Yuna

Yuna is the female protagonist of Final Fantasy X and its sequel Final Fantasy X-2. In her debut appearance, Yuna is a summoner whom Tidus meets on Besaid Island, and she joins him on his journey as they share a common goal to defeat Sin. In Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna is the main protagonist, and she joins a sphere hunting group named the Gullwings while on a search for Tidus.

Yuna is a half-human and half-Al Bhed. She has, a condition in which a person has two differently colored eyes; in Yuna's case, her blue eye comes from her half-Spiran ancestry while her green eye comes from her half-Al Bhed ancestry.

Concept and creation
According to Tetsuya Nomura, he based Yuna's overall design on hakama, a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Nomura said that after learning Yuna was to perform a dance called the "sending," he wanted to give her outfit something that would flow. For this reason, the specific type of kimono he chose for her was a, a long-sleeved kimono. Nomura also said that he adorned Yuna's dress and necklace with images of the hibiscus flower also called "yuna," and that her name carries the meaning of "night" (夕な) in Okinawan, establishing a contrast between her and Tidus, whose Japanese name translates to "sun" (太陽) in Okinawan. This contrast is also represented in-game by items named for the sun and moon that empower Tidus' and Yuna's most powerful weapons. Nomura explains that while all these subtle details may be unneeded, he wanted his designs to have meaning behind them. In the games themselves, Yuna is named after Lady Yunalesca.

The positive fan reaction to Final Fantasy X convinced the developers to continue Yuna's and other characters' stories with Final Fantasy X-2. Tetsu Tsukamoto said that Yuna's radical design changes from one game to the other reflected a huge cultural change. Yoshinori Kitase added that they did not want to make Final Fantasy X-2 feel like an extension of its predecessor, so they changed the clothing of Yuna, Rikku, and others' to make them seem more active. Because Yuna, Rikku, and Paine live in a more carefree world, the designers wanted them to dress up, a feature that became key to the gameplay. Kazushige Nojima described Yuna's new outfit as a "natural reaction to the heavy stuff she wore in FFX." Yuna's singing performance was used to demonstrate the pop feel that the game incorporates. Motomu Toriyama said her personality was the result of not having her bear the responsibility of being a summoner anymore. He added that while "she could be seen as a completely different person, ... deep in her heart, she is the same old Yuna."

Final Fantasy X
In Final Fantasy X, Yuna is introduced as a reserved, intelligent and serious 17-year old girl whose formal attire contrasts sharply with Tidus' more outgoing appearance. Yuna is a summoner of Yevon and has the ability to summon powerful creatures known as aeons with help from spirits known as Fayths. She is mild in demeanor and soft-spoken, but harbors no doubt in herself or in her mission to destroy Sin, and usually manages to conceal any feelings of sadness from others.

As a summoner, Yuna travels across Spira to end the threat the malevolent force Sin poses to her world, aided by her aeons, and even more so by her guardians, whose duty is to protect her along her journey. Yuna begins her pilgrimage across Spira with three guardians: Kimahri Ronso, who took care of her after she was orphaned; Lulu, who treats her as a younger sister; and Wakka, with whom — along with Lulu — she has been close friends with since childhood. After Tidus arrives in Besaid, she takes him as her fourth guardian, and later, Auron — who was also guardian to her father — becomes her fifth. Finally, Yuna's maternal cousin Rikku becomes Yuna's sixth and final guardian shortly after Tidus and Wakka thwart her attempt to kidnap Yuna with an underwater machina.

During the course of the game, Yuna is forced to grow in character. She becomes battle-hardened and her Yevonite beliefs are shaken and eventually shattered. Furthermore, her ever-growing relationship with Tidus causes her to question her quest, and think more for herself. This is evident when she is composing the video sphere she intends for her friends and guardians to view after her death — she confesses that the thought of not being with Tidus scares her.

As she learns more about Sin — against whom she has trained in the summoners' arts to use the Final Summoning — Yuna becomes caught up in the plot of Maester Seymour Guado, who claims to want to unite Spira by marrying her, but who seeks to use her to become the next Sin and crush Spira. Yuna had planned to marry him in exchange for him turning himself over to Yevon's judgment. However, the plan fails and Yuna and her guardians, recently informed of Seymour's crime, fight and kill him.

She is later kidnapped by Seymour's henchmen and brought to Bevelle, where her guardians launch a rescue attempt that ends in their capture. When she discovers that the Church of Yevon uses machina, violating its own teachings and that it has no intentions of allowing her to send Seymour despite his evil intentions, her faith in Yevon is finally crushed. When Tidus eventually learns the full implication of the Final Summoning — that Yuna will sacrifice herself, as her father did, in order to bring about a temporary period free of Sin called the Calm — his perspective persuades her that they can find another, more permanent way to rid Spira of the threat of Sin.

Tidus and Yuna's mutual love for one another intensifies as the party approaches its destination. In the romantic setting of a sphere pool in Macalania, Tidus shares memories of his native Zanarkand and toys with the idea of showing Yuna his home (even though it is becoming clear that he can never return). Yuna realizes she will never live to see it, and the burden she has been carrying in silence for so long finally causes her to break down, and she starts crying uncontrollably. Tidus moves to comfort her, and they passionately kiss. In the morning, Yuna has little choice but to proceed with her pilgrimage. When the quest draws to a close, Yuna is shocked to discover she must sacrifice one of her guardians to provide the soul for the Final Aeon, and that as the Final Aeon will become Sin, the Final Summoning can never defeat it.

With Tidus's encouragement, she decides to break Yevon's endless cycle and find another way to defeat Sin, one which will not provide it with the means to rise again. This eventually leads to a confrontation with Sin and the true progenitor of Spira's sorrows, Yu Yevon. Yuna's group defeats Braska's Final Aeon, whose fayth is Tidus's father Jecht, and after defeating Yuna's aeons as Yu Yevon possesses them, defeats Yu Yevon himself. However, as a consequence of defeating Yu Yevon and ridding the world of Sin, Tidus broke Yu Yevon's hold on the fayth, resulting in Tidus vanishing into nothingness as the fayth wake up. Before he leaves for the Farplane, Yuna tells him she loves him (in the Japanese version of the game, she says "Thank you" instead, basically thanking Tidus for protecting, supporting, and loving her). Though deeply saddened by Tidus's death, Yuna resolves to aid in the reconstruction of Spira now that it is free of Sin for good.

In Final Fantasy X International, an extra scene called Eternal Calm recounts Yuna's thoughts two years later as she tries to return to her normal life back in Besaid. As the high summoner who permanently defeated Sin, Yuna is constantly plagued by visitors and tourists. More than once, she is told by the elders of her town that she should be considering marriage and settling down. As Yuna contemplates the changing Spira and her role in it, Rikku comes to visit, showing her a sphere Kimahri found that she believes shows Tidus. Feeling that she deserves an adventure of her own, Yuna literally runs off with her cousin without a word, fueled by hope that she may be able to find out more regarding Tidus.

Final Fantasy X-2
In Final Fantasy X-2, after leaving Besaid, Yuna undergoes a total makeover, complete with a new outfit. From there, she sets out as a sphere hunter (a new craze sweeping Spira), becoming a member of the Gullwings to learn more about the sphere that features a young man with a strong resemblance to Tidus confined within a prison cell. The Gullwings' members include Rikku, a mysterious young woman named Paine, an Al Bhed child prodigy named Shinra, Rikku's brother Brother, and his friend Buddy. Together with Rikku and Paine, the trio of girls are known as YRP.

In the opening intro, Yuna's Garment Grid and Songstress Dressphere are stolen by Leblanc, who subsequently uses it to impersonate Yuna. While Rikku and Paine attempt to stealthily get the grid back, Yuna is forced to use the Gullwings' "prized" Mascot dressphere until her presence was required. By that time, Yuna, in her gunner dressphere, shows up with Rikku and Paine. Together, the Gullwings defeat Leblanc and her chief honchos, Ormi and Logos.

Yuna displays some changes in personality in Final Fantasy X-2: while still very kind-hearted and serious about her duties and putting others first, Yuna is more open and direct. However, her friends still occasionally tease her about her habit of being a pushover, for she can never turn her back on anyone's request for some form of aid, such acts of charity as these comprising the majority of the game's side-quests and missions. Her relationships from Final Fantasy X have given her a new look at life and – freed from the responsibilities and restrictions of her former role as summoner – she is presented as a much more free-spirited person. She also regards Rikku as something of a role model, picking up on her eccentric expressions, which included "disasteriffic" and "oh, poopie!"

Her purpose for traveling with the Gullwings, however, is mainly because she hopes to find more spheres that would link with the one Kimahri found, what she hopes is a clue that Tidus is alive. Her investigations eventually lead her into the plots of Shuyin and the various opposing factions in the post-Sin Spira, particularly those of the Youth League and New Yevon. The Gullwings in general – and Yuna in particular – seek to restore some sense of unity and peace to a dangerously divided world, as well as to stop forces which would seek to damage Spira even further. The player's actions throughout the course of the game determine whether or not Yuna ever manages to reunite with Tidus, a gift to her from the fayth as thanks for having saved the world a second time.

Kingdom Hearts II
In Kingdom Hearts II, Yuna, along with Rikku and Paine, appear at Hollow Bastion, working for Maleficent as spies in return for treasure. The three are fairy-like and appear super deformed. After Maleficent abandons the three during the Heartless attack at Hollow Bastion, and led to believe Leon has treasure by Donald Duck, Yuna and gang switch their alliance to Leon and the rest of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. Yuna and others forgive Sora and his partners for the deception with the three giving Sora the "Gullwing" Keychain, a reference to their sphere hunting group in Final Fantasy X-2. The trio are last seen during the end credits, where they steal ice cream from Yuffie and provoke her into chasing them. She was the only character in her gang whose name is spoken, "Yunie", a nickname made up by Rikku in the English versions of Final Fantasy X and X-2).

Relationships to other characters

 * Tidus: Yuna is drawn to Tidus when they first meet and a friendship begins to form when she is the only one who believes he is from Zanarkand. When Tidus watches the sphere she made on the Mi'ihen Highroad, it is revealed Yuna's feelings for him had begun to develop by then. The two share many intimate moments along her pilgrimage but are prevented from admitting their feelings to each other. When they finally reunite, Yuna chooses her pilgrimage over being with Tidus but the two share a passionate kiss in the spring in Macalania Woods. Yuna confesses her love for Tidus when he begins to fade away but accepts it as inevitable. However, when Rikku shows her a sphere of Shuyin who resembles Tidus, Yuna promptly becomes a sphere hunter to search for him. Throughout Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna is speaking to Tidus through narration and it is up to the player whether she sees him again but she admits that he "is already with me".


 * Auron: Yuna knew Auron from a young age because he was her father's guardian. She is in awe of him when they finally meet up and treats him with respect. She often asks him for advice and looks to him for guidance. However, after the events in Bevelle, Yuna begins to think more for herself and does not ask Auron for advice again. It is she who performs his sending at the end of the game.


 * Wakka: Since growing up on Besaid, Yuna looks to Wakka as her older brother as well as his late brother Chappu. She describes their days together as "wonderful". She says Wakka played Blitzball with her and he originally did not want her to become a summoner yet he supported her when she did. On the sphere she made, Yuna says of him and Lulu "No, you really were my big brother and sister".


 * Lulu: Like Wakka, Lulu looks to Yuna as a younger sister and is very protective of her which shows in her cynical attitude to Tidus when he first joins the team. Lulu often appears to be more strict than Wakka which Yuna admits she loves. When Yuna considers marrying Maester Seymour, Lulu admits she would prefer Yuna to marry for love but would object if she chose to. In the ending, it is Lulu who comforts Yuna when Tidus has faded. In Final Fantasy X-2, Lulu is pleased to see Yuna again and says "I'm not there, so you can spread your wings now".


 * Kimahri: Kimahri was the one who delivered the message from Auron to Yuna in Bevelle and took her to Besaid. According to Yuna, Kimahri stayed with her when he saw how sad she would be to see him leave. He is quite protective of her and is the first to stay back on the Highbridge so Yuna can get away. It is also she who is the first to rush to his aid. Two years later, Kimahri still wants to help Yuna with whatever he can and expresses his sadness at not being much help.


 * Rikku: As Yuna's cousin, Rikku instantly becomes attached and friendly to her giving her the nickname "Yunie". Rikku often tries to dishearten Yuna from her pilgrimage because she doesn't want her to die. When Yuna considers giving it up, Tidus says that Rikku would jump on board immediately. As they approach Zanarkand, Rikku tries one last time to get Yuna to give up but when she refuses, they embrace and Yuna thanks Rikku for caring so much. Two years later they are considerably closer and Yuna looks on her younger cousin as a role model, often copying her expressions and movements.

Trivia

 * A caricature of a blonde Yuna has been featured on the image gallery of the  series official site.