2. Jak (Jak II and III) and Moses
The point-eared star of the Jak and Daxter series discarded his mute persona in Jak II to become a gruff, grim anti-hero who eventually frees the citizens of Haven city from the despotic rule of Baron Praxis. At the end of Jak II, it's also revealed that a young Jak was sent away from Haven city so that he could one day return and become instrumental in the resistance movement.
As a baby, Moses' Hebrew mother put him in a basket and floated him down the river where an Egyptian princess found and adopted him. While this may sound like questionable parenting, do keep in mind that the Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians and the Pharaoh had just ordered all Hebrew newborn boys to be killed. All things considered, sending Moses down the Nile was probably the smart choice, even if an alligator could have popped out, eaten him and totally screwed up most of the Old Testament. One murder, several years and seven plagues later, Moses eventually freed the Israelites from their bondage and lead them to the Promise Land. Sort of.
Jak and Moses both were sent away as a child and then returned as a savior, but they also share a penchant for killing things. Jak can shoot guns or Shoryuken opponents and Moses straight up one punched an Egyptian slave master to death.
Additionally, Moses and Jak both ended up stranded and wandering around the desert for quite a while because the people they liberated were idiots. The Israelites totally wussed out when God told them to go take over Canan, and the people of Haven City turned against Jak and Daxter and consign them to a slow death in the Wastelands. Incidentally, neither Jak nor Moses had a terribly satisfying ending either.
After flipping out at the Israelites for being a bunch of whiners, Moses was told by God he would die without ever seeing the Promise Land. Similarly, Jak and Daxter have yet to see a fitting end to their adventure. C'mon Naughty Dog. We love Uncharted and all, but seriously --this PSP-based Jak and Daxter shenanigans just isn't cutting it.
1. Yuna (Final Fantasy X) and Jesus Christ.
We're going to tread delicately since we're pretty sure we've already surpassed our limit for blasphemous and sacrilegious statements today. Still, there's really no getting around that Yuna was clearly based off the Bible's main character -- Jesus Christ.
Yuna is a summoner who travels around Spira with her entourage of guardians on a journey to save the world from Sin. Along the way, she walks on water, makes friends with the societally shunned Al Bhed and performs a sending that allows the souls of the dead to pass on to the Farplane instead of being reincarnated into monsters. Also, near the end of the game, gamers discover Yuna's pilgrimage is fated to end with her sacrificing her life in order to defeat Sin.
Now, if you actually paid attention during Sunday School and weren't busy writing dirty words in crayon or eating glue, some of Yuna’s story should sound familiar. Jesus also traveled around the world with a crew of disciples, preaching the gospel, exorcising demons and healing cripples. He's also famous for befriending the dregs of society, including tax collectors, prostitutes and lepers. At the end of his life, Jesus allowed himself to be crucified so he could save mankind from their sins and allow them the opportunity to go to Heaven.
Granted, the similarities between Yuna and Jesus end there considering Final Fantasy X's story more or less derails and plunges into crazy town once its revealed that God is a lie, Sin is actually Tidus' father and that Tidus is a Sixth Sense inspired plot twist. Also, Final Fantasy X-2 was released a few years later, promptly retconning the canon worst than the Star Wars prequels and crushing any parallel between Yuna and Jesus to death in one, horribly awkward pop music video.
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Comments
How'd you forget characters from Xenogears and Xenosaga? They're both filled with religious allusions.
@JohnKickass
That is true. Xenogears was awesome, but Xenosaga WAY over did it with the religious symbolism. They just started throwing symbols all over the place and most of them didnt make any sense.
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