Top 20 Anime with Tragic Endings

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Today we decided to embark on a journey to rank the Top 20 Best Anime with Tragic Endings. So here it is. 

Hope you like it. 

20. Chrono Crusade 

America in the crazy twenties. On the surface, it is a positive, quiet time after the violence of the Great War. But lurking in the shadows is a dark element ready to break that peace. Sister Rosette Christopher, an exorcist within the Order of Magdala, must fight the demons that appear and wreak havoc. But along with his companion, Chrno usually causes more destruction than the demons themselves! During one particular mission, they meet a young girl with a beautiful voice named Azmaria, who is the target of her stepfather. Rosette and Chrno try to save her, but more and more revelations about their relationship. There are more of these two than meets the eye. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

19. Violet Evergarden 

The plot revolves around Auto Memory Dolls: people initially hired by a scientist named Dr. Orland to help his blind wife Mollie write novels, and later hired by other people who needed their services. Nowadays, the term refers to the writing industry for others. The plot is about Violet Evergarden, a girl who has been used as a weapon of war all her life. soldier, to understand the last words, Major Gilbert told her, “I love you.”  It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

18. Elfen Lied 

The story tells about human mutations called “Diclonius”, which have horns on their heads and have telekinetic powers in the form of invisible “arms” called vectors. Diclonia’s propensity for violence varies from character to character. Some scientists keep them in cells at the Department, where they are subjected to inhuman experiments to test their abilities or where they are awaiting execution because they are too dangerous. An infectious virus also has an association with the mutation. This virus spreads through non-lethal contact with clonus vectors. The main unmutated character of this story is Kouta, who eventually becomes more and more involved with these diclonians, seeking refuge from scientists. The main character of Diclonus is Lucy / Nyuu, an assassin whose alter ego is an unfortunate and very cute child whose vocabulary and intelligence are quite limited. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

17. Orange 

One day Takamiya Naho receives a letter to himself from ten years ago. As Naho reads on, the letter recites the exact events of the day, including the transfer of the new student to her class named Naruse Kakeru. Ten years later Naho reiterates many times that he has a lot of regrets and wants to fix them by making sure that past Naho can make the right decisions – especially regarding Kaker. More shockingly, he discovers that ten years later Kakeru will no longer be with them. Naho’s future asks her to watch over him. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

16. Plastic Memories 

Shortly, androids that look exactly like humans are beginning to spread all over the world. Androids manufacturing company SA Corp. produced Giftia, a new type of android that has the most emotional and human traits of any other model ever seen. However, due to technical problems, androids have a lifespan, and when they pass it gets very bad. For this reason, SA Corp. creates a terminal service to recover Giftii that has exceeded its useful life. A new terminal attendant, Tsukasa Mizugaki, teamed up with Giftia Isla to retrieve the remaining androids. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

15. I Want To Eat Your Pancreas 

One day I, a high school student, found a paperback book in the hospital. Its title was “Time on the Coexistence of Diseases.” It was a diary that my classmate Sakura Yamauchi had written in secret. In the middle, it is written that her days are numbered due to pancreatic disease. And so by chance, I changed from a classmate to a classmate who knows secrets. It was as if I was drawn to her, which was my polar opposite. However, the world presented a girl who was already ill, with an equally cruel reality. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

14. Puella Magi Madoka Magica 

Some familiars have the power to fulfill one wish of a chosen girl. However, in return, this girl must become a magic girl and fight witches, evil creatures born of curses that are responsible for murder and suicide. A student named Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki meets a familiar named Kyubey and a magical girl named Mami Tomoe with an offer to become magic girls. Another mysterious magic girl named Homura Akemi tries to stop Madoka from agreeing to the contract. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

13. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 

At the Duel Academy on the island, young prospective duelists gain the skills they need to become the ultimate duel. Students are divided into three classes named after the three Egyptian god cards: Top Rated Obelisk Blue, Average Ra Yellow, and Beginner Slifer Red. Jaden Yuki is currently a student at the academy and is a big fan of the famous Yuga Mutou. While Jaden has to start slowly in the Slifer Red class, his goal is: to be the next King of Games! Together with Syrus, Chumley, and Bastion, their duels will drag them into the shadow realm and run into trouble. Jaden and his crew have to do the only thing possible: start the game! It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

12. Death Parade 

When two people die at the same time, she is sent to a place that is neither heaven nor hell: a sumptuous bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again if you die they are gone for good. Decim is the bartender responsible for serving the souls that enter Quindecim. He may be making a lame cocktail, but his real profession is to play the role of the arbiter: the judge who determines whether a soul is worth reincarnating. To help judge it, bar-goers are forced to play simple games interspersed with sadistic twists to reveal their true nature. For Desim, judgment is always black and white until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems undecidable. His indecision shakes the very foundations of the games and raises the biggest question: who can judge the dead? It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

11. 5 Centimeters Per Second 

It a story of two people, Tono Takaki and Shinohara Akari, who were close friends but gradually drifted apart over time. They got separated because of their families but still exchange contact in the form of letters. However, as time passes, their mutual contact begins to fade away. The years pass and the gulf between them grows wider. However, Takaki remembers the times they spent together, but as life goes on for him, he wonders if he would have a chance to meet Akari again as the story begins to materialize through Takaki’s world and the people around him. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

10. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 

After a powerful earthquake in Tokyo, 25 km below the sea with a magnitude of 8.0, the two young siblings Mirai and Yūki, who visited the robot exhibition in Odaiba at the beginning of their summer holidays, have difficulty reaching their parents at their home in Setagaya, assisted by a motorcyclist Mari tries to reach her daughter and mother in Sangenjaya. The three of them bravely faced a partially destroyed city and tried their best to return home safely. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic ending.

9. Cowboy Bebop 

Follow interstellar bounty hunters Spike Spiegel, and Jet Black as they search for high-priced criminals in the galaxy. Hoping to escape the past, they live on the Bebop spacecraft, but it’s a dangerous thing that old enemies don’t easily forget. The allies, however, come from unbelievable sources, as they find companions in the beautiful deceiver Faye Valentine, the brilliant child hacker Edu, and the genetically engineered “data dog” Ein. Will they be able to help each other in their struggles, or is their fate truly inevitable? It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

8. Banana Fish 

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; his upbringing made him a cold, ruthless killer. A fugitive raised as the adopted heir and sex toy of “Papa” Dino Golzine, Ash, now seventeen rebellious, leaves the kingdom in the hands of the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash’s older brother crazy in Iraq suddenly fell into Papa’s insatiable, ambitious hands – and this is exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to befriend Ash Lynx. It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

7. Angel Beats! 

Death and reincarnation are inevitable, but what happens in between? Without any warning or memory, a boy who only remembered his last name Otonashi woke up next to a girl named Yuri, she gave him a gun and ordered him to shoot the angel. Assuming it must be a misunderstanding, Otonashi was almost killed by an angel and was drawn into Yuri’s army to fight to delay the start of his next life. Immortality is at hand, but if Otonashi remembers how he died, will he continue to fight or will he allow himself to disappear? It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

6. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day 

Long ago, young Meiko Honma tragically died, and her close-knit group of friends, shocked by the event, dispersed. Now, ten years later, Meiko has reappeared as a ghost that only Jinta can see, a former gang leader and a staunch introverted spirit. All she wants is for Jinta to grant her last wish so that she can move on to the afterlife, but without remembering what it was, the teenager must gather her old friends and discover what will allow his beloved friend to rest in peace. With so many unspeakable feelings, can this group resolve their conflict and help the spirit of the girl they once adored? It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

5. Hotarubi no Mori e 

During a summer visit to her uncle, six-year-old Hotaru gets lost in the woods outside the village. The terrified crying girl is eventually saved by a gentle youkai named Gin, who is burdened with a curse that will cause him to vanish if ever a human touches him. Although they have no physical contact, they become close friends. But after a few short years, it becomes clear that Gin is aging more slowly than humans, so while Hotaru grows up and changes, Gin remains stagnant. How will Hotaru adapt to the complex emotions she develops as she and Gina’s ages gradually converge? It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

4. Grave of the Fireflies 

When their father was serving abroad in the Navy at the end of World War II, Seita and his younger sister Setsuko live as normally as they can. One day, during an incendiary bomb raid on a city, their mother is fatally wounded and the lives of two siblings are turned upside down as they go to a relative. After cruelly treating their aunt, who explains that their mere presence is inconvenient, Seita and Setsuko decide to leave and live in an abandoned bomb shelter. Having no one else to rely on, Seita and Setsuko try to live from day to day. However, as less and less food becomes less and no one wants to sell what they have, the couple’s life becomes more and more difficult. When Setsuko falls ill, Seita begins to realize how fragile life is. It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

3. Clannad: After Story 

it starts after Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa graduate from high school. Together they experience the emotional rollercoaster of growing up. Unable to decide on a course for her future, Tomoya learns the value of a strong work ethic and discovers the power of Nagisa’s support. Through the couple’s sacrifice and the unity of purpose, they move forward to face their issues, deepen old relationships, and create new bonds. 

Time also flows in the world of illusions. As winter approaches, the plain becomes cold, and the Phantom Girl and the Garbage Dollface a plight revealing the true purpose of the world. It is one of the top anime with a sad and tragic endings.

2. Your Lie in April 

At a very young age, Kousei Arima was closely taught by his mother to play the piano and follow the score meticulously, so much so that he easily dominated any competition he entered. He won the title of “Human Metronome” for his almost perfect performance. Every musician his age admired him. However, after his mother died suddenly, he became deaf due to shock, then disappeared and has never been seen on stage ever since. Two years later, Kousei leads a monotonous life with his childhood friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari. He still sticks to music, although performances are still impossible for him. This continues until his unexpected encounter with Kaori Miyazono, a violinist who performs freely without dictating the score. A story about friendship, love, lie, and music. Kousei’s life begins to change and take on color as Kaori helps him get back into music. It is one of the top anime with sad and tragic endings.

1. The Light of a Firefly Forest 

A young girl meets a boy, who is a ghost living in the woods, during a summer visit to her uncle. The boy, however, must not be touched by a human as this would make him disappear for all eternity. They spend their summer days together, and when the girl has to come home from vacation, she promises to visit him again next summer. And that’s exactly what he does for the next few years. During this time, she grows up, and her age is slowly approaching that of a boy. 

However, their relationship and determination are put to the test when romantic feelings clash with their sole power. 

That’s it, folks! Hoped you liked it, if yes, don’t forget to like, comment, and share with your friends. 

Have a Good Day! 

Also checkout -> Best Must-Watch Anime of All Time

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