10 Dark Animated Shows Guaranteed to Make You Cry | Adult Animation

Tearjerkers & Toon-Tragedy: 10 Animated Shows That'll Wreck You!

Beyond the Laughs: When Animation Gets Seriously Dark

Cartoons aren't just for kids anymore! We've moved far beyond those sugary-sweet Saturday morning shows from the '80s. Modern animation tackles incredibly complex themes, creating emotionally gut-wrenching stories that hit harder than most live-action shows could ever manage. Some adult cartoons are totally wacky; filled with zany humor and those over-the-top characters. But many, aimed at adults and teens, explore truly difficult and hard-hitting subjects– everything from societal prejudices to intergenerational traumas! It showcases the true potential that animation holds and those artistic capacities far beyond typical entertainment for the sake of pure enjoyment!

Animation actually has an advantage! It can Visually portray things live-action just couldn't without creating other logistical and cost challenges. It uses visual representations to explore topics with amazing taste and respect, conveying themes and messages in stunning ways. So prepare for a ride; these ten shows cover everything – profound existential dread, intense heartbreak and some stories that simply stick with you long after the credits roll. They also highlight just why animation became an extremely successful media outlet which completely showcases a wider variety of storytelling choices and how such creative storytelling truly captivates so many people, for both young and adult viewers alike.

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10 Animated Shows That’ll Make You Ugly Cry

An image from Scavengers Reign season 1 Image

10. Primal: A Prehistoric Masterpiece of Emotional Intensity

Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Lab)? A legend! And his Primal? An astonishing masterpiece. This action-packed prehistoric adventure about Spear (a caveman) and Fang (a dinosaur) combines epic battles with intensely emotional beats. Those few moments involving pure action showcase visually compelling narratives. And then those moments of loss, hardship and grief highlight some really important elements found surprisingly even during periods of incredibly hardship! They’re not merely background features, these emotionally charged moments are the very core which demonstrates that a visually stunning, action-driven plot could convey intensely human struggles and triumphs through surprising choices, choices and design styles unlike typical productions!

9. Bojack Horseman: Hollywood's Darkest Comedy

Spear and Fang in Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal Image

Bojack Horseman (starring Will Arnett)? A masterpiece of darkly funny storytelling and incredible exploration! Set in a world where humans and animals coexist; this focuses on Bojack Horseman; a washed-up celebrity battling loneliness, addiction and self-loathing in equal measure! This is a masterclass; showcasing just how much these seemingly over-the-top scenarios and characters would actually relate to much of that experience relating to drug abuse, emotional struggles and deep and damaging problems regarding difficult topics which really impacted viewers greatly, helping convey this in an indirect and tasteful manner; something easily achieved through such animated storylines!

8. Moral Orel: Stop-Motion Surrealism and Societal Truths

Moral Orel’s (a quirky Adult Swim show that uses those incredibly cute stop-motion puppets) may not be very well-known. But it's a game-changer, exploring deeply uncomfortable social topics and personal problems involving difficult scenarios regarding inter-personal and societal conflicts: those problems in family life; religious faith and sexuality. This clever blend of humor and incredibly deep moments really captures both how the problems presented are shocking but ultimately something all could experience, presenting these things indirectly using creative choices in artistic styles and character portrayals; something difficult to accomplish through live action portrayals without being overwhelming.

7. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners: A Cyberpunk Masterpiece That Will Break Your Heart

Moral Orel gets advice from his father in Moral Orel Image

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (created by Studio Trigger)? Stunning visuals and intense heartbreak; creating a powerful visual representation that many video game-related productions fail to deliver. David’s journey through dystopian Night City’s slums, full of crime and intense social inequities really portrays that harsh reality and its bleak consequences through various visual choices and storytelling methods which help illustrate this. The incredibly emotional intensity which surrounds many moments adds to that incredibly immersive storytelling and visual narrative only truly achievable in anime and visually engaging styles and methods unlike many typically featured across media!

6. Rick and Morty: Cosmic Chaos, Personal Turmoil

David Martinex with muscles in Cyberpunk Edgerunners Image

Rick and Morty (that insanely popular show about a crazy scientist and his grandson). While many episodes are all non-sensical jokes and insane situations across the cosmos, the best moments feature those profound explorations involVing the problems in their dysfunctional family. The profound questions presented involving the wider universes surrounding this main setting also adds a tremendous amount of depth; the themes around existential angst and grief hit harder than those initially seen through initial portrayals; yet they are subtle and only really realized during later re-examinations. The emotional storytelling has many of those same layers typically absent in many similarly-themed and similarly-budgeted productions, demonstrating this show’s capacity in delivering these kinds of plot arcs and deeply affecting so many different audiences for several long years running!

5. Tuca & Bertie: Friendship, Feminism, and Facing Life’s Messiness

Rick and Morty's Rick with an annoyed expression Image

Tuca & Bertie (a cartoon featuring animals) explores extremely difficult situations that those other animated shows lack; these intense subjects surrounding the everyday difficulties that people who happen to be women face: dealing with problems relating to sexism, relationships and childhood trauma; yet, those are handled exceptionally and through those incredible, hilarious situations, emphasizing just why its particular style has resonated through that fanbase, demonstrating both clever writing styles which helped showcase intense problems in a way only easily done through clever and tasteful visual and thematic choices.

4. Young Justice: Superhero Tales of Trauma and Triumph

Young Justice (a DC-themed cartoon)? It initially follows that usual superhero fare, but it rapidly grows beyond expectations, showing problems experienced in real-world societies: Those relatable moments around heartbreak and those various psychological conditions explored demonstrate that powerful capacity and ability; that willingness in engaging audiences through intense exploration into extremely mature and deeply-thought-out subject matter and storytelling elements only recently touched upon in various animated productions! It makes this really unique.

3. The Midnight Gospel: Beautiful Animation, Powerful Conversations

The hereos of Young Justice huddled together Image

The Midnight Gospel combines intensely hallucinatory animation with surprisingly serious and insightful philosophical discussions surrounding various existential viewpoints presented through intensely beautiful visuals and those thoughtful narrative presentations found in various non-narrative-styled productions; making those interviews by real people on real-world experiences convey something truly intense, memorable and exceptionally meaningful which greatly impacts viewers! Its exploration of mortality, loss, and those larger questions involving what our purposes in life may involve; completely exceeds the typical thematic undercurrents typically involved in various similar works across that medium, emphasizing the incredibly potent nature that animated storytelling holds across multiple perspectives!

2. Arcane: Sibling Rivalry, Social Inequality, and Devastating Choices

Arcane (a League of Legends adaptation)! It surprises everyone, generating such intense emotional storytelling! That fantastic world and storyline follows Vi and Powder’s (two orphans) intense relationship in dystopian Piltover! Their struggles involving poverty and family conflicts are entirely relatable. That complex portrayal of those bonds – both the intensely emotional strength, but also how the intensely dark realities of abuse create the heartbreaking deterioration of their previously deep and incredibly valuable relationships makes for a powerful social commentary and showcases the intensely painful yet real problems relating to difficult childhood situations that so many people sadly endure.

1. Scavenger’s Reign: A Bleak but Hopeful Look at Humanity’s Resilience

Arcane Season 2 Trailer Vi yelling and holding out her hand Image

Scavenger’s Reign explores incredibly vast possibilities. Its science fiction takes place on an alien world, showcasing some incredibly stunning visuals which perfectly showcase that alien planet and it combines incredible animation with intense storylines! That struggle for survival on a strange, dangerous planet is visually appealing. It generates really difficult choices; generating incredible stories full of intensely emotional scenes – it does portray death quite a bit; yet that grim scenario delivers a message involving human connections amidst immense adversity, illustrating how easily humanity could rise even against truly terrible hardships; the emotional depth, conveyed through visual storytelling methods, far exceeding similar narratives; completely showcases the incredibly effective ways animation portrays and conveys important aspects!

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Conclusion: The Emotional Power of Animated Storytelling

These shows aren’t just cartoons – these were emotionally compelling storytelling experiences; highlighting incredible achievements across animation. These were intensely thought-provoking and visually impressive productions that exceeded various budget restrictions and demonstrated a willingness to present emotionally-charged storylines; including those involving adult-themed ideas and subject matter; something most similarly-budgeted productions struggle to do effectively. That range – from dark comedies to profound science fiction dramas–shows just how adaptable the medium actually is! And it highlights how it transcends those typical genre and budget limitations; showing those aspects capable of hitting hard at an emotional level; creating something profound and deeply affecting for everyone!