The Moon & Sun of Spira

Yunalesca

Yunalesca Name: ユウナレスカ
Age: 20 at death
Height: 173 cm
Eyes: Gold
Hair: Silver
Voice: Youko Koyanagi

Her Story
Dead for a thousand years and existing as an unsent, Yunalesca is the immortal princess of Zanarkand. Her fate as a powerful Summoner was to begin the tradition of creating Final Aeons for Summoners who would follow her footsteps in defeating Sin. Creating a Final Aeon is a ceremony which only she can perform.

Yunalesca's will is so strong that she has suspended the appearance of being in her twenties for over a thousand years. She also has the power to control monsters from a great distance and does so as a means of testing Summoners' strength before they arrive at the Yevon=Dome. She holds many secrets and ensures that nobody lives to tell them. Even her own wishes and motives will forever remain shrouded in mystery.

Yunalesca is a Goddess-like figure to the people of Spira. Her methods to defeat Sin have became Yevon's teachings and those teachings in turn became "a light of hope" to the desperate people of Spira. Great Summoner Braska wanted his daughter to grow up to be a woman like Yunalesca, which is why he named his daughter Yuna. However, like many others in Spira, he didn't know the truth about Yunalesca and the Final Aeon until it was too late.
"If I die, so does the Final Aeon. And with it, Spira's only hope."
          –Yunalesca after being defeated
Design
Yunalesca is dressed almost nude, she has more adornments on her hair than on her entire body. Being royalty, she wears plenty of jewelry which jingles whenever she walks. She also has no shoes, which is common for some people of Zanarkand. Like all Summoners, she wears ribbons marked in Yevon script and hers hang from her waist. The ribbons have the letter A (Yevon), E ("Yevon" in Japanese is written as エボン and pronounced as "Ebon") and B (Darkness). During battle, her design and attacks are based on the Goddess from FF6.

Symbolism
"Yuna", which means "night" in Okinawan is synonymous with Yunalesca. Yunalesca is always depicted with the moon or the night. "Leska" is a female Greek name meaning "defender of men".

When the party meets Yunalesca at Zanarkand, most of Zanarkand had been destroyed. The field in which she awaits Summoners is a strange celestial one with a lack of gravity called 魔天, which is protected by a Spectral Guardian.

Zaon

Zaon Name: ゼイオン
Age: 20-30s
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hair: Dark Brown
Height: 180-200 cm

His Story
Unlike most of the husband-wife relationships presented in the game, Zaon takes a back seat in the story. Not much is known about him aside from that he was Yunalesca's faithful husband and Guard. The impression is that they loved and supported one another in a deeply spiritual way. Even with the passing of a thousand years, Yunalesca remained a devoted wife to him.

Zaon only appeared once in the game, during Seymour's Memory Sphere presentation. He is seen meeting Yunalesca in her room and they solemnly share a hug. The sequence is short and their voices weren't recorded but it's implied that he was agreeing to be her Final Aeon, which is why Seymour chose to show it to Yuna before proposing.

The statue for Zaon's Fayth is in the Yevon=Dome floor but the Fayth itself is absent, so you won't hear him singing the Song of Prayer. This is because Zaon had become a new armor for Sin after Yunalesca defeated it. Like the other Guards who became a Final Aeon, their fates were conveniently left out of Spira's history books.
"Zaon... Forgive me... Spira has been robbed of the light of hope... All that remains is sorrow."
          –Yunalesca's last words
Design
Zaon is completely covered in a Zanarkand style armor and a cape. One can only see that he has a thin goatee. His armor design is a mix of ancient Egyptian and Samurai, along with other unique details. Whenever he walks, one can hear the clang of his heavy armor. His warm gold and angular design is a contrast to Yunalesca's cold silver and flowing design.

Symbolism
Zaon is always depicted along with the sun or day and his clothing is gold. The word Zaon is also one of the ways to write "sun" in Sanskrit. Yuna and Tidus mirrored Yunalesca and Zaon, not just in their name's meanings but also in their roles.

The World of Spira

The map of Spira is displayed in many places throughout the world. It has both Yunalesca and Zaon depicted in the same position as how their statues are placed in Yevon Temples. Both characters are symbolic opposites of each other; Yunalesca's eyes and hands are open as she smiles, while Zaon's eyes and hands are closed as he frowns. Zaon is on the East because the sun rises there, while Yunalesca is on the West because the sun sets there.

Map of Spira
Song of Prayer Princess Summoning End