Final Fantasy X had a whole slew of flaws, but quite possibly the worst was the fact that Yuna was denied the chance to be the real protagonist of the game, even though it was very clearly meant to follow along with her story.
Tidus wasn't great at being a protagonist. He was hard to actually like, was not the brightest, not the kindest, and certainly not the most interesting of the party. His own story was quickly wrapped up and tied in a confusing bow that still is hard to unravel. There are so many reasons why Yuna is the clear lead of the game.
10 She Is The One With The Super Special Abilities
Tidus doesn't have much in the means of good skills outside of Blitzball, and even then it really matters more about how skilled the player themselves are. Yuna on the other hand is extremely skilled, capable of summoning creatures of indescribable power.
After the events of X, she goes on to be a popular idol, gunner, and whatever else the player of X-2 needs while she goes around as a mercenary. She can be anything even without her Aeons backing her up. Tidus on the other hand really can't.
9 She Genuinely Cares About Saving The World
Yuna is spending the entire game worried about saving the world and saving the people around her, even if she can be a bit heartless at times. She's just a person, but she still tries to see what's best in people and is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes for their betterment.
This goes all the way to the point she loses her ability to summon, sacrifices a guy she fell in love with, and has to completely reorder her life after the events of the game. At least she manages to take down the big bad in the process, otherwise that would have just been a serious kick to the gut.
8 So Much Of The Plot Is About Helping Her
There are so many points within the game where Yuna has to step up and take command with the rest of the party backing her up. She's trying to avenge her father's death during his own pilgrimage, she's trying to uncover the secrets of Tidus's past and his hometown, and she's the one who's on this grand quest to prevent the end of the world.
Tidus, the guy who's supposed to be the protagonist, ends up taking a back seat more often than not once things start getting serious, being there more to protect Yuna rather than to move the plot forward.
7 It's Hard To Care About Tidus Outside Of Her Perspective
Tidus has very little about him that's enjoyable. His relationship with Yuna feels forced, his stats aren't the greatest, he doesn't seem to care about much other than getting home, his family, and his interests.
However, Yuna really fell for this guy and it's hard to see why until the player tries to put themselves in her shoes. He's the first guy to really treat her like just a person and not some special object to be placed on a pedestal. He cares about her when he cares so little about everything else. He follows her and is willing to literally die for her. If the game was put into her perspective, that would be so much easier to understand.
6 She Has Better Relationships With The Rest Of The Party
Yuna is far from the sweetest kindest character that has ever been part of the franchise. Early on, she feels a little hard to handle even. However, she has clear and genuine relationships with every member of her party.
So much so that when she meets up with most of them again in X-2 they are genuinely excited to see her and genuinely want to help her and genuinely believe that all they have to do is ask her for help in order to receive it. Rikku even is alongside her there as one of the main characters and has taken on an even more fun characterization than she had in the first place.
5 She Has A Better Understanding Of The World Around Her
A problem so many protagonists have in general is being used as a scapegoat. Developers make them completely daft in order to have a reason to infodump on the player and get everyone on the same page at the same time.
Tidus is so unintelligent and so unfamiliar with the world around him that they even had to give him a complex story where he believes he's a time traveler for a good chunk of the game to even excuse some of his actions. Yuna on the other hand has a firm grasp of the world around her, what it needs, and is willing to go to great lengths for it.
4 Tidus Isn't Real
Tidus's story is one of the most convoluted in the series. He starts out thoroughly convinced he's been launched a thousand years into the future and is trying to get back to his hometown.
Turns out, he's only about as real as Yuna's Aeons, having been dreamt up by the Fayth along with his father, his hometown, and everything he thought was real in the first place. In X-2 he all but becomes a summon himself, making his story even more complicated and confusing. By all means, Tidus isn't necessarily real, therefore it's a little weird that the story demands he be the protagonist.
3 Stopping Sin Is Her Destiny
Sin exists as this monstrous whale sort of thing that is going to cause the end of the world. In order to stop it, Yuna has to go on a pilgrimage like her father before her and end up sacrificing something she loves.
It has some basis as being important to Tidus too, as it turns out his father was also involved with pushing it off the last time. However, Sin is the reason Yuna's mother was sacrificed by her father, Sin is the reason Yuna has to go on her pilgrimage, and Sin is the reason Yuna has to make all of her own sacrifices. Tidus ended up only being useful to sacrifice.
2 She Becomes The Protagonist Of X-2
Final Fantasy X is one of few games that received a direct sequel. It takes place after the events of the game and follows Yuna along her new journey, something that definitely should have been the way it was from the start.
The game focuses on her struggles, how she's adjusting to the new world, how she is coping with her emotions, and how she is thriving with the huge range of skills she's learned over time. It doesn't focus on Tidus, even if he is a plot point and ends up as part of multiple endings. When a game has to switch who is the lead for the sequel, it usually is a good indicator that they should have been a lead much sooner.
1 Tidus Dies At The End Of X
When it's all said and done, protagonists typically don't die at the end of their stories. Sure, Tidus made some big sacrifice being the one who had to die in order to save the world, but it was only him because Yuna fell in love with him.
Had it been literally anyone or anything else, he wouldn't have even bothered. Yuna was able to take down Sin and save the world because she sacrificed Tidus. Tidus, who really had no bearing in the first place, was also the one who would be impacted the least since everything he ever knew was just a dream. He wasn't sacrificing much at all, whereas Yuna had to give up so much.
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