Depressing endings are far from rare in the anime industry. Series such as Assassination Classroom, Your Lie in April and Angel Beats leave viewers tearful and broken-hearted at their conclusions, with beloved characters dying or people losing loved ones. However, not all sad endings involve death. While Erased's protagonist Satoru may have been successful in bringing down the series' antagonist and made it out of the series alive, he also experiences one of the saddest endings, though it is more hollow than heart-wrenching.
With the time travel ability called "Revival," Satoru Fujinuma goes back in time to his elementary school years to save his recently murdered mother as well as three of his classmates who were kidnaped and murdered in the past. As Satoru uses his ability to successfully change the past and investigate the root of the abductions and murders, he finds himself in the clutches of the culprit, his teacher Yashiro, resulting in an accident that lands Satoru in a 15-year coma. After Satoru wakes up and reorients himself to reality, he finds that he successfully saved his mother and classmates but is once again face-to-face with Yashiro, ultimately bringing his former teacher to justice.
While Satoru is undisputedly the hero of the series, he doesn't necessarily control his power. Satoru's Revival ability is triggered when a life-threatening event takes place, such as when a truck driver passes out from a health emergency and nearly runs over a child. A pizza delivery man and struggling mangaka, Satoru doesn't intentionally seek out opportunities to use his ability. However, he does intervene when the situation calls for it, even if he thinks to himself that nothing good comes from getting involved. Satoru's noble character shines in his willingness to save his mother and classmates, but the involuntary nature of Satoru's ability makes his own fate that much sadder.
Perhaps Erased's most discussed and controversial tragedy for Satoru is the fact that he doesn't end up with Kayo. While Satoru did not notice her in the original timeline and wouldn't have had a future with her before he traveled back in time, viewers can easily get their hopes up for a romantic ending, as Satoru's efforts to save her form a special bond between the two. However, many fans were disappointed to find that after Satoru wakes from his 15-year coma, Kayo is married and has a child with their mutual friend Hiromi. Even if this ending is much more realistic and not nearly as depressing as some might think, it emphasizes all that Satoru misses out on as a result of his coma.
What truly makes Satoru such a tragic hero is the life he misses out on in exchange for saving those he cares about. Although this is certainly a worthy sacrifice, it is understandably a depressing one. Satoru spends 15 years in a coma while those around him continue their lives, unsure of whether he will ever wake up. He misses out on growing up and appreciating the lives he saved. While Satoru doesn't have to sacrifice his life fully to save those he cares about, he does give up major parts of his life. The reality of lost time and unlived experiences will remain with him throughout the rest of his life -- a tragedy that not many other anime protagonists experience.
Erased's ending might not be heart-wrenchingly sad, but the loss that Satoru experiences in exchange for the lives he saves leave viewers with a sense of emptiness that is much more profound than a shocking death. Satoru's tragedy may be easily overlooked, as it doesn't bear the same intensity as other devastating endings in anime. However, the losses he does experience demonstrate the beauty of a sacrifice made without reward other than the livelihood and happiness of others.