Japanese anime may occasionally have heartbreaking scenes that make us cry. The saddest anime are frequently the ones that address relatable topics like bullying and social anxiety the best. However, because of their thought-provoking plots and characters, anime fans continue to seek out films and television shows that might not have happy endings. Whether you enjoy depressing anime or sad anime romance films, we have the inside scoop on both!
A Silent Voice
Shoya was an outcast throughout middle school due to his reputation as a bully. It is now a depressed recluse who is unwilling to look others in the eyes. It imagines an “X” mark over people’s faces. Shoya goes to the sign language center to return Shoko’s notebook and apologize, but then panics and requests to be friends instead. Shoko accepts his offer, prompting Shoya to try to make amends for his abuse of Shoko. Another outcast, Tomohiro Nagatsuka, befriends Shoya after he saves him from a bully. It is one of the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry.
Your Lie in April
An eccentric girl with her secret forces a piano prodigy who lost her ability to play following a horrific event in his childhood back into the spotlight. The plot revolves around Arima Kousei, a talented pianist. He hasn’t played, though, since he played for his mother, who died a few years ago. It is one of the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry.
Air
As the two become closer, the story of Kannabi no Mikoto, or Kanna for short, begins to unfold. Explaining how Kanna, the last of the winged beings, fell in love with her guardian Ryya (Nobutoshi Canna). While imprisoned in a palace and threatened with death if she tried to flee. Kanna shares her wish to visit the ocean and use her wings to fly to her mother. Whom she was separated from at birth, and the two eventually become lovers. Ryya, it appears, resolves to assist Kanna in realizing her dream of the ocean, and the two plot their escape. It is one of the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry.
Haibane Renmei
A young Haibane—a person with a halo and small grey wings—awakens from a cocoon in the town of Old Home to a world she doesn’t understand. Mainly because she has no memories of her history. Rakka is named after she dreams of falling while inside the cocoon. She quickly adapts to life in the unusual town. It is one of the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Six childhood friends have drifted apart over the years since one of them, Menma, died. Jintan, the original ‘leader’ of this friend group, is currently aimless in life, and it is at this moment that he begins to see Menma’s soul. She says he might be able to see her because of a desire she’d like to have granted, but she’s not sure what it is. We shall see the many routes the members of the buddy group have taken over the years as they have developed, while he seeks to fulfill her last desire as a result of Menma urging Jintan into action. It is one of the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry.
Wolf Children
Hana’s life as a single mother is stressful; Yuki and Ame regularly transform between human and wolf forms, get into fights, and Hana is forced to hide them from the rest of the world. Hana relocates the family to the countryside to avoid prying neighbors after receiving noise complaints and a visit from social workers concerned about the children’s lack of vaccines. She works hard to fix a decaying house, but the family cannot survive on their harvests. She learns to farm with the help of a severe old man named Nirasaki and makes friends with some of the villagers. It is one of the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry.
Grave of the Fireflies
This animated story depicts Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), a teenager burdened with caring for his younger sister, Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi), after an American firebombing during World War II separates the two youngsters from their parents. Their survival story is as devastating as it is true to reality. The siblings rely entirely on one another and fight against all odds to stay together and alive.
The Light of a Firefly Forest
The original Hotarubi no Mori e shoujo manga and accompanying film relate to the narrative of Hotaru Takegawa, a six-year-old girl who becomes trapped in a forest inhabited by a mountain ghost as well as ykai. She is discovered by a mask-wearing, human-like entity named Gin, who advises Hotaru that if he is touched by a human, he will vanish forever. Gin then walks Hotaru out of the woods. Hotaru returns to Gin in the forest over the next few days, and despite the constraints on their interactions, they become friends. Although she must leave Gin at the end of the summer to return to the city and her studies, Hotaru swears to return to visit him every summer vacation.
Clannad: After Story
After Story’s timeline initially depicted events occurring directly after those in the first season, but it now extends several years into the future. The season opens with Tomoya Okazaki finishing high school and beginning his life with Nagisa, to whom he has confessed his love. As their married life begins, Tomoya and Nagisa marry in Graduation, and she soon finds out she is pregnant.
One Week Friends
Yuki Hase, a high school student, notes that his gorgeous classmate Kaori Fujimiya is often alone and appears to have no friends. After contacting her and getting to know her, Kaori explains that she loses all memory of her pals every Monday. Despite this, Yki makes an effort to befriend her every week.
Looking Up At The Half-Moon
The plot of Looking Up At The Half-Moon revolves around Yichi Ezaki, a seventeen-year-old boy, and Rika Akiba, a seventeen-year-old girl. They are being treated in Yichi’s hometown hospital for their ailments. Yichi has hepatitis A, while Rika has a heart valve condition. These teenagers then fall in love while spending time together. The setting for the narrative is Ise, Mie prefecture.
Elfen Lied
This is about the interactions, perspectives, feelings, and discrimination between Humans and Diclonius. It is a mutant species that look like humans but is distinguished by two cat-ear-like horns and “vectors,” transparent limbs that can travel through air and things at fast speeds.
Orange
It is a speculative romance/high school drama. Naho Takamiya, sixteen, receives a note from herself written ten years in the future, telling her to keep an eye out for a new transfer student named Kakeru Naruse, who would become one of her friends.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Madoka Kaname, a sweet 14-year-old girl, meets a mythical monster named Kyubey after having a strange dream. Madoka and her companion, Sayaka Miki, are offered the chance to earn magical powers in exchange for signing a contract with the peculiar tiny person. He will also grant them one request in exchange for putting their lives in danger by embracing the task of fighting witches. Witches, who are invisible to human eyes, are catalysts of despair in the locations they inhabit. Mami Tomoe, a magical girl who is an ally of Kyubey, befriends and urges the two girls to accept the contract. Another magical girl named Homura Akemi is desperate to keep Madoka from accepting the contract for an unknown reason.
As the cherry blossom petals fall, two children walk together. After revealing that the dropping speed of a cherry blossom petal is 5 centimeters per second, the girl dashes toward a train crossing and crosses it fast. On the other side of the lowered crossing, she promises the boy that they will see the cherry blossoms together the following year.
In the fourth grade of elementary school, Takaki Tno meets Akari Shinohara. Because their parents’ jobs required them to move frequently, they are constantly awkward with others; nonetheless, because of their shared situations, they become good friends. Takaki tells Akari about his desire of being a cosmonaut, and she encourages him to pursue it.
The story revolves around two young siblings, Mirai and Yki, and single mother Mari, who meet in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake that strikes the Japanese capital shortly. In 2009, it received the Excellence Prize in the Animation category at Japan’s Media Arts Festival.
Searching for the Full Moon
Mitsuki realizes she can’t wait any longer to pursue her ambition, so she flees from home and the shinigami to compete in a singing competition. She persuades Takuto to accept a compromise: if Mitsuki commits to depart discreetly when her year is up, he will assist her in becoming a singer, allowing her to leave the world with no regrets. Takuto grants her the ability to transform into a healthy 16-year-old to meet the age criteria of the audition and sing freely. Mitsuki impresses the judges with her excellent voice and love for singing, earning her a deal with Seed Records. She takes the stage name “Fullmoon” to conceal her true identity.
Steins;Gate
Steins; Gate is a narrative about the dangers of time travel and the consequences of misusing it. Okabe Rintarou, a self-proclaimed “mad scientist” who goes by the name Hououin Kyouma, is the protagonist. Rintarou, perplexed by the recent occurrences, writes a message to a buddy named Itaru about Kurisu’s murder.
March Comes In Like A Lion
Rei Kiriyama’s parents and younger sister were killed in a car accident when he was a toddler. He then moved in with the household of Masachika Kda, a friend of his father’s. When Rei reached adulthood, he left his foster family, believing he was only causing trouble. He is presently single and has few friends. Akari, Hinata, and Momo Kawamoto, three sisters from the Kawamoto family, are among his acquaintances. As the novel unfolds, Rei contends with his maturity as a professional shogi player and as a person, while also deepening his bonds with others, particularly the Kawamoto sisters.
Plastic Memories
The plot covers the work and personal lives of such a team in SAI Corp’s Terminal Service. One office, Tsukasa Mizugaki, the human protagonist, and Isla, a Giftia. As their friendship develops and they both gradually fall in love, Isla is shown to be reaching the end of her own life.
Chrono Crusade
Chrono Crusade is set in New York during the 1920s and tells the story of Rosette Christopher and her demon partner Chrono. They travel around the country as members of the Magdalene Order, eradicating demonic threats to society, while Rosette seeks her missing brother, Joshua.
Nana
Nana Komatsu is a small-town girl who travels to Tokyo to pursue her lover and college pals, hoping to live her dream life. She was a member of a well-known punk rock band in her hometown. She travels to Tokyo to become a famous singer. On the train ride to the city, the two Nanas meet.
Angel Beats!
Angel Beats! is set in the afterlife, in a kind of limbo for people who have experienced trauma or hardships in life and must overcome them before passing on and being reincarnated. Yuzuru Otonashi, a boy with amnesia who ends himself in the afterlife, is the protagonist of the story.
Violet Evergarden
The plot covers Violet Evergarden’s journey of reintegrating back into society after the war, as well as her search for her life’s purpose now that she is no longer a soldier, to comprehend the last words her mentor and guardian, Major Gilbert, had given her: “I love you.”
I Want To Eat Your Pancreas
Sakura invites Haruki on a train excursion to Fukuoka during which the two play truth-or-dare and eventually share a bed in their hotel during a school break. Sakura’s classmates and friends become suspicious and angry at Haruki’s increasing closeness to her. Sakura is abruptly hospitalized, and the two begin undertaking tasks from her bucket list together. During her hospitalization, the two sneak out to see fireworks. When Sakura is released from the hospital, she texts Haruki and invites him to lunch, but she fails to show up at their agreed-upon location. Later that night, Haruki and his family are watching the news, which reports that Sakura was stabbed on her way to meet him and is now dead. He sobs and refuses to attend her burial.
That’s all folks! These are the top 25 most emotional anime that will make you cry. If you know any more emotional anime do mention them in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
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