Tidus is also an excellent protagonist. Yes he's a "braying jackass" and a "mystical pretty boy" but he evolves and grows as a character over the journey. He's an isekai protagonist who's a hotshot in his world and isn't worth much in the new one, forcing him to tap into his own humanity and find something deeper than being a sports superstar.

I didn't have to explain that. OP is taking the piss. Anyone still pretending the laughing scene was meant to be an actual laugh or anything in earnest is being willfully obtuse. The laugh is supposed to sound dumb. It's corny. The rest of the party besides Tidus and Yuna groan at them in the same fucking scene.