History TearJerker / Persona4

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' pulls off a string of moving moments, from the beginning of the final kidnapping. [[spoiler: You finally get the opportunity to tell the truth to your uncle about what has happened, only to watch it come just a tad too late for his daughter, who is kidnapped and thrown into the TV world.]] You chase down the guy who is responsible for the people being thrown in, and he seems certifiably insane. Upon completeing the rescue arc, you reach the scene that is a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome CMoA]] for the game's creators. [[spoiler: It was too late for Nanako, who dies in her hospital room with you, Teddie, and her father at her side. As Ryotaro walks calmly out of the room, your team realizes he is going to talk to Namatame, who threw Nanako in in the first place.]] As the police haul him off to his room, they leave the suspect unguarded, prompting you and the others to enter the room for a grand confrontation. This is the ending fork for the bad or normal ending. But it isn't over yet. [[spoiler: If you make the right decisions, you get to cry tears of joy as Nanako is miraculously resurrected by the will of Teddie, who has finally realized what he is: a Shadow... with a Persona]]. As Igor states, the Velvet Room is no place for beings without an Ego. So, only humans can enter.
** Kanji's reaction to [[spoiler: Nanako seemingly dying]] is absolutely gutwrenching. The way he punches the wall and just ''screams'' in anguish is absolutely crushing. For anyone who has actually lost a sibling, it's even worse.
*** [[spoiler:Chie, Rise, and Yosuke's Social-Links can all tug on your heartstrings. Chie wonders aloud if other people think about what makes them worthwhile because she doesn't want to be ''just'' that girl who looks out for Yukiko. Rise used to get picked on when she was a little girl because she wasn't very good at talking to people and she'd always look at the ground; after she became an idol, she publicly campaigned against bullying, then met a girl who would get picked on just like Rise was. That girl would send Rise letters and tell her about the improvements in her life; it really meant a lot to Rise. Yosuke tries to work through how awful he feels about Saki secretly hating him. Two girls at Junes start bad-mouthing Saki, but then Yosuke stands up for her, even though she's dead and she hated him.]]
*** The Sun Link again has a chance to be a very moving one, if you choose the Drama Club. [[spoiler: Yumi is dealing with her personal issues of a father who abandoned her, but is now dying. Through the course of the S-link, she begins to truly appreciate and accept her father as his condition gets worse. In the end, she thanks him for the gift of her own life as he dies with her at his side]].
** The final battle. [[spoiler: After wearing Izanami's HP down to almost nothing, she starts targeting Yu with an unblockable instant death attack every turn. One by one, the other party members [[HeroicSacrifice shove you out of the way]] and are sucked down into some misty dark world. And then it ''hits you anyway'']].
*** After you're [[spoiler:hit by the instant death attack, all your friends and family tell you how much you mean to them and convince you to fight against Izanami one last time]].
*** Amplified in ''Golden'', [[spoiler:everyone's lines are actually fully voiced. And with those voiced lines, you are guaranteed to break down and cry on at least two of them.]]

** The texts you receive after [[spoiler: leaving the hospital]].

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5v3QftBSZ4 Teddie's whole scene]] in [[spoiler: the Velvet Room]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja7qx99GRp4&feature=related Alone.]] This song (spoilers in the comments) can reduce anyone to TEARS the first time they hear it in game. There's a reason the usual response of gamers when that song plays the first time is, "I'm going to break [[spoiler:Adachi's]] fucking legs..."
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=463Us587Z9o&feature=related Heaven.]] [[spoiler: Poor Nanako...]] The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJLDGI9OQXk Reincarnation]] manages to be even ''worse''. The lyrics are heart wrenching if you think about them for even a moment.

** ''Golden'' adds [[http://youtu.be/odW1GYM00o0 Memory]]. The music is haunting enough, but it plays during a bonus dungeon, [[spoiler:Hollow Forest, where Marie has gone, the party thinks at first, to commit suicide. Which, it turns out, she's doing to prevent the fog that she absorbed from overrunning Inaba. And you have to fight against her, when you had to get her Social Link to level 10 in order to access this dungeon.]] Helluva reward for the new Social Link, huh?
* Hearing [[spoiler: Nanako's monologue about how, to quote Kanji, she's [[StepfordSmiler telling herself that she isn't alone just so she doesn't fall apart.]]]]
* When [[spoiler: [[ButThouMust Souji/Yu leaves Inaba]] and his friends run after the train, crying and talking to him]]
* Ai of the Moon Social Link at first appears to be a real [[JerkAss jerk]]. Get far enough in her social link and then you find out why she's that way. [[spoiler: She was bullied and ostracized for her appearance and weight, but when her family came into some money, she dieted like crazy and changed her looks, all because she just [[IJustWantToHaveFriends wanted friends]] and [[IJustWantToBeLoved to be loved]]. Her change in attitude, however, just made the rift bewteen her and other people grow wider. Then there's whole scene of the Hero trying to stop her from jumping off the school's roof]].
** [[spoiler: Right after Ai reveals her backstory, she begins to wonder whether she will ever be loved. The way she says "It's not like I have any other redeeming qualities!" is truly heartbreaking.]]
* When [[spoiler: Nanako is kidnapped and Dojima is in hospital from trying to save her, the MC returns to an empty house. No Nanako cheerfully calling out 'Hi big bro!'. No Dojima chillaxing and drinking coffee. Even the ''music'' changes to a slower, sadder version, and it is ''heartbreaking''.]]
** Since [[spoiler: many considered Nanako kind of annoying the first few hours of the game. "God, she says that EVERY TIME!" But you get so used to it, and through her social link you get to see just how sad this child is. You help her through it, you help mend a tiny broken family... and then tragedy strikes and you come home to that empty house and you realize just how much you actually loved your "lil' sis", and how true the old "you never know what you have until it's gone" cliché can ring.]]
** "You opened the fridge. [[spoiler:It looks the same as ever inside...]]"
** In November, you can also check [[spoiler:the cushion Nanako used to sit on to find a handwritten note from her]]. If you aced your exams, you'll also find the Partial Award. It's one use, can only be equipped by the protagonist and is the only item in the game that can be used to revive him after a KO.
* Naoki Konishi, the Hanged Man Social Link, is absolutely heartbreaking. Dealing with his struggle to understand his feelings over the death of his sister. It reaches it's peak in the ninth rank, where [[spoiler: the player and Naoki goes to the scene of his sister's murder. After spending months being tormented by his emotions, he finally cries.]]
-->'''Naoki''': ''[[spoiler: She must've wanted to live more, huh?]]''
** [[spoiler: Naoki talking about the cream puffs rotting in his fridge since his sister isn't there to eat them.]]
** [[spoiler:If you maxed out his social link, his plea to you at the end of the final battle can hurt a lot, too. This guy's already lost his sister, and now it looks like he's going to lose you too. He even calls you senpai, for the very first time.]]
** Naoki's social link in itself has a good three or four rank-ups that guarantee tears. [[spoiler: Either you'll cry because he's caught between feeling pitiable and being alone, you'll cry when he says he'd rather have felt like a cold-hearted person than feel the pain of Saki's death, or you'll cry when '''he cries'''.]]

* Meeting [[spoiler: Naoto's Shadow]] is heartbreaking as well, she was essentially a lonely child, crying about just how lonely she is.

* While mostly [[NightmareFuel creepy]], [[spoiler: Teddie's Shadow]] counts when you realize what he represents: existential fear and nihilistic dread. He constantly says that the protagonists' search for the truth is pointless, that nothing but suffering awaits them, and that they only smart way to live is to lie to yourself. These are all very real feelings to people with depression. [[spoiler: He also shows what [[StepfordSmiler someone as cheerful as Teddie can be hiding.]] ]]

* Teddie being utterly horrified [[spoiler: when he thinks that Marie is dead after her boss battle.]]
-->'''Teddie''': ''[[spoiler: Emmy-chan...?]]''
-->'''Teddie''': ''[[spoiler: Come on... You're such a sleepy-head.]]''
-->'''Teddie''': ''[[spoiler: It's time to wake up, okay? Emmy-chan...!]]''
-->'''Teddie''': ''[[spoiler: No! This isn't happening! What did we do wrong!?]]''
-->'''Teddie''': ''[[spoiler: Emmy-chan, wake up! Don't die!]]''
* During Golden, helping [[spoiler: Marie come to the realization that instead of trying to regain her ''old'' memories, she can make new ones with you and the others on the Investigation Team. And then this brisk, abrupt, rude girl gives you the most heartfelt of thanks, even if you only want to be friends with her]].

* When Marie finally regains her memories. [[spoiler: And realizes what her role was.]]
--> '''Marie:''' I am...[[spoiler: a being destined for non-existence.]]

-->'''Refreshed Old Man''': Thank you...Really, thank you so much. I didn't give ya much to go on, but you brought me exactly what I wanted. It isn't much, but...Please, take this. *gives 45,000 yen* ...I'm gonna give this to my wife. She passed away, so...I thought she might like some light. Thank you so much.

-->'''Timid Female Student''': *sigh* It's summer vacation... I feel so... down... We're going to visit my grandfather's grave, but when I remember him I get all sad and scared... He used to love telling me ghost stories... Those are the best memories I have of him, but it's so scary... I'm sorry, grandpa *sob*
* The affair that Mayumi Yamamo and Taro Namatame had being treated by the media as just another sordid scandal, and then Miss Yamano died. And THEN you learn the truth about the affair. [[spoiler:When you finally get to interrogate Namatame, it turns out his marriage to his celebrity wife wasn't very happy, but then he and Mayumi met and connected in a way he and his wife didn't, and actually loved one another. And everybody else cared more about the novelty of their affair being brought to light than the reasons that lead to it in the first place, focusing on the sensationalism and not on the actual people involved. And then he got manipulated by the real killer into getting more victims hurt thinking he was helping them.]]

* To begin with: Anytime [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV4BlAlrIlk I'll Face Myself]] plays. If it's not during a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming, it's probably during one of these.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' pulls off a string of moving moments, from the beginning of the final kidnapping. [[spoiler: You finally get the opportunity to tell the truth to your uncle about what has happened, only to watch it come just a tad too late for his daughter, who is kidnapped and thrown into the TV world.]] You chase down the guy who is responsible for the people being thrown in, and he seems certifiably insane. Upon completeing the rescue arc, you reach the scene that is a [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMoA]] for the game's creators. [[spoiler: It was too late for Nanako, who dies in her hospital room with you, Teddie, and her father at her side. As Ryotaro walks calmly out of the room, your team realizes he is going to talk to Namatame, who threw Nanako in in the first place.]] As the police haul him off to his room, they leave the suspect unguarded, prompting you and the others to enter the room for a grand confrontation. This is the ending fork for the bad or normal ending. But it isn't over yet. [[spoiler: If you make the right decisions, you get to cry tears of joy as Nanako is miraculously resurrected by the will of Teddie, who has finally realized what he is: a Shadow... with a Persona]]. As Igor states, the Velvet Room is no place for beings without an Ego. So, only humans can enter.

* Meta-wise, Atlus really put a lot in Persona 4, including ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'', ''Golden'', the anime, and more. And after a decade of Persona 4, it's time for ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' to take the stage. But just before that, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO49aTa36gg here's one special video from the Persona 4 cast (with their Japanese cast) waving you good bye]] [[EndOfAnEra Their era has come to an end, and it has been a magnificent ride]], and it's like they're thanking the audience for the support in the decade. Somewhat subverted now that Persona 4 is in ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'', and in the upcoming ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'', but it's only prolonging the inevitable. Sometimes, it's sad but necessary to wave good bye to the cast we know and love.

* Meeting [[spoiler: Naoto's shadow]] is heartbreaking as well, she was essentially a lonely child, crying about just how lonely she is.
* Despite him being played largely for laughs, Kanji's shadow is very sad. Quite a bit of his rant involves him wanting someone (anyone!) to accept him. Even his defeat quote is a plea for acceptance.
* While mostly [[NightmareFuel creepy]], [[spoiler: Teddie's shadow]] counts when you realize what he represents: existential fear and nihilistic dread. He constantly says that the protagonists' search for the truth is pointless, that nothing but suffering awaits them, and that they only smart way to live is to lie to yourself. These are all very real feelings to people with depression. [[spoiler: He also shows what [[StepfordSmiler someone as cheerful as Teddie can be hiding.]] ]]

* Meta-wise, Atlus really put a lot in Persona 4, including ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'', ''Golden'', the anime, and more. And after a decade of Persona 4, it's time for ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' to take the stage. But just before that, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO49aTa36gg here's one special video from the Persona 4 cast (with their Japanese cast) waving you good bye]] [[EndOfAnEra Their era has come to an end, and it has been a magnificent ride]], and it's like they're thanking the audience for the support in the decade. Somewhat subverted now that Persona 4 will be in the upcoming ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'', but it's only prolonging the inevitable. Sometimes, it's sad but necessary to wave good bye to the cast we know and love.

* To begin with: Anytime [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV4BlAlrIlk I'll Face Myself]] plays. If it's not a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming, it's probably this.

* Can a song be a TearJerker? Because [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nTv5cSv_kE Corridor]] is ''soul-crushing''.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja7qx99GRp4&feature=related Alone.]] This song (spoilers in the comments) reduces anyone with a soul to TEARS the first time you hear it in game. There's a reason the usual response of gamers when that song plays the first time is, "I'm going to break [[spoiler:Adachi's]] fucking legs..."
*** Which both have nothing on [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=463Us587Z9o&feature=related Heaven.]] [[spoiler: Poor Nanako...]] The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJLDGI9OQXk Reincarnation]] manages to be even ''worse''. The lyrics are heart wrenching if you think about them for even a moment.

** Then Golden adds [[http://youtu.be/odW1GYM00o0 Memory]]. The music is haunting enough, but it plays during a bonus dungeon, [[spoiler:Hollow Forest, where Marie has gone, the party thinks at first, to commit suicide. Which, it turns out, she's doing to prevent the fog that she absorbed from overrunning Inaba. And you have to fight against her, when you had to get her Social Link to level 10 in order to access this dungeon.]] Helluva reward for the new Social Link, huh?

* When [[spoiler: [[ButThouMust Souji/Yu leaves Inaba]] and his friends ran after the train, crying and talking to him]]

* Meeting [[spoiler: Naoto's shadow]] was heartbreaking as well, she was essentially a lonely child. Watching her cry about just how lonely she was nearly had this troper in tears.
** Despite him being played largely for laughs, this troper found Kanji's shadow very sad as well. Quite a bit of his rant involves him wanting someone (anyone!) to accept him. Hell, even his defeat quote is a plea for acceptance.
** While mostly [[NightmareFuel creepy]], [[spoiler: Teddie's shadow]] also counts when you realize what he represents: existential fear and nihilistic dread. He constantly says that the protagonists' search for the truth is pointless, that nothing but suffering awaits them, and that they only smart way to live is to lie to yourself. These are all very real feelings to people with depression. [[spoiler: He also shows what [[StepfordSmiler someone as cheerful as Teddie can be hiding.]] ]]

* Rise's [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove "I love you, senpai!"]] as the train leaves in the Good Ending, complete with tears streaming down her face. While she's [[TheTease never very subtle]] about her feelings toward Yu, unless you romance her, it's only here where she actually confesses she loves him. With you returning home and, if you completed her social-link, her returning to show business, she likely didn't want you to leave without knowing how she really felt.
** Hits even harder if you do romance her. You're her first boyfriend and she doesn't want you to forget about her.

* Mitsuo Kubo. Yes, he's a {{Jerkass}} and a murderer. But he's still just a messed-up kid who's willing to go to jail for the rest of his life if it means people will notice him. His shadow's even more depressed than Teddie's. He's basically Shu, if Shu didn't have a friendly tutor to help him through his troubles.
** Makes you wonder [[FridgeHorror what his life must've been like for him to end up like that.]]

* The whole thing with the affair that Mayumi Yamamo and Taro Namatame was treated by the media as just another sordid scandal, and then Miss Yamano died. And THEN you learn the truth about the affair.[[spoiler: When you finally get to interrogate Namatame, it turns out his marriage to his celebrity wife wasn't very happy, but then he and Mayumi met and connected in a way he and his wife didn't, and actually loved one another. And everybody else cared more about the novelty of their affair being brought to light than the reasons that lead to it in the first place, focusing on the sensationalism and not on the actual people involved. And then he got manipulated by the real killer into getting more victims hurt thinking he was helping them.]]

* Meta-wise, Atlus really put a lot in Persona 4, including ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'', ''Golden'', the anime, and more. And after a decade of Persona 4, it's time for ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' to take the stage. But just before that, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO49aTa36gg here's one special video from the Persona 4 cast (with their Japanese cast) waving you good bye]] [[EndOfAnEra Their era has come to an end, and it has been a magnificent ride]], and it's like they're thanking the audience for the support in the decade. Sometimes, it's sad but necessary to wave good bye to the cast we know and love...
** Somewhat subverted now that Persona 4 will be in the upcoming ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle''. But it's only prolonging the inevitable...

* Meta-wise, Atlus really put a lot in Persona 4, including ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'', ''Golden'', the anime, and more. And after a decade of Persona 4, it's time for ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' to take the stage. But just before that, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO49aTa36gg here's one special video from the Persona 4 cast (with their Japanese cast) waving you good bye]] [[EndOfAnEra Their era has come to an end, and it has been a magnificent ride]], and it's like they're thanking the audience for the support in the decade. Sometimes, it's sad but necessary to wave good bye to the cast we know and love...

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5v3QftBSZ4 Teddie's whole scene]] in [[spoiler: the Velvet Room]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5v3QftBSZ4 Teddie's whole scene]] in [[spoiler: the Velvet Room]]. The voice acting, combined with the music makes the scene surprisingly moving.

*** Rise becomes uncharacteristicly apologetic and depressed. She dedicates herself wholeheartedly to Yu and tries to put on a brave face for the time bein,g but is on the verge of tears by the time he departs from her.

* Meta-wise, Atlus really put a lot in Persona 4, including ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'', ''Golden'', the anime, and more. And after decades of Persona 4, it's time for ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' to take the stage. But just before that, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO49aTa36gg here's one special video from the Persona 4 cast (with their Japanese cast) waving you good bye]] [[EndOfAnEra Their era has come to an end, and it has been a magnificent ride]], and it's like they're thanking the audience for the support in the decade. Sometimes, it's sad but necessary to wave good bye to the cast we know and love...

** Just listen to that scream Kanji makes when he punches the wall. Sums it up perfectly. For anyone who has actually lost a sibling, it's even worse.

* Ending the game itself. The protagonist, his friends, his family, and you the player all knew this was a temporary arrangement going in and that it would have to end ''eventually'', but looking back on all the good times (and even not-so good times) shared by friends and knowing that they're over has reduced many, many, ''many'' players to tears. And seeing other characters choke out tearful goodbyes certainly doesn't help either.

* The whole thing with the affair that Mayumi Yamamo and Taro Namatame was treated by the media as just another sordid scandal, and then Miss Yamano died. And THEN you learn the truth about the affair.[[spoiler: When you finally get to interrogate Namatame, it turns out his marriage to his celebrity wife wasn't very happy, but then he and Mayumi met and connected in a way he and his wife didn't, and actually loved one another. And everybody else cared more about the novelty of their affair being brought to light than the reasons that lead to it in the first place, focusing on the sensationalism and not on the actual people involved. And then he got manipulated by the real killer into getting more victims hurt thinking he was helping them.]]

----

*** Rise becomes uncharacteristic apologetic and depressed. She dedicates herself wholeheartedly to Yu and tries to put on a brave face for the time being but is on the verge of tears by the time she departs with him.

** The final battle. [[spoiler: After wearing Izanami's HP down to almost nothing, she starts targeting the protagonist with an unblockable instant death attack every turn. One by one, the other party members [[HeroicSacrifice shove you out of the way]] and are sucked down into some misty dark world. And then it ''hits you anyway'']].

* ''Golden'' adds consequences for having multiple girlfriends. On Valentine's Day, each girlfriend will ask to spend the day with the MC like Christmas Eve, but this time, the player must directly reject each girl he didn't choose, one by one and face to face, watching as each girl's heart breaks.

*** Yukiko barely wants to speak about the subject and admits to still not really knowing who she is yet. Her final comment is that she finds it hard to believe that the MC is someone that she can have to herself. One possible interpretation is that she cares for the MC so much that she willingly accepts (what she sees as) a non-monogamous relationship just to stay with him.
*** Rise becomes uncharacteristic apologetic and depressed. She dedicates herself wholeheartedly to the MC and tries to put on a brave face for the time being but is on the verge of tears by the time she departs with the MC.

* During Golden, helping [[spoiler: Marie come to the realisation that instead of trying to regain her ''old'' memories, she can make new ones with you and the others on the Investigation Team. And then this brisk, abrupt, rude girl gives you the most heartfelt of thanks, even if you only want to be friends with her]].

* Failing to save the next victim from the tv world in time. The MC dropping his cell phone despondently after being told of their death makes it all the more heartwrenching. Sure you get to restart and try again, but that doesn't take away the impact.

* Rise's [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove "I love you, senpai!"]] as the train leaves in the Good Ending, complete with tears streaming down her face. While she's [[TheTease never very subtle]] about her feelings toward the MC, unless you romance her, it's only here where she actually confesses she loves him. With you returning home and, if you completed her social-link, her returning to show business, she likely didn't want you to leave without knowing how she really felt.

* An old man asks MC if he could fetch him a Modest Lamp;

* The timid female student in MC's classroom talking about her grandfather;

* The whole thing with the affair that Mayumi Yamamo and Taro Namatame was treated by the media as just another sordid scandal, and then Miss Yamano died. And THEN you learn the truth about the affair.[[spoiler: When you finally get to interrogate Namatame, it turns out his marriage wasn't very happy, but then he and Mayumi met and connected in a way he and his wife didn't, and actually loved one another. And everybody else cared more about the novelty of their affair being brought to light than the reasons that lead to it in the first place, focusing on the sensationalism and not on the actual people involved.]]

----

* Mitsuo Kubo. Yes, he's a ''Jerkass'' and a murderer. But he's still just a messed-up kid who's willing to go to jail for the rest of his life if it means people will notice him. His shadow's even more depressed than Teddie's. He's basically Shu, if Shu didn't have a friendly tutor to help him through his troubles.

* Mitsuo Kubo. Yes, he's a [[Jerkass]] and a murderer. But he's still just a messed-up kid who's willing to go to jail for the rest of his life if it means people will notice him. His shadow's even more depressed than Teddie's. He's basically Shu, if Shu didn't have a friendly tutor to help him through his troubles.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5v3QftBSZ4 Teddie's whole scene]] in [[spoiler: the Velvet Room]]. The voice acting, combined with the music makes the scene incredibly moving.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5v3QftBSZ4 Teddie's whole scene]] in [[spoiler: the Velvet Room]]. The voice acting, combined with the music just hits you right in the feels.