History YMMV / FinalFantasyX

** Most endgame parties will end up having Tidus, Wakka, and/or Rikku, if not just all three. Tidus' Blitz Ace/Slice and Dice and Wakka's Attack Reels are two of the most damaging Overdrives in the game beyond what other characters can acquire, making them your best source of DPS, and Rikku's Mix lets her grant the party powerful buffs and fully heal them, making her the best support character. Fourth place goes to Yuna, as her aeons are invaluable as meat shields against some of the games most devastating attacks your party otherwise cannot survive (such as Dark Anima's Oblivion, or the Dark Magus Sister's Delta Attack). Fifth place goes to Auron, whose Tornado Overdrive is good against groups of enemies and his Celestial Weapon comes with First Strike and Counter-Attack, and since Tidus and Wakka's Celestial Weapons have Evade & Counter, this creates an entire party that will counter enemy hits with an attack of their own. Tidus, Wakka and Rikku are also the only party members who can fight underwater, so using them for the whole game is a good way to make sure they aren't underpowered when the game suddenly [[CharacterSelectForcing forces you to use them,]] like against [[{{Superboss}} Shinryu]].

** Most endgame parties will end up having Tidus, Wakka, and/or Rikku, if not just all three. Tidus' Blitz Ace/Slice and Dice and Wakka's Attack Reels are two of the most damaging Overdrives in the game beyond what other characters can acquire, making them your best source of DPS, and Rikku's Mix lets her grant the party powerful buffs and fully heal them, making her the best support character. Fourth place goes to Yuna, as her aeons are invaluable as meat shields against some of the games most devastating attacks your party otherwise cannot survive (such as Dark Anima's Oblivion, or the Dark Magus Sister's Delta Attack). Fifth place goes to Auron, whose Tornado Overdrive is good against groups of enemies and his Celestial Weapon comes with First Strike and Counter-Attack, and since Tidus and Wakka's Celestial Weapons have Evade & Counter, this creates an entire party that will counter enemy hits with an attack of their own. Tidus, Wakka and Rikku are also the only party members who can fight underwater, so using them for the whole game is a good way to make sure they aren't underpowered when the game suddenly [[CharacterSelectForcing forces you to use them,]] like against [[ThatOneBoss Evrae Altana]].

** Most endgame parties will end up having Tidus, Wakka, and/or Rikku, if not just all three. Tidus' Blitz Ace/Slice and Dice and Wakka's Attack Reels are two of the most damaging Overdrives in the game beyond what other characters can acquire, making them your best source of DPS, and Rikku's Mix lets her grant the party powerful buffs and fully heal them, making her the best support character. Fourth place goes to Yuna, as her aeons are invaluable as meat shields against some of the games most devastating attacks your party otherwise cannot survive (such as Dark Anima's Oblivion, or the Dark Magus Sister's Delta Attack). Fifth place goes to Auron, whose Tornado Overdrive is good against groups of enemies and his Celestial Weapon comes with First Strike and Counter-Attack, and since Tidus and Wakka's Celestial Weapons have Evade & Counter, this creates an entire party that will counter enemy hits with an attack of their own.

** This goes as far as the Church of Yevon and TheReveal that [[spoiler:they're continuing the cycle willingly out of fatalistic defeatism, and in order to keep power for themselves]]. Both Japanese and western audiances can agree this is a bad thing, but the difference is that many in the West likely see Yevon as a [[CrystalDragonJesus an analog of Christianity]]. Therefore the revelation [[spoiler:that they are a CorruptChurch]] can come off as a CaptainObvious reveal because [[spoiler: Christianity as a whole, and organized religion in particular, is almost always portrayed as cruel, deceptive, and hypocritical in mainstream Western media]]. But the truth is that Yevon has ''far'' more [[UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}} Shintoist]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddhist]] philosophy going on, and serves as a {{Deconstruction}} of the idea of EternalRecurrence and infinitely persisting cycles of destruction and decay, which are central to a lot of eastern religions. To Japan, the idea of refusing to accept the inevitable and breaking the cycle is truly revolutionary, and in defiance of a lot of commonly-held ideas there, making the point where [[spoiler:Tidus and the group betray the Church to end the cycle]] all the more poignant to Japanese players.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in someone else's family affairs. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In America, it's completely different. A phase when teenagers resent or "hate" their parents is so common it's practically considered a normal part of child development, so Tidus talking about how he "hates his Dad" is not taken as seriously, and in fact is often dismissed as mere whinging from an angsty kid with [[WellDoneSonGuy "daddy issues"]]. Meanwhile, Jecht is viewed as a MemeticBadass (especially by male fans) who is right to call Tidus out for being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in someone else's family affairs. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In America, it's completely different. A phase when teenagers resent or "hate" their parents is so common it's practically considered a normal part of child development, and therefore Tidus talking about how he "hates his Dad" is not taken nearly as seriously, and in fact is often dismissed as mere whinging from an angsty kid with [[WellDoneSonGuy "daddy issues"]]. Meanwhile, Jecht is viewed as a MemeticBadass (especially by male fans) who is right to call Tidus out for being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** This goes as far as the Church of Yevon and TheReveal [[spoiler:they're continuing the cycle willingly in order to keep in power for as long as they need to]]. To both sides of the ocean this is unilaterally agreed to be a bad thing, but many audiences from the Western hemisphere likely see Yevon as a [[CrystalDragonJesus take on Christianity]], so the revelation can come off as a CaptainObvious reveal because [[spoiler:Western media is not shy about using the CorruptChurch trope]]. But the truth is that Yevon has ''far'' more [[UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}} Shintoist]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddhist]] philosophy going on and serves as a {{Deconstruction}} of the idea of EternalRecurrence and infinitely persisting cycles of destruction and decay that are central to a lot of eastern religions. To Japan, the idea stands firm as revolutionary and in defiance of a lot of commonly-held ideas there, making the point where [[spoiler:Tidus and the group betray the Church to end the cycle]] all the more poignant to Japanese players and players from other regions all around the world with cultures deeply rooted in regions.

** For the same reason, Tidus' influence on Yuna carries a different weight between regions. Yuna is becoming a summoner dedicated to defeating Sin like her father was, which is a part of filial piety, it is generally expected that children will follow the same career paths as their parents to honor them. Tidus showing skepticism of Yuna's choice and questioning it is an outsider interjecting on another family's business, which the other party members do not do and frown at Tidus for. In the West without the values of filial piety, the importance of Tidus speaking up when no one else will is greatly lessened and it comes off more that he's the OnlySaneMan who is willing to vocalize disagreement with Yuna's choices when no one else is.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in someone else's family affairs. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In America, it's completely different. A phase when teenagers resent or "hate" their parents is so common it's practically considered a normal part of child development, and therefore Tidus talking about how he "hates his Dad" is not viewed as shocking or surprising, and in fact is often dismissed as mere whinging from an angsty kid with [[WellDoneSonGuy "daddy issues"]]. Meanwhile, Jecht is viewed as a MemeticBadass (especially by male fans) who is right to call Tidus out for being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in someone else's family affairs. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In America, it's completely different. A phase when teenagers resent or "hate" their parents is so common it's practically considered a normal part of child development, and therefore Tidus talking about how he "hates his Dad" is not viewed as shocking or surprising, and in fact are often dismissed as mere whinging from an angsty kid with [[WellDoneSonGuy "daddy issues"]]. Meanwhile, Jecht is viewed as a MemeticBadass (especially by male fans) who is right to call Tidus out for being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in someone else's family affairs. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In America, it's completely different. A phase when teenagers resent or "hate" their parents is so common it's practically considered a normal part of child development, and therefore Tidus talking about how he "hates his Dad" is not viewed as shocking or surprising. Tidus' problems with Jecht are therefore often dismissed as mere whinging from an angsty kid with [[WellDoneSonGuy "daddy issues"]], whilst Jecht is viewed as a MemeticBadass (especially by male fans) who is right to call Tidus out for being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in someone else's family issues. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In America, it's completely different. A phase when teenagers resent or "hate" their parents is so common it's practically considered a normal part of child development, and therefore Tidus talking about how he "hates his Dad" is not viewed as shocking or surprising. Tidus' problems with Jecht are therefore often dismissed as mere whinging from an angsty kid with [[WellDoneSonGuy "daddy issues"]], whilst Jecht is viewed as a MemeticBadass (especially by male fans) who is right to call Tidus out for being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family and ''particularly'' to one's parents is valued above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in family politics. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In the Western world, filial piety isn't really a thing, so few would fault Tidus for speaking up about a bad father, and child abuse is generally thought of as physical harm, not emotional. That aside, Western fans (especially males) tend to forgive Jecht and adore him as a manly MemeticBadass, while Tidus is seen as a {{Wangst}}y {{Bishonen}}. The result is that Tidus' issues with Jecht are often marginalized as [[WellDoneSonGuy daddy issues]], and Jecht's treatment of him is earned because he's right about Tidus being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** Cultural differences are a major factor in why Western and Japanese audiences have very different views on Tidus and Jecht. In the East, hating your father is a big deal, because of the value placed on the Confucian ideals of [[HonorThyParent filial piety]]: loyalty to one's family (and ''particularly'' to their parents) above all else, even if they are bad parents. For the same reason, parental abuse is not discussed as openly, since it's not the place of outsiders to get involved in family politics. Tidus openly speaking ill of Jecht and how he was mistreated is a scathing indictment of how poisonous these values can be, and how damaging it can be to a family to let these problems go unaddressed. In the Western world, filial piety isn't really a thing, so few would fault Tidus for speaking up about a bad father, and child abuse is generally thought of as physical harm, not emotional. That aside, Western fans (especially males) tend to forgive Jecht and adore him as a manly MemeticBadass, while Tidus is seen as a {{Wangst}}y {{Bishonen}}. The result is that Tidus' issues with Jecht are often marginalized as [[WellDoneSonGuy daddy issues]], and Jecht's treatment of him is earned because he's right about Tidus being a scrawny, wimpy crybaby.

** The games RelationshipValues system can case this depending on the players choices at points. Sometimes characters ask Tidus his thoughts on an ongoing subject, which tend to have different results that factor into a hidden mechanic. Most of these don't really factor in until the end of the game, and feel out of place or sudden. For example: Lulu can make very flirty comments towards Tidus near the final dungeon, even though Tidus has firmly gotten with Yuna by that point, because the RelationshipValues are skewed towards Lulu. It makes anyone besides Yuna being the highest in the total points feel like it comes out of no where.

** Lulu. Early on in the game, she's invaluable due to her spells providing her a damage output unrivaled by most of the party (especially against enemies with a weakness to certain elements). However, as the game goes on, Lulu simply isn’t able to keep up with the rest of the cast due to her low Speed and the recovery on spells, meaning her damage output falls off considerably. It doesn’t help that her Overdrive is a pain to use (requiring one to rotate their joystick rapidly to increase the number of hits) and doesn’t scale well into the later portions of the game. It also doesn't that the process of obtaining her InfinityPlusOneSword is a pain in the ass.

** A more minor example is Biran and Yenke, the two Ronso who [[TheBully bullied]] Kimahri while he was growing up, and then continued that same behavior throughout the game. Their cartoonishly idiotic voices (especially when they say their “Hornless! Hornless!” {{Catchphrase}}) combined with their [[EvilIsPetty petty]] behaviors in general make them come across as oddly lovable buffoon bullies, similar to the likes of [[Franchise/PowerRangers Bulk and Skull]] or [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Biff Tannen]]. [[spoiler:And then it ends up being quite cathartic to finally defeat them in their two-on-one battle against Kimahri, prompting them both to pull a HeelFaceTurn and finally respect him. Though sadly, [[DroppedABridgeOnHim they die shortly after that]].]]

** Unlocking the final BonusBoss Nemesis requires you to capture 10 of every monster in the game by defeating them with a weapon which has the otherwise-useless Capture skill, no matter how rare they are. [[FakeLongevity This can easily take tens of hours]]. Not to mention that ''facing'' said monster generally requires extensive grinding to remodel the sphere grid, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXsS5trvBvE unless you use Game Breakers]].

* AccidentalInnuendo: When the Earth Eater BonusBoss is knocked on its back, whenever it casts Flare on itself (it has Auto-Reflect) it awkwardly looks like FartsOnFire.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While the gameplay, storyline, and music still hold up extremely well (and it's considered to have one of the best turn-based battle systems, soundtrack, and even story in the series), it's hard to appreciate nowadays how much of a risk voice acting was back around the turn of the millennium. These days, it suffers a ''lot'' from LipLock (especially with Yuna) or HongKongDub. The presentation itself also fell victim to this. In 2001, the game's opening was ''mind blowing'', having fully motion captured character animations and subtle facial expressions. The "this is my story" scene was practically a tech demo of showing how far [=Squaresoft=] had come without having to totally rely on pre-rendered cinematics to have big emotional highlights with character models like prior games. But TechnologyMarchesOn, and within only three years after this game's release, other series rapidly caught up to and showed up ''Final Fantasy X'' in presentation, and by today's standards it becomes incredibly obvious where Square had to cut corners to get higher quality scenes elsewhere.

** The infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5FTJxfV3pc laughing scene]] is frequently taken out of context, leading to the popular misconception that it's a case of bad voice acting and that the Japanese version of the scene was "better". Neither of those things are true ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mAgVjH9V9Ps#t=447s see for yourself]]). In reality, the awkwardness is intentional. The point of the scene was to show how forcing yourself to [[SadClown laugh]] or [[StepfordSmiler smile]] makes you look weird, as evidenced by every other character's reaction to Tidus laughing. In-context, Tidus had just learned that his father, Jecht, had become Sin and is responsible for scores of deaths across the globe. Tidus is forcing himself to laugh...because he doesn't have a lot to be happy about.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
** There's also the fact that the entire party never tell Tidus [[spoiler:that the Final Summoning is a HeroicSacrifice]], and in the meantime treat his flippancy towards the pilgrimage and its goal with disdain. Tidus' ignorance over Spiran culture is something that grates on the party throughout the game, but they rarely make an effort to explain things to him and just act annoyed. Some players go so far as to accuse the party of being enablers, because they ''do'' know [[spoiler:what the Final Summoning is]] and are supportive and encouraging of it. This is not helped by the game's narrative making it obvious that Yevon is a CorruptChurch, and TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Final Summoning is a lie and false hope]] is very heavily foreshadowed. This means that players will quickly clue into things that the party members will not, since most of them have been raised to have absolute faith in Yevon and never had any reason to doubt them, and this makes it easier for the player to judge them more harshly for their actions and devotion.
** Tidus' mother was deeply in love with Jecht - to the point that she [[spoiler:let herself die]] after his disappearance - and is consistently portrayed as TheWoobie. However, not only did she [[ParentalNeglect completely ignore]] Tidus when his father was around, she never bothered stopping her husband from [[AbusiveParents bullying their son]], and didn't seem to care what happened to him after Jecht disappeared.

* VindicatedByHistory: At the time of its release, ''X'' was well-received by fans but became the source of a lot of ridicule ([[AmericansHateTingle in the west]], in its country of origin Japan all of its elements received universal praise and was always considered one of the best games in the series --if not ''the'' best-- and even one of the best games of all time) due its voice acting, story, and characters, as well as the lack of freedom (especially in the later half). For many years, it was subject to a hardline BrokenBase that either adored it or despised it, with the game's flaws bringing plenty of mockery from its detractors. Years later, many detractors reevaluated their assessment of the game and found the more nuanced story and characters, as well as the gameplay innovations, as refreshingly unique (and, in many ways, ahead of their time instead of flawed).[[note]]For example, the lack of a pilotable airship was criticized for the removal of immersion, as well as adding more linearity to a game that already had plenty. However, since then, Fast Travel has easily become a must-have feature to avoid tiresome backtracking, making the destination menu in ''FFX'' seem less out of place and even innovative for its time, also actually allowing the game's story to feel more immersive.[[/note]] The fact that ''X'' was, in many ways, the last "traditional" ''Final Fantasy'' compared to the games after helped to win over both former detractors and curious new fans that started with the HD version. Over time, perception shifted whereas praise replaced mockery as the default reaction to the game and its elements, earning it a spot as one of the most well-received entries in the series, with a poll in [[https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/All_Final_Fantasy_Big_Vote 2020 flat out having it voted the best game in the series]].

* HarsherInHindsight:
** In one of the most light-hearted scenes of the game, Rikku pokes fun at Auron, saying he always charges into things without a plan. [[spoiler:As it turns out, that's exactly how he got himself killed.]]
** While Tidus' DaddyIssues initially come across as simple, a flashback reveals that Jecht abused alcohol and actually verbally and emotionally abused his son, and initially only wanted drop it because citizens made fun of that.
** Playing through the game a second time and knowing [[spoiler:that Yuna's pilgrimage will end with her sacrifice]] changes your perception of many early scenes. Especially leaving Besaid and any time Tidus mentions to Yuna what she should do after she defeats Sin. Interestingly enough, flashbacks show us that [[GenerationXerox Jecht did the exact same thing with Braska]]. Both Yuna and her father "[[StepfordSmiler just smile]]" in response.

** Is the main character's name pronounced "Tee-dus" or "Tie-dus"? Not even ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia]]'' or ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' (all Squared-owned properties) can agree. Given the Romaji used for his Japanese name (ティーダ, ''Tīda''), it's probably supposed to be the former, and [[WordofSaintPaul James Arnold Taylor affirmed this]]. Doesn't mean people won't still argue over it, or prefer to keep calling him "Tie-dus".

* VindicatedByHistory: At the time of its release, ''X'' was well-received by fans but became the source of a lot of ridicule due its voice acting, story, and characters, as well as the lack of freedom (especially in the later half). For many years, it was subject to a hardline BrokenBase that either adored it or despised it, with the game's flaws bringing plenty of mockery from its detractors. Years later, many detractors reevaluated their assessment of the game and found the more nuanced story and characters, as well as the gameplay innovations, as refreshingly unique (and, in many ways, ahead of their time instead of flawed).[[note]]For example, the lack of a pilotable airship was criticized for the removal of immersion, as well as adding more linearity to a game that already had plenty. However, since then, Fast Travel has easily become a must-have feature to avoid tiresome backtracking, making the destination menu in ''FFX'' seem less out of place and even innovative for its time, also actually allowing the game's story to feel more immersive.[[/note]] The fact that ''X'' was, in many ways, the last "traditional" ''Final Fantasy'' compared to the games after helped to win over both former detractors and curious new fans that started with the HD version. Over time, perception shifted whereas praise replaced mockery as the default reaction to the game and its elements, earning it a spot as one of the most well-received entries in the series, with a poll in [[https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/All_Final_Fantasy_Big_Vote 2020 flat out having it voted the best game in the series]].

** A more minor example is Biran and Yenke, the two Ronso who [[TheBully bullied]] Kimahri while he was growing up, and then continued that same behavior throughout the game. Their cartoonishly idiotic voices (especially when they say their “Hornless! Hornless!” {{Catchphrase}}) combined with their [[EvilIsPetty petty]] behaviors in general make them come across as oddly lovable buffoon bullies, similar to the likes of [[Franchise/PowerRangers Bulk and Skull]] or [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Biff Tannen]]. [[spoiler:And then it ends up being quite cathartic to finally defeat them in their two-on-one battle against Kimahri, prompting them both to pull a HeelFaceTurn and finally respect him. Though [[DroppedABridgeOnHim they die shortly after that]], sadly.]]

** Lulu. Early on in the game, she's invaluable due to her spells providing her a damage output unrivaled by most of the party (especially against enemies with a weakness to certain elements). However, as the game goes on, Lulu simply isn’t able to keep up with the rest of the cast due to her low Speed and the recovery on spells, meaning her damage output falls off considerably. It also doesn’t help that her Overdrive is a pain to use (requiring one to rotate their joystick rapidly to increase its damage) and doesn’t scale well into the later portions of the game.
** Kimahri. His Ronso Rages (read: Blue Magic, copying certain enemy attacks) are few, you won't get to use them much since they're Overdrives, and the ones that could hypothetically be useful are outdone by the skills and Overdrives of other characters (for example, Mighty Guard is entirely outclassed by Rikku's Mighty G line of Mixes that offer far more stat buffs). Otherwise he's meant to be a JackOfAllStats who can slip into the Sphere Grids of other characters, but moving him around so much like that would be very resource intensive, and even when he's focused into just one character's skills he'll inevitably be inferior to them since it takes time to get him into their Grid that they are using to advance through it. His main utility will end up being a shallow clone of Auron or Rikku, since they join the party later in the game and Kimahri is your default third physical fighter before Auron joins; once the party is filled out, Kimahri will probably get set aside unless needed for specific circumstances.

** Wakka's motivations for helping Tidus are entirely selfish (his physical resemblance to Chappu and wanting to win his last blitzball game before he retires), and he is openly racist towards the Al Bhed and repeatedly insults and degrades them. The game presents his hatred of the Al Bhed as due to their role in Chappu's death, which some view as the game simplifying racism into a justified and sympathetic FreudianExcuse (although it is pointed out that the Yu Yevon propaganda against the Al Bhed is the main factor there).
** Lulu is generally frosty to pretty much everyone but Yuna for most of the game. For some, the DefrostingIceQueen arc simply doesn't work and Lulu is too harsh and cold to be likeable.

* VindicatedByHistory: At the time of its release, ''X'' was well-received by fans but became the source of a lot of ridicule due to things like the voice acting, story, characters and setting, as well as the lack of freedom (especially in the later half). For many years, it was subject to a hardline BrokenBase that either adored it or despised it, with the game's flaws bringing plenty of mockery from its detractors. Years later, many detractors reevaluated their assessment of the game and found the more nuanced story and characters, as well as the gameplay innovations, as refreshingly unique (and, in many ways, ahead of their time).[[note]]For example, the lack of a pilotable airship was criticized for the removal of immersion, as well as adding more linearity to a game that already had plenty. However, since then, Fast Travel has easily become a must-have feature to avoid tiresome backtracking, making the destination menu in ''FFX'' seem less out of place and even innovative for its time, and actually allowed the game's story to feel more immersive.[[/note]] The fact that ''X'' was, in many ways, the last "traditional" ''Final Fantasy'' compared to the games after helped to win over both former detractors and curious new fans that started with the HD version. Over time, perception shifted whereas praise replaced mockery as the default reaction to the game, earning it a spot as one of the most well-received entries in the series, with a poll in [[https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/All_Final_Fantasy_Big_Vote 2020 flat out having it voted the best game in the series]].