Top 20 Saddest Cartoon Episodes of All Time

“Rick and Morty” (2013-)

Whether transforming the protagonist into a pickle or channel surfing, this Adult Swim cartoon tends to be more concerned with eliciting a laugh than a tear. An alcoholic mad scientist on the run from the Galactic Federation, Rick repeatedly and unapologetically drags the rest of the family - particularly Morty - into all kinds of troublesome situations. In the Season 2 finale, the Smiths are forced to go on the lam due to the scientist's notoriety. In an uncharacteristically selfless move, Rick surrenders to the Galactic Federation in exchange for the family's freedom. It would appear there is a heart underneath all those burbs and insults.

“Justice League Unlimited” (2004-06)

It’s a sign of a great series when the demise of a minor character, who only appears in three episodes, succeeds in coming across as tragic. Ace is a powerful psychic capable of warping reality; as a child, the metahuman was subjected to governmental experimentation and ended up temporarily working for the Joker. Aware death is just around the corner due to an aneurysm, Ace's final hours are spent with Batman, arguably the only person to ever treat the psychic as a human being rather than a weapon.

“Courage the Cowardly Dog” (1999-2002)

Talk about finishing a series on a gut punch. "Courage the Cowardly Dog" is constantly creepy, frequently darkly comical, and occasionally deeply moving. While some other segments are sad, nothing comes close to the flashback revealing how Courage meets Muriel. As a puppy, Courage basically witnesses the murder of his own parents at the hands of plausibly the worst cartoon veterinarian ever. Thankfully, the episode's conclusion is quite cathartic, but there is no forgetting the image of a crying baby Courage waving goodbye to a rocket carrying the dog's parents.

“Gravity Falls” (2012-16)

Following two years filled with mystery, suspense, and wonderful characters, "Gravity Falls'" finale brought everything to the table. In order to defeat the dream demon named Bill Cipher, Stan willingly sacrifices the memories created with Mabel and Dipper over the summer. These recollections are recovered once Mabel shows Stan a scrapbook with the trio's many adventures, but the real emotional kicker occurs later when the kids finally leave Gravity Falls. In an incredibly touching montage, the episode briefly shows the futures of many of the town's residents, who fans had grown to love over the preceding 40 episodes.

“Regular Show” (2010-17)

Lasting for eight seasons and 261 episodes, "Regular Show's" finale needed to be almost perfect to live up to all the hype. If nothing else, the cartoon cannot be criticized for playing it safe! Stuck in a stalemate against Anti-Pops and with the whole universe on the line, Pops ultimately concludes the only way to save everyone is to plunge both of them into the sun. The battle's aftermath is also a tearjerker, culminating in a 25-year timeskip depicting a much older Mordecai and Rigby coming back together for a Park reunion.

“Beast Wars: Transformers” (1996-99)

Is a villain truly a villain if he sacrifices himself for the sake of good? After starting as a follower of the evil Predacon leader Megatron, Dinobot rebels against him, and ends up with the heroic Maximals. However, some still see him as evil, so Dinobot is determined to show them he’s no longer the monster they think he is. He’s given that opportunity when he finds himself facing a Predacon onslaught with no backup, and fights to the death to save a group of protohumans that will eventually give birth to the human race. Dinobot succeeds in thwarting their plans, but is mortally wounded in the process. Unable to help him, the Transformers leave their fallen comrade with one final salute.

“Steven Universe” (2013-)

Everyone grieves the loss of a loved one differently. In Pearl’s case, she pushes away her friend Steven – the son of a woman she followed, respected and loved deeply. After accompanying the Crystal Gems to the Strawberry Battlefield, Steven begins to uncover many new truths about his late mother, and starts to see that Pearl never got the closure she needed on their relationship. This becomes even clearer when Pearl lashes out after discovering that Rose may’ve kept secrets from her. Denying the fact that anyone was closer to Rose than she was, Pearl runs away upset. But eventually she realizes there’s no better way to stay close to her late friend than by sharing her memories of Rose with Steven.

“ReBoot” (1994-2001)

Unfortunately for the citizens of Mainframe, these games don’t come with extra lives. In the midst of a war against the virus Megabyte, the system’s User sends a game down onto the city. In an attempt to save that section of Mainframe, Enzo, along with his friend AndrAla (Awndrea) and loyal dog Frisket, jump into the Mortal Kombat-style fighting game to defeat the User. The game proves to be more than the young Guardian and his friends can handle however, and after Enzo is dealt a crippling blow (loses an eye) during the final battle, they story moves to the perspective of those outside the game as they wait for it to end. As the purple game cube begins to disappear, we hear, for the first time, the most frightening words ever uttered in the series. (Game over, the user wins)

“Batman: The Animated Series” (1992-95)

Some Batman villains just want to watch the world burn; some want to see it freeze – but the reason why might surprise you. The Dark Knight has a tendency to fight baddies that are victims of circumstance – take Mary Dahl, for example, whose eternal youth was more curse than blessing. However, “Heart of Ice” sees the Caped Crusader face the diabolical Mr. Freeze. The Daytime Emmy Award-winning episode follows Batman as he chases this former GothCorp scientist, whom he discovers is solely seeking revenge on GothCorp CEO Ferris Boyle for turning him into a monster and essentially sentencing his wife to death. Ultimately, Batman does apprehend the villain and sends him off to Arkham Asylum, where Freeze can only mourn his loved one.

“Adventure Time” (2010-)

Sometimes it takes a true friend to remind you of who you really are. In a desperate attempt to win the affection of a princess – as is his way – the Ice King seeks out Marceline the Vampire Queen to help him write a song. This song-writing session gets all-too real when Marceline tries to remind the wizard of his life before he found the magic crown that drove him nuts and erased his memories. Saddened by the reality of the situation, Marceline opts to bond with her old friend the only way she can, and we are left watching a touching flashback scene where we see how the two met and became friends in the aftermath of the Mushroom War.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2012-2017)

Master Splinter was not only a wise sensei and mentor to the Turtles, he was also their loving father and protector. That’s why it was absolutely gut wrenching to see him done away with in such brutal fashion in the TMNT episode “Requiem”. When the team is facing off against the Mighty Mutanimals, Splinter finds himself in a 1 on 1 rooftop battle with a souped-up Super Shredder. It first seems like he stands a chance, having thrown Shredder off the rooftop. But suddenly Shredder springs back into action, fatally stabbing Splinter with his razor claws. If that wasn’t enough, we’re then shown some of the Turtles cherished memories of their dear father. There’s no amount of anchovies or pizza that can make this episode more bearable.

“BoJack Horseman” (2014-)

Praised for its honest depiction of depression, substance use disorder, and various other challenging subjects; one of "Bojack Horseman's" saddest scenes pivots around - of all things - free churros and Ted Danson's '90s sitcom "Becker." Season 4's "Time's Arrow" suggested there was more to the protagonist's cold mother than meets the eye, but Beatrice and Bojack remain estranged until the very end. Taking place during Beatrice's apparent funeral, "Free Churro" frames BoJack's troubled childhood through an ongoing eulogy. Like always, "Bojack Horseman" finds a way to throw in a few laugh-out-loud moments, but a somber tone is maintained throughout the entire episode.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)

Split into six vignettes, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" is often quite lighthearted. Then, you get to "The Tale of Iroh." This segment mainly consists of Zuko's uncle helping strangers while traveling through Ba Sing Se. All these sweet acts of kindness lead to Iroh leaving town to memorialize the birthday of his late son, who died during a siege prior to the events of the cartoon. There will not be a single dry eye during Iroh tearful rendition of "Leaves from the Vine." "Avatar: The Last Airbender's" vignette closes with a tribute to Iroh's voice actor, Mako Iwamatsu, who passed away a couple of months prior to the episode's airing.

“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)

"Gary runs away" might not seem like an especially creative premise, but "SpongeBob SquarePants" produced an absolute gem of an episode. Due to being distracted by a meaningless task, SpongeBob forgets to feed Gary, prompting the snail to pack and leave. Eventually, SpongeBob notices Gary is gone and becomes increasingly distraught at the thought of never seeing the snail again. Along with an awesome antagonist in Granny, "Have You Seen This Snail?" contains one of the cartoon's most extraordinary songs in the depressing "Gary Come Home." If it was not for the happy ending, "Have You Seen This Snail?" may have taken first place.

“South Park” (1997-)

During the opening five seasons, "South Park" barely allowed an episode to pass without killing Kenny. After rendering death completely meaningless, Season 5's "Kenny Dies" arrived to tear every fan's heart out. Hospitalized with a terminal illness, Kenny's health rapidly deteriorates, forcing the boys to come to terms with mortality. Even though Cartman spends the majority of the episode attempting to find a cure, just as the title prophesied, Kenny eventually dies and nothing about the moment is treated as a joke. The boys grieve, Stan questions God, and Cartman duplicates a Shakey's Pizza. Season 15’s “You’re Getting Old’s” sobering ending also merits a special mention.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)

What IS Christmas all about? The always-emo Charlie Brown’s depressive state reaches an all-time low in this classic Christmas special, as he contemplates why the holiday spirit eludes him. Against his better judgment, Chuck takes Lucy’s advice and directs the school’s nativity play, but this just makes matters worse when he’s met with jeers from his classmates after failing to produce an adequate Christmas tree. Although Linus’ poignant speech cheers him up temporarily, Charlie Brown is in such a deep emotional hole, the only thing that can yank him out of it for good is the sight of his friends showing his little tree some TLC and belting out Christmas carols. It’s all so simple.

“Family Guy” (1999-2003; 2005-)

After one of their many trips to the past goes awry, Stewie and Brian agree to destroy their time machine. However, fate is cruel, and Stewie immediately regrets this decision when Brian is struck by a car and critically injured, ultimately uttering his last words from the operating table. Reality sets in for Stewie when he realizes that repairing the time machine is impossible, and so the grieving process must begin. To help the family cope with their loss, Lois and Peter bring home a new dog named Vinny – but, while he is able to emote with Stewie about his lost friend, Vinny can’t replace the void left by Brian in the Griffin household.

“The Simpsons” (1989-)

When a show’s on as long as “The Simpsons,” it’s bound to turn to the bittersweet every now and then. The moment when Lisa says goodbye to her substitute teacher always gets us sniffling. But it’s the mystery you never knew you wanted solved surrounding the whereabouts of Homer’s mother that makes our list. This melancholy episode sees Homer joyfully reunited with his long-lost mother Mona after 27 years. The two make up for lost time, but soon it’s revealed that it’s Mona’s troubled history with the law that’s kept her away so long – and it forces her away again, leaving her son with a hole in his heart. At least this time, however, they’re able to share a heartfelt goodbye.

“Rugrats” (1991-2004)

Nothing prepares you for the heartbreaking reality of having to reveal this kind of truth to your child. The babies celebrate their first Mother’s Day experience by crafting presents for their beloved moms. But this only draws attention to the fact that Chuckie doesn’t have a mother. The episode sees him searching for a surrogate mom, and thinking about what he’s missing. It turns out that, due to Chuckie’s tender age, his father has withheld information about his son’s mother, hoping he could shield him from the pain of missing her. With support from the other parents, Chas decides to introduce Chuckie to his mother via a box of her belongings – go ahead: we dare you not to cry.

“Futurama” (1999-2013)

If you’re ever given the opportunity to travel 1,000 years into the future, consider what you might be leaving behind. In pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry’s case, one thing he abandoned was his lucky seven-leaf clover; but fortunately, as we learn in another tear-jerking episode, his nephew put that to good use. But Fry also left his dog Seymour back in the year 2000. When he unearths a fossil of his long-lost pal in the 31st century, Fry decides to bring Seymour back as a clone. However, he ultimately decides against the procedure, thinking that the pooch will have forgotten their friendship. All it takes is one heart-wrenching flashback for us to learn that that couldn’t be further from the truth.