Top 10 Saddest Cartoon Episode Endings
This list will focus more on the sadness of the endings of cartoon episodes rather than the episodes as a whole. These are the endings from cartoon series that, instead of providing a traditional happy ending, end up leaving the audience in tears.
By far the saddest ending for a South Park episode, made even sadder by the song "Landslide" playing. We get a montage of Randy and Sharon splitting up, and Stan and Shelly moving away. Meanwhile, a friendship forms between Kyle and Cartman, while Stan is left completely alienated from all his friends as the episode ends.
After finally reuniting with his mother and learning why she had to leave, their reunion is cut short when Mr. Burns shows up at the Simpsons' house to arrest her. However, Chief Wiggum tips Homer off, and he is forced to say goodbye to his mother, not knowing if they will ever see each other again.
The ending was so emotional. Fry attempts to retrieve his lucky clover, then discovers that the Philip J. Fry he thought was his brother Yancy, who took his name and dreams, was actually his nephew. Yancy had named his newborn son Philip J. Fry in memory of Fry following his disappearance. The episode ends with Fry leaving the clover at his nephew's grave as the song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" plays in the background.
Ash is forced to say goodbye to the very first Pokémon he ever caught so it could start a family of its own.
Just the scene of Seymour continuing to wait for Fry until he became fossilized made the episode all the sadder.
The rest of the list can't even touch "Jurassic Bark" as the saddest episode ever. If you don't cry over the final two minutes, you don't have a heart.
I'm bawling just thinking about this episode.
It's a really sad and tragic episode featuring the main villain, Mary Louise Dahl, aka Baby Doll. She was diagnosed with a condition that kept her from growing, making her look like a little girl for the rest of her life. A former child star, she tried to break into acting after her show was canceled, but her career tanked. She eventually kidnaps all the actors from her show so she can have "her family" back, as it was the only time she ever felt any real happiness.
At the end of the episode, while escaping from Batman, she ends up at a funhouse. She comes across a hall of mirrors and sees one mirror showing how she believes she should look without her condition. She goes berserk, blasting all the mirrors until she runs out of ammo, leaving only one mirror: the one with a reflection of herself as her older self. She then breaks down in tears before surrendering.
This episode, along with the previous one, The Guru, plays out like the ending of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Aang abandons his training with the guru after getting visions of Katara in danger back in Ba Sing Se. In the final moments of the episode, Azula manipulates Zuko into aiding her, along with the Dai Li agents. Aang is forced to enter the Avatar State, meaning he would have to let go of his attachment to Katara. But just as he is about to do so, Azula shoots him in the back with lightning, causing him to fall and severing his ties with his past lives. Katara manages to save him, and they are rescued by Iroh, who holds off the others so she and Aang can escape.
After Fernando is killed while trying to save his brother and prevent a gang war, Fat Albert and the gang unveil a new park the next day. They name it after Fernando in honor of his memory. Fat Albert delivers a heartfelt speech that Fernando was supposed to give. In the speech, he mentions how Fernando joked that he wouldn't forget them when he became famous. Now, they won't forget about him and his courage in trying to stop a gang war.
Appa is taken away by sandbenders. The episode ends with Aang shedding a tear due to the loss of his bison.
The Newcomers
If you want to get into this cartoon, please watch only the first six seasons. The miniseries Mis-Takes turned it into Mis-Adventure Time. A Marceline with a heartbeat isn't the Marceline I knew and fell in love with.
I thought this was the saddest episode so far.
This is probably one of the saddest endings for a cartoon: Tom sits on the railroad tracks as Jerry explains what caused Tom's death wish. After Jerry gets sacked by his lady friend, he joins Tom on the railroad tracks, and train whistles are heard as the cartoon fades to black. What's probably sadder is that Tom doesn't fight Jerry when he joins him. He just moves aside to make room for Jerry to sit with him.
I don't know if it was sad, but it definitely was very dark.
I'm so glad I never watched that episode as a kid.
Iroh celebrates the birthday of his dead son. It is very sad.
A very touching ending. Jake meets up with Rose after wishing that she had never been taken by the Huntsclan, which, of course, erases any memory she ever had of him. Their meeting is brief, as Rose tells him that she is moving to Hong Kong with her parents, meaning that she and Jake won't be able to see each other anymore.
Zane sacrifices himself to destroy the digital Overlord, perishing in the process. He is then honored by the entire city for his sacrifice, and the episode ends with a tinge of hope that he may still be alive.
It was hard to see Kenny go because he was my favorite character, and he had died so many times before.
Numbuh 1 is forced to say goodbye to his family and friends.
Farewell, Numbuh 1, until we meet again.
This episode made me cry at the end.