The marketing of Far Cry 6 largely focused on its antagonist Anton Castillo, the autocratic dictator of the Caribbean island Yara. It made sense, as the star power and talent of Giancarlo Esposito brought a lot of gravitas and power to the role. Throughout Far Cry 6, Anton is accompanied by his son Diego, whom he is grooming to take over in the future. The player sees these two characters interact a number of times in various cutscenes and situations which give the impression Anton does truly care for Diego to some degree.
However, the cutscenes throughout the game also show the person that Anton's influence is turning Diego into, as he hopes to one day have Diego follow in his bloody footsteps. Spoilers ahead, so only read on after finishing Far Cry 6.
While most players were likely not surprised by the death of Anton at the end of the game, the way it happens and how Diego is roped into it was quite shocking, and is at the core of why the ending is so tragic for the child.
How Far Cry 6 Ends
A large part of Far Cry 6's story is Viviro, a fictitious cancer treatment that is a breakthrough in the disease only available in Yara. Despite the life-saving potential of the drug, Anton uses it primarily to secure political power and global influence. It is with a twist of irony that it is later revealed Anton himself is suffering from a form of Leukemia that has become highly resistant to the drug. This comes up at the end of the game when Dani is in the palace as the rebel forces are about to overthrow Anton's rule.
It is at that moment Diego begs Dani to spare his father's life, since he will die from his cancer soon anyway. Dani doesn't agree to do so, likely because they know that the army outside would never allow it. Instead, Dani tries to convince Diego to go with them, and promises him they will take care of him and keep him safe. However, the decision is taken away from Diego as Anton shoots his son through the chest before slitting his own throat. While the morbid ending isn't anything new for Far Cry, it is still impactful and is a tragic ending for Diego.
Why Anton Did What He Did
Anton's decision to kill his son can only be understood by looking at his past. Anton's father was El Presidente of the island of Yara. However, a revolution occurred when Anton was a teenager, causing his father to be killed and Anton forced to work in tobacco fields when he was only 13. While Anton was enslaved, the economy of Yara suffered a harsh decline. This led to Anton forming the idea that Yara could only thrive under the rule of a Castillo. He ran and was elected as El Presidente on the promise that he would return the island to the success it enjoyed 50 years prior, although he quickly began ruling with an iron fist. He also pushed for Yara to discover Far Cry 6's Viviro drug, which saw him win favor among his people despite the harsh rule.
His decision to kill Diego was also informed by the fact Anton has been fighting leukemia for over a decade. While Viviro helped him for years, it eventually stopped working, and the disease started killing him in a painful way. Anton's disease, along with his past, is what motivated him to kill Diego rather than trusting Dani. Anton did not want the same thing that happened to him to happen to Diego, whether that be suffering through cruely or cancer.
From when he was a teen, Anton's life was one of nearly constant pain and suffering, which very well could have pushed him to view life as not worth living. With how much Anton tries to mold Diego into being like him throughout Far Cry 6, it would make sense that Anton didn't want Diego to end up leading the same life - even if he did go about preventing it in the worst way.
Why the Ending is so Bad for Diego
Obviously, an ending where a character dies is bad for them, but it is even worse for Diego as a 13-year old boy. Anton may have been grooming Diego to follow in his footsteps, but Diego still could have grown to be an entirely different person. There are even hints at Diego's divergence from his father's vision, like when Diego gave a journalist Viviro for her father despite the drug not being exported to the United States. While Diego living could have been the origin story for one of Far Cry's best villains, it also is equally possible he would have wanted to help his people in more benevolent ways.
Diego even showed a desire to just be a normal person with a distaste for Anton's teachings. This went so far as Diego trying and flee Yara by boarding a boat smuggling refugees to the United States. However, he was caught by Anton and his soldiers before the ship could leave, leading to Diego being taken back to the palace as all but one of the refugees was brutally slaughtered. That refugee ends up being Far Cry 6's protagonist Dani Rojas. Anton's death was very much a consequence of his own actions and decisions, whereas Diego was nothing but a tool for his father.
Unfortunately, there is also nothing players can do to help save Diego from his death. While it is not clear what happens to Diego in Far Cry 6's secret ending, it seems there is no way for players to get a fully happy ending. In that way, it is interesting what the developers and writers at Ubisoft decided to do with Anton and Diego, and it will be great to see where the series' antagonists go in the future.
Far Cry 6 is available now on Amazon Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.