Line #3 TearJerker/FinalFantasyXII


1	As a Tear Jerker page, spoilers are left unmarked.
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5	!![[AC:''Final Fantasy XII'']]
6	* The end of the opening FMV, which shows the death of Crown Prince Rasler and the mourning of his wife, Ashe. You may not know anybody at this point, but the scene is enough to bring someone to tears when you take into account that the their wedding was shown literally ''minutes'' ago, and later scenes confirmed that they didn't get to share their wedded life for very long. Then you learn that while their marriage was arranged, the couple [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage absolutely loved each other]].
7	* The end of the Prologue, when Reks calls out his brother's name before dying.
8	** Later, Vaan has a dream after the Rabanastre break-in, where it's revealed that Reks survived long enough to meet his brother and told him and everyone else about how Basch is a traitor. His expression is that of not only sadness, but disappointment, and it didn't change even when Vaan brought in his favorite flowers, the Galbana lilies (which in retrospect also made the scene where the lilies got trampled earlier sad).
9	* When Vaan, Balthier and Fran are being arrested, Penelo arrives on the scene begging them not to take Vaan away. You have to remember that she's lost all her family and Vaan is the only one she knows left. Balthier - who's never met her before - is even moved enough to give her his handkerchief before they're taken away.
10	** This also pays off negatively for Penelo later. She gets kidnapped because Balthier was seen giving her a handkerchief - making it look like she was a friend of his. The scene of her locked up and pleading with her captors that she doesn't even know Balthier is incredibly sad. In fact it had to be cut from the Japanese release of the game because it hit [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents too close to home for a recent tragedy involving a serial killer who kidnapped young girls.]]
11	** Migelo sounds utterly beside himself when he tells the others that she was kidnapped.
12	---> "If anything happens to that sweet child..."
13	* Vaan's angry lash-out against Basch in Nalbina Dungeon. He may not know that it's not Basch who killed Reks and betrayed Dalmasca, but from his point of view, he just met with the murderer of his only living family. From his dialogue, he sounds like he's on the verge of crying.
14	* Basch's TraumaCongaLine, really. Not only did he witness both of his prince and king die before his eyes and all of his comrades slaughtered, his identity was taken by his identical twin who proceeded to make him branded a traitor of Dalmasca. Then he's tortured for years in a horrible dungeon until a bunch of bandits freed him, and even then, there's still a long way for him to clear up his name as people after people lash out at him for apparently betraying their trust. Even at the end, Basch's name isn't cleared up completely since an information that has been planted for two years can't be gone in a blink of an eye, many people still think that he's already executed, and thus he has to find peace elsewhere by taking his brother's position as Judge of Archadia.
15	* Vossler's FaceHeelTurn means [[PlayerPunch you have to fight him]], after which he is killed.
16	* The scene that plays upon your return to Eruyt Village after rescuing Mjrn. To sum up: Mjrn, having seen the world outside of their home, begs her sister, the Viera leader Jote, to change their isolationist and essentially xenophobic ways. Fran, however, convinces Mjrn to stay so she'll never have to deal with the same pain and loneliness she went through by abandoning the Wood. This leads Mjrn to run off crying. Fran then asks Jote if the Wood hates her and, after speaking to it, Jote replies that it doesn't. Fran's reply before leaving is quite solemn: "A pleasant lie, that."
17	* The death of Judge Drace at the hands of Gabranth, who is forced to do it to prove that he's not in league with her. Her last request is for him to take care of Larsa, now that the young prince has enemies from everywhere in the higher ranks. This may what push him to finally rebel against Vayne in the climax of the game.
18	* After Judge Bergan is defeated in Mt. Bur-Omisace, the devastation is terrible. Talking to the wounded refugees and seeing the burning of their tents in the distance only adds to the PlayerPunch. But the final blow is the sad music that plays in the background. Fortunatly, after the player defeats the Fafnir in an optional hunt, a Viera named Relj will become inspired by the deceased pensioner of the hunt to rebuild the camp and give the refuges hope.
19	* The fate of [[DoomedHometown Nabudis]]. Since it's never shown in the story proper, the player may be left wondering what kind of destruction that would raze a whole city to the ground. Then you accidentally stumble upon two strange zones to the northwest of the Salikawood while busy locating the moogles to fix the broken gate and realize that the foggy and swampy valleys you see, the haphazard netherworld-like ruins you traverse through, ''are'' what [[SceneryGorn remains of Nabudis]].
20	** Not only Nabudis. A whole country is shattered when its capital city got wiped completely off the map. Now Nabradia only acts as a staging point for hunters and travelers on the way to Archades, or else inhabited by lost refugees who has nothing to live in or set off to.
21	** Throughout the game, "Nabudis" seems to be employed as a magic word that instantly humbles the recipient and makes them think twice about their position. Reddas in particular is fond of it; not surprising, since he was the person responsible for its destruction in the first place.
22	--->'''Reddas:''' (''to Ashe'') Do not forget Nabudis. That is my only counsel for you.
23	* "Hadn't you best be off, fool of a pirate?" Even if you were meant to hate Cid, his death has a way of making you terribly upset, even if it is short.
24	** ''All'' of him is a TearJerker. Balthier recounts how, years ago, the man was a good father and devoted to his family... until he began researching the stones. And by the end of the game, we've learned that this was because Venat chose him to carry out his plot, and Cid himself believed he was doing the right thing freeing humanity from the Occuria. So, [[FridgeBrilliance we're subtly told]] that Cid went insane and neglected his family ''because'' he wanted to make a better world for them... even if he was too far gone by the end for it to make any difference.
25	*** Adding to this, the credits appear to show Balthier holding a baby, until you realize that it's actually '''Cid''' holding a baby Balthier, looking both completely sane and just like his son. [[PlayerPunch The fact that the music in the credit swells to a heartbreaking violin piece does not help the matters.]]
26	* This short bit of dialogue from Vayne near the end of the game.
27	-->Our dear Cid? Slain by his son. [[SelfMadeOrphan A common tale of late...]]
28	* This exchange between Basch and Judge Gabranth after the party's second boss fight with the latter:
29	-->'''Gabranth''': pants and points a sword at Basch Have you your fill of this?
30	-->'''Basch''': I would ask you the same. Let this end...Noah.
31	-->'''Gabranth''': falls to one knee and sighs wearily I've no right to be called by that name.
32	-->'''Basch''': Then ''live'', and reclaim it.
33	** And he does indeed: he fights alongside your party during the second stage of the final boss fight with Emperor Vayne.
34	* When Judge Gabranth dies in the ending, and asks his brother to look after Larsa, the only person he cared about...
35	** Admit it, his entire back story is extremely tragic in nature.
36	* Balthier and Fran's HeroicSacrifice at the end to stop Bahamut from crashing down on Rabanastre. Sure, they are revealed to be alive and well at the end, but the context of the scenes make it seem that they wouldn't survive, complete with Fran being knocked unconscious, Balthier deciding to sit down with her to FaceDeathWithDignity, and Ashe's [[NotSoStoic almost-crying]] begging for him to get out.
37	* The position that Larsa endures throughout the game. His wisdom makes it extremely easy to forget that Larsa is still 12 years old, a minor who has to adapt to the complex politics of not only Archadia, but the world as a whole. The one time his facade cracks, when he receives news that his father has died, unknowingly by his brother, [[HeroicBSOD he shuts down and can't respond to anything]]. Then in quick succession, Vayne and the two Judges he's closest to, Drace and Gabranth, die as well, leaving him with nothing but himself and Basch's help as he's crowned Emperor with the daunting task of managing the decolonization efforts and peace treaty with Rozarria. One wonders how he's able to keep his mind straight.
38	* [[KillerRabbit Fury's]] [[AlasPoorVillain death scene]].
39	* There's a Urutan Eater harassing the Urutan-Yensa, a race of AlwaysChaoticEvil sand people. Well, almost always, as one Urutan-Yensa reaches out to the party to help him stop the monster. The party helps kill the Urutan Eater, after which the Urutan-Yensa goes off to find treasure to repay them with. Follow him and you are instead witness to the Urutan-Yensa being put on trial and executed on the spot for the crime of asking outsiders for help... He leaves a rare flower in his wake, the treasure he promised the party. [[note]]The berries from the flower come in handy later, as they weaken the Garuda guarding the Tomb of Raithwall.[[/note]]
40	* Malboro Kings [[WasOnceAMan were once humans]]. Similarly, all dark humanoid monsters like ghosts, skeletons, or headless were once men who, after dying, are put in some sort of half-living state where they are to suffer for nigh all eternity, with the slaughter of others being their only reprieve.
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Context TearJerker / FinalFantasyXII