Fruits Basket/Tear Jerker

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • The last TV episode of Fruits Basket, and also the part with Momiji talking about his mother, which they later topped with his sister Momo -- whose plea to get to know Momiji even made Tohru bawl. Hatori's backstory has also managed this on many people.
  • And Kisa's backstory! This troper was in tears throughout the explanation of how she transformed into a Cute Mute, but what really started the water works was when she finally spoke again, running toward Tohru and crying "Onee-chan!" It took months for this troper to stop crying whenever she saw that page.
  • Akito. And the Kyoko/Katsuya backstory made this troper bawl. Actually, she bawled at pretty much every bit of backstory. But especially Akito and Kyoko/Katsuya.
  • What about the last few episodes of the anime when Kyo reveals his true form to Tohru? This troper watched them all in the same day and was sobbing pretty much the whole time.
  • Hatori wiping Kana and Momiji's mother's memory.
    • The tears cried over Hatori's flashback in episode 8 of the anime completely sold Fruits Basket as a quality series.
      • Three things for me; Hatori's expression when Kana leaves. He's still stoic but tears are streaming down his face. Then, Kana revealing that her crush on Hatori was "one-sided". I literally felt like shouting "NO KANA! HE STILL LOVES YOU!" Lastly, there's the Fridge Horror of the effects of Akito mind raping Kana. Allegedly, after the ordeal, she spent all of her time sobbing and blaming herself for Hatori's eye injury, no matter what Hatori or Mayu said to her. Don't get it yet? Kana was driven to clinical depression.
  • Despite the number of undeniably heartbreaking parts in this manga, this troper also found themselves crying quite a few tears of joy as well, particularly Kana telling Hatori she doesn't care what his form is while toweling his hair dry, A smiling Tohru carrying Kyo home in cat form after he reveals his true form, and Haru's "Welcome home" to Rin as he carries her.
  • The grandaddy of them all: the origin of the series title made this troper huddle in a little weepy ball.
  • I still cry when I remember Hanajima's backstory. Specially when Uo and Tohru learn about the incidents surrounding Hana's past, Hana herself pleading with them to leave her alone since she could kill them with her powers like she almost did with the kid who bullied her... but they insist they're her friends. And Hana-chan can finally smile.
    • For this troper, it was the line "The sunset doesn't seem sad anymore. Maybe because now I'm not staring at it by myself..."
  • The most tearjerking moment in the series IMO was the end of Chapter 135, full stop. First, we hear Kyoko's dying thoughts, her concerns for Tohru's well-being ("Tohru, did I love you enough?" AUGH!), and what she meant when she told Kyo "I won't forgive you". Tear-jerking enough, right? No way. In the final pages Kyoko dies and finds Katsuya waiting for her on the other side. At this point, this troper broke down at her computer and many nearby family members felt it necessary to inquire about her mental health.
    • Her death gets worse and worse the longer the story goes on. At first you may be sad about it, but it's more on Tohru's behalf. And then you learn more and more about her, about what an amazing person she was and how many lives she's changed.
  • The very last pages of the manga where we see an older Kyo and Tohru as well as family photos made this troper bawl Tears of Joy
  • When Tohru sat by her mother in the hospital. Of course, this scene shortly flashed during Momiji's painful flashback.
  • Katsuya's death. Got even worse when all his relatives started badmouthing Kyoko.
    • Then we have Kyoko plowing through the Despair Event Horizon after Katsuya's death, seriously thinking of killing herself... and when she's about to throw herself into the sea, she sees a mom and her kid, and remembers that Tohru is still at home. And when she returns, it turns out little!Tohru was waiting for her return, innocently unaware of what had been going on Kyouko's heart. M-my heart.
  • The true story of the Zodiac curse.
    • And especially in retrospect, when you realize just how extraordinarily unfair the Cat's lot has been since then.
  • Yuki's flashback to his childhood, late in the series. It's terrible to see his childish confusion turn to dismay, then despair, as he realizes just how alone he is. Everyone he reaches out to rejects him, with apathy or anger or cruelty. No wonder he was so reserved at the start of the series.
  • "I have no redeeming features." Girl needs a hug.
  • Nobody's going to mention Rin's backstory? That tugged my heartstrings just as much as Momiji's story.
  • What about Kyo's backstory?! His mother's suicide and her constant worrying about Kyo and his curse leading to it. And then not to mention how his father blames and hates Kyo for it.

Kyo: (speaking about his mother's suicide.) Are you saying it's my fault?
Kyo's Father: Yes, that's right! You better admit that you killed your mother!

    • How about this?

Kyo's Father: You've ruined my life! All because Kyo's mother brought you into this world! Because you were born!

  • This Troper had many moments when he felt like crying but Ritsu's backstory did it the most for him. It just hit so close to home, since this troper had to go through similar things. No wonder Ritsu became my favorite character afterward.
    • It really amazed me through the whole part just how accurately Tayaka portrayed people who are depressed and have low self-esteem. I have had the same internal monologue many times in my head, I really wish Ritsu had a bigger part later on because he was a wonderfully written character.
  • How about when the Zodiac curse breaks? They're all crying, and the narration combined with those images... complete bawlfest.
    • Oh God yes, especially as Akito looks on, monologuing about how scared and lonely she feels about facing the future. She's going through the thing she's most afraid of, and she just wants someone to let her cry and hug her.
  • Uotani's backstory. Her mother left her family, her father became an alcoholic, and feeling completely abandoned, Uotani joined a gang. Only when she met Toru and Kyoko she managed to get better.
    • As if that wasn't sad enough, later when Uotani gets rejected by Kureno.
  • Machi's backstory. I can relate to it so well. She was pushed to perfection to the point that she barely managed to develop a life or any interests of her own.
    • Seconded so much. Takaya makes some of the most relatable characters I've ever seen in anything, despite it being a story about a family that turns into animals when they get hugged.
  • The entirety of Chapter 121, and 122 after that. Kyo tells Tohru about how he feels responsible for her mother's death, about his Mother's suicide, about the hat incident and how he felt when he first met Tohru. Then Tohru runs off, feeling rejected. As if all of that weren't bad enough, Tohru runs into Akito, Tohru finally understands why Akito is the way she is, tries to befriend her, and then is pushed away by Akito. As if that weren't horrid enough, when it seems that Akito may be this close to think of her offer again and accept her offer... Tohru then falls off the cliff where the series started and nearly dies. Nothing in the whole series left this troper as emotionally drained as that.
  • Even though Tohru lost her mother and her dad dad at a young age and was left alone she decided to live on her own in a tent so as to not burden others and manages to have hope. THAT alone is a tearjerker.
  • And let's not forget chapter 122 of the manga, which is this from the beginning to the end. Right after Tohru's biggest CMOA aka witnessing and withstanding Akito's Villainous Breakdown... she falls off a cliff. When she was telling Akito "You Are Not Alone" and offering her friendship. Not only that seals Akito's Heel Face Turn (with her actually screaming for help for Tohru instead of gloating, and then collapsing in tears in Shigure's arms, but it's followed by Kyo's own Anguished Declaration of Love as Tohru lays injured on the ground, a briefly conscious Tohru telling him not to cry and grieve... and at the end, their sort-of "first kiss." This might be one of the most powerful chapters in Shoujo manga in years, period.