Some of the anime makers love to make us cry and lots of sad anime series seems to be created specially to make us cry like a baby.
From the heartfelt dramas about love, Friendship, and loneliness to serious stories that talk about issues like death, war, and illness, these kind of sad anime has found many ways to break our hearts and made everyone cry.
Who doesn’t love a good cry? It can be the perfect release for when you are blue. To help spread the tears are these 21 series and their totally arbitrary Cry-O-Meter.
- 21. 5 Centimeters Per Second
- 20. Millennium Actress
- 19. Voices of a Distant Star
- 18. Berserk
- 17. Fullmetal Alchemist
- 16. Hal
- 15. Bokurano
- 14. Hotarubi no Mori e
- 13. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
- 12. Katanagatari
- 11. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
- 10. Basilisk
- 9. Angel Beats!
- 8. Your Lie in April
- 7. Plastic Memories
- 6. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
- 5. Fate/Zero
- 4. Air
- 3. Grave of the Fireflies
- 2. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
- 1. Clannad: After Story
21. 5 Centimeters Per Second
Studio: CoMix Wave Inc.
Episode count: 1 movie
Quick pitch: Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara were close friends, but they were pulled away after Akari’s family moved to a different region. They stay in touch through mail, but the years see them go their separate paths.
Cry-O-Meter: 8.5 tearful letters while you wait by the train station.
20. Millennium Actress
Studio: Madhouse
Episode count: 1 movie
Quick pitch: Chiyoko Fujiwara was Japan’s most popular actress prior to retiring 30 years ago. When the studio Chiyoko used to work with enters bankruptcy, she is asked to give a retrospective interview about her career.
Cry-O-Meter: If an actor fakes the tears, does it still count as crying?
19. Voices of a Distant Star
Studio: CoMix Wave Inc.
Episode count: 1 OVA
Quick pitch: Mikako Negamine is recruited by th UN to pilot a mech to fight in a war against an alien threat. He stays in contact with his childhood friend Noboru by sending e-mails using telecom device. As Mikako goes deeper into space, the lag time between receiving messages increases.
Cry-O-Meter: The tears will strike 5 years from today on this sad anime.
18. Berserk
Studio: OLM, Inc
Episode count: 25
Quick pitch: Guts is taken into the mercenary group Band of the Hawk by the leader Griffith. After Griffith has his dreams of ruling a kingdom taken from him, he is seduced by an evil power.
Cry-O-Meter: 1 mind breaking eclipse event that ruins your love life and robs you of your humanity.
17. Fullmetal Alchemist
Studio: Bones
Episode count: 51 (2003 series) / 64 (Brotherhood)
Quick pitch: Edward and Alphonse dabble into alchemy in order to revive their dead mother. Things take a terrible turn as Alphonse loses his physical body and Edward is left maimed.
Cry-O-Meter: 1 strong bond between a girl and her dog is shown in this sad anime.
16. Hal
Studio: Wit Studio
Episode count: 1 movie
Quick pitch: In the future, robots can be programmed with complete human emotion. After Kurumi is left heartbroken after a tragic plane crash, a robot named Q01 is sent to Kurumi to help mend her broken heart.
Cry-O-Meter: Do androids cry electric tears? for this sad anime.
15. Bokurano
Studio: Gonzo
Episode count: 24
Quick pitch: 15 kids discover a grotto while at summer camp. A man named Kokopelli tells them that he is creating a game that involves using a giant robot to save the Earth from 15 alien invasions. However, the power source of the robot is kept a secret.
Cry-O-Meter: 15 contracts allowing you to shed 15 single tears.
14. Hotarubi no Mori e
Studio: Brain’s Base
Episode count: 1 movie
Quick pitch: Hotaru was six when she met the forest spirit Gin. It was forwarned that if Gin makes physical contact with anyone, he will disappear. As time goes on, the two start to form a strong bond.
Cry-O-Meter: Don’t touch me! I’m crying!
13. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
Studio: Studio Deen
Episode count: 4
Quick pitch: The tale of how Shinta became Kenshin Himura. As a young man, Kenshin struggles to walk the line of justice and corruption; life and death.
Cry-O-Meter: Don’t even get me started, bro.
12. Katanagatari
Studio: White Fox
Episode count: 12
Quick pitch: Togame is seeking out 12 legendary swords called The Deviant Blades. She seeks the aid of Shichika, whom is the master of the Kyotouryuu fighting stance.
Cry-O-Meter: 12 legendary wails of sadness.
11. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Episode count: 26
Quick pitch: Reiji was visiting the States when he witnessed an assassination. The assassination syndicate Inferno kidnap and brainwash Reiji into being an assassin as a result.
Tear-O-Meter: 5.5 contract hits against tissue boxes.
10. Basilisk
Studio: Gonzo
Episode count: 24
Quick pitch: Two rival ninja clans are seeking to support the next shogun. They send 10 representative to engage in blood combat, with two star-crossed lovers caught in the middle.
Cry-O-Meter: 14 shuriken to the heart.
9. Angel Beats!
Studio: P.A. Works
Episode count: 13
Quick pitch: Otonashi wakes up dead. The crazy thing is that there are a group of teens stuck in the afterlife, with no memory on how they got there. Can they find a way to crossover?
Cry-O-Meter: 1 big wrestling match with your tear ducts.
8. Your Lie in April
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Episode count: 22
Quick pitch: Kousei was a child prodigy pianist, but his mother’s death took away his passion. His life changes after meeting a violinist named Kaori.
Cry-O-Meter: 7.5 lies about not crying.
7. Plastic Memories
Studio: Doga Kobo
Episode count: 13
Quick pitch: Tsukasa takes a job at the SAI Corporation, which develops androids (Giftia) capable of human emotions. Tsukasa’s job is to help retrieve expiring Giftia before their personalities degrade, but what happens when he falls in love with one?
Cry-O-Meter: 9 dead batteries.
6. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
Studio: Bones / Kinema Citrus
Episode count: 11
Quick pitch: A devastating earthquakes tears through the Kanto region. Three survivors cope with the aftermath, not knowing if their families are safe while navigating the aftermath.
Cry-O-Meter: 8.0 big quakes.
5. Fate/Zero
Studio: Ufotable
Episode count: 25
Quick pitch: Kiritsugu “Magus Killer” Emiya enters the Fourth Holy Grail War. Grasping with his past as a mercenary, a deadly sense of justice, a need to protect his family, Kiritsugu will do anything to possess the Holy Grail.
Cry-O-Meter: 7.5 EXCALIBUR screams.
4. Air
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Episode count: 13
Quick pitch: Yukito Kunisaki travels with his puppet show in order to find the Winged Maiden. A meeting with a girl named Misuzu causes Yukito to stay in a small town.
Cry-O-Meter: 6 gasps for air
3. Grave of the Fireflies
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Episode count: 1 movie
Quick pitch: World War II is winding down, but life is hell for siblings Seita and Setsuko. Everything is taken away from them after an air raid, forcing the siblings to live around disease and starvation.
Cry-O-Meter: 12 jars of fireflies.
2. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Episode count: 11 + 1 movie
Quick pitch: Jinta Yadomi and his group of friends have been drifting apart since entering high school. Now, they must face the tragic events of their past in order to move forward.
Cry-O-Meter: 9.5 games of hide-and-seek.
1. Clannad: After Story
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Episode count: 24
Quick pitch: Tomoya and Nagisa get married and have a daughter named Ushio. But when tragedy strikes, Tomoya enters a deep depression which leads to a strained relationship with his family.
Cry-O-Meter: 10 Great Dango Families entering a grass field.
*Sniff* Sniff* Please share the sad anime you love to watch when you need a good cry and don’t forget to bookmark MOW.
