Saddest Anime & Saddest Anime Scene(s)

[VTHokiePride]

Originally Posted by Eragon

^ Haha, Shirou is pretty disliked from what I gathered from the Fate Stay/Night threads. That's why the chances of someone feeling anything during that scene, as you said, is rare.

But, having said that, I too thought it was quite sad. I was especially invested in Saber's character. Shirou was OK with me.

When I think of Fate/Stay Night that scene jumps out a lot for me probably since I'm used to seeing the happy ending where the male and female protagonist end up together in the end, which didn't happen in the anime. The end of Realta Nua saved the day when I saw it.

[takai]

Grave of the Fireflies.


Mother of God. That movie. I'm literally depressed just from writing this post about it.

As for anime anime, I'd say

Spoiler for Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood:

Hughs' death or when Nina was turned into a chimera and was then later killed.

Spoiler for Naruto:

When Naruto learned how his parents died protecting him, and hearing his mother and father's last words.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by takai

Grave of the Fireflies.

Mother of God. That movie. I'm literally depressed just from writing this post about it.

Its very depressing...

Spoiler for Reason:

I hate their aunt

[Celestia Ludenberg]

The ending to Angel Beats still gets me. Didn't think if I re-watched it again it'll have the same impact, boy I was wrong.

[NK_500]

Spoiler for Laugh at me if you want to....:

Pop quiz! How many other shows had similar moment(s)?

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by NK_500

Spoiler for Laugh at me if you want to....:

Laugh? Why? Seriously.. their story is full of controversy and prosecution. How am I to judge them since I don't have an imouto in the first place....

[Aquifina]

Originally Posted by cloudstrife13

Definitely Cross Game, since watching the first episode, i thought that i will be forever in remorse.

I had read the manga before, so it didn't have the same effect on me, but if I hadn't, I'm pretty sure I would have been stunned. My wife was shocked when she saw it. I still remember reading the manga and not quite believing what had happened, happened, until I read through the following chapter. And even with the happy ending, there's a persistent melancholy to the whole series that results from that early incident; a conscious realization that something had went terribly wrong in the world.

Originally Posted by Traece

As a rather strange mention, I give a nod to TTGL. Gurren actually had two particularly big scenes, one of which I didn't actually see coming. My issue with sad scenes is that they're never as sad when you already know they're going to happen. Japanese writing (and even a lot of writing in general) is full of cliche "death flags" that just can't seem to be avoided by most properties. What makes me feel really sad is when a sad scene happens, and it was neither predictable nor very spontaneous. The first sad scene, in retrospect, did have some predictors nodding to it; but at the time I was surprised that they actually decided to take that route. The second scene was pretty predictable, but the way the character most affected by the tragedy handled it made it really sad. That "yeah it sucks, but I'm accepting it," attitude just hits hard for garnering sympathy.

I got a kick out of TTGL, but always thought of it as a series I was getting too old for--but boy was it a fun ride as I watched it. The last scenes surprised me (and perhaps I always had underestimated the series) in a good sort of way--it was like a recognition that part of growing up is realizing that sad things happen, and sometimes we can do nothing about it.

It's been mentioned, but "Now and Then, Here and There" was also almost too much for me.

[Vicious108]

Episode 7 of Honey and Clover II. It's very overlooked because it's about side characters, but boy is the story heartbreaking nonetheless.

[GoldenDarkness]

Kaze no Stigma: Last battle (Not sure which episode, kind of forgot)

When Kazuma asked Lapis what the last thought of Tsui Ling (his wife who had died)was, before she died. Lapis told him that Tsui Ling's last thought was that she wished Kazuma was dead too.

[SeijiSensei]

I have two nominees I don't see any mention of in the past dozen or so pages. One is the ending to the "Bakeneko" arc of Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales where we learn the truth about why the mononoke is haunting the daimyo and his wife. The conclusion to the opening story in the sequel, Mononoke, comes close.

My other nominee is episode seven of Kemono no Sou-ja Erin, one of the most horribly tragic scenes I've ever watched in an anime.

I'll not reveal anything else about these to avoid major spoilers.

[Snuffle]

Da Capo II SS: When Otome and Yoshiyuki were at the Sakura Tree. There are 2 scenes like this, so I'm referring to both of them.

Air Movie: Gao~ off the wheelchair

Clannad After Story: Tomoya and Ushio at the sunflower field. Additionally, the scene with Nagisa and Tomoya in Tomoya's appartment (you know which one).

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Snuffle

Clannad After Story: Tomoya and Ushio at the sunflower field. Additionally, the scene with Nagisa and Tomoya in Tomoya's appartment (you know which one).

Add the BGM Chiisana Te no Hira...

[Mad Pierrot]

When I was little there was a Digimon episodes which was very, very sad. It talks about Ken Ichijoli, the first human villain who realized that he messed up really badly since he Digimon partner died trying to save him. He spends his time in the episode relating the dead of his partner with the one of his older brother. In the episode's end Ken starts recovering and talks with his parents for the first time in like 2 years.

[VTHokiePride]

I finished another series recently. The end of Shattered Angels, when Ku doesn't want a sad goodbye, but she realizes that she didn't want to die. Kyoshiro rushes to embraces her before she disappears, but when he reaches her, she's already gone.

[creb]

I don't know that I hold any particular scene as the saddest. There have been plenty that tugged at my hearstrings a little. I'll just pluck one by random here:

Ray's death in Eureka 7, as she lays there bleeding out, and struggles to reach her decapitated arm and hand, upon which her wedding ring sits, and then explosions devour her before she can even have that last bit of comfort.



(Though, in a somewhat morbid way, I simultaneously loved that the director choose to kill her before she could take solace in her ring).

[bhl88]

When Reinforce disappeared in the last episode of Nanoha A's

[Sesami]

Kanon & Air

So sad >.<

[mystogan]

i take it saddest here means only saddest not emotional
well there are many sad moments in many animes now and then, but for me the most saddest would be

Chrono Crusade :ending and other few scenes in the anime as well
Clannad/Clannad Afterstory: many moments in both the anime, and of course Tomoya and Ushio scene in the snowfield

Naruto/Shippuden:
Lee's past,Gaara vs Lee
Neji's past,Neji vs Kidomaru
Itachi's truth, when sasuke learns about itachi from the masked guy(obito)
..................and there are many other moments from this name


these would be it ..for now.

[KaguraSenju]

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Spoiler for reason:

Those last 3-4 episodes where you start off having this feeling in your gut that something is terribly wrong...and eventually you find out...Yuuki...YUUKI ;_________; Oh god, Yuuki.

I had never cried so much. Ever. My muscles were seriously in pain.

And Kemono no Souja Erin episodes 6 & 7. Cried to those two episodes nearly as much as I did for Tokyo Mag.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

My other nominee is episode seven of Kemono no Sou-ja Erin, one of the most horribly tragic scenes I've ever watched in an anime.

I'm not alone!

[Dextro]

Out of all the shows I've seen so far I think that Clannad takes the cake with the saddest scenes for me. The second season in particular completely crushed me near the end since I was completely unaware of what would happen after

Spoiler for You really DON'T want to read this if you plan to watch Clannad:

Nagisa dies giving birth to Ushio. Episode after episode I just felt my heart tighten due to the pain those characters were enduring.

And let's not forget the really strong scenes with Tomoya dealing with his father both when visiting him in jail and afterwards helping him clean up and move to the countryside back to his mother.

When the show decided that Ushio had to go I was virtually on the verge of tears. Couple that with the strong scenes between Tomoya and Nagisa back on that hill and you have a recepie to get me on the brink just from thinking about it.

The show may have a lot of flaws but it's execution is so breathtaking that I just can't help but consider it something as important and impressionable to me as watching Evangelion as a 15/16 year old kid was.

Heck, listening to Dango Daikasoku still leaves me a bit misty eyed.

Another anime that really hit me was 5cm per Second. This one is just brutal.

Spoiler for 5cm per second ending:

Having a main character that's unable to overcome a lost love just struck me hard. I'm a passionate guy at heart and watching someone suffer like that reminded me of how hard it is for me to overcome a lost relationship.

It struck a chord with me and again, hit me quite hard. Brilliant movie that one on virtually all accounts.

Ef: Tale of Memories/Melodies should be mentioned as well. In particular:

Spoiler for Ef: Tale of Memories/Melodies:

That cellphone scene. It's just so powerfull to hear those messages and the complete and utter despair in Miyako's voice.

Also the whole Chihiro storyline with her loosing her memories. Chilling at times.

Ef is also the show that made me a Shinbou fan.

There were other shows that hit me as well like Chrono Crusade whose ending (and ending theme) left me a bit melancholic. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann also has a very powerful ending that left me a bit saddened which was a bit unexpected after how insanely hyperactive the show managed to be on a whole.

Kanon and Air are also worthy of mention obviously for the strong Key/KyoAni drama they presented. The first in particular had some pretty strong scenes at the end of a couple of the main arcs.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien also deserves a mention due to the storyline itself. It's just sad from start to finish. Oh and True Tears, don't forget that one.

And of course how could I forget Aria: The Origination? The simple fact that it ended was enough to sadden me but what happens overall, while obviously not sad by any definition of the word (it's actually quite joyous imho), managed to turn me melancholic.

Spoiler for aria ending:

That final scene in particular, with Akari looking sweetly at Ai-chan in her brand new Undine uniform, just leaves me all misty eyed. It saddens me to think of what might happen next and I'll never get to see.

Curiously the best healing anime I have ever seen managed to leave me with such a bitter-sweet feeling when it ended.

EDIT: btw, honorable mention to Gungrave. I should really rewatch that show.

EDIT2: Ok, something that's been bothering me. Time and time again people claim Elfen Lied as one of the saddest animes they've seen. I've watched the show but didn't find it particularly sad. I think I might be missing something. Was I just that desensitised by the time I got to it or is this a case of the anime falling short of the source material?