Bleach/Tear Jerker



For all its awesome, hilarious, comforting and creepy scenes, did you really think Bleach wouldn't have its gut-wrenching moments either?

Agents of Shinigami Arc
"Karin (to Ichigo): I'm begging you, Ichi-nii! Please save that kid!"
 * Rukia's goodbye as she's taken back to Soul Society. Ichigo lies on the ground bleeding to death but he grabs Byakuya's leg. As Byakuya threatens to cut off Ichigo's arm, Rukia runs up and kicks his arm away, scolding him for daring to touch her brother. Ichigo reacts with hurt and tries to get up to stop her. She shouts at him not to move and her facade cracks enough to reveal tears in her eyes. She demands he not follow her as she walks through the portal to Soul Society. Then, Ichigo realizes that she left to face execution in order to save him and screams.
 * It gets a little worse in the following chapter. Ichigo gets back to the school, only to discover that nobody remembers Rukia  . A guy even is using her seat. When she got back to Soul Society, she was erased from everyone's memory.And she knew it would happen the moment she stepped out of the Human World, considering how Shinigamis are not supposed to be known by humans and yet her case was a special one. That makes her conversation with the girls some chapter before, when she realizes that she's going to have to leave everybody, even more painful.
 * Finally, take a look at the title page for this chapter after reading all this.It's depressing as hell.
 * Another one would be the always tough Karin breaking down completely during Chad's introductory mini arc, as she's overwhelmed by Shibata/the parakeet's memories and the strongest one happens to feature


 * The scene after Ichigo battles the Grand Fisher.
 * This troper cannot listen to Memories in the rain (One thing, just one thing / that I couldn't protect / my fight still continues, for my pride / No time to cry / I can cry later / Right now I can only swear to the June rain) without tearing up. Oh, * Ichigo* ...
 * Ichigo was born June 15th, his mother died June 17th.
 * The episode that got This Troper hooked on bleach was the one where  is purified. Not by a Zanpakutou (soul sword), as is normal when dealing with Hollow, but by   She felt guilt over his death because she had been angry with him and did not send him off properly on the day of his accident. So when she wishes him a safe journey for the last time it really gets the tears flowing.
 * Ichigo's "Do you know why big brothers are born first..." speech in that episode had this troper bawling his eyes out.

Soul Society Arc

 * There's the one when Rukia had her flashback about Kaien Shiba . Ah, and the story of Orihime and her brother Sora, and when she spoke to Matsumoto about her feelings for both Ichigo and Rukia.
 * This troper burst into tears when.
 * This troper felt that it would have been even better if we were shown  death mark fading. That would mean that she completely let go of the hatred she had for , and would make it more emotional.
 * Another sad Rukia scene was when she said/thought "thank you" to all her friends as she stared the big bird of death in the face, convincing herself that she was satisfied with her fate.  "No sadness... No pain... No regrets. There is... nothing for my heart to linger in this world...".
 * Orihime had a similar scene in the Hueco Mundo arc, where she tells Ulquiorra that she is not afraid to die because her friends came after her and her heart is with them. Meanwhile, her friends are fighting to get to her. It made This Troper bawl her eyes out.
 * Most of Hinamori's character arc in the Soul Society arc, the high points being,  and  . It made   so damn sweet.
 * And there's also chapter 98 of the manga, with Renji and Rukia's backstory and Renji's reaction after losing to Ichigo,.
 * This became anime ep 32. All of it. Poor Renji. It's also heartwarming, because even though he Can't Catch Up to Rukia, he loves her just the same.
 * This Troper never liked Byakuya, but she went all wibbly when he told Rukia the true reason why she was adopted into the Kuchiki clan...
 * The performances of Byakuya and Hisana's (Japanese) VA's in the anime were what really made that scene so heartbreaking. Seeing Byakuya display that much emotion... just wow.
 * Considering that he's voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu and one of Okiayu's specialities is voicing Sugar And Ice Guys, technically it's still not THAT big of a surprise.
 * Even though it was small, This Troper thought it was heartbreaking in the manga when Mayuri blows up his three subordinates. What really made it upsetting wasn't so much the bombing, but the one or two page flashback with the new recruit in Squad twelve. All he wanted was to be a seated officer to impress Hinamori, but that was never Mayuri's plan in the first place... In his final moments you see him reaching out to his captain, then it changes shape and he blows up. Why, Mayuri? Why?

Hueco Mundo Arc

 * Orihime's goodbye to Ichigo before she . "You know, Kurosaki-kun, I wanted to do loads of things. I wanted to be a teacher, I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to go to an ice-cream shop and order everything. I wanted to go to a donut shop and do the same. Oh, if only I had five lives! Then I could be born in five different towns, eat five lifetimes of food, have five different careers... And each time... fall in love with the same person, five times."
 * This Troper spent the next few chapters after that crying as well. If Tatsuki's scream of "aren't we nakama?!" didn't get make you sob, then the expression on Ichigo's face as he looks up at the hand Orihime healed before she left will.
 * What about the scene when Tatsuki punched Ichigo and his head hit the window? All the emotions built up in this scene hit the roof at that part. Then we had the flashbacks where she protected him as a young kid...
 * And finally, we have Ichigo saying telling her, Keigo, and Mizuiro to stay away from him, and Tatsuki's scream of anguish while he's walking away.
 * Come to think of it, that whole scene was just one giant Tear Jerker.
 * This Troper was almost sobbing when  The fact that   coupled with it being so much like Mufasa's death scene in The Lion King, is heartbreaking.
 * As of chapter 349 of the manga?
 * Chapter 353. . T-T
 * Chapter 354
 * in the anime, while it did not draw tears, made this troper sad. It doesn't make him any more likeable, but still...his inner monologue shows how much pain he really feels. Then, as he falls,
 * Chapter 199, 'Ugly'. It lasts around five pages, but in those five it basically tells you up-front that, despite the powers and adventures; Orihime is just a fifteen year old girl. To this troper, this is the chapter that made her feel that Orihime is the most human character in Bleach.
 * Nel's anguished cries in the anime when Nnoitra is torturing Ichigo. This was the first episode This Troper had seen her in, and her screaming just made my heart break.
 * The only moment that really got me was the end of Nel's backstory, where she's wounded in child form, and goes to sleep as Pesche and Dondochakka swear to protect her from now on.
 * Okay, I may be the only one who feels this way, but I literally cannot read Grimmjow's backstory without crying. It's just so...lonely. He thinks the other Hollows are cowards for giving up because he's been through so much shit. And there's the kind of Jesus-sounding "Become my flesh and blood and see what lies ahead." It's even called Historia del Pantera y sus sombras, "History of the Panther and his shadows." Then he gets lowered, very softly, to the ground by Ichigo, who tries to convince him to give up so they can fight again, and Grimmjow KEEPS TRYING. And then Nnoitra comes and Ichigo looks extremely shocked, and then protects Grimmjow from dying, which all (again, in my head) seems like Ichigo wants Grimmjow and him to only be rivals, not enemies. I cry every DAMN TIME.

Turn Back The Pendulum Arc

 * In the flashback, we see Nanao Ise as an oh-so-utterly-adorable child asking Shunsui about Lisa, who would read with her every month, holding a book about the size of her upper body. Lisa wasn't there, and Shunsui reassured Nanao that Lisa would come back safely from her mission.  To this day, Nanao frequently carries a very big book not unlike the one she carried as a child...
 * In the flashback, we see Nanao Ise as an oh-so-utterly-adorable child asking Shunsui about Lisa, who would read with her every month, holding a book about the size of her upper body. Lisa wasn't there, and Shunsui reassured Nanao that Lisa would come back safely from her mission.  To this day, Nanao frequently carries a very big book not unlike the one she carried as a child...
 * In the flashback, we see Nanao Ise as an oh-so-utterly-adorable child asking Shunsui about Lisa, who would read with her every month, holding a book about the size of her upper body. Lisa wasn't there, and Shunsui reassured Nanao that Lisa would come back safely from her mission.  To this day, Nanao frequently carries a very big book not unlike the one she carried as a child...

Fake Karakura Town Arc

 * Most recently, we have the deaths of


 * Additionally, his dying flashback...


 * His inner monologue while fighting  is just as heart wrenching.

": Poor thing... Were your emotions taken away from you too? [ Stares at ] That was cruel from you."
 * Seriously, if you didn't look like someone just shot your dog after hearing him scream Lilynette's name over and over in desperation, then you have either no heart, or a face made of stone.
 * Chapter 377.  If you didn't feel sorry for Shinji before this chapter, it's pretty hard to now.
 * In chapter 387,
 * CHAPTER. 392. OH MY GOD, CHAPTER 392.  Go ahead and call this a moment of being too invested in fandom, but this troper is not ashamed to admit that she bawled like a baby upon reading that chapter.
 * Well, the whole irony deal was what Kubo was aiming for this entire chapter, so as shocking as it is, it makes sense in retrospect. Doesn't make it any less sad, and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like the two characters in question.
 * Now that was a Shocking Swerve, KT. And completely heartbreaking. Damn you KT, for writing/drawing that scene so damn well. And FUCK YOU,, FUCK YOU. There's a freaking reason why   SOB.
 * I agree with these comments. SO. HARD. Seriously, if this is the reaction we get from the manga, it's going to be about ten thousand times worse when we see this in the anime.
 * Aaaaaand here it is. It's episode 293, just in case it's taken down and you need the number. The scene starts with, It Gets Worse for   around 6:45, and for extra tear jerker we have   from 7:50 to almost the end. For all the faults that the anime has, it captures the scene itself VERY well.
 * This troper is EXTREMELY GLAD he read this in the manga, as he (legally) watches Bleach on his DS at night, and seeing this animated at that hour of emotional vulnerablity would have left him unable to sleep for about a month. Forget Evangelion, that alone was sadder, because these guys are all relatively sane, authentically GOOD people...
 * Hitsugaya's reaction is what really hits home. The fact that at first, he's horrified, but it doesn't quite compute. Like all that is running through his mind is "No way, no way, no way..." And then she asks WHY? And then snap, it finally registers and he screams. This horrible, heartbreaking scream, that of course you can't hear because it's manga, but his face tells it all. I was sobbing.
 * Not as close as the others, but still sad: 's death at the bare hands of  . Who even expresses pity for the one he's just slain.

Deicide Arc
"Chizuru: "Tatsuki... RUN!""
 * 410. OH GOD, OH GOD,
 * 412: Oh,  Poor, poor
 * 413: Dunno about you guys, but seeing Chizuru in the border of an Heroic BSOD while telling  how confused and upset she is struck a chord in me. It's CHIZURU, damn it, she's not supposed to be sad or angry or depressed... :(
 * Actually, Chizuru was Tear Jerker material much earlier.


 * This troper gets a lump in her throat whenever Chizuru acts like that-- it's kind of this reminder-- she's there for comic relief, but when the Plucky Comic Relief is crying, all broken, that makes it way worse. C'mon, guys, Chizuru, who's full of beans 24/7 is.....crying?!
 * Oh God, so true.  Seeing  ... SNIFFFFFFF.
 * Hi. Being the person who wrote the initial bullet, I agree with you all the way, and there's something that makes it even worse.
 * The Tear Jerker stands in 417,
 * Chapter 420.  farewell to Ichigo.
 * Just the look on Ichigo's face in Chapter 421 as
 * Ichigo's Cry for The Devil moment in chapter 422.  "In his blade...there was only solitude."
 * From the same chapter
 * And then we get to the third databook, showing  That makes him even more woobielicious than he already was...
 * Gets even worse in the anime,
 * As of chapter 423, it was revealed to us that
 * Would it be a bad time to mention that ?
 * Acutally, the last databook confirmed it. Link's up there.
 * Also from chapter 423,  Oh, god.....
 *  THAT.   There is hope, however, as Kubo has said he has two more story arcs planned, but who knows what or who will be in them... Thanks, Kubo. Now we all get to feel horrible until then...
 * AND A TWO WEEK HIATUS.
 * TAKE COMFORT IN MY MASCULINE ARMS!
 * Forget that! This troper would burst into tears if Bleach ever ends!!!!!
 * ....which will be pretty bad then because all series come to an end eventually.
 * Forget that! This troper would burst into tears if Bleach ever ends!!!!!
 * ....which will be pretty bad then because all series come to an end eventually.

Lost Substitute Shinigami Arc
": “Farewell, please forgive me. Because no matter how we say goodbye, I am sure that you will never… Never forget us.”"
 * If the chapters in the manga are dark enough, the anime sets the mood perfectly with the opening theme, a kind of melancholy montage that shows that even though Ichigo's finally got a normal life, he's incredibly unhappy. It extends to the tone of the entire arc.
 * The (first) ending theme is even more depressing to listen to. Kon is sitting on Ichigo's shelf, lifeless. Like an ordinary doll. Over piano music. Note how even though this arc takes place entirely in the World of the Living, Kon has no role in it and no character mentions him, implying this where he's been the whole time! Somehow seeing a memory fade away makes you forget how annoying he used to be!
 * Chapter 424. There isn't any specific cause, but the aura of melancholy is palpable, and you can tell that while Ichigo is putting on a facade of being perfectly satisfied, he's really, really unhappy.
 * His facade breaks and the fact that he's probably crying inside the most when.
 * Cue faux Tsuntsun indifference from manly-front totally not Emo Ichigo.
 * And that
 * 425. Great news, everyone! It gets worse!  It isn't specified, but I think it's reasonable to guess that this has been going on for a good while, as he treats it like a normal occurance. Kubo, you are a cruel author.
 * Going by
 * 427. When  Not only it's quite the Character Development for her, but to see her telling the people there that  ... SOB.
 * Riruka Dokugamine is a bossy, Hot-Blooded Tsundere. Except in this single panel. Which is so beautifully drawn that you can't help feeling bad for her even when you don't know why is she like that... =(
 * Ah, God! Why is that panel so depressing? I feel like just scooping her up a saying everything will be alright...
 * Chapter 453 is a mix of this and Nightmare Fuel, as we see Ichigo's horrified reactions to having
 * Chapter 456. For the first time since the series began,.
 * If that isn't bad enough... Not to mention,  . Break the Cutie or What?
 * The same goes just as much for Chad. BAWL.
 * 457. Ichigo's scream as.
 * 458. The look on Ichigo's face when . The poor kid's going to, to say the least.
 * The scanlations sum it up quite nicely on the last page: "Despair" and "Zero Hope".
 * Chapter 459. For a moment, it looks like Ichigo's own father has just stabbed Ichigo., the look on Ichigo's face when he thinks his own father has also turned against him is just heart-wrenching.
 * It's worse when you think about all the times we've seen  throughout the series. Aside from flashbacks to when his mother died (and a really ambigious scene at her graveside) this is the first time the audience has witnessed it, and the first time it's been explicitly stated. After all the horrible things he's been through, from having his friends kidnapped, failing at avenging his mothers' death, , he's finally just given up and broken down crying.
 * This page is a Tear Jerker of the happier variety.
 * Oh, GOD YES! Seriously, we needed that scene... the tears of utter despair and hopelessness stop falling, and the audience begins to openly weep tears of joy!
 * 462.  starts having doubts and reacting against   Made worse by this, with   starting to     you (bleeeep)!
 * Worse still is the exact details he starts replacing. He
 * 466 gives us  Double since   Damn.
 * 468. When you look at it closely, Shishigawara declaring once and again his Undying Loyalty to Tsukishima after having lost to  is freaking depressing. Whether it's sincere or , it's sad to see a Hot-Blooded guy who seems to be a good person display such faithfulness towards someone who doesn't seem to care and  . Even more so when   actually calls Shishi himself on it, telling him  ; even when   is doing that in a very tough guy way, he has very good points, and it's clear that his words are affecting Shishigawara as well.
 * 471.  The top moments are: ,  , and
 * And now there's 477. Where,  , and we also see.
 * 478. There is a genuine tearjerker in the scene where
 * 479.  Beautifully and heartbreakingly done.

The Thousand-Year Blood War Arc

 * 480: Even when we pretty much knew that, seeing the poor kid's absolute and very understandable terror as was really sad as well as so freaking scary.
 * 483: Okay, so  wasn't exactly the better known character. It's still quite sad to see him , and later
 * 485 is a chapter defined by Mood Whiplash as we have elements of Tear Jerker, Crowning Moment of Funny and Nightmare Fuel rolled up and zigzagged. The sadness is provided by,   and the view of
 * 486.  Now is a damn shame that we didn't know more about the dude.
 * It's also kind-of sad to see that  It's also a nice bit of Character Development, as it shows that   And this being Bleach, it's followed by Mood Whiplash since
 * 493., of all people, gets
 * 494. Now now, who says that NOBODY DIES IN BLEACH?

Filler

 * At Episode 262,.
 * This troper bawled her eyes out, being a hopeless romantic, and seeing Haineko vulnerable like that... She was willing to DIE with him. Oh man.
 * This same troper also found the episode where  that was another super sad one.
 * deaths in the Bount arc. Predictable as hell, sure, but still tearjerking, especially . And the next episode is comic relief...
 * Episode 342. Just....all of it. Especially the end.

Movies

 * In the third movie, Fade to Black, when  are freed of the hollow that was possessing them, named, and died. With   breaking down in tears as she assists them in their last moments.
 * And don't forget  SOB!
 * The end of the first movie, Memories of Nobody. Senna sacrifices herself to stop reality breaking, and then Ichigo carries her back to the graveyard where here family plot supposedly is. Sadly, both she and Ichigo know that that family isn't hers. Because she's the Memory Rosary, all her memories are simply those of all the people she's made up of. Even so, she asks Ichigo is her name is on the gravestone, and Ichigo tells her it is.
 * What hurt this troper even more was that earlier, Senna had said she "couldn't live in a world without Ichigo." Well, here's the world WITH Ichigo...and she still can't live in it. Cue Manly Tears.
 * Fourth movie.  Made worse when

General

 * Tousen's past. It's obvious from the start of it he's in love with his friend, who unintentionally abandons him when she gets married. Next thing he knows, she's dead simply for scolding her husband after he killed someone and is implied that he wasn't punished for it. so he takes up her sword and her cause though some would say to extremes. Read it here. Honestly, am I the only troper who still finds Tousen very sympathetic and having a possible chance of being redeemed?
 * This Troper doesn't even like Tousen, but damn - she understands what you mean. Very, very much.
 * This page from chapter 386. That's all. HUGE SPOILERS!
 * It's a small one, but the omake for episode 303. You see Urahara and Yoruichi in a room set up for a birthday party, then they both bend down to the cake and blow out the candles, and then sadly lament that everyone forgot their birthdays. Considering their Big Damn Heroes moment in the Deicide arc, it's sad to see the two of them being forgotten, even if it's just an omake.
 * There's a Live Journal community called CAPSLOCK_BLEACH. Members keep track of character's birthdays and celebrate each and every one. When Yoruichi's and Urahara's birthdays occured shortly before this episode aired (December 31 for Urahara, January 1 for Yoruichi) they did not forget. Whether this makes it better or worse is debatable.
 * Also, in the episode itself, Orihime watches her friends and it hits you that this is probably how she spent her New Years every year since Sora died: alone because she didn't want to intrude on her friends time with their families.
 * The Unfortunate Implications of episode 307's omake. Gin announces that Arrancar Encyclopedia will be discontinued. After that announcement, he tries to continue the segment but is rushed offstage by Ichigo, Chad and Orihime, the last of whom carts him off in a box. Considering what got animated in that episode...
 * The ending "Last Moment." Seriously, tell me that's not one.
 * To this troper, simply listening to the first season's ending theme, Life is Like a Boat by Rie Fu, is enough to make me shed a few tears just listening to it. As the first season progresses, its lyrics start to make more sense show much more depth to their meanings as they beautifully convey Rukia's emotions as the arc goes on.
 * in the databook's novel part is both this and a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
 * The fact that the anime will end at 366 episodes, only at the end of the Lost Shinigami Arc, and is being replaced by a Rock Lee spin-off. Not only does it further fuel the Broken Base of both shows (they're both shonens from the same magazine, animated by the same studio, and licensed by the same North American distributor), but this means the end of the 10-year story will not be animated, and we so far have no clear answer behind this move other than dwindling popularity, and poor quality of the story. Japan rarely makes a move like this, let alone releases news about it at almost the last minute. Now the broken bases will never be civil. Imagine those reading negative reactions to the show online for 10 straight years and bearing with it, only to face the inevitable time in two years when Adult Swim (and, by extention, Cartoon Network) will no longer have anime for the first time in about two decades.
 * Cheer up and stop complaining, kid. We still have a whole (and rather interesting-looking) manga arc to look forward to, and well... everything will have an end, and it's not like this is the first case ever. [ ... /pats the Bleach widows on the back anyway?]
 * That and Toonami is back and will be airing Bleach. We're saved, ladies and gentlemen.
 * Who's to say the anime is gone for good? The most reasonable rumor I've heard as to why the anime was cancelled is the budget just flat-out ran out. All they need is few more years to pile up the cash and it'll be back...the fan outcry is almost guaranteed to bring it back anyway.