Dissidia: Final Fantasy Character Spotlight – Tidus and Kuja

This is it, kids.  Dissidia: Final Fantasy launches this week, and that means it’s time for the last pre-launch installment of OLC’s Dissidia Character Spotlight.  Today, we’re looking at Final Fantasy X‘s Tidus and FFIX‘s Kuja, so read on and enjoy.  

We’ll start off with the newest member of the Cosmos squad; you might know him as the Ghost of Zanarkand, the slayer of Sin, the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, or even “Sparky”.  One thing’s for sure, Tidus from Final Fantasy X has been called a lot of different things; for a while, Square couldn’t even decide on how to pronounce his name!  In any case, the hero of FFX is back with a vengeance in Dissidia, bringing with him his fishhook-shaped Brotherhood sword, a never-ending supply of Blitzballs, and a number of speedy, acrobatic attacks culled from with his experience in the arena.  Check the video above, then read on for an explanation of a few of his his abilities.

• Spiral Cut: Tidus’ default ground special attack is culled directly from one of his Overdrives from Final Fantasy X; in this attack, he begins a series of forward flips on the ground, homing in on his opponent before leaping into the air and slashing the ground to produce a damaging explosion.  Because of this attack’s tracking functionality and the fact that it cannot be cancelled out of, this move is best used on a stunned opponent, since they’ll easily be able to dodge out of the way unless the initial flips strike them first.
• Energy Rain: Of Tidus’ two default special attacks, this is easily the better one; usable in the air (and later on the ground as well), Tidus will lunge downward slightly at his opponent with a stomping kick; if the kick connects, he’ll push into the air and let loose a series of energy bolts that converge on his target and explode.  This attack is considerably more useful than Spiral Cut because it can punch through an opponent’s attacks quickly and damage them even in the middle of their own attack; it’s best used as an interrupt, but it’s Tidus’ strongest weapon before he unlocks his HP Chain moves at higher levels.
• Slice and Dice: One of Tidus’ numerous HP Chain attacks, this move allows the Blitz star to launch into a multi-hit combo that envelopes his opponent in a flurry of blade slashes; when unlocked, it can be chained directly out of his default ground attack and one of his aerial combos.
• Quick Hit: While I’m listing this as one attack, there are actually four variants of Quick Hit, each one subtly different depending on which move it’s chained off of.  All four involve Tidus knocking his opponent into the air with a flurry of attacks before smacking them away.  One such variant is visible in the video.
• Jecht Shot: Just like his father, Tidus has access to the Supremely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III; only in Tidus’ case, he uses Blitzballs to perform the attack instead of a meteor.  In Tidus’ variant of the move, he fires out a single Blitzball.  If this initial projectile misses, the attack is cancelled and no damage is dealt.   If the ball connects with the opponent, Tidus launches into his iconic signature move, pelting his opponent once more before delivering a powerful Jecht Shot to their face.  Ow.
• Blitz Ace: When Tidus activates his EX Mode, he produces the Caladbolg, his ultimate weapon from FFX.  His super move is based directly off of his final Overdrive, Blitz Ace.  In this attack, Tidus launches into a multi-hit slashing combo, dealing heavy damage to his opponent and building up his Brave.  He then produces a Blitzball and proceeds to kick it at his opponents; just before the kick is performed, a timing gauge will appear.  Hit the O button when the gauge is in the correct spot and the attack’s damage will be increased exponentially, culminating in a large explosion.

One of Tidus’ main advantages, without question, is his speed.  He boasts one of the fastest running speeds in the game, second only to the Onion Knight.  When he reaches EX Mode, however, his Caladbolg sword bestows upon him the Hastega status effect, elevating his speed far above anyone else.  As can be seen in the video, Tidus relies on his speed and the acrobatic, dodgy maneuvers of his attacks to deal damage.  Many of his moves involve him jumping, dashing, rolling, or dodging to close the gap on his opponents or to dodge incoming counterattacks.  He also boasts a large number of HP Chain attacks, allowing him to boost his Brave and then pull out a damaging special move with nothing but quick timing.  In the Japanese version, Tidus was largely considered one of t he best characters in the entire game; from preliminary reports on the English version, he’s lost a bit of his godliness, but it remains to be seen whether the Ghost of Zanarkand will fade from the tier listings, or reappear on top once again.

The other half of today’s Character Spotlight jumps us back to the PS1 era, where polygons were God and you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a silver-haired prettyboy villain in the face.  Come to think of it, things haven’t exactly changed that much…in any case, the target of this half of the Spotlight is the oddly dressed, poetry-spouting, planet-nuking antagonist of Final Fantasy IX, Kuja.  Kuja’s a difficult character to pin down; fitting his role in FFIX and his general character design, he’s a pure-blood mage without a single physical attack to his name.  Referred to as a “Graceful Glider” by his in-game profile, Kuja’s fighting style is unique in that he has the ability to freely float around the battlefield (several other characters feature this ability, but only in EX Mode) and even attack while moving around.  You should know the drill by now; check the video, read on.

• Seraphic Star: Kuja’s default special attack, and the only one he has access to until level 10, this move can be used in the air and on the ground.  Seraphic Star, known as Holy Star in the Japanese version, allows Kuja to throw out a grenade-like ball of light that lightly tracks his opponents.  If the ball directly hits his opponent, it will damage their Brave several times before detonating with a large explosion.  The sphere will still explode even if it doesn’t directly hit, but missing with this move is dangerous, as Kuja remains open until shortly after the detonation.
• Flare Star: An attack culled from the final battle with Kuja in FFIX (though it first appeared in FFVI), Flare Star is Kuja’s close-ranged special attack.  When he activates this attack, Kuja spawns a sphere of energy in front of him that splinters into 5 fireballs that travel up into the sky, then fly back downward and reunite in a devastating explosion.  If the opponent is struck at any point during this attack, they will be immobilized and caught in the explosion.  This move is usable in the air at first, though a ground-based version is unlockable later.
• Ultima: Kuja is the last of the three characters in Dissidia who have access to the legendary spell, Ultima, and for good reason; he used the spell in FFIX to cause widespread damage not only to the heroes, but to everything around them every time he was defeated in battle.  In Dissidia, the spell manifests in a similar way to its IX appearance; Kuja charges up the magical orbs that float around and protect him, then launches them into the sky to bombard his opponent from above.  A powerful, difficult to dodge attack, Ultima is (rightfully) not unlocked until Kuja has been levelled up considerably, but it’s certainly worth it.
• Final Requiem: Like Zidane and Terra, Kuja’s EX Mode comes in the form of using Trance to change forms; in Kuja’s case, it transforms him into his ultimate form from Final Fantasy IX.  In Trance form, the magical orbs that float around Kuja become more than mere decorations; they spiral around him, leaving a trail of damaging energy every time he jumps, and they explode whenever he hits the ground, producing a small explosion that can damage enemies who dare to get too close.  His EX Burst super move, Final Requiem, requires the player to tap the O button repeatedly to charge him up as he repeatedly casts Flare Star on his opponents, waving his arms as if he’s conducting a symphony.  When the charge gauge is filled, Kuja casts Holy, then spins around and bombards his opponents with an array of Ultima orbs.

As you can see in the video above, Kuja is a difficult character to master; many of his attacks, while featuring homing capabilities, are easy to block or even deflect right back at him, and he has almost no melee capabilities whatsoever.  A skilled Kuja player will master the distance between himself and his opponent, peppering them with spells from a distance before luring them into a well-timed Flare Star or Ultima spell.  Nevertheless, while he may be a difficult character to master, his unique moves and play style offer a wildly different experience from the more melee-focused members of the cast.

And that’s it!  Next time we meet, Dissidia will be out and available in the US; we’ve covered a little more than half the cast over the past few weeks, but there’s still plenty more game to cover.  Check back on OLC within the next week or so for our review of the English version of the game!