Wash's, in "Serenity". It was just so unexpected and abrupt, and it served to generate a sense of unease in the viewer; after Wash's death, no character seemed to be protected by plot armor. Granted, Shepherd Book bit it before Wash did, but the movie seemed to set him up to be separate from the rest of the crew. I loved that Whedon played with this concept of fragility in the ensuing battle, with Kaylee getting darted, Zoe getting sliced up, and Simon getting shot. And then, Mal's battle with the agent... I thought the misdirect was masterfully done.

I've been affected by character deaths before and since, but Wash's death was the only death I've seen in media that has made me worry for the safety of the other characters. It made a lot of sense outside of the movie, too, as "Serenity" was more or less a tribute to some IP that was never going to get resurrected. While watching the movie for the first time, I was left thinking: "what if Whedon just said 'fuck it'?"

!Sayori in Doki Doki Literature Club!<. Hot Dam did that hit like a brick wall

I probably haven't seen The Neverending Story in 25 years, but I still think about Artax from time to time. Fuckin' Swamp of Sadness…

Companion cube

"Dogmeat has died".

Oh no he fucking has not. Reload.

First time I saw Wash die in firefly was brutal.

More recently, after watching better call Saul I am heartbroken over Mike's death. Particularly for Stacey and Kaylee.

Joyce Summers. That episode of Buffy was a masterpiece.

Sirius Black in Harry Potter. I had to go back and reread the paragraph several times, then put the book down. Seemed just so unfair.

Jesus, because no one ever shuts up about it

Robin Williams as the Bicentennial Man. The movie was okay; his performance was amazing. I've struggled with mortality for a while, like I expect a lot of people do, and to see him as a character who started their existence immortal, and to choose mortality. His death in the movie hit me much, much harder than I expected. I haven't watched the movie again since my first viewing because I'm honestly afraid of going through that again.

Mordin Solus from Mass Effect.

"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong"

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood spoiler:

Aerith. Do I need to say more?

Artax from The Neverending Story

Bambi's mother.

Runner-ups:

• Carl's wife from Up
• The mother in Violet Evergarden
• Ghost and Roach from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Mufasa would be the most popular answer for us oldies.

Cowboy Bebop spoilers

Hazel from Watership Down.

NOT a children's movie, mum!

Breaking bad spoilers

Big dan and little anne from where the red fern grows. Fucked me up at like age 10

Maes Hughes

Optimus Prime was a real shock for sure. For me it’s any animal death.

• Artax from The Neverending Story
• The dogs from Where the Red Fern Grows
• There’s a scene in the Sci-fi novel Armor where a puppy falls in a well and its owner, a child, unable to rescue it ,has to kill it by dropping stones on it to spare it drowning. I read that a long time ago, probably in the 80s, and it still haunts me.

BT in titanfall 2, one of the only scenes that made my shed a tear

Arthur Morgan's death scene in RDR2 really got to me. But perhaps even more so, when my horse was killed right before. I remember pausing the game for a moment because I had had that horse for so long and somehow it felt like a major deal that happened so quickly.

Never had a game affect me like that before.

Made me cry:

Gotta be Schindler's List. That movie was so goddamn sad, and I just started sobbing when I saw that splash of red color. You know when. Ooof. A masterpiece I will never watch again.

For a more recent example, I watched the second season of Arcane. Lots of sad scenes, but anyone else who has watched it knows the most heart-wrenching one:

Left me disturbed:

Another Spielberg movie, Saving Private Ryan. Didn't cry when the Nazi soldier sloooooowly stabbed Mellish to death. But afterwards, I had nightmares about it for months. Cripes, what a brutal death scene.

Rob and Catelyn Stark in the Red Wedding. So traumatizing!

It’s been 25 years since I first read it and I’m still not ok with the fact that Old Dan and Little Ann didn’t make it.

Grave of fireflies. Just... Yeah.