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The themes of the Final Fantasy franchise often include fighting against destiny and gods. Because of this, both the heroes and villains tend to have tragic backgrounds. Of course, there are a handful of deaths that are often discussed as tragic moments in the series. But for some characters, their death is a mercy compared to what they had to live through.
These are the most tragic characters of Final Fantasy, based on the events of their lives and not the circumstances of their deaths, if they died during the game.
7. Cloud Loses His Identity (Final Fantasy VII)
Final Fantasy 7 is a fan favorite game in this series, and one certain death receives a lot of attention as a tragedy. However, from the start of the game, Cloud’s life is rather heartbreaking as it’s slowly revealed that he doesn’t know who he is anymore. For his sake, his childhood friend, Tifa, refrains from mentioning how he’s changed, having been present during the Nibelheim incident herself and knowing that it was an awful experience for everybody involved.
The truth is that Cloud, after Sephiroth went berserk, was captured and experimented on by Shinra along with Zack Fair. During this period, Cloud suffered from severe Mako poisoning, and it left him confused, believing that Zack’s life had been his own. Zack did tell Cloud he was his legacy as he died, and that burden might’ve been a bit too heavy for Cloud to handle in his poisoned state.
6. Yuna Takes a Journey That Ends With Death (Final Fantasy X)
As a summoner, Yuna is able to go on a pilgrimage with the ultimate goal of stopping Sin, which in normal cases, provides a temporary period of peace. However, the final summoning that stops Sin results in the summoner’s death. So, Yuna sets off on this journey knowing that she’s supposed to die at the end, and her friends who take the role of her guardians are knowingly escorting her to her death (with the exception of Tidus).
During her journey, she starts to have feelings for Tidus, and they all find another way to defeat Sin, turning against the Yevon faith. While she gets to live, Tidus fades away, being a figment of Dream Zanarkand. In the sequel, Yuna learns to accept Tidus’ death, depending on which ending the player gets, but her journey in the base game is not only tragic, it’s filled with sorrow and the shadow of death.
5. Caius Watches Yeul Die Repeatedly (Final Fantasy XIII-2)
Although Final Fantasy 13 receives mixed feelings from players, Caius from its sequel has a fate where death is a mercy when compared to continuing to live in his current circumstances. Caius has the Heart of Chaos, which puts him in the role of guardian for the Seeress, a girl named Yeul. As a Seeress, Yeul sees visions of the future. However, every vision shortens her lifespan, meaning that she rarely survives to adulthood.
Caius seems to view Yeul like a daughter, so having to watch her die over and over wears him down and leads to him hating Etro, the goddess of the game’s universe. But every time Yeul dies, she’s reborn, starting the cycle over again. On the other hand, Caius can’t die without passing the Heart of Chaos to somebody else, with Noel being the primary candidate, which means that he’s trapped watching a girl he views as his daughter die because of her connection to a goddess.
4. Emet-Selch Longs for the Return of His Friends (Final Fantasy XIV)
One of several villains in Final Fantasy 14, Emet-Selch seems like a typical Ascian when he’s first introduced. However, as the Scions and the Warrior of Light learn more about him, his background becomes increasingly tragic. Hydaelyn sundered the planet to seal away Zodiark, but Emet-Selch remembers the planet before that happened, and he longs to make the world whole again through the rejoinings.
It doesn’t help that Emet-Selch has the ability to see the color of souls, so he recognizes the fractured pieces of people he used to know when the world was whole. Additionally, the Warrior of Light is a fragment of one of Emet-Selch’s closest friends. By the end of Emet-Selch’s arc, it’s tough to see him as a villain.
3. Clive Was Unfortunate From Birth (Final Fantasy XVI)
First, Clive is hated by his own mother because he wasn’t born as the Dominant of Phoenix. Then, his mom betrays the kingdom and leads to Clive’s dad being killed and his younger brother appearing to die in a violent way, which Clive believes he’s responsible for once he realizes that he’s the Eikon of Ifrit.
After enduring these events, Clive is tattooed with a mark that denotes him as somebody able to use magic without the help of crystals, which essentially makes him less than human in this world of Final Fantasy 16. On top of that, Clive’s world seems like it’s on the verge of dying with the Mothercrystals losing their power. But even with everything working against him, Clive does his best to do what he believes is right.
2. Terra Lives Without Choices (Final Fantasy VI)
One of the main characters of Final Fantasy 6, Terra was raised to be a weapon of the Empire. In this world, the existence of magic has become myth, but Terra’s unique heritage allows her to use magic, as she’s half-Esper. When she’s small, her human parent is killed, her Esper parent becomes an experiment, and the Empire raises Terra to use magic for their own ends.
While Terra didn’t have choices growing up, the Empire makes sure that she remains loyal by putting a slave crown on her, which forces her to obey their commands. To test its effectiveness, she’s forced to burn dozens of soldiers to death with her magic. Then, when she gets the crown removed, she doesn’t have her memories or knowledge about the world, so she essentially becomes a tool for the Returners instead. It’s not until much later that she starts to have any chances to actually make her own decisions.
1. Ovelia Wanted To Avoid Bloodshed (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Final Fantasy Tactics is often overlooked, but it has one of the best stories in the FF franchise. Ovelia is a main character in this title, and she was adopted by the king, being his half-sibling. However, once the king had his own son, Ovelia was sent to a monastery to keep her from trying to take the throne, which she had no interest in anyway. But that didn’t stop other groups from wanting to use her as a tool to claim power.
Then, she’s interrogated and told that she’s not the real Ovelia, and that the real princess died as a baby. It’s not revealed if this is true or not, but Ovelia continues to be used by Delita through the game, and later becomes resentful towards him after their marriage. She ends up stabbing him on her birthday, which results in him stabbing her in retaliation with her own dagger.
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