Line #5 TearJerker/RurouniKenshin


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4	* The first TV episode (and the corresponding manga scene). Kenshin has had enough pretending not to be the Battousai, and shows for the first time why he has such a strange philosophy to fighting:
5	--> '''Kenshin:''' "A sword is a weapon. The art of swordsmanship is learning how to kill. That is the truth. What Miss Kaoru says is sweet and innocent talk that only those whose hands have never been stained with the blood of men can believe. But to tell you the truth, I much prefer Miss Kaoru's sweet and innocent talk over the truth, that I do."
6	* Misao enters the place where Okina and Aoshi fought just in time to see her beloved Jiya [[DisneyDeath collapse]] before her eyes.
7	* Soujirou's steady breakdown during his fight with Kenshin is so heartbreaking.
8	** One can't help but tear up when he pleads with Kenshin: "If you claim to protect the weak, then ''where'' were you when I needed you?!"
9	** To elaborate, Soujirou underwent major abuse at the hands of his family due to being the bastard child of his father and his mother (who was his mistress). He also endured their scathing remarks about him being a bastard child and we learn that he was only allowed in the family for appearances sake. It isn't until Shishio turns up badly wounded that Soujirou eventually becomes his disciple and kills his entire family, resulting in a HeroicBSOD that he didn't realize had, until his fight with Kenshin. It really puts some perspective on that kinda stuff.
10	* Kenshin's farewell to Kaoru before he goes after Shishio. No wonder poor Kaoru got depressed (if perhaps [[{{Wangst}} excessively so]]) after that.
11	* The funeral for Kaoru who [[DisneyDeath wasn't really dead at the time]] (but that's not revealed until later).
12	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW2aGEAe2Bo "Towa no Mirai"]], the ending theme for TheMovie, ''Ishinshishi e no Requiem'', tends to do this to a lot of people.
13	** As for TheMovie itself? There are several: Gentatsu's last moments and Shigure's reaction, Shigure's goodbye to Toki, Yahiko's huge HeroicBSOD when he finds his BigBrotherMentor Musashino's lifeless body among those of Shigure's followers, and especially Shigure's death in Kenshin's arms.
14	* ''Seisouhen'' has a major BrokenBase with good reasons for it, but no one can deny how heartbreaking the OVA was.
15	** Kenshin and Kaoru die. Yes, it's ultimately considered CanonDiscontinuity by Watsuki and many fans for good reason, but it doesn't take away from how heartbreaking it is to see Kenshin and Kaoru using what little strength they have in their bodies to see each other one last time, ending with Kenshin dying peacefully on Kaoru's lap.
16	** The OVA ''did'' have genuinely sad moments, like the last time Kaoru and Kenshin make love before he leaves and share a very sad pillow talk, Megumi trying to urge the deathly ill Kaoru to live a bit more so she can see Kenshin a last time, or Sanosuke doing the same to an amnesiac Kenshin in China.
17	* In the series, there is Yumi's death in Shishio's arms after he fatally stabs her with his own katana and then comforts her as she passes away, and Kenshin's first visit to Tomoe's grave in years. Both of them with the ''Adagio Cantabile'' of [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven's]] ''Pathetique Sonata'' as BackgroundMusic.
18	* The manga scene where Kenshin finds Kaoru's (supposed) corpse and [[HeroicBSOD completely breaks down]] as he believes Enishi has finally gotten his revenge on him.
19	* Sayo's death. God, poor Sayo. The Shimabara arc was the last good part of the anime, and despite having a BittersweetEnding, Sayo's fate remains a TearJerker.
20	** It's especially bad in regards to the death scene itself. Sayo lays fatally wounded in the arms of her friend ([[ImpliedLoveInterest or more]]) Sanosuke as he's apologizing for not having been able to shield her... and then he realizes that ''he doesn't even know her name''! (He only knows her as Magdaria, her Christian name). He tearfully points it out, then Sayo calmly looks at him and whispers "Sayo... my name is Sayo... Sanosuke, I'm glad I met you..." and [[KillTheCutie perishes almost]] [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth immediately afterwards]]. The next seconds show [[HeroicBSOD the emotionally crushed]] Sanosuke [[DiedInYourArmsTonight cradling her lifeless body]], whispering "Sayo... I'm sorry, Sayo..."
21	** The flashback where Shogo and Sayo watch their father die fighting the Shogun's forces, then told by their mortally-sick mother to leave her and "become strong as iron", shortly afterwards seeing her shot dead on the beach, and ''then'' sailing away with their uncle... past the crucified bodies of everyone in their village. And then young Shogo made an oath to become "as strong as God!" and the source of his messianic complex was made painfully obvious.
22	** Sanosuke visits her grave on the final episode of the arc. The way he weeps is easily one of the most tearful moments of the filler episode. Just seeing someone as strong and hardened from life as he is breaking down and yelling in regrets why Sayo had to die, and the fact it took Shouzu taunting him into a brief duel in FRONT of Sayo's grave is a testament to how affected Sanosuke was at her death.
23	* When the Oniwabanshuu died protecting their leader. And God, the look on Aoshi's ''face''...!
24	** Another Aoshi-related one: When Okina openly asks Kenshin to [[ShootTheDog kill Aoshi]] since he believes he's [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope gone beyond any chance of redemption]]. Seeing Misao's absolute ''[[HeroicBSOD heartbreak]]'' at that makes it even ''worse''. Poor, poor child.
25	* And then her reaction when Kenshin says Aoshi isn't beyond saving, and promises to bring him back to the Aoiya alive. Okina has a ''MyGodWhatHaveIdone'' as he realizes that his request would have hurt Misao more than anything.
26	* Just about everything in the second episode of the first OVA.
27	* Surpassed by Kenshin's backstory from the Remembrance arc (animated as the ''Tsuiokuhen''/''Trust and Betrayal'' OVA) in which Kenshin accidentally kills his wife Tomoe after being temporarily blinded, by a group of ninjas. She was trying to help him and to not lose her second chance at happiness, and then SLASH. The shock of this causes Kenshin to swear to never kill again, and Tomoe's brother Enishi to swear revenge and to turn Kenshin's life into a living hell. Screw that, the ''whole'' first OVA series is a big TearJerker.
28	* It is absolutely heartbreaking when Tomoe dies in Kenshin's arms. Forget the fact that it was he who accidentally killed her, and that she cuts the final scar on his cheek. Just the way she mutters "I'm sorry, my darling" before drifting away into a permanent sleep is enough to move anyone to tears.
29	* The end of the first ''Tsukiokuhen'' OVA, depicting how Kenshin and Tomoe met.
30	* Anji Yukyuzan's horribly depressing backstory. My God, Anji's screams of fury and pain when he sees the shrine burned down and his stepchildren dead, especially the teenage girl with a PrecociousCrush on him.
31	** Even more when either Anji uses the ashes he pulls from Tsubaki's corpse's burned hands that were reaching towards heaven, to paint on his own face, with a look of pure, unadulterated '''hatred''' in his eyes or when Sanosuke [[WarriorTherapist calls out]] [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight to Anji]] ([[WhatTheHellHero "Don't you see these kids crying over the blood you've spilled?!"]]), then he [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizes how far gone he has been for years]], sees the spirits of Tsubaki and the kids reminding him of his true purpose in life... and is defeated.
32	---> '''Anji:''' Tsubaki.... I don't deserve such kindness. [[TheseHandsHaveKilled I've killed people... And I've taken.... so very many lives]]. voice begins to break [[HeelRealization So... many... lives...]] breaks down and weeps
33	** The PocketProtector that saves him from Sanosuke's first successful blow... is a memorial tablet dedicated to them. He's been carrying it all these years. And he will not stop slaughtering the Meiji Government until he feels that the world is a safe place for them to be reincarnated into.
34	---> '''Anji:''' "Now do you understand?! With just prayers and wishes, not one thing can be saved--NOT ONE THING! Until those children follow the circle of reincarnation and they are reborn into this world... Myouou no Anji shall NEVER LOSE!!"
35	* Creator/TakuIwasaki's heartbreakingly gentle and heartfelt musical score for the ending of ''Rurouni Kenshin: Memories''.
36	** Hell his score for ''all'' of the OVA's counts as this.
37	* One of the last images from the ''Trust and Betrayal'' OVA: Kenshin sits under a tree during a storm [[CradleOfLoneliness clutching the shawl]] of Tomoe, who recently died. As he does that, Tomoe's ghost wraps her arms around him to try to comfort him.
38	* The scene between Enishi and Geezer at the end of the Revenge arc. Enishi, after being defeated by Kenshin and left emotionally broken, ends up in the same village Kenshin went to after he (Kenshin) was left emotionally broken by the thought that Kaoru had died by Enishi's hands, and with the same broken look Kenshin had while sitting there. Then, he meets with Geezer, who is heavily implied to be his and Tomoe's father, but they only remember each other from when Enishi was a little kid. The two end up talking about how they "remember each other from a distant past", but without revealing their names or anything that could tell each other that they were indeed son and father. However, it's Geezer words that make it all the more special, with the old man saying that Enishi's place was not there, that he, like Kenshin, would one day recover and continue to live on, but that he should just rest in the meanwhile.
39	* Kiyosato Akira. All he wanted to do was build a name for himself and become a man worthy of his fiancee. Unfortunately the samurai he is guarding is targeted by Kenshin. The entire time during his very short duel with Kenshin he is frantically thinking "I don't want to die! I can't die here!" but he can't back down from the fight and ends up dying senselessly. The senseless part is more apparent in the first OVA, when the very samurai he is guarding actually ''shields him'' from a fatal blow while screaming "You can't die here!".
40	* The ''To Rule Flame'' prequel is from [[HeroOfAnotherStory Yumi Komagata's perspective]], and has more than one of these - especially the cruel and completely undeserved murder of Yumi's best friend Hanabi at the hands of a SocialDarwinist BloodKnight who killed her [[DisproportionateRetribution for saying the wrong thing at the worst moment possible]] and then Yumi's ''[[HeroicBSOD absolute]]'' [[HeroicBSOD heartbreak]] [[CynicismCatalyst when she finds out]], in which she's shown screaming and crying as [[PietaPlagiarism she cradles poor Hanabi's bloodstained corpse]].
41	* Eiji's reaction to Kenshin refusing to let him join him and Saito against the Keikaku Heiki. Eiji is hurt, thinking that Kenshin thinks of Eiji as a weakling, but it turns out there's a good reason for Kenshin reluctance. Eiji soon finds out that remnants of the Juppongatana are aiding Kenshin and Saito against the Kenkaku Heiki. Despite becoming more disciplined and mature since the Kyoto Arc, Eiji flips the moment he sees Soujirou, recognizing him from the invasion of Shingetsu Village, and turns his rifle on him. By the end of it all, Saito gives Eiji the decision to either join or leave and leaves the enraged boy behind.
42	* It's hard to imagine someone as despicable as Takeda Kanryuu would elicit any tears but his MotiveRant in the Hokkaido Arc really puts into perspective how someone could end up as twisted as him. After Kenshin calls him out on his moneygrubbing ways, Kanryuu fires back, pointing out that not only was he once poor, he has absolutely nothing of worth compared to everyone else. He points out that Kenshin, Megumi, and Aoshi all have strength, intelligence, beauty, and talent. Kanryuu has ''nothing''. Money was the ''only'' thing that allowed him to elevate himself.
43	* Seemingly taking inspiration from the live-action film, Jin-e's transformation into the monster he has become in the 2023 anime is surprisingly tragic. His flashback to his time in the Shinsengumi showed him to be a seemingly normal man, but upon witnessing the terror that was the Hitokiri Battousai, something snapped in him. Rather than taking the Battousai's warning to heart, he became enamored by the Battousai's mercilessness and would go on to be the mass-murdering psycho that everyone knows.
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45	!![[Film/RurouniKenshin The 2012 Live-action Film]]
46	* All of the flashbacks showing Kenshin during his time as Battousai. It's a testament to Takeru Sato's acting that, despite him technically playing someone (Kenshin-as-Battosai) 7-9 years younger than himself (Sato himself is 23, Kenshin began killing people at age 14), he was able to portray a young man who can effortlessly kill yet is beginning to be [[TheseHandsHaveKilled crushed by the weight]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone of his crimes]], however [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-meaning they might be]].
47	** Kiyosato Akira, [[HeroicSecondWind getting back on his feet]] even as Kenshin carves him up, screaming and gurgling about [[ThePowerOfLove someone important to him]]. Even when he fell for the last time, he simply [[{{Determinator}} refused to die]], whispering it over and over and crawling across the ground, until he is given the coup de grâce. The next day, we're shown his fiancee, most definitely Tomoe, breaking down in front of his blood and rain-soaked corpse.
48	** This flashback itself was triggered by Kenshin seeing the corpses of dead policemen Jin-e rampaged against in his outings as the fake Battousai, ending with Kenshin's self-reproach (which shows how [[SurvivorGuilt unresolved his issues with his past are as of yet]]):
49	---> '''Kenshin:''' ''"You are still a killer."''
50	** Saito's subdued yet-no-less icy reproach to Kenshin after looking on at the aforementioned dead cops, strewn together with the thugs Kenshin knocked out in Kaoru's dojo earlier in the film, just shows how much he [[AFatherToHisMen actually cares for his colleagues and subordinates]].
51	---> '''Saito:''' ''"If you killed just one of them, my policemen would still be alive."''
52	* Speaking of Saito: He never shows it, but the words he consistently repeats to Kenshin (from the prologue at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and at his last scene) betrays a man embittered by the years, yet still animated by his own code of justice to push on even in a world he doesn't appreciate:
53	--> '''Saito:''' ''"Live by the sword, die by the sword. There's no other path for us."''
54	* The aftermath of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi itself in the prologue counts as one. When you read history books about the Meiji Restoration and the struggles it had, one might find it exhilarating and even exciting. Seeing the dead bodies of all combatants, friend and foe piled up together in the field [[SnowMeansDeath while being slowly buried in snow]], drives home [[WarIsHell how many lives and personal futures have been sacrificed just to bring a new era]]. It's a fitting counterpart to the fiery demise of Lord Hidetora's castles and retainers in Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Film/{{Ran}}''.
55	* Kenshin ruminating over the agony of the innocent civilians who were poisoned by Kanryu, and realizes it is his inaction that caused their suffering; this finally drives him to bring the drug-dealer to justice.
56	* However odd this might sound, considering the backdrop above, we can find Jin-e's life to be one the more you think about his background in this film. While he has always been thought of as a bloodthirsty bastard in the manga/anime, the film supposedly shows him to us in the prologue as someone who has been warped by the violence of the past era, who perpetuates his violent way of life because it's the only thing he knows. His use of the name ''"Battousai"'', in a way, becomes comprehensible, if all the more tragic. He could have been what Kenshin have become had he not learned the value of people around him.

Context TearJerker / RurouniKenshin