Top 20 Heartbreaking Anime Rejections
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Script written by Jonathan Alexander
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most soul-crushing moments where an anime character got their heart stomped into pieces.
Young love is easy to build, and even easier to break. For what it’s worth, Miyo was willing to go all the way. She wrote a heartfelt love letter and everything! Unfortunately, some schoolyard jerks got to it before it reached her crush, Hinode. They recited the cheesy declaration to the whole class, and while Miyo refuses to apologize for her feelings, Hinode can’t take the scrutiny. He doesn’t just publicly reject Miyo, he flat-out says he hates her. Even if it is just to save face, it’s hard to get past the fact that he sent his would-be girlfriend running out the door in tears.
The sun is setting, the park is empty, and Junichi is standing in front of a beautiful girl. The scene is romantic enough to single handedly make him believe in love again. Not wasting the opportunity, Junichi squares up and tells Haruka how he really feels - and he promptly gets rejected in the most matter-of-fact way possible. While Haruka does commend his bravery, she still gives him a cold, hard “no.” The reason? She prefers men who are older and more mature. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, but after this, Junichi may beg to differ.
It’s no hyperbole to say Sayaka gave her heart and soul to this relationship. She signed away her spirit just so Kyōsuke could play violin; and what did she get in return? A front-row seat to him cozying up with another girl, that’s what. The revelation hits deep because Kyōsuke never outright rejected her. Even in the end, Sayaka didn’t have the courage to confess her feelings. Instead, she channeled those negative emotions into a more violent outlet - transforming into a witch. The only thing worse than seeing Sayaka succumb to her heartbreak is knowing that, with a bit more open communication, things could’ve turned out differently.
There’s no coming back from the “I see you as a brother” line, and Itsuki knows it. Even though Ayane’s trying to let him down easy, he throws her words in the trash, alongside any hope of them rekindling their friendship. Time can’t heal this wound. If anything, it only makes it worse. Ayane’s turn of phrase is a major reason Itsuki spends his adult life with a severe little-sister complex. Yes, it's as unhealthy as it sounds. This failed confession is even more depressing with the foreknowledge that Itsuki will never come to peace with the sting of rejection.
Jun Naruse has a crippling fear of speaking out loud. She can still sing, though, and luckily, she has the pensive musician, Takumi, to help her turn her lyrics into words. But, when she finally manages to say “I love you,” it’s Takumi who can’t say it back. Instead, he responds with a heart-wrenching “thanks,” and then admits that he loves someone else. Jun already knew that, though. Still, she owed it to herself to say her piece, no matter the odds. Both Jun and Takumi knew how this was going to end before either of them said a word, but that doesn’t make the reality any less painful.
It took the whole season, but in the final episode, Sakura finally tells Nozaki what we’ve all known from the beginning: she loves him. Then, for a blissful, tantalizing second, it really seems like Nozaki feels the same. After all, watching fireworks together feels like as good a time as any for their first kiss, right? But, when Nozaki smiles and leans in, he says two short sentences that will take your heart, and squeeze it until it bursts. And that’s how the show ends! No clarification, and no happily-ever after. The credits just roll, leaving Sakura and everyone else reeling from the cruel emotional whiplash.
If you love in the game, you love in real life. Or, so Hideki thinks. Sadly, when he tries to make his and Ako’s romance work IRL, he hits a stone wall courtesy of Ako herself. When he blurts out his love for her, she turns him down without even taking a beat to consider it. Oh, and she does it all with a smile, too, just to really rub salt in the wound. Ako wasn’t trying to be mean. But, either way, it’s going to take Hideki quite a while to nurse his ego back. Hey, at least they’re still married in the game.
This show may be inspired by Shakespeare’s famous romance, but trust us. Inuzuka is no Romeo, and Hasuki is certainly not Juliette, either. Rather, their journey is full of misunderstandings, fights, and oh yeah, Inuzuka nearly drowning. And yet, it’s all for naught. He’s already happily spoken for. Hasuki takes it about as well as could be expected. That is, becoming a sobbing mess and yelling about how much she hates him. They both know she’s lying, and somehow, that makes her tears even harder to resist. Inuzuka assures her that they’ll still be friends, but after everything Hasuki went through, that feels like a hollow consolation prize.
After receiving letters from the future, Naho learns that her relationship with the sullen Kakeru is literally a matter of life and death. But, in the end, not even the power of foresight can keep him from pulling away from her. While Kakeru says everything’s fine, he isolates himself with the smallest of gestures. He doesn’t walk Naho home, and then refuses to borrow a pencil, and then begins to ignore her altogether. Kakeru’s growing coldness is like watching a car crash in slow motion. Not just because Naho is losing a friend, but because this break-up of sorts may very well be Kakeru’s death sentence.
Shigeo Kageyama, better known as Mob, has felled evil cultists, overpowered espers, and the manifestation of his own insecurities. But, there’s one thing even he can’t defeat: the whims of a teenage girl. It took three whole seasons of meticulous character development for Mob to finally ask his crush, Tsubomi, on a date. Then, in an offscreen scene, she says no. As you can imagine, grief-stricken sobfest isn’t the ending most people had in mind for “Mob Psycho 100.” While the show always prioritized Mob’s personal growth over his dating life, it still would’ve been nice to see him get the girl. It certainly would’ve caused less tears.
What is it with these kinds of anime? Why do they always have to do the best girl dirty? As a fan of Masamune’s writing and apparently his absent personality as well, fellow light novelist Muramasa confesses to him outright that she loves practically everything about him… only for Masamune to state how he’s already into someone else. Thankfully he spared her the fact she had lost out to his adopted sister. Shudder.
It’s hard being a talking Pokemon…apparently. In something of a homage to classics like Casablanca, the mascot of Team Rocket recounts how he once fell in love with a female Meowth called Meowzie, one who was under the control of a wild Persian. Skip to the present day, and Meowth finds himself battling said Persian in order to free the cat of his dreams. Surprise, surprise, he actually manages to win…but Meowzie still rejects him in the end because she finds talking Pokemon to be freaks. What makes it worse is he learned to do that just to impress her…
“Sound! Euphonium” (2015-16)
Man, who knew that high school music clubs could be so cutthroat. Finally getting the dreamy first year all to herself, Hazuki confesses her feelings of love, only to be met with a pretty pathetic reaction form Shuichi. Despite having every reason to be upset, Hazuki instead immediately decides to help him romance the childhood friend he not so secretly likes, because that’s what friends do. We hope your happy with yourself Shuichi, after all tuba players need love too!
“Naruto” (2002-07)
We will be the first to admit that Sakura’s crush on the last Uchiha wasn’t exactly the most endearing character trait, but it’s still pretty hard to look at this scene and just disregard the raw emotion. In a final desperate plea to stop Sasuke from hopping over to Orochimaru’s side, Sakura confesses her feelings to him then and there. Alas, her words don’t have the intended effect, leading him to knock her out to prevent her from following further. Sorry Sakura, guess revenge is just a tad more appealing than teenage romance.
From the same mind that insists sisters are the only way forward, we have this this little number, a story about a guy who is utterly convinced his sister is a top-tier waifu. Alas, as a result, Kyosuke ends up losing out on the chance to date the most adorable gothic Lolita to ever grace animation. She was quirky, sweet and wholeheartedly invested in our lead’s happiness, and yet he just couldn’t bring himself to abandon Kirino. If that wasn’t bad enough, the break-up pretty much swears her off love forever. Great going Kyosuke.
There’s no denying that Araragi has no shortage of lovely ladies in his life. Some of which he really shouldn’t be within arms reach of… but that’s a whole other story. As it happens, his classmate Hanekawa ends up getting her heart broken while also having to deal with an oddity that turns her into one deadly kitty. After a bloody skirmish and heartfelt confession, Tsubasa is able to return to her original self, but still has to endure the after-effects of her friend rejecting her outright. We know Hitagi is best girl but still, this is hard to watch.
Walking out on the bubbly heroine in order to get with the quietly aggressive waifu? That takes some stones. When it comes to the final hurdle, musical genius Haruki can’t help but go after the beautifully lazy Kazusa. Seems like a simple set-up right? There’s just one problem. Accompanying him is his bestie and original love interest Setsuna, who still very much has the hots for him. What does he do? Make sure she has a front row seat while he locks lips with her romantic rival. Come on man, at least have a little tact!
“Lovely Complex” (2007)
Despite originally harbouring a hilarious form of animosity towards one another given their sensitivities about their sizes, Atsushi and Risa eventually find themselves slowly starting to fall for one another, with Risa being the one to make the first move. Unsure of his true feelings, Atsushi ends up rejecting her. While brushing it off as nothing, Risa is eventually unable to hold back the tears and breaks down in front of her friends. If that wasn’t bad enough, the only words she can bring herself to mutter is bear curry. It’s so deliciously sad.
“Digimon Adventure 02” (2000-01)
All stand for the passing of what had once been a beloved ship. I mean…what the heck happened here? The original series spent a good amount of time hinting that Tai and Sora had a deeper friendship than most, ergo we assumed that things would take a romantic direction when they grew up. However, turns out that Sora has a thing for rock star bad boys, as its revealed that she’s into fellow digi-destined, Matt. Kudos for the team’s fearless leader for letting her go in such a mature manner, but damn that must have stung.
“Re;Zero” (2016)
Look at that face. Look. At. That. Face. How did you manage to bring yourself to reject such a pure cinnamon roll Subaru? How?! Okay, Rem may have killed you in one timeline and Emilia is kind of cute…but come on?! Through his various deaths and reincarnations, Subaru ended up earning the affection of this pint-sized oni. They triumphed and suffered together across all manner of hardships, and just when Rem found the courage to confess her true feelings, Subaru decides to fall back on the half-elf. Is it too late for another restart?
What anime rejection are you still not over? Let us know in the comments below!
Top 20 Heartbreaking Anime Rejections
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most soul-crushing moments where an anime character got their heart stomped into pieces.
#20: A Schoolyard Crush-Ing
“A Whisker Away” (2020)Young love is easy to build, and even easier to break. For what it’s worth, Miyo was willing to go all the way. She wrote a heartfelt love letter and everything! Unfortunately, some schoolyard jerks got to it before it reached her crush, Hinode. They recited the cheesy declaration to the whole class, and while Miyo refuses to apologize for her feelings, Hinode can’t take the scrutiny. He doesn’t just publicly reject Miyo, he flat-out says he hates her. Even if it is just to save face, it’s hard to get past the fact that he sent his would-be girlfriend running out the door in tears.
#19: Shot Through the Heart
“Amagami SS” (2010-12)The sun is setting, the park is empty, and Junichi is standing in front of a beautiful girl. The scene is romantic enough to single handedly make him believe in love again. Not wasting the opportunity, Junichi squares up and tells Haruka how he really feels - and he promptly gets rejected in the most matter-of-fact way possible. While Haruka does commend his bravery, she still gives him a cold, hard “no.” The reason? She prefers men who are older and more mature. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, but after this, Junichi may beg to differ.
#18: All’s Fair in Love, War, & Witchcraft
“Puella Magi Madoka Magica” (2011)It’s no hyperbole to say Sayaka gave her heart and soul to this relationship. She signed away her spirit just so Kyōsuke could play violin; and what did she get in return? A front-row seat to him cozying up with another girl, that’s what. The revelation hits deep because Kyōsuke never outright rejected her. Even in the end, Sayaka didn’t have the courage to confess her feelings. Instead, she channeled those negative emotions into a more violent outlet - transforming into a witch. The only thing worse than seeing Sayaka succumb to her heartbreak is knowing that, with a bit more open communication, things could’ve turned out differently.
#17: “I Love You Like a Brother”
“A Sister's All You Need” (2017)There’s no coming back from the “I see you as a brother” line, and Itsuki knows it. Even though Ayane’s trying to let him down easy, he throws her words in the trash, alongside any hope of them rekindling their friendship. Time can’t heal this wound. If anything, it only makes it worse. Ayane’s turn of phrase is a major reason Itsuki spends his adult life with a severe little-sister complex. Yes, it's as unhealthy as it sounds. This failed confession is even more depressing with the foreknowledge that Itsuki will never come to peace with the sting of rejection.
#16: Jun’s Love Song
“The Anthem of the Heart” (2015)Jun Naruse has a crippling fear of speaking out loud. She can still sing, though, and luckily, she has the pensive musician, Takumi, to help her turn her lyrics into words. But, when she finally manages to say “I love you,” it’s Takumi who can’t say it back. Instead, he responds with a heart-wrenching “thanks,” and then admits that he loves someone else. Jun already knew that, though. Still, she owed it to herself to say her piece, no matter the odds. Both Jun and Takumi knew how this was going to end before either of them said a word, but that doesn’t make the reality any less painful.
#15: Confession Under the Stars
“Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun” (2014)It took the whole season, but in the final episode, Sakura finally tells Nozaki what we’ve all known from the beginning: she loves him. Then, for a blissful, tantalizing second, it really seems like Nozaki feels the same. After all, watching fireworks together feels like as good a time as any for their first kiss, right? But, when Nozaki smiles and leans in, he says two short sentences that will take your heart, and squeeze it until it bursts. And that’s how the show ends! No clarification, and no happily-ever after. The credits just roll, leaving Sakura and everyone else reeling from the cruel emotional whiplash.
#14: Online Dating
“And You Thought There Is Never a Girl Online?” (2016)If you love in the game, you love in real life. Or, so Hideki thinks. Sadly, when he tries to make his and Ako’s romance work IRL, he hits a stone wall courtesy of Ako herself. When he blurts out his love for her, she turns him down without even taking a beat to consider it. Oh, and she does it all with a smile, too, just to really rub salt in the wound. Ako wasn’t trying to be mean. But, either way, it’s going to take Hideki quite a while to nurse his ego back. Hey, at least they’re still married in the game.
#13: Star-Crossed Lovers
“Boarding School Juliet” (2018)This show may be inspired by Shakespeare’s famous romance, but trust us. Inuzuka is no Romeo, and Hasuki is certainly not Juliette, either. Rather, their journey is full of misunderstandings, fights, and oh yeah, Inuzuka nearly drowning. And yet, it’s all for naught. He’s already happily spoken for. Hasuki takes it about as well as could be expected. That is, becoming a sobbing mess and yelling about how much she hates him. They both know she’s lying, and somehow, that makes her tears even harder to resist. Inuzuka assures her that they’ll still be friends, but after everything Hasuki went through, that feels like a hollow consolation prize.
#12: Heartstopper
“Orange” (2016)After receiving letters from the future, Naho learns that her relationship with the sullen Kakeru is literally a matter of life and death. But, in the end, not even the power of foresight can keep him from pulling away from her. While Kakeru says everything’s fine, he isolates himself with the smallest of gestures. He doesn’t walk Naho home, and then refuses to borrow a pencil, and then begins to ignore her altogether. Kakeru’s growing coldness is like watching a car crash in slow motion. Not just because Naho is losing a friend, but because this break-up of sorts may very well be Kakeru’s death sentence.
#11: 100% Heartbreak
“Mob Psycho 100” (2016-22)Shigeo Kageyama, better known as Mob, has felled evil cultists, overpowered espers, and the manifestation of his own insecurities. But, there’s one thing even he can’t defeat: the whims of a teenage girl. It took three whole seasons of meticulous character development for Mob to finally ask his crush, Tsubomi, on a date. Then, in an offscreen scene, she says no. As you can imagine, grief-stricken sobfest isn’t the ending most people had in mind for “Mob Psycho 100.” While the show always prioritized Mob’s personal growth over his dating life, it still would’ve been nice to see him get the girl. It certainly would’ve caused less tears.
#10: Second Place to Sister…
“Eromanga Sensei” (2017)What is it with these kinds of anime? Why do they always have to do the best girl dirty? As a fan of Masamune’s writing and apparently his absent personality as well, fellow light novelist Muramasa confesses to him outright that she loves practically everything about him… only for Masamune to state how he’s already into someone else. Thankfully he spared her the fact she had lost out to his adopted sister. Shudder.
#9: Cat Fight
“Pokemon” (1997-)It’s hard being a talking Pokemon…apparently. In something of a homage to classics like Casablanca, the mascot of Team Rocket recounts how he once fell in love with a female Meowth called Meowzie, one who was under the control of a wild Persian. Skip to the present day, and Meowth finds himself battling said Persian in order to free the cat of his dreams. Surprise, surprise, he actually manages to win…but Meowzie still rejects him in the end because she finds talking Pokemon to be freaks. What makes it worse is he learned to do that just to impress her…
#8: The Loneliest Tuba Player
“Sound! Euphonium” (2015-16)
Man, who knew that high school music clubs could be so cutthroat. Finally getting the dreamy first year all to herself, Hazuki confesses her feelings of love, only to be met with a pretty pathetic reaction form Shuichi. Despite having every reason to be upset, Hazuki instead immediately decides to help him romance the childhood friend he not so secretly likes, because that’s what friends do. We hope your happy with yourself Shuichi, after all tuba players need love too!
#7: Ninja Rejection Knockout
“Naruto” (2002-07)
We will be the first to admit that Sakura’s crush on the last Uchiha wasn’t exactly the most endearing character trait, but it’s still pretty hard to look at this scene and just disregard the raw emotion. In a final desperate plea to stop Sasuke from hopping over to Orochimaru’s side, Sakura confesses her feelings to him then and there. Alas, her words don’t have the intended effect, leading him to knock her out to prevent her from following further. Sorry Sakura, guess revenge is just a tad more appealing than teenage romance.
#6: Second Place to Sister…Again
“Oreimo” (2010)From the same mind that insists sisters are the only way forward, we have this this little number, a story about a guy who is utterly convinced his sister is a top-tier waifu. Alas, as a result, Kyosuke ends up losing out on the chance to date the most adorable gothic Lolita to ever grace animation. She was quirky, sweet and wholeheartedly invested in our lead’s happiness, and yet he just couldn’t bring himself to abandon Kirino. If that wasn’t bad enough, the break-up pretty much swears her off love forever. Great going Kyosuke.
#5: And They Call It Kitty Love
“Monogatari” series (2009-)There’s no denying that Araragi has no shortage of lovely ladies in his life. Some of which he really shouldn’t be within arms reach of… but that’s a whole other story. As it happens, his classmate Hanekawa ends up getting her heart broken while also having to deal with an oddity that turns her into one deadly kitty. After a bloody skirmish and heartfelt confession, Tsubasa is able to return to her original self, but still has to endure the after-effects of her friend rejecting her outright. We know Hitagi is best girl but still, this is hard to watch.
#4: Now Boarding Flight To Heartbreak City
“White Album 2” (2013)Walking out on the bubbly heroine in order to get with the quietly aggressive waifu? That takes some stones. When it comes to the final hurdle, musical genius Haruki can’t help but go after the beautifully lazy Kazusa. Seems like a simple set-up right? There’s just one problem. Accompanying him is his bestie and original love interest Setsuna, who still very much has the hots for him. What does he do? Make sure she has a front row seat while he locks lips with her romantic rival. Come on man, at least have a little tact!
#3: Bear Curry
“Lovely Complex” (2007)
Despite originally harbouring a hilarious form of animosity towards one another given their sensitivities about their sizes, Atsushi and Risa eventually find themselves slowly starting to fall for one another, with Risa being the one to make the first move. Unsure of his true feelings, Atsushi ends up rejecting her. While brushing it off as nothing, Risa is eventually unable to hold back the tears and breaks down in front of her friends. If that wasn’t bad enough, the only words she can bring herself to mutter is bear curry. It’s so deliciously sad.
#2: Digi-Destined To Be Heartbroken
“Digimon Adventure 02” (2000-01)
All stand for the passing of what had once been a beloved ship. I mean…what the heck happened here? The original series spent a good amount of time hinting that Tai and Sora had a deeper friendship than most, ergo we assumed that things would take a romantic direction when they grew up. However, turns out that Sora has a thing for rock star bad boys, as its revealed that she’s into fellow digi-destined, Matt. Kudos for the team’s fearless leader for letting her go in such a mature manner, but damn that must have stung.
#1: Rem Gets Rem-jected
“Re;Zero” (2016)
Look at that face. Look. At. That. Face. How did you manage to bring yourself to reject such a pure cinnamon roll Subaru? How?! Okay, Rem may have killed you in one timeline and Emilia is kind of cute…but come on?! Through his various deaths and reincarnations, Subaru ended up earning the affection of this pint-sized oni. They triumphed and suffered together across all manner of hardships, and just when Rem found the courage to confess her true feelings, Subaru decides to fall back on the half-elf. Is it too late for another restart?
What anime rejection are you still not over? Let us know in the comments below!
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