For me, it was always Optimus Prime from The Transformers movie.

    • hansolo@lemm.eeEnglish
      5·
      7 days ago

      Ugh…Just laying on that couch… Can’t defeat natural causes with a wooden stake.

  • CookieMonsterDebate@lemmy.world
    212·
    7 days ago

    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.

    • Shard@lemmy.world
      42·
      6 days ago

      Put in there just as a cheap way to get emotional reactions from the audience, it’s the story telling equivalent of having the dog in the story die.

      • MaggiWuerze@feddit.org
        2·
        4 days ago

        Especially since his death didn’t really do anything. He didnt sacrifice himself or saved anyone and his death wasn’t discussed much after the initial shock. I assume he had to be out of the picture so Harry could go Horcrux hunting, without him interfering

  • AdamBomb@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    7·
    6 days ago

    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.
    • PlatDrone@lemmy.world
      1·
      6 days ago

      One of my teachers read Where the Red Fern Grows to my class at the pace of a chapter or two every couple days (spare time in the lesson plan). I was impatient, so I got my mom to drive me to the public library, checked it out and finished the book that night. Had to wait almost 2 whole weeks before the class got caught up. I also didn’t want to spoil the ending for my classmates, so I just had to kinda hold onto the knowledge of the events and deal with it by myself while all the other kids were oblivious. Out teacher had us start watching the movie towards the end of the book, she had it timed perfectly so that the class (other than me) had no ideas for the back to back double whammy of loss that they were about to experience.

      • Ookami38@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        6 days ago

        I had already read that book prior to my teacher reading it aloud in class. She couldn’t read that chapter, so I volunteered to, having already had my trauma from the scene. We didn’t end up watching the movie, though.

  • stringere@sh.itjust.works
    5·
    7 days ago

    Chewbacca

    spoiler

    He sacrificed himself to save Anakin Solo on Sernpidal.
    At the start of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, before the galaxy even knew of the enemy they would soon be facing, the Millenial Falcon was on Sernipdal to pick up a shipment. Sernipdal’s moon was falling, actually being pulled down by a Vong lifeform that manipulates gravity. The Falcon was being loaded with evacuees and Anakin Solo was hit by a blast of wind taking him away from the ship. Chewy chases Anakin down, scoops him up, and rushes back to the Falcon. He’s just able to get Anakin into the ship when another shockwave hits, knocking Chewy away from the Falcon. With no time left, Han is forced to take off or lose everyone on board. Chewbacca understands and as a last defiant act he throws his arms wide and bellows out a might rookie roar.

    Chewbacca’s death hit me damn hard when I read that book. Recalling it now to write this even brought tears to my eyes. A hero so noble and mighty it took a moon to defeat him.

    Anakin’s death later in the same series was pretty awesome but not as wrenching emotionally.

    • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
      2·
      6 days ago

      I read that book while on a vacation with my family and that part had me upset for most of the first day we were there.

      • stringere@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        5 days ago

        I know I didn’t do it justice but Salvatore really did give Chewie a glorious hero’s death, honoring his life debt to the end.

  • Mars2k21@sh.itjust.works
    5·
    1 day ago

    Jiraiya from Naruto Shippuden. Felt like my own family member passed when they killed him off.

    Edit: Also, Sergeant Johnson in Halo 3.