Warning: Spoilers Off applies to Tear Jerker pages. Proceed at your own risk.
Episode 4
- Parviz's fear of heights goes from its odd comedic angle in episode 2 to a more serious angle in episode 4 when it interferes with the team's work. His curt and blunt statements to Hiroto shows that the fear hurts him terribly.
Episode 6
- The team's Ragtag Band of Misfits reaches a breaking point when the team is easily defeated by Kazami's former team. The leader makes it clear that Kazami's absolute refusal to improve and Hiroto's refusal to let everyone in on his plans is the reason. Kazami takes it the hardest as it seems that he wants Hiroto to praise and cheer him on and Hiroto is ignoring him and the others.
Episode 10
- Hiroto and Hinata's emotional rift continues to grow as Hinata Cannot Spit It Out in terms of getting Hiroto to talk about Eve and ends up bolting in defeat.
- While it's great that El-Divers are being recognized as independent beings, it's rather telling of some peoples' attitudes are less than positive, judging by Kazami's immediate question of, "So that means you're not human, right?" Although this may be less of discrimination or even not being used to them, and more of just needing clarification, Kazami being slightly slower on the uptake, on her actual nature as an AI than an actual human, as he doesn't behave uncomfortably around her anymore than he did before the reveal.
Episode 12
- This episode did not pull it's punches and is perhaps one of the grimmest in the whole Build subseries.
- With the team failing to stop the giant Kill Sat to then having go around and witness the aftermath. Seeing the village in such misery and pain is so bad that Kazami almost sounds like he's begging to just take the loss so he doesn't have to watch anymore.What really hits it is Kazami's dawning realization that this is all real and not some simulation. His constantly growing denial as the full gravity of the situation sinks in can be hard to watch. Especially since in the last episode he, thinking it was just a game, gave away key information that led to this episode's events.
- And then there's the GBN crash. As the realization that Eldora's real starts to sink in, the Divers are forcefully kicked out of the world, right in front of Freddie and the other villagers.
Episode 13
- Realizing that they possibly narrowly avoided becoming like Masaki Shido, and may still be if they return to Eldora, the male BUILD DiVERS' Heroic BSoD's get worse.
- Kazami's is particularly depressing. He's fishing in the rain at the docks, all by himself. His thoughts drift towards Maiya, suggesting he's grown feelings toward her. It's not helped that his attempts to reel in a catch result in his line snapping and he's thrown on his back...and he just lays there looking at the sky, clearly feeling small for his pursuit of glory, kill counts, and fame. What makes it worse is that unlike the others, there's no indication he's with anyone, let alone an adult, at least during his funk. note . Keep in mind that he's a teen younger than Hiroto.
- During his talk with Hinata, Hiroto flashes back to the moment Eve was purged from GBN, with Hiroto helpless to do anything except watch in horror. Clearly in pain as she slowly disappears, Eve still manages to keep smiling as she tries to comfort Hiroto.
Episode 15
- While driving to one of Eldora's other ruins, Kazami tries to tell Maiya that it's his fault that the Kill Sat fired and killed so many people. However, Maiya can't hear him because of the wind and he changes the subject.
Episode 16
- Maiya breaking down in front of Kazami after remembering her brother Jed and childhood friend Stola being killed or missing after the satellite attack. And Kazami not sure how to console her or if it was the best time for it and just stood there looking sad at seeing her that way.
Episode 17
- We finally see what led to Par's fear of heights; he accidentally piloted his glider into a thunderstorm, and the ensuing crash left him paraplegic.
- We also learn that Kazami's love for Gunpla and his desire to play hero partially stems from his Disappeared Dad.
Episode 19
- The Mood Whiplash so bad you need a neck brace: after a happy episode, the post-credits ending has Eve asking Hiroto to delete her.
Episode 20
- It would be easier to say this entire episode was a Tear Jerker. However, here are some especially depressing moments:
- Going back to the flashback from Episode 13, we see Eve's death in full. Hiroto wasn't Forced to Watch, he was forced to pull the trigger himself.
- After Eve's death, Hiroto notices the custom earring he gave her did not disintegrate with her. This is a painful Hope Spot though, as it disappears from the world just as he’s about to retrieve it. That’s right, Hiroto is not only forced to kill a girl he admired and loved, but he’s also denied a physical Tragic Keepsake of their time together just when it was within his grasp.
- After time passes from Eve's death, Hiroto has Riku dead to rights in his faceoff with the Build Divers. He's about to fire on Riku when his memories of his time with Eve kicks in. After he remembers Eve's dying wish, he drags his rifle down as he took the shot, allowing Riku to escape. Realizing he didn't fulfill his promise to protect the GBN by letting Riku escape, he collapses and vomits from his horrible realization. What makes this moment even worse is that Hiroto was truly in a no-win situation. Had he decided to take the shot instead, Sarah would've surely been erased, meaning he would've still failed Eve by failing to protect her sister. Good Lord, is it any wonder why Hiroto felt so traumatized from his past?
- Partially Nightmare Fuel is the way Hiroto's eyes contort with unbridled frustration at the lot he's saddled with, all literally aimed at Riku. Him shooting down Riku wouldn't simply have been his attempt to fulfill his promise to Eve. It would have been him venting his frustration at Riku, which likely added to the feeling of vomit-inducing disgust he felt at himself for almost letting his venomous hate for them control him, as he admits.
- After he finishes telling his teammates about Eve's death and letting Riku escape, Hiroto suffers a breakdown. It is clear that he feels guilty for the death of someone he loved and ashamed for almost letting his hatred of Riku get the better of him. Seeing him tear up before outright crying after May helps him feel comfortable with his emotions with a kiss and a Cooldown Hug is nothing short of gut-wrenching.
- The Stinger of this episode has Gundam Seltsam leading a convoy of Eldora Gunpla into cleansing a village. One of the fleeing locals was a kid (and later his sister) who's quick to recognize Seltsam previously being Tertium and its pilot used to join Cuadron in defending the villagers.
Episode 21
- Masaki Shido's condition is worsening. Combined with the doctors having no clue as to what is happening to him, it seems that Alus' control over him is taking it's toll, with Masaki close to his limits.
Episode 22
- Masaki's pleas for the BUILD DiVERS to kill him. Despite the fact that Alus was making him commit the atrocities that were made, Masaki was completely conscious the whole time. He knew exactly what Alus made him do, and believes that he cannot repent for his actions.
- The fact that Cuadorn would have not hesitated to end Masaki's life, had the BUILD DiVERS not intervened. He believed that the sins he carries is too much for someone as young as him to bear, and killing him is the best action to put him out of his misery.
- Meanwhile in the real world, Masaki gradually began to flatline... and he actually did, until he woke up.
Episode 23
- Even after all he went through, Masaki still wants to go back into GBN and help the BUILD DiVERS. Meanwhile, his sister won't have any of it, and begs the team to leave him out of it. Being his sister, it's completely understandable, but it still hurts nonetheless.
Episode 25
- The team ends up reaching space to confront Alus using the Nepteight Armor, but the strain is too much and Hiroto casts it off after they break free of orbit. Once done, Hiroto gives a somber thanks to Eve for it.
- Alus' Alas, Poor Villain moment right before being hit by the Grand Cross Cannon. He flashes back to the last time he spoke to the Ancients (who clearly look like Sarah and Eve), and laments when he'll actually need to stop doing his duty. Equally tragic is that he just comes to the conclusion of going after GBN itself rather than accepting defeat, showing he has no capacity to realize the flaws of his logic, even when defeated. Made worse by the fact that the heroes knew he'd do this, and thus was able to exploit it, but Fridge Logic dictates that he'd still be doomed the moment he entered GBN to be faced with thousands more divers, some much stronger than the five that had given him so much grief.
Episode 26
- Alus' final moments before his death. Right when Riku and Hiroto deal the killing shot, the Ancients appear before him and apologize for leaving him waiting for their return all this time. As one of them stretches out her hand towards him, he willingly goes with them and sheds a tear, finally having the chance to reunite with his creators.
- The final scene of the episode, and by extension, the series as a whole is a shot of a piece of the Nepteight Armor being left in Eldora's orbit. The piece in particular resembles a coffin, which also serves as a memorial to Eve.
Other
- The sidestory manga Rize elaborates a little more on what it actually means when EL-Divers sense a Gunpla's "feelings," implying that they're tapping into log data or memory files somehow and interpreting that data. When the namesake protagonist Rize accidentally touches the Core Gundam, he ends up accessing a large chunk of Hiroto's memories, including the most tragic ones mentioned above. If the anime didn't properly show just how much repressed trauma was built up within Hiroto, the manga does here as Rize personally can't bear to see what befell him, and has a nervous breakdown in the middle of an important journey to where Rize is supposed to gain his Mobile Doll form. One has to imagine if the Core Gundam Rize and Anima Armor is Rize's way of feeling sorry for him...
