Spoilers Off applies to all Tear Jerker pages, so all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
She has had it worse before.
- Yona witnessing Su-Won murdering her father in front of her. And when she tried to escape and was about to be killed herself, all she could think about if Su-Won always hated her too.
- Hak's unrequited feelings. He pretty much grew up both realizing he had feelings for Yona, and that she always liked Suwon instead. It becomes even sadder middway through the series, in which he believes she still loves Suwon despite everything and pretty much decides to give up pursuing her.
- It's later revealed that he'd even convinced himself he stopped wanting to be with her, and that he never actually planned to tell her how he felt ever— his confession in chapter 153 was an accident.
- Shin-ah's past. All the poor boy wanted was friends.
- The death of the previous Blue Dragon, Ao. When he first realizes that he's gone blind, he starts laughing from the joy that he's finally free from his eyes and about to die. It doesn't last long, though. He turns to the little Shin-Ah and, with tears streaming down his face, he apologizes, saying that he's going to be leaving him all alone.
- Shin-Ah's narration states that he can't remember Ao's face. Which sadly makes sense, considering he was a toddler when the man died.
- Kija revealing that the scar on his back was done by his own father who flew into a rage when he found out his own son would be succeeding him as the White Dragon and scratched him shortly after Kija was born. This is taken further because his father was never left alone with him nor allowed to touch his own son. When Kija snuck out to see him, he found his father in the last minutes of his life, unable to see, begging someone to allow him to see Kija one last time. Kija jumps onto his father and they embrace properly, only for him to die soon after.
- The fact that Jae-Ha, a person who heavily appreciates beauty, doesn't like the look of his dragon foot and prefers to keep it hidden. This is demonstrated very subtly in the side chapter "Upon That Back", in which he does not wear the sandals provided by the hot spring everyone is staying at, and instead opts to wear his usual boots. He generally refuses to remove his shoes, despite having no qualms stripping anything else off. This doubles as a bit heartwarming in the Xing arc, in which Jae-Ha takes off his shoe and shows how his foot grows to placate Mizari instead of Zeno being injured to demonstrate his power again. He's very subtly shown to slip his shoe back on as quickly as possible afterwards.
- This insecurity likely stems from his predecessor calling his dragon foot ugly and claiming that Jae-Ha would never be accepted outside of Ryokuryuu village because of it.
- Zeno's the ''original'' yellow dragon. He's been around since King Hiryuu lived and died 2000 years ago. While he brushes it off when Kija mentions how lonely that must have been, flashbacks reveal that the slow realization of his immortality was incredibly painful for him. Even more painful is that Hiryuu clearly knew (Zeno's iconic dragon ornament on his bandanna was a gift to remind Zeno that Hiryuu "would always be with him") and even tried to comfort Zeno while he was on his death bed.
- Chapter 103:
- With Hiryuu dead, enemies are targeting the dragons. Seiryuu Abi gets captured. While he's rescued, the capture was apparently traumatizing enough that Abi begins to wear a blindfold to hide his dragon eyes.
- Guen, Shu-ten, and Abi decide to leave the castle. When saying their goodbyes, Zeno calls Abi by name and removes the blindfold so he can see Seiryuu's eyes. Guen tells Zeno to come visit him, that he'll wait no matter how many years it takes. Shu-ten comments that Zeno should bring alcohol when he visits Shu-ten. Then they have a group huddle before parting ways.
- Twenty years later, Zeno, having stayed at the castle, acting as an adviser and secret one man army. One day, he goes to fight off an invading army; he's visibly shaking as he goes into battle, an expression of utter fear on his face. After the battle starts, he's wounded horribly again and again. And as all this is going on, he senses Guen dying. As he's fighting, he thinks about how afraid he was to go visit like he promised. In the end, he's on his knees, surrounded by dead and begging his brothers not to leave him alone.
- Chapter 104: Zeno leaves the castle and comes across new Hakuryuu. The boy's overzealous protectors shoot him, not knowing his identity. He flees, eventually fainting on the roadside.
- Zeno's bittersweet romance with Kaya, whom he eventually marries. While Kaya slowly dies of illness, Zeno begs the dragon god Ouryuu to grant Kaya just a little longer to live, saying he's fine with being Ouryuu's slave for eternity. Ouryuu doesn't appear. Kaya dies shortly after, and it's implied Zeno stayed with her rotting body until she was nothing more than a skeleton.
- The chapter where Kija becomes sick. After Yona, Hak, and Yun leave Jae-ha asks if a new Hakuryuu was born. That's not the case but it starts a depressing discussion about how the dragon's are fated to die young once a new one is born with Jae-ha saying that he's nearly the same age as when his predecessor died. Yun overhears the conversation and cries over it, telling the dragons they have to live as long as they can.
- During this talk, Zeno is silent and has a sorrowful expression because, unlike the others, he won't die. He will outlive Yona and his fellow dragons again.
- Chapter 107: Zeno reveals that he's tried to kill himself countless times in the past, and tells the spirit possessing Shin-ah that if he could die, he'd do it in a heartbeat. He ends it all by saying that his life is that of a monster, and that even when the world disappears, he probably won't.
- The story of the ghost Seiryuu in the Lushing Forest arc. He was already feared and hated during his time, growing up much like Shin-ah did. Shortly after a new Seiryuu was born, bandits attacked the village. The ghost Seiryuu was used as a decoy and locked in the village's burial caves with the bandits, while the villagers escaped with the baby. He wasn't used to fighting or battle and died in tears. He died in those caves, and his spirit was trapped there.
- Exploring Su-Won's betrayal from Hak's perspective and how much it hurt him personally.
- Both Yun and Kija break down crying when Algira tells them that Zeno is still trapped in the burning building, because he's holding up the foundation pillar. Kija is particularly distraught, as he explains that Zeno either has to let the building collapse on top of him, or else wait for it to finish burning down around him. What's more, his regenerative powers are slowed down by the distance from Hiryuu Castle, so that he's healing just enough that normal human body defense mechanisms, like losing consciousness to cope with the inability to cope with extreme pain, are not kicking in. But, at the same time, he's not healing fast enough for his invulnerability to kick in. He finally staggers out and collapses in Yona's arms.
- When Jaeha is being attacked by Yotaka, Kija jumps between them and takes the hit for him without hesitation.
- Likewise, Jaeha begins to use himself as a shield over Kija's unconscious body and takes several hits that leave him bleeding profusely. Again, this was the guy who originally wanted nothing to do with the dragon brotherhood.
- What's worse, neither can fight back without setting off a war.
- Chapter 134: Yona, Hak, Argila and Vold have been travelling to Kouka without rest since they left Kouren's palace. After Hak points out that Yona needs rest—Argila and Vold agreeing—she begins to have a panic attack. Crying and hyperventilating, she gasps about how if she doesn't hurry, war will break out and her friends will die. She then passes out in Hak's arms, still insisting she's okay.
- This hits even harder considering how well she held herself together while talking to Kouren, and realize how affected she actually was by the others being taken hostage.
- Chapter 136:
- Minsoo used to work at Suwon's castle before he worked at Hiryuu castle, and he used to visit and casually speak with Kye-Sook about his time there. However, Kye-sook had been manipulating him into giving intel on King Il and the castle during these talks, and that intel was later used in Suwon's coup. After being spared due to his mother having been Suwon's Mother's personal doctor, Minsu had been spending his time since that night stewing in his guilt over his unintentional involvement in King Il's death. The result? His once chipper disposition has been replaced with perpetual Dull Eyes of Unhappiness.
- After revealing this to Yona, Minsoo bows his head and tells her to kill him if she has even an ounce of resentment about that night.
- After Yona forgives him and tells him she's happy he survived, Minsoo is moved to tears, thinking to himself about how amazing it was that Yona remains so bright and kind, despite the suffering she went through.
- Chapter 140: Jaeha has been suffering terrible nightmares about his dragon leg being stolen and being unable to help Yona anymore. There's a real fear that a new Green Dragon is either on the way or already born, given Jaeha's age. Although they could also be from being locked up once again as he was as a child, and are more a reflection of his leg being metaphorically stolen by not being able to use it. Either way, it's a major tearjerker.
- Neguro's death and Kouren having to leave him behind as she, Tao and her Stars, and Yona's group all try to escape her villa and Gobi's men alive.
- Mizari finding Neguro still standing in the courtyard of Kouren's Villa and trying to talk to him. Subsequently, Neguro, barely alive, using the last of his strength to throw Mizari out of the way of an arrow and taking it to the throat in his place.
- Tao, in tears over Neguro's death, feeling responsible for Gobi's actions as she'd never considered how dangerous he could truly be until this happened.
- In chapter 153, Jaeha coming to the realization that Hak was devoted to serving Suwon for the rest of his life and is now trapped in the darkness of the night of Suwon's betrayal.
- In chapter 166, Vold and Algira reappear and offer to help save Yona, Jaeha, Zeno and Yun. Hak's response is to hug them and quietly thank them.
- In chapter 169, after the Tully gain significant lead in the battle, Hak manages to turn the tables back in Kouka's favour by remembering a battle strategy Suwon had told him years prior. Even despite everything that's happened, he still thinks back to his once-best friend when in a jam.
- Yona accepts Keishuk's alliance because she feels backed into a corner: she learned to fight and sought out the Four Dragons because Hak alone would die attempting to keep her safe. Now, the dragons themselves are in danger, because their infamy has grown after she enlisted their help in solving Kouka's problems. Even with Hak and the others urging her not to accept because they can fight off the entire kingdom and all the surrounding nations who might seek to exploit the dragons, she knows it's futile— and Zeno's confirmation that the dragons will always be exploited no matter which path she takes doesn't help.
- The end of chapter 178: Yona reflects to herself about how wonderful her life with Hak, Yun, and the Four Dragons has been, even though it's more simple and rugged than her life as a princess in the palace.
- Yona's Narration: "Before I knew it... it was more happiness than I could hold. Yun calling out 'good morning.' Hak and I doing morning practice. Kija and Shin-ah going fishing. Jaeha helping with the cooking. Zeno waking up to an angry earful from Yun. All of us eating a small breakfast around the fire. Beginning our days in a meager way, but so happy. But soon, those days will be over."
- The whole backstory of Su-won's and Yona's parents. A bunch of misunderstandings, inabilities to make themselves understood even to the ones they love most, and the long cycle of revenge that Yona is so determined to break.
