Anime has several different genres that target specific demographics. Seinen anime is mainly targeted towards adult men, but it's common for fans outside that demographic to enjoy seinen anime as well, which is why there are tons of extremely popular seinen anime.
Despite seinen's target age group, there are many unique stories that fall under seinen's umbrella. These stories have diverse characters that face the same trials and tribulations as any other anime character. Seinen anime characters aren't free from heartbreak, and some seinen anime characters have experienced some of the saddest moments in anime.
10 Euphemia Wanted To Do The Right Thing (Code Geass)
Code Geass follows Lelouch vi Britannia, who gains the power of absolute obedience. With this power, he leads a rebellion against the current rulers of the Empire of Britannia. Lelouch's abilities are incredibly powerful. Accidentally using his power leads to one of the saddest moments in the series. He inadvertently commands Euphemia to massacre Japanese citizens.
The worst part is that murder completely goes against her beliefs. She is fatally wounded during the incident and doesn't remember what she did. Hearing her ask if she helped save her people is the ultimate tear-jerker.
9 Tomoya Isn't Given A Chance To Grieve (Clannad: After Story)
Clannad is infamous for turning a light, fun story into something sad and depressing. The original Clannad is focused on Tomoya building his relationship with his future wife. In Clannad: After Story, Tomoya losses his wife Nagisa during childbirth. He tries to fight through his grief so he can raise his daughter only to lose his daughter to the same disease that took his wife. His daughter's death is tragic, especially since Tomoya is still grieving when it happens.
8 Madoka Sacrifices Herself For Everyone Else's Happiness (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica's cute designs make it seem like a typical magical girl anime. However, any fan who watches this anime quickly learns that Madoka Magica is anything but typical. While this anime tends to be more horrific than sad, it definitely knows how to get fans tearing up.
Madoka ultimately chooses to sacrifice herself to save every magical girl by preventing them from becoming witches. Although Madoka states that she has no regrets about her wish, she's still an unfortunate sacrifice for the greater good.
7 Otonashi Could Have Been Saved (Angel Beats!)
Angel Beats! has plenty of comedic scenes, but it also deals with tough subjects, like mortality. The series takes place in a type of purgatory where people are kept until they accept their deaths. Otonashi's death is definitely the most tragic. He's involved in a subway train accident and somehow manages to survive. He and some other survivors are forced to wait several days for help to finally arrive. In a tragic twist of fate, Otonashi succumbs to his injuries just as rescue arrives. The fact that Otonashi dies mere seconds before his rescue is especially heartbreaking.
6 A Depressing End To A Depressing Series (Wolf's Rain)
Wolf's Rain follows a group of wolves traveling through a hostile world in search of a legendary paradise. The premise is depressing enough, but one especially sad moment happens right before the series ends. Hige is fatally wounded and found by Tsume as he's dying. While most series would have a character offer their final words Wolf's Rain punches the audience in the gut by having Hige beg Tsume to finish him off. Compared to the rest of the series, this moment is by far the saddest and hardest to watch.
5 Ueda's Backstory Is Incredibly Relatable (Chobits)
Hideki Motosuwa dreams of owning his own Persocom, an advanced android-like computer. Luckily, he finds a beautiful female Persocom in a pile of trash. Chobits is one of CLAMP's most well-known stories and it doesn't hold back on the tear-jerker moments. Ueda's backstory is especially sad. Audiences learn that he'd fallen in love with his Persocom, but due to a malfunction, she began to lose her memory. Persocoms may not be real but Ueda's story shares similarities to those with family members who have Alzheimer's or dementia, which makes his backstory especially tragic.
4 Ryuuko Is Abandoned Twice (Kill La Kill)
Kill La Kill is best known for its revealing outfits and unusual weapons. Ryuko Matoi is traveling the world in search of her father's killer. During her quest, she finds herself involved in many intense fights, but one particular fight stands out as sad. During Ryuko and Mako's fight, Mako breaks down when she realizes Ryuko isn't fighting back.
What's most depressing is the way Mako's family treats Ryuko after they become rich. Ryuko never had a family so for them to take her in only to abandon her for wealth is incredibly disheartening.
3 Skuld's Loneliness Is Relatable (Oh My Goddess!)
In this anime, humans are able to have their wishes granted by Goddesses through a Help Hotline. When the Goddess Belldandy visits Keiichi Morisato, he accidentally wishes for her to stay with him forever. This series is mostly a light-hearted anime, but it still has a few sad moments. Skuld's arrival, for example, has some sadness to it. She comes off as annoyingly clingy, but the truth is she is incredibly lonely. Her breakdown in episode 12 is incredibly relatable to anyone who has dealt with the same type of loneliness.
2 Franchouchou Will Never Get Their Lives Back (Zombie Land Saga)
While most zombie-themed anime involve surviving the zombie apocalypse, Zombie Land Saga follows the lives of actual zombies instead. This series is a comedic take on the idol phenomenon using zombies as idols. Even with its light-hearted nature, there are darker themes, especially since the characters are teenage girls who died tragic early deaths. While some of the girls have accepted their deaths, others struggle with their passing. It's a sad reality they're faced with and it's not surprising that many of them can't accept it.
1 A Sad Moment That Connects To The Real World (Space Dandy)
Space Dandy is a series that doesn't require a lot of thought to enjoy since it's not particularly deep. However, it is also one of the few anime that has a sad moment that connects back to the real world. When Dandy finds a ramen shop in the middle of nowhere he learns the owner has been there for thousands of years. Although the owner claims he isn't lonely it's his tears of loneliness that give his ramen its flavor. What makes this scene so sad is that the Japanese voice actor, Ichiro Nagai, passed away two weeks after the episode aired.
