History TearJerker / FireEmblemThreeHouses

* Lord Rodrigue's HeroicSacrifice and Dimitri's [[PleaseDontLeaveMe reaction]] to it as he breaks down and cries for losing yet another person he cared about after losing his father, his stepmother, Glenn and everyone else who died in the Tragedy of Duscur, not to mention that in the five-year timeskip, he lost his kingdom in a plot, he got imprisoned, he lost sight from his right eye and Dedue is presumed dead after sacrificing himself to make sure he could escape. If you don't follow the conditions to unlock Dedue's paralogue, you won't be able to recruit him again and he will die, leading to a slight difference in dialogue where he's mentioned too. It's especially tearjerking in the English dub due to Creator/ChrisHackney's [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct superb performance]].

* Lord Rodrigue's HeroicSacrifice and Dimitri's [[PleaseDontLeaveMe reaction]] to it as he breaks down and cries for losing yet another person he cared about after losing his father, his stepmother, Glenn and everyone else who died in the Tragedy of Duscur, not to mention that in the five-year timeskip, he lost his kingdom in a plot, he got imprisoned, he lost sight from his right eye and Dedue is presumed dead after sacrificing himself to make sure he could escape. It's especially tearjerking in the English dub due to Creator/ChrisHackney's [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct superb performance]].

'''Felix:''' '' I said I'd cut down any who stood in my way. Even my father. Even my friends.\\

--->'''Flayn:''' Father, please forgive me... I am returning to Mother now... before you do...
--->'''Seteth:''' '''FLAYN! Please, no!''' '''''NO!!!'''''

---->'''Seteth:''' I'm sorry, Flayn... I couldn't protect you...
---->'''Flayn:''' '''FATHER! Father, why?!''' '''''WHY?!'''''

--->'''Raphael:''' Outta my way, Ignatz! I don't wanna have to fight you!
--->'''Ignatz:''' Stop deluding yourself. You joined the Empire. Didn't you consider the consequences? I don't want to fight you either, Raphael! But this is war.
--->'''Raphael:''' Ignatz...

--->'''Rodrigue:''' So, my foolish son... You took it upon yourself to leave your family behind.
--->'''Felix:''' I'm not coming back. I won't serve the boar.
--->'''Rodrigue:''' It's a father's duty to settle a child's failures. Felix... [[OffingTheOffspring You must die, here and now!]]

--->'''Felix:''' ''(If Rodrigue was killed first)'' Father... I will fight in your stead.
--->'''Rodrigue:''' ''(If Felix was killed first)'' Felix, I'm so sorry! I swear to avenge you!

--->'''Dimitri:''' You killed Rodrigue... your own father, Felix!
--->'''Felix:''' '' I said I'd cut down any who stood in my way. Even my father. Even my friends.
--->'''Dimitri:''' I see... that was all I needed to hear to finally work up the resolve to kill you.

--> '''Dimitri:''' '''Rodrigue!'''
--> '''Rodrigue:''' Your Highness... Are you safe? Please tell me... it wasn't in vain...
--> '''Dimitri:''' This punishment... it was mine to bear.
--> '''Rodrigue:''' There are no sins or punishments... on the battlefield...
--> '''Dimitri:''' NO! Don't die...! Please, don't die! Father, Stepmother, Glenn... They all died and left me behind... Rodrigue... Are you to join the ghosts who shadow my every move?

* After completing Edelgard's paralogue, where you had to drive back an Almyran invasion at Fódlan's Throat, you're treated to a cutscene where Edelgard confesses that one of her goals after the war is to reach out to other nations to make peace, because she believes that Church has driven Fódlan to isolationism. The Tearjerker here that is you gain access to this paralogue ''after'' you had already defeated the Alliance and [[VideogameCrueltyPotential possibly killed Claude]]. The real kicker here is '''''this is exactly what Claude wanted for Fódlan''''', further driving home how much of this conflict could have been avoided if the Lords actually sat down and tried to talk it out.

** For example, on Crimson Flower, it's possible to only have to kill Judith, Dimitri, Dedue, and [[FinalBoss Rhea]] for this route's own version of an EverybodyLives ending. But to do so, you have to spare Claude, convince Seteth an Flayn to retreat, avoid Hilda, and then avoid Gilbert, Catherine, and Cyril, as Rhea burns the city around them -- and you'll have to recruit almost the entire Blue Lions class in time.
* If a character was recruited pre-timeskip but fell in battle, they will not reappear after the timeskip, with the exception of Seteth on Silver Snow, Hubert on Crimson Flower, and Hilda on Verdant Wind. When the ending cards roll, [[https://imgur.com/a/AIbFwFT what happened to them is revealed.]] Only Petra is exempt from this, due to her simply returning to Brigid.

** Even the Ashen Wolves aren't safe from this, Yuri gets assassinated, Balthus gets killed by bounty hunters, Constance kills herself in a lab accident and Hapi vanishes forever.

** Worse, in the aftermath, he just ''[[CynicismCatalyst breaks]].'' When we see him after the timeskip, the KnightInShiningArmor he used to be is ''gone,'' replaced by a ruthless, somewhat AxCrazy BarbarianHero who ''[[WeUsedToBeFriends loathes]]'' Edelgard; there's still [[KnightInSourArmor some good left in him]], but no matter what happens, he will ''never'' stop hating her and everything she stands for. Thankfully, he starts to relent in this route after he realizes he's throwing his life away for empty revenge and that he wants to lead both church and kingdom into an era of reform... But until he gets to that point, it's ''hard'' to see him in such a broken state.

* Lord Rodrigue's HeroicSacrifice and Dimitri's [[PleaseDontLeaveMe reaction]] to it.

** This even becomes more heartbreaking in meta with what happened to Ferdinand's voice actor, Creator/BillyKametz, three years after the game's release: in February 2022, just mere days after the spin-off ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'' was announced, Kametz was diagnosed of Stage 4 colon cancer, which he only revealed to his fans two months later in a Youtube video. Unfortunately, he lost his battle against cancer and died at only 35 years old on June 9th, just '''one day''' after the demo became available and fifteen days before the full game was released to the public, with the game dedicated to his memory.

** The final battle between Edelgard and Claude. If the right conditions are met, Claude will surrender to Edelgard in an effort to spare the rest of the alliance, though Byleth may opt to have him executed anyways. The surprise and regret in Claude's voice is clear when he realizes [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter he's greatly miscalculated]] [[WhatTheHellHero how Byleth and Edelgard would behave]]. WordOfGod says Claude survived, and if you listen closely, Edelgard sounds ''happier'' if Claude is spared, so ''[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential this one's on you]].'' YouMonster.
** Even if Claude survives this route [[EsotericHappyEnding his story still ends on on a somber note]]: He does say he has ordered his remaining forces to stand down and work with Edelgard, But that's not entirely seen. His classmates may have died on Gronder Field. His closest friend, Hilda, can die (there was a programmed ending for her on Crimson Flower, but it was removed). One of the few Alliance lords he trusted, Judith, died trying to protect him. So while he may be escaping to Almyra with his life, he is doing so after unintentionally leaving his friends and comerades behind. And while he parts with Edelgard and Byleth on amicable terms, you may then remember that Claude has been described as hiding his true emotions behind a smile. Hopefully he was actually genuine here.

* If you have enough points in a stat and proficiency in one field, you can recruit students from hother houses. At first, this sounds nice and heartwarming, as it prevents the deaths of the other students, thus minimizing the heartbreaking casualties. But if you do that, you practically made the other Houses' Lords spend their academy time alone with probably only their NumberTwo to accompany them (even worse for Claude: he could be left ALONE, worsening his previous issues). This can be slightly mitigated by recruiting them all a few chapters before the time skip hits but the other lords would have to experience having a DwindlingParty as their classmates are off to another class, one by one.

** Catherine also makes note of how the students have changed, and while she knows they've gotten stronger, she laments their becoming "hardened killers."

* Poaching students sounded nice and heartwarming to prevent the deaths of the other students. But if you do that, you practically made the other Houses' Lords spend their academy time alone with probably only their NumberTwo to accompany them (even worse for Claude: he could be left ALONE, worsening his previous issues). This can be slightly mitigated by recruiting them all a few chapters before the time skip hits but the other lords would have to experience having a DwindlingParty as their classmates are off to another class, one by one.

* The simple, sobering fact that for the first time in the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' franchise, the main conflict is ''entirely'' [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters man-made]]. There's no grand villain pulling the strings, no dark dragon or god orchestrating the conflict, and while there ''is'' an evil cult, they're ultimately ''secondary antagonists''. The entire war, all the death, all the suffering — are largely because of differing ideals (none entirely right or wrong) over who should rule Fódlan and how it should be run, ideals they seek to implement or maintain no matter what the cost may be. [[CerebusSyndrome From a school setting to a plot similar to]] ''{{Literature/A Song Of Ice And Fire}}''.

* Just the solid fact that '''there is no GoldenEnding'''. No matter which route you choose, '''''[[SomeoneHasToDie at least one of the main lords will die]]'''''. At least one of the main lords dies a pointless death at another's hands because by the time the war begins, nobody can trust each other; Edelgard's gone full KnightTemplar and can't admit when she needs to dial it back, Dimitri's a ShellShockedVeteran who thinks victory is the only thing that will ease the deaths on his conscience, and Rhea can be driven insane and have to be put out of her own misery. Even Claude has to assume a war footing because the others will likely have to go through Leicester to get at each other.

* Edelgard's betrayal is especially nasty on this route. You're led to believe that the young woman you taught, befriended, and bled alongside is also a warlord who for all you know has been stringing you along so she could {{take over the world}}, and had your father murdered. The context entirely changes due to one single decision you make (or ''can't'' make, thanks to PermanentlyMissableContent).

---->'''Rhea:''' '''MUST YOU TAKE''' '''''EVERYTHING''''' '''FROM ME?!'''

** The same battle where you kill Judith, Ignatz will also be on the map as well (provided he wasn't recruited before the timeskip). You can, if you recruited Raphael, make him fight Ignatz during this battle. Before the war broke out, Raphael and Ignatz were best friends (they even have a paired ending where they become brothers in law when Ignatz marries Raphael's little sister), and Ignatz speaks highly of Raphael's kind nature if you do their dual Paralogue. But their pre-fight dialogue shows how utterly broken that friendship is when Ignatz angrily refuses to forgive Raphael for siding with the Empire or stand down, just as Raphael refuses to relent. It's almost a certainty that Raphael will kill Ignatz in the ensuing battle, and if you kept him in the Brawler/Grappler line that he naturally gravitates to, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential he essentially beats his former best friend to death with his bare hands]]. YouMonster.

** Even worse is ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'' reveals she died not to long before the fake one was set up. His hope really did have a basis, but without any serious help he had no hope of finding his daughter before it was too late.

'''Claude:''' ''YouMonster!'' We could have saved them!

---->'''Rhea:''' Must you take everything from me?!

** Even worse is VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes reveals she died not to long before the fake one was set up. His hope really did have a basis, but without any serious help he had no hope of finding his daughter before it was too late.

** On Edelgard's Crimson Flower route, with you with her, she doesn't have to rely as much on the cult she despises in order to begin her reforms. On other paths, she does need them, and since she doesn't have other options or an ability to restrain them as much, the war becomes more brutal. Because of this, on all other routes, she practically insists she be killed as penance. If you pick a non-Crimson Flower Route, Edelgard laments how she wished to have Byleth by her side, when Byleth confronts her in chapter 12.

* Lonato's rebellion happens on every route, but here, Ashe is guaranteed to witness it, and his reaction is heartbreaking. He openly bemoans the deaths of the village militia, people he'd known for years, as they fight to the death for their lord. After the battle is over, he's in a state of shocked grief, mumbling that he's going to check on the village and make sure [[AdultFear his brother and sister are alright]].

** A sad reality of it all is that when you look at the state of Fódlan and all of the problems surrounding it, some form of war was inevitable. Too many were feeling the pressure from the Crest-based society, oppression from certain nobles started rebellions, and outsiders were in many places treated like second class citizens. Add in the fact that Those Who Slither in the Dark would still be trying to instigate the destruction of the Church, Nabateans and the destabilizing of the continent, and a war would have started sooner or later. The game even suggests that the war was pretty much required to unite Fódlan, whoever "wins" it, and each of these particular lords at least lead to the reformation of the Church and continent for the better, not its destruction. [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption So diplomacy was never an option then?]]

** Even though the evil cult (Those Who Slither in the Dark) are secondary antagonists, [[GreaterScopeVillain they're still either directly or indirectly responsible for the tragedies]] suffered by Dimitri, Edelgard, Rhea, and Seteth and Flayn. They're ''also'' part of why Dimitri and Edelgard can't even trust their own allies fully. So the war is inevitable not because the player wants it, not even because the lords leading the parties want it, but because of a shadowy group that forced their hand, who may not even be directly confronted, depending on the outcome of the war.

** It's possibly even worse if you ''didn't'' recruit Felix, as he fights alongside Rodrigue in this battle instead, and ''also'' must be killed to win. Regardless of which of the two are killed first, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge the other will mourn their death before swearing to avenge them.]] It's particularly cruel if you kill Felix first, as it means Rodrigue [[OutlivingOnesOffspring ends up outliving not one, but]] ''[[OutlivingOnesOffspring both]]'' [[OutlivingOnesOffspring of his sons.]] And tragically, unlike with Seteth and Flayn, [[ForegoneConclusion there is no way to avoid]] [[SadisticChoice either senario.]]

* In past ''Fire Emblem'' games, characters who appear in cutscenes had PlotArmor and would only [[NonLethalKO retreat]] when they reach 0 HP, even on Classic. And generally, their epilogue entries would reflect this, stating that they survived. While PlotArmor retreating still occurs in this game... [[DeadlyDistantFinale the character's epilogue will state that they died of their wounds after the war ended.]] It's sobering knowing that ''anyone'' who reaches 0 HP after the timeskip will die.

* The reunion with Edelgard at the Goddess Tower after the 5 year timeskip. Unlike the Crimson Flower route it turns rather somber because while Edelgard is initially elated to see Byleth alive and well, it quickly dons on her that the two are standing opposing sides of the conflict. It immediately turns into a fight as neither is willing to back down from their stances.

** One of the earliest conversations you can find in the Abyss is Edelgard and Dimitri. Dimitri however asks Edelgard if she changed her hair, causing her to be startled before admitting so. She questions how he knew, but Dimitri avoids the response. As reinforced in both of their routes, its clear that Dimitri really does care for her, but Edelgard simply cannot remember him. Edelgard's surprised reaction is no doubt almost a TraumaButton for her.

* Felix in the non-Azure Moon routes. His arc in Crimson Flower is detailed below, but while his arcs in Silver Snow and Verdant Wind are marginally better, they're still not better by much. Despite now fighting for what he feels is a much better cause than Edelgard's conquests, after the Battle at Gronder, he becomes consumed with rage over Dimitri's death and becomes obsessed with avenging him, ironically adopting the exact same philosophies of living for the dead he chastised Dimitri so much for having. In almost all of his endings in the two routes, its explicitly stated that he spends the rest of his life brooding over Dimitri's death, unable to move on even decades later.