History TearJerker / JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders

* When Vanilla Ice goes for the final attack, Polneraff gives a heartfelt farewell as the void heads towards him and [[FaceDeathWithDiginity he resolves himself to die]]. The anime episode really sells this as a potential final end for him as it concludes with his earring falling to the ground, seemingly confirming his death.

* When Vanilla Ice goes for the final attack, Polneraff gives a heartfelt farewell as the void heads towards him as he resolves himself to die.
---> '''Polnareff:''': So long, Iggy.

---> '''Polnareff:''': So long, Iggy.\\

* Iggy's death. Especially since he died saving Polnareff, the guy he'd spent the entire series bickering with. It starts with Vanilla Ice [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown brutally kicking Iggy to death]], not to just eliminate an enemy, but [[DispropionateRetribution for making him raise a hand at DIO, even if it was a sand copy that would've harmed him otherwise- with the blind fanatic dragging out the punishment instead of his usual swift executions]]. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Since Iggy is essentially a Boston Terrier, albeit one with a Stand, instead of one of the human characters that are much more durable, this essentially causes his death]].

* On encountering Cameo, Polnareff is offered three wishes. After testing his first wish by asking wealth (which he is promptly given), Polnareff debates what his second and third wishes should be. At first he's torn between either his childhood dream of being a comic/manga artist or true love, but then he thinks of what he truly wants. He wishes for his sister, Cherie, to be brought back to life. And when he sees her apparently returned, and hears her speak, the look on his face is just heartbreaking. Polnareff is crying tears of pure joy, with the most genuinely happy look we've seen on his face in the entire anime. We're also treated glimpses of Polnareff and Cherie's childhood together, and you can see how much he really loved her. Turned into a combo of TearJerker and NightmareFuel when Cameo twists Polnareff's wish by turning Cherie into essentially a flesh-eating zombie that tries to kill him. And then to twist the knife even further, Cameo brings a fake Avdol back to life as well, who begins to tear into Polnareff psychologically. The poor guy can't catch any breaks.
* Polnareff and Joseph backing away from Kakyoin in fear (while Jotaro just watches it happen), whispering about him behind his back, and even considering abandoning him after Mannish Boy manipulates them into believing he's insane. These are the only friends Kakyoin's had. Not to mention Death 13 is constantly torturing him in his sleep, leaving him exhausted and mentally unwell.

* Iggy's death. Especially since he died saving Polnareff, the guy he'd spent the entire series bickering with.
** The anime makes it worse: after barely dispatching Pet Shop in [[DeathOrGloryAttack an all-or-nothing suicidal attack,]] a badly-wounded and exhausted Iggy looks like he's about to die and laments the chain of events that lead to him sinking towards the riverbed, flashing back to his life in New York City and his antics in Egypt. He doesn't die there due to being [[AndroclesLion rescued from the water by the same boy he'd earlier saved from Pet Shop,]] but people who know what's coming won't enjoy this "sneak preview" of his eventual fate.
** Polnareff describing the feeling of a dead Stand and his sorrowful PreMortemOneLiner are hauntingly beautiful.

* Polnareff, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge after burning Vanilla Ice alive in sunlight for killing Avdol and Iggy,]] witnesses [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence the spirits of his two friends and floating away giving him their acknowledgement,]] driving the big man to tears. The anime version drives the viewers to tears with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTazVw4IN6g some of the most heart-rending music]] played over the scene where their souls ascend to the afterlife, which itself has some of the best animation in the series.

** The way he screams their names afterward, in both in the original and dub, is utterly heart-wrenching.

* During the fight with Alessi, a random Egyptian woman takes Polnareff (at the time a seven-year-old) in and tries to help him. She gets deaged to a fetus by Alessi's Stand, only surviving because Jotaro and Polnareff beat the hell out of Alessi, undoing his power. When she comes to, she finds Polnareff's lost earring (he left it in the bath when Alessi tried to drown him) and runs out after the duo, asking if they've seen a young boy. Polnareff, not wanting to get an innocent woman caught up in their trouble, denies any knowledge. Now here's where the tear jerker comes in: in doing this, he abandons the earring, ''the only thing he had left of his sister''. And as they walk away, he orders Jotaro not to say a word. Polnareff's various tribulations are played for laughs a lot, but this is a rather somber moment. Even more so if you know [[ChivalrousPervert the usual kind of personality Polnareff has.]]

* Avdol's first "death" is terribly sad even if it wasn't permanent. First, Polnareff lashes out at him, pushing all of his {{Berserk Button}}s before storming off, their budding friendship in tatters. Then Polnareff lets Hol Horse goad him into a fight he can't win -- because J. Geil's Hanged Man was lurking out of sight, waiting to ambush him -- leaving Avdol no choice but to defend Polnareff with his life. He's promptly stabbed in the back and shot in the face just a few feet from Polnareff and Kakyoin, who was just a second too late to save him. Kakyoin is visibly devastated and even clings to his body, [[PleaseWakeUp begging him to wake up]]; only for Polnareff to turn his back on them and launch into an angry tirade seemingly insulting Avdol's sacrifice. Just as Kakyoin grows furious on Avdol's behalf, Polnareff peers over his shoulder, revealing that he's outright bawling- being guilt-ridden about Avdol's death and being sick of people dying on him. [[FromBadToWorse And things only get worse for Polneraff throughout the part and even into his second appearance in Part 5]].

* [=N'Doul=]'s death. After being beaten by Jotaro, he uses his Stand to kill himself in order to not spill out any information on his allies, especially DIO. Before he dies, he acknowledges Jotaro's strength, and explains to Jotaro how [[DarkAndTroubledPast he lived a lonely and miserable life]], due to his blindness and Stand powers isolating him and forcing him to survive on petty crime, until he met DIO; who acknowledged him for who he was and gave him purpose and value as a person. [[AlasPoorVillain Jotaro eulogizes his fallen foe]] and buries [=N'Doul's=] body respectfully -- marking the spot with his jeweled cane -- [[WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife sadly wondering to himself why people like him turn out the way they do]].

* Avdol's first "death" is terribly sad even if it wasn't permanent. First, Polnareff lashes out at him, pushing all of his {{Berserk Button}}s before storming off, their budding friendship in tatters. Then Polnareff lets Hol Horse goad him into a fight he can't win -- because J. Geil's Hanged Man was lurking out of sight, waiting to ambush him -- leaving Avdol no choice but to defend Polnareff with his life. He's promptly stabbed in the back and shot in the face just a few feet from Polnareff and Kakyoin, who was just a second too late to save him. Kakyoin is visibly devastated and even clings to his body, [[PleaseWakeUp begging him to wake up]]; only for Polnareff to turn his back on them and launch into an angry tirade seemingly insulting Avdol's sacrifice. Just as Kakyoin grows furious on Avdol's behalf, Polnareff peers over his shoulder, revealing that he's outright bawling.
** Hol Horse and especially J. Geil tormenting Polnareff afterward by [[KickTheDog gleefully reminding him that Avdol's death was his fault]]; and in the latter's case, how horribly his defenceless little sister died. The story arc doesn't exactly show Polnareff in the best light before his character development, but you can't help but feel bad for him when the enemy toys with his emotions in such a cruel way.

* [=N'Doul=]'s death. After being beaten by Jotaro, he uses his Stand to kill himself in order to not spill out any information on his allies, especially DIO. Before he dies, he acknowledges Jotaro's strength, and explains to Jotaro how [[DarkAndTroubledPast he lived a lonely and miserable life]], due to his blindness and Stand powers isolating him and forcing him to survive on petty crime, until he met DIO; who acknowledged him for who he was, and gave him purpose and value as a person. [[AlasPoorVillain Jotaro eulogises his fallen foe]] and buries [=N'Doul's=] body respectfully -- marking the spot with his jewelled cane -- [[WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife sadly wondering to himself why people like him turn out the way they do]].

-->'''Vanilla Ice''': It was only for a little while, but you should thank Avdol for extending your life. At that time, if he hadn't pushed you away, you would have been [[PowerOfTheVoid swallowed by the sub-dimension together.]] He could have survived if he'd tried to escape alone. WhatAnIdiot

** It's almost as bad in the OVA version as well: where, after Polnareff kills Vanilla Ice, he limps over to the top half of Iggy's body [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe after the vampire had fatally cut him in half,]] gently picks him up, and weeps as he hugs him to his chest. And this is ''after'' Vanilla Ice had just mocked Avdol's HeroicSacrifice and rubbed it in by saying [[KickTheDog he probably would have been able to escape on his own if he had not saved Polnareff.]]