Most Moving Anime Moments?

One reason I love anime is the vast array of human experiences and emotions it deals with. So what are the anime moments that have touched people the most deeply? "Moving" doesn't have to mean "sad", anything that strikes strong emotion of whatever flavor qualifies! I'll start:

Number one is definitely Mugen's first death-and-rebirth scene in Samurai Champloo. It's beautifully done and captures Mugen's fierce spirit, the bleakness of Ryukyu life, and much much more. And the haunting music ("Obokuri Eeumi" by Isue Asazaki, if you were wondering) is just perfect.

Second: from the One Piece manga, Tony Tony Chopper's heart-rending backstory in the Drum Kingdom arc. This 48 year old hardass must admit to shedding a few tears while reading this... maybe because I know intimately what it's like to be an outcast among one's own kind, but not fit in anywhere else, either. The cherry-blossom snow part was affecting, too, in a happier but still bittersweet way.

Third: One Piece again, near the beginning of the Skypeia arc, when the Luffy and crew ride the Knock-Up Stream into the sky. Totally felt like I was sharing the joy and danger of those moments!

Honorable mention: Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga. Full of intensely moving scenes, which are not harmed by the fact that they all happen to incredibly luscious bishonen.

OK, let's hear errone else's!

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daniel Blak on April 11, 2010 at 5:36am

For me it would first be "Cowboy Bebop" as A series period. That whole franchise spoke to me on so many levels, I still don't know what to do with myself.

Second, would have to be the first time I heard "Run Rabbit Junk" in "Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex". I say the first time, versus the first anime, because I first saw it on Adult Swim & didn't know the episodes. BUT when I turned it on that night, I had A shit day & the scene made me stop & focus enough to move on.

Third? Most likely Read or Die. The Opening Credits to the Movie (or show). Simply put, I'm very much A victim of advertising & they sequence along with the music is wicked.

Permalink Reply by Madamoiselle De Sade on April 11, 2010 at 6:45am

I think I posted the "Obokuri Eeumi" clip a bunch of times on this board. It's just that moving.

I don't really have any order but the first touching anime moment I ever saw (other than Gohan saving Goku, Goku's final death when Gohan was still a child and Goku's shadow in the clouds at the beginning of Budokai 2 or 3) was Spike's death.

The ED of Outlaw Star was pretty epic. That song still gives me chills.

The scene that made me love Ruroni Kenshin unconditionally was Kenshin returning to the dojo to save Kaoru in the 1st episode. Kenshin leaving Kaoru at the very beginning of the Kyoto Arc made me fangirl cry. Kenshin returning to Hiko was very well done. Saitou's whole deal at the beginning of the Arc included one of the best fight scenes in the entire series.

Fushigi Yugi has a tendency to maudlin at times but towards the end of the series everything felt genuine for some reason. Probably the high drama of the sacrifices. Miaka and Tamahome immediately going into denial when they find Nuriko. Tasuki being relatively together but collapsing when Chiriko dies.

Honoable Whore Mentionst- Soi making herself useful to Nakago one last time by taking the death blow. And Yume (was that her name? ) getting run through by Shishio.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Blak on April 12, 2010 at 3:44am

You know- one I didn't mention: Gunslinger Girl. The story period resonates within. Somewhat similar upbringing (to extent).

Permalink Reply by Madamoiselle De Sade on April 13, 2010 at 1:41pm

I have to check that out.

Daniel Blak said:

You know- one I didn't mention: Gunslinger Girl. The story period resonates within. Somewhat similar upbringing (to extent).

Permalink Reply by Daniel Blak on April 14, 2010 at 7:23pm

Yea, definitely-its A good one^_^

Mlle d. Sade said:

I have to check that out.

Daniel Blak said:
You know- one I didn't mention: Gunslinger Girl. The story period resonates within. Somewhat similar upbringing (to extent).

Permalink Reply by Prototaph on April 15, 2010 at 9:41pm

Black Lagoon, the 2nd series. There's a storyline in there with kiddie/snuff/incest films. I'm hardcore and nothing bothers me.. or so I'd like to think, but that brother sister episode just freaked me to hell out.

For just plain graphic content to shock you, you want to see Elfen Lied or Gantz. Those two did a number on me the first time I saw them. The story on Gantz especially strange and there are a lot of WTF? moments.

Gunslinger girl is good too. The whole premise of how they came to be and what they do is very unsettling if you think about it too much, you know with the child soliders in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, but maybe that was the point.

Permalink Reply by MissE on April 18, 2010 at 7:13pm

Off of thee top of my head..

Grave of the Fireflies in it's entirety. I've seen the movie 4 times and it makes me bawl every time. I am the oldest child and just imagining being in that predicament with my siblings is just an overwhelming thought.

Caska's rape at the end of the Berserk anime. I still don't even know man....

Jezebel's flashback of his childhood from Godchild. Kid is messed up.

The scene where the I think it's the Madame de Polignac's daughter kills herself to avoid being married off gets the tears rolling faster than Oscar or Andre's death in Rose of Versailles. I think it's because of a combination of the intense violin music in the background, plus the fact that Rosalie (my favorite character) who after finding out that she is related to the girl sometime earlier, tries to act all indifferent but eventually breaks down. Oh and the slow motion of the rose the girl tosses in the air as she falls out of frame and then the rose falls.

I second Mlle. De Sade on Outlaw Stars ED (I might go watch this now). On the topic of songs from anime that just move me, I would add Lillium from Elfen Lied, I think it's called Hotaru's Theme from Sailor Moon, and a number of songs from the original Hellsing soundtrack in particular "Survival on the Street of Insincerity", "Requiem for the Living", "Mask of the Priest and the Bell Tower", "Japanese Alphabet Road with Chinese Bell Flower Smell", heck the original Hellsing soundtracks are some of my favorites in general.

Kino's Journey all together. The anime that got me back into anime. Moments in particular, episode in which Kino starts their journey and the Land of Prophesy.

And for some shojo, Himeno's final battle in Pretear, Tamaki jumping off the bridge after Haruhi in Ouran (although I'm Kyoya/Harahi all the way. Power couple FTW.),Nana O. dropping the glasses in NANA, the end of Emma (even though I'm Emma/Hans all the way), Marmite in general until the OVA and the whole Sei/Shiroi thing had me bawling, and Hotaru's sacrifice in Sailor Moon..

Permalink Reply by MissE on April 18, 2010 at 7:15pm

lol. Mine is the longest post. I'm such a nerd.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Blak on April 29, 2010 at 2:13am

Nerd? No. Enthusiastic? Yes;)

MissE said:

lol. Mine is the longest post. I'm such a nerd.

Permalink Reply by Madamoiselle De Sade on April 29, 2010 at 1:56pm

MissE said:

lol. Mine is the longest post. I'm such a nerd.

I was having a brain fart. I totally had to go find Outlaw Star's ED1, brought back memories. To think, I was in middleschool when that was on so it was like 10 years ago, time flies. Memories: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMFD_1HnZ5s

I had completely forgotten about Hellsing. I'm so mad at Encore for starting (this happened 3-4 years ago) to show Hellsing and Tokyo Babylon and just stopping once the stories got off the ground.

Edit: Remember when Wolfwood died in Trigun? I'd totally forgotten about that.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Kemp on April 29, 2010 at 2:16pm

What about the fight in One Piece, Luffy vs Usopp? It was just sad the whole fight.

Gundam has alot of death, but the original was so full of emotion during the first half. When Ramba-Ral blew himself up, when Matilda sacrificed herself to the Black Tri-Stars, and most sad of all was the death of Layla. You just HAD to feel sorry for Char's loss as well.

The death of Brandon and Harry in Gungrave the Anime. While in the game, Harry's death was satisfying, watching the two of them make peace and dying the way they did was just so beautifully done, that I preffered that ending to the game ending.

Honorable Mention- Zabuza Momochi's death along with Haku.

Permalink Reply by YamiNoSensei on April 29, 2010 at 2:35pm

MissE said:

lol. Mine is the longest post. I'm such a nerd.

Don't we have to be nerds to be here in the first place?

And yeah I forgot a few Trigun moments, too. Wolfwood's death scene, but more than that the scene where Legato forces Vash to kill him. The combination of Vash's anguish with his back against the ethical/existential wall, and Legato's genuine weariness with the evil thing he's become is quite powerful.

Although Legato should've counted himself lucky not to be as gratuitously bizarre as he is in the manga.

Cowboy Bebop, in the last episode when Faye tries to stop Spike from going to confront Vicious. The point where this tough, rootless, cynical woman has to admit that yes, she does need and care for the people in her life.