Seymour Guado

Seymour Guado is a character in Final Fantasy X. He is temporarily playable in one battle and otherwise serves as the game's main antagonist. As a maester in the church of Yevon, Seymour has considerable influence over Spira and is a skilled mage and summoner. Seymour uses his power to work towards a sinister end; his ultimate desire is to destroy Spira, believing he will "free" its people from the cycle of sorrow and suffering Sin has trapped them in.

Appearance and Personality
Seymour is a tall Guado-human halfbreed. He has blue eyes, light blue hair with two long locks similar in appearance to horns running down his back, and a large bang of hair falling over his face. He wears the ornate robes of a follower of Yevon, which are predominantly dark blue with red trimmings and a green sash. The robe above Seymour's waist is open, exposing his chest, and his sleeves fall to partially cover his hands.

As he is part-Guado, Seymour's fingers are more pointed than a humans, but not as long as a Guado's fingers. It is not shown if his ears are pointed like a Guado's as well. The veins on Seymour's face are highly pronounced, another trait that was passed from the Guado. Seymour wields a staff in battle, though he is more proficient with magic.

Due to his cruel and lonely upbringing, Seymour has nihilistic views on Spiran life. Due to Sin's continuous, seemingly endless rebirth, Seymour believes as many do that Sin cannot be truly destroyed and will always exist. Seymour thus believes Spira is a land of death trapped in an endless cycle, as Sin dies and is reborn, to plague the people anew. He sees death as a release from the sorrow and pain of life, which is why he wishes to destroy Spira, "saving" its people from the cycle of death and granting them release.

Seymour's views are only strengthened when he becomes an unsent, his power increasing dramatically from his mortal life. Though Seymour appears courteous and affable on the outside, this is merely a front to hide his sinister motives, and when called upon he drops the pretenses and reveals his true nature as an arrogant and cruel man. Seymour has no qualms with killing anyone who stands in the way of his objectives, rationalizing that by murdering them, he has saved them from the pain of life.

Before Final Fantasy X
Seymour was born from the leader of the Guado, Jyscal Guado, and a human woman in an attempt to foster friendship between the Guado and human races. Seymour was viewed as an abomination by the humans, and Jyscal's decision to wed a human led to disunity in the Guado tribe. In order to avoid further strife amongst the Guado nation, Jyscal had his wife and son exiled to the island of Baaj.

Seymour's Mother eventually gave her life to Yunalesca to become the Fayth of the aeon Anima, believing that the only way she and Seymour would be accepted by Spira is if Seymour used her as the Final Aeon to destroy Sin and bring the Calm to the world. Seymour deeply mourned the loss of his mother and did not care for acceptance if it meant losing her. Seymour returned to Baaj Temple and would live alone there for years, his lonely and isolated lifestyle giving birth to his twisted views on life and death. The player is able to learn these details of Seymour's life through subquests, including acquiring Anima for themselves at Baaj Temple.

At eighteen years of age, during High Summoner Braska's Calm, Seymour's exile was revoked and he was summoned back to Guadosalam, the capital of the Guado nation, where he was ordained as a priest of Macalania Temple. Seven years later, he returned to Zanarkand to have Anima's Fayth statue transported to Baaj Temple, which he revisited several times. Seymour developed a plan to put all he believed into practice - he would become Sin itself, and with Sin's power destroy Spira, killing all its inhabitants and "releasing" them from the suffering of existence. Seymour made his first move in his plan only a few days prior to Tidus's arrival in Spira - Seymour murdered his father Jyscal and took his place as leader of the Guado and a Maester of Yevon.

Final Fantasy X
Seymour first appears to the party in Luca, when Grand Maester Yo Mika arrives to announce Seymour's new position as a Maester. During the blitzball game, fiends invade the stadium and attack the people. This was deliberately set up by Seymour, who summons Anima and easily dispatches the fiends, saving the spectators, and awing them with his power, thus earning their trust.

Not long after the blitzball tournament concluded, Tidus, Yuna and their companions continue on their pilgrimage and pass by Mushroom Rock, which was blocked off due to Operation Mi'ihen, a combined effort of the Crusaders and Al Bhed to battle Sin using machina. Though their use of machina goes against Yevon's teachings, Seymour is present with another maester, Wen Kinoc, wishing the Crusaders and Al Bhed succeed in their efforts regardless of their sacrilege, both fully knowing how it would turn out. Operation Mi'ihen is a disaster - the Crusaders and Al Bhed are decimated, the Sinspawn gathered to lure Sin break loose, and Seymour himself has to intervene to assist Auron in protecting Yuna from Sinspawn Gui. In the aftermath, Seymour speaks at length with Yuna about the duties of a summoner, who bring hope to Spira and must be beacons of strength to the people.

When Yuna, and her guardians arrive in Guadosalam, they are summoned to Seymour's home. Seymour shows them a sphere depicting the ancient city of Zanarkand. Seymour tells Yuna that Yunalesca was the first summoner to defeat Sin, and did so with the assistance of her husband, Lord Zaon, due to the bond of love they shared. Seymour asks Yuna to marry him, if not for love, then to give the people of Spira reason to celebrate and be cheerful. Yuna does not answer, and Seymour gives her leave to think his offer over. He continues on to Macalania Temple further down the road of the pilgrimage.

When the party visits the Farplane, the spirit of Jyscal follows them out of the Farplane's entrance. Yuna sends him, and he drops a sphere which Yuna picks up. The group continues to Macalania's frozen lake, where Seymour's servant, Tromell, takes Yuna ahead to meet with Seymour at the temple. When the rest of the group arrives, Seymour and Yuna are already in the Cloister of Trials, and they wait for the two to return. The group finds the sphere left by Jyscal in Yuna's belongings, which shows Jyscal was killed by Seymour, and he fears for Spira if Seymour's ambitions are realized. Fearing for Yuna, the group rushes into the Cloister of Trials and confront Seymour as Yuna prays to the fayth of the temple. Seymour confesses to killing Jyscal, and also deduces Yuna already knew about his involvement in Jyscal's death, and had planned to go through the marriage with the intention of bringing him to justice, and engages the party. After a battle with Seymour, his guardians and the aeon Anima, Seymour is killed. Tromell and the Guado carry away his body and refuse to let Yuna give Seymour a Sending. Yuna and her allies are branded traitors to Yevon and must flee the temple.

Due to his strong emotional ties to the world, and because Yuna was unable to perform a sending for him, Seymour remains as an unsent and re-manifests in his old form shortly after his death. When Yuna is taken by the Al Bhed to their Home on Bikanel island, the Guado invade and kidnap her, and the Al Bhed Home is destroyed. Yuna is taken to Bevelle to marry Seymour. Using the airship Fahrenheit commanded by the leader of the Al Bhed, Cid, the Guardians attack Bevelle and locate Yuna. They are held at gunpoint and forced to watch as the ceremony is completed and Seymour kisses Yuna. Yuna summons Valefor and escapes, and the party reunites with her at Bevelle temple, where they are collectively arrested by Yevon.

Yuna is placed on trial for treason, and tells the maesters Seymour murdered Jyscal and is himself also dead. Though maester Kelk Ronso is deeply disturbed by the news, Mika and Kinoc are not, and Mika reveals he is also an unsent and knows of Seymour's crimes. Yuna and her guardians are thrown into the Via Purifico. Mika is doubtful of whether they will perish, and Seymour volunteers to guard the exit. Maester Kinoc, not trusting Seymour, accompanies him. The group reunites and escapes the dungeon, finding Seymour at the exit.

Seymour shows he has killed Kinoc as well and explains his views on life and death to the party, telling Yuna he wishes to draw on her strength at Zanarkand to become the Final Aeon and become Sin so he may destroy Spira. Seymour absorbs the pyreflies of Kinoc and his guards and becomes Seymour Natus in an attempt to kill the party. He is defeated, and the group escapes Bevelle.

The group continues their pilgrimage across Mt. Gagazet, where the Ronso live. Kelk Ronso, having abandoned Yevon but believing in Yuna, allows her to pass and vows the Ronso will block any pursuers. Seymour arrives following them, and kills the Ronso when they attempt to bar his path. At the mountain's summit, Seymour overhears Tidus speaking about his father, Jecht, who is the current incarnation of Sin. This confirms Seymour's plan to become Sin through the Final Aeon will be a success if he can achieve it, and he offers Tidus Jecht's freedom when he becomes Sin in his place. Seymour transforms into Seymour Flux for a third battle, but is again defeated and vanishes.

Some time later, the party attacks Sin directly and invades it with the airship. Seymour appears inside the entrance to Sin's innards, now claiming he will learn to control Sin from the inside, and without Yunalesca to bestow the Final Aeon, Sin can no longer be stopped. Seymour becomes Seymour Omnis and engages the party in a final battle. Once he is defeated, Yuna performs the sending for Seymour. In his final words Seymour states his belief that Spira's sorrow would prevail even after he is gone, although he also seemed to acknowledge and accept that Yuna would be the one who would send him.

Final Fantasy X-2
Seymour makes a cameo appearance in a flashback when the player obtains the Key Item Baralai's Sphere. The scene shows Baralai asking Seymour for protection from Bevelle shortly after the final mission of the Crimson Squad in the Den of Woe. This meeting occurs right before Yuna and her guardians arrive in Guadosalam to meet with Seymour in Final Fantasy X. Baralai speaks of Seymour and other maesters (Kinoc) 'vying for power' behind the scenes, to gain control of Yevon and its people.

Abilities
Seymour is a highly proficient summoner, able to cast a wide variety of magic, both healing and offensive. His aeon, Anima, is among the most powerful aeons in the game when commanded by the player, but it is not shown if Seymour is able to summon any other aeons besides her. His Overdrive is called Requiem, and deals non-elemental damage to all enemies. After dying and becoming unsent, Seymour is able to absorb pyreflies from the dead to enhance his strength and transform into stronger forms, his strength increasing every time he is fought. As a Guado Seymour is keen to the scent of the Farplane and can detect unsent by smell.

Battle
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During the second battle with Sinspawn Gui, Seymour is available as a playable character. He is skilled in both White and Black Magic with access to level two Black Magic spells and the Cura spell. Though he is established to be able to summon, he does not have that ability during the battle. Seymour is only usable by the player during this single battle, but will earn AP and Sphere Levels like normal party members. Since he never appears on the Sphere Grid, the player never gets a chance to use them.

Seymour is faced as a boss in Macalania, accompanied by two Guado Guardians. He summons Anima during the battle. Later in the game, Seymour is faced in different forms as Seymour Natus, Seymour Flux, and Seymour Omnis. During these battles Seymour is accompanied by the Mortibody, the Mortiorchis and the Mortiphasms. In all his boss battles Seymour relies on casting elemental magic on the player and using combo attacks with whichever form of the Mortibody he has with him.

Seymour appears in International + Last Mission as a boss and a character obtainable through the Creature Capture system. He will join the player party if the Farplane Cup is completed in the arena. He is able to cast Meteor.

Musical Themes
"Seymour's Theme" (シーモアのテーマ, Shīmoa no Tēma) is a haunting piece with a slow tempo played with many different instruments, with string instruments playing the main melody for most of the piece. "Seymour's Ambition," a variant of "Seymour's Theme," plays during the first fight against him in Macalania and when he reveals how he will execute his ultimate goal of destroying Spira at Mt. Gagazet.

"Patricide" plays when he reveals his plans to Yo Mika. His final character theme, "The Unsent Laugh," plays when the party confronts Seymour one last time inside Sin in the Garden of Pain. During the battle with Seymour Omnis, "Seymour Battle" (シーモアバトル, Shīmoa Batoru) plays.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
The Seymour Natus will appear in this game as an enemy alongside Mortibody.

Etymology
The name "Seymour" is an English name derived from a location from Northern France (meaning Saint Maur). The Latin ancestor of the word is "Maur," meaning "Dark Skinned," and originated from the use as a title by Norman Noblemen who managed to conquer parts of Great Britain in 1066.

Trivia

 * If one looks closely in the Guado Mansion's foyer, one can see portraits of a young Seymour, Jyscal, and two other Guado. The latter two are most likely Jyscal's father and paternal grandfather.
 * Seymour was considered to be in Dissidia Final Fantasy as the Chaos representative of Final Fantasy X, but was rejected in favor of Jecht. Various traits of his, however, were included with Emperor Mateus in Dissidia 012, and the rivalry between Yuna and the Emperor in that game was similar to her rivalry with Seymour Guado.
 * If the player obtains the aeon Anima and uses her against Seymour, he responds angrily with "You would oppose me as well? So be it."
 * Through the use of a cheating device, Seymour can be playable in battle after or even before the battle with Sinspawn Gui. He will not, however, have a section on the Sphere Grid or be shown in the battle results.