Final Fantasy X Interview Reveals Tidus Was Originally Conceptualized as a Plumber

An interview with Famitsu revealed more details regarding the development of Final Fantasy X. The interview features commentary from key staff members such as Tetsuya Nomura, Motomu Toriyama, Yoshinori Kitase, and Kazushige Nojima. Additionally, the interview detailed original character concepts and the real world inspirations for Spira. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Firstly, the interview discussed the real world inspirations for Spira in Final Fantasy X. Kazushige Nojima, who served as the scenario writer for the game, revealed that a trip to Okinawa inspired him. He also said that the original concept for Tidus was that of a plumber. This originally served as a reason to have characters get into and under water. This was later scrapped in favor of turning the character into an athlete to set him apart from other Final Fantasy protagonists.

Tetsuya Nomura, who was the character designer for this entry in the series, revealed that the overalls Tidus wears were originally part of his original design as a plumber. However, his outfit was modified to suit a more athletic look.

The Final Fantasy X interview also revealed that Auron was originally meant to be silent. However, due to his role as a “guardian” to both Yuna and Tidus he ended up with more spoken lines. Additionally, Nomura mentioned that Auron’s age wasn’t decided until later on, and that it’s common in the development process for character ages to change. Nojima also acknowledged that if he was a father twenty years ago, Jecht’s writing might have been different.

Additionally, Nojima said that he read cryptography books during the development of Final Fantasy X, which helped inspire the Al Bhed language. He also mentioned that the version of the language that made it into the game is a simpler version of what he initially envisioned. And of course, Motomu Toriyama said that the possibility of Final Fantasy X-3 appearing isn’t completely crossed out.

Final Fantasy X originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. In 2015 Final Fantasy X was first re-released for PlayStation 4 as Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions followed. This re-release comes with both Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.