Multiple endings

Some games in the Final Fantasy series have multiple or secret endings, the ending depending on the player's actions taken during the game. These can be as simple as minor adjustments to the final story scenes to reflect variable outcomes earlier in the game, or as drastic as entirely different conclusions to the story.
==Appearances==
===Final Fantasy IV: The After Years===
The ending sequence is modified depending on who is alive during the Final Tale:
*The Eblan Four can die during their missions. If a save file containing the death of one or more of them is loaded into the Final Tale, or if Edge's Tale is not loaded into the Final Tale, the scenes featuring said characters in the ending will be cut. This outcome cannot happen in the 3D remake since the game gives a continue if a character falls in battle.
*If Calca and Brina are not repaired at the end of Rydia's Tale, or if Rydia's Tale is not loaded into the Final Tale, they will not appear in the ending. Calca and Brina always appear in the ending of the 3D remake, as the player automatically fights two Quarto Puppets to repair them in Rydia's Tale.
*At the end of the Subterrane, the party is attacked by Cecil's Dark Knight doppelganger. Golbez takes a hit meant for his younger brother, giving Cecil the will to fight on. If both Ceodore and Rosa are in the party with Golbez and Cecil, then Golbez will survive the battle. If only one of them or neither of them is in the party, Golbez will die, and the scene with him at Mount Ordeals will be cut.
*In the ending, if Asura and Leviathan were not saved in the Subterrane, they will be revived along with any other defeated Eidolons.
===Final Fantasy V===
The ending sequence depends on who is left alive at the end of the final battle. If everyone is left alive, the Warriors of Light return to their lives in their new world, and Krile sends a letter to Mid Previa about what has been going on since the final battle. The Warriors of Light meet up at the Great Forest of Moore and embark on another adventure to keep on protecting the crystals of the world.
If one or more characters are Knocked Out at the end of the final battle, they will not be able to leave the Void and will be left behind. The ending progresses as normal, but the other characters are mourning for their lost comrade(s) and wonder if they were swallowed into the Void, and the writer of the letter depends on who survived, with the following priority: Bartz, Lenna, Faris and Krile. Krile only writes the letter if everyone survived, or if she is the only survivor.
When Mid and Cid read the letter, various scenes are depicted as told by the writer:
*The writer of the letter has arrived at the Castle of Bal and visits various towns to see how the world is recovering.
*When visiting the Moogle Village, the moogles dance around Krile if she survived, but if they are visited by someone else they sit still.
*The scenes at the Castle Tycoon depend on whether Lenna/Faris/neither survived the final battle. If both survived, the chancellor is happy to have both princesses back, but Faris is worried about the pirates and leaves the castle. If only Lenna survived, the chancellor is happy and does not seem to care about Faris's fate, although Lenna hopes to see Faris again one day. If only Faris survived, the chancellor is sad that Lenna did not return and Faris hopes Lenna will come back. If neither princess survived, the chancellor is very busy, hoping the princesses will return.
*The scenes at Bal depend on whether Krile survived. If she did, the castle is in disarray over the fact that there is no one to succeed the throne, and Krile jokes with a moogle that she will be queen. If Krile did not survive, the castle worries that there is no heir, and a moogle hopes Krile will return.
*If Lenna survived but Bartz did not, she reminisces at the roof of Tycoon castle, knowing that her father still watches over her. If Faris survived but neither Bartz nor Lenna did, she is the one to recall the memories of her father.
*If Bartz survived, he visits his parents' grave and says that he will stay with them until he decides to continue his journey. In the Pirates' Hideout, Koko gives birth to her and Boko's children. If Bartz did not survive, Koko gives birth to her and Boco's children, but outside, Boko is sad that Bartz is gone.
*If everyone survived, Krile and her wind drake sit on the North Mountain cliff, and Krile plans to go to where Galuf rests in peace. If someone did not return, the remaining party, Boko, and Krile's wind drake sit on the mountain and plan to visit the memorial site of their lost comrades.
*Cid finishes the letter. If everyone survived, he thinks of each of them, but if someone did not, he will only think of them, and not those who actually returned. The reminiscences are in the following order: Bartz, Lenna, Faris, Krile.
The remaining Light Warriors gather at the Guardian Tree. If everyone survived, Krile lays flowers in memory of Galuf, when Bartz, Lenna and Faris jump out to cheer her up. If someone did not survive, the letter writer lays down the flowers but is sad. The Warriors of Dawn appear and bring back any lost party members, saying it is not their time yet to join them, and the four are once again reunited. In every ending, the four embark on a new quest to travel the world.
If no one dies in the final battle on the mobile/Steam version, the player gains the achievement "The Real Letter".
===Final Fantasy VI===
The ending sequence depicting the escape from Kefka's Tower depends on whom the player has recruited in the World of Ruin by the time they defeat the final boss. Celes, Edgar, and Setzer are the only mandatory members, and Terra will appear after the battle to take part in the ending, regardless of whether she was recruited. The more party members the player has, the more ending sequences they get, and the content of the ending sequences varies slightly depending on who is included. The absence of certain characters may have an effect on another character's ending if the two share a close connection: Celes's ending is different without Locke, Edgar's ending is different without Sabin, and Relm's ending is different without Strago.
*Cyan saves Edgar by using a machine despite his technophobia.
*Edgar is saved by Sabin from being crushed by a falling girder. If Sabin was not re-recruited into the party, Setzer, Celes and Edgar work together to move the large steel girder that was about to fall on Edgar aside. Edgar notes his brother's absence and wishes they had him and his strength to help them.
*Mog and Edgar escape Kefka's Tower together, but the floor collapses and Mog is left hanging over a pit. Edgar uses a crane to pull him to safety, but Mog is irritated when Edgar grabs him by his pom-pom, grumbling that he is no stuffed toy.
*Umaro crushes some rocks to open up a passage.
*Gogo mimics Celes as she presses switches, because they open in a set. When they leave the room, Gogo, while still trying to mimic Celes's moves, goes to the right and comically falls into a pit.
*Gau finds several "shortcuts" to help the party get away, throwing party members off cliffs while he skillfully climbs down.
*Celes drops Locke's bandanna that she had been holding onto. She returns to retrieve it, and Locke saves her, saying, "I won't let go, I promise". If Locke was not recruited back into the party, Setzer instead dives to save Celes, reminding her she promised to perform the Maria scene from the opera for him. Celes comments how the bandana is her good-luck-charm and mentions how she hopes Locke will be there to look out for her in the future.
*Relm would like to paint a traditional, non-magic painting of Strago using a real canvas, but if Strago was not recruited back into the party, then Relm, stuck on a conveyor belt, is passed along by Celes, Setzer, and Edgar. She threatens to paint their portraits, saying, "You can't just throw me aside!" and they return to help her.
*Shadow says "Baram... It looks like I can finally stop running... Come and find me all right?" Shadow remains in Kefka's Tower as everyone else, including his dog Interceptor, returns to the Falcon.
*Strago struggles catching the crane to get back onboard the Falcon, but pulls it off with a little nudge from Relm.
All characters recruited to the party in the World of Ruin are present aboard the Falcon during the ending, with the sole exception being Shadow. While not visible for most of the ending, Gogo and Umaro can be seen at the rear of the airship in the final shot that pans from the airship's bow to its stern.
===Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-===
By collecting all three G Reports during the game, the player can unlock a secret ending that shows "G" awakening in a flooded cavern and recovering Weiss's body, which was left there after the destruction of Omega.
===Final Fantasy IX===
The player can unlock an extra scene in the ending by having the Hammer in the inventory during the ending sequences. The Hammer is the final prize from Queen Stella during the Stellazzio coins sidequest. The extra scene shows an additional part of the I Want to Be Your Canary play where Baku as King Leo "executes" Blank.
===Final Fantasy X-2===
The standard ending, from defeating the final boss, features Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai holding a speech at the Luca theater about Spira's future, while Yuna, Rikku, and Paine fly away on the Celsius.
If the player loses the final battle against Vegnagun, it will destroy Spira. For this to occur, rather than simply meeting normal Game Over conditions, the player must fail to defeat Vegnagun within the time allowed, which is not specified on-screen, but is a rather lengthy period which gives Vegnagun's primary weapon time to power up. Throughout this time, the player will receive encouragement and warnings from Jecht, Lord Braska and Auron; as time runs shorter, the warnings will become more urgent.
A series of actions taken during the game will affect the additional cutscenes that take place before, or after, the standard ending.
If, after getting the "Chapter 5 Complete" message, the player presses ( in the Japanese version) Tidus will whistle at Yuna while she is crossing the Farplane glen. If the player missed either talking to Maechen in Chateau Leblanc in Chapter 3 or did not trigger Tidus's whistle at the Farplane when Yuna fell in at the end of Chapter 3, the player gets a scene where Tidus's spirit embraces Yuna, Yuna says that she loves him, and that he will always be a part of her. Tidus's spirit then disperses into pyreflies and disappears. The standard ending plays afterwards.
If the player talked to Maechen in Chateau Leblanc in Chapter 3, got Tidus to whistle four times in the Farplane at the end of Chapter 3, and pressed after the "Chapter 5 Complete" message to trigger Tidus's whistle, Bahamut's fayth appears in the glen asking Yuna if she wants to see Tidus again.
If answered positively, Tidus will reunite with Yuna in Besaid in an additional FMV cinematic after the credits. If answered negatively, Yuna says Tidus is already with her and walks away from the glen. The ending plays as normal, and Tidus does not return, but the player gets an extra scene after the credits where two monkeys sit in the sunset in Zanarkand.
If the player achieves 100% completion, and Yuna tells the fayth she wants to see Tidus again, there is an extra secret ending where Tidus and Yuna travel to Zanarkand together with the reassurance that this time, he will not disappear.
Completing the Creature Creator has an exclusive ending that is a spoof on the Final Fantasy X opening scene. A group of fiends gather by the campfire in Zanarkand during sunset, with the Brotherhood, Wakka's blitzball, and Yuna's staff on the side as Shinra stands on the cliff overlooking the ruins. The creatures think about Shinra studying them, and they suggest that he was searching for someone, maybe his mother. Shinra then says "Thank You" and waves to the player as the scene ends.
FFX-2 bad ending spira destroyed.jpg|Spira destroyed in the bad ending.
FFX-2 sad ending.jpg|Yuna only meets Tidus's spirit in the sad ending.
FFX-2 monkey ending.jpg|"The monkey ending".
FFX-2_YRP_Normal_Ending.png|YRP fly back to Besaid in the normal ending.
Tidus and Yuna reunited.jpg|Tidus and Yuna reunited in the good ending.
Tidus and Yuna in zanarkand.jpg|Tidus and Yuna at Zanarkand in the 100% completion ending.
FFX-2_Yuna_in_Zanarkand_Ending.jpg|Yuna standing in Tidus's spot in Zanarkand in the perfect ending.
===Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings===
If the player completes all missions and defeats the final boss at 100% completion, they get a secret ending after the credits where Vaan and Penelo run away from Rabanastre together and briefly kiss, suggesting a romantic connection. They are chased by the initial crew of the Galbana (Filo, Kytes and Tomaj), who want to tag along, summoning Yarhi to stop them while Vaan protests that this is an "adventure" for a sky pirate and his partner, carrying Penelo away. Incidentally, Penelo is waiting for Vaan in the same spot Mydia was waiting for Velis before the war three years ago.
===Final Fantasy XIII-2===
The normal ending features Serah dying from her Eyes of Etro prior to Noel and Hope witnessing the synthesis of Nova Chrysalia while a crystallized Lightning sits on Etro's throne with a screen reading, "To Be Continued". In the downloadable episode "Lightning's Story: Requiem of the Goddess", the player can get an extra scene of Lightning waking up from crystal stasis hundreds of years in the future if they beat Caius with a five star battle rating.
There are eight additional paradox endings, scenes viewed by making certain choices at different stages of the game. They do not change the overall structure of the plot, being only hidden "goodies". Witnessing all possible endings earns the "Anomalous" achievement/trophy.
Obtaining all fragments and paradox endings unlocks a secret ending scene, with a revived Caius declaring he will create a world without a goddess where he and Yeul are freed from the goddess's gifts as he unleashes the chaos on Gran Pulse.
===Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII===
Failure to complete all main quests before the last day results in the bad ending. A huge explosion destroys Nova Chrysalia, the screen fades to black and a clock sigil strikes 12 as the caption And so the world ends... appears and fades into the GAME OVER screen.
The standard ending has Lightning and friends defeat Bhunivelze and use the power of the crystal left over from the closing portal to the unseen realm to migrate to a new world.
Additionally, if enough quests are completed to unlock day 14, an epilogue shows Lightning, dressed in casual modern clothes, step off a train in a countryside on a peaceful journey to reunite with one of her friends.
===Final Fantasy XIV===
In A Realm Reborn, the ending after defeating the Ultima Weapon and Lahabrea at the Praetorium will be slightly different depending if the player character has completed 1.0 or is a newly created one for 2.0. If the player has completed 1.0, the Mothercrystal will make the Scions and the leaders of the Eorzean Alliance remember the player is the Warrior of Light from five years ago, who has survived the Calamity. If the player character is new in 2.0, that scene does not take place.
In Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, the Hydatos expedition will finish the sidestory arc of the Forbidden Land of Eureka by forcing the player to choose between two possible endings. If choosing Ejika's path, he will sacrifice his life to destroy the primal Eureka. If choosing Krile's path, Ejika will be convinced to seal the primal so they can investigate another way to destroy it. After completing The Baldesion Arsenal, the other choice will be attained, resulting in Ejika being retrieved from the lifestream or Eureka being destroyed, respectively.
===Final Fantasy XV===
The current ending cutscene is a reworked version of the original, and uses different shots of Eos when the sun returns with a different timing.
The 1.00 version has a different campfire ending: the camera panned up into the black sky and the screen turned black upon Noctis's line "What can I say? You guys are the best,".https://youtu.be/YMfjlRerE_E?t=24m50s A scene was added in the 1.02 patch where Noctis stands up from his chair to address the others, the camera focuses on his face for the first sentence, and blacks out after "You guys".https://youtu.be/l5yMPi0r15U?t=26m50s
The photo left on the throne after Noctis's passing, and the same photo he hands to Lunafreya Nox Fleuret at the wedding, depends on which photo the player chooses from their album right before the final battle. In 1.00, Lunafreya cried when she looked at the photo, and her gaze lingered for longer, only looking away when Noctis touched her face. In the current ending, she only smiles and does not look sad.
Noctis-Ending-Camp-FFXV.png|Noctis in the extended ending.
Luna-Ending-Cry-FFXV.gif|Lunafreya's tear in the v1.00 ending.
====Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis====
The episode has three endings. In the canon ending, Ignis spurns Ardyn Izunia's request to join him, and protects Noctis by gaining power from the Ring of the Lucii at the cost of permanently losing his vision. When Noctis awakes days later, Ignis asks him to quit the journey, now knowing Noctis's ultimate fate should he attain the crown of the True King. Noctis refuses, as quitting would render all the sacrifices other people had suffered for his sake meaningless, and Ignis accepts his answer, ready to support Noctis until the end.
In Verse 2 Ignis accepts Ardyn's bid to join him and is taken to Zegnautus Keep. Upon learning of Ardyn's true identity and goal, Ignis declares that the world means nothing to him if it means losing Noctis. Ignis gains the power of the the Ring of the Lucii for the price of his own life and fights Ardyn. If he loses, the player gets the Game Over ending, where Ardyn gloats that everything is going according to his plan, and Ignis mourns he must die alone. If Ignis wins, Ardyn simply disappears. The dying Ignis is found by Noctis, Gladiolus and Prompto, who had been brought to the Keep by Ravus Nox Fleuret. In this version of the events, the train ride through Niflheim never happens, and Prompto is never captured.
Noctis asks for the Crystal's power to save Ignis. He takes the ring and walks into the Crystal, and while he sleeps in its core for ten years, the others return to Lucis. When Noctis returns ten years later he and his retinue head to Insomnia where Ravus joins them in facing Ardyn in the throne room. They appear to have succeeded in killing Ardyn, as light returns to the world. Yet, Noctis does not die, continuing to rule Lucis from the Citadel. Whether this means the prophecy of the True King has been fulfilled, or if Ardyn's immortal soul still lingers and the Starscourge can yet return, is unknown.
Episode-Ignis-Ending-FFXV.png|Normal ending where Ignis supports Noctis to become the True King.
Episode-Ignis-Bad-Ending-FFXV.png|Bad ending where Ignis dies alone.
Ignis-Healed-Episode-Ignis-FFXV.png |Verse 2 ending.
====Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn====
The ending sequence has two versions, depending on the player's choice to either submit to fate or defy it. Should Ardyn choose to defy Bahamut's ruling to become a vessel for the Starscourge to serve the True King's purpose, Bahamut conjures Aera Mirus Fleuret who helps shackle and subdue him. Once Bahamut binds him with his swords, Aera repeatedly stabs Ardyn with the Trident of the Oracle, declaring that Ardyn's defiance of the gods is futile, as all on Eos is preordained and no human can survive without the blessing of the divine.
Should Ardyn choose to submit to fate, after Ardyn reluctantly accepts Bahamut's task for him, he demands to know if either Somnus or Aera knew about this but receives no answer, leaving him to scream in anguish over the betrayals of the two people he once held dear.
Although the endings have no greater impact on the game at large, the events of Final Fantasy XV canonically follow the ending in which Ardyn submits to his fate. Final Fantasy XV -The Dawn of the Future- describes an alternate history that follows from the ending of this episode in which Ardyn chooses to defy his fate.
====Final Fantasy XV: Comrades====
If the player found and defeated Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto, they get a bonus scene for the ending where Noctis and his friends lament on the Glaives' sacrifice of protecting Angelgard and Lucis during Noctis's ten-year absence, and keeping hope alive in wait for his return as the True King.
===Final Fantasy Type-0===
The standard ending features Class Zero accepting their inevitable deaths, due to sacrificing their lives to bring down the Rursan Arbiter. Machina and Rem arrive some time later to find Class Zero passed away and gathered around the monument they built for themselves, and they resolve to honor the legacy of their friends.
If the player accepts the Vermilion Bird Crystal's offer of becoming l'Cie a short way into the final mission, Class Zero will be sent out to fight an endless onslaught of Rursan Reavers, where they eventually perish. Orience is destroyed, and Arecia bids "goodnight" until the world is reborn once more. The player receives a Game Over from choosing this option.
Completing the game unlocks additional cutscenes, which can be viewed from the Annals of Orience section of the Rubicus. The "Chapter of Truth", available after the first playthrough, features the events leading to the ending as witnessed by Arecia, Tiz, and Lean Joker, causing Arecia to release Machina and Rem from crystal stasis. "In Another Spiral" is unlocked after completing a second playthrough, and features an alternate scenario where the members of Class Zero are depicted as normal high school students, set to "Colorful - Falling in Love".
"Rise from the Ashes", exclusive to the HD release, is unlocked after completing the first playthrough. It is set to "Utakata" and depicts Ace being revived in a feudal Japan-like environment and is followed by the staff credits for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.
FFT0 Class Zero Ending.png|The standard ending of Final Fantasy Type-0.
FFT0_Tiz_and_Joker.png|Tiz and Lean Joker in the "Chapter of Truth".
FFT0_Rem_What_If.png|Rem in the final scene of "In Another Spiral".
Type_0_Ace.jpg|Ace in "Rise from the Ashes".
===Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)===
If the player obtains all the Chaos and Cosmos Reports a secret ending is unlocked where Cosmos is revealed to be alive and well, and discusses the future of World B with Cid of the Lufaine.
====Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy====
Further explanation is given about the aforementioned scene as Cosmos resigns to remain in the dying world after the events of Dissidia as she wishes Cid the best of luck.
===World of Final Fantasy===
There are two endings, considered a "bad ending" and a "good ending." Playing through and beating the game normally actually unlocks the bad ending, which is an essential condition for continuing to unlock the game's good ending.
In the first time playing through the game, Reynn and Lann, not understanding the true nature of their actions, charge ahead into the final dungeon, Castle Exnine, and confront Brandelis the Exnine Knight, Lann ultimately sacrificing himself and sealing them both together in a cage. Reynn, returned to Nine Wood Hills by Tama, is left devastated by her brother's state, trying to get forget her pain by watching television in a vegetative state, but always troubled. The game's credits are set to the song "Silent World," a sad song performed by Tama's Japanese voice actress, Ayana Taketatsu. At the end of the credits, Reynn gives a shouted "No!" as she can no longer accept the events of the game's ending as they happened.
Tama then appears before her as Tamamohimé the fox, offering to sacrifice her remaining nine lives in exchange for rewinding the clock. Not realizing who Tamamohimé is, Reynn agrees and finds herself back before the final dungeon with Lann, but now also with Serafie, who has taken Tama's place in their journey. Revealing little of what she knows, Lann says that they cannot yet take on Brandelis and devises a new plan. The two collect more Mirages and continue to participate in Interventions, eventually discovering a way to restore Tama. Once prepared, they confront the final battle in a new way, this time falling into the Ultima Gate with Brandelis. The final credits feature a dance party of the Final Fantasy characters, set to an upbeat JPop tune "World Parade," performed by the Japanese voice actresses of Enna Kros, Tama and Serafie.
If the player achieves the requirements for the "Turn Those Corners Up" trophy, then following the closing credits, they will receive a brief scene in which two Prisms arrive in Grymoire. Lann comments "Don't you hate it when you say your good-byes and then find out you're not leaving?" and Reynn says that Grymoire never gets old. If the player saves their progress, then they are returned to Nine Wood Hills, where it is now possible to remove both characters from stacks and fight using only Mirages, as Lann and Reynn have themselves returned in Mirage form. The player is then granted access to the game's bonus dungeons. This is considered the game's true ending.
==See also==
*The End (term)
*Game Over
==Citations==
Category:Recurring