Tear Jerker / Jujutsu Kaisen

Warning: Spoilers are unmarked on all "Moments" pages. You Have Been Warned.

The life of a Jujutsu Sorcerer is brim with death, and thus tragedy.

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In General

• The first season's first opening Kaikai Kitan, in spite of its catchy beat, has an undercurrent of sadness and loss. One particular moment is an image of Yuji and the ever-expanding cast with Junpei being the closest and genuinely happy with him before it violently shifts back to scarier imagery. Knowing what actually will befall Junpei in the series, will make this a very tragic memory of what could've been.
  • On the final episode for the opening, which is right after Junpei's death, the final change to the Evolving Credits is a shot of Yuji in tears as he falls to sleep by the end.
• The second season's first opening Aoi no Sumika is even sadder than the aforementioned Kaikai Kitan, showcasing how Gojo and Geto's experiences has changed them as the persons they were at 0. The saddest part? The lyrics are in Gojo's POV, specifically how he failed to save both Rika and Geto.
• Poor Yuji. His life really takes a turn for the worst after his grandfather dies. He's forced to share his body with one of the greatest and most vile sorcerers in history, is targeted by Jujutsu Society to be executed because of this, and has to experience the tragedies of being a sorcerer in such a short span of time, losing many friends along his journey.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

• Yuta's circumstances in the beginning of the prequel. Not only did he watch his childhood friend and girlfriend die right in front of him, but he also had to deal with the fact that she turned into a violently protective curse who haunts him 24/7. He can't risk getting close to others out of fear of what Rika might do to them. Thankfully his time at Jujutsu High School changes things for the better.
  • Yuta was openly suicidal when he first meets Gojo, having utterly given up on life if it means that Rika will hurt more people. The only reason he's still alive at all is because of her interventions.
• During the pre-battle meeting among the sorcerers, it's very clear that no one among the assembled is happy about having to fight Geto. Mei Mei, Nanami and Gojo are stone faced, while Shoko has to leave the room before Principal Yaga can even finish giving orders.
• Gojo being forced to kill Geto, his one best friend.
  • Before dying from a pre-inflicted wound that would've killed him anyway, Geto tells Gojo that in a world like theirs, he truly isn't able to laugh from the bottom of his heart. Gojo's reply is unknown, but whatever it was, it made Geto laugh for the last time in his life. Gojo ends Geto's suffering by killing him himself.
    • The light novel and the anime makes this even sadder, as it essentially states that the moment Satoru appeared, not only did Suguru give up on resisting, but instead accepted his fate, revealing that he would have wanted, deep down, for his best friend to kill him. Satoru, meanwhile, may look composed, but the soft tone in his voice makes it clear how much it hurts him to do this.
  • In the same chapter a few panels later, we see Gojo returning Yuta's stolen student ID to him. When Yuta asked if he was the one who found it, Gojo answered no, and said it was his best friend, his "one and only" who did. An emotional punch right to the gut there.
    • Made even more tearjerking when Word of God reveals that what Satoru said to Geto before killing him has already been indirectly revealed, and it's heavily indicated that what Satoru said was the fact that despite everything, Geto still remains his one and only best friend. Think about it: By this point, he's burned all bridges with Jujutsu High, and was likely thinking about how his former comrades would loathe him (made even worse by how the Hidden Inventory arc reveals that the main reason why he defected from Jujutsu High was because he deeply cared for his friends), and yet the one person who he had hurt the most still cared for him. No small wonder why Suguru smiles while wishing that Satoru cursed him in the end.
  • The movie expands on the tragedy of their friendship further. Despite Satoru's coldness and Suguru's casual dismissal, in private, both are shown to genuinely mourn their broken bond, reflecting on old times between them with a sincerely sad expression.
    • Made even worse by the fact that the very first thing that they recall are how arrogant Satoru used to be and just how much they both have Become Their Own Antithesis. While Suguru might just be reflecting on the irony of how he, the one who once always insisted that Satoru should help protect the weak, it's implied that Satoru still blames himself for only realizing just how important humanity was when it was far too late.
• At the very end, after their climactic battle with Geto, Yuta learns that he is the one responsible for Rika becoming a Curse; after witnessing his best friend dying so gruesomely, he cursed her demise with all her heart, unwittingly encasing her afterlife-bound soul in a form created by his Cursed Energy and trapping her as a special-grade Cursed Spirit. The poor boy is horrified to learn what he accidentally put his friend through, and begs her forgiveness. Though thankfully, he already has it.

Introductory Arc

• Wasuke Itadori's death is realistic and surprisingly subdued. He gives Yuji some dying words about wishing him to be surrounded by loved ones when he dies and not be like himself, whose irritable attitude drove everyone away. When he dies, he doesn't go out in some dramatic fashion, he just rolls over and goes silent after offering Yuji his parting wisdom. Yuji doesn't even realize he'd died until calling out to him multiple times, without response; his tearful disbelief afterward is particularly touching, as he realizes he's lost the only family he had left.
• Nobara had a friend named Saori when she was younger, but the latter was driven out of the town and ostracized for being a foreigner. Nobara then took it upon herself to move out of her town to find Saori and also not to turn out like her home town.

Cursed Womb Must Die Arc

• Megumi has an older step-sister named Tsumiki, who treats him very kindly and practically raised him from early childhood. She fell into a coma prior to the beginning of the story, which saddens Megumi immensely. It's presumed to be due to an unidentified curse.
• Megumi’s reaction to Yuji dying in front of him. Though they didn’t know each other long you can tell this hits him hard. His eyes are overshadowed while he looks at the sky, his mouth is quivering making it seem like he’s on the verge of crying. This is just as evident in episodes after as he appears very solemn and quiet when Yuji’s name is mentioned.

VS Mahito Arc

• Mahito orchestrates the murder of Junpei's mother by putting one of Sukuna's fingers in the house, knowing a hungry Curse would be lured in. He then framed a bully that tormented Junpei for the deed and set things up to lure Yuji in hopes of having them fight. This, all while under the guise of being a supportive friend. As if that wasn't enough, he kills Junpei in the usual horrifying way. He then laughs at Yuji, which only serves to make his utter horror at Junpei's death that much worse.
  • Junpei's breakdown in front of Yuji. He had absolutely no qualms about torturing his bullies and attempting to murder all students and faculty members at the school but asked Yuji to get out his way several times. The physical and emotional strain eventually gets to him and he collapses into a sobbing wreck.
  • Yuji had managed to talk Junpei down and soothe some of his pain just before Mahito came in. Sukuna makes it even worse by ridiculing Yuji when begged for help for Junpei, laughing alongside Mahito because they both find it hilarious that Yuji can't do anything. This leaves Yuji so paralyzed, he doesn't even react as Junpei's transfigured form grabs at his clothes before dying.
    Junpei: Yuji... why?
  • It takes Yuji a moment to get back on his feet and then he goes absolutely off the rails in murderous rage with the single goal of reducing the offending curse to an unrecognizable stain on the ground. His speech beforehand really sells his utter rage at Mahito, making it clear that he is over his games.
  • Yuji has imagined pictures of Junpei studying to be a Jujutsu sorcerer alongside him, Megumi and Nobara. It hammers home that not only did Mahito rob a promising youth a chance to reform his ways and be a powerful Jujutsu sorcerer, but also a friend that Yuji could've connected with, all for a cheap laugh.

Kyoto Goodwill Event Arc

• Mai's backstory is quietly tragic. Faced with her weak Cursed Technique and nasty sexism of the Zen'in clan, Mai thought that she could lay low and be a servant to her family because Maki was there with her. However, Maki leaves her when she's fed up with the Zen'ins, vowing to become a Jujutsu sorcerer and become the head of the family. Due to this decision, the Zenin clan decides to put Mai through the same hardships a jujutsu sorcerer has to face as well, despite the fact that she doesn't want any of it. Along with the fact that Maki ends up being the stronger of the two because of her Heavenly Restriction, unafraid, and never looking back while walking steadily to her goal, Mai has been resenting her ever since.
• Chapter 64 is a mostly Romantic Comedy romp where a girl named Yuko suddenly shows up revealing that she's harbored a crush on Yuji since middle school. But the chapter ends on a rather sudden somber note as Yuko seems to realize that her efforts to pretty herself up to attract Yuji (significantly losing weight, dyeing her hair) were All for Nothing. Because not only does it seem that Yuji has lost interest in her since then, but a flashback heavily implies he had preferred how she looked before her major makeover. The last panel of Yuko we see is her at a train station seemingly on the verge of tears.

Hidden Inventory Arc

• Riko's sudden death. After being given the chance to live thanks to Geto and Gojo, her life is cut short by just one shot by Toji Fushiguro. Geto's face after his brain registers that she's been killed is heartbreaking.
• Satoru retrieving Riko's corpse is a particularly sad moment, especially as this arc showed he was once an arrogant jerk who cared little for others and even questioned why he needs to protect humanity. Just as he's finally found "weak people" who he cares for, she ends up being killed without Satoru being able to do anything prevent it, which is clearly the first time where Satoru found out the hard way that being the strongest doesn't let him save everyone. Out of the moments we've seen Satoru get emotional, the time where he is carrying her corpse in his hands was clearly the most saddest. To top it all, his face when referring to Suguru and pondering killing the Star Plasma cultists who laughed at Riko's death isn't even angry, unlike the other times. He is visibly broken and just emotionally too tired yet still has it in him to be disgusted by the Star Plasma and considering the fact this is the first time he fails, and it involved someone who he cares for a lot, it makes sense that he would be that way, as it is the first time he experienced the pain and grief of losing someone he cares for.
  • Not to mention that despite the craze he was in while fighting Fushiguro and his arrogance and relishing his power-up, despite claiming that he doesn't want to avenge Riko, for just a moment, Satoru stops looking so proud of himself and nonchalant and actually looks sad as he internally apologizes to Riko. Even while suffering a Power High, Satoru still could not truly escape the grief he felt at Riko's death.
• Yu Haibara's death. An optimistic and cheerful Jujutsu sorcerer (a rarity in the Jujutsu world), Haibara was killed on what would have been a routine mission and left a young Nanami alone and deeply saddened (possibly attributed to his decision to leave the Jujutsu World).
• Geto's Face–Heel Turn. After losing to Toji and failing to avenge Rika, witnessing the Star Plasma Cultists applauding the corpse of Riko, a year of consuming curses, Gojo becoming stronger than him, and losing Haibara, when he witnesses the villager's abuse of Mimiko and Nanako he finally breaks and becomes a curse user.
  • The true tragedy of Geto's fall is that he held on for a while. He wanted to stick with his convictions about protecting the weak but little by little, more and more tragedy piled up in his life and eroded his good sense that just caused him to snap. The day he rescued Mimiko and Nanako, he was so far gone that he barely registered the villagers as people who are talking right next to him. Instead, in his mind, they're distant and muffled with faces masked in shadow, as if they were just more curses.
• Gojo and Geto’s last meeting. The former didn’t take the news of his best friend’s betrayal well and demands an answer when he sees Geto, who simply states his new goal and that it’s better to remove his emotional connections. When Geto turns and walks away, we see panels of Gojo’s hand ready to use his cursed technique only to fall down, leaving the young man to watch his former friend disappear to the crowd.
  • Suguru telling Satoru flatly that he can in fact kill every single non-sorcerer in the world only further shows pretty much how far he fell: Throughout the arc, Suguru often encouraged Satoru to be more compassionate towards normal humans, yet now that Satoru has finally grown to truly be dedicated towards the idea of protecting the weak, Suguru is actually reaching out to the man who Satoru used to be. This is made worse by Word of God confirming that Suguru's words back when they retrieved Riko's corpse was what Gojo used as his Morality Adjustment, meaning that Satoru is essentially having his old morality thrown at his face by the man who used to encourage him to be better. No small wonder that he is genuinely outraged and horrified, and it's probably at that moment that he realizes that Suguru is beyond redemption.
• As a whole, everything regarding Satoru can be both this and heartwarming in a way. He started out as an arrogant jerk who didn't even see the point of protecting humanity, but still deeply cherished and valued his friendships, particularly with Suguru. They always helped each other out, earning the title as the strongest duo. But the disastrous events of Star Plasma Vessel ended up being a case of Be Careful What You Wish For and easily among the cruelest twists of fates in anime and manga history for Satoru and Suguru that lead to the tragic shattering of their friendship: Satoru becomes the single strongest but loses Riko because of his desire and can do nothing but swallow the bitter pill and move forward, gaining the compassion and dedication to properly protect humanity and become a true heroic individual. Suguru's kind heart and desire to protect and be there for Amanai lead to her death because he wasn't strong enough against Toji and with his friend having become stronger and going on more solo missions as well as having effectively become ironically exactly like how Suguru tried to make his friend into, Suguru grew increasingly disillusioned. Had they both got the proper help and talked more about the recent traumas, then their friendship wouldn’t have been so shattered.
• The first person Suguru killed as soon as he took over the Time Vessel Association was none other but Shigeru Sonoda, the man who orchestrated Riko's death and laughed at it, showing that even at this moment, with his mind made up on wanting to kill all non-sorcerers, he still cared about Riko's memory and considered her worth avenging. While at any point Suguru's success at truly avenging her death would have been worth celebrating, the moment when he killed Sonoda is treated as a solemn moment that symbolizes how he's truly fallen off the deep end.
  • Made worse by the fact that what Suguru did practically goes against everything Riko would have wanted. In the end, not only did Riko die shortly before she could live a normal happy life, but she also unwittingly sent Suguru, the man who was most openly affectionate to and cared for her, on the dark path that would lead to not only his death, but also his fate of being possessed by an ancient sorcerer and used to cause so much havoc through the world she loved deeply.
• The arc ends with the reveal that Satoru was remembering the times he had Suguru and Riko, as Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara catch him falling asleep with an uncharacteristically solemn expression, showing that despite everything, Satoru never forgot all that he had lost that made him the person he was.

Shibuya Incident Arc

• The imposter controlling Geto's body takes advantage of Gojo's dazed, distracted state, and reveals himself with a cheerful "hello", shocking the white haired sorcerer. Memories of him and Geto's comradery ship through the years flood him and keeps him frozen in disbelief for over a minute, thus fulfilling the criteria the Prison Realm needs to seal someone.
• While restrained, Gojo tries desperately to find an explanation for why his friend, the one he had ended with his own hands, would be "alive" and talking like nothing had happened. He asks the imposter furiously of who he is, and when the imposter replies with "Geto Suguru of course, have you forgotten?" Gojo tells him that though his six eyes tell him that yes, he is the real Geto, his soul knows otherwise. The imposter then reveals himself by taking off the top of Geto's head, revealing what looks like a brain-curse, and Gojo is notably enraged. He taunts the imposter for a few moments before being sealed away for a seemingly long time.
  Gojo: My six eyes tell me you're Suguru, but my soul knows otherwise!
• Watching Hanami die a brutal death at Gojo's hands is quite sad. While he was a murderous Disaster Curse, he was the most noble of their number and the utterly anticlimactic and vicious way he dies, completely being disrespected by Gojo to boot, can be hard to read even if it absolutely had to happen.
• Nanami is on his death thralls after managing to subdue Mahito's minions and then turns to Yuji, giving him some encouraging words before Mahito casually kills him by blowing off his whole upper body. The anime makes it even sadder, showing him daydreaming of a nice and well deserved retirement at the beach, intercut with the man himself tearing through Mahito's minions while enduring both the hits and the horrible pain from his half burned body, all to a beautiful piano score...and then Mahito touches him.
  Nanami: Itadori-kun. You take it from here.
• When Mahito mentions Hanami to Jogo in the battle in Shibuya, Jogo unusually somberly notes that Hanami is dead.
• After dealing damage to Mahito, Nobara gives chase after him, unwittingly being lured to Yuji's position, where Mahito's real body is. In a moment of surprise, she lets her guard down ...and Mahito seizes the chance to touch her face. Knowing what will follow, she briefly ponders over not being able to see her childhood friend Saori as she promised, and gives Yuji some encouraging words. The left side of her face then bursts, blowing away her eye and putting her at death's door.
  Itadori, tell everyone for me: life wasn't so bad.
  • Not only is it a shocking and harrowing (apparent) death, but Yuji's reaction is equally heartbreaking. Despite being characterized by his steadfast will and determination, the culmination of losing his bout against Choso, failing to stop Sukuna's rampage, the death of his mentor, and now losing his close friend and teammate finally catches up to him, and he just... stops. Allowing Mahito to lay the smackdown on him as he loses the will to fight back, and only snaps out of it due to Todo's words.
  • To twist the knife even further, moments before showing Nobara's "death", we are shown Saori in present day at an ordinary office job. Saori recounts to her coworker about Nobara and how she wanted to act like an older sister figure to her. Saori thinks she'd be a bit disappointed if she saw her now work at a boring job and believes Nobara is doing alive and well for herself. Oh ignorance is bliss...
• Yuji's Heroic BSoD after being saved by Todo. The accumulation of guilt from all of Sukuna's carnage and mass murder and then seeing two of his closest companions die right in front of him in the same night becomes too much for him. He curls up in the ground with streams of tears from his eyes, saying his resolve to save people was merely an excuse to make up for all the deaths he feels responsible for.
  • Mahito decides to Kick the Dog by trying to murder him at this vulnerable moment but thankfully Todo denies him that satisfaction and helps Yuji get back to his senses.
• While Todo manages to survive his fight with Mahito, it came at a price as the latter destroyed Todo's left hand. He does use attempt to use Boogie Woogie, but it's revealed to be a fluke to distract Mahito and does give Yuji an opening, though Todo sadly laments about his lost cursed technique.
  I'm sorry...but Boogie Woogie is already dead.
• Jogo's Alas, Poor Villain. He sees a vision of his lost comrades, somberly apologizing to them and saying he hopes to meet them again. Sukuna, after everything, tells Jogo that he was holding himself back before giving him genuine praise, saying "Be proud. You're strong.". Jogo's response is to cry, not even understanding the nature of his own tears as Sukuna kills him. That the latter had the decency to call him a Worthy Opponent is especially startling considering his character.
• Kokichi's final message to Miwa. Already long dead, he uses the last of his cursed energy to apologize to her for being so weak as to betray Kyoto High and wishes her happiness as his last wish.
• Choso has a full-blown meltdown upon realizing he was about to kill one of his brothers, revealed to be Yuji himself. The realization has him highly confused and distraught and before his fight with "Geto", we see him sitting on the floor under the subway staircase in tears.
• Yuji's losses throughout the Shibuya Incident push him over the Despair Event Horizon. He simply folds into himself and blames everything on his inability to protect anyone. After reconciling with himself, he gives in to his cynicism and fully believes that he's merely a cog in the system.

Secret Execution Arc

• Mai's death in Chapter 149. After she and Maki are injured and subdued by their father who throws them in the room of curses to die, Mai brings Maki into her Domain and tells her that she will die after using her cursed technique. Mai also reveals that the reason why Maki can never reach her full potential is because as identical twins, Mai will always hold her sister's scant amount of cursed energy back. Despite Maki's pleads, Mai sacrifices herself with her last words encouraging her big sister to "destroy everything". When Maki wakes up right after, she finds a newly-crafted replica of Toji's sword in her hands and a now-dead Mai.

Culling Game Arc

• Chapter 159 is this crossed over with Nightmare Fuel. Through the backstory of culling game participant Hiromi Higuruma, we are treated to an utterly harrowing depiction of the Japanese justice system.
  • Prior to the game, Higuruma was formerly a criminal lawyer who would frequently take on difficult defence cases, despite both Japan's 99% conviction rate and the psychological toll involved, in order to ensure his clients would at least have a chance of receiving a fair trial. However, due to the severe imbalance in resources between independent defence lawyers and public prosecutors, these attempts are implied to ultimately prove futile - with Higuruma's clients taking their subsequent anger and distress out on him.
  • The case that caused Higuruma to snap involved a man with a criminal record who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and subsequently blamed for a family's murder. The prosecution lazily convicted the man without even bothering to consider the ample evidence and circumstances surrounding the case that could've proven his innocence, causing Higuruma to furiously call for a retrial while awakening his cursed technique.
• Chapter 165 has Yuji admitting guilt for Sukuna’s massacre in Shibuya. His facial expression truly shows just how much the poor kid had gone through and accepted it all as his fault.
• Chapter 166 makes it worse because Higuruma reveals that he's read the files on the incident and knows that Yuji was possessed by Sukuna, so he can't understand why Yuji would accept responsibility for it.
• Uro Takako's backstory is rather extremely sad. A sorcerer born and raised during the Heian era, the Golden Age of Jujutsu. She was originally a nameless leader of the assasin unit called Sun-Moon-Stars for The Fujiwara clan, A clan of statesmen and regents who held influential positions within the Japanese imperial court from its inception all the way until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. She was given the name "Uro Takako" by the head of said clan and later framed by her master blaming her for a murder within the family that he himself had committed, causing her to be executed in his place as a proxy. Uro mistakenly believes Yuta is one of their Descendants throughout the battle between the two when Yuta asks her questions on why she does what she does during the Culling games even after a thousand years had past. She in turn boils up with intense fury and declares her hatred for the family, seemingly wanting revenge for the wrongs she had been dealt with.
• After several chapters of Hope Spots where the Sorcerers gather several points to call in the favor of Angel to kill Sukuna and free Gojo, as well as to completely heal Tsumiki from her state, "Tsumiki" reveals her true colors as an incarnated Sorcerer to a horrified Megumi as the one who is possessing her body to lure Sukuna into a fight.
  • Not to leave things at that, Sukuna finally decides to use the Binding Vow he put on Yuji to forcibly take control over Yuji and possess Megumi. The horrified look on Yuji as he sees the familiar markings on Megumi's face says it all.

Shinjuku Showdown Arc

• The death of Satoru Gojo. Especially with how sudden it was. The chapter before seemed to establish that Gojo has won thanks to horribly injuring Sukuna... and the next chapter immediately opens with Gojo talking to Geto in what might be the afterlife. It doesn't help that the last time he saw his students, they were all wishing him well and showed their unconditional faith in his ability to win.
  • While it isn't commented on, Nanami bluntly tells Gojo that he believes that he only cares about jujutsu and fighting, with Haibara nonchalantly telling the former that it's an open secret everyone doesn't want to say out loud. Gojo looks legitimately hurt that his friends would think that of him, even if it's true. If you put that in conjunction with the stakes of his fight with Sukuna, it certainly sounds like Oblivious Guilt Slinging.
  • Speaking of his students, their reactions at his death are equally heartbreaking. Yuji looks like he's about to lose it. Yuta is clutching his sword like a lifeline while desperately trying to hold back his tears. And Maki just looks away and gives Yuta a pat on the shoulder...
• In spite of Sukuna whooping everyone, their plan to incapacitate him and reach Megumi's soul does go off without a hitch...only for Yuji to be met with his friend's soul curled up in a ball, telling him to leave him be. After a whole arc of back to back fights, here we have a sobering reminder that Megumi's been through probably the worst few weeks of his life and was utterly powerless to stop it.

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