Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Saddest Fictional Character Deaths Of All-Time

A good story—whether it's a book, movie, manga or TV show—can really draw us in.

We can get invested in the story to the point we begin to have real feelings about the characters.

That's why having a favorite character die can cause real grief.


Redditor Iridescent126 asked:

"What was the saddest fictional character death for you?"

Spock

"Spock, in Wrath of Khan."

- Lisa_Anns_Ass

"'I have been, and always shall be, your friend'.”

- MadMacs77

"'Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human'."

- bozoconnors

Star Trek GIFGiphy

Stoick the Vast

​"Stoick the Vast How to train your dragon"

"Dude literally just reunited with his wife after over 15 years of being gone and spends a total of about 15 minutes with her. Cause of death: basically took a bullet in the chest to protect his son."

- 24Nitro-gamer

"I saw it in theatres and a bunch of kids started to cry. Not like sniffing but out loud wailing. It added to the atmosphere."

- ThePurpleMister

"I cried, 20-something y.o. dude just ugly crying"

- leotushex

The Iron Giant

"​The Iron Giant will ALWAYS have me ugly crying when he goes up to stop the missle"

- muhfckinuhhh

Iron Giant GIFGiphy

Where The Red Fern Grows

"The dogs in 'Where the Red Fern Grows'."

- johnny*mseed

"Came here to say this. This book destroyed me in grade five but also really demonstrated grief in such a profound way."

- such_sweet_nothing

Bubba

"Bubba in Forrest Gump. That whole scene had me wrecked."

"From Bubba's weak, 'I wanna go home,' to Forrest's narration saying he died by that river in Vietnam while showing him holding Bubba....."

"God damn, I'm crying just thinking about it."

- ChuckZombie

Forrest Gump GIFGiphy

Saving Private Ryan

"Saving Private Ryan has two of the saddest, most brutally gut wrenching deaths I’ve ever seen on screen in Wade and Mellish."

"Wade trying to talk the guys through his injury that goes from panic and terror to acceptance of his own death as he cries out for his mother and says 'I want to go home'? Jesus Christ."

"Mellish is brutal for all the more uncomfortable and raw reasons you’d imagine. War is horrific. Young men are sent off to die, and their lives are cut short for no reason."

"It’s tragic and heartbreaking, and this is one of the only movies to really nail that feeling"

- Tuna-No-Crust

Ellie From Up

"Ellie from 'UP' gets me everytime"

- MaterialScientist420

"Sometimes I wonder how movies ever took off when the first ones were short with no sound."

"Then I remember the time a 10 minute animation with no dialogue absolutely wrecked me. It's a god-damned masterpiece and I hate it."

- cycloptian_tit

Up GIFGiphy

​M*A*S*H Had A Few

​"Henry Blake. MAS*H. The scene in the operating room. The actors weren’t told about it, just called back for one last scene shoot and Radar walks in and tells them. The silence is amplified by the sounds of instruments still working. Haunting"

- Salami_sub

"Piggy backing off this, the guy they tried to keep alive so his kids wouldn't remember Christmas as the day their dad died. That one gets me just thinking about it."

- GaussfaceKilla

"I just saw that one like a month ago! That was totally heartbreaking. Hawkeye spins the clock forward to twelve o five December twenty sixth and they all conspire to forge his death certificate"

- The_Dynasty_Group

​My Girl

"'He can’t see without his glasses'"

- peesherman42

"What made this especially shocking/sad is that the entire movie was a huge bait-and-switch, but in a really effective way."

"At the time, 11-year old me thought -- based on the trailers and the marketing -- that I was about to watch a lighthearted coming-of-age movie."

"And while it does have some of that, boy did it have a macabre edge to it."

- Geekboxing

​Littlefoot's Mom

"​Littlefoot’s mother’s death"

- 2-DMan

"My son fell in love with this movie when he was 3 or 4, and every time that part would come on I would have to leave the room because no matter what age I am, I will always get emotional. Something about the music and the overall vibe that really just punches me in the gut."

- isurfnude4foods

"The music plus the quote 'Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely'. It's so beautiful and tragic."

- fiofo

Land Before Time GIFGiphy

The sign of a great story is how it can touch our hearts and sometimes break it.

So what was the saddest character death for you?

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Melania Tump at event with Israeli hostages
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Melania Ripped After Using Event With Freed Israeli Hostages To Promote Her New Documentary

First Lady Melania Trump was criticized after she used an event at the White House with freed Israeli hostages to promote her new documentary Melania, which follows her in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration following the 2024 presidential election.

Amazon MGM paid $40 million for the distribution rights and reportedly poured another $35 million into marketing. The film beat box office predictions to earn more than $7 million over the weekend but will need to generate much more box office to break even.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman staring out into the ocean
a woman standing on a beach looking out at the ocean
Photo by Cosiela Borta on Unsplash

People Divulge Which Things Scream 'This Person Is Insecure' Without Them Saying A Word

Be it our bodies, our clothes, our jobs, or our personalities, everyone has some insecurity.

Of course, some people's insecurities are easier to notice than others.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tianna Graham stands beside her ice-encased 2016 Honda Civic on North Front Street in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood.
@tiannag444/TikTok; @NBCPhiladelphia/TikTok

Philly Woman Goes Viral With Her Totally Chill Reaction To Her Car Being Completely Frozen In Ice

While the Northeast battled winter weather, the internet was captivated by a Philly-based TikToker documenting how her car turned into what she jokingly described as a Snowmaggedon popsicle.

Last week, Tianna Graham shoveled out her 2016 Honda Civic and drove out after a snowstorm, took it to work, and parked it in the same spot she’d left it before: next to a water main. By the time she returned, her vehicle was completely encased in ice on the 1000 block of North Front Street in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Letter from Redditor Fit_Bowl_7313
u/Fit_Bowl_7313/Reddit

Dad Sparks Heated Debate After 'Nice Note' He Left For Wife And Kids Before Work Trip Sets Her Off

When a person becomes a parent, much more will change in their life than they anticipated.

But that transition can be especially hard when a person feels like they're losing themselves to their role as a mom or dad—and that feeling is made even worse when their partner hyper-fixates on their new role.

Keep ReadingShow less
Luke Granger; memorial for Renée Good
C-SPAN; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Renée Good's Brother Shares Emotional Testimony On Capitol Hill To Condemn ICE In Viral Clip

On Tuesday, House and Senate Democrats listened to testimony from United States citizens who were assaulted, injured, shot, or otherwise adversely affected by the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump through Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via employees of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Their Republican colleagues were invited, but none chose to attend.

Keep ReadingShow less