Some anime are designed to make you cry. These 10 series will destroy you emotionally—guaranteed tears or your heart’s already stone.
10. Assassination Classroom
You know how it ends from episode one. That doesn’t prepare you for actually watching it happen. The students’ growth and final moments with Koro-sensei break everyone.
9. Violet Evergarden
War veteran learns to understand emotions by writing letters. Episode 10 (the mother’s letters) is famous for destroying viewers. Kyoto Animation’s beauty amplifies the sadness.
8. A Place Further Than the Universe
Girls journey to Antarctica to find closure about a dead mother. The laptop scene—dozens of unread emails from a daughter to her mother—is devastating.
7. March Comes in Like a Lion
Depression, abuse, found family, and healing. The series doesn’t exploit trauma—it treats it respectfully while earning emotional moments. The tears feel cathartic.
6. Anohana
A ghost reunites childhood friends to find peace. The premise promises tears; the execution delivers. That ending karaoke scene has broken millions.
5. Made in Abyss
Children suffer horribly pursuing impossible dreams. The contrast of cute designs and brutal content amplifies the tragedy. Dawn of the Deep Soul is pure sadness.
4. Your Lie in April
A pianist and violinist’s romance. Her health condition creates inevitable tragedy. The musical performances carry emotional weight. Knowing it’s coming doesn’t help.
3. Grave of the Fireflies
Two children try to survive post-war Japan. Studio Ghibli’s saddest film—which is really saying something. It’s a masterpiece you’ll only watch once.
2. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Learning to appreciate what you took for granted—after it’s gone. Every happy flashback is tinged with loss. The immortality angle makes it hit differently.
1. Clannad: After Story
The legendary tear-destroyer. The Ushio arc is specifically engineered to emotionally devastate. Nothing else has quite the same reputation for ruining viewers.