Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS/Tear Jerker


 * When Yusaku goes to talk to Aoi, Aoi assumes that he only wants to talk to her because of Akira. It shows how she's used to people only using her to get to her brother.
 * In the same scene, Aoi reveals that Akira doesn't trust her.
 * Aoi falling into a coma after her duel with Playmaker.
 * Akira's reaction makes it worse. He clearly wanted to save Aoi when it was clear that something was wrong, but couldn't do anything.
 * Revolver deleting Ignis in episode ten.
 * Episode 16: Akira is making Aoi stay home and not letting her go to school anymore, showing that despite all that happened he still doesn't get that his behavior and neglect led to her behavior in the first place.
 * Episode 18: Akira and Aoi's past: they lost their parents when Akira was 16 and Aoi was 6, losing everything else afterward, forcing Akira to use his skills for shady businesses to live.
 * In Episode 19, we learn about Yusaku's past that Akira learned as well. Known as the Lost Incident, ten years ago from the start of the series, Yusaku was among one of six children that had been kidnapped forced to duel against an AI via VR headset. Everytime they lost, it would deliver an electric shock to them and they would even be denied food if they continued to lose. The only thing that kept him going was a voice telling him to think of three things to help keep him going. This continued for half a year until they were saved. While the children received treatment and therapy for this incident, Yusaku still had memories of the incident that haunted him, even to this day. Ever wonder why Yusaku has no passion for dueling unlike the other Protagonists? Dueling represents everything he lost, his past, his present and his future.
 * During this there's a scene showing someone huddled in a corner, clearly still traumatized from the Lost Incident. This is likely Shoichi's younger brother who was also kidnapped.
 * Doubling as a Heartwarming Moment, Kusanagi holds up a photo of him and his little brother in their younger days after he finishes writing the Kusanagi Report, musing over how he always thinks about him.
 * Spectre viciously mocking Blue Angel's failure, also tearing apart and burning a copy of the book who inspired her after he defeats her is extremely petty and harsh.
 * The Reveal that Spectre was one of the children that was apart of the Lost Incident, but his tragedy started before the incident as he was abandoned as a baby, he was protected by a tree he was placed under near an orphanage. Once he got to the orphanage proper, his inability to communicate with others left him lonely. Then the Lost Incident itself happened and he was not only unfazed by it, he loved it. When it was over he went back to the tree that protected him, only to find it cut down. He became detached from society and ran back to the location the Lost Incident took place in, only to find that locked away. As if to respond to him, a young Revolver found him and took him in to become his right hand man. A Start of Darkness indeed.
 * No longer wanting to burden Playmaker, Akira deliberately infects himself with the virus installed within the thorny prison containing him. Kusanagi does not take Akira's sacrifice well at all, and Playmaker is vehemently pissed at Spectre.
 * Episode 37 also managed to make some feel bad for Spectre of all people, despite all of his atrocities. When Playmaker chopped the Sunavalon tree down, Spectre stared in shock at his Parental Substitute crumble, filling with rage. After losing, he laughs like a lunatic while apologizing to a non-present Revolver for failing him. But the sight of his Sunavalon tree set ablaze quickly wipes away any fake joy from his face. He sheds genuine tears of sorrow as he slowly walks towards it, unable to say a thing and reminiscing over his childhood memories with his tree. His last actions before getting crushed by the flaming debris were to extend his hand at it and mumble "Mother". This is even sadder if Spectre actually CHOSE this fate.
 * After live footage of GO and Revolver's Duel is cut off thanks to the impact of Giant Ogre and Borrelsword's clashing blades sending Frog and Pigeon flying off into the distance, the orphanage children and staff can only ponder what will happen to Go
 * Dr. Kogami dying for real in episode #43. Despite being the one to instigate the Hanoi Project, he really did have everyone's best interests in mind—at least originally. Seeing your father pass away would be a tearjerker to most people.
 * Revolver did the right thing by reporting the Hanoi Project and in turn saving the six kidnapped children who had been tortured and starved for six relentless months. He quickly regretted it not because he was evil, but because his father was imprisoned by SOL Technologies for three years in an attempt to cover up the incident. Revolver didn't get to see him during this time and when Dr. Kogami finally returned home, he was comatose with a computer virus keeping him that way. Even after removing the virus, Revolver couldn't restore his father's consciousness in the real world. Revolver must blame himself for this.
 * Who knows how long the Hanoi Project would have lasted if it had never been reported.
 * Ai praying in episode #45. This is the same guy who said AI don't pray. He may be lazy and arrogant, but he genuinely cares about his fellow Ignises. He cast his pride aside, desperately wanting Yusaku to draw good cards.