10 Video Game Characters Who Had To Die To Win
3. Final Fantasy X - Tidus
Final Fantasy X tells the story of Tidus; a blitzball player who gets transported to the world of Spira after a cosmic entity called Sin destroys his home, Zanarkand.
He teams up with several others including Yuna; a summoner who harnesses the power of fayths (souls). The group intend to end Sin's reign of tyranny, allowing Tidus to return home.
It is eventually revealed that Tidus... isn't real. He is a fayth. When Sin decimated Zanarkand, all its inhabitants were killed, including him. When Sin dies, all the souls lost in Zanarkand will pass on, including Tidus. (It's worth pointing out that no character says Tidus' name as a clue that he's not really there).
Once the player learns this, it's not just a big twist; it's devastating since you realise Sin's death will result in your own demise. After playing the game for about 40 hours, you should feel exhilarated when you finally kill the final boss. Instead, your heart breaks watching Tidus trying and failing to cling to Yuna before fading to nothing.
Tidus did return in the sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, but I think it's best if we pretend that game never happened.