FFX Auron: The Fan's Ultimate Guide

Some aspects of the man remain a mystery. We know nothing of Auron's parents, his home, or his childhood. All we know is that he shot up the ranks of the warrior monks quickly, and was slated for promotion to second-in-command by the age of twenty-five. Then disaster struck.

Auron refused a politically astute marriage to "the priest's daughter." Which priest, we don't know, but likely he was the high priest of Bevelle Temple whose defense is the main duty of the Warrior Monks. Afterwards, as Braska says, Auron was "doomed to obscurity." It seems that Auron was not officially kicked out of the warrior monks, but lost all chance of advancement. His old friend Kinoc received the promotion instead.

Ironically, Auron's religious convictions were his undoing. He had rejected the marriage because "it had no relation whatsoever to Yevon's teachings" [Ultimania Guide - trans. pmog]. Either warrior monks were supposed to be celibate, or Auron thought they should be.

On the Warrior

The Yevon Temples have the "Warrior Monk Corps" as its personal military force. The principal duties of the warrior monks are the defense of the temple of St Bevelle and the protection of high ranking priests, as typified by the maesters. They don't play a fundamental role in security around the world, although they are deployed throughout Spira in times of emergency.

Monks of Bevelle

Officially, the Warrior Monk Corps are considered to be a moderate organisation. But behind the scenes, they have a duty to crack down on traitors to the Temples, and have oppressed and caused harm to those like the Al Bhed for a long time. However, most people are unaware of this fact.

~ Ultimania Omega Guide, pmog's translation

With such conservative religious beliefs, Auron seems an unlikely man to befriend a heretic priest, let alone one who had lost his reputation by marrying a heathen. However, Auron knew what it was to be misjudged by Yevon. Betrayed by the church he served, the young monk was drawn to Braska's noble character and unshakable desire to defeat Sin the destroyer and end Spira's suffering.

Braska's unorthodox style would take some getting used to. When he picked up a drunken madman from the dungeon to guide them to Zanarkand, Auron was scandalized. As if overcompensating for their loutish companion, Auron remained stiff, formal, almost tongue-tied in Braska's presence, always addressing him as Lord Braska (Braska-sama in the Japanese version).

Near the Calm Lands by ~AnHellica on deviantART

In contrast to the Auron we know best, Jecht's sphere recordings show young Auron as a testy, hot-tempered, passionate twentysomething, far less patient than his older companions (Braska was 35, Jecht in his early 30s). Thankfully, over the course of the pilgrimage, Auron began to show a glimmer of a sense of humor and finally came to respect Jecht as a friend.

In the end, friendship trumped the teachings of Yevon, but proved equally futile. Outside the Hall of the Final Summoning, Auron begged Braska and Jecht to turn back. It was the one time Auron ever dropped -sama and addressed Braska to his face as a friend. But they brushed their young comrade's counsel aside.

Akeldama by ~GinnyLyn on deviantART

Jecht sacrificed himself to become the Final Aeon. With his aid, Braska defeated Sin, whereupon Auron learned the heart of Yevon's lies. There on the battlefield where his lord had just died, Auron must have witnessed Jecht's transformation into the new Sin. The grieving young warrior returned to Zanarkand, attacked Yunalesca and lost his own life trying to avenge his comrades.

And yet Auron's story did not end. So great was his anger and grief over what had happened, so great was his self-loathing for failing to stop Braska and Jecht from throwing their lives away, that Auron became a wandering spirit, an unsent.

Gone was Auron's faith in Yevon's teachings. In its place was an indomitable resolve to break Sin's cycle and end the pilgrimage's futility.

Until that happened, Auron's life and death were meaningless, and he accounted himself a failure. The title of "Legendary Guardian" utterly infuriated him.

In the world of Spira, magical particles called pyreflies can make dreams manifest in physical form: the aeons. They can even maintain the body of a dead man if his will is strong enough. And on the peak of Mt. Gagazet, where the souls of an entire dead city are preserved in stone, pyreflies maintain a simulated memory of their lost home.

Unlike aeons, Sin and the unsent, the dream-copy of Zanarkand does not manifest in the living world of Spira. It exists suspended in a pyrefly soup, halfway between Spira and the Farplane. It seems only fitting that Auron spent ten years there, suspended himself like a fly in amber.

End of a Long Day by ~nachtwulf on deviantART

It must have been Aurons greatest challenge. Newly dead, he was thrust into a strange dream-world filled with alien technology -- blasphemy according to the teachings in which he was raised -- and into the equally alien role of foster-parent.

Auron's first unhappy task was to break the news of Jecht's "death" to his wife. She passed away from grief soon after. So Auron raised Tidus alone, giving the boy freedom to make a life for himself, as much as one could in a world that did not truly exist. Auron had not originally intended to bring Tidus to Spira, but when the opportunity arose, Auron seized it.

“Ten years ago...I honored Jecht's last words, and travelled to Zanarkand. I planned to stay there, watching over you. But when Sin attacked Zanarkand that day, I changed my mind. Outside the dream world, life can be harsh---even cruel. But it is life. He wanted you to have a shot at life. I saw it in Sin's eyes. That's why I brought you here, to Spira.”

From the moment Auron dragged Tidus to Spira, he was playing it by ear.

Auron had three serious dilemmas. First, he did not know how to break the cycle. Raised in Yevon's teachings, he knew the answer lay beyond them and was hoping Tidus would find the answer.

The other problem was Yuna. She was too much her father's daughter, and Auron had an uneasy feeling that nothing he could say could divert her from following in Braska's footsteps, even if she knew the truth of the Final Summoning.

Most of all, however, Auron wanted Spira's future to be dictated by the living, not the dead. He would guide, nudge, and push, but he would not lead. He cleared a space for Yuna and Tidus, hacked through obstacles in their path, then stood back and let free will find a way.

He told Tidus to have faith in his friends. Auron was telling himself the same thing. His gamble worked. Tidus and Yuna found the answer that had eluded him, defeated Sin and Yevon, and released Jecht from his chains. At last, Auron could rest.

Square-Enix always draws on world mythology to add texture to Final Fantasy games, even moreso in FFX than the others. For one thing, it draws on Shinto, Buddhism, and the imagery of medieval Japan. Here's some symbolism to notice:

Arm in coat: I have read many places, but not absolutely had confirmed, that Auron's pose with one arm in his coat is shorthand for a samurai who has lost his master: a ronin. His katana (medieval broad-bladed style) and jug of alcohol are also reminiscent of the samurai.


Above: medieval katana from my Auron Action Figure

One eye: The gruff one-eyed warrior is a stereotype in Final Fantasy -- Beatrix, Fuijin, even Lulu to some extent (does she have a left eye?) However, with Auron, I can't help thinking of the Norse god Odin, who sacrificed himself for nine days on the Tree of Knowledge, gave up one eye, and was reborn older and wiser. Final Fantasy's developers know that myth; Odin appears in several games as a summons.

Mars Crest: To aquire their Celestial Weapons, you must collect an astrological Crest and Sigil for each character. Auron's is the Mars Crest. Mars is the god of war. I couldn't help noticing that Lulu picked up Venus. However, the symmetry breaks down in Japanese: I believe in the original game the crests and sigils were eastern elements (Wood, Fire) and probably did not fall into pairs. I would like to know which element went with which character!