History TearJerker / HonkaiStarRail

* The [[https://youtu.be/8-MFg_0wY4U animated short]] showcasing the backstory of Jing Yuan and his master, Jingliu. Once a proud warrior and protector of the Luofu, she nonetheless becomes Mara-Struck, forcing her student to [[MercyKill take her down.]] Just before being hit by his strongest attack, [[GoOutWithASmile you can see her give a brief smile.]]

** Robin seeing just who exactly her brother is and how far away he moved from the ideals they once shared. It devastates her to oppose Sunday but she has to do it because Sunday absolutely cannot be allowed to win.

** Gallagher's existence is another tragedy of its own, being one of Mikhail's followers, he is the last person to have known of the old story of Penacony that ended up buried by the Family and has kept his duty as guardian of the real Dreamscape thanks to his powers of Enigmata, with the implication that the Gallagher persona is also another living memory who has held out for so long in hopes that one day the Astral Express returns to pass on to them the legacy of Mikhail. And much like Misha, he's implied to have vanished once his long duty has been fulfilled. [[spoiler:The "Scorchsand Vacation" quest reveals that "Dormancy", the Something Unto Death meme that was under his control, had been sadly calling for him since he vanished. The quest's credits also list his name as †Gallagher†, indicating that he is gone for good.]]

** During the 2.2 Story Quest, it's been revealed that Mikhail is dead, but that's not the sad part, the sad part comes before the Trailblazer gains the path of Harmony when they have to take up the Watchmaker's Legacy. Poor little Misha, so young, so naïve, is actually a living memory of the dead Mikhail, and once Misha recalls this, the fact that he was Mikhail Char Legwork, the Watchmaker and the third Nameless that aided Penacony in its time of need, his usual nervous and youthful tone begins to overlap with a somber and mature one. After the reveal, the game shows a montage of Mikhail's life, from his beginnings as a tinkerer to his life with his fellow nameless to the days he spent in Penacony up until his death. When you reach the end of it, you yourself walk Misha to his doom, and when you reach his chair, he and Clockie have a final heart-to-heart, with Clockie actively panicking over Misha saying that their experience of trailblazing is over, and that Clockie has to move on all on his own. You have led Misha back to where he was, sitting on his seat as he falters, offering you, the Trailblazer, his hat. This entire scene is melancholic with the death of Misha fully unveiled, rather, the long known death of Mikhail. You now have the Watchmaker's Legacy, but at the cost of someone who simply wanted to explore, not knowing that that dream was impossible to reach, like trying to reach the stars on land.

** Gallagher's existence is another tragedy of its own, being one of Mikhail's followers, he is the last person to have known of the old story of Penacony that ended up buried by the Family and has kept his duty as guardian of the real Dreamscape thanks to his powers of Enigmata, with the implication that the Gallagher persona is also another living memory who has held out for so long in hopes that one day the Astral Express returns to pass on to them the legacy of Mikhail. And much like Misha, he's implied to have vanished once his long duty has been fulfilled.

** After Sunday uses the [[{{Geas}} Path of Harmony]] on Aventurine, the gambler starts having hallucinations taunting him about his past. It's revealed that when he was born, he was blessed with good fortune, but this did little to help as his family was one by one murdered by Katicans until only he survived. His hallucinated self also points out that he and his sister hid from the Katicans by pretending to be corpses lying in muddy water when their mother was killed, which ruined his father's last shirt- which Aventurine admits he still possesses, even as his hallucination mocks him that it's barely a rag he can't wear with his current status. After his family died, Aventurine was sold as a slave to a man who branded him "Number Thirty-Five" and utilized him and his luck as some kind of toy with no regard for whether he lived or died and ignored Aventurine's attempt to buy himself back. Eventually, Aventurine murdered him and made a deal with Jade for a new life, but was still left with intense self-loathing and SurvivorsGuilt over his luck saving him while everyone he loved died. As he follows the hallucinations, the depressive text starts showing up in the step descriptions, with one just devolving into a variety of insults and calling him a loser over and over. Lastly, he has EmptyEyes as an adult, which was not the case when he was a child. All of this has left Aventurine as a DeathSeeker who ends up [[SuicideByCop manipulating Acheron into killing him]] by attacking the Astral Express crew.

** During the 2.2 Story Quest, it's been revealed that Mikhail is dead, but that's not the sad part, the sad part comes before the Trailblazer gains the path of Harmony when they have to take up the Watchmaker's Legacy. Poor little Misha, so young, so naïve, is actually a living memory of the dead Mikhail, and once Misha recalls this, the fact that he was Mikhail Char Legwork, the Watchmaker and the third Nameless that aided Penacony in its time of need, his voice changes from his usual nervous and youthful tone to a somber and mature one. After the reveal, the game shows a montage of Mikhail's life, from his beginnings as a tinkerer to his life with his fellow nameless to the days he spent in Penacony up until his death. When you reach the end of it, you yourself walk Misha to his doom, and when you reach his chair, he and Clockie have a final heart-to-heart, with Clockie actively panicking over Misha saying that their experience of trailblazing is over, and that Clockie has to move on all on his own. You have led Misha back to where he was, sitting on his seat as he falters, offering you, the Trailblazer, his hat. This entire scene is melancholic with the death of Misha fully unveiled, rather, the long known death of Mikhail. You now have the Watchmaker's Legacy, but at the cost of someone who simply wanted to explore, not knowing that that dream was impossible to reach, like trying to reach the stars on land.

** During the 2.2 Story Quest, it's been revealed that Mikhail is dead, but that's not the sad part, the sad part comes before the Trailblazer gains the path of Harmony when they have to take up the Watchmaker's Legacy. Poor little Misha, so young, so naïve, is actually a living memory of the dead Mikhail, and once Misha recalls this, the fact that he was Mikhail Char Legwork, the Watchmaker and the third Nameless that aided Penacony in its time of need. Once this is revealed, the game shows a montage of Mikhail's life, from his beginnings as a tinkerer to his life with his fellow nameless to the days he spent in Penacony up until his death. When you reach the end of it, you yourself walk Misha to his doom, and when you reach his chair, he and Clockie have a final heart-to-heart, with Clockie actively panicking over Misha saying that their experience of trailblazing is over, and that Clockie has to move on all on his own. You have led Misha back to where he was, sitting on his seat as he falters, offering you, the Trailblazer, his hat. This entire scene is melancholic with the death of Misha fully unveiled, rather, the long known death of Mikhail. You now have the Watchmaker's Legacy, but at the cost of someone who simply wanted to explore, not knowing that that dream was impossible to reach, like trying to reach the stars on land.

** Gallagher's existence is another tragedy of its own, being one of Mikhail's followers, he is the last person to have known of the old story of Penacony that ended up buried by the Family and has kept his duty as guardian of the real Dreamscape thanks to his powers of Enigmata, with the implication that he's also another living memory who has held out for so long in hopes that one day the Astral Express returns to pass on to them the legacy of Mikhail. And much like Misha, he's implied to have vanished once his long duty has been fulfilled.

** During the 2.2 Story Quest, it's been revealed that Mikhail is dead, but that's not the sad part, the sad part comes before the Trailblazer gains the path of Harmony. Poor little Misha, so young, so naive, unknowing of his true self, dead, and once Misha recalls this, the fact that he was Mikhail Char Legwork, you yourself walk Misha to his doom. Misha and Clockie have a heart-to-heart, with Clockie actively panicking over Misha saying that their experience of trailblazing is over, and that Clockie has to move on all on his own. You have led Misha back to where he was, sitting on his seat as he falters, offering you, the Trailblazer, his hat. This entire scene is melancholic with the death of Misha fully unveiled, rather, the long known death of Mikhail. You now have the Watchmaker's Legacy, but at the cost of someone who simply wanted to explore, not knowing that that dream was impossible to reach, like trying to reach the stars on land.

** For starters, the various members of the Dreamjolt Troupe that you serve drinks to, who each have their personalities and quirks, reveal that this is how the entire Dreamjolt Troupe used to be, and the reason why most of them have become the mooks you encounter in the world is because the creeping colapse of the Dreamscape has driven them insane due to their sensitivity to the emotions in the land of dreams, with the drinks you serve being essentially medicine that keeps the corruption at bay. Adding to the tragedy, later on the Trailblazer sees the backstory of the critters and the treatment they went through was awful as a whole, made worse by how Siobhan refers to the monsters as kids at heart, with Siobhan the first human who has treated them with kindness in general.

** Finally, there's the revelation that the reason this is all happening is because the Family refused, and still refuses, to deal with the colapse of the Dreamscape, preferring to resort to short term solutions like destroying the members of the Dreamjolt Troupe instead of addressing the heart of the issue, and as Siobhan herself says, even she's aware that her drinksmithing can't keep her monsters sane forever, but she would rather try to do something for them instead of leaving them to their fates as the heads of the Family have done so far.

** During the 2.2 Story Quest, it's been revealed that Mikhail is dead, but that's not the sad part, the sad part comes before the Trailblazer gains the path of Harmony. Poor little Misha, so young, so naive, unknowing of his true self, dead, and once Misha recalls this, the fact that he was Mikhail Char Legwork, you yourself walk Misha to his doom. Misha and Clockie have a heart-to-heart, with Clockie actively panicking over Misha saying that their experience of trailblazing is over, and that Clockie has to move on all on his own. You have led Misha back to where he was, sitting on his seat as he falters, offering you, the Trailblazer, his hat. This entire scene is melancholic with the death of Misha fully unveiled, rather, the long known death of Mikhail. You now have the Watchmaker's Legacy, but at the cost of someone, the cost of someone who simply wanted to explore, not knowing that that dream was impossible to reach, like trying to reach the stars on land.
*** This could be ever worse with how connected Misha, Clockie, and the Trailblazer are. Misha's but a dream, and this is highlighted in the "Keeping Up With Star Rail" video for the Trailblazer, where Owlbert dreams of the entire meeting with Misha. Misha supports the Trailblazer with the statement, saying that he hopes that they can travel further into the ever distant future. Once Owlbert wakes up, you can see a note with a hat on it, saying "Per Aspera Ad Astra", meaning "through adversity, through the stars", befitting the Trailblaze. It's melancholic, realizing that he's gone.

* In contrast with other events, ''Vignettes in a Cup'' also features a tragic tint to its entire story, both amongst the characters and at the background of the event.
** For starters, the various members of the Dreamjolt Troupe that you serve drinks to, who each have their personalities and quirks, reveal that this is how the entire Dreamjolt Troupe members used to be, and the reason why most of them have become the mooks you encounter in the world is because the creeping colapse of the Dreamscape has driven them insane due to their sensitivity to the emotions in the land of dreams, with the drinks you serve being essentially medicine that keeps the corruption at bay. Adding to the tragedy, later on the Trailblazer sees the backstory of the critters and the treatment they went through was awful as a whole, made worse by how Siobhan refers to the monsters as kids at heart, with Siobhan the first human who has treated them with kindness in general.

*** And it's not just Gray Bean Paste who feels dejected, if the player roams around the lab where all the creations are housed and talk to them or overhear their conversations, all the poor little critters all feel lonely and sad for being neglected and abandoned by Ruan Mei.

** Cocolia's death scene, where Bronya desperately tries to save her in vain and breaks down crying when she's unable to do so. To twist the knife further, Cocolia's last act is to flash a warm and sincere smile at her dear daughter, heavily implying that [[DyingAsYourself she died finally being free of the Stellaron's corruption.]]
** The MotivationalLie Bronya and Seele come up with regarding Cocolia's death may have been for the greater good, but it is not without consequences, which is clearly shown in Serval's story quest. Because Serval never learns the truth behind what really happened to her former close friend, she furiously denounces Cocolia as a backstabbing bitch who completely ruined her life after becoming the Supreme Guardian, and smashes the guitar that the two of them created together, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness breaking down in a fit of rage and despair.]] Even though the Stellaron corrupted Cocolia, it's not to say that she's faultless and still chose to leave Serval anyway.

** A look into Jing Yuan's relationships, it's shown that basically most of his friends have left for their own reasons. The High-Cloud Quintet he used to be a part of broke, and he still misses them. Having to kill his marastruck former mentor without having bonded closely with her, Yinxing and Dan Feng's crimes of betrayal, and so on have left Jing Yuan in wistful nostalgia when Blade (formerly Yinxing) has just finished his and Kafka's end of the deal and Dan Heng makes it clear to him that the man he once knew and befriended pre-reincarnation is already gone and just wants to find and protect his friends. This is even moreso painful in that despite Dan Feng dying, and the man he talks to now is a different person it's clear that Jing Yuan has difficulty coming to terms with it. He eventually acquiesces to move on from the former elder's actions, but on the condition of helping Xianzhou. He's still the general, after all. This on top of Jing Yuan admitting that he's an old man who has grown listless over the years and saddled with a long career he never wanted, but has to fulfill for the sake of its people. He's thankfully alive and well in 1.3, but the last we see him is falling unconscious from being targeted by Phantylia and speared.
** The resolution of the story has you tell Yukong about what happened to Tingyun. The poor woman looks ''very'' heartbroken, and it becomes worse when you remember that Yukong has ''already'' suffered a major loss in the past, and Tingyun's apparent death only rubs salt in her wounds. You are later tasked with giving gifts to the people who knew Tingyun and were quite close with her, and you get more heartbreaking details from them at how Tingyun touched their lives, receiving items to be used in what is basically her funeral. As the starskiff containing the mementos flies away, Yukong looks to the sky with a devastated look on her face, and vows to avenge Tingyun if she truly is dead.
** In a sense, the whole thing with Dan Shu can be seen as heartbreaking. Sure, she lead the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and caused several people to become Mara-struck, but she very much lead a difficult life; being blind and her condition as a long-life species makes artificial implants temporary and even painful when her blindness returns. While her actions are inexcusable, she simply wanted to cure her blindness, only to be betrayed by Phantylia. And if you did her side-quest beforehand, it makes everything even harder.

** Firefly is [[DelicateAndSickly a sick girl]] who became a stowaway in Penacony to escape her illness, as she could move freely in the dream without having to worry about her real body. [[NiceGirl She was the nicest person that the Trailblazer met in Penacony]], showing them around the city, warning them of dangers and trying her best to repay the kindness she was given. The two bonded enough for Firefly to show the Trailblazer her secret hideout, a beautiful overlook of the city at the edge of the dream, and here she poured her heart out[[note]]In the English dub, Firefly sounds like she's one second away from breaking down in tears during her confession[[/note]] before the two took an extremely cute selfie together. Alas, they soon became trapped within the real dreamscape of Penacony, where "Death" lingers; [[HopeSpot despite Black Swan saving them the first time and assuring the Trailblazer that Firefly had made it out safely]], the next time they entered it's revealed that not only was she there, she's also ''running''. When the Trailblazer hurried up and reunite with her, "Death" appears so quickly that none among Black Swan, Acheron, or the Trailblazer can react to it grabbing and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling Firefly]]. In her last moments, [[SorryThatImDying Firefly's last words was a simple "sorry" to the Trailblazer]], tears running down her cheeks before she dissolved into liquid the moment the Trailblazer caught her.
*** The Trailblazer was so distraught afterward that both Acheron and Black Swan had to calm them down, and the choices the player can make shows just how sad, shocked, and frustrated the Trailblazer felt. To dig the knife even deeper, interacting with the shiny spot on the floor afterwards will show you her phone and how Firefly was planning to send the selfie that she took with the Trailblazer to them before it, too, disappeared as an arranged version of ''If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking'' plays in the background, and it is '''heart-wrenching'''.

----> (...) It's not an easy place to find. The person who introduced it to you truly values your friendship by sharing this view. You think back to the times you spent with her. All those cherished memories... but the one you'll never forget was the complex whirl of emotions when she first revealed her true identity to you. ...Was her past identity all just a ruse? Were those tears when she got stabbed all just an act? Is that being... that thing which fought while covered in heated flames... who she really is? Doubt and confussion leave you discombobulated. After all, the line between what's real and what's false in this dreamscape is far more blurred than it seems... Gazing up at those tall towers before you, you lose yourself deep in contemplation.

* Despite Serval's more lax attitude, especially compared to her more serious younger brother, her Companion Quest explores just how much Cocolia haunts her even from the grave. The quest starts off with her wanting to join the Astral Express to explore other worlds, but it soon becomes apparent that seeing other worlds isn't the only reason she wants to leave Belobog as she later admits that she isn't good when it comes to dealing with complicated relationships and that her first response is to often run away when confronted with them such as with Cocolia and her parents. When they confront Cocolia's memory in the Fragmentum, Serval completely breaks down when the Trailblazer reveals that the Fragmentum monster is calling out Serval and Gepard's names and the latter realizes that the particular monster they are facing must be one of the memories of past Supreme Guardians- in this case, it's Cocolia. Serval screams that Cocolia keeps haunting her even after death and that no matter what, she can never seem to forget her. Even though Serval desperately wants to move on, it seems that she can't because she has never gotten closure and never will now that her former best friend is dead. Even after defeating the monster, Serval's voice is quiet and you can hear both her emotional and mental exhaustion after the events even though she says she feels like a weight has been lifted. Her emotions eventually reach a breaking point when she visits the site of Cocolia's demise, where, instead of performing a song of parting, she smashes her prized guitar in bitter frustration. Due to the fact that Bronya and Seele have covered up the true events with a MotivationalLie so that their society wouldn't collapse in the face of the AwfulTruth, Serval will never learn the truth behind about how Cocolia was corrupted by the Stellaron, instead believing that Cocolia coldly betrayed her without justification.

* The entire existence of Pascal, a robot from Clara's quests. Pascal was once a guardian for Rivet Town before the Fragmentum took hold, but was shut down due to a lack of power. Once he reactivated, he found that the entire town was empty due to evacuation, and he decided to repair Rivet Town so the people could come back. However, the monsters within the Fragmentum damaged him, forcing him to repair himself with parts corrupted by the Fragmentum, which quickly caused his fellow robots to identify him as a Fragmentum creature himself. By the time Clara's quests begin, he's in a cobbled-together shell stealing parts from the camps, barely able to function or speak. At first it seems that Clara can repair him by switching out his shell, and she and the Trailblazer discover that Pascal has developed emotions like a human. However, Svarog analyzes Pascal, and reveals that Pascal is still unstable, even in the proper shell for his core, and that there is too much corrupted data to effectively fix. While Clara is adamant that she can and will fix him as often as needed and teach him not to hurt humans, Svarog insists that the best course of action is to format Pascal and integrate him into the same network as the other robots, which will lead to a DeathOfPersonality for Pascal. The final choice falls on the Trailblazer to determine Pascal's fate: to keep him as he is even though it will force Clara to constantly repair and reteach him and not address the root of the matter, or to format him to neutralize any risks at the cost of erasing his emotions.

* Yukong's quest 'For I Have Touched the Sky' is infamous for making people cry. It starts when her daughter Qingni rebels against her desk job and goes to fix an emergency in a starskiff but crashes and gets caught up with monsters, resulting in the Trailblazer, Welt, and Yukong coming to save her. Afterwards, mother and daughter get into an argument about Yukong's refusal to even allow Qingni to train for what she wants be, a fighter pilot like her mother. To better understand why Yukong is so adamant, Qingni recruits the Trailblazer and Welt to learn why, and they learn from Jing Yuan that Yukong gave up flying due to the aftershocks of the Third Denizens of Abundance War. Then, they sneak a peak at Yukong's diary and discover that she lost her best friend Caiyi in said war. ''Then'', they find Caiyi's diary in Yukong's desk and discover that ''Caiyi is Qingni's actual biological mother'', having been adopted by Yukong after both her parents were killed in combat. Along with this discovery is the revelation that Caiyi swore Yukong to never allow Qingni to become a fighter pilot. The next time Qingni meets Yukong, she reveals what she now knows, and the player is treated to a knife in the heart of a cutscene in which they witness '''[[DiedInYourArmsTonight Caiyi dying in Yukong's arms]]'''. After Yukong explains how she now feels that everything she's accomplished as a pilot has been meaningless since then, especially since Lan singlehandedly ended the war only after hundreds of thousands of soldiers had died, Qingni acknowledges the risks and states that nonetheless, she still wants to be a fighter pilot. Finally, Yukong gives her blessing and apologizes for overruling Qingni's decisions. Then, the two have this exchange:

* The story of Cyrille, the Eighth Supreme Guardian, in the Vessel of Mediocrity quests. Cyrille and her older sister, Cyrilla, were orphans. Even though it was Cyrille who became the Eighth Supreme Guardian, it was her sister who the Architects originally set their eyes on becoming the next Supreme Guardian due to the fact that she was a prodigy. Cyrille on the other hand was ignored for her more [[ChildProdigy prodigious older sister]] with the exception of the then Prime Minister Stefan Martinez who treated her with kindness while everyone else ignored her. But on the eve that Cyrilla was going to be acknowledged as the next Supreme Guardian, she completely vanished. People searched for her for days, but she had vanished without a trace. After they had given up on looking for her, the Prime Minster pushed to have Cyrille become the Eight Supreme Guardian in her place, claiming that she was as talented as her sister. After she became the next Supreme Guardian, it came evident that Cyrille was nowhere near as competent as her sister due to the lack of formal training and that the real power behind her was [[EvilChancellor Prime Minister Stefan]] who then proceeded to install draconian laws and garner power for himself. Eventually, some of the Architects proceeded to plot against Cyrille and the Prime Minister and had allied themselves with the then Captain of the Guard. They planned on luring them both to an isolated location to deal with them, but only Cyrille showed up. She was then knocked out, tossed into an armory box, and then murdered. To add salt to the wound, she was posthumously called Cyrille the Fool by the people who despised her despite the fact that she was essentially a victim of a power hungry tyrant politician who manipulated her for his own gain. Cyrille's life was a complete tragedy as she lost her last family, was manipulated into becoming a political tool by a man who took advantage of her, and was then hated by everyone around her because she trusted the wrong person. In the end, she was murdered by [[MisplacedRetribution by the people unhappy with the Prime Minister's draconian laws and tyranny]]. All the Trailblazer can do is fight her regret in the Fragmentum to finally give her peace and free her from being trapped in the Fragmentum.
* The mini-quest in Rivet Town involving a blind girl, her older sisters and a fiasco with a Warp Trotter. A girl left her home to find something to give her younger sister to eat, but was killed. Her sister waited at home, and when you bring her her sister's bell, it's implied she died of grief. When giving her music box to her sister, her sister fades away as well- meaning they were stuck in the Fragmentum and it was only through your actions that either found peace.

* The quest "Envision a Rose Forthcoming" focuses on Cocona, a luxury clothing shop owner in Penacony. When the Trailblazer first meets her, Cocona appears to be unfocused and suffering from short term memory loss, with Clockie warning that her emotions are being artificially suppressed. The Trailblazer then consults a dream doctor, who provides a special type of [=SoulGlad=] that suppresses a person's negative emotions and memories, meaning that they are very aware of Cocona's issues but only treat their symptoms without bothering to figure out the underlying cause. The Trailblazer then convinces Cocona to wean herself off of the "treatment", but this causes her negative memories to return and she becomes outright ''suicidal''. The Trailblazer then enters Cocona's personal Dreamscape to get to the root of her emotional trauma and relives her memories. Cocona was initially a very promising student who had a talent for singing. However, her overbearing parents crushed her dreams to become a singer and forced her to work for the Reverie, even going so far as to hold on to her earnings until she got married to further cement their control over her. Then, after being assigned to a clothing shop, Cocona was continually bullied by her bosses and coworkers until she learned to completely suppress her feelings. Later, she had the chance [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere to leave Penacony]] with her fiance, but after losing a massive sports bet and getting into debt with the Family, it's highly implied that he was killed, [[HopeSpot leaving Cocona alone once again]]. The Trailblazer then finds Cocona standing on the edge of a roof, ready to jump. At this point, the Trailblazer can choose to save Cocona or let her jump. If she is saved, the quest ends on a hopeful note with Cocona coming to terms with her trauma and deciding to move forward to become a singer. If she jumps, the Trailblazer later returns to reality only to find the doctors not very surprised at Cocona's situation and Cocona's shop under new ownership with the heavy implication that [[DrivenToSuicide Cocona committed suicide]]. Even worse, the clerk who replaces her shows the exact same emotional emptiness she did, meaning that Penacony's cruel cycle of exploitation will continue. This is one of the few quests where it's possible to earn an outright DownerEnding.

* Dan Heng and his backstory can seem like this, especially if you talk to Pom-Pom. One of the things that the conductor says about Dan Heng is that he mentioned "being able to sleep on the rope". In the 1800s-early 1900s, people could pay a penny to sleep over a rope hung from one wall to another, sometimes without even a bench to sit on. It was generally used by the homeless, or by broke and drunk sailors. Coupled with the fact that he sleeps on a small mat on the floor of the Express' archives, with only a thin quilt and heat from the server unit for warmth, one has to wonder...
** Knowing that he is Imbibitor Lunae's reincarnation gives greater context to Dan Heng's suffering. Dan Heng's character stories describes how he, who has no memories of his previous life as Dan Feng, was kept imprisoned since his hatching, relying only on information he read in books to educate himself about the outside world. The only time he was allowed out and got to see the Luofu for himself was the day he was permanently exiled, and he left with the knowledge that some of his fellow citizens hated him for a crime his current self didn't commit. Dan Heng then spent his days [[WalkingTheEarth wandering the galaxy]] trying to distance himself from his past but remains fearful of the power within him, and to make things worse Blade persistently hunts him down, causing '''annihilation''' whenever he goes, and Dan Heng can never be rid of him permanently due to the latter's strong HealingFactor, to the point where Blade haunts his nightmares. He was stuck in survival mode until Himeko invited him onto the Express, where he could finally feel safe, relax and get a good night's sleep.

*** The end of 2.1 comes with [[WhamShot the reveal]] that Firefly is none other than ''Sam'', a Stellaron Hunter. Although "Sam" does tell Acheron that the Nameless is not her enemy, and Acheron realizes that "Sam" was not aiming to actually kill the Trailblazer but to simply separate them from Acheron, it brings into question... just how much of [[WasItAllALie Firefly's friendship with the Trailblazer is real]], and how much of it was just her [[TheFakeCutie playing along]] to Elio's script to draw them in?

* The quest "Envision a Rose Forthcoming" focuses on Cocona, a luxury clothing shop owner in Penacony. When the Trailblazer first meets her, Cocona appears to be unfocused and suffering from short term memory loss, with Clockie warning that her emotions are being artificially suppressed. The Trailblazer then consults a dream doctor, who provides a special type of [=SoulGlad=] that suppresses a person's negative emotions and memories, meaning that they are very aware of Cocona's issues but only treat their symptoms without bothering to figure out the underlying cause. The Trailblazer then convinces Cocona to wean herself off of the "treatment", but this causes her negative memories to return and she becomes outright ''suicidal''. The Trailblazer then enters Cocona's personal Dreamscape to get to the root of her emotional trauma and relives her memories. Cocona was initially a very promising student who had a talent for singing. However, her overbearing parents crushed her dreams to become a singer and forced her to work for the Reverie, even going so far as to hold on to her earnings until she got married to further cement their control over her. Then, after being assigned to a clothing shop, Cocona was continually bullied by her bosses and coworkers until she learned to completely suppress her feelings. Later, she had to chance [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere to leave Penacony]] with her fiance, but after losing a massive sports bet and getting into debt with the Family, it's highly implied that he was killed, [[HopeSpot leaving Cocona alone once again]]. The Trailblazer then finds Cocona standing on the edge of a roof, ready to jump. At this point, the Trailblazer can choose to save Cocona or let her jump. If she is saved, the quest ends on a hopeful note with Cocona coming to terms with her trauma and deciding to move forward to become a singer. If she jumps, the Trailblazer later returns to reality only to find the doctors not very surprised at Cocona's situation and Cocona's shop under new ownership with the heavy implication that [[DrivenToSuicide Cocona committed suicide]]. Even worse, the clerk who replaces her shows the exact same emotional emptiness she did, meaning that Penacony's cruel cycle of exploitation will continue. This is one of the few quests where it's possible to earn an outright DownerEnding.

Being one of the funniest game entries by Hoyoverse doesn't prevent this game from being as heart-breaking and saddening as the other entries when need be. And in typical Hoyoverse tradition, some scenes are guaranteed to leave you in tears as they ensue.

Despite the fact that there is a lot of humour in ''Honkai: Star Rail'', it is still a Hoyoverse game which means a lot of sad moments as well.

** If you refuse Himeko's offer, the Trailblazer chooses to stay on the Herta Space Station instead of joining the Astral Express. After Herta loses interest in them and the Stellaron, the Trailblazer becomes a researcher on the station, and the Express visits a few more times before "disappearing for good". While this fake ending is PlayedForLaughs, featuring a credits sequence that expresses special thanks to the Antimatter Legion, the narration implies that the decision to stay in effect dooms the Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters.

** Firefly is [[DelicateAndSickly a sick girl]] who became a stowaway in Penacony to escape her illness, as she could move freely in the dream without having to worry about her real body. [[NiceGirl She was the nicest person that the Trailblazer met in Penacony]], showing them around the city, warning them of dangers and trying her best to repay the kindness she was given. The two bonded enough for Firefly to show the Trailblazer her secret hideout, a beautiful overlook of the city at the edge of the dream, and here she poured her heart out[[note]]In the English dub, Firefly sounds like she's one second away from breaking down in tears during her confession[[/note]] before the two took an extremely cute selfie together. Alas, they soon became trapped within the real dreamscape of Penacony, where "Death" lingers; [[HopeSpot despite Black Swan saving them the first time and assuring the Trailblazer that Firefly had made it out safely]], the next time they entered it's revealed that not only was she there, she's also ''running''. When the Trailblazer hurried up and reunite with her, "Death" appears so quickly that none among Black Swan, Acheron or the Trailblazer could react to it grabbing and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling Firefly]]. In her last moments, [[SorryThatImDying Firefly's last words was a simple "sorry" to the Trailblazer]], tears running down her cheeks before she dissolved into liquid the moment the Trailblazer caught her.
*** The Trailblazer was so distraught afterwards that both Acheron and Black Swan had to calm them down, and the choices the player can make shows just how sad, shocked and frustrated the Trailblazer felt. To dig the knife even deeper, interacting with the shiny spot on the floor afterwards will show you her phone and how Firefly was planning to send the selfie that she took with the Trailblazer to them before it, too, disappeared as an arranged version of ''If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking'' plays in the background, and it is '''heart-wrenching'''.
*** If even ''that'' wasn't enough, you can return to her secret base after completing the 2.0 story, where you can find both her sticker and a special interaction on the railing. Interacting with it will give you an internal narration on how the Trailblazer felt about the whole ordeal, giving you a Sad Gear, Angry Gear, and the achievement "Between the Sky and You" for revisiting the secret base alone. Completing the whole deal is how the instrumental version of ''If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking'' will always play in the secret base.

*** The end of 2.1 comes with the reveal that Firefly is none other than ''Sam'', a Stellaron Hunter. Although "Sam" does tell Acheron that the Nameless are not her enemy, and Acheron realizes that "Sam" was not aiming to actually kill the Trailblazer but to simply separate them from Acheron, it brings into question...just how much of Firefly's friendship with the Trailblazer is real, and how much of it was just her playing along to Elio's script to draw them in?
** After Sunday uses the [[{{Geas}} Path of Harmony]] on Aventurine, the gambler starts having hallucinations taunting him about his past. It's revealed that when he was born, he was blessed with good fortune, but this did little to help as his family was one by one murdered by Katicans until only he survived. His hallucinated self also points out that he and his sister hid from the Katicans by pretending to be corpses by lying muddy water when their mother was killed, which ruined his father's last shirt- which Aventurine admits he still possesses, even as his hallucination mocks him that it's barely a rag he can't wear with his current status. After his family died, Aventurine was sold as a slave to a man who branded him "Number Thirty-Five" and utilized him and his luck as some kind of toy with no regard for whether he lived or died, and ignored Aventurine's attempt to buy himself back. Eventually, Aventurine murdered him and made a deal with Jade for a new life, but was still left with intense self-loathing and SurvivorsGuilt over his luck saving him while everyone he loved died. As he follows the hallucinations, depressive text starts showing up in the step descriptions, with one just devolving into a variety of insults and calling him a loser over and over. Lastly, he has EmptyEyes as an adult, which was not the case when he was a child. All of this has left Aventurine as a DeathSeeker who ends up [[SuicideByCop manipulating Acheron into killing him]] by attacking the Astral Express crew.

*** The end of 2.1 comes with the reveal that Firefly is none other than ''Sam'', a Stellaron Hunter. Although "Sam" does tell Acheron that the Nameless are not your enemy, it brings into question...just how much of Firefly's friendship with the Trailblazer is real, and how much of it was just her playing along to Elio's script to draw them in?

* Lynx's quest reveals the truth behind what happened to Pela's mother, Penya. Penya was pregnant with Pela when she came along during an expedition, but the conditions suddenly took a turn for the worse, and she was about to give birth. Miraculously, Pela was born healthy, but the conditions took a heavy toll on Penya, [[DeathByChildbirth eventually killing her.]] Her last act was to keep a "treasure" for Pela to open when she grew older, but it was lost to the snow after an attack by the Fragmentum. Lynx manages to find it and give it to Pela, and the contents of the "treasure" are revealed to be numerous letters from Penya to her daughter. The normally reserved Pela completely breaks down crying after reading the contents of the letters.

[[folder: Messages]] [[/folder]]

** After Sunday uses the [[{{Geas}} Path of Harmony]] on Aventurine, the gambler starts having hallucinations taunting him about his past. It's revealed that when he was born, he was blessed with good fortune, but this did little to help as his family was one by one murdered by Katicans until only he survived. His hallucinated self also points out that he and his sister hid from the Katicans by pretending to be corpses by lying muddy water when their mother was killed, which ruined his father's last shirt- which Aventurine admits he still possesses, even as his hallucination mocks him that it's barely a rag he can't wear with his current status. After his family died, Aventurine was sold as a slave to a man who branded him "Number Thirty-Five" and utilized him and his luck as some kind of toy with no regard for whether he lived or died, and ignored Aventurine's attempt to buy himself back. Eventually, Aventurine murdered him and made a deal with Jade for a new life, but was still left with intense self-loathing and SurvivorsGuilt over his luck saving him while everyone he loved died. As he follows the hallucinations, depressive text starts showing up in the step descriptions, with one just devolving into a variety of insults and calling him a loser over and over. Lastly, he has EmptyEyes as an adult, which was not the case when he was a child.

** The "When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine" Continuance Mission reveals that Ruan Mei abandons her projects if she's not satisfied with the results. When the Trailblazer meets the cat-like Gray Bean Paste, it's rather dejected and upset at being abandoned by Ruan Mei. Gray Bean Paste starts sobbing in the Trailblazer's voice about not being good enough for their creator and will start sadly singing a song to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as the Trailblazer carries it to the safe lab.

** One particular path contains several reincarnating Vidyadharas who suffered the consequences of Dan Feng's betrayal before undergoing reincarnation. They included a Preceptor in the Xianzhou Fanghu who got exiled to the Luofu, left alone and shunned for the rest of their life after advising the Glaciator Marum to deal with those who participated in Dan Feng's betrayal harshly, a guard of Dan Feng who stayed loyal to him and went on a last stand with his comrades against the Cloud Knights and the Preceptor he used to trust and respect, and a composer who made a song to celebrate Dan Feng, which ultimately was never played in public due to his betrayal, leading to them trashing their flute and vowing never to write another song in their life. The most heartwrenching one however is that of a Vidyadhara who saw the rampaging abomination Dan Feng and Yingxing created while trying to resurrect Baiheng. They were able to inspect the abomination when it fell and saw that its features included whiskers, beastly furs, and mercury-like eyes, implied to be derived from Baiheng's Foxian features, while the abomination showed a hint of fear. Unfortunately, the Vidyadhara was unable to escape before Jingliu appeared to slay the abomination, which she did by launching an icy attack that spread to the surrounding area, catching the Vidyadhara with it. Worse, Jingliu [[ApologeticAttacker faintly apologized]] to both the abomination who used to be her close comrade and the Vidyadhara who witnessed the incident before delivering the killing hit. The whole memory further contextualizes Jingliu's murderous animosity towards Yingxing (who's now known as Blade) that still persists even now.