The following contains spoilers for various anime series.
The Japanese anime industry is adept at depicting wacky comedy and exciting, larger-than-life action scenes with the use of colorful and expressive visuals, but that's not all anime can do. Plenty of anime fans are more interested in heavy drama and darker stories, which calls for some truly heartbreaking and tragic scenes. Plenty of anime deliver on that front, and some are famous for it.
Even the goofiest anime like One Piece and action-oriented anime like Vinland Saga have some hard-hitting scenes that are bound to make viewers cry for the sympathetic characters they see on-screen. Often, it's a heart-wrenching death of a loved one that will make the characters and viewers cry in these sad scenes, though other plot twists like rejection and emotional trauma might do the trick, too.
10 When Sayu Yagami Recovered From Getting Kidnapped (Death Note)
Plenty of characters die in Death Note, but oddly, it's a case of someone surviving that is truly heartbreaking to watch. Light Yagami's younger sister Sayu was taken hostage, so Mello could get the Death Note from the Japanese police, and fortunately, Sayu was returned physically unharmed.
However, Sayu Yagami needed much longer to recover emotionally, and the next time Death Note fans saw her, she was silent as her mother Sachiko took her outside to get some fresh air. Sayu had once been so talkative and cheerful, but she was a shell of her former self until she possibly recovered later.
9 When Byakuya Ishigami Collapsed (Dr. Stone)
For the most part, the Dr. Stone edutainment anime has a cheerful and optimistic tone as Senku Ishigami strives to rebuild civilization with the exciting power of science. Once in a while, though, the anime has truly heartbreaking scenes, most of which concern the Ishigami family.
In a flashback, Byakuya Ishigami is seen working for decades to gather the raw materials needed for Senku's future success, and even as a frail old man, he was still at it. Eventually, one night, Byakuya's strength failed him, and he collapsed into the creek, dead. It was sad to see him go, and even Senku felt teary thinking about it.
8 When Nezuko Attacked Tanjiro By Instinct (Demon Slayer)
It was already an emotional gut-punch to see Demon Slayer protagonist Tanjiro Kamado return home one day to find his family massacred by Muzan's hand. Then Tanjiro found a glimmer of hope since Nezuko had survived, but to Tanjiro's horror, she had become a demon.
Nezuko turned on her brother with claws and fangs, and Tanjiro fought to keep her at bay while making emotional appeals to her. Nezuko still had some humanity left, hence she agonized with tears in that scene, but it took Giyu Tomioka's interference to actually save Tanjiro from his demon sister.
7 When Thorfinn Lost His Revenge (Vinland Saga)
Vinland Saga's death scenes were plenty sad already, such as Thors' death in front of his young son Thorfinn in the Faroe Islands, but violence is to be expected. What really broke anime fans' hearts was when Thorfinn lost not a person, but his entire reason for being.
Thorfinn Karlsefni swore to get revenge on Askeladd, only for Prince Canute to kill Askeladd himself to avenge King Sweyn. Thorfinn was utterly broken, numb as he saw his long-awaited revenge slip from his fingers. Thorfinn felt empty and defeated, so he didn't resist when he was captured and sold into slavery in Denmark.
6 When Jonathan Gave His Life to Defeat Dio (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Even if JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans only met Jonathan Joestar the hero for a few episodes, Jonathan was intensely likable and sympathetic. He lost a lot to his foster brother turned enemy Dio Brando, and when Dio's severed head wreaked havoc aboard a ship, Jonathan took drastic action.
Jonathan gave his very life to stop Dio, and he burned down the entire ship to make sure Dio and his minions couldn't reach innocent people on land. What made it even sadder was that Jonathan held Dio as a beloved foster brother, yet his kindness was wasted on a monster like Dio.
5 When Kyo Tried to Push Tohru Away (Fruits Basket)
The shojo classic Fruits Basket had a few sad death scenes, such as for each of Tohru Honda's parents, but the saddest scene involved the living. Kyo Sohma the tsundere had a terrible life as the Cat of the Zodiac, and he was deeply ashamed of his monstrous true form, something he didn't want the kind Tohru to see.
Kyo tried to push Tohru away since he thought he wasn't good enough for her, yet Tohru insisted, and she eventually convinced him. What was truly sad was that for all his suffering, Kyo was willing to deny himself his only chance at happiness with Tohru to protect her, which was both a noble and heartbreaking gesture.
4 When Ace Died in Luffy's Arms (One Piece)
The Summit War saga in One Piece delivered one of shonen anime's saddest and most shocking scenes of all, one that subverted expectations for such a story. Protagonist Monkey D. Luffy risked it all to find and rescue his foster brother Portgas D. Ace, and they were reunited during the apocalyptic Marineford battle.
Tragically, Admiral Akainu delivered a fatal lava punch to Ace's chest. Luffy went numb with shock and grief as his foster brother died in his arms, but at least Ace was happy. Ace tearfully thanked Luffy for loving him when no one else would ever show any familial love for the son of Gol D. Roger.
3 When Isla's Power Ran Out On the Ferris Wheel (Plastic Memories)
Plastic Memories is a science fiction anime with a warm heart. It posits some intriguing questions about whether people and robots can fall in love with one another, and the male lead Tsukasa is sure that the answer is yes. However, time is against him, since his android friend Isla, designed to look like a beautiful girl, is running out of time.
Even when anime fans know the end is coming, it's still a tear-jerking scene to see Isla's death happen in the near distance on the Ferris Wheel as her time runs out. Tsukasa is next seen carrying Isla's unpowered form across the nighttime park grounds, and he can't help bursting into tears.
2 When Ai Hoshino Died (Oshi No Ko)
The drama anime Oshi no Ko began with mixed tragedy and comedy as Dr. Gorou and his patient Sarina Tendouji both died and got reborn as the pop idol Ai Hoshino's twin son and daughter. For a few years, the teen mom Ai did her best to raise them, but one tragic day, a fan stabbed her to death in her home.
Ai slowly bled out as Aqua and Ruby, her children, could only watch. During that time, Ai reflected on what a relief it was to know that she had finally found true love with her children. Aqua and Ruby didn't feel so sentimental, though, and their new mothers' death scarred them both. Aqua, in particular, decided to devote his new life to getting revenge.
1 When Anne Found Her Mother's Birthday Letters (Violet Evergarden)
Violet Evergarden had plenty of sad scenes concerning grief and war, and the charming kuudere protagonist Violet Evergarden was sensitive to all of it. She dealt with plenty of emotionally charged stories as she typed letters for clients as an Auto Memory Doll, but one particular case stood out.
Violet spent time typing many letters for her client Clara, a mother who knew she would soon die of an illness. The emotional gut punch arrived when the episode showed a montage of Clara's young daughter Anne reading her mother's letters, one on each birthday, as one last way to remain connected to Clara. As time went on, Anne grew up, found happiness, and built a life of her own, all with her mother fondly watching from beyond the grave via those letters.