The 30 Day Anime Challenge Day 25 – The Saddest Anime Death

Double Whammy (Obvious Spoilers)

The schedule is included in case you need/want it. I shouldn’t have to say it, especially again, but obvious spoilers in this post. Today’s topic is about the saddest death in anime and naturally that sort of thing tends to be a pretty big plot point in most shows. I’ll be talking about Clannad today so do whatever works for you. Last chance to leave if you want, otherwise let’s get right into it.

You may recall from day 12 that I talked about Anohana, so why am I not mentioning that here? First, I already talked about that show and I decided before taking on the challenge that each day would highlight a unique show. Secondly, I don’t count the specific moment I mentioned in that post to be a “death” in the traditional sense. Here I’m talking about a person dying not a ghost or representation of that person.

Today is actually a two-for-one kind of post because I think that each death plays off and compounds the other. I don’t think it will be a surprise to most of you but I am of course referring to the deaths of Nagisa and Ushio.

Nagisa’s death is tragic because Tomoya is finally starting to move in a positive direction with his life and then BAM! With the birth of his daughter his entire world falls apart. He becomes like the father he hated but worse. Rather than try and spend time with his daughter and rejoice in the happy memories of his now dead wife, he completely avoids her for several years.

Eventually, he realizes his mistake and reconciles with Ushio. This in turn lets him reconcile with his father. Sometimes, even in real life, positive things can come out of tragedy such as this but fate has more heartache in store for Tomoya. Soon Ushio begins to get sick like Nagisa and she too dies but that scene is a lot more sad.

There are two reasons for this. The first being the massive redemption arc that Tomoyo goes through with both her and his father. The second being the reopened grief from when Nagisa died. The way it happens too is just really terrible. A lot of folks have problems with how the universe just seems out to get Tomoyo, but the thing is, life can totally be like this. It is cruel, but this outcome was also probable.

It is hypothesized that Tomoyo also dies shortly after Ushio by many fans in the community. I prescribe to that theory because he was not taking care of himself. He just sits there hugging his lifeless daughter as the snow continues to fall. For a man in as rough shape as he is in at that moment, spirit broken, it unfortunately makes a lot of sense that he probably died himself too.

If you want to relive that moment

In the end it all works out due to the magic that is explained through earlier episodes. I don’t think that lessens the impact of everything either. If anything, I’m glad that the show gives you the true ending that is in the VN so that you aren’t stuck feeling so overwhelmingly sad about everything. Normally I hate happy endings out of nowhere but this one was explained and felt good to me.

Did Clannad strike a cord with you as well or would you have chosen a different moment for this one? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Please consider heading over to my Ko-fi and buying me a coffee, the support is both helpful and appreciated! Tomorrow is all about the best anime fight as we break into the last five of these. I can hardly believe this series is almost over, and as always, thanks for reading!