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 viewers continue to seek out films and television episodes that might not have a happy conclusion. Whether you enjoy dismal anime or sad anime romance films, we have the inside scoop on both!
Hanasaku Iroha
Ohana Matsumae is sent to live with her grandmother. She has never met or spoken to after her mother runs off with her latest boyfriend. Ohana’s grandmother is not pleased to see her on her doorstep. She assigns her to work at her Taisho-era (the 1920s) hot springs inn. Ohana would not have chosen this way of life. She decides not to be discouraged and to make the best of her difficult circumstances. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Charlotte
Charlotte is set in an alternate universe. In which a short-period comet named Charlotte passes close to Earth once every 75 years. As this occurs, dust is spread onto the Earth. It causes a small percentage of preadolescent children who inhale the dust to develop superhuman abilities when they reach puberty. In Japan, the story follows Yuu Otosaka, a boy who awakens the ability to possess another person for five seconds. Despite his best efforts to use his ability to live a carefree high school life. He is unexpectedly exposed to Nao Tomori, a girl who can make herself invisible to a specific target. She coerces him into enrolling at Hoshinoumi Academy and joining the student council, of which she is president.
Golden Time
Banri Tada is a freshman at a private Tokyo law school, having moved away from his hometown. He has difficulty adjusting to city life, but he soon meets Mitsuo Yanagisawa, a classmate. Banri’s university life becomes more complicated when he discovers that Mitsuo is being stalked by an obsessive childhood friend, Kouko Kaga. Even though she has not reciprocated her feelings. And Banri’s hopes of starting over in Tokyo fade quickly, as his forgotten past has not forgotten him. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Akame ga Kill!
Tatsumi is a fighter who travels to the Capital with his two childhood friends, Iyeyasu and Sayo. They are in search of a way to make money to help his impoverished village. Tatsumi is separated from his friends in a bandit attack. Also, he is swindled out of his money in the Capital after failing to enlist in the army. He is taken in by a noble family. An assassin group is known as the Night Raid attacks. He discovers that his noble hosts intended to torture and kill him, just as they had done to his friends. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
5 Centimeters Per Second
Takaki and Akari appear to pass and recognize each other at the train crossing. It’s the same place they had promised to watch the cherry blossoms together thirteen years ago, just before Akari moved to Tochigi. They come to a halt on opposite sides of the tracks and begin to look back. But a passing train obscures their view. Takaki waits for the train and discovers that Akari has vanished. He smiles to himself and continues walking as the cherry blossoms sway in the wake of the train. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Haibane Renmei
A young Haibane—a person with a halo and small grey wings—awakens from a cocoon in the town of Old Home. Into a world, she doesn’t understand 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 Saddest and Tragic Anime.
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. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Kokoro Connect
Taichi Yaegashi, Iori Nagase, Himeko Inaba, Yui Kiriyama, and Yoshifumi Aoki are members of the Cultural Research Club. They witness a strange phenomenon one day when Aoki and Yui switch bodies without warning. The same thing begins to happen to the other club members, causing chaos in their daily lives. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Your Lie in April
Kaori, who is anemic and requires routine testing, collapses during a performance and is hospitalized. She invites Ksei to join her at a gala, but she does not show up. Her health worsens, and she becomes depressed. Ksei performs a duet with a friend. Which inspires Kaori to attempt a potentially lethal surgery to play with Kosei again. Ksei sees Kaori’s spirit accompanying him during the finals of the Eastern Japan Piano Competition. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
White Album 2
The story of Introductory Chapter begins in the second half of October. Haruki Kitahara and Takeya Iizuka were concerned that all of the band members. Setsuna Ogiso and Kazusa Touma are recruited into the club after some hard work. At the school festival, the three of them play together with Haruki. They perform “White Album” by Yuki Morikawa, “Sound of Destiny” by Rina Ogata, and an original song called “Todokanai Koi.” The day comes to an end. Setsuna finds Haruki and confesses to him, and the two of them begin dating. The plot and the characters’ feelings evolve from there. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Orange
Orange is a romance/high school drama with a fantasy twist. Naho Takamiya, sixteen, discovers a letter from ten years in the future. Telling her to keep an eye out for a new transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, who will become one of her friends. Though future Naho has found happiness, she has many regrets about things she wishes her younger self had done differently. Kakeru joins her class the next day, as predicted, and quickly integrates into Naho’s social circle (both male and female). Even though she knows from her letter that Kakeru will not live to see the end of the school year. Naho can’t help but fall in love with him. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Now and then, here and there
Shu is trapped in this new, harsh reality. He is repeatedly beaten and interrogated inside the warship commanded by Hamdo, the ruthless, manic dictator. While being held in a cell, he meets an abducted girl named Sara Ringwalt of America. Sara was apprehended after Hamdo’s minions mistook her for Lala-Ru. Sara is forced into the quarters of exceptional soldiers to be impregnated, and her repeated rape traumatizes her. Following an attack by an unknown enemy land, Shu is forced to join an army of child soldiers. Children are trained for village looting, in which they kidnap female villagers for breeding. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
True Tears
True Tears follows Shin’ichir Nakagami, a high school student with exceptional artistic talent. He lives with his mother, father, and Hiromi Yuasa. Hiromi is a fellow high school student who moved into his house after her father died. Her father was a close family friend. So, it was natural for Hiromi to come to stay with the Nakagami family. One year has passed since she moved in. Shin’ichir has known Hiromi for years, but he has always treasured her smile. Even though she now acts coldly at home and he cannot bring himself to speak with her. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Little Busters
Riki Naoe isolated himself from the world as a child due to a narcolepsy diagnosis following his parents’ tragic deaths. Riki is saved, however, when a boy named Kyousuke recruits him into a team known as the Little Busters one fateful day. These misfits spend their childhood fighting evil and having fun, accompanied by Masato, Kengo, and Rin. Years pass and the close-knit teammates remain together even in high school. Kyousuke decides to resurrect the Little Busters by forming a baseball team for his final school year with them. They do, however, have a problem: there aren’t enough members! It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Chrono Crusade
Chrono Crusade takes place during the Roaring Twenties. It was when jazz reigns supreme, bootleg liquor flows freely, and the mob rules the streets. This is a time of prosperity, luxury, and decadence, with the rich-poor divide widening in the aftermath of World War I. It is during times of great change and upheaval. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Gakkou gurashi!
Yuki Takeya is a cheerful schoolgirl who, along with her friends Kurumi Ebisuzawa, Yri Wakasa, and Miki Naoki, is a member of the School Living Club at Megurigaoka Private High School. Yuki looks for fun school activities every day while living at school. The other girls work to keep her safe because they are the only survivors of their school. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Romeo x Juliet
Leontes Montague and his men lead a bloody coup on the floating island of Neo Verona, murdering all members of the ruling House Capulet. Only Juliet, Lord Capulet’s young daughter, can flee. Leontes rules the land with an iron fist fourteen years later, crushing anyone who opposes him. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Guilty Crown
Ten years later, in 2039, Shu Ouma, a 17-year-old high school student who keeps to himself in class, meets Inori Yuzuriha, the lead singer for Egoist, on his way home from school. Shu is a big fan of Inori, a singer who has taken over the Internet. However, he discovers her other side: she is a member of “Funeral Parlor,” a resistance group aiming to liberate Japan from the GHQ. Shu begins to participate in the activities of the “Funeral Parlor,” and the “King’s Mark” appears on his right hand. This “mark” grants him the ability to enter another person’s body and extract and materialize a weapon. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
Ezaki Yuuichi has been confined to a hospital after contracting hepatitis A, much to his chagrin, away from his friends and family. To relieve his boredom, he has taken to sneaking out of the hospital, usually resulting in a beating from his nurse. When he meets a girl his age who is also in the hospital, he is immediately taken by her beauty. However, Akiba Rika’s personality is not as captivating as her beauty. She is, in fact, selfish, moody, and bossy. But as they spend more time together, they grow closer, sharing the ordinary joys and trials of a budding teenage romance, even when the future is clouded by impending tragedy, as Rika’s condition does not leave her with much longer to live. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Rumbling Hearts
Takayuki Narumi, a male high school student, is the main protagonist in Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. The first chapter, set between July 6 and August 20, 1998, serves as a prologue to the second. Mitsuki Hayase and Shinji Taira, Takayuki’s friends, set him up with Haruka Suzumiya. Takayuki ends up in bed with a naked, sprawled-out Haruka, but their love is not consummated because of performance anxiety. Mitsuki interrupts Takayuki’s birthday celebration and orders him to buy her a ring, causing him to be late for his date with Haruka. Haruka is in a coma at the end of the chapter due to an accident caused by Takayuki’s failure to arrive on time. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
Please Save My Earth
Alice Sakaguchi, a high school student, her seven-year-old next-door neighbor, Rin Kobayashi, an elementary school student, and five other adolescent students have recurring collective dreams about a group of alien scientists stationed on the moon observing and collecting data about Earth. When Alice discovers that her classmates Jinpachi and Issei have been having recurring dreams since middle school, she dismisses it until one day she experiences one of these “moon dreams” herself. Because of the nature of these dreams, and the way Issei and Jinpachi always dream as the same person, they begin to believe that people who dream like the other four scientists in their “moon dreams” can each be found now that Alice has provided a third perspective. It is one of the Top Saddest and Tragic Anime.
H20: Footprints in the Sand
The plot of H2O revolves around Takuma Hirose, a blind young male junior high school student whose cause of blindness is unknown. His mother’s untimely death left him with a deep emotional scar, causing him to become very lonely and reserved. Takuma and his uncle are forced to relocate from the city to a rural area, and Takuma enrolls in a new junior high school. At his new school, he meets several new girls, but three stand out above the rest: the firm and obstinate Hayami Kohinata, the kind and accommodating Hinata Kagura, and the cheerful and mysterious Otoha. Takuma’s medical condition gradually improves as he interacts with these girls, and he fully recovers.
Myself; Yourself
A group of young friends is about to bid farewell to one of their own in the peaceful little town of Sakuranomori. Sana Hidaka must relocate from his quiet childhood home to the bustling city of Tokyo due to his parents’ business plans. Though it is difficult for him, he must say farewell to his dear friends, Aoi Oribe, the spunky Wakatsuki twins, Shuri and Shuusuke, and the cheerful and upbeat Nanaka Yatsushiro. But, despite his reluctance to leave them behind, he believes that no matter how far apart they are, the memories of their friendship will live on.
Air
A group of young friends is about to bid farewell to one of their own in the peaceful little town of Sakuranomori. Sana Hidaka must relocate from his quiet childhood home to the bustling city of Tokyo due to his parents’ business plans. Though it is difficult for him, he must say farewell to his dear friends, Aoi Oribe, the spunky Wakatsuki twins, Shuri and Shuusuke, and the cheerful and upbeat Nanaka Yatsushiro. But, despite his reluctance to leave them behind, he believes that no matter how far apart they are, the memories of their friendship will live on. Sana, now a 16-year-old high school student, returns to his hometown in the hopes of resuming his former life.
Sola
The main protagonist in Sola’s story is Yorito Morimiya, a young high school student. He enjoys photographing the sky at all times of the day and year. Yorito decides to photograph the sunrise over the bay one day but is deterred when he encounters a strange girl attempting to force a vending machine that stole her money to give her what she tried to buy—a can of tomato juice. He assists her in forcing the machine while attempting to strike up a conversation with her even though it is four a.m. Yorito explains why he’s here, but by the time he gets the can out of the machine, the girl has vanished.
Hiiro no Kakera
Tamaki Kasuga is a teenage girl who returns to a small village from her childhood and becomes engrossed in her family’s history and the supernatural dangers that surround it. Tamaki comes across a small, white round object with sticks for limbs and the ability to talk while walking along the hillsides waiting for the person her grandmother sent to fetch Tamaki to the village. Soon after, it flees, and Tamaki pursues it. Tamaki soon finds herself in a world that does not feel like the one she came from. She is attacked by three slime creatures, and when a mysterious man arrives to save her, he tells her to be quiet.
Miracle Train
In Japan, there is an urban legend about a subway line that moves without limits. Only beautiful men, according to legend, ride the Miracle Train. And if you happened to come across this line, you would undoubtedly be overcome with joy. Touched by a ray of light, she gains access to the Oedo Line platform, where the Miracle Train operates. As the doors open, the space inside changes dramatically, as six handsome men await you. When women have worries or insecurities, the Miracle Train will appear, according to the conductor and the leadership of these six gentlemen and the female guide.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist is an adventure, fiction, and fantasy anime. The story revolves around two brothers, Ed and Al, who were Alchemists and had a tragic past. Both brothers tried to bring their mother back to life. They failed and it resulted in Al losing his body and Ed to keep his brother’s soul on Earth, sacrificed his right arm along with the left leg he already lost. Their missing parts were replaced by steel prosthetics. They both set out on a journey to regain their original bodies and never looked back.
I want to eat your pancreas
The aloof protagonist: a bookworm who is deeply disconnected from the world in which he lives. He has no interest in others and is certain that no one has any interest in him. His story starts when he discovers a handwritten book titled “Living with Dying.” He quickly recognizes it as the secret diary of his popular, bubbly classmate Sakura Yamauchi. She then tells him about her pancreatic disease and how she knows her time is running out. Her terminal illness is only known to her family; even her closest friends are unaware. Despite this revelation, he has no sympathy for her plight, but caught in the currents of Sakura’s buoyancy, he eventually agrees to accompany her.
Grave of The Fireflies
An extremely tragic and sentimental tale of two siblings; Seita and Satsuko. They lost their mother due to the bombing of their house, the anime takes place in WWII. Both of them try to survive in the ruthless world in terrible times. This anime is not for weak hearts.
Made in Abyss
Riko, a small orphan girl, lives in the town of Orth, on the outskirts of the Abyss. Her ambition is to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a Delver, solving the mysteries of the cave system. Riko begins exploring the caves one day and discovers a robot that resembles a human boy.
Steins; Gate
It takes place in 2010 and follows Rintaro Okabe and his friends as they unintentionally discover a method of time travel through which they can send text messages to the past, thereby changing the present.
Clannad: After Story
Clannad’s sequel to the first anime. Tomoya’s life continues after he confesses his love for Nagisa Furukawa. Tomoya’s relationship with Nagisa grows stronger than ever as he meets and assists more people with their family problems.
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
The story is set in the 1950s and revolves around six junior delinquents and their mentor at the Shonan Special Reformatory near Tokyo. The manga follows the boys’ lives both while they are at school and after they leave, highlighting the difficulties that the lower class faced in postwar Japanese society.
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.
Shinsekai yori (From the New World)
Saki Watanabe, 12, has just awakened to her psychic powers in the town of Kamisu 66 and is relieved to rejoin her friends—the mischievous Satoru Asahina, the shy Mamoru Itou, the cheerful Maria Akizuki, and Shun Aonuma, a mysterious boy Saki admires—at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. Unease looms, however, as Saki begins to wonder about the fate of those who are unable to awaken to their powers, and the children become involved in secretive matters such as the rumored Tainted Cats, who are said to abduct children. Shinsekai Yori tells the story of Saki and her friends as they grow into their roles in the ostensibly utopian society.
Garden of Words
Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old amateur shoemaker who frequently skips classes to practice, is the subject of this short film. With an unsupportive and broken family, he goes to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden when it rains for peace and a place to make his shoes alone. On a rainy day, he meets Yukino, a mysterious 27-year-old woman. Both looking for a friend, they unconsciously decide to meet on rainy mornings, and it quickly becomes a tradition for the two. While Takao skips classes to design shoes, Yukino avoids work due to serious personal issues.
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.
March Comes in Like a Lion
Rei Kiriyama’s parents and younger sister were killed in a car accident when he was a child. He then moved in with the family 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 now single and has few friends. Akari, Hinata, and Momo, three sisters from the Kawamoto family, are among his acquaintances. Rei deals with his maturation as a professional shogi player and as a person as the story progresses, all the while strengthening his relationships with others, particularly the Kawamoto sisters.
Erased
The plot revolves around Satoru Fujinuma, a young man from Chiba who possesses the “Revival” ability, which sends him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing him to prevent it from happening again. When his mother is murdered by an unknown assailant in his own home, Satoru’s ability transports him eighteen years back in time, allowing him to not only save his mother but also prevent a kidnapping that killed three of his childhood friends.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
When Madoka recognizes a young brunette girl who has joined her class, she has a strange sense of familiarity. She claimed to have seen this mysterious girl in a dream. During that encounter, a cat-like creature approached her and offered Madoka a suggestion. At first, she had no interest in magic, claiming that all this was rubbish and didn’t want to participate in it until she witnessed the mysterious girl fighting with the same cat she saw in her dream. The cat-like creature called Kyuubey approached her again with the same question in her dream, about whether she would become Puella Magi in exchange for her deepest wish, from here Madoka’s life changed forever.
Violet Evergarden
The plot follows 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 told her: “I love you.”
Death Parade
The concept of heaven or hell is non-existent in the mysterious anime Death Parade. Those who die will end up at Quindecim, a bar where they will play various games against other recently deceased people under the watchful eye of the bartender, Decim. Watch these dearly departed souls battle it out, whether it’s darts, air hockey, or even bowling because those who win will safely reincarnate to their next life, while those who don’t will be cast into the void. This establishment has been run in this manner for all eternity until the arrival of a certain man causes even the ever-patient Decim to question himself.
Banana Fish
Golzine is eventually killed in a final battle, his government co-conspirators are exposed as participants in his child sex trafficking ring, and all evidence of the banana fish project is destroyed. Ash realizes the danger he is putting Eiji in and reluctantly ends all contact with him. Eiji returns to Japan, but not before writing Ash a letter in which he tells him that “my soul is always with you.” A rival gang lieutenant stabs Ash to death while he is distracted by the letter. He staggers into the Main Branch of the New York Public Library, where he dies, smiling and clutching Eiji’s letter.
Ef- A Tale of Melodies
Himura Yuu is a studious and diligent young man intent solely on maintaining his top academic position at Otowa Academy in a story set years in the past. He meets a mysterious girl named Amamiya Yuuko one day, and to his surprise, she recognizes him. Meeting Yuuko again forces Yuu to confront the regrets and sorrows of their collective past and present. Kuze Shuuichi may appear to be a womanizer in the present, but upon closer inspection, he is a man who would rather be left alone. Hayama Mizuki, on the other hand, is not the type of girl who would leave him alone, especially after hearing his violin performance.
The Anthem of the Heart
Jun Naruse is a lively and talkative young lady. She adores fairy tales and is always enthralled by the castle on the hilltop that serves as a love hotel. Jun notices her father leaving the love hotel one day. She is unaware that she is exposing his infidelity. Her father blames her for the ensuing family strife. While crying, she imagines a fairy egg cursing her by sealing her words so she won’t hurt anyone else again. Jun is unable to speak as a result of her “curse” and suffers stomachaches whenever she attempts to speak. Years later, when Jun is in high school, her homeroom teacher, Kazuki Jshima, enrolls her in the Community Outreach Event with her classmates.
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
Bones and Kinema Citrus collaborated on Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. The two studios researched the impacts of earthquakes and conducted interviews with prior survivors about their experiences. The series was constructed based on forecasts that Tokyo will be hit by an 8.0 earthquake 70% of the time. The 6.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Fukushima in 2011 caused catastrophic damage to a nuclear power station.
Wolf Children
Hana, a college student in Tokyo, falls in “fairy tale” love with an enigmatic man. The man reveals that he can transform into a wolf, and they have two wolf/human children: Yuki, a daughter, and Ame, a son. Soon after, their father is killed in an accident while out hunting for food for the kids. Hana’s life as a single mother is difficult; Yuki and Ame constantly switch between human and wolf forms and fight, and Hana is forced to hide them from the outside world. Hana relocates the family to the countryside to avoid prying neighbors after receiving noise complaints and a visit from social workers concerned that the children have not received vaccinations.
Plastic Memories
Plastic Memories is set in a near-future city where humans coexist with androids that look exactly like humans and have human emotions and memory. The Giftia, a new android model with the most human-like qualities of any model, has been introduced by SAI Corp, the leading android production company.
Kanon
The Kanon story includes several significant locations, though the names of these locations are rarely mentioned explicitly in Key’s works. The events of the story take place in winter, and because it frequently snows throughout the story, the city is always shown covered in a layer of snow. When the characters go into town, especially when Ayu appears early in the story, the shopping district is featured. The high school where Yuichi and the other main characters attend, as well as the school grounds, is primarily shown in Shiori’s and Mai’s stories and is otherwise a general setting in which Yuichi interacts with other characters.
That’s all folks! These were the Top 50 Tragic/Saddest Anime of All time. If you know any more anime do mention them in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
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