as for tidus' return being fanservice. . . Well there's no way else to say it but that it is. If it had been a logical plot point in the ffx story, then there wouldn't be the normal endings in ffx-2:]

Perhaps, but one must consider that the relevant image predated FFX-2 and the fan clamoring for a "return." Also, the Normal Ending is profoundly limited in its capacity to justify anything, because that also forces one to grant equal canonical value to the Bad Ending.

The scene at the end of the game could have been a number of places, maybe even the farplane. I havent seen it lately, though, but I don't remember him ever being plainly shown to be anywhere in spira.

Tidus clearly arose from the waters of Spira. Not only is this thematically appropriate (even if you discount my views), but it is suported by visual evidence.

Link: Tidus jumps off the airship, falls through the clouds.

Link: Braska, Jecht, and Auron wait on what can only be the Farplane.

Link: Tidus reunites with his father.

Link: Tidus is gone; Yuna looks out over the sea.

Link: Tidus appears; he is surrounded by pyreflies.

Link: Suddenly, he is in the water.

Link: Tidus powers toward the surface.

Link: He looks awfully happy to be back.

Now consider the Good/Perfect Endings to FFX-2.

Link: We begin with Tidus, hanging in the exact same black, pyrefly-filled void that we saw at the ending of FFX.

Link: Tidus appears the same way, and swims toward the surface with that grin on his face.

Link: Tidus breaks the surface of the water. We now see what happens after the final images of FFX.

Link: It's Besaid!

Link: Look out, Tidus!

Link: Yuna.

Link: Together again.

Not only does Tidus specifically "rematerialize" in physical water after previously hanging in a void dancing with pyreflies, we see the exact same imagery merge directly into the Good and Perfect Endings of FFX-2. This definitely supports my supposition.

I never said anything about tidus being sinless or not or perfect or not. I just said he fit the mold of a tragic hero, but Jesus didn't.

The point of the "sinless" comparison was to show that there are a vast number of characteristics where Christ and Tidus do not align. This is due to the fact that Kazushige Nojima sought to draw up a unique story. The framework, however, remains, but Nojima can fill in that skeleton however he likes. And so he did.

[Cruise Control]

*wikis essay*

[Azure]

This isn't really much to do with anything but..

Yuna can walk on water. Would that tie in anywhere?

[Masamune·1600]

This isn't really much to do with anything but..

Yuna can walk on water. Would that tie in anywhere?

It's an interesting thought, but as Yuna isn't the apparent Christ figure, it seems that it would be more in the nature of a loose, unrelated religious reference at best.

[Cruise Control]

Yuna could be seen as a chrisdt figure, to the less biblicaly educated culture. Because she was happy and did good for everyone, and yet knew she would die in order to bring healing to the world.

But then again that doesn't compare to the amount of evidence that points at Tidus.

[rubah]

maybe yuna was the peter who wasn't afraid to trust in someone telling him to walk on water, prepared to be martyred.

at least I think that was peter who was all 'zomp save me;_;' when the disciples were in the boat.

[Renmiri]

Well actually FFX story, particularly Sin reminded me of 9/11 and our current wars in the Middle East.

It’s dark Sin Spiral of death resonated with my own ambivalence at the Iraq War, and with war in general.

Tidus’ loss of his peaceful and fun life in Dream Zanarkand to a violent “thing” destroying Zanarkand sky scrappers resonated with my feelings after 9/11. I went to sleep on the 10th in a world at peace where I felt safe. I woke up in a violence ridden world were 3,000 innocent people paid for sins of others, at the hands of a murderous monster.

Yuna’s dedication to sacrificing herself for Spira, and her friend’s inability to let her go resonated with my inability to let go of the soldiers who went to war, including my nephew. Her useless sacrifice by greedy or misguided SOBs resonated with my own questioning of the way our own soldier’s sacrifice was being used. To me each US soldier was Yuna and each military family felt like Rikku, Tidus, Lulu, Auron… Different views about the sacrifice but a deep respect for the soldier and his choice.

The Dream of the Fayth
Somehow the thought that all those people were there trapped in that fountain to make their dream of peace on their beloved home city exist freaked me out. It was so creepy! Least of all because Tidus had to die for them to “rest”. At game end it got even creepier: Could they not see that their misguided attempt to hold on to their dream was submitting Spira to 1,000 years of pain and sorrow ? They could but there was nothing they could do against uber powerful Yu Yevon.

The Dream of the Flytrap
Better fight “them” there than fight them here said Condi, Rumsfeld, Bush.. Yes. True. But the pain and sorrow that we are causing “there” !
A Family in Baghdad blog asks:
What is the worth of the citizen here? An Iraqi?To live in a place where there is no state, no law, no protection... GOD the MIGHTY is the only safety factor, for those who believe, and depend on him... I have been living my days wagering upon this fact only.. I sit in class, listening to the teacher, and thinking warily: will a shell fall down now, break the windows, smash the walls, kill and wound us?

Could I not see that my country’s misguided attempt to hold on to their dream of eternal safety was submitting many to pain and sorrow ? I could but there was nothing I could do against uber powerful.. So I decided to relax and enjoy the dream… But I couldn’t sleep. My dreams keep turning into nightmares. Sin / Violence Incarnate / Terrorism keeps intruding in my idyllic peace. Is it truly possible to have peace and no terrorism in a global economy where 6 percent of the world’s population control more than 50 percent of the wealth ? Are we asking too high of a price for those who shield our dream ?

And this is when I realized why FFX was so powerful to me. Why I couldn’t let go of the game. Why I needed Yuna to live, and Tidus to find peace and love, at last, in a brand new world who had no “violence incarnate”

Because over there I can make things have a happy ending. Over here I can't...