10. Tidus Fades Away (X)
'Yuna, I have to go...'
The endings of Final Fantasy games are usually happy affairs, as the successful heroes celebrate their triumph over evil and players are shown the positive consequences that their actions have had upon the world. Final Fantasy X's was much more bittersweet than its predecessors, despite the player's party managing to enter Sin's core, beat Seymour for the final time, defeat Tidus' father Jecht (an unwilling part of the being since his involvement in its previous 'defeat') and eliminate both their Aeons and Sin's creator Yu Yevon to finally bring lasting peace to the world. This is because the latter ensures the end of Tidus' living existence, which is facilitated by the memories of his Zanarkand and its people that are dreamed by the world's Fayth, who are all finally put to eternal rest by Sin's permanent defeat. Having revealed this to his companions, he begins to fade away in front of their eyes, bidding them farewell as Yuna runs towards him. For dramatic effect, she passes straight through his now non-corporeal form as he accepts his fate and reminds her of his love before diving into the Farplane, where he is reunited with his father and the also recently-departed Auron. The whole scene (and its aftermath) is certainly a tearjerker, given how much time and effort players have invested in the story at this point, but by God is it powerful, giving people a motivation to play through Final Fantasy X-2 in an attempt to reunite the two.
9. Kefka Destroys The World (VI)
'On that day the world was changed forever...'
We've already had a rundown of several dastardly Kefka moments, but this one (itself already touched upon on multiple occasions) takes the cake. Unlike villains throughout the series history that have attempted world domination only be thwarted by the heroes, Kefka actually succeeds about two third of the way through Final Fantasy VI. Rendered a hysterical psychopath by magical experimentation at an early age, Kefka becomes a valuable member of the Gestahlian Empire's bid for world domination despite his condition, unafraid to commit great atrocities. He tires of being second to Emperor Gestahl, however, and enhanced by the powers of numerous Espers that he has killed, murders his master in a location called the Floating Continent, taking control of the power wielded by three gods (known as the warring triad) to become one himself. The consequences of his ascension to godhood are catastrophic, as the world is reshaped and many individuals (including the Returners faction and all but one of the world's Moogles) die in the process as towns are destroyed, plants stop growing and magic-infused monsters begin to roam the landscape. Ruling over the new planet with an iron fist, the evil clown mercilessly destroys settlements when they oppose him, or when he is bored. With the player's party scattered after failing to stop Kefka on the continent itself, hope seems lost until they reunited and are ultimately successful in toppling his tyranny, though nothing can take away from the fact that Kefka actually succeeded in doing what none of his villainous counterparts in the series could do and will forever live on in infamy as a result.
8. Galuf's Last Stand (V)
'All the hatred in the world could never defeat me'
The Final Fantasy series has never shied away from death. Indeed, many of the previous entries on this list have involved the demise of supporting characters from a number of games in the franchise. Permanent party members always seem to be immune from meeting their maker, however, with the exception of two. The first of these was Galuf. Beginning Final Fantasy V as an old man suffering from amnesia, Galuf eventually realises that he was one of the four warriors to defeat the evil Exdeath many years ago, having travelled to the world inhabited by Bartz, Lenna and Faris in order to prevent his return. Unsuccessful at fulfilling his objective, Galuf returns to his own world and rescues his friends when they follow him there and are captured by Exdeath, after which he reveals himself as a King with a number of powerful allies. Ambushed by Exdeath later on, the party are immobilised and Galuf's granddaughter Krile, who has shown up to provide assistance, is trapped in a ring of fire. Motivated by the power of love, the old man alone breaks free of his restraints and confronts Exdeath, fighting him with seeming invincibility even after being reduced to zero hit points, to the shock and disbelief of his adversary. Nearing defeat, Exdeath flees, leaving Galuf drained of energy and on the brink of death. He passes (despite the party attempting to use Phoenix Downs and the like), but not before saying his goodbyes and inspiring his granddaughter to continue the fight in his stead.
7. Ovelia Stabs Delita (T)
'How could you? You...you used them, and all the others! And someday you'll cast me aside'
Delita Heiral proves to be the ultimate chessmaster throughout Final Fantasy Tactics, as he succeeds in manipulating anybody and everybody in order to achieve his goals. First appearing as an ally of lead character Ramza, he seemingly dies in an explosion shortly after his sister Tietra is murdered, but returns to kidnap Princess Ovelia from his former companion's grasp, telling her of his ambition to overthrow all of the corrupt powers that govern Ivalice and rebuild it all in her name. He does this by playing people and organisations against one another, rising through the ranks of the Order of the Southern Sky only to kill their leader, Duke Goltanna, on the orders of the Church of Glabados, who he also double crosses by helping Ramza defeat their leader in battle. Having developed romantic affection for Ovelia, Delita then become King when she is crowned as Queen. With all of their opponents removed by either his manipulation or the actions of Ramza, the Orders of the Northern and Southern Skies or the Church, it seems that he has succeeded at playing the 'game of thrones' in Ivalice, only for his Queen to stab him in the final scene of the game's ending as a result of being used as a pawn, resulting in her being stabbed back. Combined with the ambiguous fate of Ramza and Alma, this certainly made the game end on a 'wtf' note, as the result of almost everything that had happened over the course of the story was undone in an instant with the simple thrust of a knife. It was a brave move on Square's part to end the game in such a way, but by showing that almost nobody of significance (given that Orran is burned at the stake and assuming that Ramza, Alma and their allies such as Agrias, Mustadio, Meliadoul and Orlandeau didn't survive their final battle) lived happily ever after, they subverted one of the fantasy genres most persistent tropes and created the most impactful ending in the history of the franchise.
6. Zack's Death (CC)
'Continue living. You are proof that I existed. My dreams and pride, I give it all to you'
It could be argued that, as players know that it's coming, Zack's inevitable death during the events of Crisis Core shouldn't have much of an emotional impact. When it actually happens, however, it doubles as one of the most heroic and tragic moments ever included in the series. Having broken himself and his friend Cloud out of Shinra's captivity four years after the 'Nibelheim Incident', Zack is determined to return to the city of Midgar and reunite with his girlfriend, Aeris, despite the extent of his absence. His mission is complicated by Cloud's fragile state, as well as the fact that he is pursued by Shinra's army, the Turks and the still-alive Genesis, who believes he can halt his still-ongoing degradation with the cells of Sephiroth infused into Zack during his incarceration. After first defeating the accomplice of his onetime mentor, Zack is found by the Turks, only to be let go due to his amicable relationship with their leader Tseng. The Shinra army is not so friendly, however, setting up an ambush outside Midgar. Fending off an initial assault, Zack hides the unresponsive and delirious Cloud out of sight before embarking on a last stand. He soon becomes overwhelmed by the opposition numbers, but is spurred on out of worry for Cloud's safety, as well as thoughts of both Aeris and his former mentor Angeal. Eventually he falls and is left for dead, though he is comforted by Cloud in his final moments before passing on. It's a truly moving and powerful scene, which sets up the events of Final Fantasy VII as Cloud picks up his fallen friend's Buster Sword, though his memory of the man's existence is short-lived.