Tidus (although he can be re-named), is the game's main character, and the one which you will be controlling for most of Final Fantasy X.
Background
At the start of the game Tidus is introduced to us as a popular Blitzball player in the futuristic city of Zanarkand. However, the blitzball game is interrupted mid-way by the evil entity known as [[../../Non-Playable Characters|Sin]], leaving Tidus to fight his way out with the help of Auron. Due to Sin, Tidus leaves Zanarkand and is transported to Spira, which he learns is actually the same planet just 1000 years in the future. This takes Tidus aback due to the lack of technological developments, which is eventually explained to be because of Sin. Tidus soon joins Yuna on her pilgrimage to Zanarkand, following in his father's footsteps (who he has a rather turbulent relationship with) who was a guardian of Yuna's father (Lord High Summoner Braska) 10 years prior to Tidus' journey. Tidus' father, Jecht, disappeared from Zanarkand 10 years before the game begins, and we learn more about his relationship to Tidus and his eventual fate through flashbacks and spheres as the game progresses.
Basic Fighting Style
Tidus' weapon of choice is a sword, and his armour is a small shield on his arm. Following Tidus' basic path on the sphere grid will give him a fairly high accuracy (although not as high as Wakka's), decent strength, defence and HP slightly above that of Wakka. Tidus has little flair for offensive magic on his initial path on the sphere grid, owing largely to a low magic attribute as well as relatively low MP and few opportunities to learn black magic spells. However Tidus' real strength is his speed in combat, as he has not only a good agility stat, but also access to the haste spells (see ability list) as well as delaying attacks.
Through the game Tidus is ideal for taking out wolf-type enemies due to his good accuracy, as well as helping to get lots of hits in on bosses. If you decide to tackle the monster arena or dark aeons, Tidus is an essential member of the team due to powerful overdrives and a good bonus on his ultimate (celestial) weapon.
Notable Skills
Some of the more useful skills that Tidus gains on his initial sphere grid path are detailed below:
Delay Attack/Buster - This skill will cause an enemy's turn to move further down the list, enabling Tidus' agility to be exploited further.
Haste/Hastega - Haste cast on one or all party members is an invaluable skill due to how many more turns it will allow your party to squeeze in between an enemy's attacks, and is especially useful on slower characters such as Auron.
Slow/Slowga - Although not as useful as haste due to enemy immunities, this skill can prove useful by consistently lowering the number of turns an enemy will have in battle.
Quick Hit - The final skill on Tidus' path will initially be difficult to exploit to its full potential, as it requires 28mp for a minimal reduction in the time until your next attack. However, as you get more powerful this skill will allow you to land many more blows between enemy turns, as the effect can quickly stack up.
Overdrives
To get Tidus' overdrives to inflict maximum damage, you must successfully stop a pointer scrolling along a bar in the middle section as quickly as possible. For example, if you fail to do this in the 4 seconds allotted for Blitz Ace, the Jecht Shot will not be executed after the 8 strikes. Swordplay:
Spiral Cut:
- Attacks a single enemy
- Available from start of game.
Slice and Dice:
- Hits random enemies a total of 6 times at around 50% power
- Use Tidus' overdrive command 10 times
Energy Rain:
- Hits all enemies once
- Use Tidus' overdrive command 30 times
Blitz Ace:
- 8 Slashes at around 15% power followed by a Jecht Shot (damage equal to that of the 8 slahes) on one enemy
- Use Tidus' overdrive command 80 times
Celestial Weapon
Tidus' Celestial Weapon is the Caladbolg, and is powered up by the Sun Crest, then the Sun Sigil.