20 Heartbreaking Anime That Will Make You Cry (2023)

Anime creators love to make their audience cry. Tons of anime seem to have been created specifically to make fans cry. From heartfelt dramas about young love, unrequited feelings and relationship dramas to more serious stories that deal with themes like death, war and disease, anime has found countless ways to break hearts and make viewers cry.

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For all fans of heartwarming stories that will make you produce that salty eye discharge, you've come to the right place. There are many excellent animes about really moving and depressing subjects. These titles are sure to touch the hearts of audiences in one way or another.

Updated by Sarah Martin on August 9, 2022:Since this list was last updated in 2020, we've updated it with a few more tears that are sure to let audiences experience the full range of emotions. We've rounded up five more of the saddest anime movies and series that will have viewers reaching for their tissue boxes.

20/20Orange (2016)

13 episodes

at its surface level,Orangelooks like your average mystery anime. Protagonist Naho Takamiya receives a letter from her future self. However, she must decipher these letters to discover their meaning, especially since they concern the loss of her classmate Kakeru.

If Naho fails to discover the meaning of these cards, they predict the greatest tragedy for her and everyone else.Orangeis overwhelmingly melancholic, and viewers are taken on a journey with the characters as they grapple with their regret, guilt and pain.

19/20Wolfskinder (2012)

117 minutes

WolfskinderIt has a sound premise but is actually quite exciting. It tells the struggle of a single mother named Hana trying to raise her two children. That's challenging enough, but the kids are half-wolves too. Her children's father went hunting and was killed, leaving Hana to raise the children alone.

Even sadder, Hana found his body when the garbage man was about to dispose of it. In this anime, audiences will experience the same feelings as Hana as she struggles to raise her two supernatural children.

18/20Your Name (2016)

106 minutes

The idea of ​​fate in anime is nothing new. It's a common trope in many genres of the medium. Nonetheless,Your Nameapproaches it from a new perspective and is sure to make audiences cry. The film follows Mitsuha and Taki. Both are high school students who come from humble and average lives.

Mitsuha wants to live in Tokyo but cannot afford it. Taki struggles to keep up with his studies while working part-time. These are two very related characters brought together by fate when they suddenly switch bodies. They quickly realize how much their actions influence each other and that nothing in their lives is really a coincidence.

17/20Bananenfisch (2018)

24 episodes

There is a lotAnime with deep social comments, but none of them are as willing to tackle tough issues asbanana fish🇧🇷 This anime follows Eiji and Ash as they slowly fall in love. This anime was praised for itrealistic depiction of their relationship.

banana fishis harrowing and sure to leave an impression on anyone who watches it. Ash is a gang leader and Eiji is a photographer. Unfortunately, their relationship is doomed to tragedy as they can never be together. Eiji is forced to leave New York, but Ash is stabbed while trying to say goodbye to Eiji.

16/20I want to eat your pancreas (2018)

108 minutes

I want to eat your pancreasis one of the saddest anime movies of all time and is sure to leave audiences in shambles. The film follows Haruki after he finds and reads Sakura's diary. He learns that Sakura is secretly suffering from a deadly pancreatic disease. When Haruki returns to the diary, he is shocked to learn that he is the first to find out about Sakura's illness. Haruki promises to help her achieve everything on her bucket list.before your inevitable death.

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This anime is tragic and its most painful event happens without warning. Sakura talks about her death like it's no big deal, but there's a lot of fear behind her bubbly facade. She teasingly flirts with Haruki all the time as they grow closer, but he doesn't realize his true feelings for her until it's too late.

15/20Plastic Memories (2015)

13 episodes

plastic memoriesis one of those shows that gives audiences a refreshing dose of reality and a reminder that nothing lasts forever. The premise of the show revolves around the creation of androids that are almost indistinguishable from real humans.

However, the main difference is that androids have a very short finite lifespan. They can only live up to about nine years. The protagonist falls in love with one of these androids and viewers have to see him realize that his time with her is running out.

14/20Violetter Evergarden (2018)

13 episodes

Violetter EvergardenIt's a deep and moving anime, and there are a few moments that will definitely have viewers reaching for their tissues. Most people cite this anime as one of the few that ended up ruining them.

Violet Evergarden, the main character, was specially created to be a weapon against enemies. But when the war ends, she must find a new meaning for her life. After recovering from her injuries, she began working as an Auto Memory Doll, her job being to put people's thoughts into words on paper.

13/20Chrono Crusade (2003)

24 episodes

Chrono CrusadeIt's all about the fighting in New York City after World War I. However, it is not an easy drama. The series is actually about a demonic entity and the Order of Magdalene whose goal is to stop demons from destroying the world.

Fighting the monstrous beings has its difficulties, and the Order has seen a lot of terrible collateral damage. One of the main characters, Rosette, still has hopes of finding her brother somewhere in the rubble, since he was snatched from her by a demon.

20/12True Tears (2008)

13 episodes

real tearsIt's pretty easy andsimple love story, but that doesn't mean viewers won't be crying by the end of the series. It follows a boy named Shinichirou Nakagami who ends up living under the same roof as the girl he has feelings for.

However, Shinichirou begins to notice that she behaves very differently at home than when they are somewhere else. He is eager to help her as best he can, but has a hard time finding the best way while taking care of himself at the same time.

20/11Elfen Lied (2004)

13 episodes

mention itemis famous for being extremely depressing. For starters, the show has a pretty gruesome scene of animal cruelty at the beginning. So if this is something that would break someone's heart, viewers might want to stay away or find a guide to tell them what to skip.

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mention itemfollows a young woman named Lucy, who is a Diclonius, a human with terrible powers. She becomes the victim of an agonizing scientific experiment. Lucy eventually escapes by killing everyone around her and receives a wound that causes her to revert to a childlike state. It's one of the most controversial anime out there and definitely not for the faint of heart.

20/105 centimeters per second (2007)

3 episodes

Makoto Shinkai films are known for their stunning visuals that set them apart from pretty much everything else. during your coupYour Nameis certainly his best-made film overall, hitting fans hardest to date.5 centimeters per second🇧🇷 Revolving around two close friends separated by life, the film is about growing up and alienation.

Despite their best efforts to keep in touch, the characters drift apart throughout their lives. However, the memories of each other remain and they keep hoping to see each other again despite the growing distance between them. The film gives a realistic portrayal of the natural course of life and how people tend to drift apart naturally at times. The title refers to the speed at which cherry blossoms fall.

20/09Steins;Tor (2011)

24 episodes

WhileSteins TorIt is not classified or marketed as a sad anime, it still has one of the most heartbreaking arcs in all of anime.Steins Tortells the story of Okabe Rintarou, a college student and self-proclaimed scientist who accidentally discovers a way to change past events by sending D-Mails. After using the D-Mails, Okabe and his friends find that when time moves, it tends to recede.

Okabe must race against the clock to save his childhood friend Mayuri, only to end up seeing her die over and over again. Eventually, Okabe gets to the point where he has to choose between Mayuri and the girl whose life he saved sending the first D-mail, the one he fell in love with - Makise Kurisu. Watching Okabe keep failing and the two despairing in the face of overwhelming obstacles is enough to break anyone.

64 episodes

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodis an anime with one of the most moving stories ever told. It is the story of two young brothers who broke the laws of alchemy by attempting human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The brothers paid a heavy price for their indiscretion. The younger Alphonse lost his entire body. The eldest brother, Edward, lost his leg and then his arm while retrieving his brother's soul and binding it to armor.

However, these brave and stubborn brothers refused to accept their fate and went in search of a way to get their bodies back. They believed that the Philosopher's Stone was the key, but given the stone's true nature, they had to grapple with the moral implications of its use. This only scratches the surface.Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodis a rich, layered and heartbreaking anime with multiple tragic stories that will make your blood run cold and your eyes water.

20/07Tokio Magnitude 8.0 (2009)

11 episodes

When an 8.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Tokyo 25km under the sea, two young siblings, Mirai and Yuki, struggle to reach their parents as they walk home from a robot exhibition in Odaiba. The children are cared for by single mother and motorcycle courier Mari, who drives to her mother and daughter's house.

On their long and arduous journey to reunite with their families, the trio find comfort and support in each other andbecomes a family in its own way.Tokyo size 8.0is a terrifying, moving, and realistic portrayal of the aftermath of a massive natural disaster, seen through the eyes of three beautifully portrayed characters. It's guaranteed to affect everyone.

20/06A Silent Voice (2016)

130 minutes

A 2016 anime filma silence Voiceby Kyoto Animation is not a pleasant experience, but it actually works in your favor. This film doesn't want viewers to feel comfortable. He wants the audience to feel what the characters on screen are feeling, and he does his job.a silent voiceis about a deaf girl named Shouko who was constantly bullied by her peers in elementary school to the point where she had to change schools several times.

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a silenceVoiceIt's also about Shouya, the boy who bullied Shouko and who later became the target of bullying when he turned against his friends. In his third year of high school, Shouya, haunted by his mistakes and regretting his past actions, decides to embark on a journey of redemption. He encounters Shouko again and tries to make amends.a silent voiceit's disturbing and heartbreaking, but it's also heartwarming and hopeful.

20/05angel beats! (2010)

13 episodes

angel beats!It begins with a boy named Otonashi waking up only to find that he is dead. Luckily for him, a gun-wielding girl named Yuri explains to him that he has arrived in the afterlife and that she is the leader of a name-changing front that is rebelling against God and fighting God's henchmen, the President of the Angel student body, who possess supernatural powers.

angel beats!It's actually quite funny, to the point where it's not, and viewers forget what laughter is. As the front lines orchestrate and execute various missions against Angel, Otonashi questions the morality of his actions. Eventually, the true nature of the school after death is revealed and Otonashi begins working with Angel to realize the purpose of this Limbo, to allow people who have experienced trauma and difficulties in life to move on. Watching these characters' story unfold as they struggle to let go of their attachments to their past lives is a real tearjerker.

20/04Your Lie in April (2014)

22 episodes

Your lie in Aprilthe A-1 Picturesfollows a piano prodigy and a famous child musiciannamed Kousei Arima, who lost the ability to hear the sound of his own piano after the death of his mother. Two years later, Kousei meets Kaori Miyazono, a lively violinist, who helps him see that music should be played freely and not in the rigid, structured way his mother taught him.

Your lie in Aprildelves into the story of Kousei's recovery as he learns that there is more to music than playing every note perfectly, and falls in love with Kaori in the process. Unfortunately, much like the anime's vibrant color palette, Kaori's joy only masks the tragedy to come. With a beautiful and touching soundtrack,Your lie in Aprilis a profound and moving story about emotional trauma, overcoming loss and moving forward. It will make everyone cry.

3/20Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011)

11 episodes

There are few anime that not only makes the audience cry for eleven episodes in a row, but also gives the audience the opportunity to cry upon hearing the first few notes of a song.Anohana: The flower we saw that dayis an original anime by A-1 Pictures that aired in Spring 2011. This anime tells the story of a group of childhood friends, now teenagers, trying to come to terms with the loss of their friend Menma, who died when they were children. .

Five years after Menma's death, the group of friends has disbanded, but the spirit of their long-lost friend may be enough to bring them back together. The group comes together so Menma can finally grant her wish and move on, while also providing her friends with the closure they need to move on without her. Throughout the story, viewers see how Menma's death affects each of their friends while coming to terms with their own inability to deal with and overcome their guilt.friendlinessIt is an exhilarating and thrilling experience that no one should miss.

20/02Clannad (2007)

23 episodes

Clannadeis the anime adaptation of Key's visual novel of the same name. It's probably the most famous sad anime out there. The anime also has an infinitely more depressing sequel, the 24-episode feature.Clannade by story🇧🇷 While the first part deals with ordinary high school drama, mainly friendships and romantic relationships, the second part is a much more serious and impactful look at the struggles of adult life, with an emphasis on the importance of family.

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Clannadeis a rare anime that allows viewers to see the characters' entire lives instead of ending with the couple graduating from high school or holding hands.Clannadedon't pull punches. It will break viewers' hearts and leave them in tears. Those who enjoy the experience should check out Key's other anime adaptations, such asLittle busters!

1/20Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

88 minutes

Tomb of Firefliesis one of the most moving films fans have ever seen. Set in the final days of World War II, the film tells the story of a boy named Seita and his younger sister, Setsuko, whose lives were shattered by the cruel and brutal war that left them without their parents and home.

On your ownin the Japanese countryside, the brothers' youthful optimism blinds them in the face of relentless adversity and gives them the strength to try to withstand an inevitable fate.Tomb of Firefliesis a painfully depressing, deeply beautiful and moving film that leaves no one indifferent.

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