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Let's face it, some characters are crafted so horribly, it's impossible not to laugh at their ridiculous lines and actions. Storytellers mess up too and when they do, we get imaginary people who are just that — not real. Even worse, their unconvincing behavior can break the suspension of disbelief and ruin an otherwise totally sound book, TV show, or movie.

Luckily, that's not always the case and every once in a while, we relate to make-believe folks so much, we can even learn from them and grow as human beings. In fact, we can develop such a strong bond with them that their joys and sorrows start affecting us on a personal level. So we at Bored Panda decided to explore these beautiful connections.

Researching the topic, we came across a couple of Reddit threads (one and two) that we think you'd be interested to go through as well. They both essentially ask the same question: which characters' passing away have scarred you the most? And people's answers along with their explanations provide an interesting insight into our relationship with fiction.

#1

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away John Coffey from The Green Mile. I’m a grown man, and his death makes me ugly-cry every damn time. Too much time thinking about it makes me tear up

Graphics_Nerd , warnerbros Report

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Tash
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I genuinely sobbed the first time I watched this...and the second...

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#2

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Ellie from Up. Up's intro sequence was so beautiful: It told the story of a couple's life together. Real life with all of the difficulty and broken dreams along with it. And it shows the deep and incredible loss Carl felt with her death. This short sequence imbues the film with a deeper sense of meaning, using almost no words at all, and gives Carl a profound gravitas you cannot find in many other films

zaogao_ , Disney Report

#3

Sam(the dog) in, I am legend. Because he was Will smiths friend and he had to put her down.

DickVanDraeven Report

#4

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Fred Weasley from Harry Potter. The twins may have annoyed some people with their pranks, but their ultimate goal in life was to have fun and bring joy to their friends. They were generous and brave and clever and pure. To kill Fred and permanently tear them apart was the WORST! Especially when George had already been injured! You didn’t think they could be at risk anymore now that one of them had gotten hurt. They weren’t on my radar during the Battle of Hogwarts. I remember the moment I read it the first time. I was inconsolable

yojothobodoflo , warnerbros Report

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#5

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Rue from The Hunger Games. Rue getting speared and having Katniss sing to her. The 12-year-old me couldn’t handle that trauma

Aerialchinook1 , Lionsgate Report

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GaeFrog
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just watched this movie for the 4 time last night and it makes me so sad every time even though I know it happens

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#6

That horse in the Never Ending Story

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#7

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Seymour the dog from Futurama. I normally skip 'Jurassic Bark' as I know I can't handle it. But upon a recent rewatch from beginning to end, I decided to put on a brave face, knew what I was getting into, braced myself, and watched it along with all the other episodes. I had to stop watching because I couldn't see the TV through my tears.

LittlestSlipper55 , 20th Television Report

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Number 5
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They did such a great job with that segment. They knew just how to tug at your emotions without making it cheesy. It was just devastating.

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#8

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Dobby. I've read the books before and knew he would die but when i saw him dying in the movie.... it just broke my heart. so i cried my eyes out in the cinema (i was ten)

4ng3l1qu3 , warnerbros Report

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#9

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Bobby Singer....

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Nadine Bamberger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The closest thing they had to a father. I still think some things would've worked out differently if Bobby would've still been there to shake some sense into Dean especially. There are deaths that make me incredibly angry (Charlie, Ellen and Jo, Kevin and DEAN) but Bobby's is just sad. That we get to know ow so much about him in his death episode makes it worse.

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Marlowe Fitzpatrik
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's Bobby, Charlie, Ellen and Jo for me. Kevin, I never quite connected to. (Dean is obvious, duh)

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Jessica Cifelli
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg yes. Definitely teared up here. And also later during the final episode..

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Nadine Bamberger
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That one just made me incredibly angry. A show that prides itself for doing so much in regard of mental health and suicide prevention and then they show us that death is the true happy ending, throwing a decade of found family out of the window. A rusty freaking nail.

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Marvin HoG
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I started my rewatch I couldn't keep from crying his first episode

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Maurettis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Character taken out against one of the most boring villains ever. Would it have been better to have him killed by Crowley

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Karina Carr
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm rewatching the entire series right now (in preparation to catch up in the last couple of seasons I missed). I was a sobbing mess when he died. Then I sobbed all over again when his ghost said goodbye.

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#10

Brooks from Shawshank Redemption. It was so sad seeing that old man just trying to be normal but realizing his normal was within the cell walls and prison halls. It really bothered me when he was working at the grocery store, and everyone was b*tching at him while he was bagging people’s groceries. It truly goes to show that society will f*ck you if you don’t keep up. RIP.

3pointstonibbadore Report

#11

Little Foot's mom in The Land Before Time.

When I first saw it as a kid it was the first time that I realized that my parents could die. That thought had never even really occured to me at that point.

Even now as an adult that scene where he thinks he sees her but it's just his shadow and the narrator says, "Then Little Foot knew for certain he was alone." still gets to me.

-eDgAR- Report

#12

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away That girl from the bridge to terabithia. That hit me so hard as an 8 year old

AdministrationSad226 , Walden Media Report

#13

Henry Blake from MASH

KayBeaux Report

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Nadine Bamberger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Cher's variety show in 1975 he showed up on a life raft, waving and shouting "I'm fine!" lol. Legend also has it that they didn't tell the cast about it and when they hear the message the upset silence and dropping of instruments we hear was a genuine reaction.

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#14

Thomas J from My Girl. When Vada is crying at his funeral, screaming about his glasses... that hits different. Gets me every time.

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Leslie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

God, this one was the worst. I couldn’t believe they killed a kid in a movie.

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#15

Yondu. sh*t was sad asf and i actually cried a lil in the theater

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#16

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Hedwig. Idk, hedwig was there from the start. Ken Miles in Ford v. Ferrari. He never got his full recognition. Although, the nod from Enzo was huge.

brocalmotion , warnerbros Report

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(T)reacherou(S)
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! It was awful. Though jkr said it was a metaphor for Harry's childhood being over. Still, why?!

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#18

Mufasa in “The Lion King”.

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glowworm2
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh boy, yes! This one is a "classic" death scene. Simba trying to curl up to dad and telling him to get up and that they have to go home tugs so damn hard on the heartstrings.

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#19

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Bob from Stranger things !!

skinandearth , netflix Report

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GaeFrog
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

HE SHOULD HAVE RAN TO THE DOOR INSTEAD OF STANDING THERE LOOKING AT JOYCE FOR 10 MINUTES

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#20

Tadashi Hamada in big hero 6

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#21

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Shireen Baratheon from Game of Thrones. It will all be over soon, Princess' and the music. F*ck, it makes me want to barf. The series is full of scenes that are truly painful to watch, but the burning of Shireen is the worst.

tortugastation , hbo Report

#22

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Boromir from The Lord of the Rings. First time I ever cried during a movie.

vinaigrettchen , New Line Cinema Report

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AW
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you see Sean Bean in a movie, you can rely on this happening

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#23

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Prim from The Hunger Games. Unlike most character deaths, hers wasn't in the midst of the action/excitement. It was after they'd won. It felt so spiteful and unnecessary. Fu*ck Coin

dipsh*t8304 , Lionsgate Report

#24

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Loki in Infinity War. Not because of some great affinity for the character but because I was absolutely certain that he was the ONE person who was safe from being offed. Of course, he not only died but he died FIRST.

IntrovertedAsexual , Marvel Studios Report

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Henry Edison Jurman
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah but as we all predicted, Loki didnt die. He can't just lay down and die for some reason.

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#25

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Rosie from Jojo Rabbit. It took me a while to realize why Jojo was crying about the hanging victim he'd bumped into...and then it f*cking hit me. That one was absolutely brutal.

CrypticBalcony , Fox Searchlight Pictures Report

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Number 5
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The poster left out the saddest part. Throughout the movie it's established Jojo has trouble tying his shoes. He tries to do it for his mom as a final act of love towards her and can't do it.

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#26

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter. This one gets me more now than when I first saw it. Then, as probably a lot of people do on their first read/watch, I looked at it from the perspective of Harry. His friend died needlessly, and it hurt.

Now, older and a father, I can’t help but look at it from Cedric’s dad’s perspective: proud and supportive of the man his son is growing into. And it’s all taken away in that horrid moment that they Apparate back

DontWorryImADr , warnerbros Report

#27

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey. That was absolutely traumatizing.

APeacefulWarrior Report

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Caro Caro
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aaaw spoiler alert. I'm (binge)watching this and haven't reached that part. Sh!t, she is the sweetest of them all. Maaaan

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#29

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away George O’Malley from Grey's Anatomy. I gotta mentally prepare myself to rewatch that episode

simp4tedlasso , ABC Report

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Monday
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was a time before major character deaths were common. They set everything up so well that we were so focused on the idea that Izzy might die that the thought of another main cast member dying was inconceivable. Now it's a game: "oh who do you think they'll kill off next?".

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#30

30 Movie And TV Characters That Crushed A Lot Of Hearts When They Passed Away Rob stark. The whole episode was a mind f*ck and I’m sure all GofT fans will agree it’s by far one of the best episodes if not the best.

Northernsoul64 , HBO Report

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Random Panda
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I read the books before the show came out and that scene was so traumatic. It was 2AM, and I'd been reading non-stop since the early morning, when I got to the Red Wedding. I felt so numb and I just put the book down. it took me a while to go to sleep.

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Note: this post originally had 88 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.