We're all victims of good writing; characters so developed and thought out that we become invested in their fictional lives. It doesn't matter if we know them for the length of a novel or for a couple of hours of a movie or show. Nor does it matter that we'll never meet them outside of our imaginations. A well written character can be as dear to our hearts as a living being can be.
But then, some creators like to rip our new found friends away from us. With just a moment on the screen or the turn of the page, creators crush fans' hearts by killing off beloved characters all of the time.
Redditor u/BeansAreNotCorn opened up some old wounds when they asked... "Which fictional character's death hit you the hardest?"
**spoilers ahead**
20. One of the saddest video game deaths
Giphy"Lee Telltales the walking Dead Clementines desperation just broke my heart"
19. Disney knows how to hurt us
"Ellie Frederickson from UP. I wasn't really phased by it when I was young. But in retrospect, her death is pretty heartbreaking."
18. So iconic, that I don't have to give a source
"'Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good.'"
17. The whole movie is about a dog that dies over and over again
"the Retriever and German Shepherd in A Dogs Purpose"
16. An educated prediction
"Hasnt happened yet but when and if it does it'll be All Might's"
15. This hit many people hard
"Arthur Morgan from red dead Redemption two. This is the first time I've ever cried bc of a game character. The whole story line made him feel so real."
14. Poor Newt
"Newt from maze runner. Got really attached to him as a character from the books."
13. I didn't see it coming and I couldn't believe it
"Eddie Kaspbrak's from IT Chapter two"
12. No one understands
"jack dawson from the titanic. i watched that movie every day as a kid and i couldn't understand why he couldn't climb on the board with her."
11. I never thought I'd cry for a spider
"Charlotte from Charlotte's Web. I read the book to my daughter when she was a toddler and I couldn't finish it from crying so hard. The cartoon movie kills me as well."
10. "I'm tired, boss."
"'I'm tired, boss.'
Cried the first time I saw John Coffey die in the Green Mile, and will cry any time I watch it
Also, the little girl in the red coat in Schindler's List."
9. We all cried when our teacher showed us this movie
Giphy"The Iron Giant's death. 'I go. You stay. No following.'"
8. “I wanna go home Forrest”
"I'm surprised nobody has mention Bubba from Forrest Gump
That 'I wanna go home Forrest' line KILLS me every time and I've seen the movie at least 8 times. I almost teared up just now thinking about it."
7. My jaw hit the floor when I first read the book
"Leslie Burke in Bridge To Terebithia. I couldn't handle it the first time I read it, and it took me ages to actually finish the book"
6. Everything is sadder after a pet dies
"Lee Scoresby and Hester in His Dark Materials. It was a heart wrenching scene on its own, but my bunny had died not too long before the first time I read the book. I still skip that part on every re-read."
5. Every little thing will not be alright
"The dog from I Am Legend. You can bet I let my dog sleep in the bed with me that night."
4. It was an awful way to be written off
"Prince Oberyn.
I wasn't even attached to the character, it was just the way that he died. I saw it coming as soon as he got cocky but did not expect it to be so brutal!"
3. And I made up my mind to stop watching the show
"Hank from Breaking bad. DID NOT EXPECT THAT."
"He made up his mind ten minutes ago."
2. Every “Potter” reader has had their heart shattered
"Sirius Black. Sorry Dumbledore, Dobby, Hedwig, Snape, and the 99999 others that died"
"Dobby hit me hard. Such a beautiful place, to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend, Harry Potter."
1. The saddest cartoon death, no arguments
Giphy"Mufasa"
"That's the one that gets me too!! No other movie can do that to me, when simba's pawing at his dad and realizing he's dead actually breaks my heart. Every time."
Triwizard.
GiphyI know I'm late to the thread, but I've never understood something about the Triwizard tournament. For the spectators, two of the three tasks must be super boring.
Here, watch these people jump in a lake. Now wait.
Now, watch these people disappear into a hedge maze. Now wait.
Whee. Sounds like fun to me.
edgarpickle
Not even Malfoy.
That none of the kids in Harry's first year knew about the sorting hat.
Literally not one. Not even Malfoy. Not even Ron with his 5 brothers going before him as well as his parents.
Yet in the end of the last book, Harry is openly discussing the event with his son.
GoshDarnMamaHubbard
The Dentist.
At Slughorn's Slug Club meetings, Hermione brings up her father being a dentist, which gets confused stares from the students and Slughorn. Yet, in the Chamber of Secrets a clock in the Weasley house can be seen, each hand with a family member's face, and many indications of where they might be at any given moment.
One of those places is dentist.
pretend_shower
Accio....
Also, Accio being a fourth-year spell.
You can tell that this is only because JKR didn't think of it 'til GoF, because this incredibly simple yet useful spell appears exactly zero times in previous books.
an-kitten
Or just the way magic is introduced into new books as a device to advance the plot, then promptly forgotten about. Also, these plot devices will never be considered for any use other than to advance the plot, no matter how logical and basic.
isotopes_ftw
The 3rd floor corridor....
GiphyLocking the 3rd floor corridor when anyone that knows alohomora can get in.
Earthmang
Law Student here! Adds criminal intent to the act of proceeding into the corridor, and it secured Fluffy against potential attractive nuisance liability issues. I'm sure the resident Hogwarts lawyer advised it.
TheWildWhistlepig
Muggle Music.
They don't listen to any muggle music. Some of them grew up with muggles, so they should be into it. Same goes for TV shows.
Marise20
I wonder if any muggle borns keep in touch with old friends, and the friends think that they're essentially retarded because they have the education level of a 10 year old and know basically nothing about what's going on in the world.
queendead2march19
Not so Safe.
That Hogwarts was supposedly one of the safest places in the world.
drdoom
And supposedly only for the best of the best.
I can assure you if my kid is at Eton or Phillips Exeter and there's the ghost of wizard Hitler living in the back of a teacher's head one year, and then kids being petrified and a possessed girl finding a snake dungeon in the girl's bathroom the next, and then a supposed murderer hanging around campus the next year, I'm going to have to evaluate whether or not my kid stays at that school.
RuleBrifranzia
I Need Answers!
Where do the pure blood kids go before Hogwarts/secondary school? Do they have a wizarding primary school? Are they homeschooled? They don't go to muggle schools because they know jack about the muggle world I need answers.
yllekahtram
Have a word...
I don't understand why Dumbledore tolerated the way the Dursleys treated Harry so poorly. Even if he didn't want Harry to know that he was a wizard-world rock star, he might have had Hagrid drop by one day when Harry wasn't around to have a word with Vernon.
BaronVonWazoo
Dumbledore was a great man.....
GiphyDumbledore was a great man. I got massive respect for the dude. But when it comes to his role as a headmaster I would say he is a pretty incompetent one. He had no control over administration and had no idea what's going on around here.
sleepdaddy
The Office.
GiphyHarry Potter and the Never-Ending Staff Meeting. GodofWitsandWine
Harry Potter and the Deathly PowerPoint Presentation. livefreak
Why Am I Here?
Harry Potter and Why Did I Come Into This Room Again? Marise20
Where are my glasses? (glasses are propped up on his forehead) ForgettableUsername
Kidney Stones.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Kidney Stone. Howl_Free_or_Die
To be fair, I think someone who can grow new bones would not really have to worry about the kidney stones. Tatis_Chief
Floppy Wand.
Harry Potter and It Happens To All Guys at Some Point. AnarkeIncarnate
Harry Potter and I Was Really Tired and I Had a Few Drinks. P_E_E_N
Harry potter and the floppy wand. bigfatnuts
Employment.
GiphyWell Paid Jobs and Where to Find Them. mage_irl
There's a YouTube series that starts off with a middle-aged Harry looking for work: Harry Potter and the Ten Years Later poopyheadthrowaway
Damn Kids.
Harry Potter and the kids that won't turn off the damn lights. PDRickelton
He can borrow Ron's deluminator for that. Eyelikeyourname
Harry Potter and the KIDS ON THE DAMN SHED. themagicchicken
Harry & The Fed.
Harry Potter and the Tax Audit, followed by Harry Potter and Federal Indictment. TheBlargshaggen
Harry's British. They don't have a federal government. They have a royal government, at least on the Muggle side. On the Wizard side, I think the best description of their form of government is incompetent. darthjoey91
Harry Sober.
Harry Potter and the deathly hangovers. Mandz27
I think Daniel Redcliffe would agree. He did have serious drinking problem when he was filming the last few HP movies. He would often show up, still drunk, during shooting. loveactually97
On the Bus.
Harry Potter and the Inconsiderate Bus Passenger. ViridianKumquat
Lol.... I'm sitting on a bus right now. The guy in the window seat asked me to move so he could go to the bathroom - literally 3 minutes after we left a rest stop. chchchips
Harry's Health.
GiphyHarry Potter and the prostate examination. lucasadtr
The plot should be Hermione put an expansion charm on Harry's butt to hide horcruxes during the war but then forgot about it. When attempting to examine his prostate his doctor falls in. Then the rest of the gang gets together for an adventure in Harry's colon. MidnightMath