10 Times Clannad Broke Our Hearts

Although Akio Furukawa and Sanae Furukawa were strong comic relief parents who acted incredibly goofy, they had a sad backstory where they both gave up on their aspirations. Before Clannad, they neglected their daughter, Nagisa, to focus on their jobs as theatre performers. Against Akio and Sanae’s wishes, they both left an ill Nagisa alone one night to fulfill their occupations. Their negligence led to Nagisa almost dying, so both parents abandoned their dreams as actors to focus on taking care of their daughter. It emotionally hurt both Nagisa and the audience that the parents had to give up on their goals to ensure their daughter’s future.

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Tomoya’s Daughter Was Lonely Without Him
Tomoya and Ushio in a field Clannad After Story.
After Nagisa’s death, Tomoya became depressed and withdrawn from their daughter, Ushio Okazaki. Similar to Naoyuki, Tomoya became an alcoholic and left Ushio in the care of her grandparents.

It was upsetting for fans to see Tomoya make the same mistakes as his father; fans hoped desperately that Tomoya would rise above his grief and be there for his daughter. Ushio was also incredibly lonely, wishing that her dad was with her. Fortunately, in a tear-inducing scene, both Tomoya and Ushio reconciled, with Tomoya finally choosing to fulfill his role as Ushio’s dad.