Wakka

Wakka is a playable character in Final Fantasy X, who is a blitzball player and one of Yuna's guardians. He appears in a smaller role Final Fantasy X-2, as well as Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm and Final Fantasy X -Will-. Wakka is the only playable character from Final Fantasy X who cannot be recruited in Final Fantasy X-2: International and Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster.
Wakka is the first person Tidus meets after washing up on Besaid, and befriends Tidus after being impressed by his blitzball skills. He is the captain of the Besaid Aurochs, a team that has never won a game. He grew up with Yuna along with Lulu, and views her as a younger sister. His late brother Chappu was a Crusader who lost his life while wielding a machina weapon. For this, Wakka harbors a resentment for machina, and bigotry towards the Al Bhed who use them, and uses his staunch following of the teachings of Yevon (which forbid machina) to further rationalize his hatred. His world-view broadens during Yuna's pilgrimage, and despite his bigotry, Wakka is a loyal friend, and helps Tidus come to grips with Spira.
Wakka is a ranged attacker, and uses his blitzballs and armbands in battle. His Sphere Grid path grants him high Accuracy, several Skill abilities that inflict negative status effects, and a few Blk Magic spells. His Celestial Weapon, World Champion, deals more damage the higher his current HP is. His Overdrive, Slots, deals various damaging effects with his blitzball depending on slot input, and Attack Reels in particular allows him to potentially deal some of the highest amount of damage possible in one turn in the game. Wakka is one of three characters along with Tidus and Rikku who can fight underwater, and can be used in blitzball matches as a team member.
==Profile==
===Appearance===
Wakka is tall and muscled, with tan skin, brown eyes, and long reddish-orange hair styled into a coif and girted with blue headscarf. He wears the uniform of his blitzball team, the Besaid Aurochs, with alterations (presumably as he is the captain): a yellow vest top cut away at the stomach, a yellow shoulder pad on his left shoulder, blue and yellow baggy trousers gathered above the ankle, brown wristbands with a blue and yellow armguard over the left arm, and open sandals. He wears a dolphin necklace and has a silver stud earring on his left ear. In Final Fantasy X HD Remaster, Wakka's model has been updated with detail added to his headscarf and hair. His face has been rounded and his skin, lips, beard, and eyes have been touched-up.
During Final Fantasy X-2, Wakka has grown more lax in his lifestyle, and is said to have gained weight. Despite being called "tubby" by Rikku, the developers had not created a new character model for him, meaning this is not apparent. 
===Personality===
Wakka is characterized by a Besaid Island accent. He uses speech-mannerisms like "brudda" for "brother" and finishes sentences with "ya?". He begrudges the Al Bhed for what happened to his brother, Chappu, but rationalizes his hatred for Al Bhed not following the teachings of Yevon. This grudge extends to borderline racism.
Wakka's goal as captain to a blitzball team is to have the team do their best without it mattering whether they win or lose. It is not until Tidus arrives the Aurochs begin to focus on achieving victory. He becomes fond of Tidus, as he reminds him of his late brother Chappu. Though Lulu reminds him they're not the same person, Wakka still gives Tidus Brotherhood, which is Chappu's sword.
Wakka depends on Yevon's religion and guidance making him socially conservative and thus is intentionally kept in the dark about Yuna's half-Al Bhed heritage. Because of his high value in his religion, Wakka is reluctant to participate in anything considered forbidden by its teachings. Traveling Spira with Yuna's party broadens his worldview and he begins to see the hypocrisy behind his previous actions, and he apologizes to Cid and other Al Bhed for his ignorance.
Wakka has a big heart and frequently attempts to cheer the party up, though is not always successful. He tends to goof around with younger members of the group, much to the annoyance of Lulu, who berates him for setting a bad example. Though they bicker, Wakka is close to her, and affectionately calls her "Lu".
In Final Fantasy X-2, Wakka is plagued by insecurity as his new role as leader of Besaid in a quickly changing Spira where old traditions are going out of style, and his impending fatherhood. He tries to deal with his issues alone, but with the help of the Gullwings comes to trust his own judgment.
==Story==
===Final Fantasy X===
Having lost their parents to Sin with no memory of them, Wakka grew up on the island of Besaid with his younger brother, Chappu, and fellow orphan Lulu. Wakka became more of a parent to Chappu, who despite it all would have preferred Wakka adopt more of a sibling role.
"Wakka's Story" in Final Fantasy X Scenario Ultimania sheds more light to his childhood. After Wakka lost his parents to Sin's attack he was left holding his baby brother at a loss over what to do. Because such tragedies were commonplace, people lived supporting one other and Wakka and Chappu were brought up by the villagers. Owing to the local warm climate, there was plenty of food from the sea and agriculture to not worry about day-to-day meals. Wakka came to view his and Chappu's flourishing under the care of the kind villagers a blessing of Yevon and came to revere its teachings: if the people follow the precepts their sins would be expiated and one day, and Sin would disappear.
Despite having lost his parents, Wakka doesn't think of himself as being particularly unfortunate. Yet, to put Sin out of his mind to burn away the sorrow rooted in his heart, Wakka made blitzball his life. He learned blitz when he was five years old and when he turned thirteen he joined the local team, the Besaid Aurochs, a "horrendously ill-fated" blitzball team. That was the year Kimahri brought Yuna to Besaid, and Wakka treated her like a younger sister.
Chappu also began blitz in Wakka's footsteps, and when they were able to play together for the Aurochs, blitzball became the focus of Wakka's life more than ever before. When Wakka was twenty-two, Chappu enlisted with the Crusaders, motivated by his need to protect Lulu after proclaiming his love to her. Chappu died fighting Sin in Djose. Wakka does not begrudge the Crusaders, who risk their lives protecting the blitzball stadium in Luca, but resents Chappu having discarded the Brotherhood sword Wakka had gifted him for an Al Bhed machina weapon. Thus, Wakka bears a personal grudge against the Al Bhed. Wakka received the bad news during the annual blitzball tournament and missed out on a first victory that was almost within his grasp. Wakka decided to retire from blitzball to avenge his brother by becoming a guardian to a summoner—the only way of defeating Sin in accordance with Yevon's teachings.
Wakka and Lulu served as guardians to father Zuke, but even during the pilgrimage, there was a part of him that thought only about blitzball. This made him angry and ashamed, and before he was able to focus his mind on being a guardian, the pilgrimage was halted and Wakka returned to Besaid. Six months later, Yuna is about to graduate into a full-fledged summoner, following in her father High Summoner Braska's footsteps. Wakka became her guardian, vowing to not allow this pilgrimage fail like his last one did, in part blaming himself not being fully committed last time.
Wakka returned to blitzball to burn away his attachment to blitz and cleanly retire at this year's tournament. After giving his all for his team for one last time, Wakka plans to move forward with his duty as Yuna's guardian.
Wakka meets Tidus when he washes up on Besaid, bonding with the youth due to both his blitzball skills and resemblance to Chappu. Tidus claims to hail from Zanarkand, but Wakka is unnerved and chalks up Tidus's behavior to Sin's memory-altering toxin. Wakka tells Tidus of Sin and the destruction of the ancient machina cities, including Zanarkand, as a result of human crimes and use of machina. Wakka leads Tidus to Besaid Village and persuades him to join the Besaid Aurochs. As a team with a twenty-three year losing streak, they need Tidus's help even more so now when Wakka is planning to leave the Aurochs to become a full-time guardian.
Despite Tidus violating the temple rules in his ignorance, Yuna obtains her first aeon, Valefor, becoming a summoner. That night, Lulu berates Wakka over his interest in Tidus, as she believes Wakka is only protecting him out of memories for his dead brother. Her thoughts may not be misplaced, as Wakka later gives Tidus Chappu's sword, the Brotherhood. Intending to have one last go as a Besaid Auroch, Wakka takes Tidus along for Yuna's pilgrimage out of hopes somebody will recognize him at the blitz tournament in Luca. Yuna sets out for her pilgrimage, first stopping at Kilika Temple, and after obtaining Ifrit, the journey continues to Luca's blitzball tournament.
During the Aurochs' first match, Yuna is kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches to force the Aurochs into surrendering the match. While Wakka handles the game, Tidus accompanies Lulu and Kimahri to save Yuna. Upon recovering her, Lulu sends a signal to Wakka, who wins the game just in time, ending a twenty-three-year losing streak without Tidus's help. Though a tired Wakka takes a sit during the final match giving up his spot for Tidus, he comes to Tidus's aid when fiends are unleashed upon the stadium. Tidus and Wakka are given the surprise aid of Auron, whom Wakka calls the "best guardian there ever was".
After the tournament, Wakka bids his goodbyes to the Aurochs to become a full-time guardian. When he witnesses "Operation Mi'ihen", Wakka's resentment to the Al Bhed grows while learning of Luzzu's role in Chappu's death, with Lulu needing to cool him down. The party stops at Djose Temple where Yuna obtains Ixion.
When the party crosses the Moonflow, Wakka shows Tidus a sunken city and Yuna suddenly gets kidnapped by an Al Bhed machina robot that pulls her underwater. Wakka and Tidus destroy the machina to save Yuna. At the shore, after Tidus meets Rikku again, Wakka greets her as the newest member of their party unaware she is an Al Bhed with the others hiding her heritage from him. An Al Bhed attack on their way to the Macalania Temple forces Rikku to reveal her Al Bhed nature, and Wakka is disgusted to find himself traveling with a "heathen". Further furious that everyone else knew and are not taking his side, Wakka heads to the temple on foot while the others use the Al Bhed machina sleds. When the party comes upon the sphere Yuna had retrieved from Jyscal Guado, they learn the temple's Maester, Seymour Guado, murdered his father to succeed him. He attacks them and the party retaliates. The only one of the group hesitant about fighting Seymour, Wakka is shocked they have killed a Maester, and blames Rikku for being branded traitors of Yevon by the enraged Guado.
Washing up on Bikanel, Wakka continues to distrust Rikku until she guides the group to the Al Bhed Home where they find it is under attack by the Guado. Seeing Rikku mourning over her dead kin, Wakka comforts her before lashing out at the Guado. Wakka comes to understand the Al Bhed's motive for kidnapping summoners to stop their pilgrimage, and after learning that Yuna is half-Al Bhed, he realizes his hatred is further unfounded. His hatred disappears when he realizes the true face of Yevon: they betray their own teachings by using forbidden machina themselves. Despite having been a strong follower of Yevon, Wakka casts them aside, referring them as "nothing but low-life tricksters".
The party makes their way to Zanarkand, but instead of completing the pilgrimage and obtaining the Final Aeon, Yuna rejects the Final Summoning as a false rite to keep Spira in a never-ending cycle of suffering. The party instead sets out to destroy Sin via the Al Bhed's airship. Wakka makes his peace with the Al Bhed leader Cid, and along with the rest of the party, is saddened to see Tidus disappear after Yu Yevon has been felled.
===Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm===
Now that Sin has been defeated and Yevon disbanded, Wakka has settled down on Besaid with Lulu. When Yuna finishes practicing holding her breath for extended periods to play blitzball, Wakka is impressed, though Yuna thinks Wakka will always be the pro. Wakka does not know since it has been long since he trained, and Yuna comments that he has gotten a little chubby.
At the Besaid Temple, Wakka chats with a man named Tasgio whom Yuna also talks to. At the outskirts of the village, Yuna approaches the bridge and Wakka catches up to her, and they talk about the son of the chairman of New Yevon. Yuna believes he would only use her. Wakka apologizes, and Yuna tells him she will tell them herself. A man named Yaibal arrives with a message from the leader of Youth League, Nooj. Wakka tells him that Yuna is not interested in joining their faction.
At Rikku's salvage ship, she teases Wakka and asks where Lulu is. Wakka asks about Kimahri who is at Mt. Gagazet, teaching the orphaned Ronso. He watches a sphere Kimahri found on Mt. Gagazet that shows a man that looks like Tidus. Wakka, confused, wonders if he is really Tidus. When Yuna wants to find out who he is, Wakka wonders if she's ready to run off just like that. Yaibal returns, having heard the conversation. Wakka, annoyed, tells him to leave. Yaibal complies and promises to return with a full report on the investigation. Wakka says Yuna can't go because everyone wants to see her. Rikku retorts that this is about what Yuna wants. Wakka hesitantly agrees, but only when things calm down. Rikku retorts again that what if things don't ever calm down. When Yuna ultimately decides to go, the shocked Wakka leaves to get Lulu.
===Final Fantasy X-2===
Since his parents died when he was young, Wakka knows nothing of parenting and worries how to be a good father to his soon-to-be-born child. Wakka seeks the aid of Yuna and the Gullwings to help him settle matters about his past by finding a sphere recording of his parents he heard of from Chappu when they were children. Wakka clashes with Beclem, a member of the Youth League who has been sent to train the Aurochs. Beclem used to know Chappu in the Crusaders and heard many good things about Wakka from him, but upon meeting Wakka in person, Beclem is disappointed. When fiends begin pouring out of the Besaid Temple, Beclem wants to burn it down, but Wakka ventures inside alone to try and stop the fiends, although he ends up getting help from the Gullwings. Afterward Beclem reprimands Wakka for his recklessness, as he has a family to look after now, and Wakka agrees that the temple may have to be destroyed if the fiend outpour ever happens again.
When the baby is born, Wakka receives a sphere of Chappu's final message from Beclem, telling him their parents' sphere was a lie he made up to make Wakka angry, and told him to merely be his brother instead of a surrogate parent. The message allows Wakka to get it together and become a reliable father. He names his son Vidina, the Al Bhed word for "future", perhaps as the final sign of closure to his brother's death and his changed opinion of the Al Bhed. He, along with everyone in Besaid, welcomes Tidus home after he is given another chance at life on Spira.
===Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~===
After Yuna and Tidus reunite on the Besaid Island shore, everyone returns to Besaid Village. Tidus is surprised to be introduced to Vidina, Wakka and Lulu's child. On the way Tidus talks to Wakka and the Besaid Aurochs about everything that had happened in his two years of absence. Later, Wakka and Tidus talk about blitzball and the Aurochs' losses since Tidus left, and Wakka attempts to confirm he is real and not an unsent. Wakka, Tidus and the Aurochs go to the beach to practice blitzball where Wakka introduces their new boat to Tidus, the S.S. Ace, described as smaller than usual, yellow and slightly worn out. The Aurochs' trophy from the time they won the tournament with Tidus in Luca is placed on top.
After they return to the village, Wakka tells Tidus that Yuna is with the elders, who had been waiting for her return since her departure with the Gullwings. Wakka explains that, due to the change of beliefs and the diminishing power Yevon's teachings, Yuna serves as a comforting presence to relieve the anxiety and uncertainty now felt by the elderly who had lived by Yevon's teachings for so many years.
The Gullwings' airship breaks down, and Tidus finds Yuna has gone missing and that a storm is to hit Besaid later that night. He searches for her and goes missing as well. Wakka and the villagers search for them, as well as the Aurochs' boat, and only recover the blitzball trophy at sea. Besaid Village is in chaos when Tidus appears out of nowhere and everyone interrogates him on Yuna's whereabouts. Tidus explains that, to bring Yuna back, they must find a man called Briar, and the village begins a search in the ruins. Tidus dashes off, leaving Wakka and the rest of the villagers bewildered. Tidus eventually finds Yuna on the beach and the two return to the village together.
===Final Fantasy X -Will-===
Chuami and Kurgum are being sent to Besaid by Baralai to meet with Yuna. Lulu and Wakka take the two to her. Kurgum shows Yuna a movie sphere with a recording of a shoopuf at the Moonflow that had died long ago but mysteriously reappeared causing Yuna to believe the shoopuf had been "beckoned".
Kurgum asks Yuna to accompany him and Chuami back to Bevelle and address the Spiran Council, and Wakka accompanies them. As Chuami, Kurgum, Yuna and Wakka pass the Moonflow, they see the shoopufs and a crowd of onlookers, where half of the people are illusions created by the pyreflies. They witness a reunion scene with a father and daughter and the illusion of the girl's mother. In Bevelle, they find Sin has been reactivated, possibly called back to Spira by someone's wish. After Yuna meets with Tidus and breaks up with him, Chuami and Kurgum part ways with the latter accompanying Yuna and Wakka, and the former returning to Besaid with Tidus.
==Gameplay==
===Final Fantasy X===
In Final Fantasy X, Wakka is a ranged playable party member who uses sports gear, in the form of blitzballs and armbands. He is the only character with a ranged normal attack, and the only character who can reliably hit flying enemies early on. He has high Accuracy and later on in his Sphere Grid gains relatively high Strength, with decent Magic and the highest Luck stat. He learns a few Blk Magic spells which drain from enemies, and several Skills which often apply detrimental status effects to enemies. Wakka's Overdrive is Slots, which allows him to deal physical damage with his weapon with effects and damage based on the outcome of the slots, gaining access to new Reels for different types of effects by winning blitzball tournaments. His Attack Reels is the most notable, as it allows him to potentially deal the most damage in the game within a single turn. Wakka's Celestial Weapon is the World Champion.
Wakka is recruitable as a blitzball player, and with a salary of only 1 gil, is the cheapest player to recruit. His high EN and SH make him best-suited to the forward position. He has a unique technique known as Aurochs Spirit, adding the sum of all the original Aurochs on the team to his SH.
===Final-Fantasy X-2===
Wakka has a Sphere Break coin and a secret blitzball player in Final Fantasy X-2, but is not otherwise playable, unlike many other returning characters from Final Fantasy X who can be recruited via the Creature Creator system in some versions. Wakka's coin can be won from the Bevelle Core Sphere player in the Luca Stadium.
==Musical themes==
"Wakka's Theme" was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. He is the only main character whose theme is not featured in the game's original soundtrack. It is one of several extra songs that can only be earned in Luca's Sphere Theater.
"Although I don't remember exactly because it was quite a long time ago—in the early stages of game development process, many songs are created based on visualization of different game scenes," music director Keiji Kawamori has explained. "At that time, I believe we decided to go with another track that was better suited for the scene. As a result, this track was ultimately not used."
"Wakka's Theme" was arranged by Uematsu for Final Fantasy X HD Remaster and is available not only via Luca's Sphere Theater, but on the soundtrack as well.
==Other appearances==
Wakka has appeared in the following games in the Final Fantasy series:
*Dissidia Final Fantasy as a cameo.
*Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia as a playable character.
*Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character.
*Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade as summonable Legend.
*Final Fantasy Artninks as a series of card
*Final Fantasy Record Keeper as a playable character.
*Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as a summonable vision.
*Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as a series of cards.
*Triple Triad as a card.
==Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances==
Wakka has made key guest appearances in the following non-Final Fantasy games:
*Kingdom Hearts series as a support character.
==Voice==
In the Japanese version, Wakka is voiced by Kazuya Nakai. In the English versions, he is voiced by John DiMaggio, who also provides the voice for Kimahri Ronso. In both versions, Wakka is voiced by the same actor who voices the recurring character Gilgamesh.
In the Kingdom Hearts series, while Kazuya Nakai resumes the voice role, Wakka is voiced in the English version by Dee Bradley Baker, who voiced characters in Final Fantasy X-2.
==Gallery==
Wakkaposter.jpg|Promo art with the Aurochs.
Wakka Victory Pose.png|Wakka's victory pose.
Wakka Victory Pose Underwater.png|Wakka's victory pose (Underwater).
FFX HD Wakka wants Tidus for Aurochs.png|Wakka asking Tidus to join the Besaid Aurochs.
FFX HD Wakka about Chappu.png|Wakka talks about Chappu.
Wakka_during_a_blitzball_match.jpg|Wakka during a blitzball match.
Wakka_injured_after_the_match_against_Al-Bhed_Psyches.jpg|Wakka injured after the match against Al Bhed Psyches.
Wakka_with_the_Crystal_Cup.jpg|Wakka with his team members in Luca.
Wakka_doesn't_trust_Rikku.jpg|Wakka doesn't trust Rikku.
Wakka elemental reels.jpg|Elemental Reels Overdrive.
Wakka meets chappu on the farplane.jpg|Wakka visiting the Farplane.
Wakka's_mini-game.jpg|Wakka's minigame in Mt. Gagazet.
Wakka is ready for battle.jpg|Wakka is ready for battle.
Wakka Victory Pose.gif|Victory pose.
Wakka_Lulu_Vidina.jpg|Wakka, Lulu and Vidina in Final Fantasy X-2 ending FMV.
==Etymology==
==References==
de:Wakka
es:Wakka
it:Wakka
pt-br:Wakka
ru:Вакка
Category:Rangers
Category:Gamblers
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy X
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy X-2
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy X -Will-
Category:Blitzball players
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy X: Eternal Calm
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishō~