Top 30 Saddest Cartoon Episodes

“The Powerpuff Girls” (1998-2005)
Feeling rundown from crime-fighting, the Girls decide to create a new sister to take the edge off. And thus we’re introduced to Bunny, the new Powerpuff. She's eager to please her big sisters, but she’s a little bulky and not too bright. However, when every crook in Townsville attacks the Girls, Bunny single-handedly saves her sisters. But instead of a happy ending, poor Bunny disintegrates as her unstable genetic structure gives out. The Girls are left to mourn the loss of their sister, regretting the harsh words they said to her. It’s so heart-wrenching that even the Narrator breaks down in tears as he honors the departed hero.

“Ninjago” (2011-22)
Zane was a “Nindroid” – an android ninja – but was no less a vital part of the team. That makes the following scene all the more painful. In the Season 3 finale, the evil Overlord has evolved into the Golden Master and is laying waste to Ninjago City. Zane asks his friends to support him one last time as he makes his move. He gets up close and personal with Overlord and overloads himself, his life flashing before his eyes. Zane’s sacrifice ensured the safety of his friends and the city and he is given the proper memorial he deserves. However, the final scene gives us hope that we haven’t seen the last of the metallic ninja.

“Teen Titans” (2003-06)
Starfire is saddened to see her friends bickering and concerned about their friendship. The Titans assure her that she has nothing to worry about ... or so they think. During a battle, Starfire ends up stuck in the future ... and it is a nightmare. The city has been devastated, and the Teen Titans have disbanded. The Titans have become isolated and miserable, showing how fragile their friendship was without Starfire. While the episode ends happily with Starfire returning to the present, it’s gut-wrenching to picture a future where the Titans drifted apart after everything they’ve been through. Hopefully, this bleak scenario teaches viewers not to take their friendships for granted – who knows how long they could last?

“The Lion Guard” (2016-19)
This episode premiered with a content warning in front because they knew it would be a tearjerker ... and they did not disappoint. Janna, Rani’s grandmother and the queen of her pack, is nearing the end of her journey in the Circle of Life. With her family and Kion around her, she bids a warm goodbye to each and every one of them before handing the crown to Rani. She passes peacefully, and everyone is a weeping mess – especially the audience. Death is nothing new in the “Lion King” franchise, but it is never easy to face – even in a series aimed at a younger audience.

“Samurai Jack” (2001-04; 2017)
Usually, Aku’s robots are shown to be emotionless hunters whose only goal in life is to destroy Samurai Jack for their master. This is not the case for X-49, an assassin robot programmed with emotions. He had retired from killing to be with his beloved puppy, Lulu. However, Aku blackmailed him into hunting the Samurai against his will. Sadly, we all know what happens to a robot that crosses paths with the Samurai. Even though we’re rooting for Jack to defeat Aku, X-49's story is devastating, and he’s the first opponent Jack shows remorse for destroying. It feels weird shedding tears over one of Aku’s minions, and yet here we are.

“X-Men ‘97” (2024-)
While visiting the mutant nation of Genosha, Rogue is at a crossroads between rekindling relationship with Magneto and her feelings for Gambit. But just as she’s made her decision, a monstrous Sentinel crashes the party, laying waste to the island and slaughtering any mutant in its path. The carnage is intense and uncomfortable, paralleling real-world terrorist attacks, but the madness finally ends with Gambit making the most heroic sacrifice ever. When the dust clears, we see Rogue clinging to the lifeless body of her beloved swamp rat and sobbing her heart out. All the while, we try to control our own tears as a beloved X-Man goes out in a harrowing display.

“DuckTales” (2017-21)
Scrooge McDuck has come a long way since his nephews moved in with him – turning from a grouchy shut-in to an adventurous family man. However, tensions build when he confesses to the triplets what happened to their mom, and they want nothing more to do with him. What’s more tragic is that we see a flashback of Scrooge nearly going bankrupt trying to find Della, so hearing his nephews accusing him of not caring stings twice as much. Having pushed all his loved ones away, Scrooge is back to square one – bitter and alone. David Tennant’s voice acting only adds more emotional depth to the richest duck in the world hitting rock bottom.

“The Wild Thornberrys” (1998-2004)
While in Africa, Eliza befriends an elderly elephant named Rebecca, whom her father rescued when he was a young man. The bond between Eliza and Rebecca is heartwarming, almost like a grandmother and granddaughter relationship. Sadly, Rebecca’s time is running out, and at the end of the day, she passes away peacefully, with Eliza tearfully by her side. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a friend, even one you just met. But at least Rebecca got to live a long life, made more prosperous by having met Eliza and Nigel. We should all be so lucky to live life to the fullest as this wise old pachyderm did.

“Amphibia” (2019-22)
The finale of this acclaimed Disney series has two tear-jerkers for the price of one. The first gut-wrencher occurs during the final battle against the Core. Anne sacrifices herself to save the city, and her loved ones gather around her as she disintegrates into thin air. Miraculously, she is revived from the dead, only to face something arguably worse – saying goodbye. It’s time for Anne to return home, but not before having to part with the Plantars, the little amphibians who became a second family to her. The actual hardest thing is trying to make it through this episode with dry eyes ... we guarantee it’s impossible.

“The Owl House” (2020-23)
The draining spell is unleashed, and the final phase of Belos’ grand scheme has begun. To save everyone, King is forced to make the most difficult decision of all – release the Collector and allow him to turn the Boiling Isles into his personal playhouse. Luz tries to stay behind to let her friends escape, but King forces her to leave him behind and return to the Human Realm. The episode ends bittersweetly – Luz finally makes it home, and King manages to save his favorite big sister figure, but at a personal cost. The Owl Family is separated and unable to protect each other at a time when they need it the most.

“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 barbs 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 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 and loses an eye during the final battle, the 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.

“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 one-on-one 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's 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.


Which episode did you cry the hardest over? Let us know in the comments.