Top 5 Tear-Jerker Anime Series

If you thought everything was sunshine and rainbows in the world of anime, then think again.

The medium is a complex one with a wide range of stories. Magical girls may be the trend one day, but the next may see a seriously tragic story sweep ratings across the board.

For those of you who need a good cry, there are countless anime series out there to binge. At ComicBook, we have collected a list of the most powerful tear-jerker anime titles out there. So, grab some tissues and get ready for one massive headache. If you can make it through this list without getting a lump in your throat, you are more controlled than most.

Your Lie In April

As one of our list’s newer additions, Your Lie In April is a surprisingly tragic anime. The series tells the story of a pianist who can no longer hear himself play. Forced to become a child prodigy, Kosei Arima leaves the field until he is roped back in my an energetic young violinist who changes everything. When Kaori Miyazono needs someone to accompany her for an exhibition, she tries to show Kosei the joy of music once more. However, their budding friendship is derailed when they discover Kaori has been terminally ill and has little time left to live.

Grave of the Fireflies

Created by Studio Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most difficult anime films to watch. Not only is the title one of the medium’s most respected, but critics have deemed it to be one of the most trying war films to ever be made. The heavy film is set during the final months of World War II and tells the story of two siblings whose homes are destroyed. Placed in a post-nuclear world, the orphaned children live a desperate life on the streets and chase after fireflies during the cold nights. But, when one of them grows sick from exposure, their world is turned upside down. By the film’s end, you heart will feel as if it’s been torn in two. 

Angel Beats!

When you first start up Angel Beats!, the anime may not seem sad at first. The action-packed series is set in the afterlife at a school where teenagers must go before passing on. When Otonashi wakes up in the facility after suddenly dying, the boy meets a young girl named Yuri who asks him to join Afterlife Battlefront. As the leader of the group, she fights against another student named Angel with strange supernatural powers. However, as the series moves forward, fans learn why each of the students have been brought to the mysterious school. The place is one where teenagers must go if they want to come to terms with past traumas, and Angel Beats! is not afraid to shy away from its core cast’s dark pasts.

Clannad After Story

If romance is your thing, you will like much of Clannad After Story. That is, until everyone starts dying. The sob-worthy anime is a sequel to the original Clannad anime and follows Tomoya Okazaki after he graduates high school. Having married his sweetheart Nagisa, the two live a lovely life before they discover they are expecting. However, things come to a head when Nagisa gives birth to a sickly daughter before shortly passing herself. Tomoya falls into a deep depression that is only softened by his daughter’s cheery personality, but that soon takes a turn when Ushio develops the same disease her mother did.

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

If you’re looking to dehydrate yourself from crying, then you might as well binge Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. The lilting, supernatural anime defines tragedy for many anime fans. The series follows a group of friends who have drifted apart over the years. Their appointed leader Jinta Yadomi has become a recluse during high school, but that starts to change when the ghost of one of his old friends comes to him. Menma prompts her friend to reunited their gang as they try to lay her to rest. One by one, the group begins to realize what they need to do to help the ghostly friend pass on: they must learn to forgive themselves for falling apart all those years ago.