JRPGs with sad endings, ranked

Important takeaways

• JRPGs have tragic stories with sad endings like in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 & Shadow Hearts, leaving players emotionally invested.
• Characters in games like Persona 2: Eternal Punishment & Mother 3 face devastating choices and embrace tragic destinies.
• The endings in Fire Emblem Three Houses, Tales of Xillia 2, and Final Fantasy 15 are bittersweet, reflecting the importance of sacrifice.

Many JRPG stories are often incredible, with well-developed storytelling by writers that capture the player's attention throughout the characters' journey. Many stories even end with happy endings, where the protagonists, after many challenges, achieve their goals, defeat the villains, and emerge victorious.

But many other JRPGs have sad endings, where even with the enemies defeated, the main characters meet a tragic fate, or in some cases fail to stop the villains. Despite this, these sad endings leave a lasting impact on the player, enhance the emotional depth of the story, and also serve as reminders that not all stories end in victory, but they are still memorable.

10 Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Torna's inevitable fate

Despite Xenoblade Chronicles 2With an incredible story, tragedy permeates every moment of Lora and Jin's story, characters who desperately struggle to change the fate of the kingdom where they are, but no matter their efforts, the destruction of Torna is inevitable. The story, which derives from Torna – The golden landan expansion of the game, narrates a cycle of sacrifice where victories are fleeting but defeat is permanent.

This sad story shows how fate, even with heroic efforts, can be cruel and unchanging for many characters. The fall of Torna and the oblivion of the heroes who fought for it leave deep emotional scars, making this JRPG an unforgettable story with an ending as devastating as it is beautiful.

9 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Tatsuya Suou burden

The weight of choice can be devastating, and Tatsuya Suou is a character who lives this to the extreme. To save the world, he is forced to sacrifice his own memories and break ties with those he loves. This difficult decision is at the heart of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and the tragic outcome reinforces the theme of eternal punishment at the expense of one's own identity.

The conclusion, where Tatsuya abandons everything he knew and loved, carries enormous emotional weight, especially for players who have followed his journey throughout Persona duology. Thus, the character's journey reveals that not all battles end in celebration, and the price of salvation can be one's own happiness, leaving players immersed in the cruel fate he suffered.

8 Mother 3

An inevitably tragic journey

From the very first moments, Mother 3 delivers a story filled with loss and personal tragedy. Lucas, the protagonist, faces the grief of his mother's death and the unexplained disappearance of his own brother, while the world slowly falls apart. This makes much of the story a continuous reflection of the character's pain.

In the end, Lucas finally wins, but the emotional scars from the losses he suffered never go away; indeed, the ending suggests that all of the protagonist's efforts still result in total destruction. Mother 3 is a JRPG that uses simplicity to convey a powerful message about the fragility of life and the permanence of grief, making it an emotionally profound experience for players.

7 The shadow heart

A hero consumed by tragedy

The canonical ending of The shadow heart is incredibly dark, where protagonist Yuri Hyuga loses his beloved Alice and is left to face his own fate alone; Indeed, it is from this premise that the sequel begins its story. Thus, the story of these two characters is melancholy at every moment, with little hope for happy endings.

This ending reflects the dark themes of the game, where the fight for survival and hope does not always guarantee a reward. The shadow heart appears as a JRPG with a devastating ending, leaving the player with a sense of loss and melancholy that lingers after the credits, making Covenantthe sequel, a must-choice for those who enjoyed the story of the first game.

6 Final Fantasy Tactics

Ramza Beoulve's story forgotten

Can leave a deep mark on many players, Final Fantasy Tactics has a denser story than many other games in the franchise, introducing players to a JRPG with a sad ending. Here, Ramza Beoulve's journey is characterized by sacrifices and betrayals that happen constantly and despite his victories he is not recognized and forgotten.

This melancholic end to Ramza Beoulve's journey also reflects the harshness of the war-torn world of Ivalice found in Final Fantasy Tactics. Although they fight for justice and play a fundamental role in ending the Lion's war, the Church decides to erase him from history, showing the players that courage is not always rewarded in the end.

5 Fire emblem: Three houses

Many endings in this tactical JRPG are dark and sad

The starting point for Fire Emblem Three Houses is that after spending the first half at the Officers Academy with all the characters, the second part of the game has players witnessing all the characters involved in war. So, given the nature of military confrontations, happy endings cannot be expected in this story.

Therefore, no matter which route the player chooses or which nobles they support in the two halves of the game, no ending in this JRPG is happy, on the contrary, all are bittersweet at best. But tragedy follows many characters here, causing many faces familiar to the protagonist to meet gruesome deaths on the battlefield.

4 Persona 3 Reload

A JRPG with a sad ending about death

From the beginning of Makoto Yuki's journey into Persona 3 Reloadplayers are confronted with the inevitability of death, an element present in virtually every moment of the story. As the story progresses and the end of the world becomes inevitable, the game's protagonist manages to sacrifice himself to seal away the darkness and face his own fate silently to save the world.

Despite the sad tone of the ending, there is a poetic beauty to Makoto Yuki's final moments, for as he completes his mission, his final moments are of peace and acceptance. The song “Memories of You” heightens the emotional impact of the conclusion, highlighting the importance of human connections and ending the game in a memorable and powerful way.

3 Tales of Xillia 2

Impossible choices and bleak endings

Tales of Xillia 2 puts Ludger Kresnik in a position to make devastating choices, where every decision means a great loss. The game offers multiple endings, all emotionally heavy, from Ludger's personal sacrifice to the loss of loved ones, and none of the endings are truly happy, bittersweet at best.

The experience of facing these bitter conclusions leaves the player feeling that there isn't always a happy ending for some stories, even in fantasy worlds. This does Tales of Xillia 2 a JRPG with one of the darkest and most tragic endings in the franchise, but it also wraps up the game's story well.

2 Nier: Automata

The importance of sacrifice and inevitable repetition

IN NieR and its sequels NieR: Automataplayers are led through cycles of suffering and sacrifice. Depending on choices, the story can have multiple endings, but all have intense emotional weight. Whether it's characters sacrificing their lives or living in a desolate world, these games continue with endings that evoke sadness and reflection.

Each conclusion seems to convey that sacrifice, however necessary, may not bring the expected happiness. The emotional depth and existential themes of humanity, destruction, and rebirth turn these games into memorable, albeit painful, experiences.

1 Final Fantasy 15

Noctis has one of the saddest endings in JRPGs

Final Fantasy 15 is a JRPG with a deeply sad ending, where Noctis sacrifices his life to save the world. The campfire scene, just before the final battle, is particularly heartbreaking. There, Noctis shares a final moment of silence with his friends, reflecting on the sacrifice he is about to make.

This moment is particularly touching, as it reinforces the depth of the connections made throughout the journey, mainly between the four friends, which is the most important point of the game's story. Thus, Noctis' farewell before the tragic fate he faces makes the end of this JRPG one of the most emotionally devastating scenes in the franchise.