In real life or in anime, not all marriages work out. While it's not realistic for every couple to achieve a happy ending, many viewers find themselves hoping that their favorite onscreen lovers defy all odds and end up happily married. Sometimes couples tragically fall apart, even after marriage.
Whether they ended in heartbreak for the couple, their friends and family, or viewers, these anime marriages did not end well. These tragic endings can deeply affect fan and even leave some in tears or paralyzed in shock. Fans will likely never be able to forget the heartbreak they felt when these anime marriages came to an end.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
10 Machiko And Takashi Were Doomed From The Start (Death Parade)
In Death Parade's first episode, newlyweds Machiko and Takashi appear in Quindecim Bar and learn they must play a game to determine whether their souls get reincarnated or sent into the void. During the game, it's revealed that Machiko had an affair. Since their wedding day, Takashi has resented her after he overheard a conversation that made him suspicious of her.
Their lives came to an end when Takashi's growing distrust of Machiko led him to accidentally drive them off a cliff during their honeymoon. This marriage was destined to lead to heartbreak from the get-go.
9 Tomoya and Nagisa Experience The Worst Happily Ever After (Clannad: After Story)
In Clannad: After Story, the sequel to Clannad, Tomoya and Nagisa finally get their happily ever after, kind of. Tomoya and Nagisa marry and conceive a child, Ushio. But in a tragic twist of fate, Nagisa dies in childbirth. To make matters worse, their daughter later dies. These deaths have cemented Clannad: After Story as one of the saddest anime ever.
While Tomoya eventually resets to the moment he first met Nagisa and they relive their lives, this time with both Nagisa and Ushio surviving, it doesn't take away the trauma and heartbreak he, and the viewers suffered.
8 Rei And Enji's Marriage Was Abusive (My Hero Academia)
In My Hero Academia, Shoto is the product of an unhappy marriage. Enji Todoroki sought out Rei Himura as her ice-based Quirk complemented his Hellflame Quirk. He hoped that marrying her would produce a son with combined ice and fire abilities. So they married, but not out of love.
Enji eventually began abusing Rei, pushing her into mental instability. She reached her breaking point and lost control, burning her son Shoto with boiling water. Rei and Enji's marriage not only ended in tragedy for Rei, but also for her children, who suffered from abuse from Enji after he checked Rei into a psychiatric ward.
7 Kyoko and Katsuya Honda Left Their Daughter An Orphan (Fruits Basket)
Kyoko and Katsuya met and fell in love long before the start of the events in Fruits Basket. After Kyoko's family disowned her, the two married and had a child, Tohru. Sadly, Katsuya passed away unexpectedly when Tohru was only three years old, leaving Kyoko a single mother.
Tragedy struck the family once again when Kyoko died in a car accident. Tohru, a high schooler, was left to fend for herself in the world and eventually ended up homeless, before the Soma family took her in. This story is not only heartbreaking for the characters involved but for the audience as well.
6 Erina and Jonathan's Marriage Was Short But Sweet (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
In Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Erina Pendleton loved Jonathan Joestar her whole life. The childhood sweethearts rekindled their love as adults and married, but their marriage was tragically short-lived. While on their honeymoon, Dio appeared and delivered Jonathan a fatal wound. Intending to die by his side, Erina was saved by Jonathan sacrificing himself, and she survived to tell the tale.
Jonathan sacrificing himself to save the love of his life and his unborn child, especially after the couple finally got together, was a tragic moment in the action-adventure series.
5 Byakuya And Hisana Enjoyed 5 Years Together Before Tragedy Struck (Bleach)
Byakuya Kuchiki has one of the saddest backstories in Bleach. He was once married to Hisana, who he loved very much. Sadly, Hisana's health began to decline, and her dying wish was for him to locate and adopt her younger sister, Rukia. When Hisana and Rukia were living in Rukongai, Hisana struggled to care for Rukia, who was still a baby. She made the difficult decision to abandon her, which she regretted the rest of her life.
After Hisana's death, a heartbroken Byakuya fulfilled his late wife's dying wish and adopted Rukia. While he only enjoyed five years of marriage with Hisana, he was able to honor her memory by caring for her sister.
4 Hana's Wolf Man Died A Tragic Death And Left Her A Single Mother (Wolf Children)
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, Wolf Children is a beautifully poignant film about a mother who raises her werewolf children by herself after her husband's death. Hana meets her Wolf Man while taking classes at college. They soon fall into a fairy tale romance and have two children, Yuki and Ame.
Hana's husband, who has the ability to transform into a wolf, tragically dies while hunting. His last request of Hana, when he appears at the end of the film, is to let their children find their own paths in life. Wolf Children certainly is a tear-jerker of a film.
3 The Tuckers' Marriage Ended Horrifically (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)
In Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Shou Tucker and his wife began having difficulties soon after marrying. After constant fighting, Mrs. Tucker abandoned her husband and daughter Nina, or so Shou Tucker had everyone believe. In reality, the alchemist used her in an experiment, fusing her with a creature to create a chimera.
The horrors didn't end there, with Shou eventually also turning Nina into a chimera. Shou Tucker's desire for scientific progress had disturbing and tragic consequences for his family. The Tuckers' marriage ended in heartbreak for everyone, viewers included.
2 Maes and Gracia Hughes Were The Perfect Couple (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)
Most viewers of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood fell in love with the cheerful and hilarious Maes Hughes, characterized by his infatuation with his wife, Gracia, and daughter, Elicia. At every chance, Maes bragged about Gracia and Elicia, annoying everyone around him. However, Gracia was his perfect match as she was never annoyed by him.
In perhaps the saddest moment in the series, Maes Hughes died at the hands of Envy, a shaper-shifter who cruelly took on the form of Gracia knowing that Maes would hesitate. Maes and Gracia were one of the most loving couples in anime, and Maes' death shook everyone to their core.
1 Simon And Nia's Marriage Lasted Only Minutes (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
In Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Nia helped Simon work through Kamina's death and find himself as a leader. Together, they defeated Nia's father, the Spiral King, and developed a close relationship. Simon proposed to Nia, only for her to turn into an Anti-Spiral messenger. After defeating the Anti-Spiral and rescuing Nia, the two finally got married.
Unfortunately, Nia's existence was dependent on the Anti-Spiral. She faded away moments after kissing Simon at the altar, leaving behind only her wedding ring, which Simon later wore it as a necklace. Though their marriage lasted only minutes and ended in heartbreak, their love was forever. Simon, and viewers would never forget her, "even if the universe ends."