This article is a list of endings for Chrono Trigger and its remakes.
Methods of Ending the Game
No matter what, all game endings revolve around fighting Lavos. The manner in which you face it and the point in the storyline in which you do changes the ending you see.
There are multiple ways of fighting Lavos:
- The Gate in the bucket (End of Time) - This takes you directly to 1999 AD where you fight Lavos' shell, proceeding afterward into his core.
- The Epoch (non-winged) - 1999 is one of the choices on the dial. This is the same as taking the Gate in the bucket.
- The Epoch (winged) - After the Epoch is equipped with wings by Dalton, the fight with Lavos is effectively cut in half. As you reach 1999, the group (in a fantastic cutscene) pilots the Epoch to impact Lavos' shell, opening up its interior. This destroys the Epoch and also leaves you with no method of escape, forcing you into the final confrontation.
- The Ocean Palace (Antiquity) - This is the only fight with Lavos you can lose and still continue the game, as it is the fight in which Crono is meant to die. After destroying the Ocean Palace, you will face off against Lavos' exterior. He moves twice as fast and hits twice as hard, but can still be beaten.
- The Black Omen (Antiquity / Middle Ages / Present) - After the Black Omen rises from the ocean, you can attack it at any point in time between 12000 BC and 1000 AD. After defeating Queen Zeal, you fight Lavos for real. It is possible to only fight his exterior and then leave via a Gate.
- The right Telepod (Leene Square, Present) - After beating the game and starting a New Game Plus, a new Gate appears in the right-hand Telepod in Leene Square. You can use this to travel directly to the final fight with Lavos at any point in the game. This is necessary to see the developer's ending.
For all but the Ocean Palace, winged Epoch, and Telepod fight modes, there is a Gate that appears in Lavos' interior, granting you a respite before fighting the core.
List of Endings
These endings are listed in the order they appear in the in-game ending browser of Chrono Trigger (DS) with the exception of the bad ending, which is listed first.
Bad Ending: The Apocalypse
Method: Any except Ocean Palace, then lose to Lavos
This ending allows you to witness, in real time, the events recorded on the computer in 2300 AD. Lavos erupts from the ground and sprays flaming spines into the air, which rain down, causing untold destruction. The view shifts to a command center in Arris Dome, where the administrator (assumed to be an ancestor of Doan) watches helplessly as the computer monitors the destruction. The military gives up and flees, and Lavos' fire consumes the world. After this, a sentence appears on the screen in a large font that reads, "But... the future refused to change."
Ending 1: Beyond Time
Method: Any except Ocean Palace, defeating Lavos after re-acquiring Crono using the Chrono Trigger.
We get a scene similar to the start of the game, where the bell rings outside as Crono is awoken in his bed, this time by a soldier. He informs Crono that his stay of execution has been canceled. He goes to Guardia Castle to meet with the king, and Marle pleads on his behalf. However, the king has been made aware of their quest thanks to Lucca. They are then met by a group of people from across time - Kino, King Guardia XXI, and Doan - revealing themselves to be Marle's ancestors and descendants.
Afterward, everyone attends the Moonlight Parade on the last night of the Millennial Fair. Crono, Lucca, and Marle can move around and visit with people in Leene Square. Afterward, they go to the northern square, where the rest of the group awaits near the Telepods, preparing to return to their own times. And with the Gates closing for good, they will likely never see each other again. Ayla returns to Ioka Village, Frog/Glenn returns to the Middle Ages, Robo returns to his Future, and Magus (if you have him) says he will go off in search of Schala.
Afterward, the King presents Marle with a present: Nadia's Bell, which will replace the 400-year-old Leene's Bell.
There are multiple variations to this ending.
Ending 1a: Float Away
Method: Use the winged Epoch to reach Lavos
If you use the Epoch to destroy Lavos' shell, the closing of the Gates means that there is no way to travel through time any longer. Crono and Marle return to the square to see the King hanging up Nadia's Bell. Crono and Marle help him, but get stuck holding the balloons that were transporting the bell. With Crono hanging onto the balloons and Marle in his arms, they float off into the night sky as the credits roll.
Ending 1b: Follow that Cat!!!
Method: Use a different method than the winged Epoch
After saying goodbye to their friends, the Gate begins to close, leaving Crono, Lucca, and Marle in the present. At the last second, however, Crono's cat comes running around the corner, chased by Crono's Mother. She dives into the Gate after the cat, which promptly shuts behind them. Without a moment to lose, Crono runs off to board the Epoch to chase after her.
Ending 1c: Save the Chancellor
Method: Save / don't save the Chancellor from Yakra XIII
Depending on whether or not you rescued the Chancellor during the Rainbow Shell quest, the King will be aided in hanging up the bell by the Chancellor or by Pierre, Crono's lawyer, respectively.
This does not change the ending of the game.
Ending 1d: On that Day, 10 Years Ago
Method: Save Lara Ashtear from being crippled in the accident in 990 AD
This timeline change affects the rest of the game afterward, with Lucca's mother Lara walking around their house doing chores instead of just sitting in her room. This also applies to the ending. If you did not save her legs (or never completed that side quest), Lara will sit quietly by the fountain, with her husband, Taban, trying to cheer her up. If you did save her, she is up and about, begging the now-exhausted Taban to dance with her.
This does not change the ending of the game.
Ending 1e: Revenge for Cyrus
Method: When Frog and Magus face each other on the North Cape, either fight and kill him or spare Magus' life
In the canon ending, Frog spares Magus' life, as killing him will not return Cyrus. Magus joins the group for the rest of the adventure, leaving at the end to search for his sister. However, if you choose to fight Magus in a one-on-one battle and defeat him, Magus' spell that transformed him into a half-human / half-fiend will wear off, but not until the end of the game. (That is, after going through the Black Omen.)
After defeating Lavos, Magus' magic wears off, and Frog turns back into Glenn, who is a tall, muscular man. This is because he aged ten years while in his fiendish form. He bids farewell to the others, preparing to return to the Middle Ages. Lucca and Marle use the opportunity to remark on how handsome Glenn truly is, wishing that he could stay around longer.
(If the player defeats Magus in the one-on-one battle, but defeats Lavos before the Black Omen by using the bucket or telepod) Crono, Marle, and Lucca board the Epoch, and one of the scenes shows Frog transforming at the base of the waterfall in the Denadoro Mountains.
This does not change the ending of the game.
Ending 2: Reunion
Method: Any except Ocean Palace, defeating Lavos after Crono's death but before re-acquiring him
Everyone, save Crono, wakes up at the End of Time. Gaspar tells them they must return to their own times, as Lavos' destruction means that the Gates will soon shut down, trapping them. Marle wants to go back in time to save Crono, but Frog, Robo, and Ayla all wish to return to their own time periods. They leave quickly, too quickly in that Gaspar does not have the opportunity to tell them about the egg-like item he wished to show them. (If you acquired the Chrono Trigger prior to beating Lavos, this part is skipped.)
Marle goes to the Moonlight Parade, which is now being held in her honor. She and Lucca go up to the telepods to reminisce about their adventure. Lucca muses over how she thought Lavos made the gates, but now believes she was wrong. (If you did not wreck Epoch, Lucca says that they should dismantle it.)
Suddenly, the Gate opens in midair, and Robo, Ayla, Frog/Glenn, and Gaspar come exploding out of it. Apparently, the other three were persuing the Guru, asking him to give them the "time egg." He flees back through the gate, the others running after him. Marle demands to know what is going on, and they tell her that the time egg can return Crono. Depending on whether or not the Epoch has been destroyed, she uses either the Gate or Epoch to go after him, leaving her father hanging with the new bell.
(If you acquired the Chrono Trigger before defeating Lavos and crashed the Epoch) The characters leave the Chrono Trigger behind, abdicating the mission to bring Crono back. Marle walks around the Millennial Fair alone, finding Ayla, Robo, and Frog at the site of Leene's bell. They follow Marle to Lucca's telepods. Marle asks Lucca how everyone else got to 1000 AD after returning to their own times before the gates closed. Lucca reveals that she converted the telepod into a time machine. Lucca activates it and Gaspar appears. Gaspar brings the Crono Trigger with him. Lucca and the others go with Gaspar to bring Crono back, Leaving Marle behind to spend time with her father. Marle helps the king hang the bell, but gets caught in the balloons and floats away, landing atop Death Peak.
The scene ends with Marle standing next to the tree atop Death Peak as the sun starts to rise. She sees a familiar silhouette in the distance. She runs off the cliff and into the sky toward him.
Ending 3: The Dream Project
Method: Right Telepod (at the beginning of the game) or Ocean Palace
The most difficult ending to achieve, it can only be won by defeating Lavos at the very beginning of the game using only Crono and possibly Marle or by defeating the double-powered Lavos at the Ocean Palace.
You return to the End of Time, except that there are now people and creatures all over the place, representing the development team for the game. Gaspar invites you to go around and meet everyone who helped develop the game. You can walk around and they will introduce themselves, say funny lines, quote poetry, what-have-you. The eight Gates on the upper platform lead to eight time-themed rooms (Earthbound cave, castle, town hall, etc.) with more members of the development team in them. Several pull pranks on you, like forcing you into one last boss fight or pretending that they are going to reset the game.
Main Room:
- Keizo Kokubo (Gaspar)
- Akiyoshi Masuda (Nu)
- Taizo Mamo (Kilwala)
- Hiroki Chiba (Male Citizen)
- Matsuko Itakura (Poyozo Doll)
- Shinichiro Okaniwa (Magus)
- Kato (Magus Statue)
- Yoshinori Kitase (Alfador)
- Kezuka (Barrel)
North Gate (Present, House):
- Kaname (Male Youth)
- Keita Eto (Taban)
- Yasunori Mitsuda (Toma)
- Yoshinori Ogura (Male Citizen)
- Kazuhiro Ohkawa (Lawyer)
- A note from Hiroko Yamamoto saying "don't look for me"
North-East Gate (Prehistory, Jungle):
- Shinichiro Hamasaka (Jurassic Rhythm Drummer)
- Yasuhiko Kamata (Tata)
- Mami Kawai (Roundillo)
- Yasuyuki Honne (Caveman Log Drummer)
- Fumi Nakashima (Frog King)
- Hiroyuki Ito (Prehistoric Frog)
East Gate (Antiquity, Ocean Palace):
- Eiji Nakamura (Prophet)
- Kiyoshi Yoshii (Chancellor)
- Akihiko Matsui (Male Citizen)
- Minoru Akao (Masa & Mune, right)
- Manabu Daishima (Masa & Mune, left)
- Takashi Tokita (Dalton)
South-East Gate (Middle Ages, Fiendlord's Keep):
- Koji Sujimoto (Roundillo Bomber)
- Hirokatsu Sasaki (Flea)
- Kazumi Kobayashi (Fainted Soldier)
- Yukio Nakatani (Red-Shielded Soldier)
- Tadahiro Usuda (Purple-Shielded Soldier)
South Gate (Antiquity, Earthbound Village):
- Masanori Hoshino (Survivor Child)
- Tetsuya Nomura (Sparkle) - He will pretend to reset the game
- Takayuki Ohtachi (Male Survivor)
- Koichi Ebe (Blue Imp riding a Cave Stalker)
- Akane Haruki (Scurrying Rodent)
South-West Gate (Present, Prison Tower):
- Tetsuya Takahashi (Present Soldier)
- Hasui (Underling)
- Toshiaki Suzuki (Skeleton)
- Katsuhisa Higuchi (Krawlie) - Will force you into a boss fight against himself, the Underling, and the Skeleton
West Gate (Future, Factory):
- Shun Moriya (Male Citizen, left)
- Ken Narita (Reptite)
- Kazuo Suzuki (Male Citizen, right)
- Keisuke Matsuhara (Robot on conveyor belt)
- Haruyuki Nishida (Atropos XR)
- Kenichi Nishi (Dome Administrator)
North-West Gate (Prehistory, Ioka Tent):
- Makoto Shimamoto (Ayla)
- Yusuke Naora (Dactyl)
- Tsutomu Terada (Djinn Bottle)
- Hiroshi Uchiyama (Blue Imp)
After visiting all the rooms and meeting all the team members, Gaspar will open the door that used to go to Spekkio's room, allowing you to meet the "Dream Team," the individuals responsible for the creation of Chrono Trigger, most appearing as themselves:
- Akira Toriyama
- Nobuo Uematsu (Norstein Bekkler)
- Yūji Horii
- Kazuhiko Aoki
- Hironobu Sakaguchi
Talking with Sakaguchi-san on the far right, he will thank you for playing the game and completing it so fast. As a reward, he will make you a member of the Dream Team and display the credits in an appropriate manner. The screen then goes black and the credits scroll by in just a few seconds' time, revealing the ending card.
Ending 4: The Successor of Guardia
Method: Use the right Telepod after returning from 600 AD, but before reaching the End of Time
When you return, you will arrive at the Millennial Fair, where everyone believes Marle is wearing some sort of costume. She goes to the castle to discover that her entire family are now half-human / half-frog creatures, and so is she! She hops and ribbits, just like her father. Apparently, due to circumstances not revealed in the game, Frog was emboldened enough following the fight at Manolia Cathedral to express his true feelings to Leene, which led to him becoming the progenitor of Marle's family line. The scene ends with a projector showing a movie of Frog and Leene being married at Manolia Cathedral. It pans down to Marle, who is horrified. She ribbits one last time before the end card.
Ending 5: Good Night
Method: Use the right Telepod or bucket after reaching the End of Time, but before learning about the Legendary Hero in 600 AD
This ending is a frog, a Kilwala, and a Nu goofing off, playing tricks on one another while the credits roll. The Nu tries to sleep, but the frog keeps bothering it, even stealing the Z's over its head. When the Nu is away from the Z's, a Kilwala walks up and falls asleep under it. Angered that his prank back-fired, the frog falls asleep with the other two. There isn't much to it.
Ending 6: The Legendary Hero
Method: Use the right Telepod or bucket after Legendary Hero in 600 AD, but before acquiring the Hero's Badge from Tata.
This ending re-enacts the game's opening, where Crono bumps into Marle, in a futuristic setting. The role of Crono is taken by Robo, and the role of Marle is taken by Atropos XR. Robo drops out of the Gate in Leene Square in 2300 AD. Atropos walks up and the two bump into each other. It then shows the two of them sitting together on a mountaintop, looking at the horizon.
The story rewinds 1,700 years earlier, where Tata is planning on confronting Magus and bumps into Crono and his friends. His father is bragging to the king and queen and all the knights of Guardia. Finally, Tata sets off. He goes to Magus' castle, but is accosted by fiends. It does not show how he manages to get by them, but he does make it to the throne room. Sitting on the throne is none other than Crono, and Marle and Lucca walk from behind the throne. They raise their weapons as Crono starts to laugh.
Ending 7: The Unknown Past
Method: Use the right Telepod or bucket after acquiring the Hero's Badge from Tata, but before attending Ayla's party where the Gate Key is stolen.
This ending shows the characters doing things in their own time periods after the fight with Lavos.
- Crono, Marle, and Lucca drop out of the Gate in Medina. They leave the house, the two imps that live there following them.
- Two Reptites run through the jungle, pursued by Kino and a pair of cavemen. An entire army of Reptites come running by, all chased away single-handed by Ayla.
- Magus stands on a bluff looking out at the sea. Finally, he turns back and walks down the hill to join Ozzie, Slash, and Flea.
- King Guardia XXI looks over his knights, with Leene and the Chancellor close behind. He is preparing for the assault on Magus. The scene switches to Frog, who is leaving his hermitage.
- The last scene is Robo running across an empty screen. He stops to catch his breath. He keeps running, but runs into the edge of the screen and falls over. He gets up and runs to the middle of the screen, waves to the player, then runs off.
Ending 8: People of the Times
Method: Use the right Telepod or bucket after acquiring the stolen Gate Key, but before Frog joins the party again.
A slide show ending, showing the characters alone or in groups.
- The Laruban chief
- Toma drinking, with Tata and a Guardian citizen below
- Norstein Bekkler laughing
- The Knight Commander surprising his brother, the Master of Kitchens
- A pair of Jurassic Rhythm drummers
- Masa & Mune
- One of the Millennial Fair dancers
- A very surprised rat
- Flea, Slash, and Ozzie in their signature poses:
- Flea blowing a kiss
- Slash being threatening
- Ozzie looking scared
- Gaspar tipping his hat
- A cat, a soldier, a Kilwala, and a Reptite
- Two citizens of Zeal, a man and a woman
- Johnny and two of his crew
- Schala, Janus, and Alfador
- Epoch flying
- A note
- Two frogs dancing
- Krawlie and a flying fiend
- The Chancellor from the Present followed by several soldiers
- The Chancellor from the Middle Ages followed by several soldiers
- Kino and a child walking, with a Dactyl below
- Doan with two survivors
- Two prehistoric women with three children around them
- The three Gurus: Belthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar
- Marle's pendant over the end card
Ending 9: The Oath
Method: Defeat Lavos after acquiring the Masamune, but before defeating Magus in 600 AD.
The party is hanging out at Lucca's house after defeating Lavos. Lucca is working on Robo. After some dialogue, Frog stands up and walks toward the door. Marle asks what he is doing, to which he replies (uncharacteristically), "Gotta take care of some business."
Frog heads to Magus' castle. He singlehandedly defeats Flea, Slash, and Ozzie. Then he heads down to Magus' lair, exchanges some dialouge, then the battle is joined. The scene ends with a silhouette of Frog standing triumphantly on top of Magus' castle.
Ending 10: Dino Age
Method: Use the right Telepod or bucket after fighting Magus, but before defeating Azala and the Black Tyranno.
This ending means that you took Ayla with you to fight Lavos, and that Azala and the Reptites never died. This changes the entire timeline. The opening of the game is re-enacted - Crono attending the Millenial Fair, bumping into Marle, seeing Lucca - except that every human is now a Reptite, and the Green Ambler is now wearing a human disguise.
Ending 11: What the Prophet Seeks
Method: Use the right Telepod, bucket, or Epoch after fighting the Black Tyranno, but before witnessing Schala enter the Ocean Palace. Alternately, fight Lavos after being kicked out of Antiquity by the Prophet and before fighting him in the Ocean Palace.
Frog goes to Manolia Cathedral, where he sees the statue of Magus. This is followed by several scenes featuring Frog, Magus, and Schala. The events of Zeal play out without Crono and the others interfering. Frog, now forever cursed to be half-human / half-fiend, makes the most of his new life. The others return to 1000 AD where they enjoy the rest of the Millennial Fair, including Ayla beating the guy at the drinking game. Magus descends into the Ocean Palace. Knowing that he might meet his death, he proceeds forward to destroy Lavos once and for all.
Ending 12: Memory Lane
Method: Use the right Telepod or bucket, after seeing Schala opening up the sealed door in Zeal Palace, but before powering up Marle's Pendant .
This ending features Lucca and Marle reviewing the various male characters in the game, saying what they really think about them. This is where you will see Crono say his only two lines of dialogue in the game.
The end card drops abruptly, Marle surprised at the sudden ending. They then take the time to review all the different male characters during the game:
Crono interrupts, angry that their "friendly little slide show" turned into this. The three run off together.
Ending 13: Dream's Epilogue (DS, iOS and Android exclusive)
Method: Start a New Game Plus, finish the encounter with Lavos in the Ocean Palace, finish the Dimensional Vortex in all three time periods, talk to Gaspar, then use the bucket Gate to travel to Time's Eclipse and defeat the Dream Devourer.
Alternativaly, you can finish the main game and reload your save after defeating Queen Zeal (Boss) in the Ocean Palace, allowing you to use the gate inside of Lavos' shell (if you saved there) and flying the Epoch to the Dimensional Vortex in 12,000 B.C., 600 A.D., and 1000 A.D. You still need to use the bucket Gate to travel to Time's Eclipse.
This ending is a preview of Chrono Cross. The Dream Devourer is actually Lavos after having absorbed Schala. In the fight, Magus will appear, but the Dream Devourer will brush him aside. Schala will come to her senses, telling him that he will need something more than might to defeat it. Schala opens a portal in space-time, flinging Magus through (presumably to 1020 AD) and wiping his memory.