History TearJerker / BatmanTheAnimatedSeries

** The scene where Batman [[ExplainExplainOhCrap tells Lloyd’s ex-wife Helen what’s going on, which makes her realize who “Mojo” really is]]. She runs into her house to check on Kimberly, only to find to her horror that’s it’s too late. The window to Kimberly’s room is wide open, and Kimberly is gone. Helen desperately crying out her daughter’s name before breaking down in tears in gut-wrenching.

* Kevin Conroy's passing as of November 2022 due to cancer.

* Meta-wise, the tragic passing of Creator/KevinConroy, the definitive voice of Batman on November 11th, 2022. May he rest in peace...

** And then when she came back, returning to a life of crime because she thought Killer Croc loved her...only to find out Croc was, [[{{Jerkass}} true to form]], playing her for a sucker the whole while. It sent her so far over the DespairEventHorizon that she [[KillEmAll decided to wipe out all of Gotham via]] [[ILoveNuclearPower nuclear meltdown]].

** And how about the very last time we see Harvey? He goes even [[UpToEleven crazier]] and develops a ''second'' alternate personality called [[VigilanteMan The Judge]], a personality so separate from his "normal" ones that it ''tries to kill him''. Batman stops him eventually and sends Harvey back to Arkham. We see Harvey in his cell, in a straitjacket, as he plays out a court scene with himself on trial, saying "The People versus Harvey Dent. How does the defendant plead?" And all poor Harvey can do is brokenly say over and over again, "[[HeelRealization Guilty... Guilty...]] [[MadnessMantra Guilty...]]"

--->'''Alfred:''' You're one of Rossum's duplicants!\\
'''Duplicant!Batman:''' Duplicants? What do you mean? ''[begins approaching Alfred again]''\\
'''Alfred:''' What have you done with Master Bruce?! ''[attempts to strike the duplicant with the golfing club, but the duplicant grabs it and tosses it aside]''\\
'''Duplicant!Batman:''' Alfred, it's me! I need your help. I have to find out what's happened to me. ''[Alfred begins backing away again]'' I'm not going to last long like this! ''[Alfred backs into the clock, then reaches around the clock and feels around for the switch to activate the passage before he finds it and presses it and edges around the opening clock and into the passage]'' Alfred, wait. ''Please!''

** The ending for [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE33RobinsReckoningPart2 Robin's Reckoning: Part 2]]. A humbled Robin tells Batman that he understands that Batman didn't want him working Zucco's case because Batman knew Robin would take the case too personally and possibly kill Zucco. Batman then tells Robin the real reason he didn't want Robin involved: he didn't want to think of Robin being killed by Zucco after Zucco had already killed Robin's parents. Batman was afraid of losing a man he had come to love like his own son.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VfVTWGwLFo&t=215s The ending,]] where Freeze tearfully apologizes to the small dancing doll that represents Nora in his Arkham cell for not being able to save her or avenge her apparent death at the hands of Boyle, as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb9z76VJEDQ a heart-wrenching music box rendition of his theme]] plays.

* "Read My Lips." The dynamic between the ventriloquist (a heretofore unnamed Arnold Wesker) and his SplitPersonality Scarface, channeled through his dummy, is unquestionably a ''bizarre'' thing to watch play out. And yet this, their debut episode, ends in a tragic moment, when in the scuffle between Batman and Scarface's {{Mook}}s, the Scarface dummy is practically disintegrated by gunfire intended for Batman. The ventriloquist reacts with a '''[[BigNo blood-curdling scream,]]''' and collapses to the floor, holding whatever is left of Scarface, and [[BrokenTears crying his eyes out]] at the loss of his "boss." Suddenly, this isn't some weird spectacle anymore; it's the heartbreaking anguish of a man with serious issues, at a DespairEventHorizon, and in desperate need of professional help. (As the BittersweetEnding makes [[TheEndOrIsIt painfully clear.]])

* "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE17SeeNoEvil See No Evil]]," aside from being [[AdultFear prime horror]]. We have Lloyd Ventrix, a creepy ex-con whose former wife and young daughter have a restraining order against him. So he steals some material that allows him to make an invisibility suit, poses as his daughter's imaginary friend Mojo, swipes valuable jewelry for her to gain her trust, and finally attempts to kidnap her. Batman intervenes, Ventrix is exposed and foiled; and the episode ends with the girl telling Batman that she and her mother are going to move away, where "Daddy" will never find them. The whole episode is heartbreaking.
** The scene where Batman [[ExplainExplainOhCrap tells Lloyd’s ex-wife Helen what’s going on, which makes her realize who “Mojo” really is]]. She runs into her house to check on Kimberly, only to find to her horror that’s it’s too late. [[AdultFear The window to Kimberly’s room is wide open, and Kimberly is gone]]. Helen desperately crying out her daughter’s name before breaking down in tears in gut-wrenching.

* The show even makes you care about VillainOfTheWeek characters who never show up again. In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE42TygerTyger Tyger, Tyger]]," you're introduced to Dr. Emile Dorian, a [[MadScientist deranged geneticist]], and his creation, a cat-man hybrid named Tygrus. Dr. Dorian has Selina Kyle/Catwoman kidnapped to be transformed into Tygrus's mate. You're largely indifferent towards the creature until you find out he's sentient and capable of speech; he thinks of Dorian as his father and the only reason he's an antagonist in the episode is because Dorian lied to him, telling him that Selina would grow to love him once Batman was out of the way. He's eventually persuaded that Batman isn't his enemy, but this angers Dorian, who ultimately blames Selina for "ruining" Tygrus and tries to shoot her. This, in turn, angers Tygrus enough to turn on Dorian, and he proceeds to tear the lab apart while Dorian desperately tries to calm him.

** Upon being confronted once and for all with the crushing reality that Selina definitely ''does not'' want to remain a cat-person, he forks over the antidote to her and bids her goodbye. Selina tries to persuade him to come with them, saying there's nothing for him on the doctor's island anymore. His response is terribly depressing:
-->'''Tygrus:''' There's nothing for me ''anywhere''.

* The show even makes you care about VillainOfTheWeek characters who never show up again. In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE42TygerTyger Tyger, Tyger]]," you're introduced to Dr. Emile Dorian, a [[MadScientist deranged geneticist]], and his creation, a cat-man hybrid named Tygrus. Dr. Dorian has Selina Kyle/Catwoman kidnapped to be transformed into his mate. You're largely indifferent towards the creature until you find out he's sentient and capable of speech; he thinks of Dorian as his father and the only reason he's an antagonist in the episode is because Dorian lied to him, telling him that Selina would grow to love him once Batman was out of the way. He's eventually persuaded that Batman isn't his enemy, but this angers Dorian, who ultimately blames Selina for "ruining" Tygrus and tries to shoot her. This, in turn, angers Tygrus enough to turn on Dorian, and he proceeds to tear the lab apart while Dorian desperately tries to calm him.

* "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE17OldWounds Old Wounds]]" is one of the worse tearjerkers in the DCAU as it shows the events leading up to Dick's split from Bruce/Batman. The worst part is if you go back and watch the series from the beginning, you can actually see their relationship slowly break down over time due not only to the clash in their personalities and ideologies, but also Bruce's growing obsession and struggle with his own inner darkness. Truth be told, by the time Dick returns to moonlight in Gotham as Nightwing, he's NotSoDifferent from Bruce, but it's too late to salvage any relationship they had and he's mostly seen working with Tim and Barbara or else on his own, and then ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' reveals that Bruce and Dick ''never'' truly reconcile, and while the elderly Bruce will occasionally reminisce about past adventures with Barbara and Tim, he ''never'' talks about Dick. In one episode where Terry asks to borrow a suit, he comes across a coat with initials on the inside.

** And how about the very last time we see Harvey? He goes even [[UpToEleven crazier]] and develops a ''second'' alternate personality called [[VigilanteMan The Judge]], a personality so separate from his "normal" ones that it ''tries to kill him''. Batman stops him eventually and sends Harvey back to Arkham. We see Harvey in his cell, in a straightjacket, as he plays out a court scene with himself on trial, saying "The People versus Harvey Dent. How does the defendant plead?" And all poor Harvey can do is brokenly say over and over again, "[[HeelRealization Guilty... Guilty...]] [[MadnessMantra Guilty...]]"

* As much as it is {{Narm}}, Joker legitimately mourning [[KillerRobot Captain Clown]] and then furiously berating Batman for [[SquashedFlat crushing him down to a cube with a hydraulic press]] in ''The Last Laugh''.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VfVTWGwLFo The ending,]] where Freeze tearfully apologizes to the small dancing doll that represents Nora in his Arkham cell for not being able to save her or avenge her apparent death at the hands of Boyle, as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb9z76VJEDQ a heart-wrenching music box rendition of his theme]] plays.

'''Alfred:''' What have you done with Master Bruce?! ''[attempts to strike the duplicant with the pendulum, but the duplicant grabs it and tosses it aside]''\\

* A blink-and-you-miss-it example, but in "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE2ChristmasWithTheJoker Christmas with the Joker]]," when Robin can't believe Batman has never seen ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', Batman responds that he "couldn't get past the title screen." It says an awful lot about Bruce's life that he can't stand a movie title ''implying'' a good life. Though after seeing it, he admit it has its moments.

* Internet reviewer WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic once made a [[http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/32071-top-11-batman-tas-episodes Top 11 episodes list]], most of them are episodes mentioned on this page, which he in great detail hits the nail on the head with how incredibly tragically powerful they are.

** In the original ending of "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE11BabyDoll Baby-Doll]]", Batman would have shed a tear while comforting Baby Doll before handing her over to the police. They cut it because [[ExecutiveMeddling DC said Batman doesn't cry]].

** In the original ending of "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE11BabyDoll Baby-Doll]]", Batman would have shed a tear while comforting Baby Doll before handing her over her to the police. They cut it because [[ExecutiveMeddling DC said Batman doesn't cry]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VfVTWGwLFo The ending,]] where Freeze tearfully apologizes to the small dancing doll that represents Nora in his Arkham cell for not being able to save her or avenge her apparent death at the hands of Boyle, as a heart-wrenching music box rendition of his theme plays.

** [[MeaningfulEcho "I... didn't]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone mean to."]]

-->'''Dorian:''' I only wanted you to be strong! To show no weakness, no pity!

* The show even makes you care about VillainOfTheWeek characters who never show up again. In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE42TygerTyger Tyger, Tyger]]," you're introduced to Dr. Emile Dorian, a [[MadScientist deranged geneticist]], and his creation, a cat-man hybrid named Tygrus. Dr. Dorian has Selina Kyle/Catwoman kidnapped to be transformed into his mate. You're largely indifferent towards the creature until you find out he's sentient and capable of speech; he thinks of Dorian as his father and the only reason he's an antagonist in the episode is because Dorian lied to him, telling him that Selina would grow to love him once Batman was out of the way. He's eventually persuaded that Batman isn't his enemy, but this angers Dorian, who's knocked out in an ensuing struggle with Batman. Upon being confronted once and for all with the crushing reality that Selina definitely ''does not'' want to remain a cat-person, he forks over the antidote to her and bids her goodbye. Selina tries to persuade him to come with them, saying there's nothing for him on the doctor's island anymore. His response is terribly depressing:

** When Dorian learns that Tygrus refused to kill Batman, his response is smack Tygrus and say how disappointed he is. Tygrus' response? A ''whimpered'' "Father, please" like a beaten child and then he asks why he should kill Batman since he is neither a threat or food while still sounding genuinely sad that his father is mad at him.
*** And this setting could have provided the perfect opening for ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}''[='=]s Mr. Tawky Tawny in the DCAU; a tiger man who refused to surrender to Tygrus' despair and sought out human society.

** As it stands, there are perhaps four villains--Sewer King, Dr. Emile Dorian (detailed below), Firefly (since he crossed into the MoralEventHorizon early on), and the Joker--who don't have a terribly sad backstory.

* The show's re-imagining of Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter. In the comics and [[Series/Batman1966 Adam West series]], he was a gimmicky villain with an ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice in Wonderland]]'' theme. Here, he's depicted as a lonely genius who's developing MindControl technology for Wayne Enterprises, but his immediate supervisor [[BadBoss treats him like dirt]]. Tetch falls hard for Alice, a secretary at the company [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe who's the only one to treat him pleasantly]], [[AllLoveIsUnrequited but she has a boyfriend named Billy]]. Jervis refuses to infringe on their relationship... but when she has a fight with Billy, [[HopeSpot he sees his chance]]. He plans to woo Alice, but decides that she would never fall for someone like him; he instead develops the Hatter persona to impress her, giving her a grand night on the town (albeit toeing the MoralEventHorizon by using his technology to brainwash people, thus creating the illusion that he's a wealthy society gentleman). Unfortunately, he is shut down when Billy comes back into the picture with an apology and a proposal. Enraged, Tetch crosses the MEH firmly by mind-controlling Billy into breaking off the engagement, then abducting and brainwashing Alice. He's eventually bested by Batman in an Alice in Wonderland theme park. Then, as Tetch is lying beneath the [[ItMakesSenseInContext claws of the Jabberwock]], he's ''forced to watch'' as [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown Alice (who can't even bear to look at Tetch anymore) runs into Billy's arms]], moaning out very softly...
-->'''Tetch/Hatter:''' [[MeaningfulEcho Would not, could not]]--[[MeaningfulEcho would not, could not... oh, could not join the dance]].