[Archived] Final Fantasy X - Jecht

[igiko]

This post was originally published in Ode to a Star, a fansite dedicated to Jecht that was opened on February 12, 2016.

Father and Son
Not long after his disappearance from Zanarkand, Jecht's wife, unable to bear life without her husband, passes and leaves their son orphaned. With more grief than he's equipped to handle, Tidus directs his growing anger at his father and becomes fiercely competitive, aspiring ever more to surpass Jecht in his own sport – blitzball.

Tidus' resentment is rooted by large in his inferiority complex. At a young age, one of Jecht's recurring lines in the narrative ("you're going to cry") did more than fuel young Tidus' desire to burst into tears, leaving a deep impression in his psyche. During the button sequence where he attempts the Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III, Jecht's voice taunts Tidus with resounding echo; succeeding causes the voice to quiet, whereas it gives one last taunt after failure. Essentially, Tidus views Jecht as someone to overcome in order to prove and make peace with himself.

Tidus: Whenever my old man was around, my mother wouldn't even look at me. Maybe that's when I started to resent him, even hate him. When he left us . . . Mom just lost her energy.

In Spira, Tidus dreams that Yuna and Rikku leave him for Jecht as a present parallel to how he lost his mother. In the nightmare, he reverts to his childhood form as a physical manifestation of his feelings of powerlessness around his bigger, stronger father who had his mother's undying love. Evidently, he harbors fears of losing the women he holds dear to his father, much as his mother preferred to be Jecht's wife and took her son as a consolation prize in her husband's absence.

The associated flashback of his mother's neglect is a prime example of Tidus' emotional history with his father warping his judgment. He focuses on the fact that his mother ignored him, not that Jecht took notice and directed her his way. This viewpoint is not born necessarily from bias, but rather ignorance of his father's character.

For a good portion of Final Fantasy X, Tidus and others like Yuna present differing opinions of Jecht. As the party's pilgrimage continues, more of Jecht's exploits and circumstances are revealed to explain his motives.

All throughout Spira, Jecht left behind spheres detailing the events of his pilgrimage with Braska and Auron. Originally, he recorded the pilgrimage to show his wife and son upon his return to Zanarkand, but opted to scatter them across Spira after giving up on finding a way back. In one such sphere, he addresses Tidus and reveals a missing piece to his usual jab about crying.

Jecht: Hey. If you're sitting there, watching this . . . it means you're stuck in Spira, like me. You might not know when you'll get back home, but you better not be crying! Although, I guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine.

Jecht's behavior better suits an abrasive brother who speaks insensitively. This inherent flaw as a father convolutes his intentions, and he admits difficulty with opening up as shown by his reluctance to discuss sentimental matters. Speaking from his comfort zone, he taunts to encourage Tidus into moving on and growing stronger. Because he fails to provide an explanation for his harsh words, however, he hurts his son instead.

The Ultimania suggests that Jecht has concerns about appearing strong before his family. In spite of Tidus pointing out otherwise based on rumors, Jecht does practice blitzball and possess the capacity to quit drinking. He brags that he can do the latter anytime – though, perhaps trying to prove a point about brushing off what others say, he scoffs at his son's demand to quit, which ends the conversation on a sour note.

In summation, Jecht and Tidus suffer from gross miscommunication. While alike in numerous respects (their actions on their respective pilgrimages mirror one another), Tidus struggles to comprehend his father's brash ways where Jecht shuns sensitive conversation due to awkwardness. The end result is their dysfunctional relationship, which gives rise to Tidus' anger and is prolonged by Jecht's forced silence.

Near the finale of Final Fantasy X, Tidus learns the answers to the unanswered questions that have tormented him for a decade. With a better understanding of Jecht as a person and a father, and not just a mountain to climb, he redirects his resentment toward committing patricide to save the world. In deference to himself and his father, he promises not to hold back.

Jecht: Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely. I'm glad you're here now. One thing, though . . . When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry.

Yet should the player choose the talk option, Jecht will hear Tidus' voice during the first couple attempts and deplete his overdrive gauge. Against his own admission of weakness and becoming Sin, Jecht hangs onto the last sliver of his humanity a little longer for Tidus.

At the end of the day, Tidus is proud to have Jecht for a father, and the two reconcile as the latter dies.