Final Fantasy Characters Who Suffered The Most In The Franchise

Summary

• Characters like Auron, Celes, and Zack from Final Fantasy have endured immense tragedies, adding depth to their stories.
• From losing loved ones to sacrificing themselves, these characters’ hardships make them more memorable for players.
• Tragic events like losing friends, torture, and sacrifice shape the characters’ resolve and add emotional layers to the games.

Final Fantasy is a series full of characters who have suffered their fair share of tragedies in the series. From deaths to the loss of loved ones and everything in between, suffering is common in some of the more mature games in the series.

Some characters go through hell and back in the series, which goes a long way in strengthening their resolve and making them more compelling. These tragedies, as awful as they may be, go a long way in making these characters all the more memorable.

8

Auron

Lost His Friends In A Doomed Quest That He Could’ve Fought Against All Along

Auron seems like a no-nonsense warrior who’s only there to serve as the voice of reason and look cool. However, as players make progress in the story, they’ll learn about the pilgrimage preceding this one and who participated in it.

One of Braske’s bodyguards was Auron, making everyone question his presence at the party. It turned out that he lost his friends to a doomed sacrifice and tried to cut down Yunalesca, only for him to be killed and come back as an Unsent. Watching him will the party on to fight against fate in their epic battle against Yunalesca makes for a major highlight in Final Fantasy 10.

7

Celes Chere

An Imperial Soldier Who Has Faced Torture And Can Potentially Lose A Man Who’s Been Like A Father To Her

Numerous characters in Final Fantasy 6 have suffered their fair share of tragedies in the series, and Celes is no exception. This Imperial soldier spoke up against the empire and was promptly chained up, with Locke witnessing her torture at the hands of the guards, which was censored in future Final Fantasy 6 releases.

Later on, after the onset of the World of Ruin, Celes is taken care of by Cid. She looks up to him as a father, but if players feed him too much bad fish when he’s sick (which is very easy for players who don’t know what they’re doing), then he’ll die and leave Celes all alone. The trauma of this moment is so much that Celes throws herself off a cliff to end her life, only to find Locke’s headband that wills her to leave the safety of her island and bring the band back together for one final assault on Kefka’s Tower.

6

Zack Fair

Loses His Mentor And Sacrifices His Life To Save A Close Friend

Zack Fair is one of the most jovial characters in Final Fantasy 7. He forms a deep bond with Aerith and makes a promise to see her after everything’s over, but he’s unable to fulfill it.

Instead, the events in Nibelheim lead to the town burning down, Sephiroth going rogue, and Zack being on the run while dragging an addled Cloud. Eventually, he can’t move on anymore and sacrifices himself to save Cloud in one of the most emotional endings in a video game that makes Crisis Core one of the best Final Fantasy games fans can get their hands on.

5

Terra Branford

An Amnesiac Who Is Forced To Serve A Tyrannical Empire For A Long Time

From the moment Terra appears in Final Fantasy 6, it’s clear that something’s wrong. This magic-wielding warrior has been forced into servitude by a Slave Crown, before it is removed and she must avoid imperial scum while heading to meet the Returners.

After being incapacitated for a while, Terra realizes her true identity as a half-Esper. Her family was ruthlessly torn away from her because of the Empire, and she must avenge her parents by taking out Kefka and stopping the espers from being harnessed for their magic once and for all.

4

Shadow

Tried To Escape His Past, Only To Succumb To His Fate After Defeating Kefka

At first glance, Shadow seems to be a stoic, no-nonsense ninja who only cares about getting the job done. However, resting in an inn with this character has a small chance to trigger a series of cutscenes that show Shadow’s life before he became this emotionless mercenary.

It shows the regret he feels for not being able to take his friend’s life, who didn’t want to be caught by the Imperials alive and be subjected to torture. He tries to move on and falls in love, but his wife dies in childbirth. He leaves his home and is accompanied by the family dog, only to meet his daughter years later. However, he keeps their familiar ties to himself and decides to die as Kefka’s Tower is collapsing at the end of Final Fantasy 6, wanting to be reunited with his friend in the afterlife so that he can finally be at peace.

3

Noctis Lucis Caelum

Loses His Family And Beloved Before Sacrificing Himself To Save The World

Noctis is one of the most tragic protagonists in Final Fantasy history. He loses his father and kingdom while he’s helpless in another city altogether. To make things worse, the antagonist kills the love of his life in front of him as he’s helpless to save the people he cares for.

Eventually, after gestating in the Crystal for years, Noctis knows what he must do. After a tear-jerking farewell in their final camping session, Noctis and his friends head to the ruined Insomnia and take out Ardyn once and for all, with the protagonist sacrificing both body and soul to annihilate the threat of the Starscourge.

2

Locke Cole

His Chivalrous Nature Stems From A Horrid Trauma He Experienced In The Past

No matter how happy-go-lucky Locke may seem, this character has been through his fair share of tragedies. His need to save women in danger stems from the trauma of not being able to protect the love of his life, who had fallen from a bridge during their time together, which led to Rachel losing her memories.

A heartbroken Locke left town, only to find out later that Rachel was killed when the Empire raided her town. She regained her memories at the last second and called for him before dying. Her body was preserved by one of the town’s residents, but she had already moved on, and all Locke could do was use the powers of the Phoenix magicite to revive her for a few seconds as she gave him the closure he needed before moving on to the afterlife.

1

Dyne

Barret’s Maddened Friend Has Faced His Fair Share Of Tragedies And Can’t Even Reunite With His Daughter

One of the most fascinating characters in the series, the tragedy that led to Barret replacing his maimed hand with a machine gun affected Dyne, too. He lost his family and home to Shinra, losing his mind as he settled near Corel Prison.

His reunion with Barret was far from a jovial one, with Barret finding it hard to see his friend suffer. Even after learning that Marlene was alive, Dyne was too far gone and needed to be taken out by Barret, making for a tragic ending to this character’s fate in Final Fantasy 7 that shows just how destructive Shinra’s presence can be.