History TearJerker / HollowKnight

** Considering the the Hollow Knight [[spoiler: helps you beat the source of the infection, the Radiance, as a shade in one of the best endings it is very possible that the Hollow Knight was still somewhat self-aware despite taking on the infection and was stabbing themselves as it knew that its younger sibling came here to try to end the infection. The fact it might be aware enough to realize that the Radiance is trying to make it kill its sibling and is fighting back by trying to kill itself midfight is tragic.]]

** Considering the [[spoiler: the Hollow Knight helps you beat the source of the affection, the Radiance, as a shade in one of the best ending it is very possible that the Hollow Knight was still somewhat aware and was stabbing themselves as it knew that its younger sibling came here to try to end the infection. The fact it might be aware enough to realize that the Radiance is trying to make it kill its sibling and is fighting back by trying to kill itself is tragic.]]

* When you first enter the Crystal Cavern, you meet Myla, a sweet miner bug with a stutter who loves to sing while she digs. However, over the course of the game, Myla slowly succumbs to the Infection. First, you can no longer hear her sing as you walk in, as she's just standing there, swaying back and forth while mumbling her song's lyrics to herself. Eventually, she'll completely succumb and become hostile, forcing you to kill her, which lets you listen to the lovely sound of her screaming in agony as she dies. Dream Nailing her before killing her reveals that she's still singing her song in her head...

For a game overflowing with [[NightmareFuel/HollowKnight Nightmare Fuel]], there are more than a few moments that tug on the heartstrings.

* Dream Nailing the Maggots who are holding a wake for the slain False Knight may yield this quote; "[[PleaseWakeUp Wake up, brother! Help me!]]" Still want to fill out [[GottaKillEmAll that Journal]]?

** Ending 1 (The Hollow Knight): The Knight strikes down the first Hollow Knight, and then absorbs The Infection into himself. Then chains start to fly down, before the Black Egg seals shut thus [[HistoryRepeats renewing the cycle]].
** Ending 2 (Sealed Siblings): Hornet is there with you, unconscious as you absorb the Infection. The temple still seals itself shut, and her mask appears on the front as one of the binds; signifying that Hornet, like her mother has become a Dreamer.

** Another interpretation of Quirrel's fate is just as sad. It's implied in the comic that his mask (originally Monomon's) was the only thing keeping him youthful, and after Monomon's defeat, he states that he's starting to feel his age, with his voice becoming more hoarse. So it's a good possibility that after his last conversation with the knight, he simply passed away from old age.

* Everything about the original Hollow Knight / Vessel. It was chosen to contain the plague and in doing so save Hallownest from certain doom. As noted by the Pale King in the cutscene in the Void, the vessel supposedly has no mind to think with and no own will that can be broken. It is a theoretically empty being with no other purpose than to seal away the plague. When you meet your predecessor in the temple for a final fight, it is evident this did not fully go according to plan. Barely functioning due to the plague leaking out from its body, the vessel does attempt to fight you, but eventually starts turning its blade on itself implying it's [[AndIMustScream very much aware]] of its miserable situation and wants to [[DeathSeeker help you end it]].

** Ending 5 (Delicate Flower): The EldritchAbomination from the "Embrace the Void" ending takes form, [[ChekhovsGun but a drop of Void lands on the Delicate Flower that was given to the Godseeker]]. The abomination attempts to escape, but both it and the Godseeker are completely banished[[note]]Not "killed" per se, as Godseeker Mode canonically takes place afterward.[[/note]] in a burst of white light, only leaving the (stained) flower behind.

** The soundtrack that plays during the fight, "Sealed Vessel", is a tearjerker in itself. It starts as a fairly bombastic orchestral piece as you'd expect from an end-game boss fight, but right when the Hollow Knight starts screaming and stabbing itself the music grows somber and quieter, directing your attention to the miserable situation the vessel has been in.

** The reason the Hollow Knight was infected. Objectively it should have succeeded at containing the Infection indefinitely, but it had "an idea instilled" by the Pale King as he raised it to adulthood: quite possibly, [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe a bond with its father.]] And that "[[VirtueIsWeakness impurity]]" was all the Radiance needed to sink its hooks into it and corrupt the Vessel when the time came to seal it away. In other words, the Hollow Knight failed because it dared to feel emotion for another being. As if that's not bad enough, the Hollow Knight has [[DummiedOut cut Dream Nail dialogue]]. Most of it is the voice of the Radiance whispering of its return or to "kill the usurper" through its puppet, but there is one painful exception.
--->''"[[PinocchioSyndrome ...Father?...]]"''
** The Pure Vessel has more cut dialogue:
--->''"Do not think..."''
--->''"Do not speak..."''
--->''"Do not hope..."''
--->''"Do not..."''
--->''"..."''

** The last you see of Quirrel is at the Blue Lake, sitting quietly. It's one of the few places in the game where, after listening to someone, you're prompted to sit with them, for as long as you wish. Once the player leaves the screen, they'll return to see Quirrel's nail in the beach, and no sign of him from then on. It's implied by the achievement that you receive ('''Witness:''' ''Spend a final moment with Quirrel.'') that Quirrel [[MilesToGoBeforeISleep believed]] [[SeenItAllSuicide his journey over]], and committed SuicideBySea.

* Everything about the original Hollow Knight / Vessel. It was chosen to contain the plague and in doing so save Hallownest from certain doom. As noted by the Pale King in the cutscene in the Void, the vessel supposedly has no mind to think with and no own will that can be broken. It is an empty being with no other purpose than to seal away the plague. When you meet your predecessor in the temple for a final fight, it is evident this did not fully go according to plan. Barely functioning due to the plague leaking out from its body, the vessel does attempt to fight you, but eventually starts turning its blade on itself, implying it's very much aware of its miserable situation and wants to help you end it.

** Completing the notoriously difficult and aptly named optional Path of Pain in the White Palace treats you to a small scene of the Pale King sitting alongside a young version of the vessel. The painful implications are that though the King created the vessel with no other intention than to use it to contain the plague, he nevertheless came to treat it as his child and had it by his side for a good while. The King may well be responsible for causing the vessel to develop a mind and will of its own.
** The above has even worse implications. After the Radiance was sealed away, its only way to assert its influence was via lingering memories, typically through dreams. You eventually encounter and confront it in the dreamworld of the vessel. How did the vessel, which was supposed to be an empty tool to contain the plague, come to dream? Because the Pale King treated it as if it was his own child for a while (and technically it is), causing it to start dreaming about a life it was never destined to have. This gave the Radiance a foothold within the very tool supposed to contain it, causing the vessel to fail in sealing the plague, slowly succumbing to it and with it, all of Hallownest.
** The fight with the Pure Vessel in the ''Godmaster'' DLC, essentially the Hollow Knight in its prime. The Pure Vessel's boss theme (a soft, holy choir rendition of ''Sealed Vessel'') and its attacks (especially the nails erupting from the ground, which the Hollow Knight's corrupted tendril attacks echo) show either [[FallenHero how far the Hollow Knight fell from grace after containing the Radiance]], or [[WhatCouldHaveBeen what it could have been should the Infection not have claimed it]].

** Ending 1 (The Hollow Knight): The Knight strikes down the first Hollow Knight, and then absorbs The Infection into himself. Then chains start to fly down, before the Black Egg seals shut, thus renewing the cycle.
** Ending 2 (Sealed Siblings): Hornet is there with you, unconscious as you absorb the Infection. The temple still seals itself shut, and her mask appears on the front as one of the binds, signifying that she, like her mother, has become a Dreamer, and due to her being trapped inside, this means that the Infection will never be truly destroyed because no one can break the seal to end the Knight.
** Ending 3 (Dream No More): The Knight sacrifices its life to put an end to the Radiance. Hallownest is free of the Infection, but the Knight is gone, having returned to the Void it came from, leaving Hornet behind to mourn it.

** Ending 4 (Embrace the Void): Despite all the overtures of having GrewBeyondTheirProgramming and VideoGameCaringPotential, the Knight allows itself to be consumed by the void to kill Absolute Radiance. Depending on interpretation it either is subsumed by or directly becomes a monstrous personification of the abyss out to snuff out the Light and consume the world. There's a very strong possibility that all the good the Vessel had done ends with it becoming a FallenHero and EldritchAbomination.
** Ending 5 (Delicate Flower): The EldritchAbomination from the "Embrace the Void" ending takes form, [[ChekhovsGun but a drop of Void lands on the Delicate Flower that was given to the Godseeker]]. The abomination attempts to escape, but both it and the Godseeker are completely annihilated in a burst of white light, only leaving the flower behind.

* Several bugs had close friends who perished in the ensuing century after the Pale King's disappearance.
** The Grey Mourner's lover was killed an unknown number of years ago, and her final act is to entrust the Knight with a delicate flower to place at her grave. When done, the Mourner is finally able to pass away.
** Quirrel was once a student of Monomon the Teacher, but after she sealed herself in a dream state, he wandered away from Hallownest, losing all of his memories, until he wandered back in by chance, and spends most of the game slowly regaining them. Then finally, once he aids the Knight in defeating Uumuu and allowing it to put an end to Monomon's dream, he disappears entirely, either having left Hallownest once again, or having perished.

* The Hunter recalls its younger days as it talks about Funglings. What starts off as a heartwarming and casual narration suddenly turns grim as the Hunter subtly tells you that he is now the LastOfHisKind.

* When you first enter the Crystal Cavern, you meet Myla, a sweet miner bug with a stutter who loves to sing while she digs. However, over the course of the game, Myle slowly succumbs to the Infection. First, you can no longer hear her sing as you walk in, as she's just standing there, swaying back and forth while mumbling her song's lyrics to herself. Eventually, she'll completely succumb and become hostile, forcing you to kill her, which lets you listen to the lovely sound of her screaming in agony as she dies. Dream Nailing her before killing her reveals that she's still singing her song in her head...

** Ending 5 (Delicate Flower): The EldritchAbomination from the "Embrace the Void" ending takes form, [[ChekovsGun but a drop of Void lands on the Delicate Flower that was given to the Godseeker]]. The abomination attempts to escape, but both it and the Godseeker are completely annihilated in a burst of white light, only leaving the flower behind.

** Ending 5 (Delicate Flower): The EldritchAbomination from the "Embrace the Void" ending takes form, but a drop of Void lands on the Delicate Flower that was given to the Godseeker. The abomination attempts to escape, but both it and the Godseeker are completely annihilated in a burst of white light, only leaving the flower behind.

* The White Lady, completely blind to the world (literally), simply sitting and waiting within her home for so long, the Great Knight defending her has perished. And what's more, you are her creation, but she does not speak affectionately to you, as you are merely an empty shell filled with the Void, created to combat the Infection.

** Even before that, as the Broken Vessel is defeated, the infection explodes out of it, giving the Broken Vessel a brief moment to [[DyingAsItself die as an ordinary bug]]. You can even see for a short while that this vessel tries to drag itself and approach its sibling Knight just before dying, seemingly pleading for help.

** Completing the notoriously difficult and aptly named optional Path of Pain in the White Palace treats you to a small scene of the Pale King sitting alongside a young version of the vessel. The painful implications are that though the King created the vessel with no other intention than to use it to contain the plague, he nevertheless came to treat it as his son and had it by his side for a good while. The King may well be responsible for causing the vessel to develop a mind and will of its own.
** The above has even worse implications. After the Radiance was sealed away, its only way to assert its influence was via lingering memories, typically through dreams. You eventually encounter and confront it in the dreamworld of the vessel. How did the vessel, which was supposed to be an empty tool to contain the plague, come to dream? Because the Pale King treated it as if it was his own son for a while (and technically it is), causing it to start dreaming about a life it was never destined to have. This gave the Radiance a foothold within the very tool supposed to contain it, causing the vessel to fail in sealing the plague, slowly succumbing to it and with it, all of Hallownest.

* The Seer is the [[LastofHisKind last living moth]]: all the others have died by the time the game begins. While that is sad enough, her situation gets worse. Thanks to a combination of how they contributed to Hallownest's fall (due to their worship of the Radiance) and the moths' guilt towards turning against their original god, she's given up on the moths's legacy. When the Seer is done giving the Knight the tools to solve the problem she believes her people are responsible for creating, she openly asks the Knight, and the player, to forget that they existed, thus killing the moths forever.

* The Seer is the [[LastofHisKind last living moth]]: all the others have died by the time the game begins. While that is sad enough, her situation gets worse. Thanks to a combination of how they contributed to Hallownest's fall (due to their worship of the Radiance) and the moths's guilt towards turning against their original god, she's given up on the moths's legacy. When the Seer is done giving the Knight the tools to solve the problem she believes her people are responsible for creating, she openly asks the Knight, and the player, to forget that they existed, thus killing the moths forever.

** The reason the Hollow Knight was infected. Objectively it should have succeeded at containing the Infection indefinitely, but it had "an idea instilled" by the Pale King as he raised it to adulthood: [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe a bond with its father.]] And that "[[VirtueIsWeakness impurity]]" was all the Radiance needed to sink its hooks into it and corrupt the Vessel when the time came to seal it away. In other words, the Hollow Knight failed because it dared to feel emotion for another being. As if that's not bad enough, the Hollow Knight has [[DummiedOut cut Dream Nail dialogue]]. Most of it is the voice of the Radiance whispering of its return or to "kill the usurper" through its puppet, but there is one painful exception.