Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Saddest Fictional Character Deaths Of All-Time

Make us preferred on Google

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

Kathy Hochul; Mike Lawler
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Kathy Hochul Has A+ Reaction After Defeated MAGA Rep. 'Leaves Door Open' For Future New York Gubernatorial Run

New York Governor Kathy Hochul's press office had a hilarious response to a New York Post report that outgoing Republican Representative Mike Lawler is leaving the "door open" for a future run for governor of the state.

Lawler, a hardline supporter of President Donald Trump, was previously encouraged by GOP leaders a year and a half ago not to pursue a gubernatorial bid, hoping instead he’d help them keep the seat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Don Jr. Dragged After Looking High As A Kite In Bizarre Video Defending Russell Brand

Donald Trump Jr. turned heads after appearing intoxicated on a recent episode of his Triggered podcast while defending actor Russell Brand after Southwark Crown Court convicted Brand of rape and three counts of sexual assault and handed down a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

Trump Jr. falsely asserted that Brand had been convicted despite the absence of forensic or DNA evidence and a contemporaneous police report. He also questioned why the allegations had not surfaced publicly sooner, while suggesting that Brand’s religious conversion and political positions were somehow relevant to the prosecution.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gordon Ramsay attends the 2026 Fox Upfront at New York City Center on May 11, 2026, in New York City.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Gordon Ramsay Shows Off His Ripped Abs In 60th Birthday Post—And Fans Are Impressed

Gordon Ramsay is a man of many talents. He's a world-renowned chef, a television personality, and the face behind the infamous “idiot sandwich” meme. But at 60, the culinary icon is serving something entirely different—and this time, it's not on the menu.

With Michelin stars, an international restaurant empire, and shows including Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef, and Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay has enough accolades to make even his harshest critics think twice.

Keep ReadingShow less
Grace Hackett with cast of Chicago Fire
Grace Hackett/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Stumbling Upon 'Chicago Fire' Cast Right After Getting Dumped—And They Had Her Back

There's nothing worse than getting dumped. But getting hyped up by the cast of a hit show in the aftermath sure does help!

That's what happened to content creator Grace Hackett, who was walking home heartbroken after being dumped by her boyfriend when she stumbled upon the cast of Chicago Fire.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rosie O'Donnell; Megyn Kelly
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images; The Megyn Kelly Show

Rosie O'Donnell Rips Megyn Kelly With NSFW Post After She Called Russell Brand's Prison Sentence An 'Outrage'

After facing years of allegations of sexual assault from multiple women, actor and comedian Russell Brand went on trial in October for his crimes in his native Britain at London's Southwark Crown Court.

On Thursday, November 5, a jury convicted Brand for one rape and three sexual assaults—groping women in public in front of multiple witnesses—perpetrated against four different women. The jury didn't find sufficient evidence to convict Brand on three additional assaults.

Keep ReadingShow less