Cartoon Pundit’s Tear-jerking Momentsfeatured

by cartoonpundit on June 19, 2018

Cartoon Pundit’s Tear-jerking Moments

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post so I decided to do something kind of fun. In a previous post, I listed off my personal WTF moments in anime in keeping with that theme and based upon a few recent additions to this list I thought I would be a good time to list off my personal tear-jerking moments in cartoons and anime. Contrary to what my tweets would lead you to believe, I actually don’t tear up that much watching TV shows and movies. I know every man in the world probably says the same thing, but for me it’s actually kind of true. I mean I did not even tear up during Graveyard of the Fireflies, which is one of the saddest movies of all time. Now note: I’m not including moments that as a kid would make me cry, but do not make me even tear up as an adult. Oddly enough, I didn’t really cry that much as kid watching cartoons anyway. In fact, most of these didn’t affect me as a kid, but with my change in perspective they now do. Additionally, you will most assuredly note that not all of these moments are actually sad. I tend to tear up almost as much with ‘manly’ moments as I do with sad ones. Also, as with my previous posts this are MY tear-jerking moments i.e. they may not be the same as yours. I say that to say this, you are open to your own opinion, as am I. Now that, that is out-of-the-way, I bring you the Cartoon Pundit’s Tear-jerking Moments in cartoons and anime. Spoilers Ahead.

Usopp’s Speech in Alabasta Arc (One Piece)

I could probably make an entire list of moments from One Piece that make me tear up. The writing in One Piece is absolutely brilliant, and it has so many moments that just tug at your heart-strings. In lieu of doing just a One Piece list, I’m going to list this particular moment separate for a very specific reason and just do general list from the series after that. Now that, that is out-of-the-way let’s get to this particular moment. The reason I have this particular moment separate is because, this moment is so tear-inducing for me personally that I can’t even talk about it without tearing up. Note: this is not a sad moment. In fact, quite the opposite. For me, I actually can’t handle how awesome of a moment it is. For people who have never heard of or seen One Piece, let me layout the exact scenario of this moment. Usopp (the man pictured above being run through a brick wall) is at the point in the story where this moment is, is by far the weakest of the main protagonists in One Piece. So weak, that his signature move is literally to run away. In this particular moment, him and another member of the crew, Chopper, who’s at that point probably the 3rd weakest character are fighting a mole woman (yes it’s what is sounds like) and a guy who is literally carrying around a 4 Ton Bat. The mole woman offhand says that their captain, Luffy, was dead. Usopp immediately refutes that statement saying that Luffy will be King of the Pirates. The mole woman then laughs at the notion of Luffy being King of the Pirates. And thus starts the moment. I’ll give you the exact quote (note the entire quote is from Usopp). “Listen to me Chopper! Even if he’s impossibly terrible enemies…” At this point, Usopp is run through a brick wall and he continues. “Even if there is no way to beat the enemy…” At this point, Usopp is hit directly in the head with the 4 Ton Bat. We see an image of his skull breaking. The mole woman and the strong man turn their attention to Chopper assuming Usopp’s dead at which point you see a silhouette of him standing up beaten and bloodied and finishing his quote thusly, “There comes a time when a man has to stand and fight!! That time is when his friend’s dreams are laughed at!!!” Again I remind you this is the WEAKEST character on the show and he takes hit that would kill most people and still stands up on the basis of defending his friend’s dream. This quote actually defines the series very well. Given that the quote isn’t even in that big of moment that’s pretty impressive. Again this is a complete man tear moment, that I cannot get over.

Other One Pieces moments

For other moments from One Piece that are completely tear-inducing for yours truly I give you the following (note: this list is not all-encompassing):

Zoro’s speech after losing to Dracule Mihawk. This moment hit me way worse on subsequent viewings of the series. Just for context, Zoro gets his butt-kicked by the best swordsman in the world, but what is he worried about, letting Luffy down. Zoro is the ultimate bad ass in One Piece and he cries (for the only time in the series mind you) because he failed Luffy. It wouldn’t hit me as much if not for how his personality is the entire rest of the series.

Nami’s backstory which I include when Nami finally gave up after Arlong tricked her. The scene of her stabbing the Arlong tattoo on her arm is super powerful. As is, when she finally asks Luffy for his help and he puts his hat (his most prized possession) on her head.

Chopper’s backstory specifically Hiluluk’s death. Prior to Usopp’s speech Hiluluk’s death speech was the best quote in One Piece. It’s still one of the best. Chopper’s backstory up to Hiluluk’s speech is sad. Being shunned by your family because you have a blue nose is really sad. With that said, Chopper’s attempt to save Hiluluk with a poison mushroom is brutal to watch. Here is your most innocent character inadvertently expediting his only companion’s death. With all that said, the coup de grâce is Hiluluk’s death speech, it’s so powerful.

Robin’s declaration of wanting to live. Alright, Robin’s backstory is the single saddest thing in One Piece. Just prior to getting her backstory, you get her basically saying she wants to die. More so it was her thinking she didn’t deserve to live. You then get her super sad backstory. Then post-backstory, Luffy declares war against the entire world, just to hear her actual feelings. Finally, her declaration that she wants to live is just an amazing moment.

Going Merry’s Death. You would not think the death of a ship would be so painful to watch, but it is brutal.

Zoro taking all of Luffy’s pain. Similar to the previously mentioned speech this is just an amazing moment of dedication. The first thing Zoro says when he agrees to join Luffy’s crew basically is, if you do anything to get in the way of my goal I will carve your stomach as an apology. In this moment, Zoro willingly gives up his ambition for Luffy’s dream and basically concedes that he’s going to die. Now he didn’t die, but that doesn’t take away from the manliness of the situation.

Ace’s death. How do you wrap a super long arc about saving a character from execution…have said character die in the saddest but most heroic way possible…brutal.

Carl reads Ellie’s Adventure Book (Up)

If you remember back I did a list of the Top 10 Best Non-Disney Animated Films. Well, if you look at the list, you will notice there are two movies from 2009 (Coraline & Fantastic Mr. Fox) with a 3rd in the honorable mention category (The Secret of the Kells). I point this out because none of those films won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2009. It happened to be Up. Oddly, unlike a lot of the choices for Best Animated Feature, I 100% agree with this decision. Up is right up there the Toy Story franchise as my favorite Pixar movies of all time. With all that said, Up being tear-jerking comes as no surprise to anyone. I would hazard to say that more people actually cry in the first 5 minutes of the movie, though, then this part. For me, I can handle the first 5 minutes with ease, it’s later in the movie that gets me. Going into this scene Carl basically thought he had failed Ellie their entire lives. When he gets the vindication that her adventure was just being with him, it’s such a touching moment, I can’t personally hold back. The thing is both the first 5 minutes and this scene become much more impactful as one gets older. Mostly because a lot of what you see in this movie is actually very real. Life is not always about what you do. Sometimes it’s more about who you do it with. Kids don’t fully appreciate that because they don’t fully appreciate the limited time we have with people. I’m not just talking about death either. For example, people move, people change jobs or school, etc. Some of your best memories you have with people may seem mundane to the outside observer. The fact that they are your best memories is because of who they were with. This scene portrays that very well.

I Remember You (Adventure Time)

Unlike the vast majority of the world, I do not worship the feet that Adventure Time walks on. This is not to say I dislike the series, in fact, it’s great. I just have a couple of things I, personally, don’t like about the series. For one, I am not really a fan of Jake. Not being a fan of the deuteragonist doesn’t help my opinion of the series. Secondly, many of the side stories are actually better than the main story overall. Which is both good and bad. Again overall great series, I just personally like other series better. With all that said, Adventure Time is basically a gut punch disguised as a kid’s show. I mean so many characters’ backstories are just tragic. Two characters’ backstories that stick out the most as being the most tragic are the Ice King and Marceline. I won’t go into too deep of specifics, but I’ll give you an overview. The Ice King basically is a prisoner in his own body. A thousand years before the series he put on his signature crown as a joke and basically the crown gave him power, but completely took away his sanity. Marceline, on the other hand, I’ll just tell you her backstory prior to meeting the Ice King. Her father is the ruler of the Nightosphere, it’s not really stated when he left the first time, but it’s either before or during the Mushroom War. Her mom died presumably in the Mushroom War. During the Mushroom War she was basically left alone. This episode and particularly the song associated with it showed you the first glimpses of these two characters’ connection. This is later expounded upon, but back to this episode. The song in this episode basically is the Ice King’s previous life’s confession that he knows the crown will eventually destroy his life, but in order to keep her safe and himself alive he has to use its power. Additionally, the song also dictates that his biggest regret is that he will not remember her. He basically raised and protected her throughout the Mushroom War and he can no longer remember her. The tear you see roll down Marceline’s face during the song is just brutal. Finally, the ending showing them meeting for the first time and him giving her, her most prized possession, Hambo, is another gut punch. I can’t make it through the song without tearing up. I point this out, because this is the only Rebecca Sugar I’ve ever teared up on. For those wondering, that includes ‘It’s Over Isn’t It’ from Steven Universe.

“Superman” (Iron Giant)

I harken back to my list of Top 10 Best Non-Disney Animated Films where the Iron Giant was my #1. My rationale at the time was that it was only movie I watched for that particular list that I teared up watching. The truth is, that has not changed. This moment hits me so much worse as an adult. I’m not really sure why this is. My gut feeling is that as an adult, you fully understand he’s conceded to his own death. I’m kind of a sucker for self-sacrifice if it wasn’t blatantly clear before. What really kills me is the voiceover quote from Hogarth in this scene. “You are who you choose to be.” With the Giant choosing to be “Superman.” It’s one of the most impactful scenes you will ever see period. That’s not just in animated movies that in all media. Additionally, I personally do not believe that the Giant living takes really anything away from this scene. It is just a beautiful scene.

“When She Loved Me” (Toy Story 2)

Disney is full of very sad moments. Just for a short off-hand list: Bambi’s mom’s death, Mufasa’s death, and ‘Baby Mine’ (really about 90% of Dumbo). Well, none of those things actually make me tear up. With all that said, the single saddest song in Disney’s history is ‘When She Loved Me.’ I pretty much blame Sarah McLachlan for this. Anyone who has seen her ASPCA commercials knows that her voice brings out the tissues. On to the moment itself. I’m going to first caveat something here, Toy Story 2 is actually my least favorite of the Toy Story movies thus far. Toy Story is a complete classic and Toy Story 3 is just an amazing story. But this moment is, for me personally, the biggest gut punch in the series. That even includes the incinerator scene from Toy Story 3. You get set to the a wonderfully beautiful but depressing song scenes with Jessie going from her owner Emily’s favorite toy to being relegated to no usage at all stuck under the bed and eventually donated. The worst part of this scene is seeing Jessie’s brief excitement being with Emily again just for her to be put into the donation box. This moment really defines the movie, because the movie is about abandonment. How long until Andy tosses you aside. The interesting is, that’s what happens in Toy Story 3. The entire franchise is really about abandonment. In Toy Story, it’s more about another toy replacing you. Toy Story 2 is more about the eventuality of people moving on. Finally, Toy Story 3 shows the toys completely abandoned. I actually think what happens in Toy Story 3 makes this scene even sadder.

Marco punches Toffee through the heart (Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

If my tweets and Star vs. the Forces of Evil Season 1 Review were not enough indication, I’ll come out and say it, I’m kind of Star vs. the Forces of Evil fanboy. With that being sad, I have only teared up once during the entire series. It’s one of those moments you don’t fully understand why you’re tearing up. That moment happens to be during the Battle for Mewni movie specifically the Toffee episode. After Star appears to have died, her mother goes on a rampage trying to kill Toffee. Her mother obviously fails because there is no magic left in Star’s wand. Then the moment that completely surprised me and drove me to man tears. Marco punches a hole through Toffee’s heart. Marco THE HUMAN punches a hole through Toffee THE MONSTER’s heart. Now it didn’t really do anything, but my goodness it was awesome. Another aspect that probably affects me a little is Marco’s facial expression and tears in his eyes. He literally puts all of his emotion into that single punch. I have watched Battle for Mewni on a couple times since and I still tear in the awesomeness of that particular scene. It’s a moment that really defines Marco’s character as a whole. It’s right up there with season 1’s finale when Star comes in wand-ablazing to save Marco as far as my favorite scenes from the show.

A Fool’s Hope, Family Reunion and Farewell (Star Wars: Rebels)

First off two comments. First, I try so hard to not get too emotional in series finales, I just really failed in this one. Second, I recognize full episodes are not really ‘moments’ but there are several within these episodes so I just combined them. Also, I do recognize that these are technically separate episodes, but I still count them as the finale. Now that I’ve cleared that up. I’ll admit to tearing up within the first five minutes of A Fool’s Hope. I know that it’s somewhat pathetic, but Hondo’s speech about doing anything for Ezra just kills me every time. In fact, I teared up hearing it during the trailer for the finale. Why it affects me so bad really has to do more so with Hondo’s character. He is most self-driven character in the entire franchise going all the way back to his Clone War days. For him to say that he would do anything for Ezra, just points out the amount that Ezra affected people around him. That’s also ignoring the fact that this miscellaneous group of people dropped everything they were doing to help Ezra. Part of why this particular finale hit me harder than others probably had to do with the fact that the payoff actually made sense. The entire series was built to this moment. It’s incredible actually. In Family Reunion and Farewell, there are so many moments that kill me. The first one is when Ezra willingly gives himself up knowing that’s the only way. He looks at Chopper who opens up a ventilation shaft and he looks at Sabine who helps him by distracting the others. The music playing while he looks at Sabine is just overpowering. Then the moment Ezra sacrifices another life with his parents for his new family is just so amazing. This is particularly true from a character development standpoint. Previous seasons he may have taken the bait. The fact that his parents that will cease to exist if he doesn’t open the door acknowledge that he made the right decision makes the scene even stronger. Next is Gregor’s death scene. Good grief, the scene would’ve been sad with just him dying in Rex’s arm, but to have him say it was honor to fight with Rex for something they chose is brutal. This is significant because for clones they never got a choice in anything during their lives. Their entire existence is to serve their masters then be decommissioned. It’s a very sad existence overall. The final gut punch is Ezra holding back Thrawn and telling everyone that there is no other way. He has to see this to the end. Basically, he was telling them he was sacrificing himself for the good of his people. This finale is basically as perfect an end to a series there as could possibly be. I suspect this is because the creators got to end the series on their terms. Again I was not expecting to emote as much as I did and I’ve watched these episodes a couple of times and I still tear up a bit.

Deku goes 1,000,000% (My Hero Academia)

Okay, so I don’t really know why I tear up on this one. I think it goes back to my love and respect for self-sacrifice. For context of this, Izuku or Deku as I prefer to call him, runs to save Kota from Muscular who killed Kota’s parents. Deku for anyone that doesn’t know this series starts off pathetic and kind of a whiner. The thing is, is that his characterization really is that he has always had the qualities of a true hero just not the Quirk. This particular episode is one of the best at highlighting this fact. He no only comes in to save a kid he barely knows, said kid doesn’t even like him. Literally, the kid kicked him in the balls a couple of days before this event. During the course of the fight it is quite obvious Deku is completely over-matched, but the only thing he cares about is saving Kota. The moment just before Deku goes 1,000,000%, Deku concedes that he’s going to die. He only gets the strength to defeat Muscular because the villain says that as soon as he kills Deku he’s going to kill Kota. Then comes the sheer moment of badassery when Deku goes 1,000,000% Delaware Detriot Smash defeating Muscular. If I’m being honest though what gets me is actually the voiceover from Mandalay saying that someday Kota will find his “hero.” Kota then looks at a beaten and bloodied Deku still standing and says “My Hero” along with voiceover. The final image of Deku, “the Hero,” standing up after defeating his enemy is just so powerful.

Summation

Well, I’m done pouring my heart out. I find it very amazing how much of a connection you get to these characters. I’m going to admit this list is obviously ever-growing considering three on it are from within two years. It was my pleasure bringing you Cartoon Pundit’s Tear-jerking Moments