Many anime series begin with a funeral or goodbye scene to set a serious, emotional tone right from the start. These moments show you that loss and farewells play a big role in the story, shaping the characters and their journeys.
Starting with goodbyes can create powerful memories and grab your attention immediately. When you watch these scenes, you see how characters cope with grief and change.
This can make the story feel more real and meaningful, as it connects you to the emotions the characters face. Some well-known anime use these openings to build deep stories about friendship, loss, and moving forward.
Key Takeways
- Funeral or goodbye scenes set an emotional tone from the beginning.
- These scenes help deepen character development and the story’s impact.
- Many popular anime use farewells as turning points in their plots.
Significance of Funeral and Goodbye Scenes in Anime
Funeral and goodbye scenes in anime often carry deep meaning. They explore themes of loss, set the mood for what follows, and drive the story forward by impacting characters and plot.
Themes of Loss and Farewell
When an anime starts with a funeral or goodbye, it immediately brings loss to the forefront. You see characters coping with grief, regret, or unfinished business.
This makes the moment real and personal. These scenes often highlight how people say farewell differently—some with silent sorrow, others with emotional outbursts.
The act of saying goodbye can reveal deep bonds or unresolved conflicts. By focusing on loss early on, the show prepares you for emotional moments ahead.
Setting the Emotional Tone
Beginning with a funeral or farewell creates a strong mood for the entire anime. It sets a somber, reflective, or serious tone that shapes how you feel about the characters and their journey.
This tone can make other moments hit harder—like joy, hope, or even danger. The sadness you feel in the opening carries through, making you more connected to the story.
Impact on Story Development
A funeral or goodbye at the start often acts as a key plot point. It can trigger change, motivate characters, or create goals for the story to follow.
You might find characters struggling to move on or seeking revenge, justice, or peace. These scenes create conflict and purpose that push the story forward.
They also introduce themes like healing and acceptance, shaping how characters grow. These openings help explain why certain choices are made later in the anime.
Iconic Anime Series That Begin with Funeral or Goodbye Scenes
Some anime start with powerful moments that set the tone for the entire story. These openings often show loss, pain, or farewells that shape the characters’ journeys.
They grab your attention by diving right into emotionally intense scenes.
Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood open with deep emotional weight tied to loss. You see the Elric brothers’ childhood marked by tragedy after a failed alchemy experiment.
Although not a traditional funeral, the goodbye to their mother and the consequences of their actions create a strong sense of grief. This early loss drives the whole story.
It fuels their quest to fix what went wrong, showing how goodbyes can change lives forever. You will feel the brothers’ pain and determination from the start.
Clannad and Clannad: After Story
Clannad and Clannad: After Story use funeral and goodbye scenes to highlight family bonds and loss. The beginning often involves the death or serious illness of loved ones.
These scenes are gentle but heartbreaking, showing how the characters face grief and try to move on. You will see that these farewells are not just about death—they show emotional growth and the pain of growing apart.
The funeral scenes in After Story especially set a tone of sadness and reflection. They remind you how important family is in shaping who we are.
Angel Beats!
Angel Beats! begins with a farewell scene that is unusual and emotional. You wake up in a strange afterlife where characters struggle to accept their deaths.
The goodbye moments here come quickly as characters face the end of unresolved regrets. This opening scene sets a tone of bittersweet sadness mixed with action and humor.
You get the idea that death is not the end, but a chance to resolve unfinished business. The funeral-like atmosphere pushes you to think about life, death, and what it means to move on.
Contemporary and Popular Examples in Anime
You will find that many modern anime use funerals or goodbye scenes to set a serious, emotional tone. These moments often introduce key themes like loss, memory, or change.
The anime discussed below each start with these scenes in ways that shape the story and your connection to the characters.
Oshi no Ko and Chainsaw Man
Oshi no Ko opens with a significant death that immediately pulls you into its dark world. The funeral scene highlights themes of fame, identity, and fate.
This sets the stage for a story that balances mystery and tragedy while questioning the price of stardom. Chainsaw Man also begins with loss and goodbye.
The early death you witness drives the main character’s motivation and the show’s brutal tone. This farewell marks the start of a journey filled with violence and emotional struggles.
Both anime use these openings to deepen the impact of the coming story. You understand from the start that death and grief will play major roles in character development.
To Your Eternity and Made in Abyss
To Your Eternity begins with the loss of a loved one, prompting a journey through life, death, and the bonds formed along the way. The farewell scene teaches you about the value of connection and survival, setting a reflective mood.
Made in Abyss opens by showing the disappearance of a key character, which feels like a goodbye to innocence and safety. This farewell scene immediately frames your expectations for a dangerous adventure filled with emotional trials.
Both series use their openings to prepare you for stories focused on growth and the painful parts of exploring unknown worlds.
Your Lie in April and Violet Evergarden
In Your Lie in April, the goodbye is gentle yet heartbreaking. The funeral reflects the loss of a talented musician and his struggle with grief and recovery.
You see how music and memories become a path to healing. Violet Evergarden starts with a farewell marked by war.
The opening scene shows you the cost of conflict and loss on Violet’s life. This goodbye shapes her search for identity and understanding human emotions throughout the series.
These stories use their opening goodbyes to explore themes of healing, memory, and emotional growth through the characters’ personal struggles.
Erased and The Flower We Saw That Day
Erased begins with a funeral that sets a strong mystery and emotional tone. The death you witness makes you care about the truth behind past and present events.
This goodbye scene motivates the protagonist to change tragic outcomes. The Flower We Saw That Day starts with a farewell among childhood friends, creating tension and regret that shapes the story.
The initial goodbye teaches you about loss, friendship, and unresolved feelings. Both shows use their farewells to ask you to reflect on how past tragedies affect the present and future relationships.
Notable Farewell Scenes in Classic and Adventure Anime
Goodbye scenes in classic and adventure anime often mark key moments that shape the story. These farewells can be emotional, signaling growth, change, or loss.
They also offer insight into characters’ feelings and motivations.
Pokémon and Dragon Ball
In Pokémon, farewells usually happen at the end of important arcs or when characters part ways to continue their journeys. For example, Ash saying goodbye to his friends or Pokémon reflects growth and hope for new adventures.
These scenes are heartfelt but focused on optimism. Dragon Ball features farewells that can feel intense, especially during character deaths or before big battles.
Vegeta’s moments of parting, such as when he says goodbye to his family, highlight his development from a fighter to a caring father. These scenes mix sadness with determination, showing the stakes involved.
Naruto Shippuden and One Piece
In Naruto Shippuden, farewells are often tied to sacrifice and the harsh realities of war. Naruto’s goodbyes to fallen comrades or rivals carry deep emotion and themes of forgiveness and peace.
These moments emphasize the cost of conflict and the desire to protect loved ones. One Piece uses farewells to underline bonds and dreams.
When characters separate temporarily, like Luffy leaving friends behind, the scenes show trust and hope for reunion. Farewells here are about enduring friendship and the ongoing quest for freedom.
Evangelion and Madoka Magica
Evangelion presents farewells that are psychologically complex and often ambiguous. Characters struggle with connection and pain, making goodbyes heavy and existential.
Shinji’s and Rei’s moments of parting focus on identity and human emotion. In Madoka Magica, farewells are tied to sacrifice and transformation.
The goodbye scenes often blend despair with hope, as characters accept their fate or change to protect others. These scenes feel both tragic and cathartic.
Influence on Anime Movies
Farewell scenes in classic and adventure anime often set the tone for related movies.
Films like Naruto the Movie or One Piece: The Movie build on emotional goodbyes to create stronger impact.
They use these moments to deepen character development and heighten drama.
Movies sometimes revisit or expand on farewell moments, giving you more detail or closure.