Final Fantasy X in Japan and US
In 2001, Square Enix released the 10th game in their Final Fantasy franchise. Having mainly success in Japan, Square Enix, with the hope of introducing Western themes such as individualism and deviating away from an organized societal structure, were hoping to popularize their game in the US. Upon release, not only was it the largest selling game in Japan, it was a huge success in America, generating a gross amount of 120 million dollars. Its success in Japan is no surprise since the Final Fantasy franchise has been an established brand there for many years, however, the level of success in America was unprecedented at the time.
While some argue that the reason Final Fantasy X is such a beloved game in Japan and the US is because it strikes a chord in universal themes such as love, I argue the reason behind the game’s success is based on differences in cultural value where Final Fantasy X appeals to Japan in terms of a collectivist standpoint through the sacrifices each character makes for each other while it appeals to the US with respect to an individualist standpoint through the main character, Tidus, forging his path through hardship and making the group’s journey more centered around himself over their collective cause.
Japan is known to be a collectivist society meaning that they put group harmony above the expression of individual opinions. Because of this, the Japanese, to a certain degree, will follow this concept to ‘save face’, not only for themselves but for the people they love, like their family. It is also to show respect toward the reputation for the company they work for. To do something disruptive can be detrimental to the individual, that can lead to things like shame and stress, not only to the individual but to anybody else that could be affected by it. These characteristics are demonstrated in Final Fantasy X, where a character named Yuna embarks on a pilgrimage to expel a monstrous threat, called Sin, at the expense of her own life. Not only does she embrace the sacrifice of her life to expel Sin as her duty to the people, but the people in return expect this of her, reinforcing the idea of collectivism that translates from Japanese culture into the world of the game.
To the Japanese audience, Yuna is a beloved character due to the way she faces her fate instead of running from it and how she embodies Japanese cultural values. On the other hand Tidus is not as appealing because he leans towards being more individualistic rather than collectivist. He is a difficult character to describe because he is “not real, but is a dream manifested through a mass summoning.” In other words, he himself does not exist and only manifests because of Yuna, who has the ability to summon spirits to assist in her quest to purge Sin. However, no one is aware of this, not even Tidus as he believes that he is a real person. To add insult to injury, the memories he has of his family, hometown, and achievements prior to meeting Yuna, were fabricated as a way for him to contextualize the world around him when he is summoned. Within this context we’re invited to question the meaning of life and existence in a world in which its relevance through the eyes of the main protagonist is indeed abstract and, thus, unreliable. Having the storytelling of the game the responsibility of a character who isn’t alive in the human sense to try and create meaning in existence creates some interesting thoughts when you remember that the lead character in the game has no life to create meaning out of. As a result, permeating throughout the game, are his decisions to emphasize his intrinsic worth not only to himself but to the group that sometimes put the success of their collective goal at risk. This dynamic in how Japan views Tidus and Yuna is demonstrated by polls of favorite characters of the Final Fantasy franchise, “where Yuna ranks 2nd and Tidus ranks 12th” (Nintendo). The focal point of how well a character is received in Japan hinges on how well they embody its cultural values. This game resonates with Japan because there is an aspect of the game that prioritizes a collectivist stance, whereas the reason as to its success in the US is different.
The US, as opposed to Japan, is centered around an individualist culture and Nietzchian concepts underlie some of the qualities of the main characters. at its core a story of a journey towards knowledge. Each of the characters in the game start out naive and largely innocent of the realities of what surrounds them, and over the course of the journey come to the realisation of the stakes that are actually at play, and in doing so question many of the assumptions they had previously believed. For no one this is more evident than Yuna herself, who goes from having a blind faith in the teachings of Yevon, their form of an omnipotent being, to questioning everything about her journey and the fight against Sin. This is a very Nietzschean concept, which is compounded when the game juxtaposes what Yuna and her band experience to the unwavering faith of the masses that they encounter from start to finish. “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe,” Nietzsche once wrote. “If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” This is what is seen when the group starts to question their mission through the opposition they receive, internally and externally. The response of the people when they learned of the group’s growing hesitance over fulfilling their task may be reflective of how Japan views ideas of existentialism.
Final Fantasy X’s primary doctrine is one modeled after Shinto, Japan’s leading form of faith, and of a traditionalist understanding of the faith, in which people are expected to have a deep respect for and reverence of nature. Shinto brought about many of Japan’s cultural values and therefore it is deeply rooted within the country. The act of straying away from Shinto means not only to reject the leading form of faith but is also perceived as rejecting its cultural values. Therefore, it is associated with being more away from collectivism and more towards individualism, which is not a merit in Japanese culture.
