Episode 22: Top 11 Saddest Animated Deaths
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the shows and series that they belong to as they are owned by their respective creators
Airnaruto sat at his desk once more but this time he had a tissue box next to him. "Hello I'm the Classic Critic; I remember it so you're not required to." He said before he got to the point of this episode.
"You know you can be too old for a lot of things but you're never too old to start opening the optical floodgates." He said.
"Huh?" The audience asked in a confused tone.
"You're never too old to feel sad." Airnaruto said plainly.
"Oh" The audience said now getting the point.
"Anyway, and when it comes to animation there are a lot of moments that will make you cry but none more so than a character death, which is why today I'm going to be looking at the 11 deaths that prove that animation is not just for kids and made us cry buckets in the process." He said before asking his countdown themed question.
"Why top 11? He asked; "Because we're all a bunch of cheap Nostalgia Critic knock offs." He answered referring to himself and several other people across the globe.
"These are the top 11 saddest animated deaths." Airnaruto said as we hear the somber piano medley from Naruto play in the background.
Number 11
Bambi's mother from Bambi
"Do I really need to say anything else about this one?" He asked before explaining. "What I mean is we've seen this scene so many times original and satire alike that for me it gets the bottom of the list so I don't really need to explain this one." He said before we see the emotionally crippling scene.
Bambi's mother: RUN BAMBI! DON'T LOOK BACK!
(BANG!)
The camera then cut back to Airnaruto who was crying a little bit but not much.
"You see what I mean?" He asked; "I hardly shed a tear." He said holding a phial that only seemed to have one tear drop in it before moving on to the next death.
Number 10
Optimus Prime from the 1986 Transformers movie
"While it's true that this film didn't get much commercial advertising and it was a huge flop at the box office, this film still brought many young boys to tears." Airnaruto said as we see clips of the film.
"However, I don't think anyone would have guessed that Optimus was going to be one of many transformers in this move that would die. I mean when he battles Megatron he comes in while the Stan Bush's The Touch is being sung in the background." Airnaruto said as we see the iconic scene of Optimus rolling on to the battlefield and transforming to confront his mortal foe for what many thought would be the last time.
Bush: You got the touch
you got the power
"Shortly after the battle Optimus hands over his Matrix of leadership to Hot Rod who would later become Rodimus Prime while on a hospital bed of sorts being told that his wounds suffered against Megatron were fatal and then finally he dies and the atmosphere in the theater had I been born when this came out or sooner it would have been so quite you could hear a pin drop before every young boy started turning the tears loose." Airnaruto said as he demonstrated with a pin in his hand and a bunch of kids watching the movie at the point of Optimus' death and then dropped the pin causing the kids to cry.
"Optimus, you should have been in Nostalgia Critics top 11 saddest moment list but hey you at least get a spot on mine." Airnaruto said before holding another phial up to his eye and noticed that it was half full this time.
Optimus: Remember I died for your sins…
Number 9
Pip Bernadotte from Hellsing Ultimate
"I'll admit while this death is tragic it's also pretty gruesome." Airnaruto said as we see the scenes leading up to his death.
"It starts out with the Hellsing mansion being under attack by a squad of vampire soldiers from the Millennium battalion under the command of the psychological psychopath Zorin Blitz." Airnaruto said as we see Blitz's ugly face.
"Anyway her troops pretty much wipe out most of the Wild Geese mercenaries hired by the Hellsing organization and Blitz herself traps Seras Victoria the only vampire still in the mansion to defend it in an nightmare forcing her to relive the most traumatizing moments from her childhood, watching her parents get killed, her mother's corpse get raped and other stuff I won't go into detail with." Airnaruto said before getting to what he could explain.
"I will mention that she gets a scythe driven into her back, her left arm cut off, and her eyes gouged out, and just when it looks like Blitz is about to kill her, Pip rushes in and stops Blitz." Airnaruto said as we return to him cheering Pip for that action.
"YEAH! Nice job Pip!" He screamed before he saw Pip get the scythe driven through his gut while he's trying to carry Seras to safety which drives him to tears.
"No Pip it can't be...PIP!" He screamed in agony after seeing Pip and Seras kiss, and Pip die shortly after and Zorin is seen mocking Captain Bernadotte.
"You…BITCH!" Airnaruto screamed at Blitz before he saw Seras go bat shit crazy on Blitz.
"Well anyway despite the fact we get what we wanted in the end of this OVA episode it still came at the cost of probably one of the better comedic characters of the franchise, Captain Bernadotte Cest la Vie." Airnaruto said as he let one more tear drop from his eyes.
Number 8
Charlotte from Charlotte's Web
"Yeah I know that this was also on the Nostalgia Critic's top 11 saddest moments but this one didn't get to me as much as it did to him." Airnaruto said. As we see Wilbur and Charlotte talking.
"I mean with the way Charlotte is taking it in stride you think she was going to the store and she even sings a song just as she's about to die after doing all she could to help Wilbur avoid becoming the Zuckerman's Christmas ham." Airnaruto said as we see Charlotte breathe her last breath.
Wilbur: Charlotte? CHARLOTTE!
"I'll never use a can of RAID again." Airnaruto said weepingly.
Number 7
Maes Hughes from FullMetal Alchemist
"Much like the death of Bambi's mother, the death of Maes Hughes is still talked about often by many anime fans whether they've read the manga, watched episode 26 of the original series or episode 10 of Brotherhood." Airnaruto said before getting to the difference.
"The only difference is Hughes was funny while occasionally annoying but still overall likeable but his death was pretty heart wrenching to many of the fans of the series, however when it got to the funeral scene from Brotherhood episode 10 and episode 26 of the original as they're burying him I couldn't hold it in anymore." Airnaruto said as he rolled the clip of the soldiers placing the coffin into the grave hole.
Elicia: Mommy, why are they throwing dirt on daddy?
Gracia (Painfully): They're burying him dear.
Elicia: But if they bury then he won't be able to do all his work.
Elicia: Don't bury him Daddy!
The camera then cutback to Airnaruto who was letting the tears flow freely from his face. "For me it's Elicia's naivety towards the situation that comes from her age that makes this a tearjerker another reason it's a tearjerker is because we all knew about the bond between Hughes and his family specifically his relationship with his daughter and when I saw that scene I just let it all out." Airnaruto said as he started to dry his eyes out.
Number 6
Franz from the Count of Monte Cristo: Gankutusuou
"I only watched this one the whole way through recently and if you recall my recent review of this series based on the original Alexander Dumas novel, I mentioned Franz's death in episode 18." Airnaruto said before continuing.
"However I didn't say how he died, well in advance there will be spoilers for those who haven't watched this anime masterpiece so please if there are any among you who don't wish to be spoiled please turn away now." He said giving those who didn't want to be spoiled a chance to go see the series and after a few seconds he went ahead with the explanation.
"Well Franz and Albert had gone back to Albert's place to celebrate Albert's 16th birthday and while there were having a few drinks of wine, Franz slipped some sleeping pills into Albert's drink so Albert wouldn't have to duel the count. Why you ask because he had learned from I think it was Maxmillien's father who owned the shipping company that the count worked for in regards to how to defeat Gankutusuou who again is the ghost that possesses the count's body." Airnaruto said as we see the duel play out.
(Various scenes of Franz getting his butt kicked and his suit of armor get pummeled into scrap)
"I'm almost certain that throughout the whole duel nobody watching aside from the audience watching the show realizes that isn't Albert in the armor it's Franz which makes it much more heartbreaking especially when Albert arrives later and finds Franz's bloodstained body." Airnaruto said as we see Franz die in Albert's arms before he finally let some tears out.
Number 5
Hiruzen Sarutobi aka The 3rd Hokage from Naruto
"I know that some people would say that I shouldn't be too upset about the 3rd dying during the Chunin exam arc because we saw it coming or had read the manga prior to watching the anime but it was still just devastating for me and other people to who had come to see the old man as almost like their own grandfather and given the fact I didn't know either of my grandfathers all that well before they died I had a good reason to be upset." Airnaruto explained about his problems with his grandfathers as we see the Third's final moments in his battle against his former student Orochimaru.
Sarutobi: Forbidden jutsu: Reaper death sealing!
(The Shinigami cuts off Orochiamru's soul arms causing his real arms to turn purple and rotten)
Sarutobi: Orochimaru you will never be able to form another hand sign and ninjutsu is now forever beyond your reach. (Collapses on to the ground and dies)
The camera then cut back to Airnaruto who was really letting the tears come out now grabbing as many tissues as he could.
"NO...SARUTOBI-SENSEI!" He lamented letting it all out and moving on.
Number 4: Soichiro Yagami from Death Note
"Now I know that the death of L pissed off a lot of fans of the anime series in episode 25, but for me the most tragic death has got to be the death of Light's father Soichiro." Airnaruto said.
"Why do I find it sad?" Airnaruto asked for his audience before he revealed why. "Simple because to me Soichiro was probably the most emotionally developed and morally straight character in the series and don't get me started on Misa. I find her to be annoying." Airnaruto said to rebuke anyone who would dare rebuke him.
"I'm going to get back on topic now. In episode 29 following the aftermath of Saiyu's kidnapping and trade for one of the death notes, planned by Mello and his mafia buddies, Soichiro begins to doubt himself concerning if he made the right choice, and then later on when the taskforce finds out that Mello's hiding out in LA, he takes upon himself to; make the deal with Ryuk to use the Shinigami eyes to track down Mello, get his real name since they already had a rough sketch drawing of what he looked like, and kill him using the taskforce's notebook." Airnaruto said as we see the scene of Soichiro still with the Shinigami eyes looking at Mello's face and seeing his name appear above his head.
Soichiro: M-I-H-A-E-L K-E-E-H-L, your real name is Mihael Keehl
Mello: (Gasp)
The camera returned to Airnaruto who had a confused look on his face.
"Mihael Keehl, that's Mello's real name?" He asked before seething, "Were either Ota or Obata aware that when they created Mello that they were going to piss off a lot of Jewish and/or Irish descended stereotypes as well as the peers of said stereotypes?" He asked in anger before explaining.
"I mean look past the scar and look at Mello!" Air shouted before a photo of Mello is shown, "I mean freckled face, red hair, and I'll bet my ass that doesn't eat any pork, shellfish, or cheeseburgers and the way his real name sounds make people think that he's of Jewish descent!" Airnaruto ranted before calming down and asking his audience, "Did I go a little off track just now?"
"YES!" The audience replied.
"Sorry about that anyway despite the fact he now knows Mello's real name, Soichiro can't bring himself to pull the trigger or in this case stroke the pen and that moment of hesitation results in him getting shot in the back and caught in an explosion." Airnaruto said as the hideout blows up.
(BOOM!)
"However in my eyes it's more tragic when they get to the hospital when Soichiro says this to Light as he himself is dying." Airnaruto said as we hear Soichiro say his final words.
Soichiro to Light: Light…I still have the eyes of a Shinigami…according to that Shinigami Ryuk I can't see the lifespan of anyone who owns a death note…Light I'm so glad that you aren't Kira. (After a couple of minutes Soichiro dies)
"No Soichiro not you too!" Airnaruto said in shock before finally letting the tears flow again.
Number 3
Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop
"I'll admit that I've never watched an episode of this show but I have seen clips from it, when I've asked people that have watched it what was the most emotional moment of the series they say it was either the death of Spike or Julia but watching their deaths." Airnaruto said before making his decision.
"I'll go with Spike's death being the more emotional of the two because it's Julia's death that leads to the final showdown between Spike and Vicious and after the battle Spike collapses in a staircase but not before giving one last bang that could be best described in a certain AMV with the song What to say playing in the background, I can't play it though since I've never found the video for it sorry but still Spike all I can say is so long space cowboy." Airnaruto said with a tearful farewell.
Spike: Bang!
Number 2
Kamina from Gurren Lagann
"Now as goofy and over the top I think that Kamina is, I still say that he is, was, and always will be the epitome of all things badass and manly." Airnaruto said before thinking back on something, "It's a shame that I came across Tengen Toppen Gurren Lagann as late as I did because I definitely would have put him in the top 11 biggest anime badasses list but it's my fault for overlooking him." Airnaruto said before anyone jumped on him.
"While Kamina wasn't the main character of the series, he was the most entertaining and charismatic character any mech-anime has seen in years." Airnaruto said as we hear Kamina belt out some of his most famous lines.
Kamina: When you hear about team Dai-Gurren and their badass leader, a man of noble spirit and masculinity they're talking about me Kamina!
Kamina: JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?
Kamina: Believe in the Kamina that believes in you Simon.
The camera then cut back to Airnaruto as he had a confused look on his face concerning the last quote. "I still don't get how that makes sense." Airnaruto said bluntly before getting back on topic.
"Anyway after lip locking with Yoko or as he calls her sometimes thunder thighs…" Airnaruto said before cutting himself off and asking "What does Kamina think Yoko has a huge ass? I mean sure she's scantily clothed and she has a huge front but I don't really see the amount in the back." Airnaruto said before he slapped himself in the face.
"Get a hold of yourself Airnaruto you're the Classic Critic not the somewhat perverse yet still taking an oath of celibacy critic." He reprimanded himself. "Anyway during the battle in episode 8 shortly after Gurren and Lagann combine Kamina passes out before telling Simon one last thing." Airnaruto said as we see the tragic scene with Kamina's body all battered and bloody inside the cockpit of his gunman.
Kamina to Simon: Later buddy. (Dies)
The camera cuts back to Airnaruto who by this point is bursting again. "NO KAMINA WHY?" He cried to the heavens before dropping his head onto the desk.
"Kamina you were taken from us too soon my friend. Row Row Fight the Power!" Airnaruto said as his voice continued to crack.
And the Number 1 Saddest Animated death is…..
Nicholas D. Wolfwood from Trigun.
"I'm pretty sure a good number of you saw this one coming, I mean we all know that the second half of Trigun had a large body count because of Legato Bluesummers, Knives, and the Gung-Ho Guns." Airnaruto said as we see the number of people dead sky rocket from episode 12 up to episode 24.
"However I bet everyone who had read the comic were surprised by the way the series killed off it's most popular character next to Vash the Stampede and Kuroneko-sama the latter of which being the little black cat that often appeared in the background at least once in each episode, but back to Wolfwood ever since he appeared in episode 9 we had come to know and respect this undercover man of the cloth and sharpshooter as well as his philosophy of protecting the innocent but after he defeats his mentor Chapel, Legato takes control of Chapel's body through his telepathic abilities and shoots Nicholas who then limps his way into a church and this happens all while a random unknown singer is singing Hallelujah in the background." Airnaruto said as Wolfwood enters the church to make his first and final confession.
Wolfwood: Despite the profession I've chosen, I've never actually made a confession before in my life. I justified my actions by blaming it on the times…saying I did to protect the children. I took many lives thinking that there was no other way. My sins are too heavy…to heavy to ever atone for…Still I feel really happy with myself today. It can be done, once you stop and think about it
There are plenty of ways to save everyone. Why didn't I see that? (Pulls out his pack of cigarettes and lights one.) That tastes good.
(Flashback with Milly in episode 11)
Milly: Second hand smoking's bad for the baby dear.
(Cutback to Wolfwood)
Wolfwood: I'm sorry honey. If I am reincarnated, I'd like to live somewhere where life's easier, somewhere nothing but peaceful days, somewhere with no stealing or killing…..Eden. In Eden I…I'll live with him and the girls, and….No! I don't want to die! I still have so much to do! I want to stay with them! Was I wrong? Does this mean I was wrong? I guess it would be presumptuous to ask for forgiveness. I can't stand it! (Dies while leaning on his punisher cross gun)
The camera then cut back to Airnaruto who now had three more tissue boxes out and was emotionally distraught over that scene.
"You think I'm taking it hard just watch and listen to how Milly reacts when she learns of Wolfwood's death later that night in the Japanese cut." Airnaruto said as he rolled the clip of Milly kneeling next to her bed burying her face in the blankets and crying uncontrollably.
Milly: (Crying uncontrollably!)
"It's that reaction from Milly that clinches it for me. Nicholas you had one life that proves it's hell just trying to get to Heaven. Therefore I give Nicholas D. Wolfwood the title of the number one saddest animated death." Airnaruto said as the camera cutback to him.
"Well there you have it my top 11 saddest animated deaths, I'm the Classic Critic, and I remember it so you're not required to." He said before walking off while still crying his eyes out.
A/N: Well gang if you don't review this while jerking a few tears then all I can say is that you don't have a soul read and review folks.