People often disregardanimeas mere cartoons, but it’s in these movies that some of the greatest stories take place. When the studio isn’t worried about casting issues, creating realistic-looking CGI, directing actors, and all the other things that are involved with producing alive-action film, all the effort goes towards creating the best animation, stories, and characters.
Some anime movies fall within the universe of their anime TV shows, essentially acting as an extension of their plots, or are a feature-length condensation of a multi-episode arc. But there are plenty of standalone movies that go straight towards the audience’s heartstrings, touching them in ways few other shows and films could with their sad stories. So, let’s just go through some supremelysad anime moviesthat will leave you in tears.
In the name of accessibility, only standalone movies will be included. No continuations of shows likeMade in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul.
Updated on July 02, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Thebest anime tearjerker moviesare devastating, but in a good way. They make you fall in love with characters, celebrating their lives and, at times, mourning their deaths. They make you see the beauty in humanity, while also shining a light on our potential for cruelty. They can be visually gorgeous and narratively ugly. If you need to cry, try these sad anime films.
Sometimes, a movie’s heartbreaking nature reveals itself without warning, like a gut punch that leaves you reeling on the floor and wondering why you put yourself through this. Other times, the tragedy looms large, and there is no escaping the pending tears.Barefoot Gentakes place in Hiroshima in 1945, which should be enough information to grasp what the story is about. Yes, this anime is about the atomic bomb, and it is exactly as devastating as it should be. The movie does not have much of a story beyond that, instead opting to introduce a bunch of characters and then putting them through history.
Generally regarded as a companion piece toGrave of the Fireflies,Barefoot Gendoes not quite reach that film’s extremely high standards, but it is nevertheless a powerful experience that is worth watching at least once. Personally, I will never, ever watchBarefoot Genagain; however, I will also never forget it.
If a dog is involved, and they are not named Beethoven, the movie will probably be a tearjerker.The Dog of Flandersis based on one of the most famously sad novels involving humanity’s best friend, and the adaptation pretty much lives up to the source material’s reputation. Technically, the 1997 flick is also a remake of a 1975 anime series, but that is really not that important, and you can jump into this release without consuming any other media associated with the story.
Set in Denmark, the story follows Nello and his trusty canine companion, Patrasche, as they basically go from one awful tragedy to the next. At times,The Dog of Flanderscan be a bit too relentless in its misery, but the (many) emotional moments still manage to land. If you consider yourself to be a dog person, prepare yourself.
Afantasy war epic,Maquiahas a lot going for it. The animation is fantastic, as is Mari Okada’s direction. The story delivers an impressive sense of scale and touches upon mature themes like discrimination and power. In this universe, Iorphs are beings who resemble humans but live for centuries, all the while looking like teenagers. They are attacked by a human kingdom, with Maquia just about escaping with her life. After leaving her home, she ends up finding and adopting a human baby, starting a mother-son relationship that feels doomed from the start.
The second half of the narrative revolves around an all-around war, but the movie’s heart is Maquia and Ariel’s relationship. Their family bond is complicated, touching, and frequently devastating. While not constantly sad,Maquiahas plenty of powerful moments, along with a constant sense of foreboding.
Based on a well-loved manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto,Look Backis a movie of two halves. The first revolves around the slow-budding friendship between Fujino and Kyomoto, two very different people who gradually bond over a passion for manga. While not starting on positive terms, their dynamics grow naturally, eventually reaching a point when they are nearly inseparable. The second half of the movie takes a drastic turn that packs a lot of emotion into roughly 20 minutes.
Look Backis a slice-of-life drama that might take inspiration from the Kyoto Animation arson attack, a real-life tragedy that happened in 2019. While not an easy watch at times,Look Backis among the best anime movies of the 2020s so far, along with comfortably being one of the saddest of all time.
Mamoru Hosoda’s crowning achievement,Wolf Childrenis one of the definitive anime stories dealing with parenthood. Hana falls in love with a Wolfman, and they have two kids. However, when her partner passes away, Hana is left to raise Yuki and Ame alone, a responsibility that threatens to overwhelm her.
The story follows the family over several years, showing not only Hana’s attempts to adapt to a seemingly impossible situation but also Yuki and Ame’s efforts to find their place in the world.Wolf Childrendoes not tell a constantly devastating story, but rather captures both the simple beauty and sporadic struggles that define life.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguyais essentially a retelling of one of Japan’s oldest folk tales, ‘The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter’. It follows the tale faithfully, as the bamboo cutter cuts open one bamboo stalk to reveal an infant no bigger than his thumb. Choosing to raise the child as his daughter, whom he names Kaguya, he’s rewarded for his benevolence by discovering a gold nugget with each stalk he cuts, becoming rich in the process.
The movie expands on the tale by showing the cutter get conceited as he gets richer, and overprotective of Kaguya as she grows up and gains more suitors. They go to their utmost lengths to win her favor, even dying in the process, which shocks her deeply. All she wanted was to live an ordinary mortal life, living simply in the village. But that path is lost to her, and as she regains memories of her past life, her mortal father soon begins to regret what he let wealth do to him.
Hotarubi no Mori e(‘Into the Fireflies’ Forest') goes into the same folklorish territory asPrincess Kaguya, only with a more unique story. It sees a young girl called Hotaru who gets lost in the forest on her way to her grandfather’s place. There she meets Gin, a human-like figure in a fox mask who’s actually a spirit. If he’s touched by a human, he’ll disappear forever, so he keeps his distance from Hotaru as he helps her find her way out.
Yet they continue to meet every summer and grow closer together as Hotaru grows up. Their feelings grow stronger, yet they cannot touch each other, or Gin will essentially die. They find ways around their different issues, but their love has an uncertain future, as couples can only go on so long without physical contact. It’s a brief but bittersweet love story that’s bound to make the heartache.
Your Nameis arguably the mostpopular modern animefilm to this date. It showcases the beautiful story of two high school students, Mitsuha and Taki. Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl, yearns to live the life of a boy in the bustling city of Tokyo. Meanwhile, in the city, Taki Tachibana lives a busy life as a high school student while juggling his part-time job and hopes for a future in architecture.
One day, Mitsuha awakens to find herself living her dream life in Tokyo but in Taki’s body. Elsewhere, Taki finds himself living Mitsuha’s life in the humble countryside. In pursuit of an answer to this strange phenomenon, they begin to search for one another. Things only get more complicated from there, as the two make dramatic impacts on each other’s lives through their choices, and the phenomenon ends up going beyond body-swapping.
Intriguingly enough,The Garden of Wordstakes place in the same universe asYour Name. Both of its leads make cameo appearances in the film, though teacher Yukari’s role stands out more as she brings up the metaphor that reveals its time-shifting shenanigans. ButThe Garden of Wordskeeps strange phenomena out of its plot in favor of poetical metaphors, as high school student Takao meets Yukari one rainy day in the gardens of Shinjuku Gyoen.
The two regularly come across each other in the park, forming a connection over Takao’s dreams of becoming a shoemaker, while Yukari bids farewell with a tanka poem. Their friendship grows into something more as Takao learns more about the poem she recited, and he makes a set of shoes in her size. But Yukari’s past and their 12-year age gap provide complications no amount of poetry could help overcome.
A Silent Voicecomes with a quiet butpowerful messageabout redemption, pepperedwith beautiful visualsand a wonderful soundtrack, which would be reason enough for any anime lover to watch the film. Yet it starts off harshly, as elementary school student Shouya decides to overcome his boredom by picking on Shouko, the new deaf transfer student. He and the rest of the class bully her, but when the faculty gets involved, his classmates turn on him and single him out as her sole tormenter.
Eventually, it gets so bad that Shouko is transferred out, and Shouya spends the rest of his school days treated as a pariah. Now an adult, Shouya considers committing suicide but decides to make amends with Shouko beforehand. What starts out as a bitter tale of bullying becomes a heartwarming story about Shouya’s honest efforts to redeem himself and overcome the shadows of his past. It’s touching without being sickly sweet and makes Shouya’s path of redemption fit his misdeeds.
