Final Fantasy X to have "Okinawan feel"

[01.16.01] » As details emerge on characters, dress, and music, the latest in Square's flagship RPG series takes on a distinctive theme.

    Less than a week after the first screenshots and character art for Final Fantasy X hit the web, Final Fantasy X's overarching theme has already begun to emerge. Series composer Nobuo Uematsu described the game as having "an Okinawan feel" in his Weekly Famitsu column, and the game looks to reflect the unique culture of the island group located off the southwest coast of Japan.

    Described by a Japanese friend of the GIA as "hot, Tarzan hot," Okinawa's tropical setting is reflected in the oceans and palm trees seen in the first released screens. The heroine, Yuna, is dressed in clothing reminiscent of Okinawan garb. In the native Okinawan dialect, her name means a type of hibiscus flower. Tida's clothes are a little harder to describe, but most noteworthy is the segmented nature of his lower sleeve, upper sleeve, and vest, calling to mind Japanese male formal wear. His name translates from the Okinawan dialect as "sun."

    All this comes on the heels of the announcement earlier this month that Okinawan folk singer Rikki would sing the theme song for Final Fantasy X. The Final Fantasy series has regularly appropriated parts of more well-known Norse and Hindu mythologies, but Okinawa has its own history, culture, gods, and traditions. It will be interesting to see just how the world's most renown RPG series incorporates all these themes.

   Thanks to Nick Rox for help with this story.