One Little Known Final Fantasy X Detail Makes a Big Difference in the Story

The ending of Final Fantasy X left many players with tears as Tidus, who turned out to be a dream of the Fayth brought to life to fight Sin, disappears now that the party defeated Sin in the final battle. Yuna admits her love for Tidus, but love isn’t enough to stop him from vanishing. Then, you move on to the direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, and follow a new journey with Yuna that has multiple endings. In the perfect ending, the Fayth bring Tidus back to Spiral, letting him reunite with Yuna for what you would assume is a happy ending for both characters. Although these games haven’t gotten a remake like other Final Fantasy games, they still hold up today, especially the remastered versions.

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Yuna and Tidus are one of the most iconic couples in the Final Fantasy franchise, and their story becomes increasingly tragic as information is revealed throughout their journey. First, Tidus learns that the last summoning of Yuna’s pilgrimage is meant to kill both her and Sin. Then, Tidus learns that he’s a dream of the Fayth, and that the Zanarkand he remembered isn’t a real place, at least not in the way he remembers it. It’s a heartbreaking journey, which makes the events set after FFX-2 almost frustrating after Tidus is brought back.

The Fate of Tidus and Yuna’s Relationship

The HD remaster of FFX and FFX-2 added an audio drama that continues Yuna’s story after the games end and it makes major changes to the game. Not only does Sin return, making the ending of FFX feel more like a temporary measure than the true solution to Spira’s issues, but Yuna actually breaks up with Tidus. That’s right, Yuna falls in love with somebody else in the audio drama, and she leaves Tidus for him. Since Tidus doesn’t have as many connections in the world as Yuna, it would definitely be tough for him to lose what was likely one of the main reasons he wanted to return. At the very least, he’s now free to join a Blitzball team and go pro again.

With the events of the audio drama, it feels like Tidus returning shouldn’t be the canon ending of Final Fantasy X-2. During the game, Yuna deals with themes that include moving on from her past as the world is moving on from the constant threat of Sin. As a result, Tidus returning feels like a step back, even if it is a happy ending for the couple after their separation in the first game. The problem is the audio drama undoing the impact of in-game events yet again by having Yuna fall in love with somebody else. This makes the entire story less meaningful.

Tidus and Yuna aren’t the only romance in the Final Fantasy franchise, but the sequel and audio drama might make it one of the most complicated. Additional content didn’t do FFX any favors, and the best way to experience the story is by ignoring the audio drama, which makes a big enough difference to the entire story that a lot of the content becomes less impactful. On the other hand, life has twists like this, and not every romance has a happy ending. So perhaps it’s a fitting conclusion in some ways, too.