Anime has an unparalleled ability to evoke a wide range of emotions, from joy and excitement to deep sadness and despair. Within this captivating medium, some moments stand out as truly heart-wrenching, leaving the audience in a puddle of their own tears.
These saddest moments transcend the boundaries of animation, touching the core of human emotions with their powerful storytelling, stunning visuals, and memorable characters. From tales of love and loss to the ravages of war and the beauty of bittersweet farewells, let’s unravel some of the saddest anime movie moments of all time.
10Hana’s Decision – Wolf Children (2012)
What could be more heartbreaking than a mother deciding to let go of their children? Both of Hana’s children have the qualities of both human and wolf. However, when Ame, the younger one, decides to leave his human life behind to live as a wolf in the mountains, it leaves Hana heartbroken. Hana is faced with the heartbreaking realization that she must let Ame follow his own path.
As Ame disappears into the wilderness, Hana’s tears and her final words to him convey asense of loss and love. It’s a poignant and bittersweet moment that resonates deeply with viewers, emphasizing the film’s exploration of the complexities of motherhood and the passage of time.
9Tohno at the Train Station – 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)
This movie tugs at the heartstrings of audiences from the very start until the very end. Towards the end of the film, Tohno Takaki stands at a train station waiting for a reunion with his childhood love, Akari Shinohara. They haven’t seen each other in years, and this moment represents their chance to reconnect. However, Tohno realizes that Akari will not be able to reunite with him.
Tohno’s quiet and lonely wait at the station in the falling snow is a melancholic depiction of lost opportunities and unfulfilled love. This moment captures the movie’s central theme of fleeting connections and the pain of being separated from the one you love, making it one of the most impactful scenes in5 Centimeters Per Second.
8Jiro’s Dream about His Late Wife – The Wind Rises (2013)
Sometimes certain dreams are enough to shake a person up in an agonizing way. In one of the scenes, as Jiro sleeps, the dream takes him back to a time when he and Nahoko were deeply in love and happy together. They are seen walking through a serene and picturesque countryside, hand in hand. In the dream, Nahoko appears as a vision of pure joy, symbolizing a perfect and happy time in Jiro’s life.
Even though Jiro’s dream was beautifully moving, what makes it painful is that everything his dream displayed was far from reality for him. His life was no more perfect than it used to be before. This particular momentstrikes a chordwith viewers by tapping into universal emotions of nostalgia and lost love.
7Consequences of Time-leaping – The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)
For most of the part, the film is cheerful and fun to watch, until Makoto realizes something that changes the mood of the entire movie. There comes a moment when Makoto discovers that her repeated use of time-leaping has caused significant changes in the lives of those around her. Her closest friends have experienced hardships and challenges due to her tampering with time.
The emotional weight of this revelation hits Makoto hard as she grapples with the unintended consequences of her actions. Makoto’s realization and the sense of guilt that follows serve as a powerful moment of reflection and growth for her character, making it one of the saddest moments in the movie.
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6Revelation of Sakura’s Illness – I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)
The moment when Sakura reveals her terminal illness to Haruki is aturning pointin the story. Up to that point, their relationship has been filled with moments of laughter, bonding, and growing closeness. However, when her light is out in the light, it shatters the idyllic illusion of their time together.
From this point onwards, the film highlights the stark contrast between Sakura’s youthful exuberance and the grim reality of her condition. Her strength and resilience in the face of her impending mortality evoke a deep sense of empathy and sadness in the audience.
5Firework Scene – A Silent Voice (2016)
It’s been years since the movie’s release, but people still talk about it. It was that kind of impactful movie about human emotions and life. In one scene near the end, the audience witnesses Shoya join Shoko and her family to witness a fireworks display. However, the heartwarming atmosphere takes a somber twist when Shoya discovers Shoko on the edge of the railing, ready to give up on her life.
The sudden shift in this moment from celebration to a life-and-death crisis is emotionally jarring, making it a profoundly sad and tense scene in the film. The themes of isolation and depression are portrayed realistically throughout the entire movie, evoking powerful emotions in the viewers.
4Ash’s Body Turns into Stone – Pokémon: The First Movie (1998)
It may be surprising to think that a franchise as child-friendly as Pokémon could evoke sadness, but in its first globally acclaimed movie, it did just that. In the midst of anepic showdownbetween the legendary Pokémon Mew and Mewtwo, a heart-wrenching moment unfolds.
Ash, the beloved protagonist, intervenes to end the battle, only to be engulfed by a devastating psychic attack, leaving him petrified. Although he eventually returns, the scene’s emotional impact is profound, particularly for those who experienced this film in their youth.
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3Impact of Hiroshima Bombing – In This Corner of the World (2016)
This tale about Suzu, a young woman, won the Japan Academy Prize for itsemotionally moving depictionof life in Hiroshima during World War II. The portrayal of the Hiroshima bombing is one of the heart-shattering realities depicted in this film. The nuclear bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, with its blinding flash of light and a deafening explosion that engulfs the city. The ensuing chaos is depicted with vivid and haunting detail, showing buildings reduced to rubble, fires raging, and people fleeing in panic.
This moment in the film emphasizes the horror and devastation of the bombing, with images of injured and disoriented survivors, including Suzu’s. It conveys the sense of loss and helplessness of the characters. This powerful portrayal captures the tragic reality of the Hiroshima disaster, making it a painful moment to witness, even in the film.
2Hotaru Watches Gin Disappear – Hotarubi no Mori e (2011)
Nothing could be more agonizing than witnessing your beloved disappear before your eyes, as seen in the closing moments ofHotarubi no Mori e.The film traces the budding connection between a human girl, Hotaru Takegawa, and a forest spirit named Gin. Their deepening friendship evolves into love, but an ominous rule shadows their affection: any skin contact between them would erase him forever.
In the concluding scene, at a bustling festival, Gin inadvertently brushes against another person, sealing his fate. Hotaru, though, briefly holds Gin in her arms, a poignant and heartbreaking moment as she realizes it’s their first and last embrace, leaving viewers with a profoundsense of devastation.
1Setsuko’s Death – Grave of the Fireflies (1989)
Grave of the Firefliesstands as one of Studio Ghibli’s most profoundlyheart-crushing anime movies, delving into the devastating impact of war on civilians through the lives of Seita and Stsuko. As they struggle to survive in the harsh wartime landscape, the siblings embark on a grim journey.
However, the relentless scarcity of food ultimately claims Setsuko’s life, just as Seita manages to procure sustenance. The moment when Seita discovers his sister’s lifeless body is profoundly sorrowful, arousing tears. Tragically, the film’s poignant narrative takes another cruel turn as Seita himself succumbs to malnutrition by the story’s end.
