If you think the Final Fantasy series only included happy endings, you couldn’t be so far off. The series wouldn’t be where it was today without the tears and sadness for the fallen cast.

Continuing with our Top 5 Theme (See Bosses, Evil Antagonist’s, Attractive Females, Distinguished Heroes), We’ve compiled our top 5 damned Final Fantasy martyr’s which can be found below. Do you agree with our choices? If not who would you change in the list? (Please note this article contains Spoilers)

5. Zack Fair (Final Fantasy VII)
• Zack Fair is an non-player character from Final Fantasy VII and the protagonist of its prequel, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. He is also a central character in Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-. In Final Fantasy VII, Zack only appears in flashback sequences, which portray him as almost identical to Cloud Strife, the game’s main protagonist, in physical appearance except having black hair and his pauldron being on both shoulders. When strung together, the sequences explain a great deal about Cloud’s past and his connection to Sephiroth, the game’s arch-villain. He also wielded the Buster Sword before Cloud. His default Limit Break (DMW) is Chain Slash, but he gains others during Crisis Core.
  After defeating Genesis in Crisis Core, Zack heads back towards Midgar with Cloud. A massive army of Shin-Ra Troops however awaits them. Despite Cissnei and Tseng’s attempts to save Zack first, the Shin-Ra army attacks. Zack fights hard against overwhelming odds. However, the enemy is just too many, and despite all of Zack’s SOLDIER training, he is defeated. Riddled with bullets, and his Digital Mind Wave destroyed, Zack is barely alive when Cloud awakes and comes to him. Zack hands the Buster Sword to him, like Angeal handed the Buster Sword to Zack four years earlier. Cloud wanders off towards Midgar, whilst Zack is pulled into the Lifestream by Angeal. Did he become a hero after all?

4. Seto (Final Fantasy VII)
• Seto is a character from Final Fantasy VII, and Red XIII’s father. He is seen in encased in stone, deep inside the Cave of the Gi.
  Red XIII had always thought of his father as a traitor and a coward, as he ran away from his son and mate during Cosmo Canyon’s war against the Gi Tribe.
  Bugenhagen decides to show Red XIII the truth after he learns of these feelings.
  He leads Red XIII into the Gi Cave and reveals that Seto was not actually fleeing but was in fact rushing to defend the entrance to the Gi Cave when the Gi Tribe tried to flank the defenders from the cave. He was pierced by the poisoned arrows of the Gi, but continued to defend the cave as he was slowly petrified. After seeing his father’s petrified body, still guarding the entrance to the cave, Red XIII changes his opinion of his father, acknowledging his father’s courage for facing the Gi Tribe by himself. As Red XIII howls in honor of his father, the stone Seto far above him begins to cry. Inspired by his father’s courage, Red XIII joins the party permanently.

3. Reddas / Foris Zecht / Judge Zecht (Final Fantasy XII)
• Reddas, his real name being Foris Zecht, used to serve in Archadia, as a Judge Magister. Going by the name Judge Zecht, he performed his duties loyally, just like any other Judge. After the invasion of Nabradia, Dr Cid had gotten hold of some deifacted nethicite, the Midlight Shard. Wanting to test its power, he sent Zecht to the capital of Nabradia, Nabudis. Upon his arrival, he unleashed the Shard’s power, not knowing what it would do. The result was catastrophic, wiping out the capital in the blink of an eye and covering the area in a thick mist. Overcome with guilt, he forsook his name and left Archadia. He took refuge at Balfonheim, where he became governor of it after cleaning up the town of corruption and made a patron among pirates.
  Two years later, he returned to Archadia at the request of Marquis Ondore, to the Draklor Laboratory, to find out what Archadia was up to. There, he stole a few new projects, as well as reading about Cid’s intentions. Then, he confronted Dr Cid, only to be tossed to the side by Venat.
  After the events at the Draklor Laboratory, Reddas refused to travel with the player party, since he was following one of the leads he got at the labs. He dispatched his ships to the Ridorana Cataract to see what was going on there. However, all the ships he sent were sunk by the powerful tides. After the player party returns from Giruvegan, he gives Balthier a skystone that will let them fly to the Cataract. Reddas then joins the player party.
  After arriving at the Cataract and climbing the Pharos, Reddas finally confronts his past, by fighting Judge Gabranth and Dr Cid. Once they are taken care of, Reddas has finally taken care of his personal demons. And so, he takes the Sword of Kings and destroys the Sun-Cryst for Ashe, since she still has a purpose in life. The Cryst explodes, destroying the top of the Pharos, and killing Reddas in the process.
  2. Tidus (Final Fantasy X)
  • The storyline of Final Fantasy X revolves around Tidus, a rising blitzball star player from Zanarkand. After a mysterious creature attacked his hometown, Tidus was transported to the world of Spira. Lost, confused, and seemingly out of place, Tidus meets a newly-fledged summoner, Yuna, and her guardians. The summoner is soon to set out on a pilgrimage in an attempt to put an end to the very creature that destroyed Zanarkand, so by joining them Tidus hopes he will find his way home.
    In Final Fantasy X, it becomes clear that the Fayth want Tidus to defeat Sin permanently, so that they can finally rest. Unfortunately, if he does that, the dream will end and Tidus himself will disappear.
    Within the final moments of the game, after defeating Yu Yevon, the Fayth depart, relieved and thankful… but so must Tidus meet the same fate. As he disincorporates, he apologizes to his friends, bids a tearful farewell to Yuna, and takes a running leap off the deck of the airship. But as he falls into the farplane, he sees the faces and forms of those who have also passed on, and he gives his father a high-five, showing that Tidus has forgiven his father.
  1. Aerith Gainsborough / Aeris (Final Fantasy VII)
  • Aerith Gainsborough, also known as Aeris Gainsborough, is one of the female protagonists in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. She uses a staff as her weapon and wears a pink ribbon in her hair. Having lived in the slums of Midgar for years, she has become street-smart, and has had to evade the Shin-Ra many times. She is portrayed as a independent, outgoing and kind young woman who displays an intuitive understanding of others at times.
    In Final Fantasy VII Aeris dies in the Forgotten Capital, when she is praying. Sephiroth tries to take control over Cloud, and instruct’s him to kill Aeris. Cloud however is stopped by his friends, but then Sephiroth falls from the ceiling and kills Aeris in an iconic scene. Enraged, Cloud turned on Sephiroth, but he fled and left Jenova LIFE to fight them. After Jenova was dispatched, Cloud carried Aeris to the pool of water in the center of the city and laid her to rest.
    Later in the game, it was revealed that Aeris was praying to cast Holy, the ultimate white magic that can defend against Meteor. However, Sephiroth was blocking Holy from working within the core of the planet. After Sephiroth was defeated at the end of the game, Holy was able to begin to move, and together with the Lifestream, Aeris’ Holy spell was able to fight off Sephiroth’s Meteor.