Key Takeaways
- Some Final Fantasy characters face tragic endings despite their heroic actions.
- Emotional rollercoasters unfold as Vivi, Noctis, and Tellah meet their demises in poignant ways.
- Characters like Galuf and Shadow sacrifice themselves to safeguard loved ones with somber consequences.
Most people assume that the Final Fantasy games are full of charm and light-hearted shenanigans, and that’s certainly true. The whimsical nature of these titles is a huge part of why so many people get lost in these worlds, with the best Final Fantasy games endearing players with a mix of a story that balances its cheerful moments with serious ones and lets a lovable cast of characters shine bright as they save the world from a dark and brooding threat.
However, during the moments when players enjoy the time they spend with the cast, they also get attached to characters who don’t enjoy a happy ending like most people would expect. Despite becoming heroes and bringing hope to a world down on its luck, players can’t help but shed a tear at the fates of certain Final Fantasy characters who deserved to live full and hearty lives, only for fate to have something horrible in store for them.
5 Vivi Ornitier
Realizes He Has A Short Lifespan And Becomes A Hero Before Passing Away
Final Fantasy 9 is hailed by many as one of the greatest video games ever made. It integrates all the modern advancements players expected at the time while paying homage to the roots of the franchise. As one would expect, this includes a lovable cast of characters and a storyline that doesn’t take itself too seriously despite some heavy-handed themes. Vivi is one of the characters who fans love, with his classic Black Mage look being a joy to witness.
So, when players find out the truth of Vivi’s existence and the short lifespan of every Black Mage in the game, the emotional rollercoaster that follows is hard to process. The adventurers must band together to save the world from Kuja’s diabolical presence, but the happy ending that should follow is tinged with sadness when players see that Vivi has already passed by the time the epilogue rolls around. Thankfully, he lived life to the fullest and formed many special bonds before bidding adieu to the world of the living.
4 Noctis Lucis Caelum
Sacrifices His Life To Give Ardyn A Final Death
It’s impressive how Final Fantasy 15 gets players invested in the bonds shared between the main characters, despite the many problems the game faced during development. Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto feel like a genuine group of friends thrown into events out of their control. Shortly into the story, the Crown Prince is forced to take responsibility and avenge the death of his father. This begins a journey that he resents yet accepts, leading to him butting heads with his friends from time to time.
However, after the time skip, Noctis realizes the weight of his responsibilities. This leads to him and his friends returning to Insomnia, with Noctis asking his friends to wait one last time as he summons the Kings of Lucis to absorb his soul into the Ring of the Lucii, where he launches one final assault on Ardyn’s malicious spirit before putting an end to him at the cost of his own life. Seeing him reunited with Lunafreya in the afterlife makes for a melancholic sight, and the tears start flowing in a post-credits scene where Noctis tearfully admits his love for his friends before embarking on a quest to sacrifice himself.
3 Tellah
Fails To Avenge His Daughter After Expending His Life Energy To Cast Meteor
Tellah’s life has been far from happy. A powerful Sage who lost a lot of his powers before the events of Final Fantasy 4, he lost his wife to a monster attack and was left with his only daughter. However, things would only take a turn for the worse when he loses the other member of his family in a malicious attack by Golbez. The Sage of Mysidia is enraged and pursues the villain along with the party to get revenge.
However, Tellah’s plans don’t come to fruition. With Golbez establishing his dominance over the party, Tellah decides to go all out and use his life energy to cast Meteor on the villain, weakening him enough to free Rosa and help Kain regain his sanity. However, this comes at the cost of the Sage’s life, who was unable to get his revenge. After telling Cecil and the party to avenge Anna’s meaningless demise, Tellah passes away in one of the many tragic moments in the series.
2 Galuf Halm Baldesion
Pushed His Body To The Very Limit To Save His Granddaughter
Final Fantasy 5 is one of the most cheerful titles in the series, with a focus on whimsy and gameplay helping it stand out. There’s an amazing plot cooking underneath that takes a while to uncover, with the amnesiac Galuf eventually being revealed to be one of the original Dawn Warriors who sealed Exdeath back on his world three decades ago. A series of events leads to a rematch between both fighters when Galuf breaks free from the bonds sealing him and his friends when he sees Krile in danger.
He stages a heroic one-man stand against Exdeath, sustaining mortal wounds in the process. His heroic sacrifice ensures that Krile and the Dawn Warriors survive, with his granddaughter taking over his role in the party. Despite being as goofy as they come, Galuf’s importance to the narrative takes fans by surprise and makes them rue his premature demise. His spirit arrives in the final battle to will the party in their final fight against Exdeath.
1 Shadow
Made Peace With His Past And Stayed Behind As Kefka’s Tower Collapsed
Shadow is one of the most mysterious and interesting party members in Final Fantasy 6. A mercenary who never opens up, it’s not until fans have Shadow in their party and sleep in an inn that they get a chance to uncover his backstory. It turns out that his real name was Clyde, and he had a partner named Baram. When the latter was injured during a chase, he begged Clyde to end his life, but Clyde was unable to perform such a horrid act, choosing to run away instead.
Despite settling down and fathering a girl who’d grow up to be Relm, Clyde was unable to shake off the cobwebs of his past and ran away with the family dog. He took on the name of Shadow and embarked on a quest to save the world when Kefka became a wrathful divine being. While the party is running away from Kefka’s collapsing tower, Shadow tells Interceptor to go back to his family and finally accepts his past. He tells Baram that they’ll reunite soon, presumably staying back and dying along with Kefka’s legacy as he finally escapes the shadows that haunted him for so long.
