Tear Jerker / Supermarioglitchy4's Super Mario 64 Bloopers

Moment subpages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

Who knew that mourning your own clone could be so depressing?

Don't be fooled by the goofy exterior; SMG4 bloopers can make you shed a tear when when the time calls for it. Some of the time it overlaps with Heartwarming Moments.

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General

• As funny as Mario's stupidity can be, there are times when it goes too far. There are many times where he genuinely learns his lesson and cares about his friends, but he also has a heavy case of Aesop Amnesia, meaning he can quickly go from a Jerk with a Heart of Gold to a cold hearted jerkass who's even willing to kill Tari to meet his goals. Even increasing his intelligence won't stop him from being an asshole due to having several other negative traits.
• Meggy had it rough in 2019-2020. First, she witnessed her rival-turned-friend die, permanently turned into a human making her lose her Inkling powers; and even after she reached her life's goal, she was left not knowing what to do with her life and was probably close to being Driven to Suicide. A little vacation helped her recover though.
• Melony whenever she comes close to hurting her friends in her Fierce Deity mode. Girl just wanted to use her powers to protect them, not destroy people. Then there's what happened with Niles…
• Utterly goofy as the premise is, Yoshi choosing a life of tax evasion has a sad undertone to it. In the earlier videos, Mario put him through hell, but they were still friends regardless. He even lets Mario in on his Tax Evasion Society, but then Mario realizes that tax evasion is all they do, and wants out. This leads to the Yoshi's trying to execute him for being a meanie to them, and the OG Yoshi even says "I'm sorry, Mario. I wish it hadn't come to this." In later videos, Mario even reports Yoshi to the police the moment he knows where he is. Mario often puts his friends through all sorts of pain, but the one time he's legitimately lost a friend, it isn't even his fault, Yoshi just let his own greed do the thinking.
• Some of the major characters (such as Desti, Greg, Axol etc.) have deaths tragic enough to rival Bambi's mom, Mufasa, or Littlefoot's mom.

Episodic

• "Tale of a Bob-omb" is probably the earliest example of a SMG4 video trying to tug at your heartstrings, and good lord were the emotional beats in the video just damn heart-wrenching (especially towards the end. What happens is a Bob-omb finds his "father" (King Bob-omb), who is then killed by Mario; he cries and tries to run away. While he mourns his father's death, Mario then comes in and proceeds to kill the son. It is a harrowing example/deconstruction of the What Measure Is a Mook? trope and is definitely NOT Played for Laughs at all. The music, effects, and everything else makes it worse considering this IS pre-2018 SMG4. Probably expecting retarded, humorous adventures, huh? Nope. SMG4 has been trying to make you cry since 2013.
• Luigi's death from "Ssenmodnar 9". It emotionally tears Mario apart to see his little brother die before his eyes, and so he uses E. Gadd's newest device to go back in time and prevent Luigi from dying. Anybody who saw their brother die can relate to this.
  • Luigi's last words, while somewhat funny, leaves him depressed right before he flatlines.
    Luigi: Mario...? Is there... racing in heaven?
    • The Mood Whiplash that follows (courtesy of Dr. Mario) does NOT help.
    Dr. Mario: Game over YEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!
• The Boy and Gurl shorts in the Ssenmodnar series really can be heartbreaking but also hilarious at the same time.
• "The Plumber Problem" makes this funny at the same time. Seeing how Mario feels about his clogged toilet, and how he got heartbroken due to Luigi hiring a real plumber instead of him, really makes you feel bad for him.
• In "SMG3's gauntlet of gloom", The skeleton named Pete sacrifices himself for Mario and SMG4. It gets even sadder when Mario starts crying after Pete waves goodbye to them. "MARIO'S CHALLENGE" reveals he's still alive, though!
• The ending of "BENDY and the SPAGHETTI MACHINE." After it turns out that Bendy is actually not evil, Mario tries to activate the Spaghetti Machine, but then breaks it, causing it to massively overproduce spaghetti that will eventually flood the entire factory. Mario and Bendy see the exit, but can't get through it because it's too high to reach. So Bendy throws him through the exit and waves goodbye before being crushed to death.
  Bendy: THANKS FOR PLAYING WITH ME.
• Saiko's breakdown at the end of "Doki Doki Mario Club". The unexpected Downer Ending really hits, and what’s worse is that this was Fishy Boopkins’s first real date. It has some Mood Whiplash at the end though, courtesy of Mario, but it doesn't really help much.
• After being put through a Training from Hell montage a la Pre-Hibernation Week courtesy of a overzealous Meggy in “If Mario Was In Splatoon 2”, Mario, understandably scared of the fact Meggy is currently planning on testing a nuke for training, tries to leave claiming he’s hungry. Hurt by Mario not taking this seriously, Meggy tells Mario in a tone mixed with sadness and disappointment to just not bother with her anymore before leaving to train by herself. Mario, the man who commonly doesn’t care about anyone besides himself, looks saddened for a second, before angrily saying that he never wanted to be a part of her team anyway. Considering how Mario and Meggy’s relationship is noticeably nicer than Mario’s other friendships, this comes off as rather shocking and surprisingly realistic. This is lightened a bit by the fact they make up over the end with Mario taking Meggy to lunch.
• Saiko again, during the events of "Luigi's Lesson"; all she really desires is companionship, but due to going crazy and hurting anyone nearby whenever she gets upset, everyone fears her. Even Fishy Boopkins, the above date, runs away from her, leaving his Hatsune Miku pillow behind in his haste to get away. This leaves Saiko in a sad mood for most of the video, and though Luigi tries to help she walks away in a slump after repeated attempts to be kind to others, only for her attempts to be rebuked. Despite her Yandere tendencies, it's hard not to feel for her. Though by the end of the video, she helps Mario and Luigi out after the former suffers a heart attack, and they part ways as friends.
• While it is mainly Played for Laughs, the death of the clone Mario from "Stupid Mario 3D World" could be this to some. It oddly has more impact than one would expect, and it doesn't help that the auto-tuning on the Take Me Home, Country Roads "cover" makes it sound like Mario is barely holding back tears while singing.
• Meggy having trouble adjusting to her human form in "Mario Does the Chores", as well as her mind wandering to Splatfest and the promise she made to Desti.
• The ending of "Stupid Mario Maker 2" features an In Memoriam to Etika, who committed suicide on June 19, 2019.
• Meggy's breakdown in "There's Something Up With Meggy". It has been a month since the events of the Anime Arc and Meggy has started acting crazier and crazier from bottling up her grief over what happened to Desti. When Mario, Luigi, and Tari finally get her to open up, she runs back to her apartment in depression. Thankfully her friends cheer her up.
• Mango's backstory from "The Tari Abnormality".
• To some, Tari's Puppy-Dog Eyes when SMG4 takes her duck in 2019's War of the Fat Italians. However, like in "Stupid Mario 3D World" it's Played for Laughs as well.
• SMG4 considering retirement from making videos towards the end of "SMG4 Runs Out of Memes" and almost throwing his cap in the garbage.
• By the time Luigi, Fishy Boopkins, and Shroomy have unfrozen themselves in "The Weegee Uprising", the only survivors of the Weegee Doll Invasion are Danny DeVito and New Super Duper Mario Plus Ultra. That's right, the entire SMG4 gang, which has faced countless catastrophes and lived to tell the tale, have finally met their gruesome end at the hands of some fricking dolls!
  • WE EVEN GET TO SEE WEEGEE DOLL SMG4! Sure, it's Played for Laughs, but still!
    • Fridge Horror kicks in with Luigi. He's probably thinking about how, in the long run, it's all his fault!
  • New Super Duper Mario Plus Ultra's last stand and heroic sacrifice is pretty saddening too, not only because he's giving his life to save the trio from the Weegee Dolls, but also because he's the only known survivor of this extinction event of sorts, with no other friends around for the trio. Needless to say, Luigi has lost what remains of his brother.
    • In another bout of Fridge Horror, since the Evil Weegee Doll was killed and the timeline was therefore reset, New Super Mario Plus Ultra was erased along with the entire Bad Future. In short, he's gone for good. Luigi doesn't even get to keep his promise to not forget him.
• A minor example, but during "Little Penguin Lost", both Meggy and Mario share some heart to heart talk while stuck on some floating ice in the middle of a freezing lake. During their talk both of them reveal that neither had something special planned for Christmas. They both laugh it off at first, but their laughter dies off as they both look off in the distance, their words sinking in. It doesn't last long, but it's pretty sad to see them lying their, resigning themselves to their cold fate.
  • Before the aforementioned scene, after he calls the pizza parlour, Mario goes to reassure Meggy that they won't starve only to see Meggy in an absolutely devastated fetal position. Poor kid...
• It's mostly Played for Laughs, but the 'Friends' scene in "SMG4 Christmas 2019: Mario Alone" is pretty saddening. This won't be the last time Mario goes coo-coo crazy from being alone.
• In "The Festival Of The Year", when Meggy mentions that 2020 will be the last Splatfest, the mood temporarily becomes sadder.
  • It's not just that, either. Meggy, right before this, takes a moment as the group is reflecting to remind everyone that she was permanently transformed into a human. Meggy may not really address her feelings very well, but she STILL isn't one hundred percent comfortable with her new body, and the Anime Arc has left permanent scars on her, both physically and mentally. Sure, it's a downplayed moment since Axol joined the main cast, but both this little tidbit and the aforementioned Final Splatfest is all but going to set up another arc with Meggy in the spotlight.
• "Bowser Loses Custody of His Children" is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Bowser, because he's usually seen more often participating in Mario's adventures than being a good father to the Koopalings, finds out that going on a three-day fishing trip was The Last Straw, and Child Protective Services had taken his kids while he was gone. Yes he gets them back at the end of the video, but that doesn't change much...
  • Mario is at his worst in this episode in terms of friendship. Not only does he seem to barely care at best (since Bowser trying to reclaim his children is getting in the way of the two going on a cooking adventure), he is actively trying to influence Bowser to be as irresponsible as possible, even repeatedly trying to kill his simulation baby. Mario's been selfish before, but he's now actively interfering with his friend's falling-apart personal life and making it worse because he thinks Bowser's parental failures are funny. Peach even calls him out on his poor behavior. Not that he cares.
    Peach: You are a menace to society, and I hope you never have kids.
• Meggy's Destiny: An SMG4 Movie is full of these as you could predict.
  • Meggy's insecurities over being turned into a human catching up to her.
  • It turns out Inkopolis is prejudiced towards humans or at the very least doesn't offer services to humans. Meggy asks a vendor why and they answer "health concerns."
  • Meggy breaking down crying after losing the second round.
  • Meggy finally saying goodbye to Desti. Desti's happy she won Splatfest at last and fulfilled her promise but she knows that Meggy has to move on with her life. It's hard to say goodbye to a friend. Even when that friend is only a memory.
    • Worst Part? Luke said that Desti will NEVER come back.
• "Mario Is Cancelled":
  • One of the punishments Mario endures in the Cancelled Dimension is getting pointed and laughed at by everyone he sees, including the Freeze-Frame Bonus of every single one of his friends, making him totally miserable. Especially hurtful is Meggy laughing at him, considering the bond the two share normally. The only comfort that can be taken is that they might all just be figments of the Cancelled Dimension created to torment Mario, unless you interpret that they got sent/invited there upon cancellation, and this is their reaction...
  • Mario may have emerged triumphant in the end, but he was nearly doomed to an eternity of shame and mockery because YouTube jumped to the wrong conclusion about the "N-word" he was about to say ("Nintendo"), meaning all his suffering here was for nothing. It serves as a sober reminder of how a person's life can be ruined over something like a simple misconception, not to mention the unfortunate reality that YouTube's awful algorithms sometimes really are that sensitive.
• While "The Totally Legit Learning Show with SMG4" is mostly hilarious, the final segment features Chris yelling at Swagmaster for all the terrible things he's done. Swagmaster says he's "carrying" Chris, but he's quick to point out that all it did was have him getting shot, fired at, and angry. Chris almost leaves Swagmaster, but Swagmaster brings up the "sponge cake" story in which Chris was the only person to come to his New Year's party. Chris forgives Swagmaster. It turns out to all be an act to teach viewers about love, but still.
• In "Mario VS Siren Head", while Meggy's heartbroken reaction regarding Swagmaster joining the "totally-original Woomy Fire Brigade" is funny and all that, it's very depressing in hindsight of the fact that the video being released exactly a year since Desti's death during the Anime Arc.
• While "SMG4 EXPANDS His Brain" is mostly a comedic riot, the "No Weed" segment, as pictured above, is rather depressing, as we see Bob go through a Heroic BSoD, sadly stating how he no longer sees any reason to live, since everything he loves has been taken from him, muttering that he waits for his death day every night. Of course, this is mostly mitigated when it's revealed that he's saying this because his weed delivery was late by 10 minutes.
• Bob almost refusing to help Rob in his corn delivery in "The Corn Trip", revealing he only wanted to hang out with him before Rob's Skewed Priorities took over.
  • Earlier, he also mentioned that his parents didn't love him. It's also implied that he doesn't look back fondly at the events of the Rapper Bob arc.
  • Later on, Rob started sobbing over his favorite food being lost forever. This may be Played for Laughs to some fans, but it's still sad.
• In "Mario goes to subway and purchases 1 tuna sub with extra mayo", Tari, after being forced to work at Subway corporate for knowing too much about how they get their tuna, happily decorates her office, finishing it with a rubber duck. One of the Paper Marios created by Mario copying himself with the office photocopier comes through and destroys the rubber duck, causing Tari to burst into tears. Even worse: it's very possible this was the rubber duck Belle got her for Christmas.
• Despite how funny most of the episode was, "The Resurrection" has a surprisingly depressing ending, with Mario crying over Greg's dead body after the failed resurrection. Even when he's hitting Bob with Greg's body begging him to bring him back, it's still a bitter reminder that Greg and Desti are not coming back in the foreseeable future. Like "Doki Doki Mario Club", it has some Mood Whiplash at the end though, courtesy of Mario crazily hitting Bob with Greg's corpse, but it doesn't really help much.
  • This episode also implied that Meggy hadn't entirely gotten over Desti's death, considering she jumped at the opportunity to resurrect someone.
    Meggy: I can't believe I got my hopes up.
• "The Melony Felony" has a couple moments.
  • Early in the video, Axol does a "special" where he destroys a Melon-kun prop to get Melony to pay more attention to him than his character. When he realized that he hurt Melony much more than he expected, he spends the rest of the episode trying to make it right.
  • Later, following Bob's advice, Axol became a cool swagger, but his attempts to woo Melony cause to her throw Axol into a plane in disgust and then he falls on a naked Mario and crashes into the castle wall. Seeing that she hurt Axol, Melony reacts by crying and running away.
• In Mario vs. Youtubers. After Mario wins the tournament, Meggy returns home in a depressed state. She's been Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life, and none of the jobs she's taken seem right for her.
• Remember how Shroomy used to be a demon hunter who worked with his Uncle Doomguy before getting bitten and turned into a boyscout? Well, Mario and the Village let's us know what happened after that. To put it short, Doomguy disowned him, sold his stuff, and replaced him with Isabelle. He didn't even show up for his nephew's birthday. Mario showed up for it but he didn't, and Shroomy is mortified. Then he finally gets to talk to Uncle Doom again, who essentially much tells Shroomy if he won't be a demon hunter, then Doomguy wants nothing to do with him.
  • To add onto the depression, Shroomy is the way he is because of Uncle Doom. He set up the animatronics on his birthday to be fought. Golden Freddy clamped down on Shroomy's head and Doomguy kicked him off, taking a chunk of Shroomy's head with it. And yet Doomguy would sooner consider Shroomy a failure and replace him than still consider him family.
  • Even worse? Isabelle and Shroomy aren't that different. Isabelle even tries to stop the family from fighting. But Doomguy would rather choose her because she's willing to hunt demons like him. Meaning that's all he cares about. And Shroomy still tries to mend bridges with this guy.
• "If Mario Was In Anime" has Axol depressed over losing the title of best anime artist ever since his pen was destroyed in the YouTube Arc. Good thing he manages to fix it in the end.
• "To Become a God" is essentially Melony's version of "There's Something Up With Meggy" as she desperately tries to awaken more of her Fierce Deity power so she doesn't lose anymore of her friends. At the end, when she realizes her attempts to improve herself nearly killed everyone, she is horrified and breaks down in Tears of Remorse.
• Okay, we all know Mario was a jerk the whole episode, but it's still kind of sad to see Mario when he gambles all of his money in "What If Mario Had $10,000,000?". Gets worse once you watch the ending and realize that the whole episode was potentially setting up "If Mario Was In... SQUID GAME.
• When we do reach "If Mario Was In... SQUID GAME," some of the eliminations can be this:
  • Meggy is apologetic to Melony during Tug Of War. Downplayed, as Melony understood that it was just a game.
  • Hal Monitor remembering his promise to raise money for his wife's surgery. It gives him enough resolve to help his team win Tug-o-War. Unfortunately, he isn't seen again after the Marbles game, meaning he got eliminated.
  • The Marbles game. Wario beats Waluigi, and sees him ready to be eliminated via gun. The brothers say that they love each other, and Waluigi is shot. Wario visibly flinches when the gun goes off.
  • During the Glass Bridge game, Wario suddenly turns around and throws Luigi off of Steve's cobblestone bridge. Mario is FURIOUS at what Wario has done. Steve then decides to give Wario his, and throws both himself and Wario off the bridge, allowing Mario and Meggy to move on to the final game.
  Mario: Thank you, Steve! I won't forget you!!!
• Pizza Spiderman died. From his appearance during a winter episode, he has been delivering pizza to the homeless and even forgives Mario for killing him. He joins Greg in the list of good characters that will never rise again.
• Mario crying over Glamrock Freddy after the latter performed a Heroic Sacrifice in "Freddy's Spaghettiria Security Breach." Fortunately, he gets better.
• In "Uncanny Mr. Mario" Mario is briefly set to believe that nothing is real, causing him to commit suicide. Though it all turned out to be a mind simulation, It's heartbreaking to see Mario in so much despair.
• "Mario Tries Life Hacks" has Chris ask Mario where his CD (with the only footage of his now deceased parents who were killed in an accident long ago) was. And Mario was using it as a cup mat.
• "Mario Gets Into NFTs" has Mario turning all of his friends into NFTs and he almost has Tari murdered. Remember, the previous episode had him crying believing that they weren't real.
  • Everyone earlier was trying to stop him from his NFT business because they were concerned for his mental health. Damn were they right...
• The ending of "If Mario was in… Disney". Mickey can only watch as Goofy falls into the darkness, with "Simple and Clean" playing and memories of the good times they had. And the episode ends after that, no joke or punchline as per usual.
• The secret behind Saiko's door… was the game she was pulled from. Not just any copy, considering how the game notices her absence.
• Saiko and her oldest friend part ways. And considering they were bandmates in-game...
  Luigi: How about your dream of starting a band Saiko?
  Saiko: Eh, it's fine. I'll just ignore my desire to achieve anything in life like I usually do.
• The premise of "If Mario Was The Last Man On Earth" has Mario's friends abandon him because he ruined their world record pizza. By the time he realizes he messed up and vows to be better, he has gone insane and accidentally ruined their second attempt. He's happy to see his friends again, but no one is happy to see Mario. The episode ends with everyone except Meggy about to maul him.^note  According to Paul Stylianou, who composed that final shot, JubJub was dragging Meggy foward, but he conceded it's difficult to tell. It makes sense in context because she and Luigi were the only ones even remotely concerned about Mario.
  • Not to mention his meltdown after being alone for so long. Mario has gone insane plenty of times before, but never to this extent.
• Karen gets fired from Starbucks even though the place gets robbed as usual, and it's not Mario's fault this time.
• When learning about the emotion "sad", Duck Guy breaks down when saying mom and dad leaving them does this. It may be the reason Mario and SMG4 aren't killed outright as they're forced to take those roles.
• Mario tries to use Melony's pet axolotl to get Christmas dinner early in "All I Want For Christmas Is Mario To FREAKIN BEHAVE." His attempt goes wrong, leaving poor Axol Jr. all burned, and no one is happy with him.
  Melony: YOU! YOU JERK!!! (storms out in anger)
  Bob: Dude, that was low. Even for you.
  SMG3: Great going, idiot. You've ruined Christmas!
  • Mario doesn't understand why everyone is upset with him until Meggy points out how much Melony cares for that axolotl. Realizing where he went wrong, Mario has to work to set things right, but even then Melony is reluctant to see him after what he did.
• "Mario Goes On A Diet" is mostly wall-to-wall hilarity, but there's a moment at the very end with Mario and Meggy sitting alone on top of the skyscraper he climbed having a heart-to-heart. Mario tells her he decided to Face Death with Dignity and muses about what "Fat Guy Heaven" might be like, admitting he will miss her and their friends. There's a Mood Whiplash immediately after but it's still a sobering moment.
• In "Let's Go Visit Peach!", Mario is absolutely mortified when he remembers that they left Peach behind during the fight with the abomination that swallowed her castle and cries about it.
• "Mario Vs Skibidi Toilet" has a poignant scene near the end where Simon, the titular toilet, has to leave with his Skibidi Toilet family, who overran the Mario Bros' residence looking for him. Mario instantly realizes that Simon has to leave him, and as his eyes well up with tears, he manages to keep his composure as he embraces his beloved friend and gives a tearful smile as he flies off, the two vowing to see each other someday. As selfish and short-sighted as Mario is, the man genuinely treasures his friendships.
• Melony sitting at a diner, looking depressed in SMG4 News. For context, everyone else in that scene is sitting with their significant others, while Melony is all alone with Axol Jr. and her Axol plush. Even worse, there's a second plate and an extra straw in the sundae.

Arcs

The Waluigi arc

• This exchange from "Stupid Mario Tennis Aces", especially with what follows:
  Waluigi: Fork guy [Jeeves], let him [Boopkins] join...
  Jeeves: What? Why? He lost! Why are you helping him?!
  Waluigi: Why...? Because I know that feeling of rejection too well...
• "BOOPKINS!"^note  Meggy's reaction to Boopkin's on-screen conversion into a T-Pose Zombie.
• Luigi getting turned by T-posing zombies in Mario and the T-Pose Virus. Mario genuinely cries out in grief over his brother being captured by the zombies and falls to the floor reaching out for him as he watches the zombies brutalize Luigi, and then proceeds to have a breakdown as he mercilessly drops Bob (who obstructed the duo from getting to safety and thus was the cause of Luigi getting turned) from the castle in revenge for Luigi's infection. This is a sequence that is decidedly not Played for Laughs like the status quo of the SMG4 universe and goes to show that despite his greedy and egocentric nature, deep down Mario really does care about his brother a great deal.
• Luigi sacrificing himself to fall in the lava and die so Mario can live in Mario SAW. Mario is crying and begging him not to, but Luigi still does so, telling his brother he loves him. Mario can only watch in horror as his brother falls to the lava. Thankfully, it was really a test, and Luigi is still alive as the "lava" was really just warm watermelon kool-aid.
  • Speaking of Mario SAW, the mysterious figure offhandedly mentions that he, "wished his brother loved him that much,", after Luigi sacrifices himself for Mario, but turns out to still be OK. Once you figure out who the masked figure is, this statement takes a much sadder tone, as it's obvious that Waluigi was referring to Wario, who constantly ignored and mistreated him. The fact that the music went dead silent during this statement makes it even worse.
• The final minutes of Mario The Scam Artist, where Wario has been down in the dumps ever since Waluigi went mad. Mario threatens a fight with Wario just to protect his brother. Wario tries to object but then remembers Waluigi, before angrily walking off. The dialog from Wario in the next scene really stings.
  Wario: Stupid Mario Brothers... I don't need them... I don't need anyone! I've got chicken! (is about to eat chicken) W... waluigi would have wanted this chicken... and I would've told him no, piss off. I don't need him! I don't need him!!!! I DON'T NEED HIM!
  (Wario notices Waluigi's hat behind his bucket of chicken… After Wario picks up the hat, flashbacks from "The Mario Hustle", "Wild Wild Mario", and "Doki Doki Mario Club" play… cue Manly Tears from Wario)
  • And the final line of the episode...
  Wario: I'm going to bring you home, brother.
  • Speaking of Mario The Scam Artist, the music in the episode's end card isn't the cheery Super Mario Land remix that's standard for the end card, but a soft, slowed down piano remix of said track. Does this remind you of anything?
• The Mario Convention seems like a typical Breather Episode after the past couple of episodes in the Waluigi Arc. Then Hideo Kojima pulls out a T-pose mushroom. Meggy pushes Mario out of the way of said exploding mushroom. Turns out Hideo Kojima was actually Waluigi in disguise, and suddenly Mario, Luigi, SMG4, and Fishy Boopkins are seen running out of the convention as Waluigi turns everyone into T-pose zombies, including poor Luigi.
  • Even worse, the virus can't be cured thanks to Waluigi's growing power, meaning that all the poor saps who got affected may never be able to revert back.
  • Mario's reaction to all of this is what makes this moment so heart-wrenching, as he is now powerless to save his best friend and his brother, and all he can do is promise that he'll be back for them.
  • To a lesser extent but, seeing Master Hand get subdued easily by Waluigi and made into another one of his servants can be discomforting to watch.
  • That's not even counting Tari's situation as she is now in the same vicinity of the madman who pretty much killed her best friend, with no possible escape route in sight.
• During "Mario And The Waluigi Apocalypse" all Meggy can do while Tari tries to talk sense into her and possibly un-T-Pose her is shed a single tear. This is also the first time we've seen Tari break down in tears.
• In War of The Fat Italians 2018 Mario, being controlled against his will by Waluigi, gives SMG4 an absolutely brutal beatdown, even with Tari's timely intervention. Then Waluigi tells him to 'finish the job'. As he's forced to walk over to where SMG4 landed, Mario tears up at the thought that he's on the verge of unwillingly killing his friend in what's supposed to be an event that's for fun.
  Mario: I'm so sorry SMG4...
• Waluigi in general throughout this whole arc, really. Poor guy's been rejected his whole life, from people to video games. He never got any love from his own brother, Wario. These are what caused him to embrace the Power of Rejection in the first place.

The Rapper Bob arc

• The ending of "The Mario Concert", where the cutie is thoroughly broken. Bob delivers a humongous Motive Rant on how his career is destroyed because of what Fishy Boopkins accidentally did and how he set up events to boost his popularity with the masses, reveals he pushed Boopkins into the well in "Mario And... The Well" and was NEVER his friend, and caps it off by calling him a pushover, leaving him in the alleyway, all while Boopkins is left crying in denial.
  • Pay attention to Bob's behavior throughout the episode. He states that he wants his "lousy" fans to come or he'll be pissed, tells the Mario Bros that he gives them permission to shoot Boopkins when they see him, and calls Boopkins an idiot on stage. When he tells Boopkins about Bobsgiving, he confesses that he tricked them into destroying his house to tell a sob story, while indirectly insulting his friends by calling them idiots and calling Meggy a klutz because of her bad (to the point of being destructive) cooking. Bob never cared about anyone, not even his "best friend" Fishy Boopkins (who looked up to him), he only exploited them for his own selfish purposes.
  • Another thing is Bob isn't exactly wrong when he says you can only be an asshole or a pushover.
    • Also, think about it. Bob did so much to get here. He spend 500 years alone, lied, put up with everyone's crap, spent untold amounts of money, let his house be burnt down, and was hunted by the Teletubbies during The Purge. Bob finally got his chance, and Boopkins ruined it. No wonder Bob snapped.
• "The Melancholy Of Fishy Boopkins" has Boopkins rejecting anime. He clearly took Bob's Breaking Speech hard...
  • It gets worse when the cast tries to cheer him up. While most of their failures are strictly comedic, the girls' attempt to cheer him up is definitely not. Meggy, Saiko, and Tari decide to cheer up Boopkins… by taking him to one of Bob's concerts. And since they weren't in "The Mario Concert" they don't know about what Bob did to Boopkins and are left confused when it doesn't work and Boopkins breaks down in tears at seeing Bob being so successful despite the awful things he admitted to doing.
• "Mario and the Diss Track" puts Bob in Jerkass Woobie territory. Yes, he did make a diss track about all his friends, and seemed like he did not care one bit about them. But by the end of the episode, he is just alone. He was so desperate to be a rap star that he turned his back on everything important to him. Even his own friends. No one cares when Bob tries to reconcile with them. Not even Boopkins.
  • What makes this moment worse? At the beginning of "The Mario Purge", Fishy Boopkins is the one who opens the door for Bob, saving him from the Teletubbies, and in response, Bob calls him "his best friend". At the end of "Mario and The Diss Track", after Bob loses all of his fame, he asks Boopkins if they're still friends. Boopkins shuts the door on him, leaving Bob all alone.
  • Going back to Bob's diss track, Meggy seems to take it the hardest, after Bob insults her voice.
• The beginning of "SMG4 Christmas 2018: The Most Important Thing" has Bob trying to redeem himself by buying gold statues of himself and all his friends, but after what he did throughout the arc, the others pretend not to notice him and after he pesters them Mario just snaps at him. While being greeted with the words "Nobody cares" set to Beethoven's Fifth, SMG4 tells him the harsh truth why everyone is treating him this way:
  SMG4: Sorry Bob...we just can't trust you anymore...
  • Even with it being deserved, Bob takes this hard: he leaves, goes to the garbage dump, and lays in the garbage bags, believing himself to be nothing more than the trash of the earth.
  Bob: I see how it is. (drops his Santa hat and beard) You will never hear from me again. Hopefully, that's a good enough Christmas present.
  • For an added layer of sadness, pay attention to the rest of the cast. Some of them clearly don't want to do this; Boopkins looks devastated, Tari's rather upset, and even Meggy sounds reluctant to ask him to leave despite taking his diss of her very personally. Bob may have been a terrible friend and they're completely in the right for cutting ties with him...but he was still a friend and cutting ties with even a bad friend can leave you pretty conflicted.
  • ..and that's before we get to how they look after Bob announces his true redemption. Aside from Mario, SMG4 and Bowser (who are weirded out, confused and trapped under a store sign respectively), they look like they're now regretting ditching him. The fact that even Toad feels bad about it only adds to the blow.

The Anime arc

• Saiko having to leave the Mushroom Kingdom after the anime ban in "Mario's Illegal Operation". Whatever you may think of her, it can't be denied that she's genuinely tried to reform her character and will always help out Mario and the gang when the chips are down (though she'd never admit it). It hits harder when you remember her backstory from her game – Saiko has been dealing with being rejected all her life.
  • Saiko being forced out is made even worse by the fact that unlike other times when there's a good reason why she's been ostracized, she didn't even do anything. She's not an otaku – she doesn't even watch anime. Even with her origins as a Dating Sim character brought to life, Saiko is by all counts just a regular human being who happens to be a Japanese-speaking anime waifu.
  • Even SMG4, who had joined the Anime Secret Service and served as an antagonist for a majority of the video, is angry when he finds this out!
  SMG4: I would never have joined the A.S.S. if I knew they were banning actual people...
• "Meggy's Bootcamp" has Meggy going crazy with Splatfest training as usual with Tari, Mario, and Luigi. It's a fairly comical episode... right up until she gets aggravated by their incompetence and yells at them for not trying. One Heel Realization later leads to Mario finding her on a rooftop in the midst of a Heroic BSoD.
  Mario: Hey Meggy…
  Meggy: Go away, Mario…
  Mario: Come on Meggy… Why don't you tell Mario what's wrong?
  Meggy: You remember when we first trained all those years ago, Red? We sat right here on this rooftop that very day... I told you I was an "upcoming star" and we were going to own the Splatfest… But it's been two years since then and I still haven't won a single Splatfest. [as she starts shedding tears] I'm… I'm just a big disappointment.
  Mario: You can't disappoint Mario. I have no expectations of anything.
  Meggy: The worst thing is… I've been so mean to you and the others… I feel like I'm losing sight of who I am. (starts sobbing hysterically)
  • Thankfully, this leads to Mario giving Meggy the spaghetti she bribed him with earlier, and Luigi and Tari encouraging her to keep training them.
• Overlapping with Guards N' Retards, "Mario Saves Anime" features a scene where Chris nervously runs up to a badly damaged Swagmaster following an explosion created by Luigi and Bob. Swagmaster tells Chris that he doesn't feel so good, however the only damage done is that the A.S.S. button is removed. Afterwards Chris tells Swagmaster that they're jobless once again. Sure a lot of it is pretty humorous, but for those who worry about the two guards, it could be quite heart-wrenching for what would happen next now that they have no jobs. Thankfully, they're revealed to be fine and team up with Mario & co. in "The Inkling Disappearances"!
  • Axol revealing his backstory… And it isn't the best. Little Inklings act like jerkasses towards him just because of his love for anime. And it shows why he created Inkweaver – he wanted to have friends.
• The thumbnail for "The Splatfest Incident". Mario is cradling Meggy's weapon in his arms, he's covered in her ink, and there is nothing but darkness surrounding him. The message it shows is… upsetting, making it look like she died. Look closely and you can even see that Mario's crying. Of course, what actually happened isn't much better…
  • One of the lockers at Splatfest has a picture dedicated to Satoru Iwata.
  • Why does Desti think that Axol kidnapped Meggy? He had motive.
• The opening to "The Inkling Disappearances" is frankly just distressing, in this way and another. It's Callie, doing an Emergency Broadcast, clearly terrified of the state of Inkopolis and urging all remaining Inklings to stay indoors at all costs. Quite upsetting to see Callie this scared, especially if you're a fan of her... and then it ends with her on her knees, crying and pining for Marie. Yep, that's right, whoever got Meggy and half of Inkopolis kidnapped Marie too. Bear in mind that this is very likely taking place after Splatoon 2, so now Callie is going through the same worry that Marie did when Callie got kidnapped herself.
• The revelation in "Mario and the Experiment" that Francis was behind the Inklings' and Axol's kidnappings is bad enough, but he's also revealed to be an Ungrateful Bastard that now sees Axol as a fool. Axol fought tooth and nail to get anime unbanned – and succeeded – only to get kidnapped, mocked, and called a disappointment by someone who once idolized him, to the point of said idolizer even saying that Axol doesn't deserve his power, making this a cruel inversion of a Broken Pedestal.
• "World War Mario":
  • Chris gets shot, which sends Swagmaster into a Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Not a bad gesture, since this is Swagmaster we're talking about. Chris is fine, thankfully, but is too injured to enter the anime base.
  • Desti's death. After the Ink-Zuccer is disabled and the reunited main characters defeat Francis's false Sephiroth, everyone celebrates their victory... and then Desti is suddenly stabbed in the back by another false Sephiroth. Doesn't help that it also alludes to the infamous Aerith death scene, which is already a tearjerker in itself.
  • Meggy's scream of horror and despair makes the whole thing worse. She and Desti may have been rivals, but they don't want each other dead.
  • Desti's final words before she collapses and the episode ends.
    Desti: (smiles) You better win Splatfest for me, okay?
  • To cap it off, the ending card is gray instead of the usual blue and there's no cheery music, only dead silence.
• "Final Hours":
  • Tari begging Desti to wake up, and Meggy, still trapped in the Ink-Zuccer, is only able to shed a tear for her. Even worse? The episode starts with this scene.
  • Meggy almost sacrifices herself to revitalize Inkweaver. After Goku blasts the Ink-Zuccer to bits, Mario starts desperately digging for her in the wreckage, calling her name and crying while doing so. Even as the battle becomes downright insane with the appearance of Ultra-Instinct Shaggy, Mario doesn't react – he's hyper-focused on digging through the wreckage to rescue Meggy. Mario either doesn't notice or doesn't care that the island is set to explode. Had Shaggy not literally dragged him away, Mario would have stayed on the island to its end. Upon being deposited on the boat, Mario looks despondent that he wasn't able to dig Meggy out.
  • After Saiko personally leaves Francis to die in his own Ink-Zuccer, she walks away slowly while closing her eyes, as though saying to herself, "I never wanted this." Remember, Saiko trusted the anime cartel before the Inkopolis abductions.
  • When the anime island explodes, Meggy hadn't been evacuated and is thought to have been killed in the explosion. Everyone takes a moment to mourn for her – you can hear the pain and grief in Tari, Saiko, and Axol's voices. Thankfully, Meggy survives, sort of.
  • Desti has been Killed Off for Real, as a funeral is held for her similar to Tony and Natasha's funeral in Avengers: Endgame.
  • During Desti's funeral, as the now-human Meggy lays Desti's weapon on her casket, a flashback ensues showing the first time they faced off against each other, Desti proclaiming "Cheating is a legitimate strategy" and the two tag-teaming Francis's goons. Returning to the present, Meggy starts blaming herself for Desti's death and breaks down in tears. Thankfully, the others assure her that they'll always have her back no matter what and that Desti would want her to keep fighting for what she believes in.
  • SMG4 explaining Meggy’s character design change.
    "During this moment, I would like to explain to you why I believe Meggy's design change is important. It marks a substantial change in her character, not only literally, but mentally as well. Meggy was best known for her competitive spirit, there’s no question about that. And with competition, you need something to compete against, right? For Meggy, that something was Desti. When she died, so did Meggy’s competitive spirit. You can see it in the funeral scene. Meggy breaks down, and Axol needs to repeat Desti’s speech to console her. Which, need I remind you, Desti got from Meggy in the first place. Without Desti and her competitive spirit, she lost her competitive spirit, the main descriptor of an inkling. With the ink zucced out of her and her competitive spirit killed, there’s no squid remaining. All that’s left is a kid."
  • The soft, slowed down piano remix of the Super Mario Land theme even returns once again...

The YouTube arc

• "Mario's Spicy Day" ending with SMG3 continuing to be evil after SMG4 got his production studio destroyed.
• Yet another character is Killed Off for Real in "Stupid Mario Arcade", this time being Greg. Worse still, this death is used to manipulate Mario by SMG3.
• Crosses with Nightmare Fuel, the trailer for War of the Fat Italians 2020 is filled with as much dread as possible, surpassing the trailer for WOTFI 2018 in a large margin. It starts with Mario and SMG4 preparing to battle as their friends and the fans cheer. However, SMG4 and Tari start glitching, as if something went wrong, before the latter vanished seemingly from existence. This was followed by everyone else sans Mario and SMG4 disappearing before the latter, looking nervous and scared, been replaced by SMG3, with SMG3's Snitch Production crew taking over where the whole Glitch Production gang once stood. Sitting sinisterly on his throne, SMG3 then proceeds to delete Mario as well, having served his purpose of helping him stealing the YouTube Remote.
• "Deleted.", full stop. The entire episode is one huge Shout-Out to Avengers: Infinity War, involving SMG3 using the remote to allow his crew to go into the videos where each of the main characters made their debut to prevent Mario from meeting them, thus erasing them via Ret-Gone. The worst part? HE SUCCEEDS. Though, as "A Totally Normal S̷͍͖͉̙͚͎̑̃̿͑̆̇̚͠M̸͇͇̦̮̌̿Ğ̴̫̗̖͎͔̳4̶̞͇̰̎̀́̚ Episode" reveals, not for long...
  • Even worse is how some of them go out. Some like Luigi, Bob, and Saiko are darkly comedic. Tari, Meggy, and SMG4 himself? Not so much. Tari sobs from her failure and weeps that she doesn't want to go before dusting in front of a truly horrified Mario. Meggy collapses to the floor, stretching out a hand to the plumber who changed her life for the final time before she too succumbs. And finally, SMG4 solemnly mourns his teammates before vanishing himself, also in front of Mario. It ends on Mario's face, and he is BROKEN.
    "I'm sorry...I couldn't save them."
  • Notably, Tari and SMG4 are tossed out of the videos before being deleted. Seeing as SMG4 was thrown out by an unwitting Past!Mario, it can be assumed that on top of condemning her to death, Belle also tossed Tari out of the video too.
  • Also, notice how Meggy was the only one out of the gang to glitch. She was not only disappearing, but also glitching at the same time. She, unlike Tari or SMG4, didn't get to say goodbye to Mario, as she only can reach out a hand as he walks away before fading. This implies SMG3 may have planned something far worse for Meggy than simply being deleted, probably because he knew Meggy was Mario's best friend.
• In "A Totally Normal S̷͍͖͉̙͚͎̑̃̿͑̆̇̚͠M̸͇͇̦̮̌̿Ğ̴̫̗̖͎͔̳4̶̞͇̰̎̀́̚ Episode", we get a look at SMG3's treatment of the supporting cast during the episode he makes… and it's outright abusive. He constantly pushes them to follow the script of his episode, verbally eviscerates Whimpu when he can't match Saiko's personality, and OUTRIGHT TORTURES BELLE WHEN SHE CALLS HIM OUT.
  • On top of all this, look at JubJub. He's absolutely devastated for what he did to his brother, and he's too sad to carry out the lines SMG3 gave him.
  • In a Freeze-Frame Bonus, you can actually see Anti-Shroomy at one point, emote the sad Shroomy face when SMG3 is scolding his team for not holding a candle to SMG4's crew.
  • The beginning is no slouch either: after Mario discovers the whole A Glitch in the Matrix scene (see Nightmare Fuel for more info), he learns that SMG3 was behind all this, as he cruelly tells the plumber that his friends are all erased. Cue heartbreaking images of all of Mario's smiling friends as he grieves over their deaths (or so he thinks)… from his brother, best friend and surrogate sister, up to even people like Bob or Saiko. Said grief turns into fury as a rip-roaringly angry Mario lunges at SMG3, but the latter pauses him mid-air and walks to restart the episode his own way. Thankfully, Mario finds out they were only banished to the Internet Graveyard, but it's still a pretty bleak beginning for an episode.
• "War of the Fat Italians 2020":
  • When the giant Wario head encounters the Mario head, the Mario head tells him that the accident which killed his mother happened 30 years prior and tells him to let her go. We then get flashbacks of Wario at his mother's deathbed as she dies. It comes back in "SMG4 Expands His Brain", when Wario reminds Waluigi of her to prevent another rejection-fueled rampage.
  • SMG3 almost drops Boopkins off a cliff. JubJub, infused with the power of the YouTube remote, is horrified. He attempts to save his brother and ends up pushing out the remote.
  • SMG3, during the rap, grows tired of his minions just engaging in the rap battle instead of actually attempting to kill Team Glitch, and then aims a cheap shot at Meggy right in front of Mario. Mario tackles him, but he's too late to stop him from pressing a button, and the beam hits Meggy in the face, causing her to collapse… only for her to stand back up, showing off her new permanent English Voice with a beautiful melody. While this is slightly less sad than the thought of her getting irreparably Killed Off for Real, and Saiko vows to make ANYONE who dislikes the change suffer, this marks the final nail in the coffin of Meggy's former status as an Inkling.
• If you saw him as a Tragic Villain, SMG3 himself can be quite saddening, as he had just gained everything and was finally happy at the start of the arc. But thanks to SMG4 believing he was still evil and destroying his production studio, SMG3 lost everything and afterwards he decides to actually stay evil. Also, if you still felt a little sorry for him, his fate at the end of the arc may gain him some sympathy.

The Genesis arc

• In Mario Babies, it turns out that before he just one day showed up in Peach's Castle, SMG4 doesn't remember his non-plot related past. He has an existential crisis when he realizes he has NO idea where he's even from. It's kind of hard to watch.
  • During the same episode, we find out that Bob, of all people, Used to Be a Sweet Kid prior to meeting Wario and Waluigi, who proceeded to bully him and he met Big Smoke. Shroomy, meanwhile, was the opposite: his Anti-Shroomy personality was the ORIGINAL, and the only reason he even has a good side was that he was this continuity's victim of the Bite of 87.
  • Even worse for Shroomy, thanks to the Bite, he lost the love of his uncle Doomguy, who refuses to accept Shroomy for who he is now and is using Isabelle as his Replacement Goldfish for him. As Mario and the VILLAGE shows, this is ruining Doomguy's relationship with his wife and daughters because he's obsessing over Isabelle and not paying attention to them.
• Leave it to SMG4 to make the "YOURE GOING TO BRAZIL" meme sad when Matt says it to SMG4 at the end of "Stupid Mario Golf". He just wanted to go to Brazil…
• In "If Mario Was In Newgrounds", after SMG4 and Mario land in Alien Hominid's world, the alien is shot and dies in Mario's hands. Obviously, this reminds Mario of Greg's death (with him even thinking that alien is Greg!), making it clear that Mario still hasn't gotten over Greg's death, especially after his attempted revival failed. Luckily, this sad moment has some Mood Whiplash at the end where the alien mocks Mario and goes to heaven on its own, leaving Mario dumbfounded.
• "The Other Universe" shows the destruction of SMG1 and SMG2's original universe with Mario and SMG4 helpless as they watch the memory play out.
  Mario: SMG4, we gotta do something!
  SMG4: We can't...
  Mario: No...
  • Spudnick's death. You can hear the terror in his voice as he is creepily drained to death by Zero in a similar way Zero almost did to Mario in the 10th Anniversary Movie, while SMG1 and SMG2 watch in horror as their body parts start to fall apart in a similar way to what almost happened to SMG4 and SMG3. What's even sadder to know is that he was the avatar of SMG1 and SMG2's world, and if it weren't for Zero, SMG1, SMG2 and the Newgrounds characters wouldn't have gotten their world destroyed.
  • SMG1 and 2's reactions to Spudnick's death count too. SMG2 in particular sounds absolutely devastated by the loss, enough to rush up to Zero and call him out.
  SMG2: NOOOOOOO! THERE WAS SO MUCH WE WANTED TO DO TOGETHER! WHY? WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND, KILLING US WON'T FIX WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!
• Two examples from "SMG4: What If?", an otherwise silly Breather Episode that features Mario and SMG4 entering a dimension of fanfic ideas.
  • While the "What if (arc villain) won?" scenes are mostly silly, Waluigi's shows him in the aftermath of an alternate Waluigi Arc reflecting on how he had to kill Wario, his own brother, to win. He won, but at what cost?
  • One of the scenarios is one where Desti avoided the Sephiroth replica's sword and survived, then becoming a part of the main cast. Then comes a scene based on Meggy's Destiny, where Meggy and Desti win Splatfest together, and after winning, they banter with each other, before Meggy is the one fatally stabbed by the Sephiroth replica, and Desti proceeds to avenge her and go after the Sephiroth replica. We don't even get to see their outcome in their final confrontation. It's set in an alternate timeline, but still…
• Melony's shift in demeanor after the incident in "The Day HE Arrived" that made Axol braindead. She's utterly heartbroken at Axol's fate. Even seeing him come back at the end of the episode brings little relief, as there's clearly something very wrong with him.
• Axol's situation in "Mario and The Backrooms". His body was possessed by an Eldritch Abomination, but he can control his body sometimes. He used this and made many messages to leave to Mario, SMG4 and SMG3. Seeing how he was begging them to leave only to Zero get complete control over his body is just heartbreaking.
• "The Final Piece":
  • At the beginning, SMG4 and his fellow SMGs being Forced to Watch Zero almost corrupt Mario, SMG4 almost saw his life-long best friend get corrupted right in front of him.
    • In the climax, when Zero finds Mario, both SMG4 and Luigi cry out in despair for him. Especially Luigi's reaction is more heartstring-tugging when you realize how scary and sad it must be to see your own sibling in severe danger.
  • Melony's worrying about Axol. Specifically, when Zero teleports her in his mind.
  • After The Reveal that Zero wants to create his own universe:
    Zero: Yes. My own universe with my own avatar. Nice and peaceful... Just like it used to be.
    • Before this, when the SMGs are trying to seal him with their Guardian Pods, Zero's rage quickly turns to despair as he screams that all he wants is to be allowed to live. Even though his actions are still unforgivable, it's not hard to feel bad for him.
• "War of the Fat Italians 2021":
  • The ending. After the usual ending rap in WOTFI, Melony returns to Zero's mind dimension and finds Axol trapped in flesh growths on his limbs. Melony tries her damnedest to free him but unfortunately for her, the only way to separate him from Zero is to flatout kill him. Melony is clearly torn up at the option, and even accepts Axol's confession, now clearly a Dying Declaration of Love, from the last episode before dealing the final blow. After Zero is finally defeated, Meggy congratulates Melony for the final blow and asks where Axol is… only for Melony to break down and bawl her eyes out. If you thought Desti's death was heart-wrenching enough, this is worse.
  • After Zero's defeat, Melony tries to put on a brave face when the gang checks up on her. Its only when Meggy, who also knows what its like to lose a friend, assures her that she can talk to her about anything that she breaks, hugging her while lightly sobbing.
• After the Genesis Arc is done, the new banner for the channel at the time was a picture of Axol holding and cuddling Melony in a background that looks like Heaven. The artwork was done by therealseawhale.
• Luke made an official memorial to Axol

The Revelations Arc

• We learn in "Mario Suffers Infinite Detention" that Melony really isn't learning anything useful in the Power Club, as Kawashima is only going over pointless exercises.
• Melony is heartbroken over failing to keep Bob and Boopkins from falling off the bus in "Mario's Bus Trip". And Saiko is too preoccupied with strangling Mario to help.
• "Absolute Betrayal"
  • The reveal that Niles, the supposed bully-turned-friend who was helping her train her powers, didn't really exist as he was just in her head. And to make matters worse, he isn't simply a hallucination: he turns out to be the very one that everyone thought died when Melony was forced to kill Axol. That's right, Zero is back, meaning that Axol's death was ultimately for nothing. Melony, needless to say, is enraged at this revelation. You can't really blame her for exploding over this unfair outcome.
  • What could be the worst part is that no one even seems to realize that Melony is under anyone's control, so all they see is Melony suddenly snapping at seemingly nothing, then suddenly she turns around and achieves exactly what they were trying to stop. At best, they think the Box Club is somehow responsible for this strange behavior. At worst, they believe Melony made a Face–Heel Turn.
• SMG0's situation is a classic tragedy. Originally a carefree SMG who frolicked about with his Avatar, Fred, he ended up seeking the God Box's help when Corrupted Memes invaded his universe. The God Box created Niles to help him contain the Memes in the Internet Graveyard, and the two quickly became best friends. However, Niles's imperfections and his obsessive desire to create a "perfect universe" for his new friend ended up unleashing the God Box's power on their universe, accidentally killing Fred and destroying their universe.
• Melony's Disney Death hits both Mario and SMG4 hard. SMG4 especially seems too willing to go with SMG1 and SMG2's last resort to destroy the whole God Box.
  SMG4: ...Destroy it all...
• Terrence, SMG3's favorite Ugandan Knuckles, ends up allowing himself to be turned into meme energy so SMG4 and SMG3 can power up Mario. SMG3 is devastated by this, and is seen holding a funeral for him in the epilogue.
• Despite everything he did as Zero, Niles is surprisingly pitiful in his final moments. As the God Box explodes around him, he desperately tries to hold Zero together, insisting that he can still salvage the situation and can finally create a perfect world where he and SMG0 can be happy together. In the end, SMG0 is able to finally convince him to let go and accept their demise, and the two calmly walk into the light as Zero is destroyed by the God Box's destruction. And as the God Box's explosion consumes him, Zero gives a final, content smile.

The Lawsuit Arc

• Despite winning against Lawyer Kong and the Nintendo ninja army, Mario surrenders himself to Nintendo when they threaten SMG4 with a DMCA. Thankfully, Miyamoto has another idea that doesn't involve him.
  • As Mario is walking away, you can see Meggy trying to hold onto his hand in a vain attempt to make him stay.
• From "Mario Can't Play With You Anymore":
  • As revenge for being humiliated, Lawyer Kong set up a firewall to keep SMG4's characters out while Nintendo characters are slowly reverting back to their canon selves. On the crew's side, SMG4 gives Meggy a poignant What the Hell, Hero? and tells her to accept the new reality. While he apologizes for blowing up at her, you can feel the guilt eating at Meggy for going about standing up to Nintendo so recklessly.
  • Mario manages to get Phoenix Wright involved, but he ends up becoming canon. His last words to Wright are a strained, pitiful plea to help the others however he can.
  • While Played for Laughs, there's something disturbing about Banjo begging for his life before he's seemingly sentenced to death by being shot out of a cannon. In short, Grey-Area characters are basically executed if they are unwanted.
• "If Mario Was In Splatoon 3" starts with a Hope Spot when Meggy and SMG4 manage to track Mario (and Luigi) to Inkopolis. Meggy tackles Mario with a big hug and initially assumes Mario doesn't recognize her because an IP License Contract turned her back into an Inkling. Her enthusiasm is quickly dashed once it becomes obvious Mario doesn't remember her at all.
  • Every attempt to jog Mario's memory not only fails, but manages to convince Mario he's being stalked by nutcases. Eventually, Meggy and SMG4 give up. Meggy is noticeably devastated about it. Thankfully, watching memes reverts Mario back to "normal".
  • Just to twist the knife, right after the trio gets back together, the IP Contract expires, once again turning Meggy into a human. While she knew the reversion was temporary, it's still sad knowing how happy she was to be an Inkling again. Plus suddenly the cops are after them again…
• Luigi feels guilty for killing the ninja with a meme, which leads to his "Breaking Bad" persona.
  • After breaking Luigi out of said persona, Lawyer Kong finally detains the Mario Bros.
• The brutal Downer Ending to "[NINTENDO HAS CLAIMED THIS VIDEO]": Miyamoto takes Lawyer Kong's side and signs the DMCA, which leads to all of SMG4's OCs slumping over, implied to be dead. Special mention goes to the heartbreaking scene where Mario cradles Meggy in his arms, devastated that one of his best friends is seemingly done for…
  Meggy: H-hey… Guess we didn't make it in time.
  Mario: No… no, don't say that! Mario will fix this!!
  Meggy (weakly chuckles) I'm so glad we met, Red…
  (Meggy hugs him one last time before she slumps over unconscious just like the others)
  • The day after the episode aired, Luke updated his Twitter with a picture of SMG4 sitting dejected on a chair in a dark room. A Shout-Out to the infamous Shinji Chair? Yes. Still heartbreaking? Also yes.
• The opening of "Goodbye, SMG4" does a good job in showcasing the arc's Darkest Hour…
  • It starts with SMG4 and Mario tearfully sharing memories about their old videos before the plumber breaks down in tears and hugs SMG4, begging him not to leave him. The poor Youtuber can only hug back, knowing full well that there's nothing he can do at this point.
  • What follows is a rare, heartbreaking case of Breaking the Fourth Wall: right before deleting his channel on Lawyer Kong's orders, SMG4 thanks all his viewers for sticking by him so long, before we cut to his real-life counterpart reluctantly deleting his channel before sadly bowing his head and removing his well-known SMG4 cap, all against a dark background only lit up by his computer's light. Once the deed is done, his Author Avatar is left dead on the ground with a tearful Mario and an unsympathetic Lawyer Kong staring over him. The music doesn't help.
  • Following this, Mario is left completely depressed by everything that happened. In fact, he does everything in his power to disobey Miyamoto's directions for the new Mario Games, lacking any and all forms of the enthusiasm he once had.
• It's brief and Played for Laughs, but there's a scene where Tari is shown sobbing upon realizing the crew did an arc without her.
• Pay attention to one particular line of the rap battle (“violence, separation”). The image shows Jubjub and Fishy Boopkins forcibly separated (due to Fishy using a Nintendo character as his design at the time).
• More of a happy tearjerker, but after all is said and done, Mario can't help but tear up in relief that he was able to save his friends, admitting that he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he had lost them.

PUZZLEVISION

• "MAR10 DAY" starts out as a fun event to honor Mario, but things quickly go downhill:
  • Mario wants SMG4 for the main event of his Mario Day celebration. Unfortunately, SMG4 has been hyper-focused on making his big video since the end of "SMG4... Are You Ok?" and won't leave his room, even when Meggy, Tari, Bob, and SMG3 try to bring him out. Mario is hurt and upset by this and cancels Mario Day. All his friends can do is look on in sadness and try to comfort him. Even SMG3 is sad that SMG4 isn't willing to celebrate his best friend's big day.
    SMG3: "Come on, these are your friends. You can't just treat them like this."
  • When Mario is forced to cancel his day, a lot of his friends give worried looks, but all of the Mario enemies, who had put off other important things to attend, are not happy to hear this and audibly boo him.
  • It's not until a fight breaks out after Wario hijacks the holiday for himself, resulting in the Wi-Fi being knocked out, that SMG4 comes out to beat the hell out of Wario and Waluigi, kick the party-goers out of the castle, and scream at his friends in a furious rage before heading back to his room.
    SMG4: "HEY! SHUT UP!!! CAN YOU ALL SHUT UP!?!?" [drives out the party-goers in rage]
    SMG3: "OI! IDIOT!! We're all here to celebrate your best friend's day, and you're acting like THIS!?!"
    SMG4: "NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORK I DO!!!"
    Mario: "But SMG4, the main event-"
    SMG4: "JUST LEAVE ME THE F**K ALONE!!!" (slams door)
  • We've seen and heard SMG4 angry before, but never to this extent. And hearing someone who's usually so happy and passionate about what they do like Luke scream at the top of his lungs in anger feels very wrong and unlike his usual demeanor.
  • Some people have thought that this was Luke's way of venting how, despite how long it takes him and his team to make these videos, in addition to running a whole animation studio, he's constantly being bombarded with hate comments from ignorant people. One observer pointed out that this would only make SMG4 more obsessed to make his perfect video truly perfect.
  • As the cherry on top of Mario's heartbreak, why did he need SMG4 for the MAR10 day main event? He was going to give him the Mario Day Best Friend Award, which he dedicated to his best friend for sticking by him thick and thin. Meggy can only rightfully gasp in a mix of horror and sadness; all Mario wanted to do was commemorate the meme man himself, but SMG4's rampage cruelly crushed his hopes and left him in tears.
• SMG4 Movie: It's Gotta Be Perfect might be one of the most emotionally-heavy videos to come out of the channel in a long while.
  • Turns out a lot of the reason for SMG4's Sanity Slippage stems from the overwhelming pressure he feels to make a good video. The corrupted castle reflects a lot of this, with many of the paintings having changed to hate comments written by the man himself. It makes for uncomfortably-relatable viewing for any content creator. The first hint of this is a notepad document left behind on SMG4's computer:
    i just want to make everyone happy...
  • SMG3 has a lot of incredibly-human moments starting with seeing the paintings-turned-to-hate-comments. He realises that SMG4 wrote them, and damn-near starts to cry as he recounts the unbelievable pressure he deals with on a daily basis. How does he know? He's been there. Even though SMG3 only had control of SMG4's channel for a week, he describes it as the most stressful thing in his life. Not helped by James Bailey's heartrending delivery.
    • Later on, SMG3 is the one to get through to the possessed SMG4 just as he, Mario, and Meggy are about to be dragged into the void. His speech is equal parts sad and heartwarming:
      SMG3: "Hey, dude. Listen to me. I used to think you had it all... friends. Fame. Views. I thought you had to be the happiest person in the world. But I understand you now. You're really scared, aren't you? You're scared you could lose it all at any time. Because you think you're only worth as much as the stuff you make. But I've met your friends, man. No matter what you make, they... WE... will always be here to have fun and laugh together."
      Meggy: "THAT'S RIGHT!! YOU ALWAYS HAVE US, SMG4!!"
      Mario: "YEAH!!! MARIO'S GONNA LAUGH AT YOU FOREVER!!"
  • When Mario and Meggy make it out of the castle, at first, the mood is jubilant. But it quickly turns to horror when they see that SMG4 and SMG3 didn't make it out with them. And the whole castle is going down behind them. Soon, it looks to be too late for the meme guardians, and total despair sets in for the survivors. Even Swag, who up until this point has been far too enthusiastic about destroying the castle, looks utterly crestfallen.
    Meggy: (about to cry) "No... no, this can't be the end..."
  • After nearly 12 years of being the central hub for SMG4, his friends, and all of their adventures since the first episode, Peach's Castle is permanently destroyed. It's the only way to neutralize the eldritch demon holding it and SMG4 hostage, but this time, it can't be repaired because there's a large demon crater in the center of it all.
    • Worse is that Boopkins had been trying his damnedest to stop the military from destroying the castle, partly because SMG4, SMG3, Mario, and Meggy are still in there. But a remorseful Saiko eventually makes it clear that there's no other way, and Boopkins sounds absolutely crushed:
      Saiko: "We have to sink the castle."
      Boopkins: "But... won't this sink the castle... forever?"
      Saiko: (visibly hesitates) "There's no other choice."
• Melony being the odd girl out in the "The Very Safe & Legal SMG4 Show", and it's not just because she fails to juggle.
  • SMG3 doesn't work with her, but SMG4 knows how to make him work.
  • Meggy and Tari are excited about working with a lion. Melony doesn't have the same energy to match.
  • While Mario does offer a spot for Melony, she can tell that she can't keep up with Mario and Luigi's antics.
  • She doesn't even bother with Bob and Boopkins, who are working on a dangerous stunt.
• In "We Interrupt This Broadcast…"
  • Meggy idolizes One-Shot Wren, so to find the beanie he gave her is missing makes her go nearly catatonic. After recovering her beanie, she sees his statue vandalized and is told that people only come to make fun of him. And then finding Wren's home… which is abandoned.
  • Throughout this breakdown, Meggy is completely dismissive of everything Tari says and all but outright calls her The Load. Remember Tari is Meggy's other best friend (after Mario) and enthusiastically took her on as her first official student just one week earlier. Tari is clearly upset but, being Tari, says nothing. While Meggy does cheer up after seeing the (very suspicious) lead on finding One-Shot Wren, she never apologizes to Tari.
• The Movie "Western Spaghetti"... Where to start?
  • Well, the main one is after Tari confirms that One-Shot Wren kidnapped the cast to live out his glory days, Meggy calls him a monster and shoots him… only for the bullet to have gone through her gut, proving she never left his Lotus-Eater Machine. Worse, she spends the next month getting shot again and again by her ex-idol just to sate his rivalry, with Mario placed back under Wren's control and everyone except for her (and, it turns out, Tari) placed in a "Groundhog Day" Loop.
  • Meggy's state after enduring a month of being shot by Wren. She's curled up in a Troubled Fetal Position, whimpering as her bloodshot eyes dart around, and is so paranoid over how and when Wren will strike next that she pulls a gun on SMG4, holds him hostage in front of the entire town, and nearly shoots Tari.
  • As the cast escapes, Meggy tells Wren that, had things gone differently, they could have been friends. Wren replies that she makes a good rival, which tells Meggy that he would have never considered that possibility. So she resignedly turns around and leaves Wren to die as his machine undergoes Explosive Overclocking.
  • While Wren is undeniably a villain who deserved what he got, his descent into evil gives him a small air of tragedy. After he lost his title of Greatest Splatfest Player, no other Inklings wanted anything to do with him. He had no friends and was soon forced to sell everything he owned and live on the streets. The way Wren was treated by Inkopolis has parallels to how Axol was constantly bullied during his years growing up in the city due to his love of anime (eventually fleeing to Japan) and how they actively discriminated against Meggy following her transformation into a human (forcing her to relocate to the Mushroom Kingdom). Keep in mind this guy literally saved Meggy's life when she was a child – it's how she got his beanie in the first place and a big reason why she put him on that pedestal – so he can't have been all bad.
• PUZZLEVISION
  • When Mr. Puzzles recaps the events of Western Spaghetti, Meggy starts to hyperventilate, showing she still has trauma from her ordeal in Wren's simulation.
  • Similarly, SMG4 has a look of genuine guilt and shame when Mr. Puzzles praises his performance as an antagonist during "Its Gotta Be Perfect".
  • While he absolutely had it coming after everything he put the gang through, Mr. Puzzle's defeat is a little depressing due to how pathetic it is. Upon realizing he's lost his powers, he falls to his knees and sobs that all he wanted was to make "a good tv show" before retreating into his tv head.

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