Concept art of the aeon Shiva.
Aeons ['eɪ.ɑnz] (召喚獣, Shōkanjū?, lit. Summoned Beasts) are the summons in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 (however, they cannot be summoned by the player in Final Fantasy X-2). New aeons are obtained as part of the story by completing the Cloisters of Trials at each of Spira's temples. They can only be called forth by Yuna. Aeons differ from previous summons in the Final Fantasy series, by being controllable by the player once summoned. Summons being directly controllable as opposed to being mere cut scenes has since continued in later games in the series.
Obtaining all aeons in the Final Fantasy X HD Remaster version earns the trophy/achievement Summon Master.
Story[]
I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, it was a little scary, but still... I could feel a strange kind of gentleness from it.
Tidus
Ixion's fayth.
Aeons are the physical realization of the fayth's dreams. The fayth communicate with summoners who pray to them within the Chamber of the Fayth, and establish a mental link between the fayth and the summoner. Using this link, the fayth gives their dream a physical form: an aeon. Aeons are powerful creatures only a summoner can use in battle. Most aeons resemble their respective fayth, so it can be assumed the aeon takes on aspects of the person whose soul is sealed inside the fayth statue.
Many summoners can communicate with any one fayth to establish a mental link with them, enabling them to then summon the fayth's aeon, but only one summoner can call on a particular fayth's power at any one time. This is why during the aeon duels two of the same aeon cannot battle one another. (The Dark Aeons are an exception.)
The fayth are likely the aeons themselves, or otherwise are in control of them, as evidenced when Bahamut's fayth encourages Yuna to call the aeons in her battle with Yu Yevon, saying: "Promise me you'll call us?" and "We aeons...call us!!". This is further supported by the connection between Seymour's mother and her aeon, Anima.
The aeons give the summoner the undying loyalty for one thing in return: to stop dreaming and be at peace with the final destruction of Sin. However, if the summoner summons the Final Aeon to vanquish Sin, Yu Yevon at its core possesses the Final Aeon, killing the summoner, and turns the Final Aeon into a new Sin, perpetuating an endless cycle.
Yuna summons Valefor for the first time.
Bahamut's fayth asks for Tidus, a citizen of Dream Zanarkand, to find a way to vanquish Sin permanently so the fayth can be at rest, freed from the duty of creating aeons and the spectral version of Zanarkand Yu Yevon continually summons. Tidus joins Summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage, during which she prays at different temples to receive the fayth's blessing and thus gains the ability to summon their aeons. After obtaining her first aeon, Valefor, Yuna summons it on the town square to show the villagers she has become a full-fledged summoner.
Yuna's pilgrimage takes her through Luca where fiends invade the blitzball stadium during the tournament final, and Maester Seymour summons Anima to destroy them. Yuna and the crowd are in awe, and Yuna comments on Seymour's aeon's power. On the Mi'ihen Highroad Yuna runs into Belgemine, a summoner who has dedicated her life in honing other summoners' skills in preparation for their final battle against Sin. She challenges Yuna to a duel of aeons.
The party eventually discovers Seymour had murdered his father to succeed him as maester, and when they confront him Seymour summons Anima to vanquish them. Yuna has just obtained Shiva from the Macalania Temple and prevails and Seymour is killed. Yuna is unable to send him and he becomes an unsent. During their escape from the temple Yuna and her guardians run into Sin who whisks them away to Bikanel desert where they find the hidden Al Bhed town of Home and the summoners the Al Bhed had kidnapped to stop their pilgrimage. As Home is attacked, the summoners fend off the invaders by summoning aeons, but in the end the town is obliterated.
Isaaru and his aeon.
Yuna is being forced to marry Seymour in Bevelle, but she feigns to commit suicide and jumps off the cathedral tower. She summons Valefor mid-air who flies Yuna to the Bevelle Temple where she obtains Bahamut. Yuna and her guardians are arrested for aggression toward a maester, and banished to the dungeons below Bevelle. They escape, but Yuna must battle a fellow summoner, Isaaru, in a contest of aeons, though she emerges victorious.
Yuna runs into Belgemine again for another aeon duel in the Calm Lands, and finds the hidden aeon Yojimbo from the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. The hidden Remiem Temple is only accessed on a chocobo where Yuna discovers Belgemine is an unsent, and obtains the ultimate aeon, Magus Sisters. On the Al Bhed's airship, the Fahrenheit, the party finds Baaj where Seymour had sealed Anima's fayth, and Yuna obtains her as an aeon.
In Zanarkand Yuna discovers one of her guardians must be made a fayth for her personal Final Aeon. Should their bond be strong enough, the Final Aeon could destroy Sin, but Yu Yevon at its core would survive and make the Final Aeon into a new Sin. Yuna does not want to perpetuate Spira's suffering in this manner and discards Final Summoning as a false rite. Instead, the party decides to invade Sin's innards with the airship to destroy Yu Yevon directly. Yuna can visit the temples of Yevon to speak to the fayth, and Bahamut's fayth urges Yuna to call on the aeons for the final battle.
Braska's Final Aeon.
Inside Sin the party destroys Braska's Final Aeon, freeing Yu Yevon, who one by one possesses Yuna's aeons whom she must then destroy. With all the aeons killed Yu Yevon has nowhere to hide, and the party destroys him for good. Sin explodes on the skies of Spira and the fayth can finally rest. Their souls depart the fayth statues to the Farplane and aeons disappear from Spira.
After the onset of the Eternal Calm summoners can no longer call forth aeons. The unsent spirit Shuyin possesses the fayth on the Farplane and sends their aeons to Spira to attack the temples. Yuna vanquishes them one by one, and at the end of her quest sends Shuyin to his final rest.
Gameplay[]
Summoning[]
Yuna summons Ifrit.
Yuna has access to the Summon command. When she summons an aeon, the rest of the party leaves the battle; even KO'd allies will get up and leave, promptly collapsing back to the ground should they reenter, while petrified allies simply fade away temporarily. During an aeon's summoning animation, a glyph briefly appears on the ground or in the air and the aeon emerges through it. The glyphs are circular geometric patterns that are also seen in the Zanarkand and Baaj Cloisters of Trials, and each aeon has a unique one.
After being summoned, the player controls the aeon who will act like a regular party member with its own stats and abilities. Aeons are immune to negative status effects (except Curse and Delay) and some can absorb elements. They can be dismissed through the Dismiss command, which returns the party to the battle. If an aeon is summoned after being dismissed, they will maintain any status effects they previously gained. If the aeon dies, they cannot be summoned again until a set number of battles take place, where they will be revived with full HP and MP. Otherwise, touching a save sphere will heal them.
Like the player characters, aeons have Overdrives (with the exception of Yojimbo). Their Overdrive meters are charged when targeting an enemy with an attack (except Anima's Pain and Yojimbo's abilities) and when being targeted by an enemy attack. The Magus Sisters' gauges are more unique, due to their split nature. Aeon gauges also fill when Yuna uses her Grand Summon Overdrive. After the respective aeon's Overdrive is launched, its Overdrive returns to the state it was in prior to the Grand Summoning, meaning if the gauge was full before the aeon was Grand Summoned, the aeon can launch two Overdrives in a row. When an aeon is defeated, the gauge is reset to zero.
Shiva fighting Dark Shiva.
Aeons can use Boost and Shield from the sub-commands menu. Boost increases the damage the aeon receives by 50% until its next turn, but increases the rate at which the Overdrive gauge fills by the same amount. Shield reduces damage taken by 75% while negating any Overdrive increase.
Final Fantasy X is the first game where summons have victory poses if the player wins the battle with an aeon. While party members that deal the killing blow to an enemy have an increased chance of an equipment drop matching them, this bonus is give to Tidus for enemies killed by an aeon.
When an aeon is used against Seymour Flux or Seymour Natus, they will only have one turn to attack before he uses a special attack called Banish to destroy the aeon. Although aeons are technically immune to Eject attacks, Banish will override this immunity, flagging the aeon as KO'd afterwards.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Attack | 3 |
| Shield | 3 |
| Boost | 3 |
Improving stats[]
Aeons' stats improved via items.
An aeon's stats can be boosted by using spheres and the Aeon's Soul, obtained from Belgemine the third time she is fought.
Natural increase of aeon's stats[]
Aeons' stats rise naturally with Yuna's and with the number of battles the team participates in.
Auto-abilities[]
Aeons have equipment, though it is not visible in-game. Their weapons initially contain an empty slot, followed by Piercing, followed by —, and finally another empty slot. Bahamut, Anima and the Magus Sisters have Break Damage Limit instead of the first empty slot, and Valefor does not have Piercing. Once the respective Celestial Weapons are upgraded with at least the crests, the first empty slot changes to Break Damage Limit. Their armors do not change; they always contain Sensor, a blank slot, Break HP Limit and Break MP Limit; the elemental aeons have their respective element Eater instead of the blank slot.
The "—" auto-ability found on aeon weapons offers complete protection against Instant Death and other negative status effects excluding Curse and Delay, making it similar to the Ribbon ability player characters can get.
Command abilities[]
After obtaining the Summoner's Soul from Belgemine when she is fought for the second time, aeons can learn most abilities available to the main party by using items in specific quantities. For example, Ixion can learn Full Break by giving up two Dark Matter. Only Yojimbo and the Magus Sisters cannot learn abilities this way—theirs are set.
As enemies[]
List of aeons[]
Locations of the aeons in Final Fantasy X.
Five of the game's aeons are recruited as part of the story. The other three are optional.
Required aeons[]
Valefor[]
Please, fight with us!
Yuna, summoning Valefor.
The fayth of Besaid Temple is a small girl. Valefor has high Evasion and Speed, but only mediocre attack power, though this changes later in the game. She can deal non-elemental damage and cause a turn delay with her special attack, Sonic Wings, which can be used repeatedly against some opponents so that they never have an opportunity to act. Valefor is the only aeon to have two Overdrives, each dealing non-elemental damage: the default Energy Ray and the more powerful Energy Blast, obtained by speaking to a girl and her dog in Besaid Village.
To break the damage limit, Yuna must have obtained her Nirvana, and power it up with the Moon Crest. Although Valefor is statistically the weakest aeon and lacks the Piercing ability for her Skills, many regular enemies have altered attack patterns when fighting her, some of which prevent them from attacking her whatsoever, highlighting her status as a flying aeon. Valefor will revive after 8 battles should she be KO'd.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Sonic Wings | 2 |
| Energy Ray | 8 |
| Energy Blast | 9 |
Ifrit[]
Will you... help us?
Yuna, when summoning Ifrit.
Ifrit, the Fire aeon, is located at the Kilika Temple. His fayth is a male Crusader. Ifrit specializes in the Fire element, but his special attack, Meteor Strike, is non-elemental and bypasses the Protect status. His Overdrive, Hellfire, is a powerful Fire assault in which Ifrit hurls fireballs at the enemy, and finishes by throwing a chunk of earth at them.
Ifrit has high Defense. As with all the elemental aeons, Ifrit can be healed by using spells of his own element on himself, meaning Fire spells are an easy way to restore his HP. To break the damage limit, Wakka must upgrade his World Champion using the Jupiter Crest. Ifrit is revived after 12 battles.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Meteor Strike | 4 |
| Hellfire | 8 |
Ixion[]
My name's Yuna. Pleased to meet you.
Yuna, when summoning Ixion.
Located at the Djose Temple, Ixion is the Lightning aeon. Ixion's fayth is a man in a sailor's outfit, but he manifests as a unicorn with a gargantuan horn. He possesses high Magic and Magic Defense and uses the attack Aerospark to deal damage and dispel all positive status enhancements (except Auto-Life) from the target. The ultimate Lightning attack, Thor's Hammer, encases the enemy in a field of electricity and sends it crashing into every other enemy on the field.
Ixion can heal by using Lightning-based elemental attacks on himself, and is revived after 20 battles. To break the damage limit, the Saturn Crest must be used on Kimahri's Spirit Lance.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Aerospark | 4 |
| Thor's Hammer | 8 |
Shiva[]
Please help us.
Yuna, when summoning Shiva.
Shiva is the Ice-elemental aeon of the Macalania Temple. Her fayth is a Macalanian priestess, and she possesses high Evasion and Speed. Her Heavenly Strike deals non-elemental damage and inflicts the Threaten status (despite the in-game description stating it inflicts Delay), and her signature attack, Diamond Dust, freezes the battlefield and all of Shiva's opposition. With a snap of her fingers, the ice shatters, and deals Ice damage to all enemies.
Shiva can heal herself with Ice-elemental attacks. and can break the damage limit once Lulu's Onion Knight has been upgraded with the Venus Crest. She revives after 20 battles.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Heavenly Strike | 4 |
| Diamond Dust | 8 |
Bahamut[]
Oh, my...
Yuna, when summoning Bahamut.
Bahamut is the final mandatory summon. Bahamut's fayth, a young boy, resides in the Bevelle Temple. In Final Fantasy X, Bahamut's fayth acts as the collective representative of all fayth, and communicates with Tidus and Yuna.
Bahamut is considered the strongest storyline summon. He is slow, but his Impulse attack and Mega Flare Overdrive are powerful, both dealing large non-elemental damage to all enemies. Bahamut can break the damage limit natively, and revives after 24 battles.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Impulse | 6 |
| Mega Flare | 8 |
Optional aeons[]
The optional aeons must be sought out outside of the main story.
Anima[]
I will share your pain with you.
Yuna, when summoning Anima.
Anima can be sought out after the party has the airship, has found the Baaj Temple, and after having collected the Destruction Sphere treasures in all six Cloisters of Trials. Anima awaits in Baaj Temple's Chamber of the Fayth. Her fayth is Seymour's mother, whom Yunalesca turned into a fayth so Seymour could become a powerful summoner. He has since been consumed by lust for power, searches for a way to control the ultimate power: Sin.
Anima offers her powers to Yuna in the hopes she can stop Seymour. The help bar when summoning her inside Sin says "Thus I atone". Similarly, if she is summoned during the battle against Seymour Omnis, he will remark on her opposing him, saying "You would oppose me as well? So be it".
In battle, Anima is extremely strong. Her special attack, Pain, deals high damage and can inflict Instant Death to an enemy. Her Overdrive, Oblivion, deals colossal damage to all foes. In the PAL, International, and HD Remaster versions, Oblivion deals 16 hits of damage instead of just one, as it does in the NTSC and Japanese versions. Anima revives after 24 battles.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Pain | 6 |
| Oblivion | 8 |
Yojimbo[]
Please, clear us a path!
Yuna, when summoning Yojimbo.
Originally located at a Temple of Yevon, Yojimbo's fayth—a Crusader and his dog—is now within the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. The player must defeat Lady Ginnem's Yojimbo, and then offer Yojimbo's fayth a large sum of gil, usually in excess of 200,000. If the player then pays Yojimbo triple what he is asking, he will give two Teleport Spheres as a token of his appreciation. This will still work after having "haggled" with him. Lulu tells Tidus that Yojimbo was stolen from a temple because people (possibly Al Bhed) did not want summoners to sacrifice themselves while calling the Final Aeon.
Yojimbo is a unique aeon, as his attacks are based on a complex calculation of loyalty, pay, his Overdrive bar, and random chance, and are executed by giving him gil. He must be paid at least 1 gil to act. The larger the sum, the better the attack, and frequent use and paying large sums of money make his stronger attacks more probable.
When given gil, Yojimbo will use one of four moves: Daigoro (where his dog Daigoro attacks in his stead), Kozuka, Wakizashi, or Zanmato. Daigoro and Kozuka injure a single foe, Wakizashi one or all, and Zanmato instantly defeats all opponents, including bosses and superbosses. While Yojimbo has no Overdrive, the chance of executing better attacks increases with a full Overdrive bar. Yojimbo revives after 24 battles.
Yojimbo requires Auron's Masamune to be upgraded with the Mars Crest to break the damage limit.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Daigoro | 3 |
| Kozuka | 3 |
| Wakizashi | 3 |
| Zanmato | 8 |
The Magus Sisters[]
We need all your help!
Yuna, when summoning Magus Sisters
The Magus Sisters can be obtained once the player has received all other aeons, the Blossom Crown and the Flower Sceptre. The Magus Sisters' fayth, three young women, can then be approached in the Remiem Temple.
Cindy the ladybug, Sandy the praying mantis, and Mindy the bee, each has her own field of expertise. Cindy excels at White Magic, Mindy at Black Magic and defense, and Sandy at physical attacks and support White Magic, although Cindy is the one who knows Ultima, and Mindy has one of the most powerful attacks in the game, Passado, her special attack that deals 15 hits of physical damage to a single target. Cindy and Sandy's special attacks, Camisade and Razzia, deal physical damage to one target. The Magus Sisters revive after 30 battles.
Commanding the sisters is different from the other aeons. The player can only "suggest" what they should do, which could result in them doing anything, including having a rest, or casting Cure on another sister in dire need of Curaga. The sisters are still very powerful, as they can deal high damage from the beginning.
To launch their Overdrive, each sister's bar must be full, and the command "Combine powers!" selected. Delta Attack deals high damage to all foes, either in one lump sum, as it does in the NTSC and Japanese versions, or six successive hits like it does in the PAL, International, and HD Remaster versions.
The Magus Sisters allude to the bosses of the same names from Final Fantasy IV.
| Command | Rank |
|---|---|
| Taking a break... | 3 |
| Camisade | 5 |
| Razzia | 5 |
| Passado | 5 |
Final Aeon[]
Final Aeon is not a specific aeon, but unique to every summoner who completes his or her pilgrimage. At the end of their pilgrimage the summoner will meet Lady Yunalesca, who will turn one of the summoner's guardians into an aeon used for the Final Summoning. The aeon becomes the shell for Yu Yevon to manifest the next Sin after the Calm.
Other appearances[]
Aeons in Dissidia 012.
Aeons have made numerous follow-up appearances, often as parts of Yuna's abilities in spin-offs. Yuna uses Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva, and Bahamut as regular attacks in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, where the aeons emerge partially from their summoning crests; this is for ease of animating the attacks. During her EX Mode, Yuna can summon two aeons at once, and her EX Burst is To the Farplane, where she calls out all aeons at once to attack while performing a sending ritual.
Anima and Yojimbo appear as summons in Final Fantasy Dimensions II. Some summons also appear in Pictlogica Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade, where Yuna appears as a Legend and can summon her aeons. In Final Fantasy Record Keeper, Valefor appears and uses Energy Blast while other aeons appear as enemies. In War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Valefor appears as a part of Yuna's limit burst, and are also referenced in Yuna's passive ability, Aeon Bond. In Mobius Final Fantasy, aeons appear as ability cards. Some aeons also appear on the cards for Final Fantasy Trading Card Game. Ixion and Valefor appear on Triple Triad cards in the version available via Final Fantasy Portal App.
Other media[]
In episode IV of the fan-made Dead Fantasy series, Yuna summons Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva and Bahamut to help her in a fight Kasumi and her clones. The aeons are defeated by a multitude of Kasumi a clones to make Yuna revert to her Gunner dressphere.
Bahamut cards exist in the mobile card game Million Arthur, designed after the summon's Final Fantasy X appearance.
Behind the scenes[]
Many new types of summons appear in Final Fantasy X as part of writer Kazushige Nojima's idea of making a unique world, which led to introduction of novel summons aside from the series's staples Shiva, Ifrit, and Bahamut. The battle system team decided on the number of summons available to the player.[1] The summoning system was revamped for Final Fantasy X because the developers strove for a more seamless battle experience. The process of acquiring each aeon was made an important element to the main story and this made the developers invest in the summons' design.[2]
Shintaro Takai, the game's battle art director, says the following in the "Beyond Final Fantasy" feature included with the PAL and International versions of Final Fantasy X:
Each time we've created an FF game, there has been a willingness to change some aspect or other from its predecessors. For my part, I think I've changed the way aeons are handled in this installment. The world setting for this game is highly developed, and the scenario and art consequently synchronize well. In the same way, the battles are not independent elements of the game and it was my intention from the beginning to create something that mirrored the scenario, too. Coming up with new aeons was easy and natural for me since I matched the aeons—part of the visual spectacle of the game—to fit the world. This time, since Yuna's unique ability to summon aeons was a key point, I knew from the start that I wanted to present scenes focusing on the connection between Yuna and the aeons. I'm very proud of the results, and although the summoning sequences may seem long, they've been paced well, so I believe they are enjoyable to watch.
Shintaro Takai, battle art director
By emphasizing the relationship between Yuna and the aeons gave the game's final scene, where she must part with them, even more impact.[2]
One of the character development system proposals for Final Fantasy X was a "tattoo system" where characters would have a 100x100 grid, and upon level up could place "tattoos" down to boost stats and learn abilities. Different tattoos would confer what abilities the bearer could use. This would have included aeons, as Yuna would have obtained the Bahamut tattoo on her back (and thus her kimono leaves her back bare).[3]
During the ending FMV all storyline aeons are present, including Anima.
Valefor possessed by Yu Yevon.
If the player uses a weapon with the Sensor ability on the aeons when they are possessed by Yu Yevon, a message from their fayth begs the party to defeat them:
- Valefor: "Strike me down."
- Ifrit: "Extinguish me."
- Ixion: "End it here."
- Shiva: "Please... Defeat me."
- Bahamut: "Soon... Eternal rest."
- Anima: "Thus I atone."
- Yojimbo: "Take my life."
- Cindy: "Stop the suffering."
- Sandy: "Don't cry."
- Mindy: "Gotta say goodbye."
Merchandise[]
Made by Kotobukiya, the Bahamut figurine depicts the aeon in detail, with a paint job that has a metallic sheen and comes with a display stand. Anima's figure is part of the Final Fantasy X Monster Collection series. Valefor has appeared in the Final Fantasy Creatures Kai Vol 1 series of monster figures.
In the Final Fantasy Master Creatures series, Ifrit has appeared in Vol 2 and Shiva in Vol 3. Shiva and Ixion appear in the first Final Fantasy Creatures set. Yojimbo appears in both, Final Fantasy X Action Figure Collection, and in Final Fantasy Master Creatures, in both his original color and as a Dark Aeon.
Etymology and symbolism[]
The Greek word aeon, also spelled eon, indicates a period of existence or long space of time. It may be translated as "age". In Gnostic lore, the Aeons were emanations of God.
The Siddham Sanskrit script, which is the basis for the script of Yevon in Final Fantasy X, is used by the Shingon School of Buddhism that draws on early Hindu traditions. One traditional concept is that deities manifest their thoughts or spiritual energy in the physical world on several different "wavelengths": Sound, Form, and Symbol. The form through which a deity can manifest, is an anthropomorphic representation that is not the deity itself, but a living form humans can comprehend. The form physically expresses the deity's essence, in the same vein the aeons represent the fayth's dreams rather than their temporal bodies.
In some Hindu and Buddhist practices one can invoke a deity through the physical representation of a statue, similar to the link between aeons and fayth in Final Fantasy X. The symbol through which deity can manifest is a mandala (Buddhist tradition) or yantra (Hindu tradition), a geometric pattern which distills the deity's essence into a visual representation. This is similar to how aeons in Final Fantasy X are represented by glyphs, which appear in the temples and during the aeons' summoning animations, the aeon often emerging into the physical world through the glyph.
Citations[]
- ↑ (2021, July 28). "How kamikaze pilots inspired FFX – Final Fantasy X 20th Anniversary Developer Interview (Part 2/4)". From Frontline Gaming JP. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Final Fantasy 10: Kitase reveals the secrets of its success (dead) (Accessed: June 03, 2014) at games™
- ↑ Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega, p.192