JRPGs are set in worlds where magic is real and wounds can be healed with a simple spell. Reviving the dead is also possible, but if the developers want players to cry, then it’s time for characters to die permanent and tragic deaths.
While Pokemon Nuzlockes and roguelikes can illicit feelings of sadness when someone perishes, this is wholly the result of random player interaction and attachment. It’s when death is part of the story that it hits the hardest.
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In some ways, JRPGs are the most iconic genre when it comes to party member deaths. They have the most famous examples, ones that have resonated through gaming history, even ten or twenty years later.
From battlefield allies, to lovers, to friends – these are the most tragic JRPG deaths that players have born witness to.
10
Zack Fair
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Knowing about a character death beforehand doesn’t necessarily dull the blow. Indeed, Crisis Core players who came from Final Fantasy 7 were waiting for the axe to fall for the whole game.
Zack’s death in Final Fantasy 7 was fairly subdued, thanks to the limitations of the hardware, as he was overwhelmed by a handful of soldiers.
In Crisis Core, the more advanced tech was able to show more. This resulted in Zack facing the might of the Shinra army, while his DMW slowly breaks down, as the memories of his friends start to fade, leaving only Aerith: the love of his life.
Fans know Zack’s death is coming, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch. His fate is sealed, and it’s necessary to set off the chain of events leading to Cloud saving the world.
9
Dyluck
Secret of Mana
Dyluck is the love interest of the girl party member in Secret of Mana and she spends most of the game pursuing him. He is always one step ahead of the party, and it’s easy for players to assume they’ll be reunited before the end of the game.
While Dyluck manages to survive throughout most of Secret of Mana, he is possessed near the end of the story by the evil Thanatos, sealing his fate.
Fortunately, Dyluck sacrifices himself, forcing Thanatos out of his body and into his Dark Lich form that can be slain by the heroes. In death, he saved the world, but he was forever separated from his one true love.
8
Pankraz
Dragon Quest 5
Dragon Quest 5 has a unique approach to its story, with the protagonist starting as a child, growing into adulthood, and eventually leading their own kids into battle.
In order for the hero to stand on their own, they must lose their protector. In this case, it’s their father, Pankraz, who sacrifices himself to save his son.
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Pankraz was a mighty warrior, but when his son is taken hostage by monsters, he is forced to endure their blows while the player watches. When Pankraz falls, the hero is on their own, and one of the darkest era of their life is about to begin.
7
Shinjiro Argaki
Persona 3
- Platform(s)
-
PS3
, PS2
, PSP - Released
-
July 13, 2006
- Engine
-
unreal engine 4
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Violence
- How Long To Beat
-
80 Hours
- Metascore
-
86
There’s no denying it: Shinjiro is a jerk throughout most of Persona 3. However, he’s the party’s jerk and can fight alongside them in Tartarus, so that earns him some brownie points.
Shinjiro also loses points when it’s revealed that he’s accidentally responsible for the death of Ken’s mother, leaving a young boy orphaned.
Fortunately, he redeems himself, taking a bullet for Ken, saving the kid’s life and perishing in the process, giving some sad words of encouragement as he goes.
It is possible for Shinjiro to escape his fate, but only in Persona 3 Portable and when playing the female protagonist route. If Shinjiro is romanced, then it’s possible to downgrade his demise into a coma, giving some hope for his future.
6
Haurchefant Greystone
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14 is a game where a handful of the most popular characters should never fear death, because people love them too much. Alphinaud, Thancred, Estinien, and Y’shtola are teflon.
The same isn’t true of the other NPCs in the game, who will be struck down at a moment’s notice.
Easily the saddest of these deaths is Haurchefant, who provides the Warrior of Light with sanctuary in Ishgard after they were betrayed and forced into exile.
For a good chunk of Heavensward, Haurchefant is one of the player’s most trusted allies while navigating the perilous Ishgardian politics. Unfortunately, he is cut down by Zephirin near the end of the expansion, becoming another lost ally in the battle against the Ascains.
5
Rei & Zen
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
- Released
-
November 25, 2014
- ESRB
-
m
- How Long To Beat
-
60 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Persona Q was a crossover between Persona 3 and 4. Despite the abundance of characters on offer, the player could also take Rei and Zen: two mysterious youths with no memories of their pasts.
It’s eventually revealed that Zen is an aspect of the god of death, who found Rei’s original soul and was so moved by the torment she endured in life that he created an artificial reality for her, leading to the events of the game.
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Persona Q ends with the respective Persona characters returning to their worlds to continue their journeys. Rei and Zen are left behind, as they embrace and return to the Sea of Souls, having found the happiness in a second life that they lacked in the first, while their new friends forget their existence.
4
Earthern Heart Shifu’s Students
Live A Live
- Platform(s)
-
SNES
, Switch - Released
-
September 2, 1994
- Developer(s)
-
Square
- Publisher(s)
-
Square
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine 4
- ESRB
-
t
- How Long To Beat
-
20 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
An older example that saw a resurgence when Live A Live was remade in 2022. Live A Live involves playing as different characters throughout history, one of which is Earthern Heart Shifu – a monk from ancient China in search of a student.
Shifu has three potential students to choose from. The one he trains with the most will become a playable character in the game’s final chapter.
Unfortunately, the other two students will not survive their chapter. They’re slain by a rival gang, ensuring they’ll never reach their full potential and prompting the protagonists to step up and go to war in the name of their fallen friends.
3
Galuf
Final Fantasy 5
A lot of Final Fantasy fans joke about how certain permadeath characters are never attempted to be revived by magic or a Phoenix Down item, causing a break in immersion.
Final Fantasy 5 went out of its way to explain the demise of Galuf, the elderly party member who is searching for his lost memories throughout the game.
With the rest of the party incapacitated, Galuf gets up and fights the main villain, Exdeath, even when on zero hit points. He pushes himself beyond his limits in order to save his family and friends.
When the rest of the party tries to revive Galuf with items and magic, it doesn’t work. He gave his absolute all to ensure the future of two worlds, something no simple spell could fix.
2
Crono
Chrono Trigger
It’s rare for a video game to kill its main character. It’s even rarer for it to continue, with the rest of the party taking up the mantle.
In Chrono Trigger, Crono is annihilated by Lavos, the world eating entity that threatens to destroy the planet. His sacrifice wasn’t in vain, as his allies manage to escape, leaving them to continue the mission in his name.
Luckily for Crono, his death doesn’t have to be permanent. After all, this is a game about time travel, and it’s possible to go back and save him.
This doesn’t make the moment of his passing any less shocking, especially as it’s possible to complete the game and see an ending where Crono stays dead.
1
Aerith
Final Fantasy 7
What else could have taken the top spot? Aerith from Final Fantasy 7 might not have been the first character to die in a JRPG, but she’s certainly the most memorable.
The impact of Aerith’s death comes from spending the entirety of Disc 1 with her, learning about her hopes and fears, as well as her dreams for the future.
And then, Sephiroth takes it all away. In a moment that lives on forever in the hearts of those who bore witness to it.
It’s just a shame that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth botched the moment hard, with its multiverse shenanigans overly complicating the scene. The game sacrificed emotion for plot and was worse off for it.
Still, Aerith’s original death scene is always there, and while it’s easily the most spoiled moment in the history of gaming, it still packs a punch to the gut, even though everyone knows it’s coming.
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