History TearJerker / MegaManZero

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVPH0qDKLY The Remastered Edition adds to the heartbreak by adding Japanese audio]]. Listening to Ciel beg Zero to come back is another punch to the feels.

** Add to all this the mysterious disappearance of [[spoiler:Ciel]] in ''ZX'' after Serpent went Maverick and the ''ZX'' series of games [[UncertainDoom failing to last long enough to elaborate what happened...]]and things get even ''worse.'

* The ending, when Zero makes his [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]], we see [[spoiler:Ciel break down crying]] all the way through the closing credits. [[spoiler:At last she tells him, wherever he is, that she'll follow his example and make the world a better place. "Just come back someday...I...I believe in you!" Cut to Zero's shattered helmet amid the wreckage of the Ragnarok satellite -- he's not coming back, folks.]] Absolutely brutal.

*** If you talk to the caravan members before going on the final mission, you'll find out that [[spoiler: they ALL want you to come back safely and do stuff with them. All those jaded humans and your fellow resistance members are finally closing the gap created by centuries of war, and all want to share their experiences with you as they finally start living in harmony together. But alas, [[KilledOffForReal this time you don't come back.]]]]
*** Of course, [[spoiler:all of the above does not necessarily indicate Zero's death. If they [[VideoGame/MegaManX6 inexplicably brought him back]] once, they can do it again.]]

** Add to all this the mysterious disappearance of [[spoiler:Ciel]] in ''ZX'' after Serpent went Maverick and the ''ZX'' series of games [[UncertainDoom failing to last long enough to elaborate what happened...]] and things get even ''worse.''
* Don't forget about [[spoiler:the Guardians of Neo Arcadia, who sacrifice themselves to give you the opportunty to destroy Omega.]]
* Nor about [[spoiler:Elpizo destroying X's body. You get a close-up of Zero's face as he could only watch helplessly as the last thing keeping his best friend alive explodes before his very eyes.]]
* [[spoiler: X's final goodbye to Zero at the end of Mega Man Zero 3. Not only will the sad ambience of it all really tug at you, but the fact that X won't be around to see the peace he and Zero fought long and hard for is made blatantly apparent here.]]
** The song, "I, 0, Your Fellow" that plays during that exchange, which really hammers the sadness of the moment home. The remix on the official album is even more of a TearJerker.
** Before that, there was [[spoiler:Zero's own goodbye after the Elf Wars' over; he was going to seal himself before X comes in. The poignant talk - and, in the end, X's anguished scream - makes it all sadder. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALsaI1vyW4Q Watch it here.]]]]
* The Japan-only (prior to ''Collection'') vocal intro to the ''Zero 4'' credits theme "Promise -Next New World-" translates as follows:
-->''Always overflowing in my heart,''\\
''My feelings for you.''\\
''There is no forever,''\\
''so I want you by my side for now.''
** Accompanying [[spoiler:Ciel crying alone under a tree]], as the song becomes entirely instrumental. BittersweetEnding indeed...
*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WctXJTxuHj4 The english translation for Freesia]]. What are the [[LyricalDissonance lyrics]] about? It's about Ciel's [[spoiler:AnguishedDeclarationOfLove]].
** And after that, [[spoiler:she believes that Zero is still out there, and will be waiting for him to come back. What comes next? Zero's broken helmet lying in the desert, indicating he's been KilledOffForReal.]]
* This dialogue:
-->'''X''': "Since you've disappeared I've been fighting this war alone against an uncountable number of Mavericks for nearly a hundred years... Battle after battle...so painful and so sad...but the hardest part was when I discovered that I no longer cared about [[strike: fighting enemies]] the enemies I fought..."
** What makes it worse is that [[MartialPacifist it's X]] we're talking about.
* There's also Alouette. Zero's [[spoiler:last (optional) conversation with her has the girl extract a promise from Zero that the three of them (including Ciel) should someday explore Area Zero together]]. Oh, and [[spoiler:if her dialogue as Prairie is taken into consideration, it might imply that she's fallen for Zero herself (seeing as she had feelings for Giro, Zero's {{Expy}}, because she herself stated that the man reminded her of Zero.]]
* The boss refights in ''Zero 2''. Even before that, [[PunchClockVillain they were some of the less villainous members of Neo Arcadia]], defending important military sites, supply chains, nature reserves, or the Baby Elf location, rather than executing innocent reploids. In the refights, [[MindControl they're taken over by Elpizo and the Baby Elves]], and only really wake up after you beat them, leaving them wondering what is going on, and in many cases, [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe why they are cut in half.]]
* The music at the end of the first game, "For Endless Fight", qualifies as this on a meta level.

** The Remastered Edition adds to the heartbreak by adding Japanese audio. Listening to Ciel beg Zero to come back is another punch to the feels.

[[caption-width-right:350:Oh, ''[[TheWoobie Ciel]]'']]

*** If you talk to the caravan members before going on the final mission, you'll find out that [[spoiler: they ALL want you to come back safely and do stuff with them. All those jaded humans and your fellow resistance members are finally closing the gap createby centuries of war, and all want to share their experiences with you as they finally start living in harmony together. But alas, [[KilledOffForReal this time you don't come back.]]]]

*** Has anyone talked to the caravan memmbers before going to the final mission, :[[spoiler: they ALL want you to come back safely and do stuff with them, all those jaded humans and your fellow resistance memmbers, are finally closing the gap created by centuries of war, and all want to share with you their experiences as they finally start living in harmony togherter. but alas, [[KilledOffForReal this time you don't come back]]]]

*** Of course, [[spoiler:all of the above does not necessarily indicate Zero's death. If they inexplicably brought him back once, they can do it again.]]

** Not to mention that [[spoiler:Zero dies aboard the Ragnarok satellite as it falls towards the Earth, and you see lots of shooting stars falling as Ciel cries. Yes, that's right, the player is watching ''Zero and remnants of Ragnarok burn up on re-entry'' as they see Ciel cries her eyes out.]]

** Not to mention that [[spoiler:Zero dies aboard the Ragnarok satellite as it falls towards the Earth, and you see lots of shooting stars falling as Ciel cries. Yes, that's right, the player is watching ''Zero and remnants of Ragnarok burn up on re-entry'' as you see that she cries her eyes out.]]

* When Zero makes his [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]], we see [[spoiler:Ciel break down and sob for him]] all the way through the closing credits. [[spoiler:At last she tells him, wherever he is, that she'll follow his example and make the world a better place. "Just come back someday...I...I believe in you!" Cut to Zero's shattered helmet amid the wreckage of the Ragnarok satellite -- he's not coming back, folks.]] Absolutely brutal.
** Not to mention that [[spoiler:Zero dies aboard the Ragnarok satellite as it falls towards earth, and you see lots of shooting stars falling as Ciel cries. Yes, that's right, you watch ''Zero burn up on re-entry'' as you see that poor girl cry her heart out.]]

* Nor about [[spoiler:Elpizo destroying ''MegaManX's'' body. You get a close-up of Zero's face as he could only watch helplessly as the last thing keeping his best friend alive explodes before his very eyes.]]

* The boss refights in ''VideoGames/MegamanZero 2''. Even before that, [[PunchClockVillain they were some of the less villainous members of Neo Arcadia]], defending important military sites, supply chains, nature reserves, or the Baby Elf location, rather than executing innocent reploids. In the refights, [[MindControl they're taken over by Elpizo and the Baby Elves]], and only really wake up after you beat them, leaving them wondering what is going on, and in many cases, [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe why they are cut in half.]]

** Unless you think back on the fact he was declared dead several times through X series, or critically damaged in some cases.
*** Plus, X series often had empty helmets through stages serving as extra lives. Maybe the helmet is something more than just protection.
*** Giro's lack of helmet when he turns into Giro-Z in Mega Man ZX is rather odd. Then you think about what was left of Zero in Mega Man Zero 4.

*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WctXJTxuHj4 The english translation for Freesia?]] Adds LyricalDissonance for more TearJerker effect.

*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WctXJTxuHj4 The english translation for Freesia?]] Adds LyricalDissonance for TearJerker effect.

** Before that, there was [[spoiler:Zero's own goodbye after the Elf Wars' over; he was going to seal himself before X comes in. The poignant talk - and, in the end, X's anguished scream - makes it all sadder. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALsaI1vyW4Q Watch it here.]]]]

* [[spoiler: X's final goodbye to Zero at the end of Mega Man Zero 3. Not only will the sad ambience of it all really tug at you, but the fact that X won't be around to see the peace he and Zero fought long and hard for is made blatantly apparent here.]]

* Nor about [[spoiler:Elpizo destroying ''MegaManX's'' body. You get a close-up of Zero's face as he could only watch helplessly as the last thing keeping his best friend alive explodes before his very eyes.]]