The most heartbreaking character death?

[gillianmorsee]

For me, the worst and most heart-wrenching death on the show was Joyce's. The entire episode "The Body" breaks my heart every time. Everyone was so lost and I felt lost, too. It was a wonderful exploration on the different ways that people deal with death, though, and a great episode, even if it's really hard to watch at times. I would have chosen Buffy as the most heartbreaking death, but since she came back, it's not as shocking and permanent as Joyce's. Honestly, though, even knowing Buffy comes back, I still cry every time.
So which character's death do you guys consider to be the most heartbreaking?

 

[Washburne]

The first time around it was Tara because of how cheated I felt. Putting her in the credits and all. Evil! As an episode nothing beats The body for me. It's great in many ways but I just hate watching it and honestly I skip it now and again or fast forward a lot. It affects me too much.

 

[GwenRaiden]

Wesley and Merle.

 

[Nix]

Doyle and Jenny

 

[Klaus Kartoffel]

For me, the most heart-wrenching deaths were Joyce in "The Body", Tara in "Seeing Red", Buffy in "The Gift" and kind of Angel in "Becoming II" though it wasn't really death, technically. Probably in that order but if I'm honest, I sniveled to the exact same degree at all four.

Anya's death was just so casual and in between of all the hectic. It felt a bit invidious to her character. The same goes for Cordelia. Her death was sneaked in. Totally mean.

Honorable mentions: Jenny in "Passion", Spike in "Chosen", Vamp!Xander/Vamp!Willow/WishverseBuffy in "The Wish" (I found this reality utterly sad and tragic despite Willow's outfit😀), Wesley in "Not Fade Away" and Fred in "Shells".

 

[Priceless]

Definitely Joyces death. The Body was a horrible episode, the worst thing was Anya saying she didn't understand what was happening; that was so upsetting 🙁

 

[Athena]

Joyce. I can't watch The Body anymore, it upsets me too much. Mainly because I know one day I'll have to deal with the passing of my own dear mother. I just can't deal.....

Tara is probably second for me, because even in her last moments she was thinking of Willow. 🙁

 

[Bluebird]

Wesley for me. I liked the fact that Wes and Fred was a love we never really got to see, that way the audience didn't get sick of it lol. One of my favourite scenes in all of AtS is Wesley talking to Lilah's corpse. That was heartbreaking in so many ways. Wes and Lilah feel like real people.

 

[cryptwarmer]

Buffy's death didn't bother me so much because she went down in the line of duty. It was fair and she made the decision.

Jenny's horrified me at the time, the way it was set up. But I didn't mourn her for very long.

Joyce's was very hard to take both because of the way it was portrayed and the level of fallout. That was the hardest one for me. They led us to believe she was out of t he woods, then BAM, took her from us.

Tara's was very hard because it was so shocking and pointless. She was a casualty in the most senseless way, no one was gunning for her, but she got shot down.

Fred's was so sad, and hard to watch, but I personally was not over invested in her character so it didn't gut me.

Jonathan's bothered me because Andrew is such a weenie and I like Jonathan so much. I even liked him when he was channeling the first. I think he did an awesome job, so it sucked that he was evil, but at least I got to keep seeing him.

 

[bespangeled]

Spike - because he was the only one to chose death

Joyce - because The Body is one of the most awesome portrayals of the death of a loved one that I have ever seen.

 

[Monkey Pants]

🙁The Body is the saddest episode, but I don't find Joyce's death the most sad, because I love other characters who die more. Everyone's reactions are what really get to me. The writing, directing, and acting for this episode are amazing. That being said, I find it kind of manipulative. I doubt Xander, Anya and Willow would be so devastated at Joyce dying. Still, their reactions are some of my favorite moments in the series and still make me cry, but I'm not tricked into thinking it's for Joyce's sake 😉

The characters who I was the most devastated to lose, regardless of how impactful their actual death scene was, would be:
1) Anya. I love her so much, and she was just beginning to find herself.
2) Wesley. My poor broken little man. I love him.
3) Fred. This episode was devastating. The acting was superb. I love Fred. Poor Wesley.
4) Cordelia. I love Cordelia.
5) Jenny. I really like Jenny. Poor Giles🙁
6) Buffy. She makes a brave sacrifice, then seeing her friends and Spike crying.
7) Lilah. I love Lilah. She deserved to be in season 5
8Doyle. I love Doyle. His videotape at the end made me cry.
9Joyce. I did like Joyce, but I didn't miss her when she was gone. I did miss the light heartedness of the show though.
10Jonathan. I really like Jonathan. He deserved to be a Scooby more than Andrew
11 Kendra. Kind of sad
Deaths I didn't care about were Spike, and Darla. I was ready to see Tara go when she died (sorry)

 

[wooble89]

For pure execution it's gotta be between Jenny, Joyce and Fred. All done really well and hit hard.

That said part of me has to say Doyle because his time was so short and I always tear up when the video plays at the end. One of my favourite moments of the whole show is when his hero theme is used again in the 2nd last episode of Angel. Hit me like a brick wall.

 

[bespangeled]

Oh, I forgot Lilah. I found that dismembering scene gut wrenching - that's where I feel for Wesley, moreso than his death scene.

 

[GoSpuffy]

Spike - because he was the only one to chose death

Joyce - because The Body is one of the most awesome portrayals of the death of a loved one that I have ever seen.

these two plus Jenny.

 

[RomanticSoul]

Fred was the most heartbreaking of all for me. She was arguably the most innocent of all the characters on both shows and she had the worst fate. First she spends years in a hell dimension as a slave and then she dies and doesn't even get an afterlife because her soul is destroyed (don't care about the comics retcon on that one).

 

[ChaseRules]

Joyce. I can't watch The Body anymore, it upsets me too much. Mainly because I know one day I'll have to deal with the passing of my own dear mother. I just can't deal.....

Tara is probably second for me, because even in her last moments she was thinking of Willow. 🙁

That my two worse ones . I also don't watch the Body anymore because the ending so hard to see .
And I think it was cruel to have Tara shot right after kissing Willow .

 

[Blair]

I didn't care for Joyce, but I was sad for Buffy. I shed a few tears there.

I still tear up for Tara. That was the death that was saddest for me. First time I saw it, I hell bawled my eyes out.

Also Anya. I really liked her... And poor Xander 🙁

Jenny's was so brutal. Poor Giles 🙁

 

[ChaseRules]

I was so mad at seeing Tara shot . I didn't care what happened to Waren .
Anya was so bad . That leaves Xander so alone .

 

[Blair]

I totally get why Willow went off the rails and killed Warren in such a brutal way. It was so sad.

And on top of Xander still feeling guilty for leaving Anya at the alter from the previous season... And losing an eye! He doesn't have much luck!

 

[ChaseRules]

If I had been in her shoes I would have done the same thing to him . But not destroying the world part .

When did Xander have good luck 🙄