For decades, magical girl anime has been known for their cute costumes, pretty transformations, and playfulness. But in recent years, the genre has taken a darker turn. Many series now feature the not so nice side of being a magical girl. However, magical girl anime has always had its darkest moments.
Sometimes they even get downright depressing. Whether it’s the death of a character or the loss of a friendship, magical girls also go through their fair share of hardships. In these rare moments, fans see that it’s not all cutesy and fun for magical girls, and heartbreak is more common than it seems.
10 Sakura and Syaoran’s parting scene is remembered to this day (Cardcaptor Sakura)
When card captor sakura begins, Sakura and Syaoran are enemies vying for ownership of the Clow Cards. But as they learn more about each other, they slowly begin to fall in love with each other. Before their love blossoms, Syaoran has to leave for Hong Kong during the final episodes.
Syaoran almost gets going before Sakura can say goodbye. Fortunately, she stops him just in time and the two share an emotional moment. Sakura realizes her true feelings then, but it’s too late for her to get anything out of them. It’s a bittersweet scene that fans still remember years later.
9 Usagi and Mamoru’s breakup shocks fans (Sailor Moon)
In the 90’s adaptation of sailor moonUsagi and Mamoru’s relationship has many ups and downs. There is even more drama between them than in the original manga story and a lot more heartbreak. However, few moments can compare to when Mamoru suddenly breaks up with Usagi.
After horrific visions haunt him, Mamoru decides the only way to protect her is to end their relationship. When she does, he is surprisingly cruel to a devastated Usagi. Once he leaves her apartment, she completely breaks down. The series has a lot of heartbreaking moments, but seeing Usagi’s pain as she cries alone is a whole other level of pain.
8 Homura’s anguish while killing Madoka is the absolute worst timeline (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
In the third timeline of Madoka Magica, Homura is desperately trying to convince the others not to trust Kyubey. However, things don’t go as planned and the girls turn on each other. Despite Homura and Madoka’s best efforts, the world is devastated by the destruction of Walpurgisnacht.
In these final moments, Madoka heals Homura and begs her to go back in time and save everyone from Kyubey. He also begs Homura to kill her, much to her horror. Despite her hesitation, she does as Madoka asks, shooting her soul gem from her and putting her out of her misery. While the series is full of harrowing and heartbreaking moments, the end of this timeline is exceptionally sad. It is also a pivotal moment for Homura’s character, ultimately leading to her drastic personality change.
7 Itsuki loses her voice and Fuu collapses (Yuki Yuna is a hero)
Yuki Yuna is a hero is the story of a young girl named Yuki Yuna and her friends who join a mysterious group at their school called the Hero Club. However, being a hero comes at a price. As their powers grow, the girls slowly sacrifice parts of their humanity, losing their senses, memories, and more in exchange for their magical abilities.
The gravity of the situation comes in full force as Itsuki loses his voice. With this loss, he also loses his dream of being able to sing with his sister Fuu. The news devastates Fuu and the harsh reality of her job is revealed. As Fuu breaks down in tears, the audience gets a taste of the suffering each girl has waiting for them.
6 Fans are horrified when Anthy betrays Utena (Utena Revolutionary Girl)
After finding herself locked in dueling at Ohtori Academy at the beginning of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Utena struggles to free Anthy Himemiya from her role as the Rose Bride. As the girls work together, they form an incredibly close bond, and Utena comes to truly love Anthy, vowing to protect her at all costs. Unfortunately, Anthy has a dark secret locked inside her.
This secret comes to light at the end of the series when Utena confronts Akio. In one of the most shocking betrayals in anime, Anthy stabs Utena in the back and tells her that he can never be her prince. It’s a momentous reveal that still has fans in awe decades later.
5 Fate learns that her mother never loved her (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)
Along the first arc of Lyrical Magical Girl Nanoha, Fate is Nanoha’s enemy and rival for the coveted Jewel Seeds. His mother, Preseas Testarossa, yearns for them for unknown reasons, and fate is willing to get them no matter what. Things take a tragic turn when Presea reveals her motives.
Fate discovers that she is a copy of Alicia Testarossa, her mother’s true daughter, and wants the Jewel Seeds so she can revive her. Worst of all, she finds out that her mother never loved her and she’s ready to throw her away like her trash. It’s a shocking and tragic moment in the series that changes Fate’s life forever.
4 Edel’s death is shocking and heartbreaking (Princess Tutu)
Edel is a mysterious woman who guides Ahiru on her mission in princess tutu. She gives him tips and hints on where to find Mytho’s heart shards, and she always seems to arrive at just the right time. She and Ahiru form a bond, with Edel taking on a motherly role for her.
However, it turns out that Edel is not a woman at all. She’s a puppet, she used to do Drosselmeyer’s bidding. However, she proves that she is much more than that when she sacrifices herself to save Ahiru and Fakir in one last act of love. In this bittersweet and shocking ending, Edel lives her last moments watching her love Ahiru dance with the Prince before slipping away.
3 Kish sacrifices himself for Ichigo (Tokyo Mew Mew)
At the beginning of Tokyo Mew Mew, Kish is one of three mysterious aliens planning to take over Earth. He is Ichigo’s archenemy and constantly plays with her for her own amusement. Although he may seem cruel on the surface, Kish genuinely loves Ichigo, and this love makes him change his mind.
When Deep Blue awakens, Kish completely changes sides. He abandons his original mission and fights to protect Ichigo, giving her life to save her. At this point, her redemption comes full circle as she says goodbye to Ichigo and tells him how much she means to him.
two Mirai longs to see her friends again (Magic Girls PreCure)
near the end of PreCure magical girls, viewers are met with a time jump of six years. The magic is gone and Mirai is separated from her friends never to see them again. As she reminisces about their time together, she yells one last “Heal! Rapapa!”, hoping that her friends will come back to her. Of course, since the magic is gone, it doesn’t work. But she doesn’t give up, continually shouting the spell and begging to see her friends again.
The scenes flash, showing him happy memories of his friends. The more he screams, the more she breaks down until she finally can no longer cast the spell, and the scene ends with Mirai crying. It is a memorable scene that many PreCure fans consider it to be one of the saddest in the entire franchise.
1 Momo’s death was completely unexpected (Magical Princess Minky Momo)
Magical Princess Minky Momo is a classic magical girl series that helped shape the genre. It is an overall cute and innocent anime that features the adventures of a typical classic magical girl. No one could have predicted the series’ infamous 46th episode, a shocking and unforgettable moment in the series where the heroine Momo is suddenly hit by a truck and dies on screen.
After his death, his funeral is shown, solidifying this shocking ending for all who watch. It’s a sudden and horrible death unlike anything in any previous magical girl series.
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