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 is 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 just ends.
And then comes an even sadder episode where (spoilers ahead) she comes back to visit Homer. Homer holds a grudge against his mother for escaping, and by the time he decides to forgive her, she is already dead. The only way he could express this is by stopping Mr. Burns from launching nuclear waste into the Amazon. Sadly, the real Amazon burned down.
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. Only for Homer to be tipped off by Chief Wiggum, and Homer is forced to say goodbye to his mother, not knowing if they will ever see each other again.
The end was so emotional. Fry attempts to retrieve his lucky clover. He then finds out that the Philip J. Fry, whom 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 then 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 Pokemon he ever caught so it could start a family of its own.
Just the scene of Seymour continuing to wait for Fry up until he became fossilized made the episode all the more sadder.
The rest of the list can't even touch "Jurassic Bark" as the most sad episode ever. If you don't cry over the final 2 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 who tried to break into acting after her show was canceled, her career tanked. She would go on to kidnap all the actors from her show so she could 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 then 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.
The episode and the previous one, The Guru, play out like the ending from 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 go into the Avatar state, meaning that 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 also cutting off his ties with his past lives. Katara manages to save them and they are saved by Iroh, who holds off the others so she and Aang can get away.
After Fernando is killed while trying to save his brother and prevent a gang war, the next day Fat Albert and the gang unveil a new park. 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.
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 who's got a heartbeat isn't the Marceline I knew and fell in love with.
I thought this was the saddest episode so far.
Probably one of the saddest endings for a cartoon: Tom sits on the railroad tracks. Jerry explains what caused Tom's death wish. Jerry gets sacked by his lady friend. They both sit 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, and of course erasing 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.
I think I have this episode somewhere.
It was hard to see Kenny go because he was my favorite character and he had died so many times before.
Just watch the episode. I ain't got time to explain!