History TearJerker / Nier

--> '''Nier''': Yeah, I know.

** And then there's his HeroicSacrifice to save the party. As if the final goodbyes weren't bad enough, when the others are gone Emil drops his brave face and breaks down, thinking about how much he wants to see them again and how terrified he is of death. That was truly heartbreaking to watch, partially because of how realistic his reaction seems.

** Which just makes the Ending B post-credits sequence, where [[spoiler:Emil's disembodied head survives the explosion, lands in the desert and cheerily bounces/rolls off to find some legs and then see his friends again]], all the more hilarious/awesome.
*** Which only serves to twist the knife even further since he'll only be able to see either [[spoiler:Nier or Kainé]], depending on which ending you choose to go with. At least in the former case, [[spoiler:when he finally gets back he'll never have realized Nier existed in the first place!]] That's...[[MadeMyselfSad not much of an improvement...]]

** She was happy to die as soon as she avenged her grandmother, but Nier accepted her and convinced her to live, while she in turn gave hope to Emil. She sacrifices herself and is petrified to save her new friends, but thankfully wakes up again and finds them all there, if a little different to how she remembered. Then her hometown of the Aerie is wiped out, she loses Emil whom she had protected and loved like a brother, and to top it all off her inner-Shade is seriously threatening to take over her mind and force her to kill the man she loves. Depending on which ending you get, she either [[spoiler:dies at Nier's hand and is allowed to finally rest]], or [[spoiler:is cured and able to live on in peace with a rebuilt Emil, at the cost of completely forgetting about Nier]]. In other words, anything about Kainé is somehow tragic.

* Fyra being attacked by wolves on her wedding day provides a shocking MoodWhiplash. One minute it's a happy celebration, the next she's lying covered in blood in her husband's arms while he ''begs'' her not to die. The King's tearful speech at her grave afterwards about how hard her life had been and how close she had come to knowing happiness is made worse when he has to ask Nier and co. to leave him alone, since a ruler can't show weakness.
* When the King and his warriors stay behind to buy time for Nier's group in the Shadowlord's Castle. After they're gone it shows the King (who is still a kid for crying out loud!) shaking with fear while trying to stay calm in front of the others, then asking the advisor how many rules there are about what battle cry to use before dying.
** [[spoiler:The King finally DyingAlone, promising Fyra that they will be TogetherInDeath.]]

* Some of the speedrun achievement titles seem specifically named to make the player feel worse about themselves than the story already did:
** [[spoiler:A Dirge for the Hero - Goose, who died attempting to protect a Shade creche from Nier and co.]]
** [[spoiler:Soul Crusher - Devola and Popola, who are killed shortly after realizing that they've attained sentience]]
** [[spoiler:Book Burner - Grimoire Noir, who, as the achievement description says, represented half of the game world's only real hope for a good ending]]
** [[spoiler:The Once and Final King - Shadowlord, the other half of the aforementioned hope. The title is a reference to T.H. White's ''TheOnceAndFutureKing'']]

--> '''Emil''': I... I want to see you again. I wanna see all of you again... Just one more time... ''I'm... scared. I don't want to die...''

** For what it's worth, this troper cried seeing that scene on YouTube despite having never met or become invested in the character, in context, Big Boss saluting at The Boss' grave made my lip quiver, this had me crying like a baby.

*** Which only serves to twist the knife even further since he'll only be able to see either [[spoiler:Nier or Kainé]], depending on which ending you choose to go with.
*** At least the former case of the above, [[spoiler:when he finally gets back he'll never have realized Nier existed in the first place!]] That's...[[MadeMyselfSad not much of an improvement...]]

* The sidequest that you do to find an old man's dog. His dog would go find leaves to help his master's medical problems and numb his pain, but he disappeared one day. So you set off to find the dog and go to a bridge in the Northern Plains. You find the dog dead, holding the special leaves in his mouth.]] Shades appear and it was apparent that they killed the dog. You kick some Shade ass, and bring the leaves back to tell the old man what happened... Only, when you arrive, there is a young man there instead. You're told that the old man had passed away that morning, waiting for his faithful companion to come back.

--> '''Emil''': But my...my body...

--> '''Emil''': I...I want to see you again. I wanna see all of you again...Just one more time...''I'm...scared. I don't want to...die...''

*** At least the former case of the above, [[spoiler: when he finally gets back he'll never have realized Nier existed in the first place!]] That's...[[MadeMyselfSad not much of an improvement...]]

--> '''Gretel''': Move...Move...Come on, you stupid arm, move! We are incomplete. But our friends make us whole! We are mocked, abused, and hated. But our friends keep us strong! That is what keeps us going! Do not stand in the way of our lives! Those...are...my friends! Come on, move!

* When the King and his warriors stay behind to buy time for Nier's group in the Shadowlord's Castle. After they're gone it shows the King (who is still a ''kid'' for crying out loud) shaking with fear while trying to stay calm in front of the others, then asking the advisor how many rules there are about what battle cry to use before dying.

** Watching the Shadowlord react...''poorly'' to his Yonah's sacrifice is pretty heart-rending. Coming back for Ending B kicks it UpToEleven, of course.

* The sidequest that you do to find an old man's dog. His dog would go find leaves to help his master's medical problems and numb his pain, but he disappeared one day. So you set off to find the dog and go to a bridge in the Northern Plains. You find the dog, dead, holding the special leaves in his mouth.]] Shades appear and it was apparent that they killed the dog. You kick some shade ass, and bring the leaves back to tell the old man what happened... Only, when you arrive, there is a young man there instead. You're told that the old man had passed away that morning, waiting for his faithful companion to come back.

** [[spoiler:The Once and Final King - Shadowlord, the other half of the aforementioned hope. The title is a reference to T.H. White's TheOnceAndFutureKing]]

*** At least the former case of the above, [[spoiler: when he finally gets back he'll never have realized Nier existed in the first place!]] That's... not much of an improvement...

* While getting ready to "avenge" Jakob. You slowly find out that the abandoned child Shade Kalil befriends a robot that after learning what "crying" is and finding out that both their parents (creator in p-33's case) died, which gives the robot emotions to the point where it's sole mission now is to protect Kalil. Later you find out that they were teaching each other about what they knew. Interested in the outside, both the Shade and p-33 decided to leave the junk yard to explore the wonders of the world as friends. Once you face them to fight with Nier being oblivious as always, the robot grows wings and flies to the ceiling of the building in an attempt to escape the fight and protect Cleo and itself from death.

The equally depressing and heartwarming game know as ''{{NieR}}'' is essentially 50% genre/medium savvy humour and 50% undiluted tearjerker.

* Emil's backstory. He and his sister were first used for horrific experiments, and he was forced to watch her turn into a monster. He then had to live apart from people for well over 1000 years due to his powers. When Halua was defeated and he got rid of his petrification powers, he was turned into a skeleton. However, the way that Nier and Kaine accept him despite this is also [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming tear worthy]].

*** Which only serves to twist the knife even further since he'll only be able to see either [[spoiler:Nier or Kaine]], depending on which ending you choose to go with.

* Kaine's backstory. All of it. From being abandoned, to being ostracised, to her grandmother, to Tyrann, to being ostracised even more...
** She was happy to die as soon as she avenged her grandmother, but Nier accepted her and convinced her to live, while she in turn gave hope to Emil. She sacrifices herself and is petrified to save her new friends, but thankfully wakes up again and finds them all there, if a little different to how she remembered. Then her hometown of the Aerie is wiped out, she loses Emil whom she had protected and loved like a brother, and to top it all off her inner-Shade is seriously threatening to take over her mind and force her to kill the man she loves. Depending on which ending you get, she either [[spoiler:dies at Nier's hand and is allowed to finally rest]], or [[spoiler:is cured and able to live on in peace with a rebuilt Emil, at the cost of completely forgetting about Nier]]. In other words, anything about Kaine is somehow tragic.

* In the third ending, where Nier is forced to kill [[spoiler:Kaine]] before she turns completely into a Shade. With [[spoiler:the woman he loves]] impaled on his sword, gazing up at him, Nier [[spoiler:gives her one LastKiss]] before she fades away. Afterwards, [[spoiler:Tyrann]] relays her final thoughts: "thank you".
-->'''Nier''': "[[spoiler:Kaine]]... let's go home together."
* And in the final ending, where Nier [[spoiler:gives up his own life]] in order to save Kaine and bring her back. This means that neither Kaine, nor Yonah, nor anyone can [[spoiler:remember he ever existed]]. After all he went through trying to rescue her, Yonah believes that it must have been Kaine. And Kaine starts crying after finding the flower Nier gave her, because [[spoiler:she knows it's special but can't remember why]].
* ''After'' the final ending, when [[spoiler:Nier has sacrificed his entire existence to save Kaine]], seeing all the [[spoiler:pages of your menu interface (as if "printed" on Grimoire Weiss,) containing all ''your'' accomplishments, ''your'' experiences, erase into nothingness one by one. Then the save files themselves are deleted. ]]... and the final PlayerPunch: upon returning to the title screen, [[spoiler:a Lunar Tear appears next to the title]].

--> '''Nier''': Your love didn't write this letter.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Oh, posh! It's his handwriting! And I recognize the stationary, too!
--> '''Weiss''': That which you recognize comes from the town's postman and his father. Not from your beloved.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Are you saying those two idiots wrote all these letters? But...but why?
--> '''Weiss''': Your lover perished long years ago, and they had not the heart to tell you. Thus the charade.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Oh...
--> '''Nier''': Sorry.

--> '''Weiss''': As you wish.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Please...tell the postman...thank you.
** When you return to Seafront after completing that quest, you learn that the Lighthouse Lady had finally passed on.

*** Which just makes the Ending B post-credits sequence, where [[spoiler:Emil's disembodied head survives the explosion, lands in the desert and cheerily bounces/rolls off to find some legs and then see his friends again]], all the more hilarious/awesome.
**** Which only serves to twist the knife even further since he'll only be able to see either [[spoiler:Nier or Kaine]], depending on which ending you choose to go with.
**** At least the former case of the above, [[spoiler: when he finally gets back he'll never have realized Nier existed in the first place!]] That's... not much of an improvement...

--> '''Grimoire Weiss''': "[[spoiler: Those two have]] watched the world wither for time immemorial. The cruelness of such a fate is difficult to imagine."

--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Oh. You. I suppose you want to tell everyone about my illness, hmm? Well, don't! I don't fear death! I've lived long enough, and I'm tired of it.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': ...And tired of being alone.

--> '''Nier''': Your love didn't write this letter.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Oh, posh! It's his handwriting! And I recognize the stationary, too!
--> '''Weiss''': That which you recognize comes from the town's postman and his father. Not from your beloved.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Are you saying those two idiots wrote all these letters? But...but why?
--> '''Weiss''': Your lover perished long years ago, and they had not the heart to tell you. Thus the charade.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': Oh...
--> '''Nier''': Sorry.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': You don't have to apologize. To tell you the truth, part of me had suspected something like this. But it's hard to hear a secret thought finally spoken aloud.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': I...I think I should be alone for a while.
--> '''Lighthouse Lady''': But I want to ask you a favor. You must forget we ever had this conversation. The entire town has worked on this story, and they did so to make me happy. I don't want their hard work to go to waste, so I shall carry on as if I am none the wiser.
--> '''Weiss''': As you wish.

--> '''Nier''': We will.

--> '''Emil''': I can't stand to be with you when I look like this...
--> '''Nier''': What'd I tell you? We're here for you. No matter what.
--> '''Nier''': Can you see my face?
--> '''Emil''': You...you look just like I thought you would. You look really cool!

--> [[spoiler: '''Popola''': "I can't stop the bleeding...Oh God, I can't stop it!"]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Popola''': "Devola...Devola, don't you go! No, no, I can't be alone! ''Devola!''"]]
** Listening to the pain in [[spoiler: Popola's]] scream and Nier's attempt to convince [[spoiler: her]] to back down make it worse.

--> '''Shadowlord''': "Yonah...Soon I will...join you..."

* In the third ending, where Nier is forced to [[spoiler:kill Kaine]] before she turns completely into a Shade. With [[spoiler:the woman he loves]] impaled on his sword, gazing up at him, Nier [[spoiler:gives her one LastKiss]] before she fades away. Afterwards, [[spoiler:Tyrann]] relays her final thoughts: "thank you".
-->'''Nier''': *falls to his knees* "[[spoiler:Kaine]]... let's go home together."

--> Shadowlord: "Yonah...I cannot live...in a world without you..."
--> Shadowlord: "Yonah...Soon I will...join you..."

----

* When the King and his warriors stay behind to buy time for Nier's group in the Shadowlord's Castle. After they're gone it shows the King (who is still a ''boy'' for crying out loud) shaking with fear while trying to stay calm in front of the others, then asking the advisor how many rules there are about what battle cry to use before dying.

* The ending credits, by which time you are probably already inconsolable, is set to ''"Ashes of Dreams"'', a tragically beautiful song that pretty much sums up the plot and will provide you with no comfort whatsoever.

** At this point, you are given a choice. You can either perpetuate the lie with one last forged letter from the Postman, telling her that her husband has embarked on a long journey to return and that she should wait for him at Seafront, or reveal the deception to her. If you tell her the lie, she acts overjoyed and passionately tells Nier to thank the Postman for the letter. But, if you tell her the truth, she reveals that she had suspected the truth for a long time and had pretended to remain ignorant, as she didn't want the townspeople to feel that all of their work to keep her happy was all for naught. After getting Nier and Weiss to promise not to reveal what they've learned to the townspeople, she asks them to thank the Postman.
** When you return to Seafront after the timeskip, you learn that the Lighthouse Lady had finally passed on.

* ''After'' the final ending, when [[spoiler:Nier has sacrificed his entire existence to save Kaine]], [seeing all the [spoiler:pages of your menu interface (as if "printed" on Grimoire Weiss,) containing all ''your'' accomplishments, ''your'' experiences, erase into nothingness one by one. Then the save files themselves are deleted. ]]... and the final PlayerPunch: upon returning to the title screen, [[spoiler:a Lunar Tear appears next to the title]].

* ''After'' the final ending, when [[spoiler:Nier has sacrificed his entire existence to save Kaine]], [[spoiler:seeing all the pages of your menu interface (as if "printed" on Grimoire Weiss,) containing all ''your'' accomplishments, ''your' experiences, erase into nothingness one by one. Then the save files themselves are deleted. ]]... and the final PlayerPunch: upon returning to the title screen, [[spoiler:a Lunar Tear appears next to the title]].

* Fyra being attacked by wolves on her wedding day provides a shocking MoodWhiplash. One minute it's a happy celebration, the next she's lying covered in blood in her husband's arms while he ''begs'' her not to die. The King's tearful speech at her grave afterwards about how hard her life had been and how close she had come to knowing happiness it made worse by the fact that he has to ask Nier and co. to leave him alone, since a ruler can't show weakness.
* When the King and his warriors stay behind to buy time for Nier's group in the Shadowlord's Castle. After they're gone it shows the King shaking with fear while trying to stay calm in front of his subjects, then asking the advisor how many rules there are about what battle cry to use before dying.

* After the first playthrough we realize that before he became a Shade, Roc had an owner who grew old and died, yet told the wolf to keep living so he could remember him. Only a very short scene, yet completely heart-wrenching when combined with the sad music and the fact that Roc wanted the killing to end and was only trying to help his pack survive to keep his promise with his master.