Suzume comes with plenty of tears.
- The film overall has a feeling of melancholy for the aftermath of the many disasters which Japan has endured. The focal point of the doors are in abandoned areas, which Rumi sadly notes seem to be all too common these days.
- Even without accounting for disasters, the Akiya, the abandoned houses and building because of the aging Japanese population, are a well-known problem. Much like the closed amusement park Suzume and Sōta visit, entire neighborhoods and towns that were once teeming with life simply cease to be; slowly rotting to husks and being reclaimed by nature because no one lives there anymore.
- Sōta losing himself as he becomes the keystone, with his body frosting over as he admits he's afraid of dying.
- Suzume is forced to use Sōta as the keystone to save Tokyo from being wiped out by the Worm, all the while screaming she doesn't want to do it and begging Sōta to answer her.
- Suzume furiously rebuffing Daijin after closing the Tokyo gate, screaming that she hates him and even coming close to killing the cat on the spot. While he had it coming, it's almost impossible not to feel at least a bit sorry for the little guy as he realizes just how angry Suzume is with him for what he did to Souta, complete with him returning to his pitiful state before Suzume fed him.Daijin: (quietly, as he slinks away) Suzume doesn't love me...
- The fight between Suzume and her Aunt Tamaki takes a nasty turn when she explodes about how much of a burden Suzume has been and how much she's been forced to give up. Thankfully, it was due to Sadaijin possessing her that she said this and Tamaki later apologizes, admitting that while she has had such thoughts, she does truly love her niece. Even so, it's devastating from the perspective of both niece and aunt; particularly the sight of Tamaki realizing exactly what she had just said and absolutely breaking down in Tomoya's arms.
- Suzume remembering how, at just four years old, she spent days searching for her mother after the tsunami while none of the adults could bring themselves to tell her that her mother is most likely dead. When teenage Suzume meets and hugs her younger self, she admits deep down she already knew her mom was gone. Young Suzume breaks free and runs away, still not wanting to accept the harsh truth.
- Suzume's childhood diary starts with crayon drawings of her and her mother, and little stories that go with them. It takes a turn for the tragic when Suzume finds pages upon pages of completely black entries starting from the 11th of March, 2011.
It's a heart-breaking reminder of how a little girl's happy life was completely torn asunder. - After saving her during the climax, Daijin sadly apologizes that he can't be Suzume's cat despite wanting to be, because he knows he has to return to being the keystone, and asks her to set things right by using him to defeat the Worm. Suzume, for her part, has by now forgiven him for his actions and is very saddened to lose him and tearful that she must return him to his fate of the inanimate keystone.
- To lock up the doors leading to the Ever After, Sōta taught Suzume to remember the happy memories of the people who used to inhabit or visit the abandoned places housing those doors. This usually shows up as phantom images of people —tourists, students, office workers, etc. — walking past Suzume while smiling and spending time with each other. The final fight consists of Suzume going through hundreds of flashbacks of the 2011 Tohoku disaster victims when they're still alive, smiling and laughing all the while. This also includes a previous flashback where her own mother was still there.
