Tear Jerker / Chaotic

• "Castle Bodhran or Bust", Reggie's backstory's pretty depressing when you think about it. First, he loses contact with his Chaotic self (no doubt making Reggie think he might have been coded permanently). Then, a short while later he ends up in a wheelchair. True the kid said he didn't mind losing his legs so long as he found his Chaotic self, but still...
• Hoton's entire backstory as told in the episode "Allmageddon". It may even be worse for those who've played the game and already know it. Since the show gives his story much more detail. Not to mention Hoton himself, he just walks back and forth (very slowly) replacing brick after brick, barely getting anything accomplished, but he never stops trying.
  • Let's fully describe Hoton's backstory for a moment. He used to be either the leader or at least a very popular figure in his village, playing games with the children and overall being a Nice Guy. Then one day, Underworld Raiders showed up to raid and pillage the area. Desperate to prevent it from happening again, Hoton sought out an ancient attack known as Allmageddon to defend his home. He did so, and when the raiders came back, he used it to completely obliterate them... and the village. This lead to a massive Heroic BSoD for Hoton, as its implied that he also killed all the people in his village as well. Nowadays, Hoton is in a indefinite state of depression, constantly trying to rebuild what he destroyed.
  Hoton: Rebuild. I must rebuild.
  • Thankfully we get a follow up on Hoton in "Hotekk's Challenge", where Tom reveals that Vidav is using mugic to help restore Hoton's health.
• Tom meets Smildon in Prexxor Chasm during "Chasm Quest", and Smildon captures him. It turns out Smildon previously saw Codemaster Crellan escape from Cromaxx with his scanner, and wants to know how he can use Tom's scanner to leave Prexxor Chasm. But those hopes are immediately dashed when Tom explains each scanner only works for one specific person, meaning Smildon can't get away. Tom asks Smildon why he wants to leave, since Prexxor Chasm is his home, and Smildon explains how life is hard there and he has to fight every day for survival, only surviving because he is strong, but he knows that he is getting older, more tired, and weaker.
• The ending of the episode "Dangers of Diplomacy". The Overworlders really saw a chance to make peace with the Danians, and were backstabbed in return for their trust. Made even worse that Raznus was one of Maxxor's childhood friends, now he's been turned into a Danian himself.
• The look of horror on Kaz's face in "Chaor's Commando's". When he sees all three of his friends standing on the very wall that Chaor is about to destroy. Thankfully, Tom, Sarah and Peyton were unhurt.
• H’earring falling under Milla’inn’s Mind Control after leading Kaz to where Milla’inn was last seen in "Mister E".
• Kaz's mother and the school psychologist taking away Kaz's scanner in "Earth to Kaz". You could tell he wasn't just depressed; he was in real despair for the majority of the episode. His mother even noticed his grades slip dramatically, not to mention he'd stopped eating and sleeping. He only got better once she caved in and told the psychologist to end his investigation.
• When Peyton sees what appears to be Sarah getting coded in Perim near the beginning of "Warriors of Eternity". Peyton's horrified reaction is no doubt similar to that of the audience.
• Najarin and Afjak. Knowing that Tom befriended Najarin thousands of years ago, and accidentally caused Afjak to try to impress his father by leaping into the timestream. Afjak hasn't been seen since. And Najarin has been waiting all this time. A bit of Fridge Horror when you realize that the day on Lake Ken-i-Po is the first time in thousands of years that Najarin has seen Tom, and the first thing that Tom does is try to scan Najarin. Ouch.
• "Son of the Spiritlands", Tom and the others being forced to do nothing but sit back and watch as Bat'ogg destroys Perim. It doesn't hit you until later but they've had so many adventures and made so many friends in Perim that it must be killing them to have to just watch while some unstoppable demon destroys it, especially Tom since most of the time he's able to figure something out to help. Throughout the whole episode he's the one who looks most upset, probably because he's faced with the fact that he can't do anything for once.
  • The death of Tangath Toborn. Or rather, deaths. The first one was shocking enough, albeit an amazing Heroic Sacrifice and Moment of Awesome rolled into one, but at that point you could assume he would eventually be freed from the ice, or that even if he had died he wouldn't be gone long. Cue the most recent episode, where not only is his sword broken to enable him to defeat the Big Bad (thus guaranteeing he can never come back to Perim lest he fade away into nothing), we are then treated to several heart-wrenching minutes in which he gets to say goodbye to his closest and oldest friend among the Overworlders, shares a long meaningful look with the human he was closest to, and then gets to dissolve into light, heading off to the Spiritland where "an old warrior like him can live to fight another day". Add in the final very moving memorial service and the monument raised in his honor, and... * sob* So the whole thing was a stupid Retcon the writers threw in without any previous foreshadowing. It still qualifies as an incredible Tear Jerker just because it puts the nails in the coffin, saying "He's dead and won't ever be coming back". (Not unless somehow the kids find a way and a reason to go to the Spiritland themselves.)
  Maxxor: He saved Perim not once, but twice...always giving of himself far, far more than we ever could have asked. And so we gather, friend and foe alike, to remember and honor Tangath Toborn, whose struggle and triumph allow us to be here today. Though he has returned to his home in the Spiritlands, we can be certain that his spirit will eternally remain with us here in Perim. And so, on behalf of our generation, and all generations to come, I dedicate this monument: may it stand forever to remind us of a true warrior, a true hero...and a true friend. Farewell, friend.

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