6. Yuna embarks on a journey that ends with death (Final Fantasy X)

As a summoner, Yuna can go on a pilgrimage with the ultimate goal of stopping Sin, which in normal cases provides a temporary period of peace. However, the final summon that stops Sin results in the death of the summoner. So, Yuna goes on this journey knowing that she is supposed to die in the end, and her friends who take on the role of her guardians knowingly escort her to her death (with the exception of Tidus).

During their journey, she begins to develop feelings for Tidus and they all find another way to defeat Sin, turning against Yevon’s faith. While she lives, Tidus fades away, a product 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, but filled with sadness 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 destiny where death is a mercy compared to continuing to live in his current circumstances. Caius has the Heart of Chaos, which puts him in the role of guardian to the Seer, a girl named Yeul. As a psychic, Yeul has visions of the future. However, each vision shortens its lifespan, meaning it rarely survives into adulthood.

Caius seems to view Yeul as a daughter, so having to watch her die over and over again wears him down and leads him to hate Etro, the goddess of the game’s universe. But every time Yeul dies, he is reborn and the cycle begins again. On the other hand, Caius cannot die without passing the Heart of Chaos to someone else, with Noel being the prime candidate, meaning he is stuck watching a girl he considers his daughter die due to 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 14Emet-Selch seems like a typical Ascian when he is first introduced. However, as the Scions and the Warrior of Light learn more about him, his background becomes increasingly tragic. Hydaelyn split the planet to seal Zodiark, but Emet-Selch remembers the planet before that happened and longs for the world to be whole again through the unions.

It doesn’t help that Emet-Selch has the ability to see the color of souls, so he recognizes the fractured pieces of the 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. At the end of Emet-Selch’s arc, it’s hard to see him as a villain.