The Saddest Anime of All Time

Anime creators love making their audience cry. From heartfelt dramas about young love, unrequited feelings, and relationship drama to the more serious stories that tackle issues like death, war, and illness, anime has found countless ways to break hearts and make viewers weep.

For any fan of heart-rending stories that make them shed giant crocodile tears, they have come to the right place. There are several outstanding anime about truly heartbreaking, depressing subjects. These titles will surely tug on the audience’s heartstrings in one way or another.

Updated by Alexandra Locke on February 14, 2024: Sad anime are among some of the most popular because they can evoke intense emotions from audiences. Countless shows have made fans’ eyes well up, giving them connections to the anime they watch. As each season brings new, tragic stories to light, and since CBR’s formatting has recently changed, this article has been updated to include the changes and even more depressing anime.

40 Demon Slayer is Filled with Death

Demon Slayer is the story of two siblings on a mission to avenge their family’s massacre and eliminate demons along the way. Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado have seen more death in their lives than they could have imagined, but they fight through the pain to get to their enemy, Muzan Kibitsuji.

Tanjiro and Nezuko have help along the way, but many of their friends succumb to wounds or decide to go their separate ways. Even some of the demons are redeemed in their final moments as lost souls looking for places to belong. Demon Slayer is an intense show that leans into tragedy, making for a truly sad anime.

39 Parasyte: The Maxim Features an Alien Invasion

Parasyte: The Maxim is a horror anime about an invasive alien species coming to Earth to feed on humans. The “Parasytes” typically attach to a human’s brain and control them to get prey. They also manipulate their hosts’ bodies into unspeakably grotesque monsters with blades and hundreds of teeth.

Due to the alien’s nature, several characters are either eaten or taken over by the Parasites. The looks of complete terror and the sadness over loved ones lost make this show one of the saddest anime.

38 Erased Hinges on a Criminal Investigation Through Time

Erased is a time-travel and psychological thriller anime that follows an underemployed twenty-nine-year-old named Satoru Fujinuma. Satoru flits through time at random to fix problems and save people from terrible fates, including murder.

Erased is so heartbreaking because of Satoru’s final leap. He must save three of his classmates who were murdered and figure out who the killer was. This is a harrowing task, but Satoru’s relationship with his friend Kayo Hinazuki represents the deepest sorrow of the show. Kayo is the catalyst for much of the anime’s heart and tragedy since the entire ordeal seems to focus on her, her family, and her need to belong.

37 Death Parade Takes Place in the Afterlife

Death Parade is a psychological anime about the afterlife. Decim is a neutral being running a bar where people who died simultaneously compete in various games to see where their souls will end up. The games are varying degrees of grotesque and nearly all of them end badly for at least one person.

Apart from the despicable competition, the show delves into questions of good and evil and what it means to be human. The anime ends on a bittersweet note, making it all the more depressing.

36 Jujutsu Kaisen Has Deaths In Real World Locations

Jujutsu Kaisen is a riveting horror shonen with stunning animation from Studio MAPPA. Yuji Itadori’s awakening as a Jujutsu Sorcerer has the signature shonen flare that slowly deteriorates into devastating moral quandaries as the show goes on.

As expected within the horror genre, deaths are inevitable. But many of JJK’s characters are so beloved that it hurts all the more when they pass on. The sheer amount of carnage in loss in the second season alone is enough to bring any anime fan to tears. They grieve for their favorite lost characters, as well as the loss of Itadori’s innocence.

35 To the Forest of Firefly Lights Prevents The Main Couple From Touching

Hotarubi no Mori e is an ethereal shojo anime about forbidden love. When a little girl named Hotaru Takegawa gets lost in the woods, a friendly spirit named Gin helps her return to her family. Hotaru and Gin’s relationship grows as she does, and the two beings start to fall in love, even though they can never touch.

This anime is a sweet, but heartbreaking, view of love and the impermanence of life. The time the main couple shares is precious to them, and those moments are what truly matters, even if they can’t be together any longer.

34 Orange Changes the Future to Right the Past

13 Episodes

On its surface level, Orange seems like the average mystery anime, but it is actually one of the saddest anime series out there. The protagonist Naho Takamiya receives a letter from her future self. However, she has to decode these letters to figure out their meaning, especially since they regard the loss of her classmate, Kakeru.

If Naho does not figure out the meanings of these letters, they predict the utmost tragedy for her and everyone else. Orange is overwhelmingly melancholic, and viewers are taken on a journey with the characters as they each deal with their regret, guilt, and grief.

33 Wolf Children Centers Around a Single Mother

117 Minutes

Wolf Children has a wholesome premise, but it is quite the tear-jerker. It tells the struggle of a single mother named Hana trying to raise her two children. That is already challenging enough, but the children are also half-wolf. The kids’ father went out hunting and was killed, leaving Hana alone to raise them.

Even sadder, Hana found his corpse as the trash collector was about to discard it. This anime will make the audience experience the same feelings as Hana as she struggles to raise her two supernatural children. It may be a sad anime on many levels, but it is also inspiring and encouraging, with Hana being a strong and caring single mother despite these hardships.

32 Oshi No Ko Delves Into the Downsides of Idol Life

Oshi no Ko is an anime about a teen idol with a secret. Ai Hoshino has a bright future ahead of her that now includes her newborn twins. However, the twins are the reincarnated versions of her doctor who was killed the night she gave birth, and one of her biggest fans who passed away in the same hospital. Though they’re an unusual family, Ai, Aquamarine, and Ruby seem like they’ll have a happy future together.

Sadly, tragedy strikes when Ai is murdered by a fan. Vowing to discover who the killer’s accomplice is, Aquamarine becomes a distant sleuth, keeping close to the enemy. This sad anime is plagued with many tragedies and dark twists. Oshi no Ko‘s unexpected story is sure to shock and sadden audiences.

31 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Showcases A Bleak Future

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a dystopian anime based on the Cyberpunk 2077 video game. The story follows a young man named David Martinez who becomes an “Edgerunner” after his life gets turned upside down. The setting delves into the seedy underbelly of the universe as David finds himself in increasingly harrowing situations.

This anime is a tragic tale full of colorful, beautiful animation by Studio TRIGGER. David’s descent into darkness is sure to leave pits in the stomachs of any anime fan who dares to brave the graphic story and its devastating end.

30 Your Name’s Characters are Separated by more than Space

The idea of fate in anime is nothing new. It is a common trope throughout several genres in the medium. However, Your Name tackles it from a new perspective, which makes it one of the saddest anime movies. The film follows Mitsuha Miyamizu and Taki Tachibana, high school students who come from average, humble lives.

Mitsuha wants to live in Tokyo, but she cannot afford it. Taki struggles to maintain his studies while working a part-time job. These are two highly relatable characters brought together by fate when they suddenly switch bodies. They quickly realize just how much their actions impact each other and that nothing in their lives is truly a coincidence. From the beginning to its unforgettable and emotional ending, Your Name will have viewers gripped.

29 Tokyo Revengers Repeats Awful Tragedies

Takemichi Hanagaki is a down-on-his-luck twenty-six-year-old. When he hears his middle school girlfriend was killed, Takemichi discovers he can travel back in time to when he and Hinata Tachibana were together. Tasked by her brother, Naoya, to save her, Takemichi repeatedly goes back to the past to see if Hinata is still alive when he returns.

Tokyo Revengers’ story about gang life, friendships, and lost love pulls at audiences’ heartstrings. No matter what Takemichi does, Hinata and some of his other friends continue to perish in the present. This sad show features many, repeated deaths and hopelessness in Takemichi’s efforts.

28 Made In Abyss Lulls Its Audience With Adorable Visuals

On the surface, Made in Abyss seems like a cute anime about adorable chibi characters. But the character designs are Red Herrings to throw audiences off the scent of the true depravity of this anime. The story follows a young girl named Riko who dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps as a White Whistle.

However, the further Riko descends, like her mother, the more truths she learns about the titular Abyss and the horrors that Cave Raiders have faced. This show is a gut-wrenching horror that should only be watched by those of strong mind and stomach.

27 Re:Zero Plays with Subaru Natsuki’s Life

Re:Zero is not a show for the faint of heart. Although it begins relatively innocently as a typical isekai, it quickly devolves into a nightmare of chaos and death.

Subaru Natsuki’s many, many deaths occur in all kinds of different ways – each more horrendous than the last. Not all of his deaths are on purpose, but nearly all of them are painful ways to perish. Subaru isn’t the only character who dies in the show, either. The number of gruesome tragedies in this story proves this anime to be one of the saddest.

26 Banana Fish’s Story Keeps Getting Darker

There are plenty of anime with deep social commentary, but none of them are quite as willing to tackle harsh topics as Banana Fish. This anime follows Eiji and Ash, who slowly fall in love with each other. The show received praise for its realistic depiction of their relationship.

Banana Fish is a gut-wrenching, sad anime series on many levels. Ash is in a gang, and Eiji is a photographer. Unfortunately, their relationship is doomed to tragedy since they can never be together. Eiji must leave New York, but Ash is stabbed before he can say goodbye to Eiji.

25 To Your Eternity Has Tragedy After Tragedy

To Your Eternity follows a being named Fushi who is surrounded by death. The more they travel to try to understand humanity, the more loss they experience. Practically every person Fushi becomes acquainted with perishes in some form of unnatural tragedy that somehow spurs Fushi on.

The earnest portrayal of the characters trying to survive and do the right thing while surrounded by villains and monsters is one of the best parts of the anime. The ethereal animation gives the show a wistful air that seems to mimic the characters’ longing for peace and happiness. This tragic tale is a heart-rending reminder that peace and happiness are not always guaranteed.

24 Attack On Titan Highlights War and Survival

Attack on Titan is a hit anime about a group of humans being attacked by man-eating giants called Titans. Although the citizens and soldiers of Paradis do their best, there are too many casualties to count – even if viewers only included the deaths from one episode.

Attack on Titan is also not afraid to kill off main supporting characters. All the characters have such a great presence in the show that fans mourn their losses that much deeper. War is never pleasant, and any anime depicting it is bound to be tragic.

23 I Want To Eat Your Pancreas Subverts Expectations At the End

I Want To Eat Your Pancreas is a sad anime movie that follows Haruki after he finds Sakura’s journal and reads it. He discovers Sakura has been silently suffering from a fatal pancreatic disease. When Haruki returns to the journal, he is shocked to learn he is the first to know about Sakura’s illness. Haruki vows to help her achieve everything on her bucket list before her inevitable death.

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

22 Plastic Memories Has a Time Limit

Plastic Memories is one of those shows that gives the audience a bracing dose of reality and the reminder that nothing lasts forever. The premise of this sad sci-fi anime revolves around the creation of androids that are almost impossible to discern from real human beings.

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

21 Violet Evergarden Features Different Kinds of Love

13 Episodes

A completely original anime, Violet Evergarden is a profound and moving, sad anime, with moments that will make viewers reach for the tissues. Most people cite this show as one of the few that left them destroyed by the end.

Violet Evergarden, the main character, was raised specifically to be a weapon used against enemies. But as the war comes to a close, she has to find a new purpose for her life. After recovering from her wounds, she begins working as an Auto Memory Doll to help translate people’s thoughts into words on paper while she tries to learn the meaning of love.