And if you're an Eliwood/Ninian shipper, it's even worse: imagine killing the one you love and not realizing it until it's too late... In fact, if you have the Eliwood/Ninian A-level Support, the music becomes that much sadder, while her Final Speech becomes sadder and more poignant. If they don't have it, Ninian just smiles and tells him she's glad he's unharmed. If they do, she also begs him to protect her beloved Elibe.
At least she gets better by the final battle. And she kicks some fire dragon ass along the way, although the Dragons weren't evil at all, they only wanted to see Elibe one last time, hence why they answered the call. Ninian lampshades this by crying for them as she kills them and saying she's sorryseveral times.
Yet another tearjerker from the same character. If Eliwood and Ninian have an A-support, she stays with him in Elibe... at the cost of a drastically shortened lifespan. In other words, she's dead! Oh no! But wait, she came back to life! Hooray! And now in a few years she's dead again, this time depriving a child of a mother. In this ending, Nils has to go back alone and the ending specifically says everyone remembered the tortured look on his face as he left his sister behind.
All of Serra's A supports, but especially the Hector/Serra one, where Serra explains to Hector how she was abandoned at the abbey and ends up crying as she tries to convince herself that her parents will come back for her some day. Seeing the Rich Bitch reveal herself as a Stepford Smiler, and then Hector tells her she's a part of his family... it was very special and very well done.
Serra and Lucius' A support: Lucius reveals that his parents died, he is a far cry from nobility, and had to live in an orphange... To which Serra bawls and hugs him.
On the note of Legault, if you take him to the final battle against Nergal, he says a few rather depressing lines to the Morphs of Lloyd, Linus, Uhai, and Brendan. Something about his quote at the beginning of Light really hits home. And don't even get started on Legault's supports with Nino...
Legault: My oh my... Fools aplenty. That includes me, too.
Nino: Linus... I'll...see you again... I'm sure you're angry, but... Please be my friend...again...
Legault's and Isadora's ending. Good news: they fall in love. Bad news: they go their separate ways. Worse news: years later they end up fighting each other on opposite sides of a war.
Sain and Priscilla's A support is severely depressing, partially because how jarring it is to see the happy-go-lucky, comic relief Sain actually sad. Priscilla is just a magnet for melancholy. The Sain/Priss supports actually start in a rather cheerful mood, with him trying to be her Knight in Shining Armor and her being all weirded out ("you're such an odd fellow").. and then BAM! Almost at the end of their A support, Sain is in tears, and Priscilla is the one trying to calm him down.
Her supports with Oswin are pretty sad too. The girl embarked on that journey to learn what happened to her parents, and he has to tell her they're gone. Even Oswin, who borders on The Stoic, is depressed.
Limstella really died a damn tragic death. They were an incredibly loyal character to the very end. Sure, they're a Morph with no life or purpose beyond serving Nergal, but look at Sonia or Ephidel. Both weren't exactly happy about dying. But Limstella? Nergal gave them so much magic power before siccing them on the lords that they would die, even if they had won. But did she feel hesitation to go into death for Nergal? Not at all. Still, despite claiming to have no emotions and just doing what Nergal says, they were not completely without personality. They were fully aware just how expendable they were to Nergal and still, in their dying breath, they actually show that they can feel something morphs do not have: emotions. In this case, it is sorrow. Sorrow, that the lords may be powerful enough to defeat Nergal. Even in their last moments, they only thought of their master. Now that's loyalty and love. Nergal really did not deserve such a subordinate.
Limstella: I am not human. This body, and this heart, are constructs...yes, as is this sorrow.
Leila's death, and Matthew's little speech before he re-joins the game.
If Matthew is dead at this point, you get this instead:
Hector:...Now she doesn’t look so...abandoned. I’m sorry, Leila. This is all I can do for now. I’ll take you to Lycia with me if I can...I’ll bury you beside Matthew... Eliwood: Matthew? Was she... Hector: They never told anyone.
Matthew and Jaffar's conversations are really damn depressing. Most of the time, Matthew is a cheery thief, but every time he talks to Jaffar, her murderer, all he can talk about is killing him. It's sad because Jaffar is a Empty Shell who is finally coming around thanks to Nino, and in the end, Matthew spares him because of Jaffar's love for Nino, who Matthew claimed to have as a prisoner. Then Jaffar tells Matthew that Leila's last words were of him.
If Matthew dies during Hector's first chapter, you'll see this alternate conversation, and all mention of him is subtly removed from Hector's reunion with Eliwood's company.
Hector: Is it...over? Oh, no... I can't... [Hector closes his eyes and pauses briefly] Hector: I can't mourn you now. Matthew... If I turn back now... Your... Your death will... It will be for naught.
Chapter 32x: The Value Of Life. Everything about it. Kishuna is possibly the greatest woobie in the entire game, an artificial creature rejected by his creator.
Nino seems to exist for two reasons: to be a great mage if raised correctly, and to out-Woobie Kishuna. Let's see: as an infant, her entire family was slaughtered by Sonia. She was taken in by the Black Fang in the hopes of raising her to be a powerful mage. When that failed, she was intentionally sent on a mission she had no hope of completing, to either be killed by enemy forces or assassinated by Jaffar. After that, you are forced to fight against, and kill, her adopted family, all of whom loved her as if they were blood-related. Finally, if you bring her to the last chapter, she gets to see the corpses of said family reanimated with the intent of killing her and her friends and letting Nergal destroy the world. Note that Nino is a 14-year-old girl.
Not to mention the A-support with Canas revealing him to be her uncle, nor forgetting he has only one ending, in which he dies, too.
Several of Nino's endings involve her running away and vanishing. The ending with Nino and Erk involve them both vanishing when bounty hunters come to kill Nino. Which adds another layer of Tear Jerker for Nino...She never gets to see her twin sons again, leaving them in the care of an orphanage...that eventually gets destroyed.
You have to kill Lloyd, and rather had him to join. It's especially sad when you let Nino talk to him in chapter 27, right before he dies.
Chapter 27 is pretty depressing with either of the Reed brothers, since Nino is about to lose her only remaining family. It is particularly depressing with Lloyd, though, since he was the more reasonable one and seemed more likely to join you.
They actually give a tantalizing hint to who the father of Nils and Ninian is. Of all people, it was Nergal.
Nergal himself is a pretty tragic character. He lost his wife, (supposedly) and both his children, was dejected and assaulted by the only man he considered his friend, went absolutely insane, ruined countless people's lives, and then when you finally face him down and defeat him, he's so delusional he can't even remember his name. He's almost like a fantasy counterpart to Dr. Frankenstein. For added points, he used his own children as pawns in his schemes, without realizing who they were. Remember the brutal Kick the Dog speech he gives after Eliwood kills Ninian? That's his own daughter he's talking about, and he doesn't even remember.
"Canas was killed by continuity errors!" indeed. Canas had a son and mother that appeared in the 6th game. He was already dead in that game and it is very possible that he survives the 7th game, which is a prequel. The only way to save the continuity was to Drop A Bridge On Him. "Oh hey, everything's great, everyone gets their happy ending. By the way, Canas is dead." It doesn't help that he has three brothers, all of whom are brain-dead due to elder magic. Yep, his son doesn't even get any uncles to cheer him up.
Matthew and Leila's entire sub-plot will make you bawl. Leila is sent by Ostia to infiltrate the Black Fang and uncover their plans, with Matthew planning to propose to her once she comes back. But then Ephidel discovers that she's a spy and orders Jaffar to kill her, before leaving her corpse on the shore as a twisted "welcome gift" to Eliwood's forces as they arrive on the island. Matthew suspects Jaffar of the crime after he joins, in their 'support' conversations. In their 'A' support, Matthew finds it in himself to forgive Jaffar because he was under Nergal's complete control and under Ephidel's orders, and Jaffar reveals the last thing she said was 'Matthew'.
In Fire Emblem 7, Hector and Eliwood's A support is pretty tragic when you know the plot of FE6. They are talking about the warrior's oath to each other that they took when they were children. Hector, at one point in the conversation, tells Eliwood, "I don't want to hear any excuses about not being able to come help when we're old men." Eliwood then agrees and says, "Stay alive, Hector." In FE6, Eliwood becomes dreadfully ill and can't come to help Hector himself in the war on Bern, and Hector is killed in the war. That makes this conversation, which would ordinarily be a heartwarming display of loyalty and friendship, tragically ironic.
More Dramatic Irony: Hector is widely loved in Fire Emblem 7as one of the game's tanks, and also very popular due to his bold nature and strength of character. He uses both physical and mental strength to defend his friends — especially Eliwood, who's noted both in-game and in cut-scenes to be rather frail. Hector might not have been surprised to find out Eliwood was deathly ill in FE6.
The ending can be sad enough due to watching Nils and Ninian say goodbye forever, but if you maxed out Eliwood and Ninian's support, you watch Nils say goodbye... even to his own sister. If you were a fan of Nils, this is heartrending enough, but if you were on Hector's story and got the obscurely ridiculous-to-get hidden 19xx stage... You also watch Nils break down as a part of him realises he just watched his dad die. Get both conditions together, and...
Sonia's is very debatable, as she flaunted her being a "perfect human being", often at Limstella's expense and mocked her for being a lowly Morph. Limstella letting her die while informing her of the truth of her existence is more or less poetic justice. On the other hand, while it can never be said that this end is not what Sonia deserves, the way she pitifully clings her to delusion of being human to the very end, even as her whole world has been brought down her, just because it's her only sense of self worth and all she could possibly have left with her in her final moments, is pretty dang tragic.
Even Kenneth and Jerme may be sympathetic, to some, when you consider the implication that Nergal had driven them both completely insane, as implied by seeing them as Morphs in the last chapter, forced to fight for Nergal, and — when you kill them — smiling and closing their eyes, looking peaceful. Pascal Gretzner from the Hector's Mode exclusive Chapter 25 plays the No Sympathy card completely straight, though.
Lord Elbert's death scene. What's shocking about Elbert's death is that he had a genuine chance of surviving the events of the story, unlike most of the fathers in the series, who usually die very early in the storyline. This character, in contrast, lasted a good third of the overall story, showed a more complex personality than many an FE styled Sacrificial Lamb, and even had a Dying Moment of Awesome by stabbing Nergal and greviously injuring him, even as he lies dying. But the real tragedy comes here:
Elbert: ...Eliwood. Be prepared. He will return... Eliwood: All right, but for now... Let's leave this island... Let's go home. Elbert: No, my son... I'm done here. You, Eliwood... You must finish this. Eliwood: Don't say that! Mother is waiting in Pherae... She's waiting for you, Father! Elbert: Ah... Eleanora... She will be cross with me. Eliwood... Your mother... I'm sorry... Tell her... I'm... sorry... Eliwood: Father?... no... Please, not now... Not after all we've done to find you again... Father... Please... Open your eyes..... Faaatherrrrrrrr!!!!
Lyn's and Eliwood's talks with Hector in the final battle. It's the very ultimate final boss, and yet it's so touching to see how concerned the two of them are for their friend. Eliwood delivers a truly wonderful speech.
Eliwood: When Lord Uther was in trouble, you weren't there by his side. You're angry with yourself...It's true, isn't it? I was the same way. I couldn't save my father... I couldn't save Ninian... Over and over, I blamed myself. But, you know, that's just a way of running from the sadness of loss. I think you've realized that already. Lord Uther...and Oswin... They were thinking of you above all else. You must see that, but if you continue to pretend you do not, you will lose sight of something terribly valuable. ...That's all I have to say.
And as if that wasn't enough, Lyn follows up with her He Will Not Cry, so I Cry for Him moment. The heartbreaking part is when you realize how similar the two are: he is completely alone, with no family left and nobody waiting for him back at Ostia — just like Lyn was after bandits slaughtered the rest of her tribe. Seeing her reaching out to him, crying for him, coupled with the boat scene and that music...
In the sixth game, Karel has mellowed out significantly and lost his bloodlust. He quickly downplays his title, Sword Saint, stating that it is a lie. He tells the younger Blood Knights that there is more to life than just fighting, and by the time he figured it out, he lost something important. It's not clear if he's referring to his sister Karla, who he did not visit as she lay dying from illness, or Guy, his peer and friend who he may have killed during their duel that they had, when Karel and Guy, as master and student, agree to meet in one year later and test their swords against one another according to their A support in FE7. In FE6, Karel appears, while Guy does not, implying that Guy, in fact, was killed in their duel.
Nino's A support with Florina. Nino confides in Florina about her guilt over her brothers, and both are driven to tears. Florina then promises she'll always be there for her.
Lord Uther is Hector's brother, but is implied to be more like his father figure after both of their parents died from a terrible illness, and then he's found out to have that same illness, but doesn't want Hector to know becausehe knows that Hector would hate himself whether or not he came back to help Uther, or if he stayed with Eliwood knowing that his brother is dying. So he doesn't tell him, because he doesn't want him to make that choice.
Also, Uther's entire note to him in Chapter 31: Battle Preparations in Hector's mode.
The fact that he actually dies sometime after Chapter 25, and before Chapter 29, but no one tells Hector that, probably means something.
Lloyd's entire relevance in the plot, really. While nowhere near as hurtful if you fight him in Chapter 23, if you fight Linus first...
Chapter 27 happens. His conversation with Nino is a Tear Jerker in itself, but his conversation with Legault isn't anything to be ignored. Essentially, he and Legault have a classic moment of addressing each other, before Lloyd expresses confusion as to why Legault is with them. Pretty much, Legault tries to convince him not to fight, but Lloyd wants to avenge his brother more than anything in the world. It's even ever so subtly implied that deep down he knows Eliwood and co aren't the ones who killed Linus. But at this point, he's become such a Death Seeker who wants to be reunited with his brother that he's long past caring.
Lloyd: Who knows... But my brother’s dead. And at the hands of your newfound "friends"... Legault: We’re not responsible for Linus’s death. Lloyd: It does not matter. I believe you are, and that is enough.
Also, Lloyd's boss conversation with Hector where Lloyd brings up his brother Linus, and even compares the two, and Hector doesn't even remember who that is.
Pretty much, Linus wants revenge for Lloyd's death, but Lloyd just wants to see his brother again.
Vaida and Heath's B support has one particularly tear-jerking line. Particularly Harsher in Hindsight considering what happens in Binding Blade.
Vaida: Hmmm... Now that you mention it, what happened to the others? What happened to Vaida’s Raiders? Heath: ...When we escaped from Bern, Isaac, Lachius, Belminade...they all... Vaida: ...I see. All gone, eh? That's too bad... Heath: Yes... Commander, what will happen to Bern now? Vaida: ... Heath: The wyvern riders are now no different from the regular troops in Bern... At this rate, Bern will eventually... Vaida: ...We don’t know that yet. Prince Zephiel is still in Bern. If he gains proper power, then Bern may yet be reborn... Once again, Bern the strong...
Just knowing how many of the playable characters you have in the prequel are completely Doomed by Canon. Nino, Guy, Rath, Karla, Lucius, Hector...
Taking this into consideration, this makes Eliwood one of the few survivors from Blazing Blade. And during the course of both games, not only does he have to go off to war, but as can be seen here, his father, best friend, and wife (even worse if he marries Ninian) all die horribly in some way or another, witnessing two of the above firsthand. The last member of the Power Trio has met an Uncertain Doom in between the events of the games, with several of his former comrades following suit. By the time Hector dies in Binding Blade, unable to fulfill the oath they made as children, he is deathly ill and Roy is pretty much the only family he has left; a son who has to go off and fight a war, eventually leading the entire army, and possibly die as well. It's a bit of a condolence that his mother at least survived Blazing Blade, a rarity in the franchise, but combine all of the things listed with everything else that happens... And all this to a mild-mannered, compassionate Nice Guy who doesn't like war and has not a bad bone in his body. This means all three of the Lords from this game, on top of a very large portion of the cast in general, are unable to get a happy ending despite all they've went through, essentially getting retroactive Downer Endings or reallyBittersweet Endings at best, quite possibly making this one of the most depressing endings in the series.
The scene at the end of Battle Before Dawn becomes Harsher in Hindsight for those who play the games chronologically. Queen Hellene looks genuinely sad for placing her son's life at risk, and wants to correct her mistakes so they can all live like a family. Those who played the sequel first know already that this will not come to pass, and those who play it later are in for a very, very massive Tear Jerker when they see how things turned out. Furthermore, she's nowhere to be seen in the sequel, and Guinivere's dialogue hints that King Desmond might have even had her assassinated.
Legault and Nino's A support. After the Black Fang has been all but decimated, he decides that after the war is over, he's going off on his own. Nino asks to go with him, which he refuses, and you'd expect her to break down...instead, she promises to stay strong and leaves with the promise that they'll meet again. He says her name once, and you can just sense the regret and heartbreak.
Zephiel's life in a nutshell. All he wanted was to reunite his family without any fighting, and he is aware of this. Guinevere is blissfully unaware of this and all she wanted was to spend time with her loving brother, but her doting father wants none of it. His scheming mother wants Zephiel to claim the throne once he becomes of age. After one assassin too many, it finally took a toll on him as he kills his father and becomes the cruel, nihilistic, Misanthrope SupremeBig Bad of Binding Blade. Unlike his father's pathetic excuse, his excuse holds a lot of water.
Hector declares Jaffar should only live to suffer because of all the lives that he's taken, and doesn't agree with either Lyn or Eliwood that he could possibly changefor the better. That's really devastating if Jaffar marries Nino and has a family with her. Hector inadvertently might have cursed innocent children.
What's more is that Hector's feelings are justifiable. Jaffar stands out as one of the few characters in the series (if not the only) to have actually killed an NPC, but somehow became recruitable. Leila was also a personal confidant and servant of Hector, and he clearly sympathizes with Matthew, her boyfriend, who is also a friend of his.
The three lords, Matthew, Legault, and even Sonia and Ursula know Jaffar is in love with Nino, and it's used against him several times. From the last three declaring Jaffar has a fatal weakness now, Matthew claiming to have her hostage so he can get revenge in his lover's name, and having a paired ending that basically calls him out by stating that bounty hunters are after the Angel of Death.
Legault proclaims Jaffar would surrender himself if it meant Nino's survival. That's exactly what happens in Jaffar and Matthew's Supports.
Jaffar is just doomed from the start. He was raised by the Big Bad, grew up only knowing to kill, and lives the rest of his life on the run from bounty hunters regardless of whether or not he gets a paired ending.
His feelings for Nino are completely canonical. In fact, he confesses his romantic attachment for her in their C support. That's right, callous and ice-hearted Jaffar declares his love for someone in the very beginning of a support chain. What's more is that Nino is completely receptive to his confession, and seems to already love him back. It can easily happen that they won't be together if the player explores other support options. It's either he doesn't end up with her, and loses the only person that ever showed him kindness, or he does end up with her and gets chased out of the happy life he tried to make with her.
