Personally I think it was the direction not the voice that was the problem for Tidus. If you listen to the same voice actor in later games (Dissidia and World of Final Fantasy) he is a lot more measured and a touch deeper.

This (Tee-dus) stuff drives me nuts. I understand that's the "accepted" pronunciation, but I always called him (Tide-us). I also think that makes more sense, as he's so intrinsically linked to water.

I actually preferred Tidus' VA to Yuna's in this game, though I don't think anyone did a bad job of capturing some element of their respective character. I love this game so much, and I don't think I could have gotten as immersed in the story with bad voice acting, as it was such a major step for the franchise that it had to be done well. I agree it could have been better, but I didn't find it jarring enough to break my immersion throughout the story.

It's interesting to note that the narrative Tidus provides, as a dream of the fayth, is an an expression of why summoners like Yuna are required in Spira. I feel like It's because of this that FFX requires the complimentary narratives of Tidus and Yuna to deliver the tragedy it does.

Have to disagree with this analysis. Tidus is extremely important to the story and the narrative, and is of at least equal prominence in the story to Yuna, if not more. The whole story is told from his perspective, and it starts with him and ends with him. He is integral in changing the minds of Yuna and the rest of the team (barring Auron and Rikku). You acknowledge all these points but I think you're massively understating his importance as a result of them. If not for the critical role that he played the cycle wouldn't have been broken. And he isn't distracting her and he doesn't just disappear at the end, he heroically sacrifices himself to save the world, an excellent role reversal between him and Yuna. Although it was a group effort, I really dont see how Yuna deserves more credit for breaking the cycle than he does. And I've yet to hear an argument for why Yuna deserves more credit for it, if people think she does. Yuna is the most important party member to the party members since she is the summoner and they are her guardians. But in the game itself Tidus is the main character/protagonist. I accept that they can both be seen as the co-protagonists of the game. But if you have to pick one, for all these reasons, its definitely Tidus.

I always thought it was weird that for the first voice acted FF they would let you pick the name for the protag... A name that I ended up mispronouncing for YEARS. Sorry Square, "Tee-dus" just sounds fucking stupid to me now. I thought that with all the water themes it would only make sense for his name to be "TIDE-us"

I would say that the voice acting was done under extreme constraints. Whenever the English translation was done, the voice actors had to match their timing and words with the mouths of the characters who were originally animated for a Japanese delivery. No further changes were made to the animation to compensate for English. So, it's hard to really get a feel for the actual talent of the actors given the circumstances. The least affected from this is Auron since you really don't see his mouth for out of his talking.

You think Tidus’ voice was rough in FFX, the voice of Zidane in Dissidia made me want to take a hammer to the game.

There's a picture of Tidus having Jecht's head band on, and it's very fitting. While I can't say if we'll see a Final Fantasy X-3, I am very glad to see the growth of this character. And just to see an image covey that growth is both amazing and very reassuring towards how Tidus' future is with Yuna. I just wish they have Tidus carry something to reference Auron with, seeing as how Auron became the father-figure Tidus never had, and for him to be that influential in his life must hold some weight.

Hey man, long time subscriber. But I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with your opinion on this being "Yuna's story". This story hinges on both characters equally, and also is not as much of a subversion of Joseph Campbell's work as one might think: Tidus and Yuna are two sides of the same coin. Both of them are crucial to the outcome of their respective homelands, and they both teach each other an "elixer" that they can bring back home with them. 1. Tidus starts off in the Ordinary World(Dream Zanarkand). Dream Zanarkand is a materialistic city that "never sleeps". A place that does not know impermanence, despite being fundamentally impermanent(made purely of imagination and pyreflies). Tidus himself is suffering from a narrow mind. Only focusing on the spitefully competitive feelings that he has towards his father. He has no understanding of a "bigger picture". 2. Tidus is Called to Adventure by Sin. Often this phase is prompted by a dark herald. Some kind of monster that is labeled as "evil". Sometimes it is associated with the hero's father. 3. Tidus Refuses the Call a few times during gameplay. As you try to press forward, he says "no not this way!" or something of that nature. 4. As you said, Auron is the Wiseman archetype who acts as the hero's conscience. Auron gives Tidus Jecht's sword. This sword pre-dates the sword that Wakka gave Tidus. Its normal for heroes to start off with their father's sword, and then replace them if need be. Luke starts off with Anakin's saber, and then makes his own green one. 5. Tidus fights the Threshold Guardians in the form of Sinspawn enemies. 6. The next step is the Belly of the Whale, where the hero is prepped to enter the realm of his psychological rebirth. Usually the mentor has to urge the hero to go through with jumping into the abyss. Tidus literally gets swallowed by Sin(a whale-like organism), with full support from Auron. 7. Meeting the Goddess. This is where the male hero meets a pure feminine figure that represents his positive Anima(Jung). She represents what he lacks: feminine Yin consciousness. The archetypal feminine is more concerned with the totality than she is with individuality. She will mindlessly give herself to the collective's demands if need be. This is something that Tidus does not yet understand, due to being immersed almost purely in his masculine Yang(Animus) mindset. Often, the Goddess is the angel on the male hero's shoulder. Think of Leia and how she frequently lectures Han to be more selfless in aiding the rebellion(the collective). 8. Meeting the Shadow. This represents the hero's dark potential. What he could become if he is not careful. Tidus's shadow is not Jecht. It is Seymour. Seymour hates his father and kills him, and he transforms his mother into Anima; a dark manifestation of his feminine half. Seymour also seeks to possess Yuna for his own gain. This is a risk that Tidus has to consider within himself as well, because he shares many of the same insecurities that Seymour does. 9. The Road of Trials. This is represented by the Cloister of Trials. Admittedly, Yuna has more to gain here than Tidus. She gains an Aeon with each trial. But Tidus does learn more and more about Yevon dogma as each trial passes. His skepticism growing more and more as well. As the journey presses on, Tidus presumably learns more about Yuna; he realizes how willing she is to give up her life for the sake of others. All of Yevon culture revolves around this as well...for better or worse. While it is not explicitly stated, I think its safe to theorize that both Yuna and Yevon have exposed Tidus to a more selfless way of thinking. Dream Zanarkand had no opportunity to teach Tidus any of these values. Impermanence is something that Yuna accepts. She sends the dead to the Farplane...which is an acknowledgment of impermanence. She is willing to give her own life...which is another acknowledgement of impermanence. The "city that never sleeps" is not capable of teaching Tidus the value of life's ever-changing flow. 10. The Ordeal. This is where the hero faces a big personal fear or a dark truth. Tidus learns the plight of the Fayth, and how they are being used to create an impermanent version of Zanarkand. If Tidus is to free the Fayth and Dream Zanarkand, he also must accept his own impermanence. Which he does. I firmly believe that he would not have made this decision if not for Yuna's continued influence. 11. Female as Temptress. A female figure tempts the hero into returning to the status quo. This usually happens after the hero learns a devastating truth. The hero now has to choose between truth and illusion. Yunalesca represents this for both Tidus and Yuna. Both must decide if they are going to accept the scary truths and move into the unknown, or to fall back into the comforting illusion of safety. Tidus and Yuna choose the former. This would not have happened if Tidus was not present with Yuna. Another example of this is Leia trying to convince Luke to not confront Vader. Also, when Vader uses Leia to tempt Luke to the dark side. Which would continue the dark family cycle(status quo). 12. Atonement with the Father. This is where the hero atones with his ego. He sees that the father is not as scary as he once thought, and there is a reason as to why the father did what he did. Tidus may "kill" Jecht. But this is no Oedipal Complex. Seymour is the one who indulges this complex. Tidus overcomes the hatred he had for his father, and he atones with him. Killing him is not an act that Tidus really wants to take part in. 13. Apotheosis. The hero has an ego disintegrating moment, and he transforms as a person. This literally happens to Tidus. Literally. After this, there are a few parts of the Heroes Journey that are left out, and they are covered in FF X-2. But... 14. Return with the Elixer. The hero goes back to the Ordinary World with knowledge. He uses this knowledge to improve his society. Tidus actually achieves this. His "city that never sleeps" can now...sleep. A city that was built by a man who could not accept impermanence is now faced with the truth of said impermanence. And this is all because of Tidus and his willingness to help the Fayth finally find rest. This comment is already far, far too long...so I won't go too much into Yuna's journey. Had way too much time on my hands today. But Tidus did teach Yuna the opposite lesson, and she brought that elixer back to Spira: The lesson of embracing life, and not being too hung up on spiritual matters. Through Tidus, Yuna learned to be more grounded in her immediate reality. Live in the moment, and not be so fearful about the future...but to look forward to it even. Yuna brought this elixer to an entire crowd of people at the end of this story. Spira no longer fixates nor anticipates death, but instead looks forward to a better quality of life. My point is that Tidus and Yuna go on this journey together. They both find out the truth, they learn more about each others' differences in thought, and then they apply what they learn and create their own individual Elixers out of the experience. I personally don't see this as being subversive at all. I'll have to find the quote, but Joseph Campbell himself said that his Monomyth format is not meant to be a dogma. People who use his format use it for "creative mythology". This means that you don't have to follow any of the myths that came before, and you can use his monomyth map in all sorts of different creative ways. Therefore, its actually incredible difficult to de-construct it. What makes FFX creative is the fact that Tidus and Yuna very much share the Hero archetype equally. This is a bit of a stretch, but the Final Fantasy X HD collection box art even kind of alludes to this. Tidus and Yuna forming the Taoist Yin Yang formation. Pretty much asserting that these are two parts of the same protagonist. My final point: 15. Master of Two Worlds. Because Tidus and Yuna share the protagonist role, Tidus is the master of the spiritual and etheric otherworld. Yuna is the master of the world of the living. Both characters have balanced each other out. And they are both far more well-rounded than they were upon entering their journeys. But yeah, make what you will of this.

I hear what your saying about the awkward voice acting. Just a suggestion. If you have played ffx hundreds of times and are willing to give it one more go, grab the remastered edition on pc and lookup the guide to have Japanese voice acting with English subtitles. It is an entirely different experience. And all the characters feel perfectly casted voice-wise. Made me see the characters and the stories from a whole new perspective.

Great video! I've on my 2nd play through of the game, the first time I got to the end but never beat it. Tidus is okay, but I would have liked a tougher main lead. He's just not the same as Cloud, Squall, or Zidane. I feel like Cloud became lass tough and more emotional in games after the original FF7. They also did the same with Squall in Kingdom Hearts =( Still like the game thought!

Good analysis, Tidus and his hatred for his drunkard father was the only thing that made him interesting.