History TearJerker / FateGrandOrder

** '''Knocknarea's death''' by poison, mirroring what happened to Morgan's Knights of the Round Table centuries ago, and she ends up dying in her best friend's arms. Altria Caster is crying, screaming and outright ''begging'' Knocknarea to not die, but it's hopeless as the poison takes hold. What's worse is that the power of the poison ends up making Knocknarea slowly forget who she is and the people around her but she still goes out of her way to comfort Altria and [[GoOutWithASmile wish her well.]]

---> '''Narration''': ''While staring up at it like a child, her life ended, along with her brilliance.''

---> '''Oberon''': ''I'll be damned, if it isn't so beautiful it makes you want to puke--''
---> '''Narration''': ''And so the lid closed on the infinite void. The Insect of the Abyss fell, never to reach anywhere.''

[[folder:Fate/Grand Order: First Order]]
* Watching the events of the first singularity fully animated adds a new layer of impact to the events.
** After the Rayshift is sabotaged, Ritsuka rushes in to try and help, only to find Mash with her lower half being crushed by an impossibly large piece of rubble. Unable to do anything, and now locked in the ruined facility, the two are resigned to die together. Thankfully, they end up Rayshifting anyway and Mash fuses with a Heroic Spirit who was none other than Galahad.
** For fans of VisualNovel/FateStayNight, seeing Homurahara Academy empty and abandoned while knowing that eveyone there including Taiga, Issei, and Ayako are dead. [[https://youtu.be/y1q2bd6BB5k?list=PLdR7m7PFLzQ5ZSuwAP8f-iLGuawBxGdAd The music doesn't help]].
** Olga Marie's death isn't bloody, [[FateWorseThanDeath but no less cruelly brutal and horrific]]. After [[DefrostingIceQueen softening up throughout the events of Fuyuki City]], she's ultimately betrayed by the very man she idolized, desperately crying about how she was never praised by anyone else, as she's pulled into CHALDEAS. [[{{Jerkass}} She's far from the most pleasant person around,]] but she ''definitely'' didn't deserve such an agonizing fate.
[[/folder]]

** Lancer’s Master is based off of Cerejeira Elron, [[spoiler: one of the handful of Chaldea’s survivors. We learn from her memories that she had long harbored a crush on one of her coworkers, and had finally worked up the nerve to ask him out on a date. The day was New Year’s Eve, 2017, the day the Foreign God’s forces invaded Chaldea. [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Cerejeira was the one who opened the door]] [[MyGreatestFailure and gave Koyanskaya the opportunity to massacre Chaldea]]. Including the man she asked on a date. Unsurprisingly, Cerejeira has been wracked with guilt ever since that day]]…

** Lancer’s Master is based off of Cerejeira Elron, [[spoiler: one of the handful of Chaldea’s survivors. We learn from her memories that she had long harbored a crush on one of her coworkers, and had finally worked up the nerve to ask him out on a date. The day was New Year’s Eve,2017, the day the Foreign God’s forces invaded Chaldea. [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Cerejeira was the one who opened the door]] [[MyGreatestFailure and gave Koyanskaya the opportunity to massacre Chaldea]]. Including the man she asked on a date. Unsurprisingly, Cerejeira has been wracked with guilt ever since that day]]…

*** [[https://youtu.be/YKYjv8G05LA His theme]], ''The Last Brave'', is a strange mixture of heroic, sad and solemn. Fitting for a [[TragicHero tragic figure who genuinely believes himself to be a hero]], determined to not let humanity's sacrifice go to waste.

*** Relating to the above, Red Hare's HeriocSacrifice early in Part 3 is actually HarsherInHindsight: Nasu wrote on his blog that '''[[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Red Hare's "duty" of regularly reporting Altria's journey to Aurora led to the doom of Londinium]].''' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Horrified by his own actions]], he ran away but decides to carry your team to join up the Storm Border without rest, and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath eventually dies after breaking all his legs in doing so]]. Nasu, how dare you [[BreakTheComedian making the comedic factor miserable]]?

*** [[https://youtu.be/YKYjv8G05LA His theme]] is a strange mixture of heroic, sad and solemn. Fitting for a [[TragicHero tragic figure who genuinely believes himself to be a hero]], determined to not let humanity's sacrifice go to waste.

* While most of Chaldea Thriller Night is equal parts hilarious and horror-tastic, Nightmare William Tell in the hotel segment of the event is saddening as hell. William's original story involved being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son because of an asshole noble. Nightmare William's version of that story ended in the ''worst'' way possible -- with the deaths of both his son and the noble who put him through this.

* While most of Chaldea Thriller Night is equal parts hilarious and horror-tastic, Nightmare William Tell in the hotel segment of the event is saddening as hell. William's original story involved being forced to shoot an apple off the head of his son because of an asshole noble. Nightmare William's story ended in the ''worst'' way possible -- with the deaths of both his son and the noble who put him through this.

* While most of Chaldea Thriller Night is equal parts hilarious and horror-tastic, Nightmare William Tell in the hotel segment of the event is saddening as hell. William's original story involved having to shoot an apple off the head of his son because of an asshole noble. Nightmare William's story ended in the ''worst'' way possible -- with the deaths of both his son and the noble who put him through this.

The companion Manga From Lostbelt gave us the [[DownerEnding Ironically named]] “Innocence.” It’s a story about Gerda, and her friend Karen. For sixteen pages, we get to watch Karen sobbing in silent terror about being sent out tomorrow to [[ReleasedToElsewhere “go to Valhalla”]] when in reality she’s [[EatenAlive going to be devoured by the giants]]. And innocent Gerda [[DramaticIrony just cannot understand why Karen’s so terrified]]… At the end, Gerda’s still clueless about why, even as we see a giant holding [[TheWoobie poor Karen’s body]] [[DeathOfAChild up for it to devour]].

** ''Grand Order'' has often danced around Nero's darker side, to the point that anyone using the game as an entry point to the franchise will see her as a GenkiGirl. Players of ''VideoGame/FateExtra'', meanwhile, will know it's actually [[StepfordSmiler the opposite]]. Using Draco as a medium, this event directly tackles the fact that Nero was a horribly twisted and tormented person in life, having a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity secretly abusive mother]] who used her as nothing but a tool and exiting the relationship with a warped understanding of love. Other than [[OnlyFriend Locusta]], no one in her empire understood her, simply viewing her as "that crazy emperor who killed her own mother" when the truth was far more complex and tragic, and a good portion of Draco's existence is owed to Nero [[ThenLetMeBeEvil choosing to become the monster they believed she was]].

* Sodom's Beast/Draco's situation in the Arcade Collab event: the reason why she's created the Seven Imitation Singularities and is gathering the Demonic Beast Incarnadines is that she has a death wish. She doesn't want to die like she did as Nero, left alone in the wasteland with no one to comfort or console her, so she summoned every Servant and Shadow Servant she could for at least the chance for someone to kill her. It really contextualizes Draco's contract with Ritsuka and shows that despite being a Beast she's just as tragic as the others.

** Adding to this is the identity of his murderer: Warrior of Darkness Munenori. [[BaitTheDog We are initially led to believe]] that WOD Munenori is [[AffablyEvil an embarrassingly amusing mentor figure]] for Ashtart. [[spoiler: then we see that he cut down Professor Tokiomi without any remorse, and he admits outright [[KickTheDog he’s perfectly willing to sacrifice Ashtart to awaken the Primordial Goddess and never truly cared about her]]]].

* There are a few hints that [[TheGunslinger Calamity Jane’s]] cheerful, scatterbrained demeanor is [[StepfordSmiler not nearly as complete as she pretends]]. [[spoiler: She was a member of the original Servant team who defeated and sealed away the Primordial Goddess thousands of years ago, with her and Sigurd being the only survivors. The two of them were subsequently [[WhoWantsToLiveForever cursed with immortality]] out of spite for the Goddess’s defeat. Jane’s feelings on the matter are only hinted at, but it is stated she chooses not to dwell on it for fear of being overwhelmed by a millennium of pain and loneliness]].

* Sodom's Beast/Draco's situation in the Arcade Collab event: the reason why she's created the Seven Imitation Singularities and is gathering the Demonic Beast Incarnadines is that [[spoiler:she has a death wish. She doesn't want to die like she did as Nero, left alone in the wasteland with no one to comfort or console her, so she summoned every Servant and Shadow Servant she could for at least the chance for someone to kill her. It really contextualizes Draco's contract with Ritsuka and shows that despite being a Beast she's just as tragic as the others.]]

* Sodom's Beast/Draco's situation in the Arcade Collab event: the reason why she's gathering the Demonic Beast Incarnadines is that [[spoiler:she has a death wish. She doesn't want to die like she did as Nero, left alone in the wasteland with no one to comfort or console her. It really contextualizes Draco's contract with Ritsuka and shows that despite being a Beast she's just as tragic as the others.]]

* Sodom's Beast/Draco's situation: the reason why she's gathering the Demonic Beast Incarnadines is that she wants to die not alone, as it reminds her of her lonely death over the course of three sunsets as Nero. It really contextualizes Draco's contract with Ritsuka and shows that despite being a Beast she's just as tragic as the others.

* If you thought the AprilFoolsDay 2017 event was sad enough, the 2023 event reveals that Rokka Fujimaru, the female protagonist who's ''way'' nicer than Riyo Gudako, is actually an AlternateSelf where she lost the ''Cosmos in the Lostbelt'' campaign; losing all of her Servants, Chaldea and her version of Proper Human History, now wandering across space and time for all eternity. Judging by her lack of Command Seals, it's heavily implied that Rokka lost in Nahui Mictlān, never getting her Master Rights back from Tezcatlipoca.

* Listening to Assassin EMIYA's My Room lines [[TheEeyore can be very, very depressing]]: even if he came from another universe, he sounds like he still experienced things about as bad (or even worse) as his life in ''LightNovel/FateZero'':

* According to [[AllThereInTheManual Servant Materials]], [[FriendToAllChildren Atalante]] learned what happened to Medea so that she [[UsedToBeASweetKid went from a sweet child she cared for to the bitter witch she is currently]] from Sasaki Kojirou. [[LaughingMad She ends up laughing so hard]] [[LaughThemselvesSick she faints from agony.]] On the surface, it may be PlayedForLaughs, but if you actually saw how close she was with Medea from the ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' anime, it paints a sad case that might justify why Atalante fainted in agony: She was that close to the child Medea but she left her eventually, abandoning her [[ForegoneConclusion to the hands of Jason's douchebaggery]]. She must've thought that Medea's descent into bitterness [[ItsAllMyFault was her fault as well, and even more so since she has stated that she would like to protect all children]], [[MyGreatestFailure and yet she didn't protect that one sweet child]]...

** Marie and Jeanne discussing how they both loved France, yet France killed them. Jeanne is concerned about the existence of her [[ADarkerMe Alter Self.]] Marie tells her that of course Jeanne is confused--she doesn't have a darker self. But if an Alter Version of Marie were to appear, Marie would fight it, sure. But she would understand that it was the "less than 10% of herself" that hated France for killing her son, Charles. It was suspected that Louis-Charles, though officially declared to have died of tuberculosis, actually died from torture ''when he was 10''. It gets even more heartbreaking in ''LightNovel/FateRequiem'', where Louise-Charles is an Avenger [[DoomMagnet who brings misfortune to those come near him]].

** Avicebron's sacrifice. Before death, he confessed and is clearly ashamed of his actions in the previous [[LightNovel/FateApocrypha Holy Grail War he took part in]], and right before dissipating, encouraged you to fight and restore the world. It also crowns both as a heartwarming and awesome moment since Avicebron's sacrifice by using his heart is what led to the creation of Golem Keter Malkuth, and thus gave you a chance of going against Ivan the Terrible.

* Assassin EMIYA/Kiritsugu's interlude is basically him going on a mission; after the obligatory battle, we are treated to post-mission down-time where Jaguarman/Taiga and Dress of Heaven/Irisviel stalk him around. They also try to establish whether he remembers them from the mainline ''LightNovel/FateZero'' and ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' timeline. Based on everyone they talk to[[note]]i.e. Archer EMIYA, Diarmuid, Altria and El-Melloi II/Waver[[/note]]... [[ThatManIsDead it seems he doesn't]]. The sequence ends with a monologue from Assassin EMIYA showing he knows he's being stalked... [[JerkAss and he's annoyed by it]]. Even when Irisviel basically goes out and admits [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove she has feelings for him despite being from a separate universe]], he brusquely dismisses her and [[DoNotCallMePaul tells her to not call him]] 'Kiritsugu'--only by class. This ends with Irisviel clearly running out of the room crying--while Illya and Chloe/Kuro wonder why they're affected by what they saw. Damn, did Creator/GenUrobuchi write this?!

* The Saber Wars II event gives us a few unexpected blows. Space Ishtar’s backstory is surprisingly depressing. Much like Rin in {{VisualNovel/FateStayNight}}, she came home one day as just a young girl to find her father had been mortally wounded. It hurts a little more because Professor Tokiomi is [[AdaptationalNiceGuy a much more benevolent father figure]] than [[LightNovel/FateZero the original Tokiomi]].

** There are a few hints that [[Cowgirl Calamity Jane’s]] cheerful, scatterbrained demeanor is [[StepfordSmiler not nearly as complete as she pretends]]. [[spoiler: She was a member of the original Servant team who defeated and sealed away the Primordial Goddess thousands of years ago, with her and Sigurd being the only survivors. The two of them were subsequently [[WhoWantsToLiveForever curses with immortality]] out of spite for the Goddess’s defeat. Jane’s feelings on the matter are only hinted at, but it is stated she chooses not to dwell on it for fear of being overwhelmed by a millennium of pain and loneliness]].

** Adding to this is the identity of his murderer: Warrior of Darkness Munenori. [[BaitTheDog We are initially led to believe]] that WOD Munenori is [[AffablyEvil an embarrassingly amusing mentor figure]] for Ashtart. [[spoiler: then we see that he cut down Professor Tokiomi without any remorse, and he admits outright [[KickTheDog he’s perfectly willing to sacrifice Ashtart to awaken the Primordial Goddess and never truly cared about her]].

* The Saber Wars II event gives us a few unexpected blows. Space Ishtar’s backstory is surprisingly depressing. Much like Rin in [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight]], she came home one day as just a young girl to find her father had been mortally wounded. It hurts a little more because Professor Tokiomi is [[AdaptationalNiceGuy a much more benevolent father figure]] than [[LightNovel/FateZero the original Tokiomi]].
** Adding to this is the identity of his murderer: Warrior of Darkness Munenori. [[BaitTheDog We are initially led to believe]] that WOD Munenori is [[AffablyEvil an embarrassingly amusing mentor figure]] for Ashtart. [[spoiler: then we see that he cut down Professor Tokiomi without any remorse, and he admits outright [[KickTheDog he’s perfectly willing to sacrifice Ashtart to awaken the Primordial Goddess and never truly cared about her]].

** Mixed with [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Heartwarming] is Mysterious Heroine X briefly reuniting with MHX Alter in an [[AfterlifeAntechamber Afterlife Antechamber]].