History TearJerker / YuYuHakusho

*** Despite how much of a jerk Yusuke is in the first half of the first episode, some sympathy can be given to him when you realize how hard his life truly is. It's been made clear in the first episode that his mother is an alcoholic, and he has a strained relationship with her despite making clear later in the series that she does care for him and wants what's best for him because she's a mess of a person. Despite being rude to Keiko, it's clear that she is his only friend, she does care for him, and Keiko briefly talks to her other friends about the rumor of him running gangs; not only does she tell her friends that that rumor isn't true she also points out that he can't order even one person because he doesn't get along with other people and doesn't have any other friends. Yusuke is a complete outcast from his classmates, who make it clear that they fear and hate him, and the thing is as much a jerk as he is to people in general. There's no evidence that he's done anything to his classmates to warrant this fear and hatred. It's gone to the point where his classmates didn't even pretend to be sad at Yusuke's funeral, where he suspects that they were only there for extra credit and seeing them smiling and laughing, and while they were understandably shocked that Yusuke came back to life, they are all quick to blame him for a series of items stolen, even though they were no proof he was the culprit and didn't even apologize when he was cleared. It's implied that his teachers have given up on him, and while we only see two teachers that are genuinely scumbags, it's implied that the other teachers will not, as mean and believe they are worse than him. Yusuke has a hard life, and it's commendable that he has any positive traits at the start of the series. It is heartwarming that Yusuke was able to turn his life around and become a good person despite everything that was against him.

** It's at that point that Atsuko, Yusuke's mother, breaks her HeroicBSOD and joins in the waterworks. It's done incredibly well, too: up until the counselor talks to her, she's been a borderline EmptyShell... and when that happens, she murmurs Yusuke's name [[InelegantBlubbering and begins to cry uncontrollably.]] Even after Yusuke's come back to life, his mother is at his bedside, trying to wake him up in tears every day because she thinks he might not wake up, or worse, leave because of her.

** It's at that point that Atsuko, Yusuke's mother, breaks her HeroicBSOD and joins in the waterworks. It's done incredibly well, too: up until the counselor talks to her, she's been a borderline EmptyShell... and when that happens, she murmurs Yusuke's name [[InelegantBlubbering and begins to cry uncontrollably.]]

** And of course, the ENTIRE first half of the episode has been spent showing us [[{{Jerkass}} what a dick Yusuke was]]. He did NOTHING whatsoever to make us care all that much for him, until the point when he saved that kid. Yet it STILL manages to tear your heart right out when you realize just how much he meant to those around him. It's tearjerking, but at the same time it's a punch to the gut to anyone who's ever felt like their life had no meaning -- a feeling everyone has had at some point.

** Subtly, there's also Gourmet/Sadao Makihara's fate. Even though he was onboard with the plan to kill off humanity, what happens to him [[AlasPoorVillain is both nightmarish and tragic. [[spoiler: He is tasked by Sensui to eat Elder Togu before Elder Toguro killed and re

*** Oh yeah, and at the very end of said episode you have [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAoFFNQVcdg this]] song playing in the background. As if you didn't have enough reason to cry.

** Keiko crying. Even though Yusuke was a {{Jerkass}} and total pervert towards her, she considered him her best friend.

* And there's the fight against Dr. Ichigaki's team, [[spoiler: when Kuwabara attempts to de-brainwash the humans under Ichigaki's control, who can only say "Kill...kill", and only gets bitchslapped to hell and back, but even before he collapses he pleads to them to wake up. Then Yusuke angrily yells at them... and he sees them cry TearsOfBlood, and they manage to finish the sentence: "Kill... ''kill '''us!'''''"]].

** Then the kid and his mother come in. Both pray before Yusuke's casket and the kid thanks him. The real tearjerker comes afterward. The little kid asks his mom if he can play with Yusuke tomorrow, apparently having no grasp yet that he's not coming back (obviously this proves untrue, but no one knows that yet).

* Don't forget Kuwabara's anguish over [[spoiler: Yusuke choosing to die by Sensui's hands, in the hopes that his friends would gain enough power to finish Sensui in his place. All topped off by Yusuke looking at his friends one last time, with a smile, knowing he'd never see them again. He gets better, but even knowing that doesn't stop the tears]].

** The Spirit Defense Force attacking poor Mitarai in Episode 91, "Waking the Lost".

** The reactions of the other onlookers isn't much better: Hiei looks [[NotSoStoic uncharacteristically furious]] at his [[VitriolicBestBuds friend(?)'s]] death. Botan cringes in horror, realizing that she'll have to take someone else she cares for to Spirit Realm right after she had to ferry Genkai away (and Kuwabara is a ''kid'' at this point}. Shizuru runs forward, screaming her brother's name and crying hysterically. Yukina breaks down in a shower of tear-gems. And then, there's Yusuke, who just kneels in shell-shocked despair. Even when he powers up as a shounen hero would at this point, he's not screaming in rage: it's [[TranquilFury ice-cold]] ''hatred'' toward Toguro for killing his friend...[[HeroicSelfDeprecation and himself]] [[MyGreatesFailure for letting it happen]].

* Kuwabara's [[spoiler:death]]. [[spoiler: [[FakingTheDead He gets better]],]] but still.

** Kurama rushing up to Kuwabara after [[spoiler: he is impaled]]. In the Japanese version, it is very clear that he is crying.