10 Video Games That Killed The Main Character Early

1. Sigurd - Fire Emblem: Genealogy Of The Holy War

Fire Emblem: Genealogy Of The Holy War takes surprise character death to devastating heights like no other game, because the first five of its eleven chapters revolve around Grannvalian prince Sigurd, who is then unexpectedly killed along with most of his army by antagonist Lord Arvis.

We're only around half-way through the game when Sigurd is murdered, after which a 15-year time jump takes place, and players control Sigurd's vengeful son Seliph for the rest of the game.

Between the sheer WTF factor of Sigurd's left-field demise and the epic, generation-spanning nature of the game's story, this was a rare premature protagonist death that managed to be both extremely surprising and totally in service of the overarching story.