Spoiler warning: this explains the ending of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the Moon Studios sequel released in 2020. The title says only “Ori,” so this article assumes that game is the one you mean. In short, Ori does not simply die. Ori becomes the next Spirit Tree, and the final leaf is Ori’s child.
How the final leaf closes the circle
Moon Studios founder Thomas Mahler explained the reveal in a GameSpot spoiler interview published April 28, 2020:
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“Right now Ori became the next tree and then that leaf is his child, which is this beautiful analogy to me about how life works–we all go through that process.”
The leaf is the game’s central image. The first game opens with Ori’s life tied to the Spirit Tree, and the sequel returns to that image with a changed meaning. Ori is now the tree, and the new leaf marks the next generation. Mahler describes Will of the Wisps as the second half of Ori’s life, in which Ori grows from child into adult and then into a parent.
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- Explore a vast, beautiful, immersive, and dangerous world filled with gripping enemy encounters, challenging puzzles and thrilling escape sequences. Unravel Ori’s true destiny in this emotionally engaging, hand crafted story driven adventure.
- New combat system. Wield dozens of new spirit weapons, spells and skills offering new dynamic combat mechanics to the world of Ori.
- Customize your style of play. Choose your tools for adventure from dozens of newly acquired attacks, spells, and skills to match your style of play.
- Encounter epic adversaries. Face large epic bosses and seek support from discoverable allies who will provide services and cast optional quests to extend the adventure.
- Available exclusively on Xbox One consoles and Windows 10. (PC hardware requirements may vary for games on Windows 10.)
Why the ending is bittersweet rather than a plain death
In a March 2023 Q&A on the official Ori website, Mahler said Ori ultimately had to become a parent “even if that meant sacrificing everything that had come before.” The loss is real: Ori’s familiar mobile life ends. But the story frames that loss as continuity rather than erasure, because the new Spirit Tree is still Ori.
Two readings do not match the developer’s account. Ori does not return to the earlier life, and the ending is not an uncomplicated death. It is a transformation that carries sacrifice with it.
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How definite is the ending?
Mahler has described the story as having a definite ending. In the March 2023 Q&A he said: “On Will of the Wisps, I’m still amazed that Microsoft let us tell the story that we wanted to tell since it had a very definitive ending.” He has also noted that the final leaf leaves a small conceptual opening for further ideas. Treat that opening as a note about the story’s ideas, not as a confirmed plot setup.
What happens to Shriek
Mahler has said he wanted Shriek to be a tragic character who “doesn’t actually get redemption.” He described her as orphaned, misshapen and shunned, and said the story examines the lasting effects of never having received love. Her arc should not be read as a hopeful rescue, even though the finale around her closes the larger story.
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What happens to Ku
Microsoft’s March 2020 overview says the sequel begins with the egg from Blind Forest hatching, and that Ori, Naru and Gumo raise the owl. That makes Ku central to the parent-child theme. Mahler also said the team changed an earlier version in which Ku died. Public accounts of the ending do not spell out every beat of Ku’s final scene, so any detailed description of that scene beyond this is unverified.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the finale is staged
Composer Gareth Coker described the final sequence as one continuous passage, which the game moves through in this order:
- It begins at the Spirit Willow.
- It flows into a multi-phase final boss.
- It continues through three outro cutscenes.
Coker estimated the whole sequence at roughly 20–30 minutes, depending on player ability. That is his approximate estimate from a 2020 interview, not a measured figure.
Coker singled out one moment as the most affecting for him: “Naru puts her paw, hand, whatever on the tree trunk.” He said it mirrors Naru picking Ori up at the start of the first game. The GameSpot interview with Coker was published April 28, 2020.
Limits of this explanation
The explanation above rests on the developers’ interviews and Microsoft’s 2020 overview. It does not rely on a frame-by-frame reading of the final cinematic, so scene-level details beyond those descriptions are not covered here.
The phrase “Ori dies” is too blunt for how the developers describe the ending. “Ori becomes the next Spirit Tree” is the accurate short answer.
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