Death is never pleasant, be it in anime or reality. It is wrapped up in complex human emotions like rage, satisfaction, sadness, regret, and, unfortunately, fun for those out of their mind. What’s interesting about anime deaths is that the hands behind the shows go beyond their limit to portray those complex emotions through their perspectives.
In this article, I’ll be talking about such deaths that burst open our tear ducts, break our hearts, and leave a long-lasting impression on us even outside the anime.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the list of most emotional deaths in anime.
10Nina Tucker
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Nina Tucker is the daughter of Shou Tucker, a state alchemist. Nina is a sweet and bright girl who loves playing with her dog, Alexander, all day. But who knew the tragic fate awaiting her?
To pass the yearly assessment as a state alchemist, Shou alchemically fuses his daughter, Nina, with her pet dog, Alexander, to create a Chimera capable of using human speech. While they are put under house arrest for the time being, Scar sneaks in, kills Shou, and puts an end to Nina’s suffering.
9Askeladd
Anime: Vinland Saga
To save both Canute and Wales, Askeladd devises a plan, a rather bold one that only he can pull off. He cuts the head of King Sweyn and acts as a blood-thirsty mercenary, killing off people left and right until Canute stabs him with the sword. Witnessing that, Thorfinn loses the only reason to live, to kill Askeladd and avenge Thors’ death. At the last moment, Askleadd asks Thorfinn to move on and find a reason to live. A truly remarkable moment, considering Thorfinn became a mercenary only to kill Askeladd, and now he doesn’t know where to channel those emotions.
8Lelouch Lamperouge
Anime: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Lelouch sacrificed his life to end the chain of hatred. He has made himself an enemy of the world. So, Lelouch devises a plan in which Suzaku appears as Zero and stabs him in the heart. The world will witness the death of its enemy, ending the chain of hatred he wished for. Although the world found its peace, the one to whom Lelouch meant the world, her sister Nunnally, lost everything.
7Thors Snorresson
Anime: Vinland Saga
Thors Snorresson’s death is the most important event in Vinland Saga. A legend amongst the Vikings, Thors escaped the life of Vikings and settled down with his family in Iceland. But no one can outrun their past, not even the legendary Viking Thors. The Vikings found him, set a trap, and after encountering Viking mercenaries, Thors gave up his life in exchange for protecting his son Thorfinn and his people from Iceland.
Thors’ death changed the innocent and fun-loving Thorfinn forever. Heartbroken and enraged after witnessing his father’s death, Thorfinn vowed to kill Askeladd with his own hands. And, if you follow Vinland Saga, you already know the unfolding of this epic story.
6Maes Hughes
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Maes Hughes was loved; he had an endearing personality. He was kind-hearted and adored his wife and daughter the most. They were also the ones he was reminiscing about while his life was slowly fading away after getting shot by Envy.
Although he was kind and talked all the time about how adorable his daughter was, Maes was also a quick-witted and experienced military man who didn’t let his kindness dull his intelligence. But it was also his quick-wittedness that led him to his untimely death as he discovered the conspiracy surrounding the military and the homunculi.
5Kyojuro Rengoku
Anime: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
While certain characters got time to connect with the viewers as the story progressed, Kyojuro Rengoku didn’t. Demon Slayer as a franchise was only 26 episodes old when the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Movie: Mugen Train was released.
But the Flame Hashira’s death was so well executed that it became a hot topic, and the movie soon became a worldwide blockbuster. With the few minutes he got on screen, Rengoku left a long-lasting impression on the viewer as the Hashira who fought Akaza, the Upper-Rank Three demon, to protect young guns like Tanjiro, Inosuke, and the survivors.
4Portgas D. Ace
Anime: One Piece
Ace’s death has always been a topic of discussion, whether it was the right time to kill off such a character, considering so many sacrifices were made, including Whitebeard’s, just to save him from execution at Marineford. Ace’s death was unlike any other. When the dirtbag Akainu mocked Whitebeard, Ace couldn’t take it and stopped instead of escaping with Luffy.
Ace engaged in one-on-one with Akainu but got overpowered. Next, Akainu attempted to kill Luffy, and while trying to protect his dear brother, Ace stood in front of Luffy with a hole through his chest.
Luffy couldn’t believe his eyes and asked if Ace was breaking his promise to never die. Ace said he never had the will to live until Sabo and Luffy came into his life. His final words to Luffy were to convey his gratitude for all the love he had received from everyone.
3Kaori
Anime: Your Lie in April
Kaori came into Kousei’s life like a storm and went away just like one. She was warm, bright, and full of life; she brought color into Kousei’s monotonous life. As a musician, Kaori also reignited the love and dedication for piano Kousei had lost after his mom’s passing.
But soon, we get to know the whole story: how she adored Kousei’s performance since childhood, wanted to see Kousei back on stage, and initially fell in love. However, another spring came, but Kousei was only left with a letter from Kaori confessing her love. If you’ve watched this, you know that tears wouldn’t stop falling during those final minutes of episode 22.
2Jiraiya
Anime: Naruto: Shippuuden
When it comes to character deaths in anime, Jiraiya’s name is one of the most talked about among anime fans. From the outside, Jiraiya was a happy-go-lucky fool and a well-renowned pervert, but inside, he was one of the very few Shinobis who sought peace not only in his village but in general.
However, what he cherished the most was his friends, and more so his pupils. Be it Minato, Yahiko, Kanon, Nagato, or Naruto. But little did he know that during his infiltration of The Village Hidden in the Rain, he would be killed by the disciples he trained as Shinobi for the sake of world peace.
But what made Jiraiya’s death emotional was when he reminisced about his relationship with Tsunade, not being able to hold onto Orochimaru, and taking the responsibility of becoming a godfather of Minato’s son. All this while etching a code on one of The Two Great Sage Toads’ back to warn Naruto about the enemy.
1Setsuko
Anime: Grave of the Fireflies
Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies is more relevant than ever as it shows humanity’s rawest depiction through the setting of World War 2. Many lost their lives in the war, and siblings like Seita and Setsuko were orphaned by the bombardments.
Seita’s little sister, Setsuko, fell ill, and the doctor simply asked to provide food for her. However, the blessed ones didn’t even hand over a glass of water during that time. Seita resorted to stealing and anything else he could, to feed his little sister. But in the end, starvation took away his sister’s life.
I’m sure you might not have found names you thought would be present on this list, and that’s understandable because emotions vary from one person to the other, considering the list is about emotional anime deaths. In the comment section below, let me know which names you would replace or add to this list.
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