As readers and viewers, we often become deeply invested in the lives of fictional characters. We follow their stories, rooting for their success, and feeling their pain. So it's no surprise that we're sobbing over their Death, too.

In a recent Reddit thread, users were asked to share the saddest fictional character death they had experienced, and the responses are like a testament to one of the biggest signs of being human — empathy. So grab a tissue and continue scrolling to relive some powerful emotions.

#1

Ellie from UP gets me everytime

cycloptian_tit replied:

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.

Image credits: MaterialScientist420

#2

John Coffey in the Green Mile.


There's a passage in the book (around the time Paul and Brutal and Harry take John to see Melinda Moores) when they pass through the room that houses the electric chair and John remarks about Old Sparky and how he can hear voices coming from it, screaming.

colddeaddrummer replied:

After religiously watching the film and reading the book a handful of times, it hurts so much to know John has to ride the lightning in that same chair, despite being a being of pure light and magic. He's one of King's all-time great characters: a simple, unassuming creature of mythical power, tender wisdom, and infinite generosity.

Image credits: Admirable_Dream_

#3

Fry’s dog Seymour from Futurama.

xfalinex replied:

“I will wait for you, ‘till you’re back beside me.”

rocks back and forth in a pool of tears

Image credits: Possible_Industry816

#4

Sirius Black from Harry Potter. He was my favorite character.

Image credits: Dragon_Queen79

#5

The dog in I Am Legend.

Image credits: FindingBeemo

#6

Marley in Marley and me ?

Image credits: Exciting_Pepper_69

#7

Brooks, Shawshank Redemption.

It was just so damn sad to see someone so heavily institutionalized. And honestly, I didn’t even realize what was happening in that scene until after he had already carved “Brooks was here” into the beam. It gets me every time. Poor Jake :(

Image credits: Kross516

#8

So cliché, but Severus Snape

Image credits: QuitComplaing

#9

Bing Bong :((( the whole “take her to the moon for me” got me in SHAMBLES

Image credits: crooksndragons

#10

Tadashi Hamada from Big Hero 6. Dude was working on a robot to help others and died in an attempt to help others. What a guy

Image credits: DietCokeDude13

#11

Dobby the house elf. I sobbed reading it and watching it.

primeprover replied:

"Such a beautiful place, to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend, Harry Potter."

Image credits: dietrich94

#12

Boromir! My brother, my captain, my king.

TheLonelySnail replied:

They took the little ones!

Image credits: bananafish_8

#13

Thomas J. Sennett in My Girl.

“He can’t see without his glasses”

BCouto replied:

I totally forgot about that movie. That was traumatic for a child.

Image credits: peeshermanfortytwo

#14

Hedwig. Such a small death, but it really helped to show the pointlessness of war

Image credits: Honest-Ad-2169

#15

Mufasa's death gets me every time

Image credits: thatbitch8008

#16

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.

Image credits: ChuckZombie

#17

Daisy, John Wick's dog.

Image credits: Fluid-Nail

#18

Tony Stark

lostmymainprof replied:

Tony Stark had the best goddamn character development through the entire phase 1/ infinity war saga, I will die on this hill.

Image credits: hodges2

#19

Eddie in Stranger Things

Image credits: ozinou

#20

Artax. Time has not healed that wound yet.

#21

Charlotte.

Drakaena added:

"You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."

???

#22

Honestly I was really invested in GoT (up to a point) and Hodor's whole story and death were so depressing. Just one of those characters that deserved so much better

Image credits: bgb8987

#23

Cedric Diggory, not his death per say, but his fathers reaction holding his son screaming “My boy! My boy!” F***s me up every time.

#24

Glen from the walking dead. Him looking over at Maggie as he was dying, destroyed me.

Image credits: ThrowRagoo

#25

Leslie Burke, Bridge to Terabithia

I didn't expect it at all, It said Family/Fantasy and was made by Disney.

Image credits: SuvenPan

#26

Wilson from cast away

Image credits: Smurfeyyy

#27

Yondu, gardians of the galaxy

#28

Fred Weasley.

someone replied:
Tonks and Lupin in the same scene too. Brutal

#29

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.

ThePurpleMister replied:

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.

Image credits: 24Nitro-gamer

#30

Wolverine in Logan, that was such a great ending to his story but damn if it wasn't sad

Image credits: Anything-Live

#31

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

Image credits: Tuna-No-Crust

#32

Salami_sub said:

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

GaussfaceKilla added:

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.

#33

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

#34

Wash, pilot of the firefly class serenity. He's a leaf on the wind.

#35

Beth in Little Women

#36

Little-foot’s mother’s death

isurfnude4foods replied:

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.

fiofo replied:

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

#37

Brandon Fraser’s characters in Scrubs

#38

Spock, in “Wrath of Khan”.

MadMacs77 replied:

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

bozoconnors replied:

Arguably, Shatner's finest moment imo. That tremoring 'no...' after he sinks down. F**king devastates me. Every time. Start tearing up again on "Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."

#39

Uncle Iroh singing to his dead son, dam now that was sad.

Image credits: Klickyknees

#40

Primrose in the hunger games trilogy
As a 12 year-old did not see that coming

#41

Bruce Willis at the end of “Armageddon” when he’s telling his daughter goodbye. I ugly cry every damn time. Hell, the last “Thor” movie tore me up too at the end.

Image credits: EMTMommy9498

#42

Matthew Cuthbert - Anne of Green Gables

#43

Finnick.

kokobunnie828 replied:

Honestly, Finnick’s entire character broke me. Not only was his death just so quick and brutal but it was the obvious PTSD and him watching Katniss fall into the same broken person he had been and trying to warn her against it. The things all of those characters through were horrifying, but Finnick really just hit me too hard.

#44

Arnold in Terminator 2

Every. Single. Time.

Image credits: stardusthotel83

#45

The dogs in Where the Red Fern Grows

such_sweet_nothing replied:

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

snarky_spice replied:

Teacher read it to the class in fourth grade. Everyone sitting on the floor crying together, including the teacher, is a core memory for me.

#46

Those little shoes in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

#47

Roy in Blade Runner

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion...

I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.

All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain...

Time to die."

#48

Johnny on "The Outsiders". Stay gold, Johnnycakes..Johnny cakes... oops, he's dead.

#49

Bailey from a dog's journey. The first movie death I cried to

#50

Buffy at the end of season 5 of BTVS

#51

Goose in Top Gun

#52

John Krazinksi’s character in “A Quiet Place”

#53

Ned Stark from Game of thrones

#54

Grave of the fireflies.. both siblings

#55

All the deaths in the red wedding from game of thrones.

#56

Everyone in All Quiet On the Western Front. It’s so tragic to think that was the real fate of millions of young men fooled into fighting a completely pointless war.

#57

Poussey from Orange is the New Black

#58

F*****g Oy cuts fresh and deep every time I reread the Dark Tower.

Edit: As many of you have pointed out, Jake and Eddie are equally sob-inducing, and I bawl like a baby every time I go round the Tower again (which has been many and many-a times, Roland would say *delah* and twiddle his fingers at the horizon).

Also, I wish I hadn’t posted this because every time someone responds, I get melancholy af all over again.

Long days and pleasant nights to all of you.

#59

George Omalley from Grey's Anatomy. I had to stop watching after that my heart literally broke

#60

Every time Jude law crawls into the goddam oven and f*****g sets himself on fire f*****g kills me (gattaca 1997), but dam I love that movie it's a masterpiece.

#61

Spoiler for Better Call Saul.

>!Howard Hamlin from Better Call Saul.!
>!The guy just doesn't catch any break despite being the kindest yet the most professional guy in the world of BCS.!
>!And what does he get for not just tolerating but also being empathetic and helpful to the worst bunch of people. He does not even get to complete the only nervous breakdown he had. He get killed in the middle of nervous breakdown by the person who just blows his brains out for absolutely no reason.!#62any optimus prime death. they gotta stop killing him dude let the man breathe

#63

Ash in that Pokémon movie.. that scene where Pikachu goes up to him and starts crying

HOW THE F**K WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF PIKACHU UNDERSTOOD THE CONCEPT OF DEATH F**K IM CRYING AGAIN

#64

Arthur Morgan.

Pop_Smoke replied:

I just got to that part about an hour ago. Even though I knew it was coming, it was still a gut punch. What I was completely unready for was his horse dying, and Arthur saying “Thank you”. I bawled.

#65

Satine Moulin Rouge

#66

Pops from Regular Show

He was the literal embodiment of good and he died saving the universe from and with his brother. He was such an innocent and friendly guy who was kind to everyone he met. I still tear up seeing the finale to this day.

Edit: His last words to Mordecai and Rigby especially hurt.

"I know you're sad, but I promise this is a good ending. Take care of each other. Goodbye."

Image credits: __BigBoi__

#67

Marshall's dad and how I met your mother

#68

Gwen Stacy hitting the floor

#69

The guy is the Fault in our stars. I cried my eyes out. Like whole box of tissues.

#70

Opie from Sons of Anarchy

#71

Harry Potter's walk to death for me, all his character development throughout the series is shown there and all his thoughts made my throat so dry and my eyes so teary.

#72

Shireen Baratheon from Game of Thrones

#73

Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist/Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. His funeral always hits me so damn hard.

#74

Fives.

He was so close to stopping order 66, but nobody would believe him.

#75

Nina Tucker - Full Metal Alchemist

#76

Hank from Breaking Bad

#77

Zabuza and haku

#78

Surprised no one's mentioned Mike Ehrmantraut yet.

#79

SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE!

You've been warned.

The Going Merry. It would have been Ace, but I had his death spoiled for me.

#80

John Marston. Red Dead Redemption. Worked hard to escape a life of crime, atone for his sins, become a good man, even worked to bring those who he helped do harm to justice, but in the end, he never could escape his past. His fate was sealed no matter how hard he tried. Just heartbreaking and made me sob when I played the game

#81

Every character from train to busan

#82

Ji-Yeong in Squid Game.

In the episode Gaanbu the players were in teams of two, given some marbles, and had to play a game (any game). Whoever had all the marbles when the timer ran out was the winner. Ji-Yeong and Kang Sae-byeok spent their time telling each other their stories, investing us in them emotionally.

#83

Rita from Dexter.

Sorry if this is spoiling anything for anybody but Dexter’s also been out for a long a*s time, so that’s on you.

#84

Sarah Lynn bojack horseman

#85

Teft from the Stormlight Archive is just an absolute punch to the gut. The series as a whole already has so many scenes that can bring tears to anyone and this death was just painful.

#86

Rengoku “set your heart ablaze” ?

#87

Can’t choose one, but for what’s fresh in my mind, David from Edgerunners. Not particularly emotional in the moment but jarring, and seeing the other characters dead around him built it up. What really got me was Lucy on the moon afterwards. Hit me like a truck then.

#88

BT, Titanfall. Legit tears

#89

Leonard Church in Red vs. Blue, who was my favorite character in the show. For runner-ups, I'd say Kareem Saïd in Oz and Randall P. MacMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

#90

Country Mac.

He was not the kind of guy who could score a point in a black belt tournament.