Kingdom Hearts/Tear Jerker

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • The Bittersweet Ending of the first Kingdom Hearts game. This troper tears up every time.
    • The ending of the second one brings tears of the happy kind.
      • The endings never brought the tears out, it was always the songs. Damn it, those songs are beautiful representations of the games, and each one gets me right at the heart strings every time.
    • This troper cried at the first game's ending, but to him, it kinda lost most of the sadness with the second game coming out because he thought back then that Mickey and Riku locking themselves in the Realm of Darkness was effectively a death sentence.
      • It was effectively a death sentence, especially (or at least) for Riku. The second game doesn't change that.
  • Axel's death scene in the second game. Made even worse in the original unedited Japanese version, where he functionally explodes himself in order to wipe out the nobodies trying to attack Sora.
    • Even more saddening when you realize how exhausted he is when helping Sora. Notice the sluggish movements, panting and slouching as he forces himself to fight. Talk about loyalty. He actually gives his life to protect the complete being of his best friend just because he cared that much. When replaying the game, this troper had to pause the game while fighting because she knew what was coming and the final-speech is rather heart-wrenching.
      • Add that to the fact that the way he's trying to play off his death is pretty much like him saying, "Hey, shit happens."
      • It gets better, or worse, depending on how you view these things. Watch the original, unedited scene; there are still flames flickering all over him as he fades. And the last little spark, as he fades away completely? It's right where his heart would be.
    • So, does that mean (and I could be wrong about this) that Roxas was forced to watch his best friend sacrifice himself, and he could do nothing about it...? I mean, if he is still somewhat functional in there...
      • Indeed. The reason that you see Roxas breaking off from Sora afterwards is because he was enraged and saddened at Axel's death. The following scene becomes even more sad if you're using Bond of Flame while Roxas attacks...
  • Kingdom Hearts has a lot of tear-jerking death scenes. Before came the Riku Replica, who pitifully asked his assailant where his heart would go when he died. Then in the second game, Saix dragged his half-dead body to Kingdom Hearts and begged for his heart. And if you could somehow keep up with everything that was going on, Ansem, yes, the real Ansem's death scene was also very heartbreaking, particularly due to his monologue of regret that came before it.
    • In Blank Points, it is revealed that Ansem doesn't die, but he rather gets transported back to the Realm of Darkness. And he appears to be losing his memory as he speaks with Aqua.
    • Sora's Heroic Sacrifice. Sure, it was temporary, but...
      • The music from that scene doesn't really help matters.
      • And the fact that Kairi reaches Sora just as he dissolves into pieces... sniff... and Sora's line about falling into darkness... WAHHH!
      • Sora, you DO NOT grin like everything's going to be alright before stabbing yourself in the chest with a sword! It's just not right...
  • Not to mention Roxas suddenly learning that he's the Tomato in the Mirror. "Sora... You're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation ...is over."
    • The music that goes with it, Roxas' Theme. Just thinking about that melody tears this troper up, and I don't even remember the last time I cried. It just hits you that hard.
      • Now let's look back from here, Roxas spent 358 days before arriving at the fake Twilight Town, starting from when he was "born" to when he actually got there. Then he spent 7 days in the fake Twilight Town with the friends he never had, making it 365 days. 365 days = 1 year, considering Roxas being sucked back into Sora on day 7, Roxas "died" on his birthday. This troper now needs some tissues
  • Roxas crying, through Sora, over Hayner, Pence, and Olette, the friends he never actually had.
  • And because it wasn't enough of a Tear Jerker the first time around in Final Fantasy X, the end montage of Kingdom Hearts II has to go and show Auron watching the residents of Olympus Colisseum celebrate and dissipating, unnoticed, back into pyreflies.
    • This troper was only lighly moved by Auron's fate, since it seems he comes back from the dead any time he damn well pleases. But then I wondered why Auron was imprisoned in Hades' underworld like the worst of villains in the first place. After we get a sampling of the thoughts in Auron's heart, via Hades' figurine, I could only come up with one answer - Auron was punishing himself for believing that he failed his friends...
      • Although this troper has never played Final Fantasy, I always get chills up my spine whenever Auron says "Perhaps... It's time I make my own story." Pretty dang awesome when the developers can convey so much emotion regarding a game you've never played.
      • If you ever decide to play Final Fantasy X, be sure to give that scene in KH 2 another look when you're done. I think you'll find it more meaningful.
  • The ending scene of Chain of Memories didn't really affect this troper that badly the first time around, but after the second game and realizing the extent of what Naminé was and what she was giving up, it really broke her heart. To add insult to injury, Jiminy literally wrote a reminder to 'Thank Naminé', but when Sora woke up, he completely forgot who she was, and the thank you never happened. Not to mention in the final cutscene of CoM, if you watch closely, a tear runs down her cheek.
    • Final Mix+ actually added more heartwrench. Go watch the dream meeting of Roxas and Axel (warning: HEAVY spoilers). See them say "See you later". Cry when you realize they're just trying to cheer each other up, since Axel is going to disappear into absolute nothingness, and Roxas will be subsumed by Sora's personality.
      • Not helping matters is when you see the scene in a better quality, you'll notice that Axel is crying as he says goodbye. This Troper joined him.
  • This Troper could never be counted among the game's fans, but when playing the second game through to the end out of a sense of completeness, he came upon an area referred to in the menu as 'Proof of Existence'... a graveyard for all the Organization members Sora has killed. Because they don't leave bodies when they die, so... Proof of Existence... *sob*
    • It actually goes a little deeper than that... Consider this for a second: How do we, in this world, prove the existence of someone who no longer exists? We raise a grave for them.
    • Oh God, this troper would count herself as a huge fan, and that didn't even hit her until just now. T-thanks a lot, other troper! *sob sob sob*
    • The battle with Saix, this troper's favorite amongst the Organization was essentially in his grave. It almost looked like he fought so hard not to meet that fate. Sniff...
    • This troper always believed Proof of Existence was never intended as a graveyard, but as a 'banner' room of sorts dedicated to the Organization. The fact that, by the time you find it, all but three of thirteen members are dead, leaves it rather unsettling.
    • And you realize after 358/2 Days: who's the one member who has no Proof of Existence at all? (ASIDE from Xemnas, since the bastard planned on surviving from the start without his colleagues.)
  • Roxas, absolutely losing it when he learns that he's not real, and he never had any real friends. For somebody who is supposed to be a nobody, he sure took it rather hard...
  • The prologue in its entirety, on second and subsequent playthroughs, especially after playing 358/2 Days. Knowing the real reason Axel is trying to stop Roxas, and what's going to happen to both of them... pass the Kleenex.
  • Naminé's parting words to Roxas - "Roxas! We will meet again. And then we can talk about everything. I may not know it's you, and you may not know it's me. But we will meet again. Someday soon. I promise!" And at the very end of the game, they do, smiling at each other through Sora and Kairi.
  • The ending always moves this troper to tears, seeing the three friends finally brought home after all those years of separation.

Sora: W-we're back.
Kairi: (holding out her hand) You're home.

    • Especially when one takes into account the original Japanese dialogue of that scene, which is literally translated exactly as above, but is culturally powerful.
  • This troper predicts that Xion will definitely make this page when 358/2 Days makes its way to Europe and America... She goes psycho, finding she's a failed Replica and was a tool, then tries to become the original Sora, dies at Roxas's hand, and then fades while nobody remembers her as if she fell into a plothole.
    • The last part was definitely the strongest one; not just because of what it represents (complete erasure), but also the way it's presented. At first, we see a heartwarming scene of Roxas, Axel, and Xion on their usual spot, laughing, joking, goofing around happily. Some minutes later, the same scene replays; but this time, Xion slowly fades, her interactions with her friends becoming more and more slim, until she vanishes completely with neither Roxas nor Axel noticing. It's not like Naminé who was just forgotten; Xion died completely and then was forgotten. All memories of her are permanently erased from any who met her.
      • Also note the part in 358/2 Days when Naminé and Xion meet. Naminé tells her that she will be erased from existence and everyone's memories. Naminé's power is over memories, but she tells Xion, "I can't save you."
      • Roxas's line "Who will I have ice cream with?" may seem like Narm until a Fridge Tear Jerker kicks in -- he doesn't know any better, he associates his friendship with Xion with their moments on the clock tower eating ice cream together. He lacks the emotional capacity to fully realize what she means to him or him to her, that line is the only way he knows to express himself to her.
    • The same thing happens when fighting Riku. A cutscene plays showing Riku's memories of her blurring and disappearing. He even tells Roxas, "It's a struggle just to remember the name now, isn't it?"
    • Xion's Theme is an incredibly emotional piece of music and it nearly threatens you to cry again because it was played during her last moments.
    • Also from 358/2 Days is Roxas's final line about how maybe today they'll hit the beach... both because it harkens back to an early conversation and because you know that he never does.
      • Oh, it's worse than that. His real final line in that "hitting the beach" scene are "Only seven days to go... and then my summer vacation is over." Knowing how that last bit gets repeated at the end of KH2's Prolonged Prologue, it's very depressing.
      • That line, it's just like, all he went through, and all he lost, reduced to nothing. And yet at the same time, he went through so much and was so hurt and now he has a few happy, carefree moments before he is basically erased, which is basically all that he's destined to be. It's so sad . . .
    • This troper was sobbing enough through all of the above, but the last screen featuring a shot of Roxas and his friends eating ice cream, while on the bottom screen shows him alone, shedding those memories away (along with his Organization coat) was enough to set off the water works again.
    • The ending scene with Axel and the WINNER stick.
      • Personally I found it more happy than sad, but the very end... well I was real close to crying and the only other time I recall crying over a game is from the ending of Final Fantasy X.
      • What makes the ending even more brutal is if you look at everything on a large scale: Since his outrage against the Organization (including Axel), the only thing Roxas can believe in is Xion. Who Roxas attacks. After that, he slowly starts to forget Xion, only remembering she was important to him, and that she wants Roxas to release Kingdom Hearts. This being the last thing to him that matters, he goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge to The Castle That Never Was, but gets stopped by Riku, who tries to convince him that he is only Sora's Nobody. After that, Roxas gets strangled to near-death, after which DiZ looks over Roxas's unconscious body, saying that Nobodies have no feelings. Then he spends the rest of his life thinking it was all a dream before getting absorbed by Sora.
      • Long story short, the last thirty minutes of 358/2 Days is an exercise in disconsolate sobbing.
      • Polished off agonizingly with the slowed down version of Sanctuary playing over the credits. It sounds like a requiem, and it is.
  • Watching Mufasa die AGAIN, only this time in full 3-D. Thanks, Disney, it's not like that wasn't traumatizing enough the first time around.
  • From KH: 358/2 Days:

Axel: WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?! You both... think you can do whatever you want... Well I'm sick of it. So go on, you just keep running! But I'll always be there to BRING YOU BACK!"

    • That's a disturbingly and depressingly unstable Axel to Xion when he is once again forced to fight her to bring her back to The World That Never Was.
      • It also doesn't help that the music playing is Roxas's theme, but then a hard hitting piano adds in as Axel starts shouting.
      • More specifically, it's The Other Promise, which plays over the boss fight you have against him in Final Mix +.
      • Here's the scene.
  • This isn't anything that actually happened in the game; rather, it's something that didn't. The fact that Kairi never returns to the restored Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden, thus never meeting her grandmother again. Then again, her grandmother might be dead by now, which is another tearjerker all together.
  • The thought of how callous the Nobodies are with life as a whole. They don't care that their two replicas are merely replacements, but if anything, it's merely showing that if one simply replaces a missing or dead person with an exact clone (or someone intended to be their replacement), that you can never replace them. They won't have the original's memories, and games like this and Persona 2 teach us exactly why a human life can never be truly replaced. (Also AI.)
    • It gets better. Consider that Naminé was able to convince the Riku Replica that it was the real Riku and make it fall in love with her. What happened to him? He went Ax Crazy when he found out he was a clone. So even fully convincing the Replica that it is the person you are trying to replace isn't enough.
  • This Troper always gets weepy-eyed when watching the scene where Demyx bites it. The way he reacts to his disintegrating sitar, then clutches his head and screams "No...no WAAAAAYYYYYyyyyyyy~!" as he fades... plus his being the most light-hearted and quirky of the Organization, and cute to boot... ;_;
  • From Roxas' diary, in 358/2 Days:

Me and Xion and Axel had ice cream. The sunset was beautiful. I don't have to write anything else down, because I'll never forget this day.

    • Powerful Dramatic Irony. Everyone who played Kingdom Hearts II already knew that Roxas would forget everything about his past.
      • That and the fact he loses all his memories of Xion before then as well.
  • Also from Roxas' diary. The thing that apparently frightened him most was the possibility of losing Axel or Xion; that anything could take away the time they'd spent together. Which is exactly what happened.
  • Birth By Sleep, Birth By Sleep, Birth By Sleep, Birth By Sleep...
    • At least the Birth By Sleep people have hope of a happy ending at some point in a future installment.
    • The scene where Ventus asks to be erased has been re-done, now in the Keyblade Graveyard. And it's about 10x more heartwrenching than the original, thanks to Ven's Puppy Dog Eyes. Just try watching it, and tell me you didn't want to give the poor little guy a hug.
    • It isn't just what he's asking that's the tear-jerker. No, it's the way Terra puts his hand on the kid's shoulder, saying they're his friends and will make sure nothing bad will happen to him, and Aqua bends down to look at Ven and cup his face gently in her palm. And then Ven says he may still have to go through with everything, slowly moving Terra and Aqua's hands off him, knowing that his friends can't help him this time, no matter how much they may want to.

Ven: I'm asking you as a friend... Please... Put an end to me.

    • This troper lost it at the cutscene shown when you begin the Final Episode. Particularly the part where Aqua comes back to the utterly DESTROYED Land of Departure, and the camera pans over all the doom and gloom, and finally comes to rest on Eraqus' Keyblade. And when that heartrendering remix of "Fate of the Unknown" is playing... Just, goddammit. ;_;
      • Hell, try visiting the Land of Departure as Terra or Aqua to collect treasure chests. All the other worlds, even the Keyblade Graveyard, has music playing, characters to interact with, or at least enemies to fight. The Land of Departure is completely barren, no music, no enemies, no life left. There is really nothing left of their home now. They're on their own now.
    • The sheer depth of the remorse and sorrow Terra feels after he is suckered into contributing to the death of Master Eraqus and the destruction of their homeland. At the end of his story, the Lingering Will is left alone on an empty battlefield, having lost Xehanort, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua in the aftermath of the horrific battle. As he kneels in the dust, prepared to wait for as long as it takes, one thought is left in his mind.

"Aqua. Ven. One day, I will set this right."

  • Zexion's death always gets me, and I've only seen the cutscenes. Just the look of fear on his face when he realises it's over...
    • Well, if you're just going by the game itself, Zexion was a Smug Snake who kind of deserved it. But in hindsight, what with Zexion as the innocent kid Ienzo in Birth By Sleep, his whole life and even that death does make one feel sad for the guy...
  • In a somewhat meta example, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was Wayne Allwine's (the late voice actor of Mickey Mouse) final performance.
    • The credits of Days said: "In loving memory of Wayne Allwine." That almost made me cry more than the rest of the ending.
    • For this troper it's even more of a tear jerker because he died on my birthday from a disease we both share.
  • Luxord's death and his last line "How COULD you, Roxas?!" Made more upsetting after playing Days, when he seemed to actually somewhat like Roxas, so it's obvious he feels very, very betrayed.
  • This troper also gets really upset when (and why) Vexen dies (which is really for no reason at all).
    • A couple things of note: first of all, you get a different tearjerking experience with this one based on which version of CoM you pick. If you go with the GBA version, you have to put up with the fact that he practically had to be dragged with heels digging into the ground to that battle, and he really, REALLY didn't want to face off against Sora. Or you can go with the PlayStation 2 version, where he kind of asks for it... and then watch the fully rendered 3D scene of him getting knocked over and trying to get off the ground unsuccessfully. When the scene pans out to Sora and Axel yelling at each other, he's actually on his hands and knees NOT MOVING in the background, like it's that painful to get back on his feet. In the GBA version, he literally begs for mercy, and tells Axel, "I don't want to... go yet..." You can go with the PlayStation 2 version where you don't have to watch him beg for mercy and opt instead to watch his final words get CUT OFF. Okay, seriously, as quick as this scene was and as much as Vexen deserved it, why is this more inherently tragic than Sora's reunion with Riku? I... I think I need a Kleenex now... or a box of them.
  • Larxene's hysteria when she's fading away was mildly upsetting, even if she did ask for it. Her line of "No, this isn't the way I..." makes it sound like she, as a Nobody, always knew she'd fade away eventually and had hoped for it to be dignified. For this to be denied her, a being who has practically nothing as it is, is quite sad. Narmy if you realize the woman that voices Larxene does the Wendy's commercials.
  • In Kingdom Hearts 2, Goofy being hit with debris from an explosion... The reason Mickey's reaction is such a Moment of Awesome is because this troper (and probably many others) pretty much wanted to say the same thing. And they would pay for this...
    • I'd like to compound of this and further explain why this scene is such a tear jerker. Of course, we all knew Goofy's going to be okay, but still... Seeing a childhood icon like Goofy actually being hurt enough that it knocked him out and looked frickin' dead was just heartbreaking! Now, I grew up in the 90s, and grew up with Goof Troop and the Goofy Movies, so I'm just a bit more attached to Goofy than even Mickey and Donald.
      • Yeah, even if you knew Goofy was going to be okay, it still kind of hurts seeing him get hurt, especially if he was your favorite growing up.
  • In Kingdom Hearts 2 as well, this trooper still feels sad for Tron when he goes to leave Sora and co after defeating the Master Control Program by jumping into the big pit thing. Turns out he wasn't really gone...
  • Another case of Your Mileage May Vary, watch the interaction between Lea and Isa in Birth By Sleep, and then go and watch their interactions in the years to come. Cry at what happened to their friendship.
    • Yes. This Troper sniffled at the end of the scene, because she thought they were going to the Castle to, I don't know, become Nobodies or something! And then I laughed like a nut when the credits showed them just being thrown out. But just seeing them as kids and knowing who they grew up to be was a quiet tearjerker.
    • Lea's wish to be "immortal" was what did it for this troper. Knowing how he went out... *sniff*
    • This troper was brought to tears when she saw how close they were. Poor Axel had to suffer with his best friend becoming a completely different person.
    • The Secret Reports in Days makes it even worse, driving it home how that dorky kid and his snarky best friend are effectively dead, and how much their relationship has deteriorated over the last ten years.

Axel: Talking to Roxas and Xion always brings back memories of my human life, back when I was a kid. It's a weird sensation. I ought to be able to share all this with Saïx, but I just don't feel like it anymore. It's strange, but I'm content with just missing what's gone. I'm not the one who changed. You did.
Saïx: ...What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it's just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

  • The end of every damn story in BBS. I just managed not to cry at Terra's story... and then Hikari Instrumental kicked in...
    • I would like to nominate the entire latter half of Birth By Sleep for this. It's so tragic, Sora is driven to tears in-game, and he doesn't even know why. The tearjerker is simply so powerful it draws the most empathetic into it like a black hole.
  • During the credits of Birth By Sleep, Mickey Mouse is so devastated over the fate of the three protagonists, he hands over both his starshard and his keyblade to Yen Sid. As he turns to leave, Yen Sid gives him back the keyblade. Between Yen Sid not approving of Mickey's training before, the events of the game, and what's to come, it was quite a gut punch.
  • To This Troper, Ventus's Theme from Birth By Sleep alone can make me feel like crying. What gets me about the song is at about 0:39, where the melody restarts. It sounds about the same as the beginning for a second, but then, the string portion goes up an extra octave to repeat the melody from "The Other Promise." It may be just me, but that straining few notes always gave This troper the impression that the music itself is crying. It's just so melancholy I... *sniffle*
  • Most of the character of Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II is really, really depressing when you factor in BBS, some stuff in the ultimania guide, and basic logical extrapolation. Xemnas is basically an amnesiac Terra, whose only memories of emotion are of Xehanort's emotions. As a result, his faked emotions are... off- but by no fault of his own, and he probably knows it's not right, but the alternative is robot-like behavior. The reason he doesn't want to get his heart back like the others? He knows it's infected with the heart of another, and he's afraid that getting it back means Loss of Identity. His whole plan is about getting his memories back so he can become at least a facsimile of what he was before BBS's ending- which he only has the vaguest recollection of - and we, the players, are fully aware that if he had gotten back the memories he did so much to obtain, he'd suddenly be hit by a "My God, What Have I Done?" Damn, I think this is the first time the prequel has made me want to give one of the complete monsters a hug...
    • Birth by Sleep also takes one of Xemnas's lines to a new height of sympathy, in light of what happens to Terra.

Xemnas: I need more rage. I need more hearts.
Sora: Xemnas, there's more to a heart than just anger or hate, it's full of all kinds of feelings. Don't you remember?
Xemnas: Unfortunately, I don't.

    • This also makes 358/2 Days even more depressing, in light of what's really in the Room of Awakening, and the most probable reason he's so desperate to find it... In all likelihood, he's trying, in his own futile partial-amnesia-addled and Xehanort's-darkness-clouded way, to save Ventus.
    • While this is all very sad for Terra, sympathy for Xemnas himself is minimized once one recalls that the Nobodies of Organization XIII are the shells left behind of people who've lost their hearts, and who act based upon recollection of what it was like when they had their hearts before the split occurred. Ansem's apprentice Xehanort was confirmed to be Master Xehanort's heart completely commandeering Terra' body at the time of the split. So Xemnas is technically Terra's Nobody, but he acts upon the memories of Xehanort, explaining why he's so pure evil. His plan was actually to absorb Kingdom Hearts' power and become a God before casting all the worlds into nothingness so that he can recreate it in his image "one heart at a time" - an Evil Plan in line with Master Xehanort's. He did not want to get his memories back, because the possibility of Terra's persona taking dominance of Xemnas was something he wanted to avoid. It's true that he's afraid to regain his heart because he knows it's infected by the heart of another, but in his Xehanort-based perspective, the one "infecting" it is Terra. Also, the others didn't want to "get their hearts back" either: they just wanted hearts of their own - hearts that could make their Nobody selves complete, existent beings.
  • Aqua. Her fate. My God. When she sacrifices herself to save Terra, and those 3 words: "I'm with you!" Oh my gosh, I can't even. And then, when she's wandering around in the Realm of Darkness and she sees Terra, and Ventus, and Eraqus, and everyone she met in every world... The tears just started again.
    • "Ven, I'm sorry. I won't make it back as soon as I thought. But I promise I'll be there one day to wake you up."
  • What Aqua says to Sora on Destiny Islands:

Aqua: So then, if something happens, and Riku's about to get lost... or say... he starts wandering down a dark path alone -- you make sure to stay with him, and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?

    • The sad thing is that Sora couldn't keep his promise: Riku wanders down a dark path alone and Sora is unable to stay with him to keep him safe. It all ends happily in the end though, but the fact still stands that Aqua's intentions were ruined: Riku ended up like Terra.
  • The secret ending of Birth by Sleep. Just...that.
    • "Sora".
  • Think about Mickey. He starts off living, literally, as a king. Then he discovers the darkness waiting to destroy his world and, the hero that he is, he goes off to try and stop it. Things get worse from there. Of the two friends he makes, one gets locked in the Realm of Darkness and the other loses his heart. Leading to a short Heroic BSOD, which he is brought out of by Yen Sid. Then he spends a few years trying to hold off the darkness, but ends up leaving everything behind, again, and winds up locked in the Realm of Darkness himself. The friend he finds there and later escapes with nearly gets taken over by Ansem, again, and they end up separated. He bounces around the worlds some, trying to find anyone or anything that can help while keeping the Organization off of his tail, meaning that he is traveling all alone, not knowing what's happening to Riku or his home. After Sora wakes up, he gets a Hope Spot, safeguarding him as he travels from world to world. But then, at Hollow Bastion, his friend nearly dies. In the ensuing battle, everything goes to pieces and he has to go find Ansem the Wise, who (supposedly) dies at The World That Never Was. It's not until the end of KHII that he gets any respite at all, and then he finds out there's something else to worry about. In short, he watches as his entire world falls apart around him, with terrible things happening to those he picks as his friends, and all his plans to save everything being undone at every turn. And he still manages to be someone that so many people rely on. Wow.
  • Being a mother and watching the scene in the first game where Sora's mother calls for him is particularly heartwrenching for me. It is a short, simple scene, and she doesn't say much at all, but I know what she doesn't: that her little boy is gone, and won't be there for quite some time. She doesn't know he comes back eventually. The only conclusion his mother could possibly make is that he's either run away from home, or he's dead. And the pain of losing a child is something no one should have to endure.
    • As one of those "little boy is gone" boys, this troper knows how you feel. And he hates to suggest that it might only get worse given that, with the ending of Birth by Sleep, Sora's (and Riku's) probably going to leave again, willingly this time, without stopping in to say, "Hi." And to add insult to injury, you never see Sora or Riku worry about their parents even once. (Then again, there's the possibility that they're confident that their parents are strong enough to handle them being gone for a while without knowing what's going on, but still.)
      • It Got Worse indeed: it's implied that everyone who knew Sora forgot about him during his year asleep--imagine being the mother who discovers a room in her house full of toys and clothes for a child she doesn't remember having. And then for him to just be gone? I would be amazed if she hasn't suffered some permanent trauma.
  • Why does Riku Replica's death scene go without mention? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_fBSyPtt-Y
    • The original GBA version is even worse. Riku's last words? "Oh, well."
  • Add a bit of Fridge thinking to the entire series, and you suddenly realize that the ONLY way for everyone to meet up again and be happy is by killing all of them because you can't leave anyone behind. Short of that, the best ending anyone can get is Bittersweet Ending. I hope you have something to cuddle or a heart of steel and some Kleenex.
    • It's either that or the Disney Death to end all Disney deaths, with everyone returning to life and their loved ones. Really, it looks like things could go either way.
      • I'm going with the mass resurrection theory, because it fits the Christian allegory that is laced throughout the plot. First comes Armageddon, and then comes the Resurrection.
  • Honestly, the only part of this series that literally brought tears to my eyes happens before you even start playing the first game. If you put the disc in and don't select anything on the menu, it will go to the orchestral version of Hikari after a few minutes, accompanied by Kairi's letter to Sora, "Thinking of you, wherever you are..." Those words paired with that music is so unbelievably moving.
  • This troper might get made fun of for it, but she's a very, very big Organization fangirl; yes, to all of them, I to XIII. And she can't go and replay the games anymore for exactly that reason. She was sobbing around the time Axel came to beg Roxas to come home and hasn't touched it since. But, oh, the worst has to be Vexen. I just can't even think about it without almost getting physically ill and moved to tears. It was horrifying, and considering I like him quite a bit...it really, really hurt. Not to say that watching the rest of them die wasn't agonizing, but Vexen did not deserve that which just made it worse.
    • It's okay. This troper broke down in tears at everyone's death. It's hard not to.
    • What makes it especially bad is how it is simultaneously deserved and unfair, seeing in Birth By Sleep how with their hearts they're nice people all 'round, and then seeing the apathetic and amoral stuff they did as Organization members that made killing them necessary. Not to mention the fact that they were literally kamikaze-ing and moral event horizon for a lie, that Kingdom Hearts would give them hearts, rather than the truth that it was to give Xemnas power and memory. You feel bad that they die, and at the same time also bad that you're not paying enough attention to the innocents who suffered, and also bad for the Organization for the fact that most of 'em were hurting innocents over a lie Xemnas and Xigbar were telling, and so on. No matter what perspective you take on them (and there are several dozen possible perspectives), it leaves the viewer depressed.
    • Putting it simple, everyone in Organization XIII deserves a huge, comforting hug. After they get their hearts back and/or are informed of having been deceived, obviously, if you did it before they'd just take it as an opening to knock your heart out and/or use you as a weapon against their enemies.
  • You know what else is sad? The fact that King Mickey and Queen Minnie hasn't seen each other from a little before the beginning of the first KH to the credits of KH2! If anyone has been told to wait for someone for a fraction of that time would know the pain Minnie must of been going through. Talk about devotion.
  • In coded, when Data-Roxas merges with Data-Sora. All his hurt memories start flooding into Sora, and we're quickly reminded of the sadness that was Days.

"I see a place. A sunset. Comforting...but also sad. This is where I spent my first...and my last...summer vacation. Rest easy...Your hurt can be mine now."

    • On the subject of Days in coded, the opening of coded is a flashback of many different scenes from all the games chronologically before it. The scenes from Birth By Sleep, Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts II are not obscured, except by the Matrix Raining Code. But when it gets to Days... we're shown maybe a full second of scenes, all flashing by fast and obscured by static. Because it was forgotten.
  • This Troper had spent the entire game completely dried eyed and thinking that she didn't care THAT much about the characters. Then Sora found Riku and the way he grabs his hand and just breaks down and all he can say is "I FOUND you... To see Sora, who's such an optimistic character, just break down REALLY got to me for some reason.
  • Playing through Olympus Coliseum in 358/2 Days was just depressing to me, and normally I find that world boring. Phil keeps saying he has great expectations for Roxas, and Roxas keeps thinking that means he isn't doing good enough at the training and games. It's like watching the kid who comes from a dysfunctional family try to interact with normal people and not knowing how.
    • There's also the way Phil so consistently believes in Roxas -- the one who, from the moment he was created until the moment he "died", would always be viewed as Sora's Nobody. That Phil sees him entirely in his own light, tells him he has the makings of a champion in him, and treats his existence as having value is a Heartwarming Moments ...that he's one of the only people to do so (save Axel and Xion, sort of) is absolutely heartbreaking.
      • Even worst, after Roxas' last mission in the coliseum, Phil never sees him again. And he will never know why.
        • The last thing Phil says to Roxas?

Phil: Don't be a stranger, kid.

  • The one that got me was that moment in KH 2 where Sora first goes back to 100 Acre Wood. Everything's all fine and dandy, then the Heartless come and poor Pooh Bear forgets Piglet. I literally couldn't breathe for a moment.
    • This troper refuses to play the 100 Acre Wood until he's collected all of the Torn Pages for that reason. He makes it a goal to get everything fixed in one go.
    • How about the first time you meet Pooh Bear, and he's sitting there trying to figure out how to "say goodbye to myself"? Because all his friends have disappeared, and he's certain he'll be next to go. Poor Pooh is left all alone, waiting basically to die next. How is that not sad?
  • In KHII, the endof the last Halloween Town episode, when it starts to snow and Sora sees himself and Kairi dancing.
  • The battle with Eraqus in Birth By Sleep. Hearing Fire Lord Ozai express anguish over having to kill the student he saw as a son was more tear jerking than I expected.
  • There's a subtle one in the second game. Right after the awesomeness that is The Battle of 1000 Heartless, Sora leans against a wall to catch his breath. Just seeing this generally upbeat kid so exhausted (let's face it, you never even see him winded even after crazy boss battles) broke this troper's heart.
  • The part of 358/2 Days when Roxas learns to fly. He's just so amazed and so happy that something so awesome has touched his life, a life that the player knows will end up all but erased, all but forgotten. I've only played the game through to the end once, but that part really stood out.
  • Proof of Existence in the Castle that Never Was. It feels like an ancient ruin, full of ghosts. You just see the stones like, dead . . . dead . . . dead . . . (yes, I know they're not dead) and then there's Roxas's panel glowing like a beacon of hope. Not to mention the name, 'Proof of Existence' which sort of drives the point home that despite everything, most of the members of the Organization just wanted their own goddamn hearts.
  • In Kingdom Hearts 3D, there's a stage based on TRON:Legacy. Those of you who've seen the movie, know Rinzler's identity. Sora has to FIGHT Rinzler. This may be a world within a dream, but still...
    • The February trailer makes it very clear on what will happen....

Sora: "Tron! Come on! Remember!

      • Even worse is that The Grid is a different copy of the system created by ENCOM. It's not the same as Space Paranoids, and it's not the same Tron. No matter how hard Sora tries, this Tron can't remember.
    • Every worry comes true and then some. Rinzler serves as a boss for Sora, not Riku, just to make things worse for the kid, and after Sora defeats him and uses the keyblade to free Tron from CLU's control, CLU destroys the ground beneath Tron. Sora tries to reach out for Tron, and Tron reaches back to him, but Sora can't save him, and Tron falls to his death.
    • CLU, you don't have to worry about building up an army to invade the User's world, you don't have to worry about Kevin Flynn, Sam, or Quorra. Because when I get the game, I WILL PUNCH THROUGH THE DAMN FOURTH WALL AND KILL YOU MYSELF YOU BASTARD!!!!
  • The look on Lea's face when Isa attacks him while he is rescuing Sora.
    • And for that matter, the revelation of what really happened to Isa after he became a Nobody.
  • While it builds up a group shot of made pure awesome, there's a moment during this cutscene that is one of the few tearjerkers able to punch players in the gut with one word:

Sora: "Wait...!"

  • Sora's saved the worlds twice, successfully derailed every attempt to hurt him or his friends, even new ones. He's given up at least a year of his life fighting against evils no one else could match. He pulled Riku back from the darkness despite the fact that Riku was actively trying to kill him without once giving up hope. He's been abandoned, hurt, and just generally screwed with in ways a kid his age doesn't deserve, yet has never once even thought of turning to darkness unlike Riku who fell essentially because he was bored. Then he gets his heart literally shattered and forced into darkness by someone with at least a century on him with access to time travel, and he's not considered worthy to be a Master, while aforementioned attempted murderer best friend does because he pulled Sora out of the fire this once. Sora takes it fine, but it's still pretty depressing to see Sora's accomplishments be considered 'not good enough', despite doing more in a year to fight back the darkness than anyone, aided or not.
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