History TearJerker / KillLaKill

*** Nui's situation in general is actually a mother-lode of [[FridgeHorror Fridge Depressant]] if you're willing to look back at her scant background details and allow some empathy: [[spoiler:She wasn't just infused with Life Fibers as a newborn, she was incubated in an artificial womb of them that made her merge with them as a fetus. Soichiro was nowhere to be seen when she was being gestated, so he likely wasn't involved with her life in any fashion, and certainly he had been driven off long before Nui could have developed enough to recognize or remember him later in life, and she grew up completely under Ragyo's thumb. She has no good relationship with any other character whatsoever, with Rei and Ragyo being aloof taskmasters, and all other characters being either enemies or mindless slaves. She is the only character to actually suffer permanent scarring and loss of limb throughout all the action in the series. She was brought up to see the Life Fibers and the faciliation of their reproduction cycle as her raison d'etre, and that her only value was in her abilities as a tailor, and when she both loses her arms and finishes the "Ultimate Kamui", her usefulness has culminated in her and her master's eyes, and there is nothing left and nowhere to go for her, and she when muses on how she could be killed in the final battle between humans and Life Fibers, she not only looks ready for the prospect, but relieved by it.]] She has the worst of both Satsuki and Ryuuko's entwined TragicPast combined into one, turned UpToEleven, and stripped of all the counterbalancing positive experiences and influences that gave them the initial perspective and strength to challenge their mother. Her entire character arc is reminiscent of [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Princess Azula]'s descent into madness from abandonment in her serie's finale, except Nui never had even the illusion of having loving companions, and there's no one in-universe who would actually feel, let alone show, her any pity.

*** Nui's situation in general is actually a mother-lode of [[FridgeHorror Fridge Depressant]] if you're willing to look back at her scant background details and allow some empathy: [[spoiler:She wasn't just infused with Life Fibers as a newborn, she was incubated in an artificial womb of them that made her merge with them as a fetus. Soichiro was nowhere to be seen when she was being gestated, so he likely wasn't involved with her life in any fashion, and certainly he had been driven off long before Nui could have developed enough to recognize or remember him later in life, and she grew up completely under Ragyo's thumb. She has no good relationship with any other character whatsoever, with Rei and Ragyo being aloof taskmasters, and all other characters being either enemies or mindless slaves. She is the only character to actually suffer permanent scarring and loss of limb throughout all the action in the series.]]

** Nui has regained a good deal of her composure but still very clearly traumatized from [[spoiler: the loss of her arms.]] Then Ragyo [[spoiler:creates Life Fiber prosthetics]] but explicitly says she only does it so that Nui will be more effective in battle, and does it in a way that mirrors [[spoiler:her predation of Satsuki and Ryuuko]] and Nui is visibly discomfitted by her actions. Then Nui laments how her [[spoiler: new arms]] don't give her the dexterity she used to have, but that they will do for this last task she has been assigned by Ragyo.

** Rei gets [[spoiler: [[DevourTheDragon absorbed as a sacrifice by Ragyo to complete Shinra-Kotetsu in Satsuki's place]] and simply stands by and resigns to it.

** Rei gets [[spoiler: [[DevourTheDragon absorbed as a sacrifice by Ragyo to complete Shinra-Kotetsu in Satsuki's place,]] and simply stands by and resigns to it.

** Rei gets [[spoiler:[[DevourTheDragon absorbed as a sacrifice by Ragyo to complete Shinra-Kotetsu in Satsuki's place,]] and simply stands by and resigns to it.

** Ryuko [[spoiler: took out her sword and threatened to kill Mako if she got in the way of her happiness. Even if it was fake, Ryuko really did wish to have a normal life and be a normal girl]]

** The look of horror and betrayal on []spoiler: Mako's face as she is nearly cut down by Ryuuko. Had Senketsu not tanked that hit with perfect timing...]]

** The look of horror and betrayal on [spoiler: Mako's face as she is nearly cut down by Ryuuko. Had Senketsu not tanked that hit with perfect timing...]

** Mako's motivational speeches continue to fail horribly... up to and including Mako ''literally'' entering Ryuko's mind to get her to stop [[spoiler: wearing Junketsu.]] You can tell that Mako was trying hard, because there [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness wasn't even any of that]] [[{{Leitmotif}} music in the background]], [[spoiler: and yet it still fails, ending with the first bit of bodily harm suffered by Mako that ''wasn't'' AmusingInjuries, with the screen fading to blood-red, leaving the viewer to question what the fuck just happened or even if Ryuko can be saved. Thankfully, they're both okay, with Ryuko pulling off Junketsu]] and [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank losing a ridiculous enough amount of blood]] to rival Steamboat Geyser, proclaiming that she ''has'' to [[spoiler: get Junketsu off]], or she can never [[Heartwarming/KillLaKill wear Senketsu again.]]
*** Mako wasn't hit by that strike. Senketsu intercepted it, fulfilling his promise to protect Mako even against Ryuko.
** Ryuko, [[spoiler: took out her sword and threatened to kill Mako if she got in the way of her happiness. Even if it was fake, Ryuko really did wish to have a normal life and be a normal girl]]

* Ryuko, [[spoiler: took out her sword and threatened to kill Mako if she got in the way of her happiness. Even if it was fake, Ryuko really did wish to have a normal life and be a normal girl]]

* Ragyo Kiryuin, possibly the worst mother of all time in Anime, and one of the worst in the history of television. She only allows her progeny to live to aid her in her plans, which range from sick and twisted to ''incredibly'' sick and twisted.

* Ragyo Kiryuin, television's most unfit mother. She only allows her progeny to live to aid her in her plans, which range from sick and twisted to ''incredibly'' sick and twisted.

*** [[spoiler:What's even worse is the fact that despite the MindRape, despite the tears, [[BreakTheCutie Ryuko.]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Is.]] [[FaceHeelTurn Smiling.]] Ragyo broke her so badly in those few seconds that Ryuko is now happy at what has happened to her.

*** [[spoiler:What's even worse is the fact that despite the MindRape, despite the tears, [[BreakTheCutey Ryuko.]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Is.]] [[FaceHeelTurn Smiling.]] Ragyo broke her so badly in those few seconds that Ryuko is now happy at what has happened to her.

** What makes it even worse is that you can clearly see that, even as she says this, you can clearly tell that it's tearing Ryuko up inside. [[spoiler: She doesn't ''want'' to leave them, but she feels she has no choice [[IAmAMonster because she's no longer human]].

** Ragyo [[spoiler: [[MindRape Mind Raping]] Ryuko into a FaceHeelTurn by implanting fake memories where she has a normal life with her]] is equal parts tragic and [[NightmareFuel horrifying.]]

* Episode 20: Not even one of Mako's speeches is enough to change Ryuko's mind.