Highlights

• Emotional scenes in anime can evoke intense reactions from viewers, provoking tears and sadness despite the fictional nature.
• Shows like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Assassination Classroom feature heart-wrenching moments that resonate with audiences deeply.
• The power of storytelling in anime lies in building strong emotional connections with characters, leading to impactful moments.

Many people love anime with a passion. The emotions this medium can elicit can be quite intense, with everything from anger to joy by viewers who get immersed in these shows. Of course, the range of emotions that viewers can experience extends to sadness as well, with some shows featuring heartbreaking moments that will make any viewer shed a tear, regardless of how hardy they might be.

Anime is such a broad medium that almost every show features tearjerkers of their own. Given the sheer number of sad scenes in anime, it can be hard to choose the most emotional of the bunch. Most anime resonate differently with other people, but there are bound to be moments that hit a common emotional ground with viewers and leave them reaching for the tissue box as they weep openly at these sad scenes that hit people hard with the sheer emotions at play here.

Updated on April 6, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: The realm of anime is rife with shows and movies that tackle a wealth of genres and elicit a lot of emotions in people. The payoff of watching a hero succeed after struggling to achieve their goals time and time again instills a feeling of elation that not a lot of entertainment mediums can replicate. However, some anime have the power to make people cry their eyes out after a particularly emotional moment. There's no reason to feel ashamed if a viewer sheds a tear when one of these scenes hits them like a truck. The buildup to these scenes is handled immaculately, showing just how important it is for viewers to form an everlasting bond with these characters before serving up an emotional gut punch that is hard to recover from.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

23 Caesar's Emotional Death

Season 1, Episode 20: Caesar: A Lonely Youth

If there's one thing viewers can curse the internet for, it's ruining one of the most emotional moments in JoJo history. Battle Tendency features one of the best JoJo protagonists of all time, and the bond he forms with Caesar makes Joseph even more engaging as a protagonist. Both characters start out as rivals who push each other to their very limits, eventually becoming friends in the face of adversity as they strive to hunt down and defeat the Pillar Men as a solid duo.

So, when Caesar dies at the hands of Wamuu, fans can't help but shed a tear as the loss of their companion hits both Joseph and Lisa Lisa hard. Many people shed a tear at this moment, and it's a shame that countless memes and jokes have made it harder for people to keep a straight face at the scene where Joseph yells out Caesar's name in anguish on a rewatch.

22 The Ending Of Assassination Classroom

Episode 46: Graduation Time

Throughout Assassination Classroom, viewers are led to believe that Koro-sensei is responsible for Earth's doomed fate. It's easy to develop a sense of hatred towards this character, only for the show to reveal what's actually going on as this octopus-like being slowly becomes one of the most endearing characters on the show.

Watching the students having to take him down before one last emotional roll-call is heartbreaking and makes it clear why fans love Assassination Classroom to bits. The series is well-paced and features some great action sequences, with the bonds that everyone forms with Koro-sensei making this farewell tough to watch.

21 Nanami's Demise

Season 2, Episode 18: Right And Wrong

Jujutsu Kaisen went off the rails in the latest season, with the Shibuya Incident serving as a spectacle for the ages. The sheer scale of the battles on display in this arc was amazing, but the high stakes present in this all-out war also meant that some beloved characters were going to come out with serious injuries, if at all.

After wowing viewers with his cool demeanor, watching Nanami bite the dust with a single touch from Mahito is hard to bear. Many lives were lost in the Shibuya Incident, but this one hurt the most by a country mile. The series has moved on to bigger and better fights, but the hole left behind by Nanami's death will be hard to replace for quite some time.

20 The Infamous Puppy Scene

Episode 8: The Beginning ~ Beginn (lit. Beginning)

Elfen Lied has attained somewhat of a misleading reputation courtesy of a gory first episode that many people associate with being representative of the final product. Sure, violence plays a central role in Elfen Lied, but there are also many emotional narratives taking place in a short 13-episode that will thrill viewers to no end.

Elfen Lied doesn't shy away from showing some truly grotesque scenes, but the worst is when the brutality of the anime coincides with its emotional narrative. The scene where Lucy's puppy is tortured and killed by her bullies is one of the most horrifying scenes in anime, and it says something when some people find her murderous personality to be justified given what she's been through.

19 Rengoku's Final Stand

Episode 7 Of The Mugen Train Arc: Set Your Heart Ablaze

After defeating Enmu and saving everyone from his diabolical plans, most people felt like things had finally ended in a rather tense arc in Demon Slayer. However, once Akaza made his surprise appearance, viewers knew they were in for something shocking.

Despite fighting with all his might, Rengoku loses his life after a fatal punch through his stomach. Until his dying breath, he stopped Akaza in his tracks until sunrise to try and kill him, with his death having a resounding impact on Tanjiro, the Hashira, and the rest of the Demon Slayers in the series.

18 Sasha Getting Fatally Shot

Season 4, Episode 8: Assassin's Bullet

The fourth season of Attack on Titan has gone through a major shift, with Eren transforming from a fairly generic shonen protagonist into one of the most compelling villains ever written. His actions have left viewers in shock and awe, with his plan of genocide being horrifying to witness firsthand.

His assault on Liberio was horrible, sparking a chain of events that eventually led to an enraged Gabi embarking on the zeppelin that housed the Survey Corps. She aimed at the first person who came into her view and shot Sasha in cold blood, with everyone's favorite potato girl breathing her last soon after.

17 The Revelation Of Itachi's Sacrifice

Episode 140 Of Naruto Shippuden: Fate

Itachi is one of the greatest characters in anime history, serving as a major villain on the show for the longest time before the truth of his intentions came to light. While everyone second-guessed this man to be nothing more than a heinous villain who had it out for Sasuke, the truth was that Itachi was a hidden agent of the Leaf who culled the Uchiha Clan before they could revolt and wreak havoc on the village.

It's a heartbreaking moment, made even worse by the fact that Itachi hid this secret from his beloved brother till his dying breath. Even after his demise, Itachi didn't want Sasuke to know the truth... but Obito managed to circumvent the safeguards this man had set in place to give Sasuke the whole truth, which finally made the surviving Uchiha realize just how strongly his brother loved him!

16 The Demise Of Maes Hughes

Episode 10 Of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Separate Destinations

Fullmetal Alchemist is considered by many to be one of the greatest shonen manga of all time, with the story of Edward and Alphonse as they try to get their bodies back making for a great time that led to many fans falling in love with the duo. The system of Alchemy is easily one of the best forms of magic in any series ever, having a well-defined set of rules that are rarely broken in the series.

Maes Hughes is one of the best characters in the series... but he also ends up fighting against enemies whom he underestimated when he tried to confirm his suspicions about a grand conspiracy that threatened the very world itself. However, before word of this could reach his best friend's ears, Hughes was hunted down and killed by the Homunculi.

15 Setsuko's Demise

Near The End Of A Harrowing Movie

Grave of the Fireflies is one of the saddest anime movies and another great chapter in the illustrious history of Studio Ghibli. The movie takes a harrowing look at the effect of war on civilians, with the movie focusing on the lives of Seita and Setsuko.

They try to roam around the harsh countryside during this time, but a lack of nutrition leads to Setsuko meeting her demise, right when Seito had managed to secure some food. It's hard not to shed tears the moment Seito realizes her younger sister has passed away. To make matters even worse, Seito himself dies of malnutrition at the end of the movie as well.

14 The Revelation At The End

Episode 22: Spring Wind

Your Lie in April is one of the most magical and heartrending anime ever made. The story focuses on the life of a boy who has lost all happiness in life after his mother's death before a peppy violinist called Kaori Miyazono decides to cheer him up.

Unfortunately, Kaori is suffering from a life-threatening disease that ultimately takes her life when she undergoes a rather risky surgery. It's a sad event made even worse by a letter describing that Kaori always had feelings for Kousei, but never really got to express them.

13 Ushio's Death

Episode 21: The End Of The World

Clannad is an anime full to the brim with devastating and sad stories. One such story revolves around Ushio, a child who is distanced from a father who is a complete mess.

Unfortunately, Ushio develops the same disease that took her mother's life and isn't able to fulfill her dream of exploring the world with her father. The scene where she passes away in Tomoya's arms is hard to watch and is sure to result in more than a few tears.

12 Gin's Disappearance

Hotarubi No Mori E

• English Name: Into the Forest of Fireflies Light
• Released: September 17, 2011
• Studio: Brain's Base

The idea of loving someone you can never touch is hard to digest, but this is precisely what happens in Hotarubi no Mori e. A human girl named Hotaru and a forest spirit fall in love, even though Hotaru knows that she won't be able to touch Gin since he will disappear.

While attending a festival for spirits, Gin accidentally touches a human boy who had entered the premises. It's a small mistake that leads to Gin disappearing, although he did manage to hold Hotaru for the first time before he did.

11 Kayo Finally Getting The Treatment She Deserves

Episode 8: Spiral

This scene is a tearjerker for slightly different reasons. Kayo is a young girl who has lived with an abusive family for the longest time. However, she finally managed to escape their clutches and started living in another household with parents who cared about her.

Watching this child after enjoying the warmth of a mother for the first time is simply heartbreaking, knowing the pain Kayo had gone through up until that point. It's one of the most powerful moments in Erased, a brilliant anime worth anyone's time.

10 Jiraiya's Demise At The Hands Of Pain

Episode 133 Of Naruto Shippuden: The Tale Of Jiraiya The Gallant

Jiraiya is one of the best characters in Naruto. The fact that people adore this character despite him being a pervert is a testament to just how amazing his other qualities are.

Watching him trying to scout out Pain's abilities only to meet a grisly end at the hand of his student is a heartbreaking sight. Pervy Sage was one of Naruto's closest father figures and watching him suffer such an untimely demise was hard to digest.

9 Ace Sacrificing Himself To Save Luffy

Episode 482; The Power That Burns Even Fire - Akainu's Ruthless Pursuit

The brotherly bond between Luffy and Ace was extremely sweet and heartwarming. This is precisely why Ace's death in One Piece is one of the show's saddest moments.

Watching Ace take a fatal blow to save his younger brother is hard to watch. This, followed by Luffy's tearful farewell, made for one of the most emotional moments in One Piece by a mile.

8 Spike's Poetic Demise

Episode 26: The Real Folk Blues: Part 2

After a grisly battle against Vicious near the end of the show, Spike finally settled his score against his rival. However, this came at the major cost of his own life.

Watching Spike utter one last bang before falling for the last time is a heartbreaking scene. The music accompanying his death made his demise even sadder.

7 Lelouch's Final Plan

Episode 25 of Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2: Re;

For the longest time, Lelouch seemed like an anti-hero who was forced to accomplish certain heinous actions because of how he'd been wronged. However, this perception changed near the end of the series, with Lelouch performing downright villainous actions.

The final episode of the series revealed why Lelouch was performing such actions. He wanted to become the ultimate evil force in the world, before being put down to give the people hope. It was a brilliant and tear-jerking sacrifice that established Lelouch as one of the greatest anti-heroes of all time.

6 The Death Of Eren's Mom

Season 1, Episode 1: To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1

Attack on Titan is a depressing show from the get-go. This can be seen in the very first episode when the Titans attack the fallen city of Shiganshina.

The worst part of this scene is when a Titan ends up at Eren's fallen house and eats his mom right in front of him. It's a harrowing sight that steels Eren's nerves and convinces him that he needs to fight against the Titans.

5 Nina Turning Into A Chimera

Episode 4 Of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: An Alchemist's Anguish

Fullmetal Alchemist is an excellent anime that was so popular that it received two anime adaptations! Unfortunately, both these adaptations also feature the saddest scene in the series by a country mile.

Nina Tucker seems like a happy-go-lucky girl who would live out the rest of her days in peace, but her dad had other ideas. He combined her and the family dog to form a twisted chimera that could never revert to their original bodies.

4 The Gut-Punch Of The Ending

Episode 26: Format

Future Diary is a show that's filled to the brim with its twists and turns. While the series has its fair share of tear-jerking moments, nothing comes close to the impact of the ending.

Yuno might not be the most morally sound character around, but there was no denying the fact that she loved Yukiteru with all her heart. Watching her willing to let go of her own life so that Yuki could be crowned the winner of this twisted game is extremely hard to witness.