Top 10 Heartbreaking Anime Flashbacks

“My Hero Academia” (2016-) Fair warning, you’re going to see plenty of abuse on this list, with this being one of the most shocking examples we’ve seen inflicted on a character in the shounen genre. Raised to be a weapon that could dethrone All Might, Endeavour never showed his son affection, disciplining him to the point of cruelty, all the while pushing the rest of his family to their breaking point. The biggest victim here was Todoroki’s mother, who was so mentally shattered, she ended up scarring her own son in a moment of madness. You can see why some people are a little uneasy about Endeavour now standing as the new number one hero.

“Saint Seiya” (1986-89) As is usually the case with Norse mythology, sons often find themselves killing their fathers, often caught in a continuous cycle of vengeance and rage. When it comes to Mime, he had always believed that he was justified in his murdering of Folker after it was revealed that he had slain his parent’s years earlier. However, Ikki eventually reveals that it had been an accident, and that Folken had loved Mime like a true son from the day he adopted him. That’s some terrible communication right there. Typical Asgardians.

“Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious” (2019) For the most part, Seiya was an isekai protagonist who, for lack of a better term, was a bit of a prick all throughout his adventure. Oh sure, he somehow swooped in the final moment to save the day, but that didn’t mean his endless hours of preparation and dismissive nature of his own party didn’t grate on everyone, especially his poor waifu of a goddess. Then we learned why he was such an uptight bastard. Turns out back during his first time as an isekai-er, Seiya was more akin to your typical optimistic and gun-ho hero…at least until a Demon King devoured everyone he loved right in front of him.

#7: Zero Two’s Past

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Top 10 Heartbreaking Anime Rejections (ft. Brianna Knickerbocker!)

“Darling in the Franxx” (2018) We’re just going to say it, young Zero Two is the absolute cutest thing ever. Stolen from the Klaxosaur, experimented on her whole life, the little red princess had never known a single kindness. At least until she escaped and ran into Hiro, who immediately built a friendship with her during their time in the wilderness that was so pure it’ll make you cry. His genuine affection combined with her introduction to fairy tales became Zero Two’s first and only beloved memory, so of course the scientists who captured her forcibly erased it.

“Assassination Classroom” (2015-16) Before he was the mass of smiles and tentacles that we all know him to be, Class-E’s resident homeroom teacher was an infamous assassin, though still very much human. Revealing to his students who he truly was before becoming Korosensei, we learn that due to extensive experiments and the madness of a certain scientist, the once feared killer was transformed into a monster, but not before he had given his heart to the one woman who saw passed his crimes and fell in love with the man within. Naturally, she didn’t live long enough to grant him a happy ever after.

“The Rising of the Shield Hero” (2019-) Given how racoon girl will always be best girl, seeing her in any sort of pain will always break out hearts. Alas, for all her smiles and strong will, Raphtalia had a tragic childhood, one filled with death and imprisonment. After losing her parents during the Waves, slavers trampled her village and locked Raphtalia and her best friend away, subjecting them to frequent abuse and starvation. The only reason she lived while her friend perished was due to her refusal to scream and give her sadistic owner the pleasure he wanted. Naofumi, you’d better keep her safe going forward!

“The Seven Deadly Sins” (2014-) While initially coming across as more doll than man whose perceptions of morality were askew at the best of times, Gowther seemed like the last of the Sins that we’d have any kind of sympathy for. Alas, we were proven wrong when we got a good look at why he was so messed up. Created by a magician to resemble the woman he loved but with a male body, Gowther was nothing more than the alter ego of a madman, yet he still found love with someone, and a princess at that! He had found true happiness…at least until she died and he was blamed for it, sending him into a spiral of pain and confusion that’s haunted him ever since.

“Naruto” (2002-07) What does it take to turn an innocent child into a bloodthirsty monster? Well, making them feel utterly alone and despised is a great start. Unable to control the sand demon locked inside him, Gaara’s childhood was one filled with isolation, with the rest of the village fearing his destructive power. Things only escalated when on orders from his father, an assassin was sent to terminate Gaara. Mortally wounding his attacker in self-defence, they were revealed to actually be his uncle, the one person who Gaara trusted in the world, who would go on to tell how much he despised the poor boy before dying. Yeah, that’s bound to mess a kid up.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans” (2015-17) While often employing manipulation and showed zero hesitation about killing his allies to achieve his goal, McGillis was still shown to be a man with his own sense of integrity, wishing to abolish Earth’s corrupt system while serving as a beacon for change. What caused this righteous crusade? How about the fact he was adopted into a noble house, but not to serve as a legitimate heir, but so the man he now called father could abuse him when he was no more than a child. McGillis’ rise and fall is woven with suffering, making him one of Gundam’s characters of Shakespearean proportions.

#1: Law’s Past

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Top 10 Anime Characters with a Tragic Past

“One Piece” (1999-) Let’s face it, everyone in Oda’s sprawling world has a terrible history. That being said, we can’t help but feel that Law takes the cake in terms of soul-shattering tragedy. First, he loses his family to a plague, is scorned by the survivors, and is destined to die horrifically sooner rather than later. Then he formed an unorthodox friendship with Corazon, who gave him a second chance at life by giving him the Op Op Fruit. Of course, whatever future they could have had as comrades was snatched away when Doflamingo shot him down right in front of Law. That’s an intense amount of misery to happen in such a short amount of time!