Although no one knows what direction its plot will take yet, Final Fantasy 16 could end in tragedy with Clive's death. Its recent demo revealed some of the broader strokes of the plot, culminating in the inciting incident that sparks the rest of the story. There's a lot to speculate on in the first couple of hours of the game, even if most of the story cutscenes pertain to time skips and exposition dumps. It all makes for a thorough bit of setup, but the payoff will remain a mystery until after release.
FF16 casts off the series' reputation for being juvenile at times, focusing on an older protagonist undergoing harrowing experiences. Showing firsthand the brutality of war, FF16 has already killed off a couple of major characters. With so much story yet to be revealed, it wouldn't be too shocking to see a higher death toll throughout. Still, just because the protagonist and setting are more mature doesn't necessarily mean they have to end in calamity. However, Clive's characterization, along with some plot details in trailers and the first hours of the demo, suggest that may be the case.
Clive May Die In FF16
FF16 may end with Clive's death, which would primarily be an effective way for it to communicate its message about the horrors of war. Players follow Clive over multiple stages of his life in FF16, watching him grow from a young, determined boy into a grizzled, regretful war veteran. It's a classically tragic trajectory, and one that could really help send home some of FF16's anti-war themes. Just how it’ll all end, though, is open to interpretation.
FF16 May End With Clive Losing Control Of The Eikons
Clive's greatest source of power may also prove to be his undoing in FF16. Throughout the game, Clive will commune with various Eikons, powerful spirits summoned to turn the tide of battle. However, the Eikons are often seen to be just as destructive as they are protective. Trailers have repeatedly portended woe for Dominants, those who can summon Eikons; in Final Fantasy 16's "Revenge" trailer, Clive muses, "I sometimes wonder if I am controlling it, or if it's controlling me."
Early on, the FF16 demo depicts an extended battle scene in which two Eikons, Shiva and Titan, cause mountains to crumble and kill hundreds indiscriminately. Then, it flashes back to Clive's childhood, where he watches the Eikon Phoenix fully consume Joshua before seemingly summoning Ifrit himself and unintentionally killing his own brother. Between these two sorrowful scenes, the argument that FF16 seems to be presenting is that Eikons are a harmful weapon to which people should not have access. It's hard to think of a more fitting climax to that story than the protagonist, who has relied on the fury of the Eikons to propagate violence throughout his journey, succumbing to the temptation of their power and finally dying.
Clive's Redemption In FF16 May Be A Prelude To Tragedy
Of course, FF16 may just as well see Clive redeemed, but that doesn't preclude him dying at the end, either. It's harder to get players to care about the death of a jaded, violent war veteran - at that point, their death would feel more like karmic retribution than tragedy. However, if that character fights for a cause, and if they've been redeemed for their past misdeeds, their death can strike a more sorrowful chord. Clive seems to be the latter type of character: he's done awful things, and clearly regrets them. If he makes it his life's work to seek his own forgiveness through good deeds, then his sudden death could be a more effective plot point.
Clive has heroic potential - in the "Salvation" trailer for FF16, he and his allies are shown to seek liberation and justice - some, called Bearers, are outcasts on the basis of their ability to use magic without the aid of the Mothercrystals. In that trailer, Clive can be seen and heard devoting himself to his own (and nameless others') salvation.
FF16 may continue to build him up as a martyr, and he may sacrifice himself for the greater good. The same trailer ends with a montage of other voices calling out Clive's name, demonstrating how many people will come to rely on him. To see that journey cut short by any means would be heartbreaking.
FF16's Clive Could Die To Protect Joshua - Or At His Hands
Even though Clive appears to kill Joshua after losing control of Ifrit near the end of the demo, there's plenty of reason to believe he's still alive - not least because of his access to Phoenix's restorative powers. Throughout his younger years, Clive is constantly harping on about his duty to protect his brother Joshua as a Shield. If Joshua is still alive in FF16, then Clive will probably make it his mission to find him. And if there are others who would use Joshua's power to their own end, Clive could lay down his life in order to save his brother's.
FF16 has also already demonstrated the capricious, slippery nature of politics in Valisthea. Clive and Joshua's father, the Archduke Elwin Rosfield, is assassinated by invaders from the once-peaceful Empire of Sanbreque, to whose side their mother has already defected. It's not too much of a stretch to believe that Joshua himself could become a turncoat. He and Clive may later meet on the battlefield not as allies bound by blood, but as sworn enemies.
Joshua himself could kill Clive; although he's only appeared as an innocent child so far in FF16, he's already demonstrated some jealousy toward his brother. Joshua expresses a feeling of insignificance in a demo cutscene, believing people only respect him because of his connection to Phoenix, while Clive earns respect on his own merit. There's also a generous time skip in the game that provides him with plenty of time to develop into a monster. This could even be the "bitter truth" that Clive refers to in his voiceover from the Revenge Trailer.
Ending The Crystals' Legacy Could Cut Off The Rosfield Bloodline In FF16
FF16's plot has repeatedly been summed up with the phrase, "The legacy of the crystals have shaped our history for long enough." All magical power in FF16 appears to relate to these towering, crystalline structures called Mothercrystals. In the demo, Archduke Rosfield explains that their noble bloodline has always relied on the Blessing of the Crystals. Others use the magic of these crystals for mundane purposes, things as simple as drawing water from wells. It's also implied in the "Ambition" trailer that the Mothercrystals' power is fading, causing the blight that rips through the land and leaves ghost towns in its wake.
It would seem that FF16's great nations of Valisthea are only able to thrive because of their exploitation of the Mothercrystals. Clive, as the hero, may seek to put a stop to that. However, that may have an effect on the Rosfield family's power. Whether it merely damages their political standing or actually saps the life from their land and their bodies, an end to the Mothercrystals could also mean an end to Clive.
FF16 May Not End With Another Protagonist's Death
It seems unlikely that the second mainline Final Fantasy game in a row will end with the protagonist's death. Noctis sacrifices himself at the end of FF15, destroying the Starscourge plague that makes Daemons out of people. For that reason alone, Square Enix might've chosen to go for a happier ending to FF16, and it'd be hard to blame them considering the rest of the game looks like a bit of a downer.
However, FF16's different format makes Clive's death a little more likely. FF15 is an open-world game, so Noctis' death at the end necessitates a convoluted plot device in which the player characters travel back in time to keep gameplay going after the credits roll. FF16, however, is far more linear; presumably, it'll end where it ends, and there may not be a post-game. The writers wouldn't have to come up with an excuse for why players can still clean up side quests after the protagonist is dead, further opening up the possibility of Clive's death.
The lack of information on FF16's story means that there are any number of possibilities. The game may well end with Clive's Eikonic death, his martyrdom, or tragedy at the hands of his brother. It may end more triumphantly, with Clive and his allies winning the day and ushering in a new world. Details of the ending won't become clear until Final Fantasy 16 is released on June 22, 2023; until then, players are free to speculate.
