History TearJerker / FinalFantasyIII

For tear jerkers from the SNES game titled Final Fantasy III in North America, see the [[TearJerker/FinalFantasyVI this page.]]

* The scene accompanied by "Elia: Maiden of Water". Better tears, happy tears (or, well, sad since the journey is over) likely accompany the post-game sequence (in the DS version, [[NoExportForYou at least]]).

** Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome. It takes [[{{Determinator}} sheer force of will]] and PowerOfLove to overcome a powerful spell like that.

* After getting the Earth Crystal jobs, the party decides to pay a visit to their good old friends and mentors, Dorga/Doga and Unne/Unei. When they arrive, Doga and Unei immediately [[spoiler:challenge them to fight to the death]]. Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ingus are all horrified at the notion and refuse to do such a terrible thing. The old mages simply tell the kids that if they refuse, they'll be killed. [[spoiler:The boss battle with them is one of the toughest in the game as you're forced to first kill Doga and then Unei without so much as a breather. They really are sincere about ''killing the Warriors of Light'' if they hold back because if they can't, they have no hope against the enemies to come]]. After that nobody comes out and says MyGodWhatHaveIDone, but you can see it on the kids' faces as Doga and Unei go on to declare which light of virtue each holds [[spoiler:before dying]].
* If you return to Doga's house [[spoiler: after his death]], you will find all of his servant moogles [[spoiler: mourning his death.]] It's made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler: YOU killed him.]]
* As though the above with Doga and Unei wasn't bad enough, [[spoiler:they make another HeroicSacrifice for the party by expending the energy of their souls, resigning themselves to AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence in the process.]]
* Zande/Xande's StartOfDarkness. You've spent your [[spoiler: immortal]] life apprenticed to a master wizard - no doubt making close friends with the other two apprentices, by the way - and what is your reward for this dedication? [[spoiler: One gets phenomenal cosmic powers and an entire continent, the other becomes the ruler of the world of dreams, and you get... mortality.]] And they call you evil when you want to keep things the way they were? Xande got painted into the villain corner, plain and simple.
** Basically, Doga and Unei outright killed him, though not before [[spoiler:they essentially arranged for ''their'' deaths]]. What's Xande going to think when/if he finds that, essentially, [[spoiler: Doga and Unei [[WhoWantsToLiveForever envied]] ''[[CursedWithAwesome his]]'' [[DeathSeeker mortality]]]]?
* [[spoiler:King Gorn's death.]] For weeks, he's been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind-controlled]] by his EvilChancellor to set his soldiers against each other and to banish his ten-year-old son Alus from the castle. And the final act in Gigameth's plan? Have Gorn murder Alus in his bed--but the order is too much, and Gorn [[spoiler:turns the knife on himself to save his son.]]

* The whole "Boundless Ocean" sequence. First, you see a world that is shrouded in a strange, swirling ocean of darkness, with only two small pieces of land uncovered, accompanied by lovely but haunting overworld music. The kids save a young water priestess named Elia/Aria, who is sweetness incarnate and becomes particularly close to Luneth as they go to restore the Water Crystal. Just before they can, the Kraken fires an arrow at Luneth and Aria [[TakingTheBullet intercepts it]]. [[spoiler:The arrow turns out to have been poisoned, and after the party is done killing Kraken it's too late to save her--she dies in Luneth's arms. Worse, they have no time to mourn, because the removal of the dark ocean starts a quake inside the cavern, forcing everyone to flee and leave her body there]].

* As though the above with Doga and Unei wasn't bad enough, [[spoiler:they make another HeroicSacrifice for the party by expending the energy of their souls, resigning themselves to CessationOfExistence. Bear in mind that Doga and Unei had told the kids not to mourn because their spirits would remain. So much for that consolation]].

* After getting the Earth Crystal jobs, the party decides to pay a visit to their good old friends and mentors, Doga and Unei. When they arrive, Doga and Unei immediately [[spoiler:challenge them to fight to the death]]. Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ingus are all horrified at the notion and refuse to do such a terrible thing. The old mages simply tell the kids that if they refuse, they'll be killed. [[spoiler:The boss battle with them is one of the toughest in the game as you're forced to first kill Doga and then Unei without so much as a breather. They really are sincere about ''killing the Warriors of Light'' if they hold back because if they can't, they have no hope against the enemies to come]]. After that nobody comes out and says MyGodWhatHaveIDone, but you can see it on the kids' faces as Doga and Unei go on to declare which light of virtue each holds [[spoiler:before dying]].

* Xande's StartOfDarkness. You've spent your [[spoiler: immortal]] life apprenticed to a master wizard - no doubt making close friends with the other two apprentices, by the way - and what is your reward for this dedication? [[spoiler: One gets phenomenal cosmic powers and an entire continent, the other becomes the ruler of the world of dreams, and you get... mortality.]] And they call you evil when you want to keep things the way they were? Xande got painted into the villain corner, plain and simple.

* The whole "Boundless Ocean" sequence. First, you see a world that is shrouded in a strange, swirling ocean of darkness, with only two small pieces of land uncovered, accompanied by lovely but haunting overworld music. The kids save a young water priestess named Aria, who is sweetness incarnate and becomes particularly close to Luneth as they go to restore the Water Crystal. Just before they can, the Kraken fires an arrow at Luneth and Aria [[TakingTheBullet intercepts it]]. [[spoiler:The arrow turns out to have been poisoned, and after the party is done killing Kraken it's too late to save her--she dies in Luneth's arms. Worse, they have no time to mourn, because the removal of the dark ocean starts a quake inside the cavern, forcing everyone to flee and leave her body there]].

* As though the above with Doga and Unei wasn't bad enough, [[spoiler:they make another HeroicSacrifice for the party by expending the energy of their souls, resigning themselves to CessastionOfExistence. Bear in mind that Doga and Unei had told the kids not to mourn because their spirits would remain. So much for that consolation]].

* Two Words: [[spoiler: [[{{Woobie}} A]][[IllGirl ri]][[HeroicSacrifice a's]]]] [[KillTheCutie De]][[DiedInYourArmsTonight ath]].

* The scene accompanied by "Elia: Maiden of Water". Better tears, happy tears (or, well, sad since The Journey Is Over) likely accompany the post-game sequence (in the DS version, [[NoExportForYou at least]]).

* Xande's StartOfDarkness. You've spent your [[spoiler: immortal]] life apprenticed to a master wizard - no doubt making close friends with the other two apprentices, by the way - and what is your reward for this dedication? [[spoiler: One gets phenomenal cosmic powers, and an entire continent, the other becomes the ruler of the world of dreams, and you get... mortality.]] And they call you evil when you want to keep things the way they were? Xande got painted into the villain corner, plain and simple.

* If you return to Dorga's house [[spoiler: after his death]], you will find all of his servant moogles [[spoiler: mourning his death.]] It's made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler: YOU killed him.]]

* Don't ''tell'' me that the scene accompanied by "Elia: Maiden of Water" didn't get to you. Better tears, happy tears (or, well, sad since The Journey Is Over) likely accompany the post-game sequence (in the DS version, [[NoExportForYou at least]]).
* This troper remembers playing a fan-translation of the NES version and, being a huge fan of moogles, being heartbroken when he returned to Dorga's house [[spoiler: after his death]] to find all of his servant moogles [[spoiler: mourning his death.]] It's made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler: YOU killed him.]]

** Basically, they outright killed him.
*** Not before [[spoiler:Doga and Unei essentially arranged for ''their'' deaths]]. What's Xande going to think when/if he finds that, essentially, [[spoiler: Doga and Unei [[WhoWantsToLiveForever envied]] ''[[CursedWithAwesome his]]'' [[DeathSeeker mortality]]]]?
* How about [[spoiler:King Gorn's death?]] For weeks, he's been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind-controlled]] by his EvilChancellor to set his soldiers against each other and to banish his ten-year-old son Alus from the castle. And the final act in Gigameth's plan? Have Gorn murder Alus in his bed--but the order is too much, and Gorn [[spoiler:turns the knife on himself to save his son.]]
** Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome to [[Tropers/{{Judasmartel}} me]]. It takes [[{{Determinator}} sheer force of will]] and PowerOfLove to overcome a powerful spell like that.

*** Not before [[spoiler:Doga and Unei essentially arranged for ''their'' deaths]]. What's Xande going to think when/if he finds that, essentially, [[Doga and Unei [[WhoWantsToLiveForever envied]] ''[[CursedWithAwesome his]]'' [[DeathSeeker mortality]]]]?

* [[YourMilageMayVary Perhaps it's just me]], but Xande's StartOfDarkness was a tearjerker for me. You've spent your [[spoiler: immortal]] life apprenticed to a master wizard - no doubt making close friends with the other two apprentices, by the way - and what is your reward for this dedication? [[spoiler: One gets phenomenal cosmic powers, and an entire continent, the other becomes the ruler of the world of dreams, and you get... mortality.]] And they call you evil when you want to keep things the way they were? Xande got painted into the villain corner, plain and simple.

** Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome to [[Tropers/{{Judasmartel}} me]]. It takes sheer force of will and PowerOfLove to overcome a powerful spell like that.

* Two Words: [[spoilers: [[{{Woobie}} A]][[IllGirl ri]][[HeroicSacrifice a's]]]] [[KillTheCutie De]][[DiedInYourArmsTonight ath]].

* [[ThisTroper This troper]] remembers playing a fan-translation of the NES version and, being a huge fan of moogles, being heartbroken when he returned to Dorga's house [[spoiler: after his death]] to find all of his servant moogles [[spoiler: mourning his death.]] It's made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler: YOU killed him.]]