Before we even begin, let’s just say… SPOILERS.
In this article, we will be looking at games from a little while ago, but there are still huge plot details ahead that might completely ruin your experience if you haven’t played them yet.
That’s right, we are diving into six of the most tragic character deaths that have affected us deeply in our gaming universe. So, get some tissues ready, and let’s relive some old trauma.
1. Aerith – Final Fantasy VII (1997)
The 1990s weren’t exactly known for being a deep well of emotional storytelling in gaming. It was mostly about Sonic running fast, Mario jumping on mushrooms, or players shooting monsters with a BFG.
But one game changed all that: 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, with its deep narrative and lovable cast of characters.
At the end of the first disc, Aerith is alone in the Forgotten City trying to summon Holy when Sephiroth appears and impales her with his sword. She dies permanently, even though her spirit returns later to help save the planet. Cloud shares a memorable, heartbreaking scene in the water with her body, accompanied by an unforgettable musical score.
What made this scene so profoundly upsetting was the sheer shock of it; a main character whom you had grown to love was suddenly ripped from the narrative. It just didn’t happen much in games up to that point, which makes her death even more pivotal. It was a commentary on loss and heroic sacrifice that stands out as one of the most important moments in the entire Final Fantasy series.
It is also interesting to note how the recent Final Fantasy VII remake has tackled Aerith’s death in a completely new way, leaving her ultimate fate a bit more ambiguous.
2. Arthur Morgan – Red Dead Redemption II
Red Dead Redemption II and its ending have been talked about until the cows come home. There are video montages of famous streamers crying at the conclusion, which is a true testament to the powerful emotional effect this game has had on players.
The true tragedy of Arthur’s death is that we could all see it coming from a few hours into the game – specifically, the moment we went to that farm and were coughed on by someone with TB.
From there, it became a waiting game as we travelled the country, watching Arthur’s cough gradually worsen. There was hope at one point for a cure, but it was a scam, and eventually, the disease’s grip on Arthur became inevitable. All the while, Arthur’s makeshift family within Dutch’s gang was slowly falling apart at the seams.
When the final showdown happens, ‘That’s The Way It Is’ by Daniel Lanois kicks in, and you just know the tears are going to fall.
But, there are actually two deaths here: the first being your beloved horse, which you have named and cared for over hundreds of hours, and then Arthur himself on top of that mountain.
It is a beautiful moment, a sad moment, and an absolutely perfect moment in gaming history that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
3. Naia – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Before his show-stopping, swear-filled stage appearances and the announcements of It Takes Two and Split Fiction, Josef Fares made another brilliant game: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. It is a game that flew under the radar when it first came out, but soon gathered a cult status and eventually received a full remake in 2024.
The strangest thing about it is that it is essentially a co-op game you play entirely alone. You control the two brothers simultaneously, with one mapped to the left thumbstick and the other to the right. It is a tough control scheme to master at first, but it soon becomes second nature.
The journey the brothers embark upon is epic, full of danger and adventure, and you genuinely grow to love them and their quest. But right at the end of the journey, the older brother, Naia, is fatally stabbed by a monster spider. They manage to arrive at the Tree of Life, but it is simply too late. The game ends with the younger brother crying at Naia’s tombstone back in the village they originally set out from.
It is a quiet ending, but an emotional gut-punch that elevates the game’s legacy to that of an all-time classic.
4. Dom – Gears of War 3
By the time the Gears of War 3 rolled around, we knew the characters inside out. We had conquered worlds with them and defeated thousands of Locusts. We had also started to uncover more of their deeply personal backstories.
Dom was the childhood friend of the main protagonist, Marcus, and he was the one who got Marcus out of prison in the original Gears of War. We also watched him endure the unimaginable trauma of having to kill his own wife after she was captured and tortured by the enemy. He had already lost his children in the war, making his backstory incredibly tragic.
So, in the third instalment, when the squad is trapped with seemingly no way out, Dom grabs a fuel truck and drives it straight into the army of Locusts. It instantly explodes, killing everyone in the blast radius, including himself. It is an incredible hero moment, made even more devastating by Marcus screaming at him over the comms to stop.
The haunting piano refrain of Mad World plays underneath the scene. It is a moving, breathtaking sequence and a hero’s death that significantly ups the emotional stakes of this excellent trilogy. It is going to be wonderful to see Dom once more in the upcoming prequel, Gears of War: E-Day.
5. Lee – The Walking Dead
When Telltale’s The Walking Dead came out, The Walking Dead TV show was at the absolute height of its popularity. Zombies were in their prime, much like vampires before them. However, Telltale Games introduced brand new characters to the universe and produced a ‘choose your own adventure’ story that spawned numerous sequels and practically defined a genre.
The story features Lee, a man accused of murdering a senator who was sleeping with his wife. It starts in the back of a police car, right as the zombie apocalypse kicks off. After escaping, he comes across an orphaned girl named Clementine, whom he takes under his wing. Joining a larger group and surviving many perilous scrapes with both the dead and the living, they eventually head towards the coast to find a boat and escape.
Right at the climax of the game, Lee is bitten by a walker. Even as he is actively dying, he continues to help and protect young Clementine right up to the bitter end. It is a highly poignant and deeply sad conclusion to the first game. Lee is a highly likeable, kind, and insightful character whom you have invested serious time into, making some incredibly hard decisions alongside him. His love and care for his foster daughter create a special bond that makes the ending all the more tragic.
6. Joel – The Last of Us Part II
This is arguably the most controversial death out of the six. It is one that massively split the audience, with some people bizarrely blaming his demise on woke culture – an argument that simply doesn’t hold up to scrutiny or stand the test of time.
In reality, it is a brilliant piece of writing that entirely shapes the purpose and core theme of the game: the devastating futility of revenge.
There are two clever narrative devices in The Last of Us Part II that make this death one of the most memorable in gaming history. We have the shock factor, as the game delivers Joel’s demise incredibly early on, right after tricking you into thinking you will be playing as him for the long haul alongside Ellie.
And then there is the perspective shift. After ten hours of gameplay, the story suddenly puts you in the shoes of Abby – the very person who murdered Joel with a golf club in that ski lodge.
This twist of fate, forcing you to experience both sides of a deeply traumatic story, was a stroke of genius. Your allegiances shift, and your perspective on who you want to survive is turned entirely on its head.
It is still hard, because you miss being Joel and spending time with him, especially after the bond formed in the first game. But that is exactly why grief is so hard; sometimes, anger simply has to come before acceptance.
So, those are the six video game deaths that still haunt us from the library of games we have played. There are countless others out there, and we would love to hear from you about which ones hit you the hardest.
But for now, let’s remember those we have lost.
