The Most Tragic Characters In FromSoftware’s Soulsborne Games

FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games are famous for their sad and haunting stories, populated by deeply tragic characters. Players often find themselves compelled to uncover every bit of lore hidden within the games, carefully reading item descriptions and collecting documents scattered throughout the complex worlds. What makes these stories even more heartbreaking is that many of these tragic figures are bosses the player is forced to defeat, even if they’d prefer to show mercy.

I’ve put together a list of characters from the Souls games – Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls, Elden Ring, and all their DLCs – who just have these incredibly sad stories. Some of these backstories are really hidden, and you’d only find them if you went out of your way to do specific quests. I even threw in one character from Sekiro because their story is just that powerful and heartbreaking. And hey, if any of these tragic bosses are giving you trouble, I’ve included links to some helpful guides to give you a hand.

The Guardian Ape

Died Once, Twice, Or Thrice?

NPC Type: Mandatory Boss
Location: Sunken Valley Passage

We often forget that animals other than humans can experience profound sadness. Many players find the fight against the Guardian Ape in Sekiro to be more funny than challenging. He looks silly and even throws feces, so he doesn’t initially seem like a tragic figure. But if you look closer, you’ll find a creature who has suffered a devastating loss – not only the death of his partner, whose skeleton is found nearby, but also a loss of his own identity.

Deep within the Sunken Valley, a sorrowful, parasite-ridden man cares for a Lotus of the Palace. He’s heartbroken and hopes to find a new companion, using the lotus’s fragrance to attract them. His story is pieced together from item details and scattered lore, like the remnants of the Headless Ape. If you meet him again, he’s found a new mate, but he’s still headless from your previous fight and likely controlled by a parasite. It seems this ape has even found a strange, undead romance… only to be defeated by Sekiro once more. He really can’t seem to catch a break.

Margit The Fell Omen & Morgott The Omen King

Last Of All Kings

NPC Type: Demigod Boss
Location: Royal Capital, Leyndell

From the moment you meet him, Margit feels like a tragic figure haunted by the past. Though he looks old and worn, he’s a surprisingly agile and dangerous fighter. He fiercely guards the Erdtree, even though the other demigods have turned their backs on him. His boss fight is incredibly challenging, but it hides a secret: he’s actually Morgott, the Omen King.

Man, Morgott’s story is just heartbreaking. He’s one of Queen Marika’s kids, but basically cast aside because of some bad omens at birth – it’s like a family curse! In the Golden Order, being born with those omens means you’re considered unworthy and can’t ever return to the Erdtree after you die. It’s so unfair! He and his brother Mohg were even thrown into this awful place called the Shunning Grounds. You can piece together his whole tragic story by reading the descriptions of the runes and items you find throughout the game. If you’re struggling with the boss fight, I found this awesome guide by TopMob that really helped me out!

Rosaria, Mother Of Rebirth

Goddess Of The Rosaria’s Fingers covenant

NPC Type: Respec NPC
Location: Cathedral of the Deep

Rosaria is a sorrowful, maternal character found in FromSoftware games, known as the Mother of Rebirth. Her story is shrouded in mystery, beginning with the tale that her first child silenced her by removing her tongue, and she’s been waiting for their return ever since. Players can seek her out to be ‘reborn,’ but this requires offering a Pale Tongue, and completing this exchange will unfortunately lock you out of progressing with certain other quests.

Ringfinger Leonhard will tell you about Rosaria and suggest joining her covenant, but she’s surprisingly easy to overlook. She’s hidden in a unique chamber within the Cathedral, decorated like a nursery with many baby bassinets. You only need to visit this shrine to use her rebirth services, discover more of the story, or simply explore everything the game has to offer. The chamber is filled with strange, worm-like creatures called Man Grubs, and Rosaria is often seen holding one. It seems these creatures are followers who have been reborn repeatedly.

Messmer The Impaler

Serious Mother Issues

NPC Type: Demigod Boss
Location: Specimen Storehouse, Shadow Keep

Messmer demonstrates that a character can be both terrifyingly cruel and deeply tragic. While his actions – and those of his army – committed during a religious crusade are unforgivable, his devotion to his mother and hints of self-loathing make him a surprisingly complex villain. The devastation caused by Messmer is still felt throughout the Lands Between, mirroring the cycle of vengeance and violence initiated by Markia.

Messmer is a key character in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and his story is revealed through descriptive text throughout the game. He’s a tragic figure, cursed at birth due to his mother’s actions and then cast aside despite remaining devoted to her. During his boss fight, he even apologizes to her for breaking the seal that hid his true form. If you’re looking for help defeating Messmer the Impaler, TopMob has a useful guide.

The Victims Of The Blood Moon

In A Way, Isn’t Everyone A Victim Of The Blood Moon?

NPC Type: It varies. Arianna and Iosefka are friendly NPCs, and there is a hostile version of Queen Yharnam in the Chalice Dungeons.
Location: Multiple.

It’s difficult to group these characters together, but doing so avoids making this list overwhelmingly about Bloodborne. Even without including the Orphan of Kos and Father Gehrman, the entire game revolves around themes of birth and pregnancy. A famous line from the game, “When the red moon hangs low, the line between man and beast is blurred. And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child,” directly references the Great Ones impregnating women without their knowledge.

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The Blood Moon’s most notable victims include Queen Yharnam, Arianna, and Iosefka. We find Iosefka protecting people inside the hospital, but she refuses to let anyone enter, prioritizing their safety. Sadly, she is killed and replaced by a fanatic who believes she’s carrying the child of a Great One. Arianna, a woman working in the Cathedral Ward, also suffers a terrible fate. She becomes pregnant with the offspring of a Great One and either dies at the hands of the jealous nun Adella, or descends into madness while giving birth to a monstrous creature.

Okay, so playing through Bloodborne, the story of Yharnam and the Pthumerian Queen really hit me. It’s heartbreaking – she’s the first one we see who had her baby, Mergo, literally taken from her. You can find her wandering near his room, and you can just feel her pain. Her dress is covered in blood, and honestly, she’s just a tragic figure. But let me tell you, don’t let that fool you – she’s an absolute beast of a boss in the Chalice Dungeons! Seriously, she’s terrifying.

The Great Grey Sif And Artorias The Abysswalker

A Man And His Dog

NPC Type: Mandatory Bosses
Location: Sif is in Darkroot Garden, and Artorias can be found in Oolacile Township.

Players of Dark Souls likely expected to see the Great Grey Wolf, Sif, on this list. It’s heartbreaking to fight such a noble creature, especially one wielding a massive sword! Sif’s story is deeply tied to his unwavering loyalty to Artorias. They were a powerful team, and even when Artorias fell to corruption, their bond remained strong. In the end, Artorias used the last of his power to save Sif, ensuring his friend’s survival.

You can’t avoid fighting the boss, Sif. It’s a tough encounter where players feel powerless because they have to defeat him to continue. Some players try completing the optional DLC content beforehand, hoping to find a way to spare Sif – maybe by saving Atorias. However, even if you free Atorias, all that happens is Sif acknowledges it briefly in a cutscene. Unfortunately, the fight with Sif still happens as usual.

Father Gascoigne And His Family

Hunter Versus Hunter

NPC Type: Gascoigne is a mandatory boss and summon for the Cleric Beast fight if defeated first.
Location: Central Yharnam

We’ve highlighted some of the more obscure tragic characters in Soulsborne games, but certain stories are impossible to ignore. The tale of Father Gascoigne and his family, presented early in Bloodborne, immediately establishes the game’s intense violence and how the city of Yharnam’s madness destroys families. As the first required boss, Gascoigne is a former hunter, and his story is a heartbreaking one that deserves a closer look, though a full explanation is too detailed for this discussion.

As a fan, piecing together Gascoigne’s story is just heartbreaking. You learn about what happened through little details – like the Music Box his daughter gives you through their window. It’s meant to distract him during the boss fight, but it hints at so much more. It turns out he accidentally killed his wife, and his kids were left alone, crying for her. Then, you find out his daughter went looking for her mom and… well, she was found dead near a ladder. It’s a really tragic backstory. I remember back in 2015, people were sharing guides on how to beat him, but knowing why he’s so broken just makes the fight even harder.

Yhorm The Giant

The Cruel Fate Of A Gentle Giant

NPC Type: Mandatory Boss
Location: Profaned Capital

Yhorm, despite being a giant – a race often seen as unintelligent and inferior – was entrusted with protecting the capital. He was also a descendant of a cruel former ruler, but he didn’t share that same wickedness. The story of the Storm Ruler sword reveals that Yhorm once wielded two of them. He gave one to the humans who didn’t trust him, and entrusted the other to a close friend before accepting his destiny as a Lord of Cinder.

The gentle giant willingly gave his sword to the people, even though it meant they could kill him – a testament to his kindness. He entrusted another sword to his friend, Siegward, with a solemn request: to end his life if the giant ever succumbed to corruption. When players encounter Siegward of Catarina, the moment has come for him to fulfill that promise. Despite being hurt by those he tried to protect, Yhorm sacrificed himself to save them, even from their own resentment. This is another guide from TopMob to help you defeat the Yhorm boss.

2026-02-24 14:39