I made a spreadsheet documenting every single named death in the entire game.

[ThreeBeastSmile]

The fact that the expansion revolving around wartime horrors and suffering has ended up dead last for the named persons death tally is just so ironic it's hilarious. I love it.

[Cleretic]

The fact that the expansion revolving around wartime horrors and suffering has ended up dead last for the named persons death tally is just so ironic it's hilarious. I love it.

And that the only reason the 'serious and dark expansion about death' isn't down there with it is because of the side-story written by a guest writer who's going full Strategy RPG levels of bodycount. Meanwhile if you're just counting MSQ, the 'summer vacation' expansion beats them both.

The videos I made on this one do go into why; it's because Stormblood and Shadowbringers go all-in on implied deaths rather than explicit deaths; Stormblood really loved the 'field of nameless bodies' approach where we go through dungeons that logically have a huge bodycount but not by a countable measure, and Shadowbringers just stakes all the emotional weight on one death and leaves the rest to off-screen implications.

[LeCorbeaux]

Since it seems I'm going through all the society quests right now, in the Stormblood kojin quest "A Test of Courage", there's potentially three of them in the solo duty. First the WoL and Kabuto Ironshell kill Shaugi Greatshell, then Kabuto kills General Hirumaki, but Tsukumo gives up his life (as much as that's possible for a kami inhibiting a puppet) to allow him to do so.

[Cleretic]

Since it seems I'm going through all the society quests right now, in the Stormblood kojin quest "A Test of Courage", there's potentially three of them in the solo duty. First the WoL and Kabuto Ironshell kill Shaugi Greatshell, then Kabuto kills General Hirumaki, but Tsukumo gives up his life (as much as that's possible for a kami inhibiting a puppet) to allow him to do so.

So these are difficult ones. Not only are you right and a kami is very difficult to document at all, but Shaugi and Hirumaki actually have the classic 'no confirmation of death, they just fell over'; I can't count characters that didn't have some sort of textual confirmation of death, and these guys just stopped being part of the story after being beaten in a fight.

Plenty of enemies have just turned up again after a boss fight, so I need more confirmation than that. Like someone saying they're dead. Or them exploding.

[LeCorbeaux]

Yeah, I'm not sure for Shaugi, but at least for Hirumaki, the Red Kojin around shout "General Hirumaki has fallen! Retreat! Retreat!" just after he's beaten, so there's that. And the society quests are in general more serious with the tone and consequences than, say, Hildibrand quests. (EDIT: Because I had to look it up to be sure, sadly the original is actually less specific: "(-紅甲羅の雑兵-)ヒルマキ様がァー！？逃げろォー！！".)

[Cleretic]

Yeah, I'm not sure for Shaugi, but at least for Hirumaki, the Red Kojin around shout "General Hirumaki has fallen! Retreat! Retreat!" just after he's beaten, so there's that. And the society quests are in general more serious with the tone and consequences than, say, Hildibrand quests.

Yeah, 'fallen' is not 'dead'. We've had people walk these sorts of things off before; Dr. Lugae is my go-to example, but we've had plenty of others.

Hell, within the realm of society quests, Nhaza'a Jaab gets worse than this and turns up again. He's been presumed dead since Stormblood, but even that's not confirmed enough for my criteria even if I believe it.

[Alleluia]

Yeah, 'fallen' is not 'dead'. We've had people walk these sorts of things off before; Dr. Lugae is my go-to example, but we've had plenty of others.

Hell, within the realm of society quests, Nhaza'a Jaab gets worse than this and turns up again. He's been presumed dead since Stormblood, but even that's not confirmed enough for my criteria even if I believe it.

I was just gonna mention Nhaza'a Jaab actually, but upon further research, he's apparently obliquely referenced in freakin' Endwalker as alive and attempting to kidnap rabbits. I can't believe he's still alive. Its so stupid, I love it. XD

[LeCorbeaux]

More deaths found while finishing up the side quests: We meet Osaulie, a female thief from Brume, near the end of Cold Days, Colder Nights and again in Caught in the Act. Following that, at the start of Unfulfilled Dreams, Brictt informs us that she was found frozen to death. No happy end here, no murder case or conspiracy to uncover, no noble sacrifice, just another orphan who didn't make it.

The game is grim when it wants to.