Tear Jerker / DRAMAtical Murder

DRAMAtical Murder may not be an utterly depressing and heartbreaking gut-puncher of a game, but that doesn't mean it is afraid of driving the player to tears if it has to.

Warning: Spoilers Off applies to these pages. Proceed at your own risk.

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Koujaku's Route

• The simple fact that whether the player takes his route or not, Koujaku has always been in love with Aoba. Therefore, in every other route but his own, Koujaku's feelings will never be returned.
• In the drama CD, Koujaku and Aoba pay a visit to the grave of the former's mother. There, Koujaku gives a soliloquy about his parents and how much of a bastard his father has been at his mother's grave. He barely keeps it together as he tries to not give in to his sorrow, but when Aoba comforts him with a hug and some warm words, Koujaku can't bear it any longer and breaks down into tears in Aoba's arms. What adds to the pain is that the track ends with a happier flashback involving Koujaku's mom doting on both her son and Aoba.

Noiz's Route

• Late in the game, Noiz becomes brainwashed and Aoba has to use Scrap on him. While we're in his head, we overhear his parents talking — with the father saying that it would have been a blessing if he had never been born, and they both admit that they aren't planning to let him out of his room any time soon. Keep in mind, this was all within earshot of Noiz as a child.
• When Noiz is describing his backstory, there's some of this, along with some heartwarming. Possibly his saddest line is when he's nonchalantly talking about his childhood locked in his room: "At first, I was so lonely that I cried." Seeing as all we've seen of him has been him being stoic, this puts everything else into perspective... and makes it all heartbreaking.

Mink's Route

• In re:connect, after Aoba confronts Mink on whether he will see him again, the latter doesn't give a straight answer and simply tells Aoba to do as he pleases. For the next three weeks, Aoba stays in his home, doing everything to get Mink's attention, but he always ends up being treated as if he isn't there. By each day, Aoba grows wearier to the point that he nearly gives up. The emotional stress that eats up at Aoba is quite sad to see.
• The drama CD shows Mink taking Aoba to his now-destroyed home, and as he describes it to Aoba, he briefly mutters how nostalgic it feels. Hate him or love him, it's clear that he dearly misses his family and friends, which is why he's still unable to completely get closure over their deaths.
  • Additionally, Mink reveals the truth about the herbs that Toue sought after. While it does alter a person's scent, it is only a side-effect of the herbs' real purpose, which is to provide a sense of tranquility within the person. In other words, it's not used as a mind-controlling drug that Toue mistook it to be. In other words, Mink's clan died because of a mere rumor. If Toue had known the truth, or had simply confirmed if the rumor was true by peaceful means, then the entire massacre would not have happened.

Clear's Route

• Clear's Disney Death, which also includes his and Aoba's sex scene, which is absolutely heartbreaking. And this is the good ending!
• Everything in Clear's bad ending in re:connect is soul-crushing, but the topper is the very final scene. While preparing Aoba for surgery, Clear suddenly sheds tears, but wonders why. Aoba notices and weakly asks if he is alright, and Clear tells him the latter that he is — but then says this, his voice slowly breaking and sounding more and more pained with each word.
  Clear: That's odd... Why am I crying? (voice cracks) Hey, Aoba-san...
  • The implications of this scene make it even worse. Does this mean that remnants of Clear's old self remain? What would happen if he regains all his memories, and realizes just what he had done to Aoba?

Secret Route

• Ren spending most of the time in his route trying to hide his glitch to avoid causing more trouble for Aoba. Aoba basically has to tell him he isn't replaceable.
• Sei's death.
• Just like with Koujaku, Ren may suffer from having to live with eternally unrequited feelings for Aoba in anyone else's route... if he regains his memories of who he really is in the other routes.
• In Ren's bad ending, there's the explanation behind the literal blue screen of death that appears when you make the wrong choices in his route. It's equally sad and alarming.
  Does Aoba hate me?
  Aoba I'm sad
  Aoba Aoba
  Aoba hates me
  Aoba does not care
  I can't be with Aoba
  I've always watched him
  If I had to go away—
• re:connect allows the player to see exactly what was haunting Ren's thoughts the entire time, all the way up to when his mind becomes fully corrupted by the virus in the bad ending. It's painful to see his internal conflict born from having romantic feelings for Aoba, how he is supposed to fulfill his role as the mediator between Aoba's split personalities, and the fact that he's but a fragment of Aoba's consciousness, which would, by society's standards, label his feelings as immoral and wrong. Said conflict is eventually what drives him completely insane.
  Ren: All I could do would be to quietly watch Aoba inside here, while holding these suffocating feelings for him. I'd have no choice but to watch him... fall in love with someone else.

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