ATHLETE

World

game

Sun

In Final Fantasy X, in order to obtain each characters' most powerful weapon, you must find their individual vigils and crests first (either by opening up a treasure chest or completing some sort of insane, nearly impossible task). Each vigil and crest is represented by one of the planets (or other type of heavenly body) in the solar system, and each planet is then associated with one of the seven main characters.

For example, Lulu needs the Venus Crest and Venus Sigil in order to power up her ultimate weapon, the Onion Knight. Venus is the Roman goddess of beauty, which is related to Lulu as she is referred to as a beautiful woman often. Another example would be Auron, who needs the Mars Crest and Mars Sigil to power up his Masamune. Mars is the Roman god of war and fighting, which fits Auron quite nicely since he is known as the legendary guardian and an experienced swordsman.

Tidus does not have a crest or vigil related to any planets of the solar system, but he does have a crest and vigil: the Sun Crest and the Sun Vigil. The sun is the center of the solar system and is what draws the other planets to revolve around it. Coincidentally (har har) Tidus is the center of the game's story and the other characters find themselves revolving around his Zanarkand, his father's past and his relationship with Yuna. After all, Tidus is always saying, "This is my story."

The sun

And here, we get very metaphorical.

The sun, being the center of everything, gives off light that in turn, allows the other planets to shine. It's also one of the most important things in order for life to exist. Tidus fulfills this role nicely: he was the one who gave hope to Yuna in order for her to shine her own light for others to see. Although Tidus' role does not extend so far as the source of life, he was the key to ending Sin's reincarnations, and he was (unknowingly) a huge part of why Sin acted the way it did. After all, Sin was Jecht and Jecht wanted to see his son. Sure, he had to destroy a village or two, and an army along the way, but he just wanted to see his son.

The sun, in general, symbolizes fame, honor, mastery and generosity, all of which Tidus can be associated with (a little less on mastery, perhaps, depending on how you interpret that ... and maybe generosity too). It provides power, and with that power, one can use it to find their direction in life. After all, follow the light! And it will lead you to great places!

Throughout history, many ancient civilizations have viewed the sun as a godly entity. The ancient Egyptians' sun god was named Ra, the Hindus' was Surya, the Greeks' was Helios, and many more. A common characteristic of all these sun gods were that they were responsible for the way life moved on Earth -- and that no life could possibly exist without it. While Tidus obviously does not have any godly powers himself, he was the people's hope for vanquishing Sin forever. He became the key to ending the "endless" cycle of life and death and by stopping death, he promoted life. That's close enough to god-like powers, maybe.