
Everyone weeps, and no-one plays the World's Smallest Violin.
"Crying is cleansing. There's a reason for tears, happiness or sadness."
Some viewers are impassive when it comes to what they watch. They've seen it all. No fictional death, sacrifice, emotional display or confession can move them.
Except these.
Since most of these involve death scenes, shocking twists, or something just as major, expect many spoilers. However, they can also be as simple as the right imagery, tone, and music coming together - for the sole purpose of working those tear-ducts.
This being one of the YMMV items, one person's Tear Jerker may be another's Narm, which is often a failed attempt to induce this. Comments such as "If you didn't cry at _____, you have no soul" are not welcome here; since this is defined by emotional reaction, what causes someone to burst into tears may cause another to shrug or even laugh, and guilt-tripping people just because they don't experience the emotions you want them to is not cool.
Some tearjerking moments, especially of deaths, can wind up being traumatizing.
Contrast Heartwarming Moments, which can induce tears for more positive reasons.
—Dionne Warwick
Tropes that often result in Tear Jerker moments
- Adult Fear
- After the End
- Alas, Poor Scrappy
- Alas, Poor Villain
- Alas, Poor Yorick
- All of the Other Reindeer
- Always with You
- Anguished Declaration of Love
- Antagonist in Mourning
- Bittersweet Ending
- Break the Cutie
- Broken Ace
- Broken Angel
- Broken Bird
- Broken Pedestal
- Broken Tears
- The Character Died with Him
- Cradle of Loneliness
- Cruel Twist Ending
- Cry for the Devil
- Cry into Chest
- Crying After Sex
- Death Fic
- Death by Childbirth
- Death by Newbery Medal
- A Death in the Limelight
- Death Wail
- Crossing the Despair Event Horizon.
- Desperately Craves Affection
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life
- Did Not Get the Girl
- Died in Your Arms Tonight
- Disappointed In You
- Disney Death
- Do Not Go Gentle
- Doomed Hometown
- Downer Beginning
- Downer Ending
- Driven to Suicide
- Dying Alone
- Dying as Yourself
- Dying Dream
- Dying Moment of Awesome
- Et Tu, Brute?
- Everybody Cries
- Face Death with Dignity
- False Friend
- Final First Hug
- Fond Memories That Could Have Been
- Foregone Conclusion
- Friendless Background
- Go Out with a Smile
- Go Through Me
- The Grotesque
- Gut Punch
- Happier Home Movie
- Happy Ending Override
- Heel–Face Door-Slam
- Heel Realization
- Heroic B.S.O.D.
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Heroic Self-Deprecation
- He Will Not Cry, So I Cry for Him
- Hope Spot
- I Die Free
- I Have No Son
- I Just Want to Be Normal
- I Just Want to Be Special
- I Just Want to Have Friends
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die
- It's All My Fault
- It's a Wonderful Failure
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
- Jerkass Woobie
- Kick the Dog, especially when done particularly cruelly.
- Kill 'em All
- Kill the Cutie
- Last Kiss
- Last of His Kind
- Let Them Die Happy
- Lonely at the Top
- Lonely Piano Piece
- The Lost Lenore
- A character crying Manly Tears.
- Mayfly-December Friendship
- Mayfly-December Romance
- Meaningful Funeral
- Mercy Kill
- Minor Insult Meltdown
- Monster Sob Story
- Particularly horrific cases of the Moral Event Horizon
- My God, What Have I Done?
- My Greatest Failure
- Never Got to Say Goodbye
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
- Not So Stoic
- One Last Song
- One-Person Birthday Party
- Parting Words Regret
- Planning for the Future Before the End
- Player Punch
- Please Don't Leave Me
- Please Wake Up
- Protagonist Journey to Villain
- Rape as Backstory
- Rape as Drama
- Really Dead Montage
- Redemption Equals Death
- Rejected Apology
- Sometimes Say My Name.
- Shoo Out the Clowns
- Shoo the Dog
- Shoot the Dog
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog
- Single Tear
- Skyward Scream
- Sole Survivor
- So Proud of You
- Star-Crossed Lovers
- Starts with Their Funeral
- Stay with Me Until I Die
- Finding out someone is a Stepford Smiler, especially if the reason they're sad inside is extremely heartbreaking
- Stuffed into the Fridge
- Survivor's Guilt
- Taking the Bullet
- Tender Tears
- Then Let Me Be Evil
- The One That Got Away (if storytelling is done beautifully in a tragic way)
- Together in Death
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth
- Most Tragedy tropes.
- Tragic Dream
- Tragic Hero
- Tragic Keepsake
- Tragic Monster
- Tragic Villain
- Undying Loyalty
- Unrequited Love Lasts Forever
- Unstoppable Rage
- The Unwitting Comedian
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid
- Utsuge
- Vengeance Feels Empty
- Villainous B.S.O.D.
- Villainous Breakdown
- War Is Hell
- Was It All a Lie?
- Was It Really Worth It?
- Was Too Hard on Him
- Watching Troy Burn
- "Well Done, Son!" Guy
- We Used to Be Friends
- Widowed at the Wedding
- The Woobie is from this trope.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
- Yank the Dog's Chain
- You Are Not Alone
- You Are Worth Hell
- You Can't Go Home Again
- You Have Failed Me: Especially to a really lovable character.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Examples from works:
- Advertising
- Anime and Manga and Light Novels
- Comic Books
- Comic Strips
- Disney
- Documentary
- Fan Works
- Film
- Let's Play
- Literature
- Live-Action TV
- Magazines
- Music
- Music Videos
- Podcast
- Professional Wrestling
- Radio
- Roleplay
- Tabletop Games
- Theater
- Video Games
- Visual Novels
- Web Comics
- Web Original
- Western Animation
- Other