The Toradora ending is still one of the most tragic in anime history.
On the verge of a few scenes, the narrative abruptly turned into something no one had anticipated.
Toradora is undoubtedly a flawed story, just like life itself. Depending on the perspective that fans take, a lot happens.
Some fans favored the show’s realistic conclusion, which contributed to the dramatic split caused by the Toradora ending.
Some of them, on the other hand, were eager to identify the character arcs’ fatal fault.
The fact that the anime’s ending was changed from its original source makes this point even stronger.
Fans are still debating and talking about this studio choice today.
So, was Minori’s character’s unhappy ending fair?
Additionally, Taiga’s taking a yearlong leave of absence felt forced and unnatural.
Let’s talk about Toradora’s conclusion in light of both the manga and the anime adaptation.
What Really Happened at the End of Toradora?
Everything did not turn out as Minori had anticipated when she made the decision to abandon the love of her life for the benefit of her closest friend.
For a brief period of time, Taiga and Ryuji’s love did fester. But in the end, Taiga made the decision to depart from Ryuji and left for a year.
The problems for Ryuji were only made worse by this. He was a nice and kind-hearted lad, but he had had a difficult childhood.
Ryuji’s father abandoned the family when his mother was pregnant. Since then, he has carried around these issues of abandonment.
Ryuji’s worry from the past will return now that Taiga has also abandoned him.
She probably left because of her worries, which came from the bad things that happened to her in the past.
Taiga had made the decision that she wanted to earn Ryuji’s respect. She “ghosted” him as a result without giving him a good reason.
Taiga made the selfish decision to work on her own life before beginning a relationship with Ryuji.
She would have chosen to work on herself while with Ryuji if she had been self-aware enough to do so. But she made the decision to go it alone.
How Did the Manga End?
The manga takes its storyline right out of the light novel. It is nonetheless noteworthy because the original story ended differently than the author had intended.
On the day of the high school prom, the anime comes to an end.
The two main leads met for the last time at this event. Following this, she finally decided to leave Ryuji.
In terms of the light novel, Ryuuji had started his third academic year. And on their way to high school, the two met. Only after this did they decide to go their separate ways in life.
The only small deviation from the anime was this one. Apart from this, the majority of the events followed a similar course.
Many fans believe that the manga handled the separation tale much better than the anime did, though.
This was due to the illustrator’s exquisite tracing of the story’s lengthy panels. Additionally, the manga did a good job of expressing the sadness of separation.
Minori’s Tragic End
Fans have supported Minori’s character since the very beginning. Despite the fact that Taiga was exactly opposite her, she decided to stick by her side till the end of the line.
They got along great together despite having quite different personalities.
But because Taiga was the one who came from a dysfunctional household, she was seen through a sympathetic lens.
Even after going through the sorrow of losing a loved one, Minori’s story did not come to a just conclusion.
Some fans contend that it was more than fair for one of the characters to experience this journey in a flawed story like Toradora.
It was immediately clear that this was going to be their end from the start. But nobody anticipated that she would be the one to give up her true love.
The Character arc of Taiga
Taiga’s breakup with the relationship simply serves to emphasize how her arc was resolved by the story’s conclusion.
The character’s goal wasn’t only to adhere to the perfect story trope. Instead, Taiga, Ryuuji, and Minori were all flawed individuals who were meant to learn from their experiences.
Taiga’s entire storyline revolved around growing out of her own immaturity and resolving her family’s issues.
Toradora Ending
The catalyst for her realizing the value of taking responsibility in life was Ryuuji. So, leaving Ryuuji was a temporary mistake that would prevent her from rebuilding her own life.
She might return as a better person after resolving the issues with her mother and her stepsisters.
The choice was more about finding wings than it was about selfishly ghosting or abandoning her love. Now a self-assured lady, Taiga is in charge of making things right at home.
As for Ryuuji, he will soon be reunited with his true love. But there’s no denying that what happened to Minori was tragic and will always be so.
