10 Final Fantasy Characters With DISTURBING Backstories

10 Final Fantasy Characters With Disturbing Backstories

Welcome to MojoPlays and it seems that if you don’t have a dramatically tragic and dark backstory, you have no business being in a Final Fantasy game, but even with those standards, these are by far some of the most devastating in the entire series.

Cloud Strife

“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)

While the argument could be made for Sephiroth’s fall and some would say justified villainous turn, we think Cloud has a much more tragic backstory. Cloud always felt like a bit of an outsider with other kids, but thought he finally found his purpose within SOLDIER, but after being unable to make it into the esteemed program, Cloud, his new friend Zack and Cloud’s entire hometown of Nibelheim came under siege from Sephiroth’s wrath and Cloud was left gravely injured alongside Zack. Cloud and Zack were then experimented on by Professor Hojo for years, leading Cloud to suffer from severe Mako poisoning. After a year on the run from Shinra, Zack was killed and due to Cloud’s broken psyche from all the experiments, believed Zack’s life to be his and took up the mantle of a former SOLDIER First Class turned mercenary with only the events of the rest of the game finally restoring his true memories.

Vivi Ornitier

Final Fantasy IX” (2000)

Although the humble little mage is optimistic, albeit very shy, Vivi’s tragic origins would be enough to break a weaker mage. As Queen Brahne’s aspirations for power grew, she and her weapons dealer Kuja used the Myst to manufacture Black Mages, hollow drones with incredible magical powers to attack the neighboring kingdoms. As production grew, more powerful Black Mages were created, leading to the prototype which would become known as Vivi. This smaller Black Mage was designed to be intelligent and autonomous, capable of independent thought compared to the other Black Mages. Vivi was originally intended to be sent directly to Alexandria but fell from the ship and was eventually found by Quan, who took him in and raised him as his own. Vivi would eventually discover not only his origins but other Black Mages who had also awakened, but unfortunately had a limited lifespan, likely including his own.

Barret Wallace

“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)

We can’t talk about tragic and disturbing backstories without mentioning Barret’s often overlooked origins. Barret was the driving force in his town accepting a deal with Shinra, only for the organization to naturally betray everyone and destroy the town. Barret joined the fight against them alongside his friend Dyne, but the force of Shinra was too much and while Barret was injured during the assault, losing his arm, Dyne fell to his apparent death. Barret returned to what remained of his home and found Dyne’s young daughter Marlene. In his guilt, Barret adopted the young girl as his own and left his town behind, searching for a better life for Marlene and himself. He eventually found it in Midgard with Tifa and Avalanche but never lost his hatred for Shinra and what they had done to him and so many others, leading him to fight back against the megacorporation.

Prompto Argentum

“Final Fantasy XV” (2016)

Given his fun and carefree demeanor, you’d be forgiven for not realizing just how upsetting Prompto’s origins truly are. Much like Vivi, Prompto was born from a cloning program meant to increase the Niflheim army. However, Prompto was kidnapped and brought to the Crown City where he grew up as an orphan, his barcode marker as a clone ostracizing him from the rest of the kids. Without friends, Prompto’s only true passions were taking pictures and food, leading him to become slightly overweight. After inadvertently helping Lady Lunafreya’s puppy, he was introduced to Noctis, another loner, and promptly made a fool of himself. Undeterred, he became motivated to lose weight and reintroduced himself to Noctis, eventually becoming one of his closest friends. A happy ending to a tragic beginning.

Seymour Guado

“Final Fantasy X” (2001)

Much like Sephiroth, some villains are born due to circumstances outside of their control and that’s exactly what led to the rise of Seymour Guado as the main antagonist of Final Fantasy X. The son of a human and a Guado, Seymour was condemned as an abomination compared to the rest of humanity and despite his mother’s best efforts, was never truly accepted by either race. Seymour’s mother would then attempt to become a fayth, giving Seymour the opportunity to defeat Sin and hopefully find some acceptance in the world. However, Seymour had no interest in saving the world or defeating Sin and eventually he became secluded from the world, his hatred only growing more ferocious in his isolation which he would eventually unleash on the world that had shunned him.

Clive Rosfield

“Final Fantasy XVI” (2023)

While others had horrible situations put on them, Clive Rosfield of Final Fantasy 16 was born into it. As the first-born son, Clive was expected to become the Dominant of the Phoenix, but because he was born without the gift, became despised by his own mother and treated like a commoner in her eyes. Once his brother Joshua was born as the Dominant of Phoenix, Clive dedicated his life to protecting his younger brother, only for even more tragedy to befall him and his family. Betrayed by his mother over her desire for more power, his kingdom is raided, and his father is murdered. To add even more misery, Joshua’s powers fully awaken, and he becomes the Phoenix which awakens the latent Dominant power with Clive as well, becoming the Dominant of Ifrit. Driven by incomparable grief, Ifrit and the Phoenix clash, leading Clive to believe he killed his own brother.

Tidus

“Final Fantasy X” (2001)

As the star Blitzball player in Zanarkand, Tidus always lived in his father’s Jecht’s shadow. During a game, the entity known as Sin attacks Zanarkand laying waste to the entire city. Tidus is saved alongside his mentor Auron and is supposedly transported 1000 years into the future to the world of Spira where Sin continues to be a deadly threat to the world’s inhabitants. Throughout his journey, Tidus not only discovers his father Jecht didn’t abandon him all those years ago and was instead transported to Spira as well. Somehow during Jecht’s original pilgrimage he became Sin and through the destruction of Zanarkand created the “Dream Zanarkand”, created by the spirits killed by Sin as a memorial to the lost souls. This means Tidus never truly existed and by defeating Sin, he is erasing his own existence.

Princess Garnet

“Final Fantasy IX” (2000)

Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, or better known as Dagger, had her original life tragically taken from her. A summoner living a peaceful life in Madain Sari, her village is wiped out by future big bad of Final Fantasy 9 Garland, Dagger and her mother narrowly escape the devastation on a little boat only to get caught in a storm and her mother perishes protecting her. Found washed ashore in Alexandria, Dagger is adopted by Queen Brahne to replace her recently deceased daughter Garnet. Queen Brahne removes Dagger’s summoner horn and due to the traumatic events of her youth and journey to Alexandria, Dagger loses her memories of her fellow summoners and Madain Sari. All the while her adoptive mother Queen Brahne, aware of her powers as a summoner, was merely biding her time until Dagger’s powers awakened to use her as part of her scheme to conquer the surrounding kingdoms.

Terra Branford

“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)

Terra’s tragedy comes from a lack of choice. Born as a half-Esper, a being capable of wielding magic, her human mother is killed, and her father is taken to the Gestahlian Empire for experiments, along with Terra herself. Her entire life she is used as a weapon, controlled by a slave crown and forced to obey the Empire’s every command no matter how horrific. Eventually Terra is freed from the Empire and the crown but given this had been her entire life since nearly birth, she is completely naive to the world and has no memories of her entire life, leading her to become a tool of the Returners to fight against the Empire. Although she would eventually regain her memories and her independence, almost her entire life was against her will.

Ardyn Izunia

“Final Fantasy XV” (2016)

Born to be the first Lucian King, Ardyn traveled the world healing his subjects of the Starscourge disease, absorbing the demonic scourge into himself, making use of his healing powers given to him by the Crystal of Eos. However, this selfless act would be his undoing. Despite all his sacrifices, the Crystals and the Astrals deemed him too corrupted, and his brother lured him back to the kingdom to kill him, but during their conflict, Ardyn’s fiance was killed by Somnus attempting to save him. Ardyn overcome with grief unleashed the demonic Starscourge kept within and although his brother attempted to kill him, the Starscourge combined with his healing powers made him immortal, so Somnus locked him away on an island and erased his existence from history. Ardyn would remain hidden on the island and forgotten for over 2000 years and was eventually driven mad, trapped with all those demons over the two millennia.

Whose tragic origins in the Final Fantasy series filled you with heartbreak? Share your tears in the comments.