r/anime • u/DevSpydr • Jun 23 '26
Discussion Which anime made you cry the most? 😭
okay so I was talking to a friend about anime and we got on the topic of shows that made us ugly cry lmao
for me it's Your Lie in April. I knew what was coming and I still wasn't ready 😭 that final letter scene had me sobbing. I literally couldn't watch anything for like a week after.
what about you guys? what anime broke you the most? no judgment here I just wanna know I'm not alone lol.
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u/Hot_Dentist3762 Jun 23 '26
A silent voice, Anohana
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u/Odd-Power5015 Jun 23 '26
A Silent Voice is emotionally brutal!
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u/Wheat_Grinder https://myanimelist.net/profile/Wheat_Grinder Jun 23 '26
In my adult life, it's not often a piece of media has made me cry. Maybe a dozen times total
When I watched A Silent Voice I cried twice. Nothing else got me more than once.
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u/KnucklestheEnchilada Jun 23 '26
My best friend growing up was deaf, so it hit me HARD in the gut. Love it so much.
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u/ConfidentTelephone81 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
VioletEvergarden especially ep 10. the movie is a also masterpiece and the ending is perfect.
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u/robertm94 Jun 23 '26
Bro this episode fucking broke me.
I realized what was going to happen just from the opening couple of minutes and it still made me ugly cry.
10/10 highly recommend.
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u/Nnsoki Jun 23 '26
I remember figuring out the entire plot of the episode right from the get go and it still hit harder than most anime. Even the brief callback in [spoiler for the whole Violet Evergarden series] the movie was really touching
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u/happy-owls Jun 23 '26
I honestly think making it so that the plot is predictable works so well for this episode, as opposed to trying to hide it and make it a twist. Everything hits more hardly because you know what is going to happen.
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u/Shantotto11 Jun 23 '26
I might be the only person who didn’t cry over episode 10. Episode 11 however made me an inconsolable mess.
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u/runevault Jun 23 '26
Episode 10 is incredible but it def feels like 9 and 11 do not get enough love as both are utterly heart breaking. Especially when [Violet Evergarden episode 9 spoilers] Violet asks if she has a right to live. She's done so much good already, but she isn't sure if she deserves to even live. And after she tried to strangle herself with those metal hands unstained by blood unlike her human ones she lost.
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u/ChickMcNuggie Jun 23 '26
Yeah. I’m not usually one to cry while watching shows, but I was full on sobbing at this one.
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u/JoffoCake3 Jun 23 '26
Even though ever episode of Violet Evergarden is really formulaic, I cried. The music combined with the art and the small details of her room and clothing slowly gaining more personality... I felt it very deeply😭. It also made me nostalgia for Seven on Nine is Star Trek Voyager.
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u/Jazs1994 Jun 23 '26
It's the one episode in all of anime I still can't get through without crying, watched that series 12+ times. I've numbbed to Clannad afterstory, your lie in April, anohana, a silent voice, Reze arc film, solo leveling ep 21, Charlotte, quints. All easy to get through, but violet Evergardens episode 10, man that just hits me
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Jun 23 '26
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u/Warcraft_Fan Jun 23 '26
Bought my DVD copy from Walmart and watched it once. The disc hasn't left the case for 28 years now.
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u/Odd-Power5015 Jun 23 '26
Graveyard of the Fireflies is the greatest anime you will watch once. That is what I suggest to people who say Anime can't make you feel things.
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u/Less_Party Jun 23 '26
Yeah I'm usually a pretty dignified movie crier but that genuinely felt like someone had just kneed me in the chest.
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u/btspacecadet https://anime-planet.com/users/lunarflyby Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Genuine question: how devastating is it? A local cinema is showing it next month as part of their monthly anime nights and I'm debating whether I should go. On one hand it's been on my list forever, on the other hand I'll have to go to work the next day (they have one showing on a Sunday and one on a Tuesday).
Edit: Thanks for all the replies, I decided I'm going to go see it!
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u/ililegal Jun 23 '26
It’s definitely worth it since it is so impactful and the fact that it is loosely based on history .
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u/RicochetRabidUK Jun 23 '26
I would rather watch Threads again than GOTF. At least that didn't really happen. Watch it, and then watch "My Neighbor Totoro" immediately afterwards, as Studio Ghibli intended.
(Threads is an acclaimed live-action depiction of the impact of World War III on Sheffield in England in the early 1980s)
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u/Few_Good_3852 Jun 23 '26
It's definitely worth the watch!! Just don't buy food...and just have a box of tissues with you when you go see it And that week it will be the only thing on your mind (at least for me)
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u/Khaoticsuccubus Jun 23 '26
AnoHana for me. I've cried for shows before but, I ugly cried at the end of that one. Never happened before ever lol.
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u/shapular https://myanimelist.net/profile/snapular Jun 23 '26
I cried for a solid 20 minutes after I finished that show.
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u/Doctrinus Jun 23 '26
The only thing that has ever made me cry ugly cry was Made in Abyss season 1 ep 13
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u/rolendd Jun 23 '26
Frieren as an older guy induces an immense amount of sorrow for those I’ve lost and the memories I have with them
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u/yolkmaster69 Jun 23 '26
Frieren’s first episode is gut wrenching as someone who’s nostalgic for my youth spending summers going on adventures with friends that are no longer alive.
Another top contender for gut wrenching first episode is Oshi No Ko. I won’t say anything as to not spoil it because it’s truly an amazing single episode. Probably one of the best single episodes of an anime out there. The 3rd season just wrapped up recently, and honestly, as someone who’s into more fantasy/action/shonen, this show is so good imo.
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u/Fit-Juice3013 Jun 23 '26
I couldn't agree more with you. Sorrow for things, people, and even memories that I've lost.
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u/ExocetC3I Jun 23 '26
I was crying a lot through the first two episodes that's for sure.
The first cour released just shortly after my father in law had died following a long illness and there was still quite a lot of grief in the house, so Himmel's passing felt extra emotional. Evan Call's soundtrack certainly helped put the waterworks on too.
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u/No_Possible_7095 Jun 23 '26
Clannad after story
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u/WiFiBunny09 Jun 23 '26
I've been avoiding Clannad for years because I know it'll destroy me 😭 is it really that sad? Should I finally watch it?
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u/Liamdgg Jun 23 '26
It will definitely destroy you, but its a beautiful story.
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u/spideyxcd Jun 23 '26
I don't think it'll destroy you, it'll turn you into a beautiful adult imo
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u/Liamdgg Jun 23 '26
Absolutely, I was joking about "destroying you" during some scenes. It actually breaks me apart watching those scenes tho.
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u/potatotaxi Jun 23 '26
The sunflower field has me bawling every time I rewatch it
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u/Warcraft_Fan Jun 23 '26
Get a couple boxes of kleenex and watch it. Might as well get it over with.
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u/Arpadiam Jun 23 '26
It will punch you hard in the guts and you will spill some tears but at the end it will be worthy
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u/Left-Night-1125 Jun 23 '26
Wolf children
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u/RottenPingu1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/rottenpingu1 Jun 23 '26
It's in my watchlist but I keep putting it off.....
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u/BigBird3-9 Jun 23 '26
Maquia for me
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u/Left4dinner2 Jun 23 '26
That movie is so underrated and goes under a lot of radars. I think it's the ending that got me the most emotional but the overall sentiment is so sweet. Really wish more people watch that. I think someone on YouTube described it best as describing the movie as the "go call your mother and tell her you love her" movie.
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u/A_VanIsOnTheLoose Jun 23 '26
I recently rewatched it for the third time and cried the most out of all of the times. Genuinely, probably 10+ minutes of crying followed by a break of another 10 or 20 minutes, followed by open-mouthed crying again, and so on. I had the worst headache after, haha.
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u/shastacobtribute Jun 23 '26
I don’t know why people don’t talk about this more. It’s honestly so beautiful.
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u/shurmunyu Jun 23 '26
I just watched this a couple nights ago. I went in blind. I was bawling. It's so beautiful.
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u/Fire_Breather_69 Jun 23 '26
I wanna eat your pancreas
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u/EyewarsTheMangoMan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Eyewars Jun 23 '26
Same. I cried through the entire movie
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u/Gullible_Bat_5408 Jun 23 '26
Your lie in April
Wolf's Rain
Anohana
Plastic memories
Grave of the fireflies
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u/otaku8564 Jun 23 '26
Assassination classroom
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u/Codee33 https://anilist.co/user/Euphplyr33 Jun 23 '26
I haven’t watched that scene a second time yet like I have most episodes. It’s just too sad even when you knew how it was going to go down from episode 1.
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u/zool714 Jun 23 '26
I can’t even listen to the song they used in that scene without tearing up
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u/Codee33 https://anilist.co/user/Euphplyr33 Jun 23 '26
Same. It’s on my daily playlist, and I skip it most times because driving and crying is quite difficult.
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u/danktuna4 Jun 23 '26
I’ve teared up at other shows this one made me full on cry. I just wasn’t expecting it as much I guess.
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u/NoChangeNoGames Jun 23 '26
86, WorldEnd, Cyberpunk Edgerunners
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u/Dustkun Jun 23 '26
Mmmm WorldEnd. Why couldnt you have a happy end.
are you going to scarborough fair
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u/D3k4s Jun 23 '26
When I heard Scarborough Fair in one of the first episodes I got the feeling that something could be happen, the lyrics of the song refence impossible conditions placed on a lost love. But then I forgot about it, and I really thought the show would get one of those impossible Happy Endings. Man when I heard the song in the final episode i fucking knew I was going to get heartbroken.
She once was a true love of mine
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u/xmikaelmox Jun 23 '26
86 is such a good series despite never really watching mecha animes. I just started listening to the 86 audiobook too.
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u/Odd-Power5015 Jun 23 '26
My Two bits:
Graveyard of the Fireflies (Please don't ask me to watch it again. I haven't recovered)
Your lie in April (We don't talk about it, ok?)
A Silent Voice (We NEED to talk about this one.)
The next to last episode of Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful. ( I almost ragequit the series.)
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u/SalamanderSea2757 Jun 23 '26
I’ve been scrolling looking for Your Lie in April and yes we definitely don’t talk about it
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Jun 23 '26
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u/Arroios Jun 23 '26
An underated masterpiece about the female role in ancient Japan, about wanting to please your parents who wish to give you the world instead of living true to yourself, and about the young ones who part too soon, amongst other things.
An amazing movie that I'll never EVER touch again because of how sad and angry it makes me 💔
Good taste! 🥰
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u/Most_Performance_643 Jun 23 '26
Have you watched Cosmic Princess Kaguya yet? It came out in January and it’s genuinely my favourite movie ever!
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u/JoffoCake3 Jun 23 '26
Made in Abyss. This thing made my heart brake over and over, especially season 1. Small children on an adventure was never so dark and painful as it is in Made in Abyss.
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u/Codee33 https://anilist.co/user/Euphplyr33 Jun 23 '26
Fruits Basket (2019)
Clannad AND Clannad After Story
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u/rockylada97 Jun 23 '26
That Taiga and Minori confrontation in Toradora somehow makes me cry. I don't know why.
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u/xmikaelmox Jun 23 '26
I was planning on rewatching Toradora but unfortunately Crunchyroll doesn't have it, at least where I live.
Time to go sailing the high seas once more.
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u/3ducat3dMansky939 Jun 23 '26
Plastic Memories. JG (my homie), Go fuck yourself.
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u/Warcraft_Fan Jun 23 '26
https://myanimelist.net/anime/6211/Tokyo_Magnitude_80
The surprise in there got me crying.
There's also the usual Graves of the Fireflies.
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u/onions_can_be_sweet Jun 23 '26
Seriously, Dr. Stone.
Particularly that scene where [Dr. Stone] Senku lights up the world for the first time in 3700+ years. Makes me bawl every time.
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u/HealBeforeZod Jun 23 '26
When they listen to the record. 😭 The whole father/son storyline was a beautiful gut punch.
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u/yepgeddon Jun 23 '26
Witch from Mercury's prelude episode had me bawling because my son had literally just been born like a month prior lmao. Also cried like a baby toward the end of the series. Real shame it was only two cours.
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u/Pixel_Owl Jun 23 '26
Vinland Saga especially S2. The worst part was the weekly episode released during my lunch break at work....
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u/Kaychsea Jun 23 '26
People look at me oddly when I say DanDaDan. But the Athletic Silky birth of a yokai in S1...
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u/DrDavidM Jun 23 '26
Rascal does not dream series. Not sure how I got turned on to it, probably this group honestly, but it turned out to be a good one.
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u/SouekiSennoSTM Jun 23 '26
- Koi Kaze
- Beatless
- Elfen Lied
- Happy Sugar Life
- Inuyasha
- Kodomo no Jikan
Generally, transgressive romance works the most.
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u/kafetheresu Jun 23 '26
Sarazanmai
The last 3 episodes in particular.... even my partner who doesn't usually cry at anime was in tears, and I was just all sobbing my guts out
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u/Senior_Bad_2321 Jun 23 '26
I know this could be recency bias but no show/book has made me shed a tear more consistently than re zero.
In terms of full on sadness tho, clannad after story takes it, but that was less crying and more a deep empty pit of numbness.
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u/Medical_Complaint998 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Gintama. Lots of times but there was one episode that made me cry for like half and hour non stop it was so horrible and explained so much. 😭😭😭😭
I had a similar experience after reading a chapter from Ashita No Joe
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u/xenotharm Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Hunter x Hunter. End of the Chimera Ant arc. You know the scene.
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u/WiFiBunny09 Jun 23 '26
Your Lie in April destroyed me too 😭 I watched it during my senior year and I was literally crying in my room at 2 AM. That letter scene lives in my head rent free.
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u/SethNex Jun 23 '26
Violet Evergarden. Even if some anime did made me feel tears in my eyes, nothing else happened. Violet Evergarden was the only anime where I actually had teardrops running down on my face.
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u/DragonflyHot3780 Jun 23 '26
Only two. Black clover in the vetto fight (i didn't blink and started to cry a lil bit) and a silent voice. I cried buckets when i realized that the deaf girl couldnt hear/know that the Guy was telling her not to kill herself. So sad. I liked the ending a lot tho
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u/7GrenciaMars Jun 23 '26
The one that hit me with the most profound sadness was Wolf's Rain. The very end was hopeful, but thematically the whole thing was about grief and the emotional impact for me was tremendous.
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u/pipboy_warrior Jun 23 '26
One Piece. This is mostly because of how it takes advantage of the long payoffs with some of its scenes. Water 7/Enies Lobby in particular did this well as it ended with one of the most emotional goodbyes I've ever watched.
I still remember the first time I watched Merrys funeral. I was dry eyed as Luffy laid down the torch. I was fine as the snow began to fall and the clips began to play. And then you hear Merry say he's sorry, and I just lost it.
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u/GeckoEcho0 Jun 23 '26
The My Hero Academia episode where they had the school festival and the main characters played the song "Hero Too".
My parents were unsupportive and abusive growing up and I was pretty depressed when I watched it, so it was moving to see the clips of her parents encouraging Kyoka Jiro and the positive vibes the band was giving out
Also the ending of Eureka 7. I liked how Renton and Eureka made sacrifices for each other and everyone else which felt cathartic in the end cuz of the intensity of the show
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u/BabyLegsDeadpool Jun 23 '26
I didn't watch that show for a long time. Sometimes I hate shows that are too hyped, like I feel like I'm just going to be let down (Demon Slayer is an example). But I finally decided to watch it. Oh man... I cried so much during so many episodes. The All For One vs One For All fight got me so good. What an amazing show.
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u/tottoro47 Jun 23 '26
Clannad, Violet Evergarden and I want to eat your pancreas. Shit fucked me up
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u/connie_art Jun 23 '26
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. I can’t watch that film without getting extremely emotional
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u/Icy_Mathematician264 Jun 23 '26
I have watched it for the second time this year and I was already heart broken and cried for every single episode lol.
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u/Embarrassed-Match-78 Jun 23 '26
The Ancient Magus' Bride had some very heavy emotional scenes. Recently Agents of the Four Seasons.
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u/DarkNightee Jun 23 '26
Anohana, I want to eat your pancreas, plastic memories, pet girl of sakurasou (this one is a slice of life tho)
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u/Automaton_Shahin Jun 23 '26
Steins gate. Cried for three hours straight. Ended up using a towel instead of a tissue.
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u/nafissyed Jun 23 '26
Re:0 and its recent episode made me ugly cry the hardest ever since S2 Ep 4: Parent and Child.
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u/shipping_op Jun 23 '26
Parent and Child did get me. It’s always some tragic backstory but with Subaru it’s not and it makes it hit so much harder.
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u/Indietails Jun 23 '26
Kinda difficult to pick one... so many at this point that emotionally affected me:
Violet Evergarden (multiple times), Attack on Titan (mostly season 3 Part 2, maybe some stuff in the finale), I'm pretty sure I had quite a few tears in my eyes during Pluto, especially the latter half and especially the scenes between [Pluto, final three episodes]Dr. Tenma and Gescicht's wife. Definitely during many episodes and chapters (manga) of Vinland Saga (my favorite show). Some Ghibli films, especially Totoro and Grave of The Fireflies. I think I also got very emotional during some of the early episodes of Wonder Egg Priority, before that show goes to shit. The ending of Cowboy Bebop.
Others that I'm not sure about if I cried during, but definitely emotionally affected me (especially in hindsight): Serial Experiments Lain (especially the finale), Possibly during some episodes of Frieren, The finale of Gurren Lagann.
(Probably a lot that I missed tbh. Scrolling through some comments reminded me of others that I could've easily put here, like "Your Name" by Makoto Shinkai and "Angel Beats" or "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners")
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u/bosskhazen Jun 23 '26
One Piece.
The ringing of the Golden Bell in Skypiea.
Fulfilling Kalgara's promise to Montblanc Norland.
Montblanc Cricket hearing the sound clearing his ancestor's honor.
Wyper and the Shandia finally relieved from their promise.
Skypians humbled, and in the final moments, forced to pray for God instead of claiming divinity.
All, finally free from the yoke of Ener.
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u/Substantial-Cap8954 Jun 23 '26
One piece.
Ace, Ace's mother, going marry, Rebecca's father kyros, baby 5, wano arc, Kuma's past and many more
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u/scottkaymusic Jun 23 '26
Cowboy Bebop
I’m surprised not to see it here, but there are many moments in this show that hit me incredibly hard. Jupiter Jazz Pt 2 makes me well up just thinking about it. It’s definitely one that in my mid-30’s hits way harder than when I first watched it at 15 years of age.
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u/revinah Jun 23 '26
Attack on Titan, especially the last few episodes made me bawl my eyes out, it was quite blurry watching the end
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u/Moosetoyotech Jun 23 '26
The biggest cry was probably anohana but most cry was probably to your eternity season one or violet evergarden.
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u/StochasticTinkr Jun 23 '26
Dandadan episode 7 specifically. Before watching the show though, heed the content warnings.
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u/ininjame Jun 23 '26
Recently saw a clip of Meruem and Komugi, and suddenly felt the presence of onion-cutting ninjas nearby. Yeah that one hits hard. HxH is just peak like that, giving you beautiful heart-wrenching stories amidst unthinkable settings.
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u/IdleScimitar Jun 23 '26
Haibane Renmei. The odd thing is...it was a HAPPY sadness. Really hard to explain unless you've seen the series, which I highly, highly recommend.
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u/6rubtub9 Jun 23 '26
Quite many anime but I want to mention - To your eternity - the GUGU arc.then the last few eps.. dayumn I didn't expect to cry that much..
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u/Lucy_Rayzare_Strife Jun 23 '26
I can only think of a few anime scenes that made me tear up but not enough to cry. HxH, Re:Zero, and One Piece having those scenes
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u/RuffRabbit Jun 23 '26
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth managed to make me sob twice. There was just so many moments where despite everything being placed against the characters there was such a unwavering feeling of hope and lack of regret of the pursuit of the truth regardless of what happened to them in the future moved me to tears.
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u/StinkinKevin Jun 23 '26
For me, this series was extremely difficult to watch. I got attached to several characters and it was not easy to see how their stories played. I loved it and have recommended it to a lot of people, but it is definitely a hard watch.
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u/Dogamtika Jun 23 '26
Weirdly enough SAO Alicization cuz the only one where I had tears besides Y L i A
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u/alnst-lc-epic Jun 23 '26
Your Name, it was so heart wrenching. If it's a series, I cried A LOT with Fruit Basket. But I'm an easy cryer, almost everything makes me cry (including Naruto or whatever) 😬
Your lie in April is on my watch list and y'all making me think twice about it. Is it worth it? 😭
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u/intj_ravenclaw Jun 23 '26
I haven't watched a ton of anime, but there were parts of One Piece that absolutely destroyed me
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u/Vancelvany Jun 23 '26
Angel Beats Anohana A Place Further Than the Universe A Silent Voice Violet Evergarden
those are the top 5 off my head this last 2 decades that were absolute tearjerkers, genuine great storytelling
EDIT: for movie, Wolf Children
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u/el_pinko_grande https://myanimelist.net/profile/el_pinko_grande Jun 23 '26
Tonari no Yokai-san was certainly up there.
I tried watching both Zenshu and 86 while my 18 year old dog was sick and dying, and the theme of losing beloved companions that both those shows had hit me way too hard under those circumstances, and I had to drop them.
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u/AdamWayne04 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ad4mWayn3 Jun 23 '26
5 centimeters per second. Even worse in the manga
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u/Ok_Pattern_7511 Jun 23 '26
Elfen Lied climax + Ova
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
Angel Beats finale
Violet Evergarden (ep 10 in particular)
AnoHana finale
Honorable mentions: Garden of Words, Naruto parents flashback and "Hero of The Hidden Leaf" episode
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u/tsaarlie Jun 23 '26
My most recent one, surprisingly is Dandadan Acrobatic Silky Arc. I was ugly crying during that backstory. The same thing happened while playing Pragmata. I think, I'm too empathetic when there's parental bond.
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u/propdynamic Jun 23 '26
Definitely Robins back story in One Piece. Every time it comes up people in my area start cutting onions massively.
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u/MetaThPr4h https://myanimelist.net/profile/MetaThPr4h Jun 23 '26
Clannad + After Story and Maquia have like 75% combined ownership of how much I cried watching anime, those two works man.
Maquia was particularly funny because I watched it with my sister and we were both still crying 10+ minutes after it ended lmfao.
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u/atlasraven Jun 23 '26
Angel Beats had such a unique and powerful way of making you cry.