Braska's Final Aeon (Final Fantasy X)

Braska's Final Aeon is the last boss of Final Fantasy X that the player can lose against under normal conditions. It is the form that Jecht took when he was transformed into a Fayth to assist Lord Braska with the Final Summoning 10 years prior to the game's storyline. Jecht is spotted on a platform, looking out over his own private re-creation of Zanarkand. It is here that Jecht can retain his own sense of self, but has lately been growing weaker under the power of Yu Yevon and losing the ability to hold himself back. As such, he welcomes the fight against his son, Tidus, as it is the only way he can be freed.

Although Yu Yevon is fought right afterwards as the Final Boss, it's impossible to die in that battle short of self-incapacitation, making this battle the last challenge in the storyline.

Strategy
Braska's Final Aeon is fought in two stages. However, with Celestial Weapons and the Break Damage Limit ability making its debut appearance, players who decide to do those sidequests before entering the final stages will find the battle quite easy.

Braska's Final Aeon has an Overdrive gauge which will steadily increase as he gives and receives damage. Tidus can reset the gauge by talking to Jecht, but this can only be done twice and should be reserved for the second half of the battle.

Jecht Beam can cause Petrification, and his standard attack can shatter a petrified character. The Triumphant Grasp overdrive will put one character in Zombie status, as well as causing heavy damage. When faced with an Aeon, Braska's Final Aeon will use Jecht Bomber, which can do up to 4000 HP damage. This can be reduced to a quarter of the normal damage by using Shield and further by using Cheer, however Protect will not reduce it.

Braska's Final Aeon is flanked by two Yu Pagodas. These Pagodas remove statuses and use Power Wave to heal Braska's Final Aeon for 1,500 each time and increase his Overdrive gauge. A Zombified Braska's Final Aeon will be damaged, however the Zombie status will be quickly healed and since the Pagodas use it twice (once for each Pagoda), it would be as if the Final Aeon was never damaged at all on that turn. The Pagodas each have 5,000 HP and can be killed, but will return a few rounds later with increased health equal to the amount of excess damage by their finishing blow. I.e., if they start off with 5,000 HP and are dealt two attacks worth 2,700 and 2,600 respectively, they will revive with 5,300 HP. It's best to kill them both off at the same time, as the remaining Pagoda will spam Curse and other nasty spells.

In his second form, Braska's Final Aeon will draw a mighty sword from his chest, and spikes that resemble wings come out from his back. In this stage, he will hit all party members at once, delay their turn slightly, and do more damage than before. When his HP falls below half, his overdrive will change to Ultimate Jecht Shot, which can hit all characters for around 5,000 damage. This is when it's appropriate to use Tidus' Talk command.

Keeping the party members' HP up is vital. Buffs such as Protect, Haste, and Regen will be essential, and if Yuna has learned Auto-Life, it will also be helpful. Using Stamina Tonics to double your party's max HP is also incredibly effective, especially when coupled with Break HP Limit. Doublecasting Flare and Ultima and using plenty of Overdrives will prove very effective.

Possibly the easiest strategy for defeating the Final Aeon is as follows: Yuna should have finished her Sphere Grid path and started on a new path by this time. If she is taken down Tidus' or Auron's path, she can quickly develop her strength attribute, which greatly magnifies her Aeons' strength. If Yuna has Anima available for summoning at this point, Anima can potentially destroy The Final Aeon's second form in just two hits, by inflicting up to 99999 damage per hit. Even without Anima, Bahamut's overdrive along with a couple of regular attacks should easily dispatch of this boss, provided Yuna's strength attribute is at least 28. Shiva's Overdrive is also incredibly potent, with damage figures around 40,000 not being unusual for an average-stat player (providing you have upgraded Lulu's Onion Knight with the Venus Crest first).

It should also be noted that Braska's Final Aeon is vulnerable to several status ailments. Though it may take a few tries, the player can Poison the boss, and Auron's "Break" skills can take effect as well. Most important is that Braska's Final Aeon is not immune to Zombie, so if the player uses Zombie Attack to inflict Zombie on it, the Yu Pagodas will damage it rather than heal it, although the Yu Pagodas will also remove these status ailments on their turn.

Alternate, easier strategy
Equip Stoneproof weapons/armor (and half/one mp weapons on Yuna and Lulu if possible) on everyone and start with Auron, Tidus and Lulu. Having sensor also helps. Lulu should have doublecast and flare. Yuna should have flare or holy. Have Tidus's overdrive on full or near full (or Wakka, if he has the Attack Reels overdrive). Have Rikku's overdrive on full. Also, make sure you have at least 2xWings of Discovery and some gems (e.g. Fire Gem, Lighting Gem etc...). You can get 30xWings of discovery them from Chocobo racing. Open 3 chests and win without touching any poles. Don't worry, it only takes about 10 minutes of practice.

Tidus should start with Hastega. Auron can Mental break on his turn - after which, have Auron defend. Lulu Doublecasts Firaga on the two Yu Pagoda's (which should deal just over 5000 damage each). Switch Tidus for Yuna and have Yuna and Lulu spam flare (which should do 9999 or more on each turn). Make sure the whole party is alive. When the Yu Pagodas get revived, cast flare on them ASAP otherwise it uses Curse or Osomose which is BAD. Repeat spamming flare until it changes form.

Now, switch in Rikku and Tidus (or Wakka if he has attack reels). Get Rikku to mix two Wings to discovery to make 'Trio of 9999' (it makes every attack do 9999 damage). Now, make sure Rikku or Tidus (or Wakka) does not die. Have Auron use Guard to take damage for them if necessary. Forget trying to kill the Yu Pagoda's. Go full defense with Auron. Unleash Tidus's slice and dice which should deal ~50,000 damage (or Wakka's Attack Reels - if you can get three 2's, that'll take out 119988HP leaving the boss with 12 HP left!). Get Rikku to use a gem which will do another ~50,000. Again, defend Rikku with your life! When it's Rikku's turn again, use another gem finishing the boss off. Alternatively, switch to Yuna and unleash Bahamut or Anima's overdrive.

So basically. Auron (or whoever has really high HP) is defending and healing, Lulu, Yuna, Tidus/Wakka and Rikku are all on the offense. Disable Yu Pagodas and slaughter the first form. Use Trio of 9999 and attacks that hit multiple times to do crazy amounts of damage to the second form.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Braska's Final Aeon makes an appearance once more in Dissidia: Final Fantasy as Jecht's EX Mode. He is much more human in size and shape now, though otherwise resembles the Final Aeon exactly. The Final Aeon's abilities, "Triumphant Grasp" and "Ultimate Jecht Shot" appear as HP Attacks for Jecht, as well as "Jecht Beam" being added in Dissidia 012.

Related enemies

 * Sin
 * Yu Pagoda
 * Yu Yevon