The Final Fantasy series is full of endearing characters for players to play as and interact with. These characters, no matter the entry, often have to undergo some extreme hardships in order to achieve their goal, but they almost always push forward, no matter how hopeless victory looks.
Though the Final Fantasy series is home to countless joyous and happy moments, it also features some of the saddest moments in video game history. These moments often come from the death of a major character, but there are also moments where death is absent, and the scene is still incredibly sad.
5 Ignis Loses His Eyesight (Final Fantasy 15)
After Noctis' battle with Leviathan in Altissia, he wakes up to find that Ignis can no longer see. In the base game, the manner in which Ignis loses his eyesight is not made clear, but the Episode Ignis DLC reveals that he sacrificed his eyes in order to protect an unconscious Noctis from Ardyn. Though the scene in which Ignis loses his eyesight is incredibly sad, the aftermath is arguably much sadder.
During Final Fantasy 15's twelfth chapter, Noctis and his companions set off to uncover the Royal Tomb in Fodina Caestino, an abandoned quarry crawling with monstrous entities. In previous dungeon visits, the party would travel as a tight group, but here, Noctis is forced to travel slowly in order for Ignis to keep up. Tensions are high during this quest; Noctis is grieving for Lunafreya, Gladio is being a lot harder on Noctis than usual, Ignis is struggling to come to terms with his lack of vision, and Prompto isn't being his usual upbeat and quirky self. Not only is th game incredibly sad, but it's also ridiculously tense.
4 Celes Awakens In The World Of Ruin (Final Fantasy 6)
After failing to stop Kefka from tampering with the Warring Triad, Terra and her companions become separated, all while the world falls into ruin. In the aftermath, players are given control of Celes, who has been asleep for an entire year. When she awakens, Cid explains to her the fate of the world and informs her that they are on a remote island, cut off from the rest of the continent.
Unfortunately, Cid has fallen ill, so it's up to Celes to help him regain his strength. If players collect fresh fish for him, he will survive; otherwise, he will die, leading to one of the saddest scenes in all of Final Fantasy 6. If Cid dies, Celes will lose all hope; she will travel to the northern mountain overlooking the island and jump off the cliff in an attempt to end her life. Though she survives the attempt, the scene itself is still incredibly heartbreaking, as it highlights just hopeless Celes feels.
3 Vivi Learns About The Fate Of A Black Mage (Final Fantasy 9)
Upon arriving at the Black Mage Village in Final Fantasy 9, Vivi is given a chance to uncover a little bit more about his purpose and origins as a Black Mage. Though he has already encountered several Black Mages before, the ones who reside in the Black Mage Village display a much greater degree of sentience than all others before.
While exploring the village, Vivi eventually stumbles upon a cemetery, under which several Black Mages have been buried. Later on, he returns to the cemetery to ask a Black Mage about death. Here, he learns that Black Mages tend to die approximately one year after being manufactured, meaning that Vivi's life is a lot more limited than what he initially thought. This scene is especially sad due to Vivi's story and how desperately he wishes to live a happy life.
2 The Fall Of The Sector 7 Plate (Final Fantasy 7 Remake)
Upon learning from Don Corneo that Shinra plans to drop the Sector 7 Plate down on the slums, Cloud begins traveling back to Sector 7 in the hope of preventing disaster. Once there, he is greeted by Shinra's forces and is forced to fight his way to the top of the pillar holding the plate up, where he encounters Reno and Rude. With Tifa and Barret's help, he manages to defeat the two Turks, but Rude succeeds in initiating the Plate's collapse.
At the beginning of the next chapter, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret make their way through the debris left behind in the wake of the Plate's collapse. Cloud is in a quiet sort of shock, Tifa is visibly devastated, and Barret is desperate to find Marlene. To make matters worse, Aerith is no longer a party member, as she was taken away by the Turks. What makes this scene especially sad for the player is how the Sector 7 Slums were portrayed at the beginning of the game. It was a peaceful town, bursting with life, but now, it is naught but a pile of rubble.
1 Tidus Learns The Fate Of A Summoner (Final Fantasy 10)
When Tidus and his friends end up on Bikanel Island after a close call with Sin, they quickly realize that Yuna is nowhere to be found. Rikku suggests that the group travels to Home, a hidden Al Bhed hideaway, to look for her, but upon arriving at the location, they learn that Home is under attack. The Guado have overrun Home, forcing Tidus and his companions to fight their way through in order to reach the Summoners' Sanctum, a place where the Al Bhed keep the summoners they kidnap.
Inside the Summoners' Sanctum, they find Dona and Isaaru, two summoners who were kidnapped by the Al Bhed. Enraged by the Al Bhed's actions, Tidus reminds the group that if a guardian does their job, the summoner they are charged with protecting will be safe, so there is no need for the Al Bhed to interfere. In response to this, Rikku informs Tidus that Yuna is destined to die at the end of her pilgrimage, no matter how well-protected she is. Tidus breaks down upon hearing this and begins scolding his companions for letting Yuna become a summoner in the first place. This is by far one of the saddest scenes in a Final Fantasy game, as it showcases how much Tidus cares for Yuna while also making their future together seem hopeless.