The Genius of Sin Explained - Final Fantasy X Lore | Game Discourses

In this Sin analysis we take a look at the history, design and narrative excellence of Final Fantasy X's whale-like creature which was a unique obstacle placed in the world of Spira. I consider how Sin ties together the tangent storylines of Tidus and Jecht's personal issues, to the wider narrative elements such as Yevon, Seymour Guado and Yuna.
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In this Final Fantasy X analysis we consider:
- The origins of Sin and Yu Yevon backstory in Final Fantasy
- Paternal drama - Lady Yunalesca and Yu Yevon as mirrors of Tidus and Jecht
- Sins of the father and Yu Yevon
- Sin symbolism and metaphor in the personal and macro story
- Zanarkand and Bevelle War origin story
- Sin boss fights and narrative pacing
- FFX Sin compared to Cthulu Godzilla and Japanese pop-culture reference
- Biblical symbolism
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#FFX #FinalFantasyX #AlleywayJack

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks for watching! Here's some other places you can find me: - Game Discourses: gamediscourses.com/ - Posting rubbish on Twitter: twitter.com/thealleywayjack - Instagram: instagram.com/thealleywayjack/ If you'd like to support the channel further: - Patreon: www.patreon.com/gamediscourses - Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/gamediscourses

[@guilhermemachado9826]

I think Sin is perfect because it perfectly embodies a lot of the themes in FFX. The whole of Spira thinks the monster is a punishment for their misguided ways and if they atone the creature will go way, when in reality the whole thing is a farce that exists solely to forever keep the world under the thrall of Yevon. FFX was my first FF game and to this day I remember how much it made me think about real life because of these discussions. By the way, your channel is amazing.

[@Dahpie]

I also like how inspite of that even if they wanted to stop Sin, nobody in Yevon including Mika or Yunalesca could which is why they misrepresented Sin to begin with. It gives more credence that despite how corrupt the institution of Yevon is, they really believe that they can only keep the cycle going as the final summoning is the only reliable way to kill Sin. If it wasn't for the set of circumstances of Jecht being Sin and having that connection with Tidus, Sin likely would've been unbeatable. It feels realistic when you think about it like that.

[@kingcoops9573]

I always thought in a way we were kind of living this story in real life, sin representing war. Every 70 to 100 or so years world leaders that would hardly be affected or even profit financially sending young men to fight and flatten whole countries. Round and round it goes, resetting the economy after every smashing. Us, the civilians oblivious to it all kept in a permanent state of fear being distracted, monitored and manipulated by our phones and tvs arguing amongst ourselves whilst all wanting the same things

[@thalanoth]

​@@Dahpiecritical thinker, appreciate your divulgence.

[@otpays8552]

Ya this game was a huge part of my childhood. As an adult I see the dangers it poses to an unwary mind. Phenomenal game

[@giovanniprovost]

"Spira is a land caught in a SPIRAL of DEATH" really hits home when you really understand what's going on.

[@jagoz7465]

As a kid I always thought of Sin as some aquatic version of the grim reaper

[@supremeoverlorde2109]

Love this analysis. FFX has some of the most interesting and thought-provoking lore of any FF game I've played in my opinion.

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks, I agree with you

[@Darthrivs89]

I felt this way until I played FF14

[@munkholm45]

I am well versed in FFX lore, but there's one thing i am wondering... What part of sin did Auron and Tidus get sucked up into in the beginning of the game...? I swear i'm an adult, buuut, all i can imagine is Sin sticking his cheeks below his bubble and...Yea... Thoughts?

[@BigYosh]

I know I’m a year late but I think that it’s skin might have some malleable properties. The way sins mouth moves to such a big angle makes me think it can just shift to what it wants. Maybe the skin just moved out of the way to create a vortex of some kind. It’s a bit of a stretch but I don’t wanna think of Sin sucking everyone up in his demonic butthole 😭. (Nice pfp btw I saw them live a couple months ago)

[@ananananabop]

His…facial cheeks?😂

[@pickleboy6059]

Bellybutton maybe

[@agemcastor]

Interesting Yunalesca didn’t recognize a world before Sin, thus showing the danger of fatherly Relationships unquestioned in direct conflict to tidus and jecht, but in direct relationship to yuna and hers

[@DarthJF]

Very cool analysis. When I was younger I always thought it was detriment to X that it didn't have memorable central villain like Sephiroth or Kuja, but I have come to appreciate Sin more over time. Sin encapsulates how Spira is a fallen world stuck in a destructive cycle because of wrongs made in the past, and how the people of Spira are themselves helping to maintain that cycle. FFX doesn't need a villain trying to destroy the world that has to be stopped, because the world was ruined already 1000 years ago. And the plan of the one villain trying to destroy the world feels kind of inconsequential as a result. Seymour wants to destroy Spira by becoming Sin, but Sin already exists, so nothing would really change even if he accomplished his goal. The only difference would be that the one inside Sin would be Seymour instead of Jecht. To finally stop Sin the heroes have to turn against the very pillars of Spiran society that are maintaining the cycle. And in its own way that's a lot more daunting task to accomplish than just beating some bad guy wanting to destroy everything.

[@ysgramornorris2452]

I think Seymour's plan wouldn't have worked, but that's because in time, his will would have been superseded by Yu Yevon's. At least that's my headcannon. For all we know, Seymour's plan was unprecedented; who's to say it was doomed to fail?

[@aaronpcjb]

@@ysgramornorris2452 It's hard to tell, the first thing Seymour would do once he has control of Sin is destroy the entire planet. It's unclear how much will the Final Aeon wields within Sin as Jecht was still able to control Sin to bring Tidus to Spira and hold back at times when Yu Yevon should have completely taken over.

[@nicknultien627]

Replaying this game for the bazillionth time. I was 12 when it first was released and i swear, this game was way ahead of its time in terms of graphics. The writing is top notch too.. till this day it's one of my favorite games of all time

[@Esirre]

Square's games had some variations of gigantic monsters of this type (i'm reluctant to call them kaiju) Jenova/The Great Calamity from FF VII and Lavos from CT. In terms of motif, Sin is the most cohesive of these.

[@paulfr6768]

It's been said before, but underated channel my dude. I hope you get the recognition some day

[@AlleywayJack]

🙏

[@McDagger90]

This is so insightful. The parallels you make are amazing. It really makes me appreciate the story and characters - and the world so much more

[@AlleywayJack]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed and it's helped you appreciate those story elements more :D

[@bradicas5359]

Saving the father from the belly of the beast the echos of Pinocchio and the Bible. The prodigal son I really like these stories beautiful how all these stories are universal symbolism. Check out Jonathan Pageau.

[@bradicas5359]

@@scotta4564 Hey, clean your room.

[@jasonmantumbi3506]

Your interpretations of these games are so insightful and clever. I've played them all tens of times over the years and would never have made any of these observations!

[@AlleywayJack]

Thank you, glad you're enjoying these :)

[@nicknultien627]

Bruhh that's on you tho haha

[@kevindoss1146]

Speaking of fathers, the only father still alive (in their own body) in the game is Cid, Riku’s father.

[@nicknultien627]

There were lots of fathers you see on your way to zanarkand😂

[@Judah215]

Loved that you used biblical references… took me over a decade to come back and realize those myself. Great video

[@aaronpcjb]

What I'm most interested to know is who completed the pilgrimage before Braska? As They and Their Guardian are the catalyst for the chain of events that caused Tidus to defeat Sin from the inside. Did The Guardian (which would become the Final Aeon, get possessed by Yu Yevon, then rebuild Sin) know Jecht personally to specifically target him or was it mere coincidence? The method used to transport him from Dream Zanarkand to Spira clearly inspired Jecht to consider using the same method for Tidus. I suspect Jecht and Braska planned to do this two-generation approach on Sin quite early on as Jecht left spheres behind specifically for Tidus. Auron must have been told at some point too that he was to help facilitate this plan (even though he almost blew it by attacking Lady Yunalesca).

[@SlimeDadUltra]

Great video and now thinking back. Sin, Lavos, and Jenova really are some of my favorites and I think that’s because they share some of the same qualities. No I will not elaborate further.

[@evanwoodham6296]

Subbed and patreon'd For your next video, if you could talk about FFX's theme of the importance of how we choose to deal with sorrow. Is the theme of how we choose to deal with sorrow the fundamental theme of FFX? It seems like the story is at least largely about problems created by some characters' unhealthy reaction to sorrow, as contrasted to the protagonists' healthy means of dealing with it. The article points out a lot of examples of this: ie, the summoners of Zanarkand's reaction to the loss of their city created Yu Yevon and Sin, while Yuna and Tidus's reaction to sorrow led them to handle it gracefully by accepting it, thereby allowing them to defeat Sin. It seems the most important moment in the game is where the Fayth convince Tidus to accept the sorrow of losing his 'life' in order to save the world. I was wondering if you could dig into that a bit more. For instance, what is the game's viewpoint of sorrow? Is it more of a malevolent view, that sorrow is the metaphysical essence of the world, ala the Existentialists? Is this why the characters are always so sorrowful? Or is it more just that Spira is a sorrow dystopia because of peoples' bad reaction to sorrow, and that the dystopia will end once its inhabitants change their behaviors. This well written article brought it to my attention: www.rpgsite.net/feature/11486-final-fantasy-xs-message-of-overcoming-loss-resonates-with-me-far-more-now-20-years-later

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks for the support, glad you're enjoying. Interesting topic which I think fits well with a discussion on the FFX protags which I'm preparing and would frame that one quite well, cheers for the link that is a good article 👍

[@ineedscissors6176]

awesome stuff as always man. you gonna be diving into elden ring next week? def my most hyped game in a long time granted I'm a soulsborne guy.

[@AlleywayJack]

Cheers man. Totally! I have a self-defeating obsession with the soulsbourne games. I love them, but I suck at them 🤣 psyched for Elden Ring

[@ineedscissors6176]

@@AlleywayJack that's pretty much me, suck at them but loved and played them all. any games you're looking forward to that's coming, soon or far away?

[@AlleywayJack]

@@ineedscissors6176 mainly Elden Ring, Stranger in Paradise and Sifu which I haven't got round to yet but looks ace :) and you?

[@Final_Fantasy_7]

Sin is Jecht...Tidus's Father...Sin destroyed Kilika because Tidus was there.He came to see his son.Auron is the only person in the party that knows the truth about Sin.He made a promise to Jecht to look out for his son Tidus...it took me like 3 playthroughs to figure this out.2 on PS2 and 1 on PS4

[@zakiaitslimane658]

there are no words to describe games like ffx ethereal maybe? idk but the whole atmosphere of ffx is just mindblowing

[@Final_Fantasy_7]

@@zakiaitslimane658 yep even the soundtrack....I would love to live in the world of Spira...but without Sin lol lmao 🤣

[@Anaklusmos42]

​@@Final_Fantasy_7 I'd say, songs like Spira Unchained or the Calm Lands are some of the best ambient music this series has to offer.

[@Final_Fantasy_7]

@@Anaklusmos42 Spira unchained? I never heard of that one 🤔

[@baitposter]

5:50 Or the Tower of Babel

[@Nycat15]

Great video!

[@AlleywayJack]

Thanks man :)

[@gamehosegarden]

tea-dus lol

[@orochimaru527]

@Kosename I always pronounced it Tide-us

[@MyRascle]

I think some of use the 'Tee-dus' pronunciation as that was how it was said in the games that he appeared in outside of FFX, Kingdom Hearts and Disidia. I think he also gets that pronunciation from how Japanese would pronounce it.

[@Lacrymosai]

have you considered doing any AMSR content? Your voice is very soothing :) also great video!

[@AlleywayJack]

You are not the first to suggest that :)

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@leonorakristinerozalinamll9473]

I'm a bit confused did Sin destroy Dream Zanarkand short time after the original Zanarkand was destroyed or 1000 yeas later where Tidus came to existence?

[@ysgramornorris2452]

Dream Zanarkand has existed for a thousand years, far off the coast of Spira. Evidenced by the fact that it's unnconnected to any landmass as far as we can tell, whereas the actual Zanarkand is built at the foot of Mount Gagazet. t's unclear whether the Fayth have dreamed the same story with the same people over and over again, or if they imagined a continuous story for a millenium, though I suspect the latter. Sin's attack in the beginning of the game occurs a few hours or days before Tidus' subsequent arrival in Spira. Sin couldn't have attacked Zanarkand a thousand years ago, because it was created to protect Dream Zanarkand, by destroying any settlement large enough to pose a threat to it and any technology that would allow people to discover it. I think Yu Yevon originally "programmed" Sin to steer clear of Dream Zanarkand for precisely that reason, because he knew that the dream city was way beyond its alert levels in both population and technology. But to avoid Dream Zanarkand, the beast would need to know its location so as not to run into it by accident. And I think Jecht was able to use that fact to his advantage to "find his way home", as it were. But though he could steer Sin towards Dream Zanarkand, once there he couldn't stop it from attacking, because the creature's urges were too great.

[@serphv6531]

No Sin only destroyed the original Zanarkand. Sin normally doesnt go directly into Dream Zanarkand so when Jecht went to DZ to pick up Tidus, Sin's destructive instincts kicked in and it started destroying the city. But Yu Yevon repaired the city afterwards

[@ace6820]

awesome video

[@otpays8552]

Great video Ty

[@greensmurf221]

Sin is a fantastic 'force of nature' 'villain'

[@YellowMouse998]

Can Sin poop? Does it eat? If not whats the point of it having a mouth? If it can poop, did Tidus travel to Spira though Sins bumhole? Serious answers only.

[@lauriethomason1937]

Are you the same guy who does the channel lazy masquerade? Your voice is identical

[@JazzyUnderscoreTrumpeter]

Intriguing

[@nothanks7475]

No mention of the fayth?

[@alexalexander8053]

"Praise not be to Yevon"...

[@PolemicAutist]

Amazing video

[@AlleywayJack]

Thank you :)

[@millerdiamond708]

sin is like a alien creature from another realm kind of like xen in half life 1

[@ronaldverdegaal9078]

Am very confused because auron was a real person and we’ve seen his flashback that he died young. So as an unsent how tf did he get older

[@_Loki_the.99_]

He didn't. It's a fair assumption pyreflies are capable of manifesting a natural aging process considering what else they can accomplish

[@geico15minutes]

I think learning the truth of Yevon aged him greatly. In a flashback to when he first met Tidus, he looked the same way he did after dying.

[@gabrielnoira3848]

nice

[@KarlHessey-db6mf]

Ever notice when fighting it's head before it does it's giga attack how much like a new born chick it looks like. I mean it looks like a baby bird just hatched, have a good look. One of them weird out, can't go back after that.

[@Plato1999]

Hey alleyway I would like to discuss to you a topic on sin that I feel warrants a video on its own plz get back to me cuz I don’t think sin actually belongs in this game I feel he was shoe horned in and I got the proof to show it I feel sin was a last minute change I don’t think sin fits the narrative fully

[@_Loki_the.99_]

Can you elaborate?

[@avadoksorem2854]

So much for FFX only being story rich in Zimbabwean dollars. What do you have to say for yourself, Yahtzee?

[@SalamiDiscipline]

Final fantasy X tells our current story of the matrix

[@an3582]

Its a giant fish. Thats all it is. Nothting deeper, nothing cooler, its a stupid giant fish. Also one of the lamest evil creatures in all of Final Fantasy. Man, I loved how this game played but the story, setting and characters were, well, it wasnt good. I wish we had gotten a completely different games with the same mechanics because thebstorybwas always the weakest of all.

[@Dahpie]

Man, you've not actually played the game at all.

[@mimim.2175]

My guy do you have the ability to appreciate a story or...

[@adolcristin3526]

He's not a fish he's a fat big tick! 😂

[@THECAMERON11]

no ur right there should have been a comedically evil bad guy stroking his chin and way more explosions. the character development and the relevant to the present story about societies killing themselves trying to maintain a poisonous status quo really got in the way of that. like man, the story could not apply more to the world we live in decades after the fact.

[@TyRiders2]

​@@adolcristin3526 No that's Yu Yevon

[@dustinyager11]

ff10 is a bad final fantasy. and its because they screwed up who the main character is.

[@deezclowns2462]

FF10 was my first Final Fantasy and uh.. I don't think I will be playing others. Far too weird, the plot is way too out there, and I really hated every character except for Wakka...

[@ysgramornorris2452]

Username checks out.