Races of Spira
Although it is predominantly populated by humans, Spira features a variety of races. The population of Spira is largely urbanized, with the majority of its inhabitants living in major town centers.
Al Bhed
The Al Bhed are a tribe of technologists in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. Making up ten percent of the Spiran population, they have a unique language and, unlike the other races in Spira, use machina.Around 1000 years ago, the Al Bhed society lived on Bikanel Island, whose most explored region is known as the Sanubia Desert. Their city was destroyed by Sin, and the citizens scattered around Spira, often being detested by the other races of the world. A millennium later, under Cid's leadership, the Al Bhed regrouped on Bikanel Island and built a new city called Home.
After the onset of the Eternal Calm, the Al Bhed expand their exploration of Bikanel Island. With the collapse of the teachings of Yevon and the wider acceptance of machina, prejudice against the Al Bhed has eased although not completely ended. The Al Bhed exercise their freedom by expanding upon the knowledge of machina and improving upon existing discoveries, for the sake of innovating rather than to continue the practice of salvaging.
Per their continuing desire to discover machina and expand their knowledge, the Al Bhed formed the Machine Faction, based in the abandoned Djose Temple, led by Gippal. The group seeks to spread to use of machina throughout Spira, and remove any past discontent from them by renaming "machina" as "machines." It is connected to the Al Bhed in Bikanel, enabling members and volunteers to excavate the desert.
During their active phase, the Al Bhed excavate the Bikanel Desert for machina parts and try to build the ultimate machina robot in Djose, known as the Experiment. The excavation process is being hindered by the ancient fiend, Angra Mainyu. The cacti of the Cactuar Nation are active and an Al Bhed kid named Benzo is the only one who understands their language and works as an interpreter for the Gullwings to help the cacti.
Three months later, the Machine Faction would discover Iutycyr Tower.
Ronso
he Ronso is a race of muscular, anthropomorphic feline humanoids from the world of Spira in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. The Ronso live at the base of Mt. Gagazet and guard the sacred mountain. They are formidable warriors, known for their strong sense of honor and loyalty, as well as their pride and quickness to anger. Kelk Ronso is the tribe leader and their representative in Bevelle as a Maester of Yevon. The Ronso race is represented in the blitzball league by the Ronso Fangs.While they have been seen traveling across Spira, the Ronso village is located at the base of Mt. Gagazet. Hardly anything is known of their culture, other than that they view the mountain a sacred location and trekking up Gagazet is viewed as a spiritual journey for a Ronso seeking guidance. No actual Ronso dwellings are ever seen. It can be speculated that they favor strength based on their warrior-like appearance and mannerisms.
"Kimahri's Story" in Final Fantasy X Scenario Ultimania states that the Ronso take pride in protecting the mountain, and have lived for a long time in these lands, competing with each other over who is worthy of being a guardian of the sacred mountain. Thus the genes of the powerful are continuously passed on, and though the number of the tribe is not large, for generations it has produced a great many of those both blessed with superior mind and body. They have gained a reputation throughout Spira as a valiant people, ideally suited to protecting the lands at the edge of the world.
Once Yuna and her guardians arrive at Mt. Gagazet on their way to Zanarkand, Maester Kelk Ronso and the Ronso tribe block their path. They become convinced of Yuna's conviction, and allow the group to pass swearing to guard the gate from the Guado who seek to apprehend the group for treason. The Ronso underestimate Seymour Guado's power, however, and many Ronso are killed in their attempt to stall him from going after Yuna. As he catches up with Yuna's party, Seymour falsely boasts that Yuna's guardian Kimahri Ronso is now the last Ronso. He declares that the Ronso were "truly a gallant race. They threw themselves at me, to bar my path. One... after another..."
After Sin's defeat, the fall of Yevon, and the onset of the Eternal Calm, the few remaining Ronso youth foster a deep hatred of the Guado for what Seymour had done. One Ronso in particular, Garik Ronso, openly seeks revenge against the wishes of the new Elder, Kimahri. The sphere hunting group Gullwings thwart Garik's plans of rebellion when he climbs the mountain to receive guidance.
Confused and angry, Garik demands that Kimahri tell the Ronso the path the tribe should take, but Kimahri has no answer and Garik rejects him as their leader. Through the example of young Ronso Lian and Ayde (who had traveled Spira in a vain attempt to fix Kimahri's broken horn), Kimahri sees that the Ronso have to travel and experience Spira to discover their path. After proving to Garik violence is not always the answer, the Ronso elder decides it is for each individual Ronso to decide their path to ensure the tribe's future.
Guado
The Guado are a race that lives amongst trees, they are the protectors of Spira's afterlife, the Farplane, and the Macalania Woods. The Guado's capital city is Guadosalam, from within which they guard the entrance to the Farplane.The Guado are wooden and elvish in appearance with long limbs, oversized hands with claw like nails, prominent veins on their faces, and hair resembling flora. Due to their role of overseeing and protecting the Farplane in Guadosalam, they are astute in determining unsent from regular people by their scent. Of all the races in Spira, the Guado are physically the fastest, able to run twice as fast as humans. Their high speed makes the Guado Glories an effective blitzball team.
Unlike other races in Spira, Guado do not seem to leave behind bodies when dead, in the case of the Guado Guardian. However, that may be because of battle convenience. Also, the Guado tend to keep their problems to themselves as seen in cases of Jyscal Guado's sphere from Final Fantasy X, and when Tromell asks Yuna to forget about them in Final Fantasy X-2.
Guado have a religious culture, which causes them to come across as arrogant. Their role as guardians of the Farplane have led to them looking down upon other races. The Guado were converted to the Yevon religion under their leader, Jyscal Guado, who was later appointed a Maester of Yevon. Despite their strict religious culture, they are generous and welcoming to guests.
Twenty-eight years ago Jyscal Guado had a child with a human woman in an attempt to foster friendship between the Guado and human races. Their child, Seymour, was viewed as an abomination by the humans, and Jyscal's decision to wed a human led to disunity in the Guado tribe. Three years later, Jyscal became the Guado leader and introduced them to the teachings of Yevon. When Seymour was eight years old, to avoid further strife among the Guado nation, Jyscal had his wife and son exiled to the remote island of Baaj.
Two years later when Seymour was ten he and his mother embarked to Zanarkand to defeat Sin, as Seymour's mother knew she would soon die and feared her son would have no place to belong to in Spira, hoping that giving him the chance to defeat Sin would win Seymour acceptance. Seymour's mother knew of the mechanics of the Final Summoning through Jyscal, as the Guado possess their own records that tell of Spira's sealed histories in fragments. Jyscal was aware of Seymour and his mother going to the Zanarkand Ruins, and privately supported it. When his mother sacrificed herself to become his Final Aeon as Anima, Seymour was horrified and broke off the pilgrimage and returned to Baaj.
With the arrival of Braska's Calm, the Guado's internal discord subsided, and Seymour's exile was revoked. He returned to Guadosalam and assisted his father as a priest. The childhood of rejection and loneliness had made Seymour nihilistic, and he developed a plan to become Sin and destroy Spira, killing all its inhabitants and "releasing" them from the suffering of existence. As the first stage of his plan, Seymour secretly murdered his father and took his place as leader of the Guado and a Maester of Yevon. Using his status as their leader, Seymour uses the Guado and has them discover and attack Home, a safe haven and retreat of the Al Bhed in Bikanel in an attempt to capture Yuna, succeeding and forcing the Al Bhed to destroy the city. Later, Seymour all but reduces the Ronso race to extinction, brutally slaying all who blocked his ascent of Mt. Gagazet.
In Final Fantasy X-2, the remaining Ronso seek vengeance for the crimes committed by Seymour on their race. Fearing their retribution by association, the Guado flee their home and take refuge in the Macalania Woods. The Guado take responsibility for their role in Seymour's crimes, and become content to die with the forest for their sins. If the player makes the right choices during interactions with the Guado, Tromell becomes the official leader of the Guado and succeeds in restoring friendly relations with the rest of Spira. If Yuna's party does not make the right choices, Yuna will be told the Guado had been killed by the Ronso, having not done anything to save themselves.
Hypello
The Hypello are a race of amphibian creatures in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. The Hypello seem not to have grasped the common pronunciation in Spira, often lisping any words with an 'S', for example Shay (say) and Yesh (yes), converting some words into gibberish, for example Ebullibody (everybody), Inveshtitagating (investigating) Imposhibibble (impossible), as well as ending most of their sentences with a questioning tone. They are agile in the water, but are not so nimble on dry land, walking at a torpid pace.According to Maechen, the Hypello have the potential to be good blitzball players because of their natural swimming proficiency, but because of their lackadaisical disposition they tend to not take part in competitive sports and past times. The Hypello are responsible for managing the shoopuf service across the Moonflow.
In Final Fantasy X-2, Tobli uses Hypello as his functional and promotional assistants. A Hypello, nicknamed Barkeep by the Gullwings, works behind the bar in the cabin of the Celsius and, much in the style of a true bartender, dispenses pieces of advice to several characters. The player can rest for free at his expense, and if done so once per chapter the player will view a scene in which Barkeep reveals his girlfriend, Darling (ダーリン, Dārin?). From then on, the player may rename any of the three animals used in the Gullwings' Trainer dressphere by speaking with the couple.
Pelupelu
The Pelupelu are a race in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. They appear to be as tall as a human child. They speak very fast and wear a bird-like mask. Although the race is never identified by name in Final Fantasy X series, its localized English name was revealed when Mobius Final Fantasy added a card bearing the likeness of the race in August 2018. Tobli is the most notable Pelupelu in the Final Fantasy X series as he appears in Final Fantasy X-2, playing a small role in the Moonflow area.Gullwings
The Gullwings (Also known as Your Friendly Neighborhood Gullwings and Surging Flapping Gullwings) are a sphere-hunting group from Final Fantasy X-2. Members include Yuna, Rikku, Paine, Brother, Buddy, Barkeep, and Shinra. Their base is an airship found by Brother and Buddy named Celsius.
Brother
Rikku's brother, Yuna's older cousin, and co-founder and primary leader of the Gullwings. Despite being directly related to Yuna, he quite obviously has a crush on her, though she has yet to notice it; he even started learning the Spiran language because of his love for her. Though he self-proclaims himself as leader, he can be quite incompetent and often leaves the decision making to either his second-in-command Buddy, or to Yuna. During the two-year gap, he had a falling out with his father, Cid. Brother names the Gullwings' airship the Celsius in direct contrast to Cid's airship, the Fahrenheit.
Buddy
The co-founder of the Gullwings and the second-in-command. It might be more correct to call him the shadow leader, as it is in fact him that supplies the Gullwings with important information, as well as doing all the actual work, such as piloting the airship, analyzing Sphere Wave data and making many of the decisions Brother should have made. Buddy seems content with his current position and doesn't seem to mind Brother taking much of the glory, as they are old friends.
Shinra
An intelligent, young Al Bhed kid that provides the Gullwings with valuable information and technology. He designed the Garment Grid, the CommSpheres, and provides the Gullwings with data decoded from acquired spheres. Shinra still doesn't know everything, and often retorts with "I'm just a kid" when he cannot answer a particular problem.
Barkeep
A Hypello who runs the bar on the Celsius. He was picked up by Brother for unknown reasons, and was allowed to stay on board if he worked. No one knows Barkeep's name, so he is simply referred to as Barkeep. To Brother's great dismay, Barkeep already has a girlfriend.
The Youth League
The Youth League is an organization formed by the Crusaders. Originally founded at the onset of the Eternal Calm to research Spira's history and uncover its secrets hidden in spheres, it became increasingly known as a hot-headed bunch of ruffians who only wanted to start a fight; preferably with their political opponents, the New Yevon faction. The faction's main camp is based at the Mushroom Rock Road.
Nooj
Nooj is the meyvn of the Youth League and an ex-member of the Crusaders and the Crimson Squad, where he was known as the "deathseeker" who joined the squad to seek a warrior's death. His left arm and leg were previously destroyed in a battle with Sin, and are replaced with machina prosthetics.
Lucil
Lucil is strong, brave, and wise. Her natural leadership qualities serve her well in hole roles as captain (and later commander). She can be strict, but is always polite. Lucil is determined, as the outcome of Operation Mi'ihen doesn't stop her from immediately trying to re-establish the Chocobo Knights. She remains polite to Yuna even if she gives the Awesome Sphere to New Yevon.
Elma
Elma is a member of the Chocobo Knights, who participate in Operation Mi'ihen along with captain Lucil and Clasko. Elma is cheerful, bubbly, and somewhat tomboyish. She is always ready to welcome Yuna. She becomes hostile to Yuna if she gives the "Awesome Sphere" to New Yevon, even though she only claims she's just doing her job as captain and she won't set a bad example by running away. This shows that Elma still sees Yuna as a friend but she has to do her duty as captain. They return to being friends after her concert in the Thunder Plains.
Clasko
Clasko is a young man who served as a Chocobo Knight before the Eternal Calm, retiring shortly after Operation Mi'ihen. Clasko never felt comfortable in his position. Although he was good at taking care of the chocobos, he did not find himself comfortable with the strict pace maintained by Captain Lucil.
Dona
Dona is a summoner from Kilika in Final Fantasy X. Her guardian is Barthello. She tends to give Yuna and her guardians a hard time. Two years later, in Final Fantasy X-2, she makes her home in Kilika Port and acts as a minor supporting character. Dona lives in Kilika with Barthello and is a staunch Youth League supporter, which causes a rift between the two with Barthello being a member of New Yevon and going to Kilika Temple. During the Great Sphere Hunt, Dona joins the Youth League's assault on the temple and is shocked when Yuna and the Gullwings steal the awesome sphere. After the party decides which group to return the sphere to, her attitude to them becomes warmer or harsher, depending on whom Yuna decides to give it. Dona helps Yuna, Rikku, and Paine get into Kilika Forest when fiends pour out of the temple by distracting the gate guard. Later, Yuna converses with her on the CommSphere and witnesses her reconsidering her feelings for Barthello.
Maroda
Maroda is is a guardian of his elder brother Isaaru, along with their younger brother Pacce. Following the Eternal Calm, Maroda grows apart from his brother, joining the Youth League while Isaaru aligns himself with New Yevon. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine meet him at the Den of Woe entrance where he warns them against investigating the cave. The Gullwings inquire after Isaaru even if they had already met him in Zanarkand. When Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal disappear into the Farplane, Maroda goes to Bevelle to assist with holding Spira together in the confusion.
New Yevon
New Yevon is a political organization in Final Fantasy X-2. Trema, a former Yevon monk, formed the party from the shattered remains of the Yevon religion half a year after Sin's defeat. When Spirans began their new lives without fear after the start of the Eternal Calm, many felt the world was moving along too fast and so Trema founded New Yevon with the intent of keeping the moral teachings of the old faith, but would gradually introduce new ways of thinking. The group is based out of the city of Bevelle, and their motto is "One thing at a time."
Baralai
Baralai is the current Praetor of New Yevon. As their newly elected official, he is deeply respected by the other party members and the citizens of Spira. New Yevon takes a conservative approach, their motto being "one thing at a time". However their furtive habits–including sphere theft–have earned them a general lack of trust. Baralai at first glance is soft spoken and polite, eager to take on the role of Praetor of New Yevon. He does not judge Yuna for her past crimes against Yevon, but asks her to have faith. Despite this, he harbors past hurts and betrayals and can be quick to anger.
Issaru
Isaaru is a summoner in the land of Spira who travels to the temples of Yevon in search of more powerful aeons with the hopes of finally defeating Sin. Two years later, he works with Cid at a new tourist attraction.
Barthello
Barthello is a character from Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. His somewhat slow appearance belies a dutiful man, serious about his guardian duties to Dona. During Final Fantasy X he speaks little, often just nodding in response to what Dona says or silently responding to her orders, but when he does speak, he has something significant to say. He appears at first to be intimidating and thuggish, but in truth he is highly loyal and dutiful, desiring nothing but to protect his summoner. In Final Fantasy X-2 Barthello is much more interactive, though dejected and torn between his beliefs and his feelings for Dona.
Machine Faction
One of the many groups in the world of Final Fantasy X-2 that cropped up around Spira with the arrival of the Eternal Calm, the Machine Faction aims to propagate the use of machina in Spira, going as far as renaming "machina" as "machines" to remove any lingering stigma. The leader is Gippal, an Al Bhed who establishes the Machine Faction after Yuna defeats Sin. The Faction keeps its headquarters in the abandoned Djose Temple, with a connection to Bikanel Island so that people can join and excavate in the desert. Unlike the Youth League and New Yevon, two other groups formed in the aftermath of Sin's destruction, the Machine Faction is neutral, providing its machines to both sides. The group would soon go on to discover Iutycyr Tower, an long-forgotten ancient structure believed to predate Zanarkand.
Gippal
Gippal leads the Al Bhed's Machine Faction in Final Fantasy X-2, which strives to spearhead an industrial revolution in Spira by introducing uses of machina to aid everyday life. He is an old comrade to Nooj, Baralai and Paine back from when the four formed a unit in Crimson Squad, and is also in friendly terms with Rikku.
Nhadala
Nhadala is the leader of the Al Bhed excavation camp in the Bikanel Desert in Final Fantasy X-2. She has a knack for psyching people up and make them do their best, which is quite useful in her line of work
Benzo
Benzo is an Al Bhed interpreter in Final Fantasy X-2. He is the only person who understands the language of the cacti, and acts as an interpreter between Al Bhed and the Cactuars living in Bikanel Desert that have founded the Cactuar Nation. Benzo is similar to Shinra as an Al Bhed child prodigy, proud of his unique skill that makes adults rely on him, though he plays down his abilities and acts humble. His catchphrase is to say "that's the gist of it" after a lengthy translation.
Leblanc Syndicate
The Leblanc Syndicate is a group of sphere hunters who considers Gullwings their rivals in Final Fantasy X-2. The syndicate is led by an eccentric woman called Leblanc. Its headquarters are in the old Guado manor in Guadosalam, where the former Guado leaders resided, which Leblanc christened as Chateau Leblanc. Only syndicate members are allowed in, and take turns in guarding the entrance. The syndicate members are known as "goons" and are fiercely loyal to their leader. The syndicate is associated with the color pink and heart motifs, in accordance with Leblanc's dress style.
Leblanc
Leblanc is a sphere hunter and the leader of the Leblanc Syndicate and she is the Gullwings' rival for much of the game. Leblanc is bossy and cocky, though ultimately is good at heart, garnering a loyal following of various misfits she has taken in. She hates being ordered around, though she makes exceptions if she believes doing so would please Nooj, her not-so-secret infatuation of the Youth League. In fact, Leblanc became a sphere hunter to find something from Spira's past to make her "Noojie-Woojie" smile for her. Leblanc treats outcasts kindly, having taken in those who had nowhere else to go. Logos and Ormi came to work for her after she took care of them after the events at the Den of Woe during Operation Mi'ihen. Though she abuses her subordinates, they remain at her side as they owe her for helping them out.
Logos
Logos is one of Leblanc's two henchmen in Final Fantasy X-2, together with Ormi. He wields two revolvers. Like the rest of the syndicate, Logos is loyal to Leblanc and exceedingly cocky and intelligent. He is the brains of the Leblanc Syndicate, and tries to keep Ormi under control when the latter gets agitated. Logos has a thing for recording naughty sphere videos, and a sphere he recorded during his visit to the Bevelle Underground seems to focus on Yuna's backside.
Ormi
Ormi is one of Leblanc's two henchmen in Final Fantasy X-2, together with Logos. He uses a big shield as a weapon. Ormi is dimwitted and lets his emotions get out of hand, being held back by the more rational Logos. Ormi is devoted to Leblanc and strives to serve her and help accomplish whatever goals she may set for the syndicate.
Other Characters
Shuyin
Shuyin is the primary antagonist of Final Fantasy X-2. He bears a striking resemblance to Tidus. When Yuna is given a sphere Kimahri discovered on Mt. Gagazet, showing Shuyin in a cell beneath Bevelle, she mistakes him for Tidus, which sets her off on her career as a sphere hunter. Shuyin's spirit was corrupted with negative feelings of failing to protect Lenne and hatred for those responsible as he was forced to endlessly relive the memory of his death. Shuyin lost his sanity and became driven by fantasies of revenge against all of Spira. When Lenne appears after Shuyin is defeated by YRP, his negative emotions are soothed, finally allowing him to fade to the Farplane.
Lenne
Lenne was a popular songstress and summoner from the ancient Zanarkand in Final Fantasy X-2. She was Shuyin's lover. Lenne was a caring and loving person who didn't want to see such grief and death across Spira. Lenne loved Shuyin and her strong feelings for him allowed her memories to be preserved in the form of a sphere. Being a summoner, she possessed some talent and determination for battle, as well as a desire to fight for her people. She was also talented in singing and songwriting.
Vegnagun
Vegnagun is a colossal weapon. It is a powerful and fearsome machina created by the city of Bevelle during the Machina War, 1000 years before Final Fantasy X. The weapon is massive and powerful enough to potentially destroy all of Spira. It can sense emotion, and thus knows whether an approaching person means to do it harm. Vegnagun was not put in use due to its inability to tell friend from foe; it was considered to be used against Sin, but due to its flaws was never used. Vegnagun is controlled by playing an organ-like instrument atop its head, each key emitting a colored glow when pressed. Its main weapon, a gargantuan cannon, fires concentrated energy to cause untold amounts of destruction.
Maechen
Maechen is a scholar and historian in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. He is infamous for his long-winded expositions on Spira's history. If the party speaks with him at various locations, he will tell stories from history or describe some of Spira's inhabitants, such as the Hypello. The Ultimania guides to Final Fantasy X question the veracity of Maechen's information, saying that he knows a lot that even the priests don't, but whether it is all true is unknown. This implies that the player is meant to draw their own conclusions. Maechen is a wise man who has a vast knowledge of the history and origins of all things related to Spira and its many cultures. He is never in a hurry, and his tendency to be thorough with his expositions leads to some listeners growing bored. He travels around Spira offering his knowledge to those who may feel lost.
Tromell
Tromell is an elderly Guado, and serves the Guado leaders. His most recent liege is Seymour Guado. Tromell is a loyal butler of the current Guado leader, always following orders without question. This leads him to later lamenting his actions in the light of his liege's wrongdoings, and in Final Fantasy X-2, Tromell and the other Guado have become burdened by their perceived sins and simply want to disappear and be forgotten. Yuna has the chance to help them be reintegrated to the Spiran society and Tromell hopes to restore relations between Guado and the Ronso as well as the rest of Spira.
O'aka XXIII
O'aka XXIII is a traveling merchant who sells items and equipment to the player. He is Yuna's devout supporter and has a brother called Wantz. O'aka can be sneaky, slipping past guards and security, but his motives to help Yuna and the party are close to his heart. Despite the disagreements they get into, O'aka does care for his brother Wantz. O'aka learned many of his skills, like silver-tongued negotiations and disguises, from his forebears.
Rin
Rin is an Al Bhed merchant and entrepreneur who runs the various travel agency chapters across Spira. Rin is always thinking of business and starts various entrepreneurial endeavors. He has a darker side in terms of viewing machina powered the Farplane energy as the future of Spira, as he reveals if Yuna points him as the one behind the Mi'ihen Highroad machina attack in Final Fantasy X-2. In the aftermath of Final Fantasy X-2, Rin gets Shinra to be part of his big project.