Final Fantasy X is easily one of the greatest JRPGs ever made and serves as a fitting entry in this illustrious series that has been running strong since all the way back in 1987. The brilliant visuals (that have definitely aged gracefully than most other games released in 2001), an excellent story, a hauntingly beautiful setting, and some of the best-written characters ever featured in a video game have elevated the status of Final Fantasy X to an entirely different level.
Even Kimahri — someone who is not exactly beloved — is still an excellent character in many ways, with his personal struggles being something that fans can easily root for. Therefore, given the context of this character, here are some things about Kimahri that most people aren't aware of.
10 He's Supposed To Be A Hybrid Of Numerous Final Fantasy Classes
Out of all the characters in Final Fantasy X, Kimahri easily serves as one of the more multi-faceted in the entire series...even though this might not exactly make him all that useful.
Kimahri has all the abilities of a Dragoon, a Blue Mage, and a Red Mage, making him a rather versatile character. However, that's not really putting the character in a positive light given the fact that he's not really a master in any particular department.
9 He Easily Has The Most Complicated Position On The Sphere Grid
There's a reason why Kimahri starts at the very center of the Sphere Grid. Given the fact that he's technically a jack-of-all-trades, it only makes sense that he would be close to every other character and their position on the Sphere Grid.
That being said, Kimahri starts out behind pretty much every other person. This makes him pretty useless unless the player goes out of their way to net him as many experience points as possible so that he can catch up with the other characters on the Grid.
8 He's Voiced By The Same Person Who Does Wakka's Voice As Well
The voice of Kimahri is someone that most people with a decent wealth of pop culture knowledge would be familiar with. Of course, anybody who has a keen ear would also realize that this actor has also given the voice for another character in the game as well.
John DiMaggio is the voice for both Kimahri and Wakka. It's a shame that both these characters don't really talk to each other in the game, since that would've allowed for some truly amusing moments in the series.
7 John DiMaggio Has Voiced Several Other Notable Characters Too
The career of John DiMaggio is truly an illustrious one, and the number of iconic characters he's voiced throughout his career is something that would astound most people.
To put this statement into context, DiMaggio has provided the voices for Bender on Futurama, Marcus Fenix in the Gears of War series, and Mr. Freeze in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, just to name a few.
DiMaggio has also provided the voice of Gilgamesh in Final Fantasy XII as well.
6 He Actually Refers To Himself In First-Person Four Times Over The Course Of The Series
Throughout the entire series, Kimahri always refers to himself in the third-person. However, there are four times in the game when he breaks this cardinal rule.
Kimahri speaks in first-person twice when he interacts with Biran at Mt. Gagazet. This happens again when he talks to Yuna before they meet Yunalesca, and one final instance when he jumps onto Sin when the party finally decides to attack the antagonist. The last scene is not even mandatory.
5 His Design & Clothing Are Inspired By The Rakshasas In Hindu And Buddhist Mythologies
If there's one thing that can comfortably be said about Kimahri, it's the fact that his character design is very much inspired by a famous creature from Eastern mythology.
The Rakshasa is a demon of sorts that is present in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. While the connotation might seem negative, rakshasas actually exist on both sides of the moral spectrum...and it's clear that Kimahri is supposed to be on the good end.
4 He Is One Of Two Main Characters To Join Without Any Equipped Armor
While this might be a minor point to talk about, it's certainly rather amusing that a voice actor is not the only thing that Kimahri and Wakka share with each other.
Both these characters join the party without any armor equipped, which might be due to the fact that their character models are shirtless. While this might be a nice way to add some realism to the mix, at the end of the day, it just ends up being nothing more than an annoyance for the player.
3 A Custom Warcraft III Map Has A Hero That's Modelled After Kimahri
A rather interesting fact about Kimahri is that his model and portrait was actually used in a popular custom map for Warcraft III. The game hasn't had the greatest reputation ever since its lackluster remaster hit the scene.
The map is something that most people must be familiar with — Defence of the Ancients: Allstars. It's this map that ultimately led to the creation of Dota 2, with the character of Azwraith the Phantom Lancer being modified from its initial appearance as a repurposed Kimahri.
Fan art created by masdhika.
2 The Battle Against Biran & Yenke Is Carefully Orchestrated To Not Be Frustrating
There's a moment in the story when Kimahri strives to prove himself by fighting against Biran and Yenke all by his lonesome. Players might understandably be somewhat intimidated by this, mainly due to the weak nature of Kimahri's character, unless he was consistently a main member of the party. However, there is really no need to fear this encounter due to the manner in which it's structured.
Biran and Yenke's stats are directly proportional to Kimahri's, making the entire battle surprisingly balanced. This lets the players engage in a fair fight while simultaneously allowing them to learn all the Blue Magic that they'd missed out on until then.
1 He's One Of The Youngest Tribe Elders At Just 27 Years Old
In Final Fantasy X-2, Kimahri is revealed to be the new elder of the Ronso tribe — a commendable accomplishment, especially considering his age.
In fact, the achievement is downright impossible to believe, given the ages of the previous Ronso elders. 27 is extremely young in Ronso years, which makes it rather contrived that Kimahri managed to reach such a celebrated status in his clan, especially given the fact that he had been shunned from the clan just a while back.