History TearJerker / RalphBreaksTheInternet

* It's given an off-handed mention, but the fact that ''Sugar Rush'''s publisher went out of business years ago is this when you consider that both it and Fix-It Felix Jr. were made by the same game company, [=TobiKomi=]. Despite both games' popularity, the company eventually went under, and with it, their franchises' in-universe futures (if the [=IPs=] weren't bought off by other publishers, that is).

* The movie kicks off with ''Sugar Rush'' getting unplugged, due to the wheel breaking off the machine, thanks to Ralph [[NiceJobBreakingItHero making a new track for Vanellope]] [[ForWantOfANail to make her race more exciting]]. She liked how it turned out, which goes to show... [[GoneHorriblyRight something]].

-->'''Vanellope:''' ''[[angrily]'' So, you were ''spying'' on me?

** Not just this cameo, but he didn’t see his cameo in ''Film/CaptainMarvel'' or ''Film/AvengersEndgame''. [[note]]This qualifies because in the film, Stan was shown interacting with ComicBook/IronMan and both this film and Marvel are owned by Disney.[[/note]]

* Though it may be a result of Disney not wanting to obtain the rights to certain characters, combined with saving crowd-effects budget for the VERY busy Internet scenes, Game Central Station is noticeably a LOT less busy than it was in the first movie. This is most obvious in the scene where everyone gathers to see what's being plugged in and only a fair-sized crowd forms, compared to the bustling hordes of characters seen in the original. One wonders how many games got unplugged in the six-year gap between this movie and the last, especially given that arcades aren't exactly experiencing a major resurgence...

* The movie kicks off with Sugar Rush getting unplugged, due to the wheel breaking off the machine. This was as a result of Ralph [[NiceJobBreakingItHero making a new track for Vanellope]] [[ForWantOfANail to make her race more exciting]]. She liked how it turned out, which goes to show... [[GoneHorriblyRight something]].

** Sugar Rush is down to one cabinet, instead of the two cabinets it had in the first film. Not only has Vanellope lost half her home, but there's also a lot of empty sockets in the power strip / pdu that makes up Game Central Station.

** Stan didn't even get a chance to see his cameo before his death.
** Not just this cameo, but he didn’t see his cameo in Film/CaptainMarvel or Film/AvengersEndgame. [[note]]This qualifies because in the film, Stan was shown interacting with ComicBook/IronMan and both this film and Marvel are owned by Disney.[[/note]]

** After he pays for the new wheel, however, Ralph's feelings end up taking ''another hit'' when he tries to call Vanellope to let her know, leading to his getting muted and overhearing her and Shank's conversation about Vanellope's desire to stay in Slaughter Race. Even if it inspired a huge dick move on his part, the guy just picked himself up from getting bombarded with hate comments-- then, not one moment after he reassured himself that he's still got Vanellope as a true friend, hearing her want to stay in the game just hammered it in for him that she might not want him as a friend anymore.
*** Actually, this doesn't even ''[[FromBadToWorse hammer home]]'' Ralph's worst fear about losing his friend quite as much as what happens later: after Vanellope learns Ralph sabotaged "Slaughter Race", she's so furious and disgusted with what he did that she snatches his hero medal, [[RuleOfSymbolism a strong symbol of their friendship]], and angrily flings it into a chasm. As she storms off, Ralph becomes an emotional ''wreck'' on the spot, helplessly drowning in his insecurity over having not a friend in the world, and his negative feelings manifest in the form of evil clones.
* After Ralph saves an unconscious Vanellope from a rebooting Slaughter Race, he drops a little mixture of both a PleaseWakeUp and a PleaseDontLeaveMe. His voice is desperate for her not to die, so, honestly, who's to not get choked up?

* When Vanellope awakens, she tearfully says to Ralph "I messed up so bad". Considering she knows Slaughter Race was glitching because of her power, the way she says is just ''heartbreaking''. It goes even further when she decries her desire of returning to ''Slaughter Race'' as "a stupid dream" and just sobs into Ralph's arms. It can really hit home with people who found out their dream wasn't as perfect as they thought it would be, or were guilted into giving it up through circumstance; you can't help but want to pick her up and hug her tightly. ''[[ItsAllMyFault And the look on Ralph's face just before he tells her the truth...]]''
** After Ralph admits he set the virus loose in Slaughter Race, Vanellope takes the cookie badge she made him and chucks it off a ledge. When Ralph finds it again, it's broken in half. When they reunite later and Vanellope sees this, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone she's horrified at this fact]], saying she didn't mean to actually break it.

-->'''Ralph:''' It's not right to hold a friend back from her dreams. You don't ''own her!'' That's not how friendship works. You need to let her go!
-->'''Kaiju-Ralph:''' ([[SympathyForTheDevil moans miserably from the thought of it]])
-->'''Ralph:''' Hey... you need to let her go. I know... it's gonna hurt a little bit when you do. (admittedly) Oh, who am I kidding... it's gonna hurt ''a lot.'' (gently) But... you're gonna be okay... (To Vanellope) and we're gonna be ok... right, kid?
-->'''Vanellope:''' (Tearing up) Of course we are, always.
-->'''Ralph:''' (To Kaiju-Ralph) See? No matter where she goes, or where she lives... she's always gonna be our friend, and we just gotta trust her... 'cuz that's what best friends do... right?
* Vanellope ends up leaving Sugar Rush for good and staying in Slaughter Race. She and Ralph part ways and still keep in touch after, but it's clear by the end that things just aren't going to be the same for Ralph.

** Her slow backing away into Slaughter Race as the two enthusiastically wave to one another, with Vanellope ducking down so they can continue to do so even as she climbs up the stairs. Then, at the last possible second, a car quickly cuts between them -- and by the time it passes by, she's gone. And Ralph just slowly turns and walks away.

* It's given an off-handed mention, but the fact that Sugar Rush's publisher went out of business years ago is this when you consider that both it and Fix-It Felix Jr. were made by the same game company, [=TobiKomi=]. Despite both games' popularity, the company eventually went under, and with it, their franchises' in-universe futures (if the [=IPs=] weren't bought off by other publishers, that is).
** FridgeBrilliance: Remember the [[https://youtu.be/tDfYyktNA48 mock trailer]] for Hero's Duty and how it featured the company "Wreck-It Studios?" Rest assured, that company may indeed be one that has ties to the former Tobikomi company (either restructuring or whatever), and may have inherited some of their assets. It goes back into FridgeHorror when you realize that that would mean that the company collapsed possibly years before the first film's events (with the worst case being shortly after they published Sugar Rush), and other portions of the company may have been acquired by others through liquidation.
* Though a catchy piece of SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, Imagine Dragons' "Zero" is also a sad song, specially its chorus, which sums up Ralph's situation in the movie.
--> Hello, hello
--> Let me tell you what it's like to be a zero, zero
--> Let me show you what it's like to always feel, feel
--> Like I’m empty and there's nothing really real, real
--> I'm looking for a way out

* When the Sugar Rush racers are the final characters to gain volunteers for homes, nobody volunteers. You can even see a bit of sadness in their eyes. They may be brats, but they’re still children that need a home.

*** Actually, this doesn't even ''[[FromBadToWorse hammer home]]'' Ralph's worst fear about losing his friend quite as much as what happens later: after Vanellope learns Ralph sabotaged "Slaughter Race", she's so furious and disgusted with what he did that she snatches his hero medal, [[RuleOfSymbolism a strong symbol of their friendship]], and angrily flings it into a chasm. As she storms off, Ralph becomes an emotional ''wreck'' on the spot, helplessly drowning in his insecurity over having not a friend in the world.

** After Ralph admits he set the virus loose in Slaughter Race, Vanellope takes the cookie badge she made him and chucks it off a ledge. When Ralph finds it again, it's broken in half.

** Sugar Rush is down to one cabinet, instead of the two cabinets it had in the first film.. Vanellope's already lost half her home! There's also a lot of empty sockets in the power strip / pdu that makes up Game Central Station.

* Though a [[EarWorm catchy]] piece of [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Awesome Music]], Imagine Dragons' "Zero" is also a sad song, specially its chorus, which sums up Ralph's situation in the movie.

* Ralph's speech to the Kaiju-Ralph is this unto itself (as well as [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]]).

-->'''Ralph:''' ''[talking about letting Vanellope go]'' It's going to hurt a little.

-->'''Ralph:''' ''[admittedly]'' Aw geez, who am I kidding... it's going to hurt ''a lot.'' (gently) But you're still going to be okay.

* When Vanellope awakens, she tearfully says to Ralph "I messed up so bad". Considering she knows Slaughter Race was glitching because of her power, the way she says is just ''heartbreaking''. It goes even further when she decries her desire of returning to the game as a "stupid dream" and just sobs into Ralph's arms. It can really hit home with people who found out their dream wasn't as perfect as they thought it would be, or were guilted into giving it up through circumstance; you can't help but want to pick her up and hug her tightly. ''[[ItsAllMyFault And the look on Ralph's face just before he tells her the truth...]]''

** Hell, the entire WhatTheHellHero speech that she gives to Ralph counts, and she isn't even able to forgive him on her own volition; it takes Yesss' later reminder of Ralph's better actions and the threat of his insecurity clones to do just that.

-->'''Ralph:''' (talking about letting Vanellope go) It's going to hurt a little.

-->'''Ralph:''' (Admittedly) Aw geez, who am I kidding... it's going to hurt ''a lot.'' (gently) But you're still going to be okay.

*** Actually, this doesn't even ''[[FromBadToWorse hammer home]]'' Ralph's worst fear about losing his friend quite as much as what happens later: after Vanellope learns Ralph sabotaged "Slaughter Race", she's so furious and disgusted with [[WhatTheHellHero his action]] that she snatches his Hero Medal, [[RuleOfSymbolism a strong symbol of their friendship]], and angrily flings it into a chasm. As she storms off, Ralph becomes an emotional ''wreck'' on the spot, helplessly drowning in his insecurity over having not a friend in the world.

* When Vanellope awakens, she tearfully says to Ralph "I messed up so bad". Considering she knows Slaughter Race was glitching because of her power, the way she says is just ''heartbreaking''. It goes even further when she blames herself for messing up the game because she wanted to follow her "stupid dream". She then cries into Ralph's arms, "I've ruined everything". Her sobbing afterwards legit stabs you in the heart like a knife, and you can't help but want to pick her up and hug her tightly. ''[[ItsAllMyFault And the look on Ralph's face just before he tells her the truth...]]''

** Hell, the entire WhatTheHellHero speech that she gives to Ralph counts.

-->'''Ralph:''' (Admittedly) Okay, who am I kidding... it's going to hurt ''a lot.'' (gently) But you're still going to be okay.

-->'''Ralph:''' (Admittedly) Okay, who am I kidding, it's going to hurt ''a lot.'' (gently) ...but you're going to be okay.

*** Actually, this doesn't even ''[[FromBadToWorse hammer home]]'' Ralph's worst fear about losing his friend quite as much as what happens later: after Vanellope learns Ralph sabotaged "Slaughter Race", she's so furious and disgusted with [[WhatTheHellHero his action]] that she throws his Hero Medal, [[RuleOfSymbolism a strong symbol of their friendship]], into a chasm. As she storms off, Ralph becomes an emotional ''wreck'' on the spot, helplessly going into a panic attack as he's consumed with insecurity over having not a friend in the world.

** Can't believe no one's noted here that Sugar Rush is down to one cabinet, instead of the two cabinets it had in the first film.. Vanellope's already lost half her home! There's also a lot of empty sockets in the power strip / pdu that makes up Game Central Station.

-->'''Ralph:''' (Admittedly) Okay, it's going to hurt a lot. (gently) ...but you're going to be okay.

** The whole scene can be read as an [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything analogy]] of a friend or family member moving to a different city or country, which to many viewers can hit home on how they saw their loved ones in the flesh for the last time.