Of all the reaction videos on YouTube, there's a reason Steven Universe reactions are some of the most popular. In addition to its triumphs that make us cheer and its shenanigans that make us laugh, Steven Universe also makes us cry. A lot. And if watching Steven watch Crying Breakfast Friends has taught us anything, it's that we like watching people cry.
This cartoon is known for how unabashedly emotional it can be. With such an extremely empathetic titular character, it makes sense the show wouldn't be afraid to gut-punch its audience with truly tearjerking moments. Here are the top 10 emotional moments in Steven Universe, ranked.
WARNING: There are spoilers ahead. If you haven't watched Steven Universe, read at your own risk.
"Well, I Think You're Pretty Great."
Season one kicks off with goofs, adventures, and songs that are lighthearted and wacky. And then, occasionally, the fun stops to remind us that these characters have feelings and histories and are still affected by those histories even if they are thousands of years old.
"Rose's Scabbard" wasn't the first episode in Steven Universe to show us how tender it could be, but it was one of the strongest. Featuring a tearful from-behind hug from Steven to Pearl that rocked the fandom and a vulnerable insight into Pearl's flaws and just how deep her relationship to Rose Quartz ran, the climactic "Well, I think you're pretty great," line concluded an emotional moment few have forgotten.
"It's Over, Isn't It?"
Steven Universe has always been full of fantastic songs with catchy lyrics that have taken off and gone viral. Then season three's musical episode, "Mr. Greg," aired and people haven't been able to stop making covers of Pearl's incredibly emotional solo, "It's Over, Isn't it?" since.
The animation in "Mr. Greg" is astounding enough, but that paired with Broadway singer Deedee Magno Hall's gorgeous voice made this sequence a beautiful, gripping scene that confirmed how much Pearl loved Rose Quartz and how difficult it is for her to move on even fourteen years after her loss.
Rose Quartz's Tape
After five and a half seasons, we know Rose Quartz isn't perfect. There are many things she's done that have been downright awful; yet she's also done undeniable good, like leaving behind a touching videotape to tell her son how much she loves him.
Rose Quartz's tape hits so hard because up until then, we don't know anything about her other than what the Gems have told Steven. There's a portrait in the beach house, but until the tape, we haven't really seen her. And then, our first experience with this legendary rebel leader is hearing her laugh. Who can hold back tears as she looks straight into the lens to tell her son how extraordinary he's going to be? We certainly can't.
"I Want My Dad!"
Season four's zoo arc featured Greg and Steven's harried escape from the human zoo, the "Famethysts," Pearl's "That will be all," and Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond singing "What's the Use of Feeling (Blue)?" But the most emotional is Steven's breakdown during the episode "Adventures in Light Distortion."
Greg has been kidnapped by an intergalactic matriarch and taken far across space. In their haste to save him, Steven's guardians have (he assumes) been poofed and are unable to reform. When the Ruby ship's alarms blare, Steven realizes his rush could kill them. It's a vulnerable, raw scene where for once in the series, Steven isn't trying to be mature. There's no brave veneer; all we see is a scared little kid who wants his dad back.
Steven Surrendering Himself To Homeworld
When Blue Diamond confessed that she wanted to preserve more Earth "specimens," few predicted that would mean Steven's actions back in season one would come around to haunt him at the climax of season four. With his friends abducted, Steven decides that the only way to save everyone is to pay the price for both his and his mother's mistakes.
Many screamed as Steven surrendered himself to Homeworld with the titular episode line, "I am my mom!" The music swelled; Amethyst's voice cracked. Steven turned around one last time before the ship's door closed to say, "I love you." And then everything cut to black after Connie screamed his name.
Lars' Death
The showrunners must have thought that fans were too comfortable with the unwritten code in animated children's cartoons of no character deaths. Season five threw a curveball, blowing that misconception out of the water and killing off Lars Barriga.
Of course, Steven brought him back with his tears just like his mother, but for the brief few minutes Lars was gone, the silence was deafening. Steven's tears mirrored those of many shocked fans. The relief when Lars was revived, especially with his new pink hue and abilities and what that meant for another character's backstory, brought even more.
"You Have To Be Honest..."
Halfway through the emotional rollercoaster that is season four's "Mindful Education," it seems the worst has passed after Connie resolves her conflict at school. Then Steven's bottled guilt from being the end of Eyeball, Jasper, and Bismuth climax into the revelation that he's also been suffering from guilt at being the end of his mother, too.
The next time they train, Stevonnie falls apart. As Steven and Connie plummet, Steven confesses how bad everything hurts and Connie shouts, "You have to be honest about how bad it feels so that you can move on!" When they successfully fuse and safely land, their skyward sigh of, "I'm here," softly ends one of the show's most powerful scenes.
Ruby's Proposal
It's painful to see Garnet fall apart in season five after the Big Reveal. Sapphire runs away, as does Ruby, and for a few episodes, it seems as if their groundbreaking relationship is over, and we'll never see Garnet again. But then Ruby has a profound experience while being a lonesome cowboy for a day.
By nightfall, Ruby realizes how much she misses and loves Sapphire. So when she returns to Beach City, she has a question to ask so they'll never have to be apart again. Ruby takes Sapphire's hand, falls to one knee, and proposes. When "The Question" aired, fans went wild. Many cried. Many still cry when rewatching it; it's just that good.
"Change Your Mind" Finale Sequence
The hour-long season five finale "Change Your Mind" is memorable for many things, but its ending sequence and reprise of the opening song, "We Are The Crystal Gems," is one of the most adored. There is so much to cry and laugh at: relief at seeing Sadie and Lars reunited and joy at the Diamonds healing the corrupted gems.
When Steven, Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet sit together at the end of the episode for one last song, Steven's soft lyrics to the titular song beautifully cap off an emotional end to a beloved series.
The "Ultimate Fusion Dance"
The most emotional moment in Steven Universe is also its most climactic. When White Diamond pulls out Steven's gem, the series-long question of "Who is Steven, really?" finally gets its answer. The two separated pieces of one whole, human and gem, reunite in a beautiful sequence by animation legend James Baxter that is impossible to keep a dry eye when watching.
It's known as the "Ultimate Fusion Dance" for a reason. With a burst of light, laughter, and an uplifting score, Steven tearfully opens his eyes to reveal he is himself again, or rather, he's always been himself. After such terror moments prior, fans around the world sobbed at how this moment tied together so many of the series' meaningful themes.