Tear Jerker / Saints Row 2

Tear jerker pages are for post-viewing discussion; they assume you've already played the work in question and as such are spoiler-free.

Poor Carlos...

• The fourth Ronin mission "Bleeding Out", which features Aisha getting decapitated by Jyunichi right in front of Johnny Gat and the Boss, and then the Boss carting Gat, who'd been impaled by Jyunichi, to the hospital. The entire way there, you can hear Gat have a near-death dream where he's attempting to rescue Aisha. It is very depressing listening to him believing he could still rescue the girl he loved.
• During one of the Sons of Samedi missions, Mr. Sunshine sics the junkies who usually buy from him to get the Loa Dust the Saints have, saying that they get to keep everything they steal. So, cue you having to fight off junkies while moving a truckload of Loa Dust. At the end of the mission, two of them manage to get each a box of the stuff and try to run for it, only for the Boss to kill one and shoot the other on the leg. Then they demand the junkie to tell them who sent him, with him refusing because "You're still going to kill me anyway". The Boss replies that they are in no rush and proceeds to step on the wounded leg. Finally the poor guy breaks and the Boss lets him keep the box of stolen drugs. The final shot is of the poor pathetic junkie holding onto that box.
• It's clear that even though she was working for the Saints, Donnie still loved Lin as he takes a wreath and goes to the spot where she and the Boss were stuffed into the trunk of that car and tossed into the river to drown.
• "Red Asphalt". Especially tragic is that the Boss, normally a Talkative Loon, never says a word throughout the entire cutscene, and especially when they sat by Carlos, whose body got so scraped up that he's barely clinging onto his life and the Boss has no choice but to give him a Mercy Kill.
• Jessica calling up The Mix 107.77 to hear "Sister Christian". She mentions that it's "me and Maero's song", and that its their anniversary soon. The revenge just isn't as satisfying after hearing that. Even worse is when DJ Darius says "I bet you two will make it". They don't.
  • "Bank Error in Your Favor," the mission where the aforementioned revenge comes into play, ends on a hell of a dour note itself.
  • After tricking Maero into crushing Jessica in her own car beneath his monster truck, the Boss hands Maero her keys. Maero's expression isn't shown, but his reaction shows his devastation is no less than the Boss's was having to mercy kill Carlos.
• The secret mission, "Revelation".
  • You and Julius fight together one last time against Ultor. It's just like old times, you and him shooting it up in his custom Eiswolf. You think everything is forgiven, even Julius thinks so, calling you "playa" like a friend one more time before The Boss shoots him. He calls you a sociopath, and tells you—more or less—that the path you are walking down has been the same one every other violent gang and how it’ll doom you. Then you kill him. The worst part of it all is that you realize he might be right. In a game that is all about goofy escapist fun, the seriousness of this scene can be a shock.
  • The wiretaps that trigger this mission are also quite upsetting. During the second wiretap, Troy, despite being an undercover cop, was completely willing to clear Julius' name if he managed to convince Johnny Gat and the Playa to drop their flags. The final wiretap, which takes place right after the bomb went off, Troy is noticeably upset and chews out Julius.
    Troy: (angered) What the fuck was that!?
    Julius: It was the only way!
    Troy: I said “talk”, not “set off a goddamn bomb!”
    Julius: Relax, Troy, the Saints are finished. Don't try and find me.
• Aisha's funeral.
  • Johnny’s severe beating of Shogo is awesome but the final line where he slightly raises his voice shows why he won't show mercy now, especially after he was willing to let Shogo walk away to die another day.
  Gat: You couldn't even let her have a burial you fucking piece of shit!
  • The beginning of this mission is just as depressing as the end. A rainy funeral, no banter, no jokes, just Gat and the Boss mourning in silence as the priest offers a eulogy, then Shogo shows up and tries to threaten them. Gat brushes him off and it's clear how great his grief for Aisha's passing outweighs his thirst for vengeance.
    Gat: Tonight, tomorrow. You name a time and I will gladly fuck you up. But not now.
  • It should also be noted that this is one of only two times in the game where The Boss doesn't speak a word.