I'm dead! Hahahahaha! No, I'm not!

[Takara]

But wouldn't putting characters out of commission, as I said, without being a doubt about whether or not they survived, make the Giant of Bab-Il scene less epic? For example, if Cecil and co managed to find a way into the cannon room after it blew up and found out Yang was still alive, but seriously wounded?

I'm not getting you.

What I'm saying is that pretending to kill a character is not the only way to make one leave the party permanently. If Cecil and co found Yang immediately after the cannon blew up instead of thinking he's dead, and knew he was alive but seriously wounded, Yang's appearance at the battle against the Giant would have still been epic.