Yo Mika

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Yo Mika
(ヨー＝マイカ, Yō-Maika?)
Enemy appearances	Boss
Biographical information
Home	Bevelle
Age	99 (Final Fantasy X)
Affiliation	Yevon
Occupation	Grand Maester
Physical description
Race	Human
Gender	Male
Gameplay details
Type	Non-player character
Type	Boss
Behind the scenes information
Designer	Tetsuya Nomura
Japanese voice actor	Hiroshi Iwasaki
English voice actor	Dwight Schultz

People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome.

Yo Mika

Yo Mika is the grand maester of Yevon and spiritual leader of Spira in Final Fantasy X and minor character in Final Fantasy X-2. He is revered as a peaceful and stabilizing influence in Spira, having brought both the Ronso and the Guado to the Yevon faith during his tenure as grand maester.

Profile

Appearance

Mika is an elderly figure who wears traditional Yevonite clothing. He is bald and has a prominent, triangular neck-length beard. He is typically seen with his eyes half closed.

Personality

As the spiritual leader of the world of Spira, Mika appears as a calm, conciliating, grandfatherly, wise person, who is able to provide guidance, peace, and reassurance to the world, showing a warm, polite disposition.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

In truth, Mika is a master manipulator and cunning liar, perpetuating Yevon's false preaches of salvation while hiding the religion's true face. He doesn't tolerate opposition neither to himself, much less Yevon, and feels nothing about executing people if necessary. When he learns that Maester Kelk is disturbed by Maester Seymour's patricide, he scorns the Ronso leader behind his back, claiming that his race is "hard headed, and hardly useful", hinting that despite welcoming Kelk as a maester to improve race relations, Mika may hold racist beliefs.

The bulk of Mika's motivations may be rooted on nihilism and disillusionment rather than avarice and self-profiting, as he sees the futility of trying to defy Sin and its spiral of death. He believes no true salvation exists, much contrary to what his religion preaches, preferring to offer Spira a false sense of hope rather than have it sink in despair. Given his strong desire to remain leading the religion even as an unsent, he is self-serving, arrogant, and at heart an hypocrite, caring about Yevon—and by proxy his interest—first, instead of doing actual good to the world.

Contrary to his attachment to his duty, he has a weak will that collapses after learning of Yunalesca's demise, succumbing to despair and refusing to believe in alternatives or fight to save the world. Mika sees the destruction of Yevon's core practice as tantamount to the loss of the world's only hope, however false it was.

Story

Final Fantasy X

Mika in Luca.

Mika first appears in Luca, where he is celebrating his 50th year as grand maester by attending the blitzball tournament held in his honor. He introduces Seymour Guado, the newly appointed maester who has succeeded his father, Jyscal, following his death. When Tidus learns Mika has been grand maester for half a century, he asks "Shouldn't he be retired now?", much to Wakka's annoyance.

After the battle with Seymour at Macalania Temple, Mika appears in Bevelle at Yuna's forced marriage to the now unsent Seymour. When Yuna escapes upon Valefor into the temple, Mika places her and her guardians on trial for Seymour's murder.

Mika reveals his true nature.

It becomes clear there is a deep conspiracy surrounding Bevelle and Yevon. Mika reveals himself as an unsent, claiming that even in death, his leadership is "invaluable to Spira." As Yuna and her friends dig deeper into this web of lies, Mika reveals that Sin cannot be defeated, and the teachings claiming that atonement for the crimes committed during the Machina War can defeat it are false. Only the hope that summoners bring when temporarily calming Sin keeps Spira going.

When Mika learns that the party have destroyed Yunalesca and thus the only means of producing a brief Calm, he descends into despair and disperses into pyreflies, willingly leaving Spira to its destruction with no intent to witness it. Before vanishing, he mentions Yu Yevon, which gives Yuna's party the clue they need to ending Sin permanently.

Final Fantasy X-2

Mika in Via Infinito before becoming Concherer.

When Yuna, Rikku, and Paine encounter Mika two years later in the Via Infinito, he has become the fiend Concherer.

Spoilers end here.

Musical themes

Mika's theme is called "Grand Maester Mika" on Final Fantasy X: Original Soundtrack. It is first played at Maester Mika's appearance in Luca and was composed by Junya Nakano.

Voice

Mika is voiced by Dwight Schultz in the English version.

Gallery

Maester Mika.

Maester Mika in Final Fantasy X.

Mika in Bevelle.

Tidus and Yuna confront Mika in Final Fantasy X.