Shuyin



Shuyin is the primary antagonist of Final Fantasy X-2. He bears a striking resemblance to Tidus. When Yuna is given a sphere Kimahri discovered on Mt. Gagazet, showing Shuyin in a cell beneath Bevelle, she mistakes him for Tidus, which sets her off on her career as a sphere hunter.

Unlike most unsent, Shuyin's spirit can possess people, controlling those who are deep in malice. He can also possess fayth, using their aeons to help him. Maechen implies Shuyin's resemblance to Tidus is more than coincidental, but what he means by this is not made explicit. It is possible that the fayth summoning Dream Zanarkand "dreamed" Tidus in an attempt to recreate what they remembered of Shuyin, as they were charged with remembering and preserving every aspect of the destroyed city.

Appearance and Personality


Shuyin has shoulder-length, disheveled blond hair and blue eyes. He wears a jacket with a yellow back and pale dark-green front, with a blue armlet and red-and-black elbow-long square sleeves. On his left hand he wears a black glove with a green cuff and red elbow-long sleeve, while his right glove is plain black without decorations. He wears black shorts and yellow boots with high footings. His sword has a black hilt and light blue to black blade.

Shuyin's spirit was corrupted with negative feelings of failing to protect Lenne and hatred for those responsible as he was forced to endlessly relive the memory of his death. Shuyin lost his sanity and became driven by fantasies of revenge against all of Spira.

Story
A thousand years ago Shuyin was the lover of a popular songstress and summoner named Lenne. They lived during the time Zanarkand was at war with Bevelle and ordered all summoners to the front lines, including Lenne. Shuyin wanted to end the war and save her by activating Vegnagun, Bevelle's machina weapon stored away in an underground chamber due to its destructive power and inability to tell friend from foe. Though captured when he penetrated the heart of the complex, Shuyin eventually reached Vegnagun and activated its cannon before Lenne appeared and pleaded with him to stop. Amazed to find Lenne standing before him, Shuyin embraced his love before the two were surrounded by soldiers and shot. Shuyin died not hearing Lenne's declaration of love for him.

Shuyin's spirit was filled with such hatred and desire for vengeance he could not pass on to Farplane yet not manifest into a fiend and became a shadow of his former self. Within the Den of Woe, the pyreflies that continuously replayed his memories came to be imprinted with his hatred and began acting on their own.

A thousand years later, right before the Operation Mi'ihen, Maester Wen Kinoc sent the Crimson Squad recruits to the Den of Woe for their final training mission. Among the recruits were Baralai, Gippal, Nooj, and Paine. Little did they know that Kinoc was planning to have them killed if they survived and reported their findings to keep the information secret. The recruits were driven mad and slaughtered each other due to exposure to Shuyin's grief and despair, while Shuyin possessed Nooj's body.

When the surviving Crimson Squad members escaped the cave and Kinoc's machinations, they arrived at one of Rin's travel agencies. Saying their final farewells and turning to depart, Shuyin took control of Nooj and shot his three friends in the back. Although they were not gravely wounded, it caused enmity and confusion among the companions, as could not understand why "Nooj" would do such a thing.

Shuyin used Nooj's eyes and ears in Spira, seeing the senseless violence and Yevon's corruption while concluding Spira had not changed and resolved to "fix" it. After lying latent within Nooj for two years after the onset of the Eternal Calm, Shuyin manipulates him to infiltrate Bevelle Underground to steal Vegnagun. Nooj resisted Shuyin's control to an extent, wishing instead to destroy the weapon. Nooj's conflicted emotions rouse Vegnagun and it flees and burrows into the Farplane. Baralai, Gippal, and Nooj meet in Vegnagun's empty lair to discuss the weapon's disappearance. Shuyin leaves Nooj's body and takes control of Baralai, whose rage over Nooj's assumed betrayal makes the possession easy. With Baralai's body, Shuyin departs to the Farplane to find Vegnagun, with Nooj and Gippal in pursuit. Shuyin takes control of the aeons and has fiends pour out of the temples' Chambers of the Fayth.

With the help of Yuna and the Gullwings, the temples are cleansed, but during a battle with the aeon Ixion Yuna falls into the pit in Djose Temple and ends up in the Farplane Glen where she encounters Shuyin in Baralai's body. As Yuna possesses the Songstress dressphere comprised of Lenne's memories, Shuyin mistakes her for his lover as he reveals his plans to use Vegnagun's cannon to destroy Spira and end humanity's warring. Shuyin steps through a portal that would take him to Vegnagun, and Gippal and Nooj find Yuna, asking her to take care of things "topside" while they follow Shuyin through the portal to save Spira and free their friend. The portal disappears, leaving Yuna behind.

Holding a concert to ease the tension throughout Spira, Yuna sings a song implied to have been composed by Lenne about her romance with Shuyin. The Songstress dressphere interferes with the sphere display broadcasting Lenne's final memories for the crowd. The Gullwings investigate the Den of Woe, and are nearly driven to kill each other from the residing pyreflies' influence as they are shown Shuyin's memories of how he tried to use Vegnagun before he and Lenne died. After YRP return to their senses, fighting illusions of Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai soon after, they conclude Shuyin's ancient feelings caused the Crimson Squad candidates' deaths. The venture shows Paine the truth behind Nooj's actions two years ago, Rikku reminding her that Shuyin transferred himself into Baralai's body.

Yuna, Rikku, Paine, and Leblanc with her cronies Ormi and Logos follow Gippal and Nooj deep into the Farplane and help them defeat Shuyin. While Nooj's original plan was to graze Baralai enough for Shuyin to reenter him and then take his own life, Yuna proposes dismantling Vegnagun instead. Once Vegnagun is damaged beyond use, Shuyin leaves Baralai's body when Yuna tries to talk him into resting in peace by relaying Lenne's message. Gaining a physical form, Shuyin realizes Yuna is not Lenne and attacks her, Rikku, and Paine. After the Gullwings defeat the angered unsent, Lenne emerges from Yuna's dressphere and soothes Shuyin as they fade away to find peace in the Farplane.

Battle
Shuyin's actions in battle are limited. He alternates regular attacks with special attacks based on Tidus's Swordplay Overdrives. His stance and attack movements are also identical to Tidus's.

During Terror of Zanarkand, the equivalent of Tidus's Blitz Ace, Shuyin uses the World Champion, Wakka's Celestial Weapon from Final Fantasy X.

Creation and Development
Shuyin did not exist at the time Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm, a short movie prequel to Final Fantasy X-2 included in the International version of Final Fantasy X, was originally made. The movie's scene depicting Shuyin's sphere recording originally featured Tidus. When Eternal Calm was released on a demo disc featured in PlayStation Magazine, the scene depicting Tidus in prison was changed to Shuyin's recording found in Final Fantasy X-2.

Shuyin was created to initiate Yuna's search for Tidus as they look similar. Shuyin is based on an , a manifestation of the soul of a living person separately from their body, a concept present in the Japanese mythology. The ikiryō are said to be able "to possess another living person without the originator even being aware of it." The spirits are not "tied to whomever they possess", and "may freely move about bodies".

Voice
Like Tidus, Shuyin is voiced by in English and  in Japanese.

Musical Theme
"Shuyin's Theme" is the leitmotif of Shuyin. It is a haunted melody which subtly uses drums. It plays in the Den of Woe and in the Crimson Spheres that were recorded within the Den.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Shuyin appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game depicted with his official artworks. His sole card is part of the Aqua" set.

Trivia

 * Because of the similarity in appearance to his son, when Jecht's spirit gives words of encouragement and advice to the Gullwings during the final battle, he calls Shuyin a crybaby.
 * Shuyin may have been a blitzball player in antebellum Zanarkand as he uses a blitzball during his special attack, Terror of Zanarkand. His costume also resembles Tidus's blitzball uniform. Unlike Tidus, however, Shuyin is never explicitly mentioned having been a blitzball player.
 * During the FMV under Bevelle where Shuyin and Lenne are confronted by Bevelle guards Shuyin looks back at the guards and his eyes are black. The reason for this could be bad lighting, a change for emphasis, or simply a mistake. This quirk is present in both the "1000 Words" concert and the Den of Woe mission.

Shuyin