Sad moments are one of the top reasons everyone loves anime. People get attached to characters and see them stumble in idealized sacrifices and struggles. Research shows that we form emotional attachments to fictional characters through parasocial relationships. We feel a stronger connection to stories with characters with deep sadness, conflicting morals, and other sources of tragedy. Some of the greatest heartbreaking moments in anime follow this formula.

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10 Gon Sacrificing Decades of His Life - Hunter X Hunter

     Netflix

The chimera ant arc of Hunter x Hunter produced many high-ranking heartbreaking moments. Perhaps one of the saddest of these is when the audience discovers the consequences of Gon’s nen power boost. Gon was willing to throw away years of his life to attain the power he needed to end the life of the chimera ant Pitou. Gon invoked a nen condition when Pitou revealed that his mentor Kite was genuinely dead. With this condition, Gon declared he would “use everything.” Nen conditions allow the user to gain immense power at the cost of something. Gon’s cost for attaining godlike power was sacrificing all the potential in his future for a power boost. This sacrifice was proof of the emotional turmoil Gon had over Kite’s death.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

9 Itachi Dying in Front of Sasuke - Naruto Shippuden

     Pierrot / Aniplex

Sometimes heartbreaking moments come out of nowhere. In both the Naruto show and movies, Itachi was built up as a cruel and unthinking monster. He slaughtered his entire clan, as well as his own family. Only his younger brother Sasuke was able to survive. Sasuke had made it his life’s mission to get strong enough to get revenge on his older brother. However, all of Sasuke’s efforts saw him defeated by Itachi, only for Itachi to suddenly die in front of him. During their showdown, Sasuke puts it all on the line, and it still isn’t enough to beat him. Sasuke and the audience were primed to hate Itachi, but it was finally revealed through Itachi’s final actions that everything he did was to protect Sasuke. Itachi knew the dangers that the future would bring and positioned himself within the villainous Akatsuki organization to ensure he could help mitigate those dangers.

8 Zero’s Death - Code Geass R2

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The story of Code Geass is full of tragedies and sacrifices. Viewers will find many heart-wrenching moments throughout the series. The struggle the resistance has with Britannica leads to many characters bending their morals to reach their goals. This culminates in the ending with the main character Lelouche, also known as Zero, sacrificing himself despite all his villainous choices throughout the series. Slain at the hands of his best friend Suzaku, Lelouche felt that the only way to unite the world is for people to have a common enemy. Lelouche became that enemy by committing evil deeds that would make the world hate him. This contradiction in his actions versus his intentions makes his sacrifice particularly poignant.

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7 The Straw Hats Mourn the Going Merry - One Piece

     Fuji TV

What makes this moment a real gut punch is that you do not see it coming. In One Piece, the audience constantly worries about their favorite characters’ safety from the dangerous antagonists. This leads to a blind spot in the audience’s feelings that is cleverly hinted at throughout the show. Luffy and his crew feel a real connection to their first ship, The Going Merry, to the point that the ship is considered another crew member. The Going Merry sustains too many injuries during the Straw Hat Pirate’s travel causing Merry to need to be buried at sea.

6 Kaori’s Death - Your Lie in April

Your Lie in April is a series of bittersweet and heartbreaking moments. Throughout the show, we empathize with Kaori and her attitude toward life. This attitude is even more tragic when the audience and Kousei learn that she has been hiding her illness. Kaori had a problem with her bone marrow that caused her to experience paralysis and bouts of fainting. Kaori wrote a solemn fair well letter to Kousei while he was in his piano performance. This leads to a somber scene where she dies during surgery to alleviate her condition.

5 Pikachu Cries - Pokémon the First Movie

     TXN (TV Tokyo)

Pokémon holds the record for highest grossing anime films. It has many classic anime moments that still hold up against the test of time. Pokémon: The First Movie ranks highly in the franchise for a good reason. It contains the tear-jerking scene where we see what we think is Ash dying. Mewtwo and Mew’s powerful attacks were intercepted by Ash, who sought to stop the fighting. It is then met with the tearful eyes of his favorite Pokémon, Pikachu, who pleads for Ash to come back to life.

4 Faye’s Video - Cowboy Bebop

     FUNimation Entertainment Bandai Visual

Faye Valentine’s character in Cowboy Bebop is a mystery throughout the series. She is introduced as a lazy schemer with many personality flaws. The audience’s perception is flipped on its head with the reveal of the Betamax Videotape. In this tape, we witness the sad backstory of Faye. She was a shy child with a positive attitude toward Earth’s past. After her cryosleep, she was alone in the world and had to learn bad habits to survive in this alien time. With Netflix canceling their Cowboy Bebop show, we may never get to see this moment in live-action.

3 The Death of Jiraiya - Naruto Shippuden

     Pierrot

Jiraiya had a tragic death in Naruto Shippuden. He had been on a path of redemption to make right with his students, whom he had failed in the past. One of those former students, Nagato, delivered the killing blow to Jiraiya after an intense battle. The “pervy sage” was a beloved character that was a constant source of support for the protagonist Naruto, making it a particularly devastating loss.

2 Rengoku’s Death - Demon Slayer

     Toho Co., Ltd. 

Demon Slayer is a series where death is around every corner in every episode. Someone watching this series is prepared for heartbreak after the very first episode. One of the more somber points in the show is the death of Rengoku. The audience only gets to know Rengoku for a short time, but his straightforward attitude makes him instantly endearing. He puts his life on the line against someone far stronger than him. This sacrifice costs him his life.

1 Roy Mustang’s “It’s a terrible day for rain” - Fullmetal Alchemist

     Yen Press

Roy Mustang’s line “It’s a terrible day for Rain” is one of Fullmetal Alchemist’s most iconic lines. The juxtaposition of a character like Roy Mustang, who shows no emotion, finally crying, creates a striking feeling in the audience’s heart. Roy had been the only character to hold in their emotions after Maes Hughes’ death. After letting his guard down in a quieter setting, his deep emotions finally show through.