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.
