Anima (summon)

Anima (アニマ Anima) is a recurring summon in the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy X
Anima is an Aeon in Final Fantasy X. Anima causes an immense amount of damage with all attacks. "Pain", her special attack, is an instant kill, which also deals colossal damage to the few enemies immune to death spells. It also ignores defense and is actually more effective than Oblivion versus some stronger enemies like Dark Bahamut. It is a magical attack, however due to the high power and ignoring defense, it is likely to hit for maximum damage against any enemy not fully immune to magic. Anima is arguably the strongest Aeon in the game, as her Overdrive deals nearly 99,999 damage upon receiving her, and in the PAL or International versions of the game, can inflict as much as 1,599,984 damage altogether.

Anima first appears in Luca, when Maester Seymour summons her to rid the area of fiends that suddenly appear during the Blitzball final. Yuna is in awe of the power of the Aeon, which is exactly what Seymour wanted; as it is the first step of his evil plan to destroy Spira.

Anima's Fayth form, a beautiful woman who is also Seymour's mother, was voiced by, who also provided the voice of Yuna.

In order to receive Anima as an Aeon, a player must have unlocked all of the treasures using the Destruction Spheres in each Cloister of Trials, including Zanarkand. At Baaj Temple, the player must fight a boss named Geosgaeno (the first boss Tidus faces when he comes to Spira) in order to gain entrance to a sealed underwater room. Afterwards, the player views a cut scene and Yuna harnesses the incredible power of Anima.

Anima is known as "the Dark Aeon" and is the only optional Aeon players can control the same way as a typical Aeon. Her special attack, Pain, is exceedingly powerful and can, in some cases, cause instant death to the enemy.

Like all aeons, Anima is the physical manifestation of a dream of a specific fayth - in this case, Seymour Guado's mother, whose real name remains unidentified. She could possibly be named Anima herself, Yojimbo implies the Aeons names are those of their respective Fayth but this is unconfirmed (Jecht in his Aeon form was called Braska's Final Aeon, not his own name). Other than Jecht, she is the only fayth to have significant details about her origin and past revealed.

During her life she was the object of much animosity due her interracial marriage to Lord Jyscal Guado, and to prevent civil war among the Guado she was exiled with her young son, Seymour Guado, to Baaj Island for their own protection. When Seymour demonstrated exceptional talent in the art of summoning, his mother encouraged him to undertake the pilgrimage to Zanarkand and volunteered to serve as his guardian along the way. When they reached the Zanarkand Ruins, Seymour's mother offered herself up to be turned into the fayth for the Final Summoning; Seymour, however, devastated by the thought of her death, broke off the pilgrimage and fled into the wilderness. His mother's fayth was transported by Yunalesca back to Baaj Temple, which was later destroyed by Sin and subsequently abandoned.



When Yuna and her guardians visit the ruins of Baaj Temple in the game, they are greeted by Seymour's mother's fayth, who tells the story of Seymour's past and offers Anima's services to Yuna to help her destroy Sin. She reveals that she holds no ill will towards her son; rather, she blames herself for failing to sufficiently prepare him for the challenges and pressures that would face him as a summoner and a half-human living among Guado. Having always felt responsible for Seymour's downfall, she views her service to Yuna as her last opportunity to atone for her decisions, to stop Seymour's "obsession with Sin," and welcomes the chance to be possessed by Yu Yevon in the final battle.

During the final battle with Seymour inside of Sin, if Anima is summoned Seymour remarks "You would oppose me as well? So be it!" It is unknown though if Seymour is addressing Anima as a former Aeon or as his mother.

Summons, Pain and Oblivion XD9UhmXpCXs Anima is called from an underworld of sorts, befitting with her status as the Dark Aeon. A portal opens in the sky, from which a chain falls into the ground. The chain then rises and pulls Anima from the ground, revealing her further chain-bound form. Upon her first summoning, Yuna is usually heard saying "Let me share your pain."

Anima's Overdrive is even more extravagant than her entrance. She opens a gateway into her world beneath the enemy party, dragging them down into it. The world then shifts to this crimson-red dimension, where an even darker form of Anima is seen. Noticing the enemy party that has entered its realm, Anima shatters the chains binding its fists and unleashes a devastating sixteen-hit combo on the enemy that can inflict a grand total of 1,599,984 damage in the PAL version, as each hit can deal up to 99,999 damage. In the original version, Oblivion cannot exceed 99999 damage.

Final Fantasy X-2
Anima's fayth tried to stop Shuyin's apocalyptic plan, but she, like the others, ended up possessed by his hatred. Anima was the final Aeon the heroines faced on their way to the Farplane.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited After
Anima is one of Kaze summons in the sequel of Final Fantasy: Unlimited called Final Fantasy: Unlimited After. It can be summoned by the Magun by using the following Soil Charge Triad:

Follow by saying: "Resonate! I summon you, ANIMA!"
 * That which falls into infinite darkness, Silent Black!
 * One that hates the pain of lament, Pain Blue!
 * And finally, to restrain all things, Chain Gold!

Trivia

 * Anima's design can be seen as being similiar to another female in Final Fantasy, Ultimecia's final form from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * Anima is one of only two Aeons called by name in game.

Etymology
Anima is a feminine Latin noun for "soul" or "breath". Ancient Romans believed that one's anima resided in the chest; when a person died, his or her soul escaped from the body with the breath. Anima was associated with emotion and the heart; its metaphysical counter part, animus, was manifested in the brain and in one's sense of logic.

In Jungian psychology, the Anima can be defined as two things:


 * One's inner self, which is in contact with the subconscious, as opposed to one's outward persona.


 * The subconscious (yet partially conscious) female psychological qualities, which Jung said reside in all males and is usually an aggregate of a man's mother, but may also incorporate aspects of sisters, aunts, and other important female figures. The second definition could very much relate to Seymour's relationship with himself and his mother.

Anima