Anime has been known to connect with its viewers in a way that other forms of media don’t always match. I myself have experienced the full gambit of emotions while watching anime, ranging from joy to anger to even a bit of sadness… So when I saw that I had to pick the saddest anime scene, there were a few candidates that came to mind (and yes, one of them was the Ash death scene in Pokemon the First Movie)…
But, out of the choices, this scene really hit me in the feels. In fact, this scene hit much closer to home than I’d like to admit. Not only did this scene finalize an already devastating situation, but it added a realism to it that I just hadn’t seen in an anime up until that point. So, my pick for the saddest anime scene is…
So rather than give you guys a crappy summary of the scene, I decided to show you my pick for saddest anime scene. First, I am not finished with Full Metal Alchemist (I’m somewhere around volume 16 or so), so please keep major spoilers to yourself! Also for those who haven’t seen or read any FMA, this post will contain a minor spoilers for episode 25 of the original FMA anime series and 10 of Brotherhood…
Maes Hughes’s funeral from Full Metal Alchemist… don’t quote me on this, but I think that Hughes was my first ever anime death, so you can imagine how devastated I was when he died. Hughes wasn’t some throw away extra, he was a major player in the overall plot of FMA, and a genuinely fun character. Sure he wasn’t an Elrich brother, so his screen time was rather limited, but when he did appear, you could bet that Hughes was there with a smile or as a bit of comic relief. He was a devoted family man, who was quick to bombard his co-workers with pictures of his wife and daughter, much to their annoyance. But when he wasn’t fawning over his family, he was hard at work assisting his friend and colleague Roy Mustang in his bid for Führer. Everyone loved Hughes!
Hughes was just such a fun guy, he even had a family that adored him, so it was that much more tragic when he was suddenly killed off. His passing had a noticeable impact on everyone, but most especially his family and surprisingly, the usually stoic Roy Mustang… Hughes’s death didn’t become real for me until the funeral. His daughter’s breakdown was heartbreaking, her confusion and anguish struck a cord with me and I remember choking up a bit… But, when Roy, big bad Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang started crying… that was the final nail in the coffin. I broke down, at that point I knew there was no coming back and that’s why this scene and not Hughes’s death scene is my pick for the saddest anime scene.
So there you have it, my pick for saddest anime scene… What do you think of my pick? What’s your pick for saddest anime scene? Let me know in the comments section and as always THANK YOU for reading!!