Final Fantasy 10’s Tidus nearly became gaming’s second plumber

August 3, 2021

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Japanese gaming website Famitsu is celebrating Final Fantasy 10’s 20th anniversary with a special creator interview and it’s led to some never-before-revealed info. The same interview revealed that Final Fantasy X-3 has a chance of success.

Although it’s a long interview, one of the most fascinating revelations is right at its beginning. Tidus was once designed to be a plumber. Tetsuya Namura, a character designer, even drew him as one. Nomura said that the overalls remind him of a plumber’s outfit when he was asked about Tidus’ design. However, a plumber doesn’t need so many belt buckles or chains.

Blitzball is FF10’s underwater game that almost everyone hates. It was created to get Tidus in the water as much as a plumber. There are many underwater scenes in the game, including Yuna’s famous swim. Tidus therefore had to be able to relate to water. Tidus was suggested by Yoshinori Kitase to be an athlete because it would make him stand out among Final Fantasy characters. Because Tidus had to be a swimmer, the theme of ‘water” was established early in the development of FF10’s world Spira. This world was designed to make it difficult to travel and emphasize the idea of your group embarking on a difficult pilgrimage.

These are some of the more interesting tidbits: FF10’s world feels less Western than previous series entries like Final Fantasy 8 or 9. It was inspired by Okinawa, Japan’s fifth-largest, and well-known for its tropical climate. The team also spent a lot of time explaining the pilgrimage, as Final Fantasy X was released in a time when it was difficult to watch explainer videos and gameplay on YouTube. They wanted everyone to understand the story. This is why Auron was able to play the role of a gruff advisor, even though he wasn’t supposed speak. Evidently, Nomura gave up trying to explain things and decided to just go with Kingdom Hearts.

Final Fantasy 10 is a beloved game in Japan, at least. Although its creators may have made some changes, they are still satisfied with the outcome. It is, in fact, a good game.