In a drama that portrays realism in human society, the detectives get hit consistently with tragedy and despair.As per this site's policy, all spoilers are unmarked.
- The deaths of several main characters. You spend dozens of episodes getting to know them and seeing them grow alongside the cast, only for them to die in tragic ways.
- Worse, half of the killed-off characters first started as young rookies whose debut episode was their first criminal case. It's very upsetting to see the veteran detectives react to a junior who looked up to them dying fairly early in their careers (Macaroni, Jeans, and Bogey all died in their first year as detectives).
- Macaroni's death in Episode 52. It's absolutely tragic to see an up-and-coming detective (and arguably the show's first protagonist) die from a random mugger. In his final moments, he calls his mother, who is already dead as he lived alone above a tobacco shop.
- Rocky's in Episode 519 especially since he had the longest run of any of the rookies at that time. When we first meet him he's a kindhearted Gentle Giant who quickly gets along with everyone, even Gori. He is shot by a thief in Canada while trying to save some animals from a stick of dynamite the criminal had just thrown. He ends up dying in Pops' arms while the rest of the squad weeps. Even worse, he doesn't have his wife or his kids present to say goodbye. It's so saddening that Pops took it upon himself to arrest the culprit and ask to be reassigned to a police academy afterward so he could teach upcoming detectives to be like Rocky.
- It hits far worse when you realize he was on vacation and living his lifelong dream of climbing the Rocky mountains. Even the rest of the squad was looking forward to joining him in relaxing after the case was resolved.
- Gori's final goodbye in Episode 525, and not just because this was a mere six episodes after Rocky died. A detective we've seen on our screens since day one for ten years tragically dies after taking down a yakuza factory on his own. Everyone breaks down in tears and honks their car horns in dedication to Gori. In the ending scene, Haruko (Gori's deaf fiancee) goes to Boss, thankful that she met Gori for introducing the world of sound to her. The episode ends with Boss looking out to the city that Gori told in his last words to keep safe.
- Rugger's death is one of the more downer conclusions to one of the youngest characters in the series. In his last scene, he gets hit by a sniper who was about to kill a bus full of people. After taking him down, he sinks to the ground and cries in relief that the bus is unharmed. Rugger then crawls with the last of his life in hopes to reach his friends. He never did as he died midway through an elevator.
- Everyone's reaction to Rugger's death is this, but Doc's is absolutely heartbreaking. `The pair had spent almost 200 episodes together being tight-knit despite their bantering. Doc, who had lost many friends at this point, lays his suit jacket on Rugger's body and breaks down crying.
- Episode 665 is full of these. From Gori's father denying that his son never died to Rugger's mother never cooking again since her son's death, it really shows how much a detective's unexpected deaths impacted their loved ones. What's even sadder is that no one is able to find any information on any loved ones for Macaroni, Texas (his mom died from an illness after he was killed), and Scotch, which leads to Yama-san saying that he and Boss are the only family left to mourn them.
- Yama-san's goodbye to his adopted son in Episode 691. He has spent the better part of eight years trying to raise him as a single parent, and it happens that real parents returned and wish to take care of him after years abroad. The sad piano music that plays undoubtedly doesn't help alleviate the sadness. And then later that night he is shot by a random thug before he calls his son one last time.
- When Boss hears the news, he quietly looks out his window in complete shock.
- Several off-screen ones:
- Masaya Oki taking his own life one year after he left the show for good, which has been attributed to his bipolar disorder. Scotch also seemed to suffer from some sort of mental illness, as he had struggled with mainiting any sort if relationship with the rest of the squad.
- Yujiro Ishihara sadly passed away on July 17, 1987 - which just happened to be on the show's fifteenth anniversary.
