Ai Yazawa’s Nana isn’t just a story — it’s a deeply emotional experience. With its raw depiction of love, heartbreak, dreams, and the complexities of human relationships, the manga has delivered some of the most unforgettable and tear-jerking moments in shojo history. Whether you’re new to the series or a longtime fan, here are 5 emotional scenes in Nana that shook readers to the core and stayed with us long after we turned the page.
😢 1. Nana Osaki Waiting for Hachi at the Train Station
This moment is a masterclass in subtle emotional devastation.
Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu once promised to live together, support each other, and chase their dreams in Tokyo. But as life began to pull them in different directions, especially after Hachi’s unexpected pregnancy and relationship with Takumi, cracks started to form in their once-unbreakable bond.
In a deeply symbolic scene, Nana Osaki waits at the train station for Hachi — who never comes.
We see Nana sitting on a bench, chain-smoking, eyes scanning the crowds with quiet desperation. The train arrives, and leaves. She stays. Alone.
It’s not just about the missed meeting. It’s about the realization that their friendship — the one thing she thought was solid — is slipping away. Readers feel her loneliness and loss without a single word of dialogue.
💔 2. Hachi Telling Nobu She’s Pregnant… With Takumi’s Baby
This is the moment when Nana turns from a drama into a tragedy.
Nobu, who truly loved Hachi, was hopeful they could have a real relationship — one built on trust and shared dreams. But that hope is shattered when Hachi reveals that she is pregnant… and the father is Takumi.
The emotional weight in this scene is unbearable. Nobu’s expression says everything — betrayal, confusion, heartbreak. He tries to stay calm, but his world is clearly crumbling. Hachi cries too, hating the situation but knowing she has to make a decision that will change everything.
It’s a brutal reminder that love isn’t always enough, and that life often forces you to choose between your heart and your responsibilities.
💔 3. Ren’s Death
One of the darkest and most heart-wrenching moments in Nana is the sudden death of Ren, Nana Osaki’s lover and the guitarist of Trapnest.
Ren, struggling with fame, addiction, and emotional detachment, tragically dies in a car accident on the night he was supposed to be with Nana. What makes this moment even more devastating is how it happens after a brief reconciliation between the two, giving fans hope that they might rebuild their broken relationship.
Nana’s reaction is raw and terrifying. She spirals into a deep depression, questioning everything she believed in — her music, her relationships, her very existence. The manga doesn’t shy away from the pain. It lingers in it. And so do we, as readers.
😭 4. The Flash-Forwards: A Future Without Closure
One of the most unique storytelling tools in Nana is the use of flash-forwards — brief glimpses into the future where we see that Nana Osaki has vanished, and Hachi is now a mother, still longing to reconnect with her lost friend.
These moments hit hard because they don’t come with explanations. We’re left piecing together clues from brief images and vague conversations. We see Hachi looking out at the sea, holding a child. We see her holding a letter, her eyes full of hope and sadness. And we see a world where two women who once meant everything to each other now live separate lives.
It’s this emotional ambiguity that keeps fans up at night, wondering: What happened to Nana? Will they ever meet again?
💔 5. Hachi’s Internal Monologue About Regret and Loneliness
One of the quietest yet most powerful moments in Nana is when Hachi reflects on the choices she’s made. She thinks about her past — the dreams she let go of, the people she hurt, and the life she ended up with.
There’s a line where she wonders if she made the right choice in marrying Takumi, whether she betrayed her younger self, and if the love she lost was worth the stability she gained.
It’s heartbreaking because it’s so real.
Everyone, at some point in life, asks themselves: Did I choose the right path? Would I be happier if I had taken a different road? Hachi’s introspection becomes a mirror for readers, forcing us to confront our own regrets and decisions.
📝 Final Thoughts
Nana is more than a manga — it’s an emotional journey that captures the raw, unfiltered chaos of being young, in love, and unsure of the future. These five moments don’t just bring tears — they bring empathy. We don’t just cry for the characters, we cry with them, because they reflect pieces of ourselves.
That’s the power of Ai Yazawa’s storytelling. And that’s why, years later, Nana continues to break our hearts in the most beautiful way.