[Spoilers] What is Anima supposed to be?

[Bwonsamdi the Dead]

I really like her, as you can probably see with my name. (I've Cosplayed her, made paintings of her, and am even wanting to get a small tattoo of her in the future) But one thing that I just don't get is her appearance. What is she? I get that she's supposed to look creepy, but is she based on anything from other works of Pop Culture?

[raystevens73]

Her appearance to me has always been that they where going for a look of bondage from Seymour and her attack PAIN was because of the the pain she felt from giving him that power.

[Bwonsamdi the Dead]

Yes she does look rather...pained. Her Fayth singing the Hymn also sounds like she's about to burst out in tears crying :(

[Bwonsamdi the Dead]

Yes, she's made from Seymour's Mother. When you go to get her, you'll see

[Bwonsamdi the Dead]

Make sure you find all the destruction spheres :)

[Raemnant]

Anima is a Roman Catholic representation of a soul trapped in purgatory

[Raemnant]

Originally posted by ⛧ Esper Goat ⛧:

It seems to be hinted at that maybe Anima was made from Seymour's mother's soul. Perhaps he drew her fayth from the farplane to become a summoning, its power coming from the pain of her loss and subsequent bondage to her evil son's cause.

She was his sacrifice to become Seymours Final Aeon, as Jecht was for Braska

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Raemnant:

She was his sacrifice to become Seymours Final Aeon, as Jecht was for Braska

That's not quite correct. She's not a final aeon, just an aeon. Seymour was only a child at the time, nobody would have expected him to defeat Sin like that. As she herself says, she did this to make him stronger in the face of adversity he was experiencing being a human/guado hybrid. And since he never fought sin, never gave his life to the final aeon, and never had that aeon transformed into Sin, she is by definition not a final aeon - and that is if you assume that a final aeon is just a regular aeon to begin with.

Heck, she's even got her own temple, like all the other fayth. No point in enshrining a final aeon fayth, since those deplete anyway after Sin takes over.

[Raemnant]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Raemnant:

She was his sacrifice to become Seymours Final Aeon, as Jecht was for Braska

That's not quite correct. She's not a final aeon, just an aeon. Seymour was only a child at the time, nobody would have expected him to defeat Sin like that. As she herself says, she did this to make him stronger in the face of adversity he was experiencing being a human/guado hybrid. And since he never fought sin, never gave his life to the final aeon, and never had that aeon transformed into Sin, she is by definition not a final aeon - and that is if you assume that a final aeon is just a regular aeon to begin with.

Heck, she's even got her own temple, like all the other fayth. No point in enshrining a final aeon fayth, since those deplete anyway after Sin takes over.

No, its true. It even says so in All The Bravest. It literally says Anima is Seymours final aeon

[Raemnant]

And I imagine shes got her own Temple because of Seymour himself

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Raemnant:

No, its true. It even says so in All The Bravest. It literally says Anima is Seymours final aeon

Then that severely calls into question the definition of "final aeon" and how it's different from any other aeon.

[Raemnant]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Raemnant:

No, its true. It even says so in All The Bravest. It literally says Anima is Seymours final aeon

Then that severely calls into question the definition of "final aeon" and how it's different from any other aeon.

The Final Aeon is the Aeon granted by Yunalesca, through sacrifice of a Guardian. Its overwhelmingly powerful. Normal Aeons are granted by actual Fayth, stashed away at the various temples

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Raemnant:

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Then that severely calls into question the definition of "final aeon" and how it's different from any other aeon.

The Final Aeon is the Aeon granted by Yunalesca, through sacrifice of a Guardian. Its overwhelmingly powerful. Normal Aeons are granted by actual Fayth, stashed away at the various temples

So what are you saying, that normal aeons don't require the sacrifice of a person? Or that Anima's fayth isn't stashed away in a temple?

The only part that is distinct is that Yunalesca is the one creating it, but that doesn't tell us much because we don't know how REGULAR fayth are created. For all we know, the only reason Yunalesca is the one doing it now is that she is the last one left who knows how to make fayth (any kind) in the first place. She is, after all, the only Zanarkandian summoner still around (aside from Yu-Yevon, of course). They say that fayth were created using "Yevon rites", but we know how reliable Yevon is when it comes to its own history - and there are indications from fayth like Bahamut's that they in fact predate the Yevon faith. Plus, we have an inkling that Zanarkand was using fayth as early as the Machina War (possibly, even probably, earlier) since they created the Fayth Cluster during that time.

Also: Yunalesca says it is the bond between summoner and sacrifice that makes the final aeon possible (such as mother and child) - but Yuna has no relation to Seymour's mother, and yet still is able to summon anima. Just like any other aeon.

[Raemnant]

Originally posted by Hinnyuu:

Originally posted by Raemnant:

The Final Aeon is the Aeon granted by Yunalesca, through sacrifice of a Guardian. Its overwhelmingly powerful. Normal Aeons are granted by actual Fayth, stashed away at the various temples

So what are you saying, that normal aeons don't require the sacrifice of a person? Or that Anima's fayth isn't stashed away in a temple?

The only part that is distinct is that Yunalesca is the one creating it, but that doesn't tell us much because we don't know how REGULAR fayth are created. For all we know, the only reason Yunalesca is the one doing it now is that she is the last one left who knows how to make fayth (any kind) in the first place. She is, after all, the only Zanarkandian summoner still around. They say that fayth were created using "Yevon rites", but we know how reliable Yevon is when it comes to its own history - and there are indications from fayth like Bahamut's that they in fact predate the Yevon faith. Plus, we have an inkling that Zanarkand was using fayth as early as the Machina War (possibly, even probably, earlier) since they created the Fayth Cluster during that time.

Also: Yunalesca says it is the bond between summoner and sacrifice that makes the final aeon possible (such as mother and child) - but Yuna has no relation to Seymour's mother, and yet still is able to summon anima. Just like any other aeon.

Normal Aeons are granted by Fayth. They are already sacrificed. Once you become a Fayth, you get to choose whom you give your power to, which is why the Cloister of Trials exist, why the summonors must pray, and why Yojimbo is such a stingy and greedy little jerk. Fayth are statues with peoples souls willingly sealed inside them. During the war 1000 years ago between Zanarkand and Bevelle, summunors were deployed to fight, and thousands of people were made into Fayth to fight as Aeons. THIS GAME IS SO GOOD

[Raemnant]

FFX will always be my favorite in the series simply because of the story. The level of sacrifice and suffering the entire world has endured, and the conviction everyone shows in fighting the literal embodiment of dread, chaos, destruction, and death. Its just so good

[Hinnyuu]

Originally posted by Raemnant:

Normal Aeons are granted by Fayth. They are already sacrificed. Once you become a Fayth, you get to choose whom you give your power to
[...]
Fayth are statues with peoples souls willingly sealed inside them.

But you realize, of course, that this is literally what happened with Seymour's mother as well.

Not to mention that final aeons also have statues as their fayth, we've seen Lord Zaon's statue in Zanarkand.