- It's Fine true ending: the game deliberately ships with no single canon ending among its 100 routes.
- Closest candidate: Ending 001 is widely viewed by players as the closest thing to a "true" ending.
- Design intent: the developers (Kodaka and Uchikoshi) encourage players to pick their own canon.
- Loop structure: the story's cursed time loop means no ending technically invalidates the others.
- Best practice: your first blind ending, reached without guides, is treated as your personal canon.
Why It's Fine Has No True Ending
The first thing every new player should understand is that It's Fine does not contain a true ending in the traditional sense. Unlike visual novels that funnel every route toward one golden conclusion, the game spreads its narrative weight across 100 distinct endings, each treated as an equally valid outcome of your decisions.
This is a deliberate creative choice. The writing team behind the project — known for favoring bleak outcomes and unresolved mystery — has stated in interviews that they want players to decide their own canon rather than hand them a definitive answer. Whether you consider that a bold structural experiment or a frustrating omission depends largely on what you want from a story game.
The core argument works like this: if the game is genuinely about making choices and living with the consequences, then the "true" ending is simply the one you earned on your first playthrough, before spoilers and guides shaped your decisions. Many players report that their blind first run felt more meaningful than any "optimal" route they replayed afterward.
Complete your very first route without looking anything up. The emotional weight of that ending — whatever number it lands on — is what the developers intended as your personal canon. Save the completionist cleanup for later.
The Ending Structure Explained
With 100 endings on the board, the game needs a clear hierarchy so players know where to focus. The community generally groups the endings into tiers based on narrative significance and how much they reveal about the central time loop.
| Tier | Examples | Role in the Story | Replay Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening routes | 01, early branches | Your first canon, sets the tone | ★★★★★ |
| Major branches | Killing game route, 2nd scenario | Feel like the "main" storyline | ★★★★★ |
| Late reveals | 55, S.F. route | Explain the curse and the loop | ★★★★ |
| Minor variations | Assorted mid-tree endings | Flavor outcomes, character focused | ★★ |
The S.F. route and Ending 55 contain the game's biggest reveals about the cursed time loop. Save them for last — the context from earlier endings makes them land much harder.
Two routes dominate every discussion about canon endings:
Ending 001
- The opening-number route
- Frequently cited as the closest thing to a true ending
- A natural fit as first-playthrough canon
Killing Game Route
- A popular first ending for many players
- Feels like a complete self-contained storyline
- Strong standalone payoff
S.F. Route
- The final reveal route
- Explains the loop can extend past day 100, then reset
- Best experienced after most other endings
The Time Loop Problem: Why Ending 55 Isn't Canon Either
Here is where the structure gets deliberately uncomfortable. In games with cursed time loops, players expect one definitive way to break the loop — that ending becomes canon by default. It's Fine refuses this convention.
Ending 55 does not actually break the loop. If it did, it would functionally be the true ending, since a broken loop would render every other outcome impossible. Instead, the S.F. route reveals that the loop can sometimes run past day 100 and still reset, undermining any sense of finality. Even the in-game explanation of how to break the curse comes from a character with a documented history of dishonesty — cured or not — which the narrative never fully resolves.
The underlying logic of the curse suggests the protagonists are outsiders misusing a stolen divine power. Since that original sin cannot be undone within the story, no ending can cleanly escape it. That is why the community consensus holds that a true ending will never be added: the despair is structural, not accidental.
The lack of a true ending is not a missing feature — it is the thesis. The game argues that some situations have no clean exit, and forcing a golden ending would contradict its entire message.
How to Choose Your Own True Ending
Since the developers explicitly invite you to define canon yourself, here is a practical path through the 100 endings that respects the intended experience.
Play Your First Route Blind
Avoid all guides, wikis, and spoilers. Whatever ending you land on becomes your personal canon — this is the closest the game comes to an intended "true" ending.
Explore the Major Branches
After your first run, pursue the big structural routes such as the killing game storyline and the 2nd scenario. These feel closest to a traditional main storyline.
Clear Character-Focused Endings
Work through the mid-tree variations tied to characters you care about. These reward investment in the supporting cast.
Save Ending 55 and S.F. for Last
Finish with the routes that explain the curse and the loop mechanics. With full context, their reveals hit hardest — and you'll understand why no canon ending exists.
Declare Your Canon
Pick the ending that resonated most and treat it as your truth. Post your reasoning in community discussions — the debate itself is part of the game's design.
100-Ending Completion Checklist:
- Complete first route with no spoilers
- Clear the killing game route
- Finish the 2nd scenario route
- Unlock Ending 55 with full context
- Complete the S.F. route last
Community Theories and Creator Intent
The fanbase remains split on whether the no-true-ending approach is genius or cop-out. The main camps break down like this:
| Position | Core Argument | Counterpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Structural genius | Despair is the thesis; a golden ending would betray it | Ambiguity can read as avoidance |
| Canon is 001 | Opening route fits as the intended first experience | Developers never confirmed any canon |
| 2nd scenario as canon | Feels like the route a single-storyline game would pick | Still resets like every other ending |
| Writer comparison | Kodaka ends in misery; Uchikoshi ends in multiverse ambiguity | Both patterns show this is intentional style |
Notably, the creators' earlier works follow the same philosophy: several of their visual novels either lack a true ending entirely or treat multiple finales as equally valid. It's Fine simply pushes that philosophy to its extreme with 100 branches.
You have 100 endings to choose from. Pick one. The game rewards commitment to your choice far more than it rewards searching for a "correct" answer that was never written.
FAQ
Q: Does It's Fine have a true ending?
No. The game intentionally ships with 100 endings and no single canon conclusion. The developers have stated in interviews that players should determine their own true ending, and the cursed time loop structure ensures no ending invalidates the others.
Q: Which ending is closest to a true ending?
Ending 001 is the most commonly cited candidate, since it serves as the natural opening route many players reach first. Others argue the 2nd scenario route feels like the storyline a single-path game would have chosen.
Q: Does Ending 55 break the time loop?
No. Ending 55 does not break the loop, which is why it cannot function as a true ending. The S.F. route further reveals the loop can extend past day 100 and still reset, and the in-game explanation of how to break the curse comes from an unreliable source.
Q: What order should I play the endings in?
Play your first route completely blind, then explore the major branches like the killing game route and 2nd scenario. Save Ending 55 and the S.F. route for last, since they contain the biggest reveals about the curse and loop mechanics.