Highlights
- Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is receiving backlash for Tidus' altered skin tone.
- Fans believe the change doesn't represent the sun-tanned hero from the original game, arguing that he's too pale in the new design.
- Some speculate the change could be to better align with Japanese beauty standards, noting that the X/X-2 remaster seemed to alter his skin color as well.
Mobile RPG Final Fantasy Brave Exvius has recently added a depiction of Final Fantasy 10 protagonist Tidus that is off-putting to long-time fans of the franchise. Specifically, some fans are upset about the skin tone given to Tidus in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, saying it is far too pale and doesn't represent the sun-tanned hero they came to know and love more than two decades ago.
Although not given the same degree of publicity as Final Fantasy 7's Cloud Strife, Tidus and the game from which he originates are beloved in the Final Fantasy community, standing among the franchise's best. The complicated relationship between Tidus and Yuna, including the iconic laughter scene, has won the duo a lot of fans, some of whom seem to be concerned that his image has been tarnished in more recent games, including Brave Exvius.
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Brave Exvius is no stranger to crossover events, and a summon involving both Tidus and Yuna was recently added to the gacha-based game. As pointed out on Reddit by user riskedbiscuit, developer Alim appears to have washed out the plucky protagonist, and while he's still easily recognizable from his clothing and hairstyle, his trademark swimmer's tan has noticeably faded away. In addition to the obvious lightening of his skin, some fans have pointed out that this newer version of Tidus also seems to have lost some musculature, and that both he and Yuna have lost some of the roundness of their facial features, which had originally showcased their youth, in favor of more generalized, anime-like facial appearances.
Tidus Doesn't Look The Same in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Other Tidus fans also have some questions about the change in complexion of the celebrated blitzball player. Many commenters made note that Tidus having a tan makes sense, since he is an athlete in an aquatic sport and spends much of his time outdoors, while others have pointed to the comparatively darker skin tone of his father, Jecht, to suggest that his originally tan skin may be a hereditary trait. Publisher Square Enix is based in Tokyo, and many fans believe the changes to Tidus were made to bring him more in line with Japenese beauty standards. Still, one fan tried to explain away the change in complexion by noting that Tidus is "technically dead," so pale skin actually suits him in that regard.
This isn't the first time that Final Fantasy fans have called out developers for lightening up Tidus' complexion. When Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster launched, some fans questioned what had happened to Tidus, as his complexion had become much more pale and luminous than in his original presentation on the PlayStation 2.
