< Pokémon

Pokémon/Tear Jerker


Pika-pi...?

Anime

  • The end of the Indigo Conference arc. Watching a recap of Ash's entire experience of all the battles he went through, all to the glorious sound of the Pokémon Theme. It makes you feel like he really did give his all to get as far as he did. You feel proud that he did so well. And afterwards he stands in the middle of the stadium, and reasserts his vow to become a Pokémon Master. The Pokémon League may be over for Ash, but his journey has only just really begun.
    • It's recycled at the end of the Unova Conference, though not quite as effective due to faster paced, even more upbeat song they have playing over it.
  • The climax to the first episode, "Pikachu, I choose you!" Try not to get a knot on your throat when you see Ash eager to be pecked to death for an insubordinate Pokémon he only just met.
  • Pokémon episodes "Pikachu's Goodbye", "Bye Bye Butterfree", and "Charizard's Burning Ambition". Probably other episodes too.
    • For some, it's not so much the episode as the song "The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye)" from the Image Song CD. You can listen to the song here, if you don't mind tearing up.
    • Butterfree's goodbye was recycled ten seasons later with Jessie's Dustox. Didn't have the music making it sadder, though, the way "Bye Bye Butterfree" is.
      • The dub kind of ruined this scene, but you might want to think again. The original has the first movie's theme, "Kaze to Issho ni", playing over the release. And let's face it—it's the first time Jessie's broken down like this. Watching her crush Dustox's Poké Ball under her foot in tears is heartbreaking, and a rare deredere moment from the Team Rocket trio's leader.
      • No mention of Misty releasing Togetic? Particularly in the original, with its positively heartrending background music. Especially when you think of it from the standpoint of Misty being a mother that has watched her 'child' be born, grow up, and then reaches the moment where she has to let go and release that child into the world to live independently of her.
  • The entire first episode of Charmander's appearance. Just picturing it freezing and shivering alone on that rock during the rain storm doing it's best to prevent its tail flame from going out, and essentially killing it is one of the saddest moment of the series.
    • Tepig's background story is just as bad. After Tepig loses a battle, his trainer abandons him in a rather cruel way; the porker is tied to a fencepost and forced to watch his trainer walk away on him. To make matters worse, he still loves his trainer; Tepig literally breaks down into tears and tries to chase after the guy. Before Don George can free him, however, Tepig shoddily bites through the rope and promptly sets off to find said ex-trainer. Oh, did I mention some of the rope gets caught around his snout? When Ash finds him, Tepig is on the verge of starving to death.
    • Charmander's story in general is quite sad, though it does get better. It was good friends with Ash, but when it evolved, it suddenly became hostile and aggressive, which got worse when it evolved into Charizard. However, at one point, it is weakened during a battle, and Ash spends the entire night trying to keep it warm, getting blisters all over his hands in the process. The next day, for the first time, Charizard fought for Ash.
  • Some people can't watch the prequel short on the Mewtwo Returns DVD without crying, and tears up just at the sound of "Chiisaki Mono" from the sixth movie.
  • During the second movie, Team Rocket's attempt at Heroic Sacrifice when they let go of Lugia so as not to slow him and Ash down. Their "last lines" are just too priceless: "Let's not say goodbye/Let's just say/We're gonna die." Of course, they live, but still...
    • Don't forget their variation on their usual send off as they fall: "Team Rocket's blasting off for gooooood...!"
  • The scene in the 8th movie where Lucario sacrifices himself to save the Tree of Beginning.
    • Also, during the aforementioned scene when Lucario discovers that Aaron only trapped Lucario so that he wouldn't follow him and suffer the same fate.
    • The Japanese version is even sadder, though Your Mileage May Vary.
      • And during the ending credits -- Lucario and Aaron eating the bar of chocolate Max gave Lucario earlier in the movie.
      • There was also Celebi's "death" in the fourth movie. Ash and Sam's reactions were bad enough, but seeing Celebi's shrivelled, lifeless body pushed it over. Thank god he regenerated.
    • Also from Movie 8, Ash calls out all of his Pokémon as he's being absorbed by the energy orb-gunk and, in the dub at least, he says goodbye to Pikachu and tells him he loves it as he gets fully absorbed. The sight of Pikachu and all of Ash's Pokémon at the time crying, including Grovyle(!) was like "Mewtwo Strikes Back" all over again. Then when Ash, and everyone else comes back, Pikachu, with tears in its eyes, hugs Ash. Then Ash gets glomped by Phanphy and Corphish while Grovile and Swellow watch.

Ash: Pikachu, you can't save me! Just take care of yourself, and all the others! I'll miss you, buddy. I LOVE YOU!

    • And just the way he says it all as fast as he possibly can while still being coherent. Just knowing that you have about ten seconds to say everything you need to, to say good-bye...
  • The beginning of the episode "Gotta Catch You Later" where Ash, Misty, and Brock separate after being together for so long is pretty moving.
  • The farewell of Misty in the Master Quest season.
    • Everything about that first half of the episode. Misty's sad look when she realizes she'll have to go home. How upset she is when Ash, not realizing the gravity of the situation, just comments that she has her bike back and can get home faster...then her walking away crying, thinking that Ash doesn't seem to care that they have to split up. Then Ash and Brock show up to help her battle Team Rocket...Ash compliments her on her battling and Misty, instead of brushing it off like usual, thanks Ash and says it's "sweet" of him to say. About the only thing the dub missed was the fact that in the original, Misty tells the eternally-dense Ash, point-blank, that "it was never about the bike"
    • A runner up in that season is Larvitar's backstory in "Address Unown". The poor little mon can do nothing but watch in its egg as its Tyranitar mother is injured by the poachers who kidnapped it, leading it to be afraid of humans when it hatched. And later on the memories are too much for it, represented by Larvitar essentially being frozen in an ice crystal.
  • Some people always tear up in the first movie when Ash is dead, and Pikachu goes up to his body and tries again and again to wake him up via electrocution, until it's out of energy and can do nothing but cry and then the other Pokémon, not only Ash's, but the trainers' Pokémon and Mewtwo's clone Pokémon, cry also. He gets better, but it doesn't make it any less sad.
    • Just listen to the music "Tears of Life" from the movie and see if you don't visualize the scene mentioned above and start sobbing hysterically.
    • The Tear Jerker song If Only Tears Could Bring You Back by Midnight Sons represents this scene in the CD.
      • "If Only Tears Could Bring You Back" might also sum up Mewtwo and Amber as well, from the Mewtwo's Origin short that was cut out from the movie's theater release.
  • For some, it's James' farewell to Chimecho. His line in the dub "It's just...I don't know how to deal with this" Some of the same people also tear up every time when they see the scene where May tears up after losing the Kanto Grand Festival
  • Speaking of James, some people still can't get through 'Holy Matrimony' without bawling like a little kid. James telling the story of how he froze to death as a little kid after running away from home, with his Growlithe watching helplessly at his side (the fact that it was obviously fake doesn't make it any less sad) is already tear-worthy, but at the end when he's forced to leave Growly so he can rejoin Team Rocket and remain a free man is part heartwarming, part tear-jerking.
  • The ending of "Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea" qualifies.
    • "Love...you."
  • The Birth of Mewtwo. Especially when Amber/Ai, Young Mewtwo's best friend dies. Just the line "Don't cry, because you are alive! And life is wonderful."/"Live, all right? I'm sure living is wonderful." makes some tear up.

Amber/Ai: (Giggles) I think it's almost time for us to say goodbye. Mewtwo...live, all right? I'm sure living is wonderful.
Mewtwo: Ai..I..I'm in the glass...in the water, but water is flowing from my eyes...what is this?
Ai: (Giggles) That's probably..tears.
Mewtwo: Tears?
Ai: Papa said all living things don't shed tears unless their bodies hurt. And the only ones who shed tears because they're sad are humans...Mewtwo...
Mewtwo: Huh?
Ai: ...Thank you for your tears. But Mewtwo, don't cry. You're going to live. And I'm sure that living is wonderful.
Mewtwo: Ai, they won't stop...The tears..what should I do? Ai, answer me...

  • Mewtwo's entire life. He has to watch all of his friends die before he's even born, which is so traumatic for him that the scientists have to wipe his memory in order to keep it from killing him, too. Then, when he is given his first taste of the real world, he discovers that his entire reason for being is to have tests run on him, like a lab rat. Once he breaks out, he discovers that every other Pokémon is either in the wild or under the ownership of humans, who make the Pokémon do their bidding. He goes berserk at this point, and has to be forcibly taught that not all humans are bastards. He and the Pokémon clones that he created then go to live out their lives in a place apart from those who would harm them. But Giovanni comes and threatens to execute every last one of them unless Mewtwo submits to him, and hs to be bailed out by Ash and company. The last we see of him, he and the Pokémon who depend on him are still hiding from humans, probably terrified that they will be found again. Can you really blame him for going berserk several times?
  • Speaking of Pokémon, the capture of Pikachu by Mewtwo's evil Poké Balls in the first movie. Gets me every time. It's been established that Pikachu does not like being in a Poké Ball. Many times. Ash is beaten half to death by evil Poké Balls and robotic arms in a chase all over Mewtwo's fortress. He does all he can do to save his buddy, and in the end, he fails. Pikachu has been captured by The Big Bad, his freedom stripped away. He gets rescued, but still...
    • Related to Pikachu's Poké Ball phobia, Ash demanding Pikachu get into one in "Snow Way Out" so he won't die from the blizzard they're stuck in. As if to prove Pikachu's point that he won't leave his trainer's side, his other teammates come out of their Poké Balls and hug Ash...

Ash: You win. Guess we'll all be cold together.

  • Latios' final goodbye to Latias, in the fifth movie. The way the now-translucent Latios takes Latias' hand, and then Latias realizes, confirmed with Latios simply nodding, before the two's grip breaks, and Latias is pushed away, this heartbroken look on her face......... It's really not helped by the scene a few minutes on, which shows the Earth/world e.g. what Latios is seeing, through his psychic connection with Latias, for the final time.
    • Especially since the creator of Pokémon always used the word "faint" to describe defeated Pokémon so that kids wouldn't have to hear about death. This makes the first on screen Pokémon death even more moving considering that Latios sacrificed himself to save his little sister Latias, and the town they lived in and explains in the games why Latias learns Wish and Latios learns Memento.
  • Just a small one from "A Scare in the Air," watching Jessie and James sit there mumbling "Looks like Team Rocket's messing up again."
  • The end credits to the third movie, partially because of the song playing ("To Know The Unknown"), and partially because of one scene that shows the return of Molly's long-lost mother.
    • Also from the third movie, the part when Ash is falling into the pit, and suddenly Charizard, the Pokémon that previously hated him and refused to ever do what he said, swoops out of nowhere and saves him.
    • Molly's parents both disappearing, one leaving her family, the other being dragged into another reality. Also, the whole part about rejecting her reality in favor of living in her dreams. The entire OST of the movie emphasizes the isolation and loneliness Molly experiences.
  • The entire "Team Shocker!" episode is a huge Tear Jerker. Dawn, the resident cutie is broken all of a sudden, after 2 lost appeals. Soon after, it cuts to a scene where her mom Joanna is shown disappointedly glancing at a wall full of photos of both her and daughter participating in contests. Next, Jessie goes and rubs her victory in Dawn's face. And Dawn later cries herself to sleep..
    • It was so upsetting that Ash himself was on the exact same emotional wavelength.
    • It's made even worse. For around a dozen episodes,the broken self esteem'd Dawn doesn't want to enter in contests anymore, thinks she's failing her Pokémon and tries to fake happiness.
      • The first time she loses the appeal round is pretty bad too, as Dawn runs outside and bursts into tears. It's also the very first time it's ever happened.
  • "A Poached Ego" gave us Team Rocket's Crowning Moment of Awesome at the cost of a few tears. TR comes across a poacher who has captured a bunch of wild Ekans and Koffing, the pre-evolutions of their main Pokémon: Arbok and Weezing. In an Even Evil Has Standards moment, TR attempts to free the captured Pokémon, but the poacher tries to stop them. In the climax of the episode, Meowth manages to free the Ekans and Koffing from their cages. When the poacher sends his Tyranitar after them, all three Rockets throw themselves at it. The battle is completely one-sided as the Tyranitar beats them mercilessly, all while Jessie and James are shouting at Arbok and Weezing to take the Ekans and Koffing and run far away. The fact that their Pokémon have tears running down their faces says just what they think about following that order, even if they do so anyway.
  • "Go West, Young Meowth". Meowth's backstory is indeed a sad one. He learns to speak human language, and goes through all sorts of ordeals in order to walk like a human, just to impress a girl of his species and the pet of a rich woman... only for her to reject him. Then there's the end of the episode, where Meowth stares at the moon still pining over Meowsie.
    • Then, if you still aren't moved by all the emotional moments Meowth goes through in the first parts of the episode, wait until you see what follows. Meowth meets Meowsie again in an Dickensesque pauper gang, and the viewer learns that her rich, loving owner set her loose when she had to move away.
      • After the death of Maddie Blaustein in 2008, this episode became even more of a tearjerker than it already was.
  • Ash's Chimchar got this while being owned by Paul. He pretty much abused it so it would get stronger from its Unstoppable Rage induced Blaze ability.
  • In the 10th movie when Darkrai couldn't block Dialga and Palkia's attacks anymore and they strike him, which ends up killing him. Thankfully, Palkia is able to restore him along with everything else at the end.
  • In "True Blue Swablu", near the end when just as Swablu is about to join May's team on her journey, its family comes back. The music, May desperately trying not to break down and Max's questions about why she's letting Swablu go back to its family despite it wanting to come with their group in the first place.
  • When Lapras finds its family again, but they shun it because Lapras is with humans.
    • The first episode with Lapras being abused also counts for this trope.
  • The part when Ash had that crushing loss to Paul -- the fact that Chimchar evolved into Monferno and tried so hard to pull another win for Ash and the fact that for the last bit of that episode you do not see Ash's eyes at all...
    • And then the next episode...Ash's in a depression. He has to watch all of his Pokémon get treated, then lays on the side of the hill, remembering the battle over and over and over. He was in a depression for a good 25 minutes of the episode! Not even GARY beat him that hard.
  • "Do I Hear A Ralts?" Plot: Max finds a sick baby Ralts by the side of the lake. He has to take it to a Pokémon Center but several things are getting in his way, including Team Rocket, the severity of the fever, and the distance to to the Center...but he clears all the barriers and manages to get Ralts to the Pokémon Center without knowing if it will live. The next day, it is completely cured, but has to be returned to its family, Kirlia and Gardevoir. Ralts does not want to leave Max, but he promises that he will come back for it when he's a Trainer. Ralts teleports away.
    • Ralts telling Max (by telepathy, I assume) to promise that he'll come back for it as the episode ends doesn't help either.
  • "Chiisaki Mono" (the ending theme for the 6th movie) Same for "One" (the ending for the 11th movie). "Soko ni Sora ga Aru Kara" has the same effect.
  • James having to give up Cacnea so it can learn Drain Punch. Sure it was a Team Rocket Pokémon that was often used as a punching bag for the protagonists, but you can't really help but root for the cactus Pokémon in his departure episode. Watching it being battered while trying to master Drain Punch can make some people tear up.
  • In the episode "Great Bowls of Fire", Dragonite snapping out of its Outrage only to witness the results of its attacks: the complete destruction of its peaceful forest home. Its tearful howls are pretty heartbreaking.
  • The scene in the twelfth movie where Arceus saved Michina from the meteor. You know he gets better, but seeing him lying there in the snow, with all of the other Pokémon cuddling up to him and trying to keep him warm... And then, when Damos uses his special ability to see the hearts of Pokémon, Arceus is just grey... like the rocks he's lying on...
    • It is worse when you remember what Arceus is. God is dying. God. Is. Dying.
    • And on top of that everyone from the future is fading - because they might not even exist if Arceus dies here! Ash is the last to go, and he just manages to get the Jewel of Life to Arceus before disappearing completely. Thank goodness the process is reversed with Arceus' survival.
  • The end of the Team Galactic arc. Saturn has remained his usual, cold, fierce self, but then stops Mars from going into the portal; and at the end when they're taken away, the fact that Mars, who had previously been extremely spring-loaded, occasionally bordering on annoyingly insane, was just so quiet and didn't put anything in to the conversation. Of course, that scene turned (sort of) into Nightmare Fuel with how coldly and fiercely Saturn tells Jupiter that Cyrus got away.
    • Some fans think he survived. Imagine what that would mean for him, drifting forever in a void, completely powerless for eternity.
      • If you know (and sympathise with) Cyrus' backstory and believe it applies in the anime universe (the verdict's out on whether it does or doesn't), then it becomes even worse.
    • Mars' reaction when Cyrus tells her he'll be the only one in his perfect world. Once she puts two and two together, the way she screams and then she runs after him as the portal's closing. Saturn stops her from going in after him.
  • The final episode of the Diamond-Pearl series, "Memories are Made of Bliss!". Brief summary: " Ash, Dawn and Brock arrive back in Twinleaf Town, and while waiting for a ferry back to Kanto the gang become depressed knowing they'll soon be going their separate ways. While everyone tries to keep their sadness at bay, it proves to be too much for Piplup..." Piplup takes it very badly. Since the party just can't move from a region to another without splitting, there is no way this is gonna end well.
    • Piplup breaking down in front of Pikachu...indeed; the realization of leaving one of his best Pokémon friends became too much for Pikachu as well, and the Team Mom Togekiss has to comfort them both.
      • And while that's happening, this music plays, which in and of itself is a bit of a Tear Jerker for fans of the old seasons.
    • And if you watch the Japanese version, you see this tribute during the ending credits. It's a simple, but beautiful sequence which farewells Dawn and Brock from the regular series and reaffirms the series' themes of friendship. The song playing, In Your Heart, Lalala, itself counts as a major tearjerker, especially if you know the lyrics.
  • "You're heart's beating around the clock... Time ticking away, it doesn't stop."
  • Ash beats Paul. Infernape wins.
  • Lawrence in the end of the second movie. Sure he was greedy, but he never came across as evil, and to see him wandering aimlessly in the ruins of his collection only to find the one scrap left. He picks it up and stares blankly over the ocean. To add onto it, that collection of his was made of ancient artifacts. That's world history that just got vaporized.
  • The scene in Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions where Zoroark dies after risking everything to save and protect her baby boy, Zorua. To elaborate, Zorua has gone through an endless amount of pure crap and has gotten shocked to the bone, kicked around, and almost killed by the villain, and Zoroark has done everything in her power to protect him (and trust us, she is VERY powerful). And then she just can't take it anymore and falls to the ground, dead as a doornail. Thankfully, she gets better.
    • It gets even worse. Zorua spends the next few minutes trying desperately to wake her and finally bursts into tears. He then makes an illusion of their home, begging his mother to wake up so they can finally go home and be together again, finally ending by screaming his pet name for her at the top of his lungs, heartbroken. And even more, Ash's voice actually cracks with grief when he tries to wake her as well.
  • Squirtle leaving Ash and rejoining the Squirtle Squad.
  • Very, very minor compared to some of the examples on here, but a recent episode of Black and White-- "A UFO for Elgyem"—starts out with "our heroes" sleeping with peaceful music playing in the background. Players of the game (that is to say, almost everybody watching) will recognize the music as Emotion/ N's Farewell. It's not a sad moment or anything, but it certainly is unexpected and can re-open the wound about N's story. A sad Easter Egg, indeed.
    • Just that the scene in question only uses "Emotion" and not the other, which has a completely different melody. Of course, the scenes in which "Emotion" played in the game were also partially kinda sad, but it's still not N's Farewell...
  • When Meloetta leaves Ash and friends to go with Ridley back to their home. As with Dawn's departure from her visit in Unova, a farewell song by Meloetta plays in the background, making the moment effectively touching.
  • Iris and Cilan's departure in the second-to-last Best Wishes episode. The lead-in to it went by so quickly that playing a montage of the two characters' scenes might hit you harder with the realization that two friends are leaving the show.
  • The "Fly Me to the Moon" episode. Period. Ash & co. find a trainer with a Pidgey called Orville, who is the only one in the entire island who can fly. He wants to fly in the sky higher than any other Pidgey did, and reach outer space. Ash & friend(and more importantly, Team Rocket)help him, and obviously he achieves his goal...But when he reaches the atmosphere, he's already freezing, and without oxygen, on the verge of death....Meowth, who is translating what Orville says through a communicator, says that Orville told "he has never seen something so beautiful" when he sees the Sun from the atmosphere. Meowth then pleads to Orville to get back to Earth before it's too late, and the Pidgey falls from the skies in an unconscious dive.....He gets better, of course, but to see the self-sacrifice of the Pidgey to achieve his dream almost reducing even Meowth to tears was...oh dammit...
  • Pokémon the Movie: Black And White—after trying so hard to get Victini free, those pillars clouded around him, and all seems hopeless he apologizes for not being able to keep his promise, then sheds a tear before nearly dying. Victini then pulls off a Heroic Sacrifice, making it a Disney Death at the end of the movie.

Manga

  • Pokémon Special has its own page
  • Magical Pokémon Journey gives us a singular example. In a series that's usually sunshine and rainbows, smack at the end of volume 7 we get a random story of a senile Quagsire looking for the Charmander he used to love. They find the hill where they promised to meet only to find her grave. She'd died three years before. Quagsire stands at the grave and sobs his tiny little eyes out, his memory fully returned. Her spirit shows up, and the two of them fade away. He's alive though--turns out what we'd seen was an astral projection. But when we see him again, all his memory is gone. It was for nothing. The ultimate kicker is that this is what Viz finished their run of the entire series with.
  • Pokémon Golden Boys has Black's Bayleef, later Gold's Bayleef. After its been released by the Jerkass that is Black, it takes quite a lot of time for it to get over Black's notion of it.
  • Pokémon Zensho has a small example in what happened to Shigeru's mom. All other adaptations tend to keep their "mysterious disappearance" ambiguous, but this manga makes it quite clear that they died in a car accident when their children were quite young. It makes even Shigeru look sympathetic to an extent, though the tears tend to be shed more on his sister.
  • Basically everything involving Mitsumi in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure. It's similar to Blue's, if she was raised by a borderline Complete Monster and made into a fighting machine.
    • On the same token, the redemption of said borderline monster, simply through the protagonist Hareta's showing him compassion even when he has no reason to, may also bring out the waterworks. It's especially poignant because it was, before Pokemon Special got around to it, the only storyline in which Cyrus is able to perform a Heel Face Turn. For anyone who's a fan of Cyrus in normal canon, this is especially therapeutic.
  • Koya in DPA has a backstory pretty much MADE of Kick the Dog.
  • Phantom Thief Pokémon 7 has Hiori's search for his long-lost sister, and the events after they meet. His sister, who has Identity Amnesia, has been taken by a terrorist group and created into a dangerous monster. He tries to snap sense into her, and she just beats him.


Video Games

  • Tear Jerker
  • The final battle with Red in GSC to be uncharacteristically poignant for the series. No words, not even a flashy departure.
  • Pokémon. Mystery. Dungeon. Especially in the second one, namely Grovyle and your player's sacrifice. My god.
    • The ending for Grovyle's special episode in Sky. Oh. My. God. The Delayed Ripple Effect catches up with them as Primal Dialga is defeated, the world starts growing brighter as time begins moving again. Dusknoir vanishes while asking if his soul shined, and then Grovyle and Celebi watch the sunrise together as they too begin to vanish from history.
    • The ending to the game where your main Pokémon fades out of existence by restoring the timeline, and right before the credits, your partner breaks down and cries in front of Bidoof. This was so moving that even Dialga felt their pain, and brought your main Pokémon back into existence.
      • The music and the dialog makes this scene even harder to watch.
    • The ending to Igglybuff the Prodigy was definately a big one, too. Poor master Armaldo.
    • The resolution of the story between Gengar and Gardevoir in the first game.
    • The Music from both games didn't help at all.
    • Also a CMOH at the end of the HG/SS credits when your character is shown running across the screen to your mom before the screen fades to black and the music box starts playing.
  • Not a scene but rather a music piece (and fan-made, at that), but this remix of the Dark Cave from GSC/HGSS is just...ugh, why must you make me cry in the middle of the night...?
  • In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Kangaskhan's phrase upon reaching low health qualifies. "I'm done... Please, take care of my baby..."
  • Cyrus's backstory. Just...nngh. Especially when you find out that his grandfather KNEW he was going insane and almost intervened...but for some reason didn't.
    • According to the old man, Cyrus was an aloof but otherwise relatively normal child prodigy, who was slowly broken and then gradually turned insane as he was forced to live up to his parents' unreasonable expectations. Grandpa saw what was happening. Why didn't he save Cyrus? He didn't consider it proper to tell them how to raise their own child. Listening to that, and the regret he expresses as he tells his story, and especially knowing how twisted Cyrus ended up, and knowing that if the old man had intervened Cyrus could have grown up happy and adjusted...is heartbreaking.
  • In Pokémon FR/LG, in the Sevii Islands, there's a boy who's Onix died, and he is polishing a monument for it. It got me a bit more than it should have.
  • The Entire Ending of Pokémon Black and White. The ENTIRE ENDING! Poor N.
  • The Marowak scene in the Lavender Town Tower in Red and Blue
  • The endings of both of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon generations. If you don't tear up at least a little, you're probably lacking a bit in the soul department.
    • When I reached the ending of the first PMD I cried so very hard, especially the part where your partner is crying after saying goodbye...
    • The ending for the sequel was much more heart-wrenching than the first (although that was sad, too) but what with the tearful, sudden goodbye bid to your partner before you cease existing, then your partner later breaking down on the beach (where they met you) and the credits rolling. Its such a sad ending, until Dialga brings you back.
    • One line: "Though the parting hurts..."
    • Manaphy's departure...
    • Grovyle's Heroic Sacrifice could count if it wasn't for Dusknoir's second mouth beforehand dampening your pants. Heck, Nightmare Fuel is a common cure to these sad moments.
      • The anime adaptation of the scene only makes it even more heart wrenching. "I'll leave it to you to protect... this world's beautiful mornings."
      • The true tear-jerking moment began when Grovyle said:"And Chimchar! You take good care of Piplup!" Chimchar: "But I can't do what you can do!" Grovyle: "You'll do just great!" He begins to fall towards the portal. "You two are a great team, and don't you ever forget it!". He falls into the portal. Right before he enters, he says: "The future of the world is in your hands. Protect the sunrise... for everyone's sake."
    • "I am, up to the very end, not wavering, honestly. I lived because of you Grovyle. Thanks to you I have no regrets."
    • The fifth special episode en Sky as it ends with Grovyle hugging celebii, as both of them disappear while watching the first sunrise of the no longer dark future
    • Add to this the Igglybuff Special Episode on Explorers of Sky. You play the episode as Igglybuff, who makes a friend in Armaldo, a retired explorer. The two of them go exploring dungeons together, and the two grow to enjoy adventuring as a duo. Then the bomb gets dropped at the very end when it is revealed that Armaldo is actually a outlaw that has been avoiding capture for quite some time, and is arrested. Poor Igglybuff has to bear witness to all this, and Armaldo tells Igglybuff that he has had fun exploring with him. And when the day came that he was released, if he felt the same as he did now, he'd gladly explore with him again. He then gives Igglybuff the first treasure that the duo had found together, and is escorted away by Magnezone. Igglybuff breaks down crying for his friend as he's taken away... God, this troper got teary eyed just writing that all up...
      • "There are plenty of criminals out there... they are caught and punished, but... but... truly bad Pokémon... don't really exist anywhere." Cue horribly tear-jerking credits music!
  • The very first Pokémon generation, as well as their remakes, include the Lavender Town plot. The Lavender Town music is slow and kinda sad on its own, and its biggest feature is Pokémon Tower, a graveyard for departed Pokémon. That's not why the town's plot is so heartbreaking. Apparently, Team Rocket tried to capture a rare Cubone, but its mother saved it - and the Rockets killed her. You actually meet both the little Cubone and the vengeful spirit of mama Marowak... and it's up to the player to calm her spirit by facing her in battle. Mr. Fuji is praying alone for Marowak's spirit...
    • Pearl and Diamond manage to pull this off with one hell of a Player Punch as well. The main character arrives at Lake Verity too late, and Team Galactic has already set off a bomb in order to drain the lake and capture the Legendary Pokémon living in it. As a consequence of the explosion, you see Magikarp and Gyarados that were also in the lake, now flopping feebly on the dry lake bed in their death throes. A nearby Galactic Grunt just shrugs and states that those Pokémon are useless, so their mass slaughter is acceptable in order to Take Over the World.
  • While it's common knowledge now, fighting through a game that can take 120+ hours to beat and finding The first game's protagonist isolated and alone at the very end was a kick in the face.
  • Finding Cinnabar Island completely desolated in Gold and Silver. This troper was so excited, surfing south from Pallet Town to go back to his favorite place from the first game...and it's gone. The saddest part is the story about Blaine, and how he's now all alone on the Seafoam Islands, no trainers, no gym, just him and what Pokémon he has left. Thank God he's at least got company and a renovated gym in the remakes.
    • And the remakes add this.
  • Finding out, after you've beaten him and sent him into self-imposed exile, that Cyrus has a grandfather who cares deeply for him and blames himself for the boy's life winding up so terribly.
  • Silver screaming after Giovanni about how he'll be the strongest and never have to rely on anybody. The boy's only around seven or eight in that scene and just watched his failure of a father walk off on him.
    • Pretty much anything in the GS remakes where Celebi is involved. You just end up feeling sorry for both Silver and Team Rocket; the former was a sociopath because his dad was never there, and Team Rocket's big takeover of the radio station is now all for naught. Neither of them will ever see the most important figure in their lives again. Worse, he doesn't even turn the radio off before the game suggests he's jumped...
      • Thankfully, he didn't succeed in his possible suicide attempt, since he's around for the World Tournament years later.
  • Yamask, full stop. Just look at the PokéDex entries!
  • The Lavender town music for G/S/C sounds really sad.
  • Nuzlockes, particulary when a Pokémon you have raised since the beggining dies or your favorite dies.
    • Alternatively, they're upsetting for a different reason. To some players who grew up on Pokémon, Nuzlockes are a serious Player Punch due to the inability to accept the idea that Pokémon beaten in battle die (the constant reminders the game gives that they're just fainted only reinforce that). As a result, it paints the player character as obsessed with winning to the point of abandoning any Pokémon that can't win a battle; the mere idea of someone who began the game young and innocent becoming so corrupted by obsession is.... upsetting, to say the least.
  • A very serious example of Real Life Fridge Horror: The space shuttle in the Pewter City museum is supposed to be the Columbia.
  • It's implied that Maylene's father is a gambling addict who rarely ever leaves Celadon Game Corner. Maylene doesn't look that much older than the eleven year old protagonist, and she's implied to be rather poor.

Other

  • Maré Odomo's Letters To An Absent Father is a series of strips in which the framing device are letters sent by Ash to his father. For those who played Gold/Sylver/Crystal/HeartGold/SoulSilver all the way to the end this one is a downer in many levels.
    • Not quite! One last strip has been added and it's much more hopeful but still very much a Tear Jerker, just for a different reason.
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