Dark Aeon

The International and PAL versions of Final Fantasy X included several extras that were not available in the North American edition. One of these extras was the option to fight the Dark counterparts of each Aeon featured in the game. Each of them has a red spot somewhere on their body, possibly an emblem to show that they are Dark Aeons, unlike their regular counterparts who don't sport the blemishes.

Appearance of the Dark Aeons
Once Yuna and her Guardians escaped from Bevelle, they were branded as traitors of Yevon and orders were given to stop their pilgrimage and arrest them at all costs. Dark Yojimbo, Ixion and Shiva can be found before you fight Yunalesca. After defeating her at Zanarkand and gaining control of the Airship, you are free to return to any location and look for new areas to visit. The rest of the Dark Aeons now appear to halt your journey, some block your entry to previously friendly locations, while others merely wander in inconspicuous locations, hoping you would come across their path. Each Dark Aeon boasts a very high amount of HP, with Anima taking the honors with 8 Million. They each have close to maximum stats and are immune to all status effects. All drop weapons and armor with Break Damage Limit and Break HP Limit along with other high-level auto-abilities such as Ribbon. In the case of Yojimbo (whom you must defeat 5 times in a row), he can be fought an unlimited amount of times to fill up your stock with many excellent weapons.

Some of the Dark Aeon's abilities are non-elemental, such as Dark Shiva's Diamond Dust and Dark Ixion's Thundaja. For example, when you have Shiva summoned and Dark Shiva is about to use Diamond Dust, Shiva will not gain any HP.

Dark Valefor
A nice trip home for Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka is no happy reunion as at the gates to Besaid Village, a summoner disallows you entry and then summons Dark Valefor to give you a nasty welcome. The pre and post-battle cutscenes use recycled dialog from early parts of the game, including the "Stay away from the Summoner" line, which is spoken by an out of sight old lady.

Dark Ifrit
This angry beast is somewhat off the beaten track, as he is waiting at the entrance to the now-inaccessible Home. If you approach the former entrance, a summoner disguised as an Al Bhed woman will ask for your assistance, luring you into a trap where Dark Ifrit pounces if you try to peer over the edge of the canyon.

Dark Ixion
For those who like the sound of rumbling thunder, a stroll through the Thunder Plains is likely to get you into trouble with Dark Ixion, who has obviously been bulking up on the constant lightning. To make matters worse, he is a sore loser, and will return for a second round after he has been supposedly defeated. However, eagle-eyed players will be able to spot him waiting in the distance, so unless you are ready and willing to jump into the fray again, you will wisely back off and leave the demented unicorn for another day. There are differences between the first and second battle with Dark Ixion, in the attacks he uses.

Dark Shiva
After killing their leader, Maester Seymour, the Guado are certainly not going to let you back into Macalania Temple and summon Dark Shiva to give you the cold shoulder. Even if you are quick enough to ward off the Ice Woman, the Guado will then run to try to get rid of you themselves. However, it is possible to return to Macalania Temple after defeating Dark Shiva and exiting the Temple area.

Dark Bahamut
Once Yunalesca is out of the way and you fly off into the sunset on the Airship, Dark Bahamut will take pride of place in The Beyond, patiently awaiting your foolish return. Unless you have worked hard on the Sphere Grid and can boast about getting rid of at least the previous 4 Dark Aeons, Dark Bahamut will consider your party nothing more than annoying mosquitoes and squash you with little effort.

Dark Yojimbo
A nostalgic visit to the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth sounds like a good idea. Perhaps you are collecting fiends for the Monster Arena, or picking up some rare treasure you missed the first time? You had better watch your back because a summoner is sneaking about and is not going to let you leave without a fight. Don't forget that Dark Yojimbo is an ancient warrior and he likes to attack fast and early, so you may be facing a quick death before you even realize who you are fighting.

Yojimbo operates on the Best-of-Five principle. After his first defeat, the Summoner will retreat back through the Cavern. Follow him to initiate another battle. Yojimbo must be fought 5 times in a row without leaving the Cavern or stopping the game, however you are free to use the Save Sphere to regenerate the party and save the game. After your fifth victory the Summoner will leave for good.

If you reset your console or soft-reset during the Dark Yojimbo event, the event will reset as well. This can be exploited through "farming" Dark Yojimbo for armors with Break HP Limit, Ribbon and two empty slots.

Dark Yojimbo will always ambush you on the first fight, so a First Strike weapon would be a good choice.

Dark Anima
The Gagazet trials were fun, especially the target throwing with Wakka. If you want to brush up on your hand-eye coordination, feel free to try again and reap the rewards. Unfortunately the reward is Dark Anima who will appear as you return to the entrance of Mt. Gagazet, cold and menacing with a devastating Pain attack that even Deathproof won't shield. Once summoned, you don't actually have to fight Dark Anima, she just sits there at the entrance to Gagazet, with her chains attached to the pillars. In battle, she is quite evasive, even though she just stands there.

Dark Magus Sisters
Facing one Dark Aeon is tough enough, but three at once? You've got to be kidding! Unfortunately the Sisters are not, and will ambush you if you cross their paths on the Mushroom Rock Road.

''If you think you are not up to the challenge of facing the Sisters together, try this handy little trick: When you approach the Summoners on the Mushroom Rock Road, at first there will only be two, if you try to pass them a third will show up. If you still then try to continue on, the Magus Sisters will attack. By taking a detour and leading them in a race along the Ravine Path, you can split up the Sisters; fighting them one at a time or Sandy and Mindy first, and then Cindy. Splitting them up makes each battle three-to-one in your favor, like the other Dark Aeons. It also prevents them using Delta Attack, but their alternate, Mega-Graviton, really isn't a better substitute.''

Penance
Once you have dispatched all the other Dark Aeons to the Farplane, the toughest enemy in perhaps all of the Final Fantasy series will arrive to fight you. Boasting 12,000,000 Hp for the main body, and 500,000 Hp for the arms, Penance is considered among the top 5 toughest enemies in all Final Fantasies. The one sure way is to use Zanmato.

Final Fantasy X-2
The Dark Aeons returned in Final Fantasy X-2 as bosses but are nowhere near as formidable as their previous versions. They are manifested by the Fayth as a result of being possessed by Shuyin's hatred for Spira and appear in their respective Chambers of the Fayth in Chapter 3.

Dark Bahamut: At the end of Chapter 2, when you invade the Bevelle Underground looking for Vegnagun, Dark Bahamut appears before the YRP and they are forced to fight him.

Dark Ifrit: At the start of Chapter 3, fiends start to pour out of the temples and the Gullwings fly to Kilika and discover Ifrit in the Chamber of the Fayth. After he is killed, they discover a hole where the fayth should be.

Dark Valefor: At the same time as Kilika, fiends pour out of the temple in Besaid. Wakka is among those to attempt to ward them off. Beclem considers burning down the temple before the YRP intervene to find Dark Valefor and Yuna reluctantly kills her first Aeon.

Dark Yojimbo: Fiends attack tourists down in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth and the Gullwings must rescue them and finally discovering Yojimbo in the chamber of the fayth. He is the only aeon that you don't have to fight and the mission in the Calm Lands can be avoided.

Dark Ixion: While fiends pour out of Besaid and Kilika, the Machine Faction attempt to handle the fiends in Djose but Ixion fuses with the machina and takes over. He is defeated by the YRP but he exhibits one last burst of strength which knocks Yuna down the hole in the chamber of the fayth.

Dark Shiva: When Yuna decides to jump down the holes in the chambers of the fayth, she and Rikku and Paine enter the Farplane and Shiva is the first aeon they must face.

Dark Magus Sisters: As you go deeper into the Farplane, the sisters ambush you on the second level and you must defeat them together.

Dark Anima: She is the final aeon to be fought at the lowest level. After she is vanquished, Bahamut's fayth will appear before Yuna and explain about Shuyin.

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