Character deaths sure make any form of media memorable. You witness Aeris's unfathomable end at Sephiroth. You witness just about any death in the Suikoden series. Hero or villain, these characters end up being known for their impact, either premortem or postmortem. But then I look at some deaths and I wonder, just why were they made? This little Top 5 list showcases the deaths that I found to be the stupidest. And not like Bolt from Thousand Arms, which is the "stupid but actually funny" death, but rather stupid as to raise a red flag on the overall circumstances of it.
5. Ark (Terranigma)
Techinically speaking, Ark doesn't really die overall, that is, until you reach the end of the third chapter. But this never really made much sense to me. We were in control of the Ark, from the Underworld, bringing everything back to life from the continents, plants, animals, and finally humans, and THIS is what he gets paid back for at the very end of the chapter? Some random Lightside version of himself just shows up, deems him a legendary hero, but just kills him right there, ending the chapter. Sure he gets resurrected right away in the final chapter, but man was it DUMB to watch how that fetch quest was made for Ark to just die. Usually the "fetch quest that goes wrong" ordeal happens when the hero gets all the quest items taken from them. Here, they just decide to kill the main hero for the chapter to end.
4. Mareg (Grandia 2)
I'm probably gonna get some flak for this one, but Mareg's sacrifice, as memorable as it is, isn't needed. This is especially true given how the gameplay of Grandia 2 pretty much shows the game is not all that difficult overall, so even without grinding we can tell that all characters, Mareg included, tend to sift through combat pretty well. Him making a heroic stand so the others can escape because of a wound is all taken at cutscene value. Gameplay-wise, said enemies could be considered easy prey overall, and you could imagine that with the right spell or item, Mareg's back wound would be healed as quickly as possible and he can join his group in the escape from the moon. No, he just decides to Gandalf it out and get eaten up by enemies he can easily mince. It really wasn't that well done of a character death.
3. Michael (Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure)
This death is still fresh in my mind, considering I had just finished playing this game yesterday. If you're not in the know-how, Rhapsody is supposed to be cheerful, satirical, and full of energy but with a few sad moments. This one sad moment flat out makes no sense. Michael, a frog man from the Frogburg kingdom, is apparently trespassing, and that's a crime in the castle according to the king only. He's Caroline's love interest, and Cornet ends up helping him find the Earthstone. Easy enough? Sure. But what happens when he proves his worth to the king? Apparently the king laid out an extra rule involving the guardian of the stone, and Michael is executed on the spot in front of everyone, especially his love interest Caroline. Now, that right there shows how terrible the king is as a ruler, how he seems to trust a not-so-sentient guardian of some nearby ruins with a stone, as well as enforcing rules he can very well change himself in his own kingdom. It's just like #5 above, except with worse reasons. The king's absolute rule seems to overrule all objections, from her daughter Caroline or the queen herself. Making things worse, Caroline would later leave the kingdom and commit suicide herself just to be with Michael.
2. The main character (The 7th Saga)
Man, The 7th Saga isn't really a good game at all, isn't it? Hard gameplay, dumb plot, character competition. But one thing that sticks out to me is just how bad the ending was handled. So you beat Gorsia, big bad of the game that manipulated everything just like any final boss does. Just before he dies, he kills you right there with the last of his abilities. Exactly how? It makes no sense. It's even worse because in The 7th Saga, you are very likely to have a partner with you to ease up combat, and that partner remains completely untouched by this spell. So what happens to them? Oh, and being reincarnated as Lemele is somehow WORSE because really Lemele wasn't really anyone special. The real Lemele who of couse died honestly wouldn't recruit these apprentices in the first place for any real reason.
1. Darum and Tiem (Phantasy Star II)
Morals go completely out the window every time I remember this stupidly icon duo of characters and their reunion. Darum is this guy who's resorted to crime just so he can find his kidnapped daughter. He's willing to stab anyone who dares to pass, unless of course he finds his daughter. So you as the player will naturally find Tiem somewhere and bring her to her father. Tiem unfortunately is unbelievably stupid. She doesn't want to be seen, so she veils her appearance and walks straight up to her father. Well the result is that Darum after realizing that no demands are met stabs her, then realizes he's killed his own daughter and kills himself. Does it not occur to, oh I don't know, the heroes of the game to tell her NOT to do this or to explain to Darum that that's his daughter coming up to him? While they do manage to continue on in their journey now that the tunnel, these two character deaths were absolutely needless and honestly were the most preventable deaths I can think of in any JRPG.
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