Does Someone Die in Banana Fish?

Banana Fish is known for making the audience cry, what with its tragic themes surrounding sexual assault, drugs, and death.

What makes Banana Fish so beloved is that its protagonist gives voice to the ways that sexual assault affects people.

Ash’s characterization and Eiji’s unyielding support tugs on the audience’s heartstrings and converts them into ardent viewers.

However, as you might have noticed, Banana Fish is far from a sweet romance that will turn your hearts to mush.

Instead, its unfair gritty realism is sure to bring in unwelcome amounts of angst, especially with the death of a character most-loved by the audience.

Curious about who dies? Want to shield yourself from the pain (not really possible, but hey, nothing wrong in trying) that is bound to occur from the very first episode? Well, read on!

Characters who die in Banana Fish

• Ash Lynx
• Dino Golzine
• Eduardo L. Fox
• Skipper
• Griffin Callenreese
• Marvin
• Frederick Arthur
• Shorter Wong

Primary Characters

How does Ash Lynx die?

Ash dies in the last episode of Banana Fish after getting stabbed by Lao. His death is confirmed in the manga; however, MAPPA studios have left Ash’s fate open by not proclaiming him dead.

The finale tied up all the loose ends, as the Banana Fish project was destroyed, hostages were rescued, and the tormentors were dead.

Ash and Sing, who were supposed to fight to the death, decided not to; unfortunately, this intention was not made known.

It turns out that Lao was not aware of the truce between them, and in order to protect Sing, he stabbed Ash, who was distracted by Eiji’s letter.

Thus, in what can be said to be the most unfair and painful moment in anime, Ash died after reading Eiji’s letter and realizing that at least one person existed in the world who stood by him in body and soul.

How does Dino Golzine die?

As the main villain of Banana Fish, Dino did not receive as nearly a horrific death as he should have.

He was a mafia boss (a piece of trash) and the adoptive guardian of Ash Lynx, a young boy he sexually abused throughout his childhood.

As one of the Banana Fish plot figureheads, he played an active role in hunting down Ash. During the fight, he was gunned down by Eduardo and was considered dead.

However, he made a final appearance during the finale and shot Foxx just as he was about to kill Ash. After doing this, Dino committed suicide by throwing himself from the building and died a relatively peaceful death.

How does Eduardo L. Fox die?

Eduardo L. Fox, the leader of a mercenary group and former regimental leader of the French Foreign Legion, was the final antagonist of Banana Fish. Dino Golzine hired him to capture Ash and take back the drug called Banana Fish.

However, he wanted to usurp Dino’s power and become one of the figureheads in the drug trade, with Ash by his side. In the showdown, in a cruel twist of fate, Eduardo was killed by none other than Golzine himself. Once again, well deserved.

Secondary Characters

How does Skipper die?

Skipper’s death is what truly made us realize what we were getting into. Skipper, also known as Skip, was a part of Ash’s gang and first introduced Eiji to him.

When Marvin and Dino’s forces attacked the bar, he was taken captive alongside Eiji and Ash. When they were being rescued, Skip saw Marvin aiming a gun at Ash and ran to intercept it, which led to his death.

How does Griffin Callenreese die?

Griffin was Ash’s older half-brother who served as a war veteran in Vietnam. After consuming the “Banana Fish” drug, he lost his sense and became severely handicapped.

When he saw Abraham Dawson, the man who developed the drug, he started to gain some clarity and came close to revealing something he shouldn’t have. Due to this, Abraham shot Griffin, leading to his death.

How does Marvin die?

Marvin worked for Dino Golzine and was the one who killed Skip. When Ash found Marvin to exact revenge, he was already dead in his apartment.

While it is unknown how he died, it is likely that Marvin was viewed as a disposable henchman by Golzine and was killed by him in order to frame Ash for murder. No matter how Marvin’s death was well deserved.

How does Frederick Arthur die?

Arthur was an ex-member of Ash’s street gang who allied himself with Golzine to exact revenge. He challenged Ash to a fight to the death but cheated by using knives. Even then, Arthur was stabbed multiple times by Ash and fell to his death.

How does Shorter Wong die?

Shorter Wong was the leader of Chinatown’s mafia and Ash’s best friend. He partnered with Ash to uncover the Banana Fish plot and did his best to protect him and Eiji.

Unfortunately, he was taken captive by Dino, where he was used as a guinea pig to test the effects of the drug.

After losing his mind and hallucinating horrific pain, he was ordered to kill Eiji, which was the only way to stop it. While he tried to resist, Shorter knew he would lose control sooner or later.

Thus, after hearing Ash call his name in the execution room and gaining some sense of clarity, he begged Ash to “set him free.” Thus, Ash painlessly killed Shorter and relieved him from the drug’s effects.

About Banana Fish

Banana Fish follows Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old boy who comes across a man who has been murdered. The last words uttered by that man, “Banana Fish,” hurls Ash across an exciting, tragic, and destined journey towards finding out its meaning.

With Eiji Okamura -a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to keep him company, hideous secrets will be revealed as Ash will forsake the kingdom held out by the devil-like human who raised him.