Blitzball

Blitzball is an underwater sport featured notably in Final Fantasy X and its sequel, Final Fantasy X-2. It combines the six-man teams, positions, and physicality of hockey with soccer kicks for scoring and the hand passes of water polo. The game is played underwater in a large sphere pool suspended in the air. Blitzball is also featured as a minigame in both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.

Final Fantasy X
The plot of Final Fantasy X provides a very favorable view of blitzball in general, as the sport is also shown to foster peace as it is the only activity where all races and genders are accepted as equals without squabbles. In Final Fantasy X, blitzball is also Spira's only mainstream form of entertainment, allowing citizens to take their minds off the ever present threat of Sin, however briefly. Two of the game's main characters, Tidus and Wakka, are skilled blitzball players.

Blitzball has affected the people of Spira in subtler ways during the thousand or more years of its existence as a sport &mdash; the blitzball sign for victory in Zanarkand found its way into "present day" Spira as a sacred hand gesture and incantation, its sporting origins seemingly forgotten.

Official sources give different explanations as to how characters manage to hold their breaths underwater for long periods of time during blitzball. In Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm, a short film set between the events of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna notes that after much practice and training from Wakka, she can hold her breath for over two minutes. However, page 59 of Final Fantasy X Scenario Ultimania states that it is the pyrefly-saturated water in the blitzball arena that enables players to hold their breaths nearly forever or at least for the 5 minutes required for each half-time.

Gameplay
The game, particularly the minigame itself, is played from a top-down perspective, with the player controlling his team members in turn. Teams are made up of six players a side, of whom one is the goalkeeper. The aim is to throw a dimpled ball (called the blitzball) into the opponent's goal area. The team with the most goals after two five-minute halves is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, overtime periods are added as necessary, and a "Golden Goal" rule applies. As characters advance through the ranks they learn many new tricks to improve both their offensive and defensive skills, called techniques.

Defensive techniques in blitzball often include violent tackles. Some tackles are intended to poison, cripple, or knock opponents unconscious altogether. As substitutions are not allowed outside of halftime intermissions, the use of these techniques can offer teams a temporary numerical advantage. Goalkeepers can also learn some techniques such as Supergoalie, which helps to catch fast balls.

Offensive techniques include the Sphere Shot, an underwater version of a, and the Jecht Shot, a goalshooting technique that renders up to two defense players unconscious in combination with bicycle kick.

There is an exploit where the player's team can easily win any game if their character hides behind the goalkeeper of their team with the blitzball, as the CPU opponents do not attempt to take the ball during such an occurrence.

Blitzball teams
When the blitzball mini-game first becomes available in Final Fantasy X, the player takes control of the Besaid Aurochs, and is given a standard player roster, which the player may alter by signing up other players from around the world, including players who began as members of other teams. Likewise, other teams may change their rosters. The following is a list of each of the teams featured in the game and their starting rosters:
 * {| class="wikitable"

! width=17% | Besaid Aurochs ! width=17% | Luca Goers ! width=17% | Al Bhed Psyches ! width=17% |Guado Glories ! width=17% |Kilika Beasts ! width=17% |Ronso Fangs Teams with few or no named players also appear in Final Fantasy X. They are the Zanarkand Abes and the Zanarkand Duggles, and both of them appear in the opening FMV. In the Final Fantasy Ultimania Omega book, two additional teams are mentioned: Bevelle Bells and Yocun Nomads.
 * - style="vertical-align: top;"
 * Wakka
 * Tidus
 * Datto
 * Letty
 * Jassu
 * Botta
 * Keepa
 * Bickson
 * Abus
 * Graav
 * Doram
 * Balgerda
 * Raudy
 * Eigaar
 * Blappa
 * Berrik
 * Judda
 * Lakkam
 * Nimrook
 * - style="vertical-align: top;"
 * Lakkam
 * Nimrook
 * - style="vertical-align: top;"
 * - style="vertical-align: top;"
 * Giera Guado
 * Zazi Guado
 * Navara Guado
 * Auda Guado
 * Pah Guado
 * Noy Guado
 * Larbeight
 * Isken
 * Vuroja
 * Kulukan
 * Deim
 * Nizarut
 * Basik Ronso
 * Argai Ronso
 * Gazna Ronso
 * Nuvy Ronso
 * Irga Ronso
 * Zamzi Ronso
 * - style="vertical-align: top;"
 * }
 * Zamzi Ronso
 * - style="vertical-align: top;"
 * }

Final Fantasy X-2
The blitzball minigame in Final Fantasy X-2 differs from the one in Final Fantasy X, as players no longer directly manipulate the actions of their blitzball team members. Rather, the minigame takes on a -esque interface. The Gullwings fill in for the Aurochs when Blitzball season starts. In this version of the minigame, if a team leads the game by seven goals at any point, they automatically win. The Zanarkand Abes are also available as opponents, with Tidus being replaced by a player named "Ace".