Goodbye, my friend.
This page is for tearjerkers in Dragon Ball GT specifically. Also see:- In the Baby Saga, Pan getting beaten out of the sky by her mom and nearly killed by her dad, both being mind-controlled slaves of Baby. The whole thing nearly breaks her emotionally more than physically.Pan: Grandpa... have I done something wrong? Am I such a bad girl?
- The scene in the Baby saga when Goku gets beaten to a pulp by Baby and Pan breaks down and starts crying as everyone she loves is possessed or killed by Baby. Break the Cutie or what?
- Episode 32, the last thing Buu says to Hercule before his Heroic Sacrifice when merging with Uub to increase Uub's power, at the cost of Buu ceasing to exist. Hercule's grief over losing him is utterly heartbreaking:Buu: You're Buu's best friend... forever and ever.
- A scene from GT episode 35: It's right after Goku becomes a Super Saiyan 4 for the first time and goes to confront Baby. He finds Bulma with him and calls out to her. Unfortunately, she's already been turned into a mind-controlled slave of Baby and shouts at Goku not to speak to her, calls him her enemy, and tells him that he will soon be killed, all the while with this distorted evil grin on her face. Yes, it's all the result of brainwashing, but when you think about it and realize how far back Goku and Bulma's friendship goes (The whole series started with them!), it is very sad to watch. The scene in question can be found here
and starts at 5:22. - Surprisingly enough, one of the most powerful ones in the franchise happens during this series in episode 40. Because the Ultimate/Black Star Dragon Balls have not been returned to Earth, the planet is set to explode. Though the team has managed to evacuate everyone to the nearby Planet Tuffle, Piccolo decides to remain on earth - the Ultimate Dragon Balls are too dangerous, and if he dies they will turn to stone, ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again. If Goku's reaction doesn't get the waterworks flowing, then either Piccolo and Gohan's last talk (which Piccolo concluded with "Take care, my son") and Gohan's anguished "MR. PICCOLOOOOOOOO!!!!" - surrounded by a completely oblivious crowd, no less - will.
- In the English dub, Piccolo's final words to Gohan are "Goodbye... my friend...", which were the exact same words he said to Gohan, when he sacrificed himself to save Gohan against Nappa. Thinking about those two scenes will leave anyone in tears.
- When Vegeta realizes the fight against Omega Shenron is hopeless, he tearfully tells Trunks to evacuate everybody to another planet while he holds him off as long as he can.
- The ending themes can provoke this, as they can provoke a sense of nostalgia:
- Don't You See, a song about holding on to cherished memories of a friend, even when it’s time to say goodbye; a semi-allegory to how the viewers should cherish every moment of the show, since it won’t last forever.
- I’m Not Alone, a song about searching for a purpose in life can be made easier with another significant other.
- Don't You See
- Definite example is the final episode of the whole series (until Dragon Ball Super began): "Farewell, Goku. Until We Meet Again":
- Goku is forced to leave Earth after saving it for the umpteenth time ... and after all that effort against that arc's Big Bad, with the majority of the cast not even aware that he has to leave them for a good century was really depressing.
- This sequence is even more moving when you see the last scene, and the old woman Pan sees Goku, but he leaves without talking to her.
- Since Vegeta Jr.'s mother didn't have any idea who Pan was, it is most likely that Goku and Vegeta's families grew apart over the years.
- In a way, the fact that Vegeta Jr. had no idea what a Super Saiyan was. For years Vegeta Sr. was worried that the Saiyan's would be forgotten. A fear which is eventually proven to come true when his own namesake, doesn't seem to know anything about them. While the Saiyan's were far from perfect, that's still a little sad.
- The closing lines of GT and, for a long time, the whole Dragon Ball franchise (until Super began) are played over the full-size, original arrangement of the song that was used as the opening, and had bits and pieces of it rearranged and used throughout the series in its incidental music, while the visuals show a recap of Goku's story starting from all the way back in the anime's beginnings in 1986:Narrator: Because of you, Goku, it has been fun. Goofy and cheerful...Goku: Yoo-hoo!Narrator: And gentle... that's the Goku we all loved. This is where the story of Dragon Ball ends.
- Here's the ending narration as it appeared in the Funimation dub:
Narrator: And now we end the story of the Dragon Balls, with the hope that the earth never again sees the kind of darkness that brought it close to extinction so many times. But if that day comes, there is one who will step out of the shadows and fight for all that is good and true.Goku: (cheerfully) Until we meet again, guys!- And, here's one narration from the Canadian dub:
Narrator: It all started a long time ago with the birth of a special Saiyan boy, and that special boy would grow up to become a hero.Goku: (laughs) See ya!Narrator: Goodbye, Goku. (long pause) It was Goku's selflessness and compassion for others for which he will be remembered, but it was his relentless pursuit for fairness and unfazed determination to eradicate evil from our world that turned him into a hero. His legacy will no doubt generate myths for centuries to come. But maybe, just maybe, one day in a distant land, someone will again have the need to search out the Dragon Balls.
