Anime brings about a spectrum of spectacular emotions. And one such feeling, sadness, is magnified especially if a loved character meets his or her death. Let us list down some of the most devastating deaths seen in anime shows!
Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)
Transforming from hardcore villain to a honorable warrior, Itachi Uchiha proved that a brother’s love is powerful. Technically, Itachi died twice in the series – first, during a battle with Sasuke (which can be seen as Itachi’s way of teaching Sasuke how to master the full capacity of the Sharingan), and during Kabuto’s Reanimation Jutsu. Both deaths are emotionally-scarring.
The first showed that Itachi was actually disease-ridden, staying alive just so he can teach his brother their clan’s techniques.
Related: Other Shonen (Manga & Anime) Topic Random Anime Stuff: Cars that Took the Stage in Anime!
The second showcased just how amazing the Uchiha bloodline is, with Itachi and Sasuke joining forces to beat Kabuto. And in this last death, Itachi also mentioned his true feelings for his younger brother. Truly, a devastating death(s) that also proved love overcomes all sorts of tragedies!
More About Itachi Uchiha (Naruto) on naruto.fandom.com
L (Death Note)
Death Note can be summed up as a mental game of cat and mouse. And in the middle of this game (well, during the first part of the series) is the exciting match up between L and Light. With the many twists and turns in this series, it is quite nerve-wracking that Light got ahead of the game in having L killed off.
And yet, even moments before he succumbs to the effect of the Death Note, L was still able to have some slight satisfaction of having to guess the identity of the murderer correctly!
More About L (Death Note) on deathnote.fandom.com
Maes Hughes (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood)
Talk about a bummer. A devoted family man and an overall good guy, Maes Hughes’ death jump started the series’ protagonists to go after the bad guys. If it wasn’t bad enough that Maes had to go down in a really sad way (he was shot to death by Envy taking the form of his wife), it’s scenes of Maes interacting with his family that made his death so sad.
More About Maes Hughes (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood) on fma.fandom.com
Kaori Miyazono (Your Lie in April)
Your Lie in April features the positive and cheerful Kaori Miyazono. As a talented violinist, Kaori also showcased a really nice take on how to live life – so much so, that she strives to help others in their times of need.
Which is why tears streamed when everyone found out that Kaori was suffering from an illness. Trying her best to hide it, Kaori unfortunately died during Kousei’s piano contest. As fragile was her life, she made such an impact for Kousei to continue living life to the fullest.
More About Kaori Miyazono (Your Lie in April) on shigatsu-wa-kimi-no-uso.fandom.com
The legendary swordsman didn’t die fighting in an epic match of the ages. And yet, his death showed that silent farewells may make an even more bigger impact than fiery confrontations. Suffering from an undisclosed disease (Which would most likely be leprosy), Kenshin’s body slowly deteriorated to the point that he can never move as he did before.
And still, Kaoru’s love for the wandering swordsman was so strong – she convinced him to stay with her, for her to share the disease of her lover. As tragic as it may be, Kenshin went on wandering again, seeking atonement of all the battles in his life. Wandering back to Kaoru, he died in her arms – satisfied and at peace, for his scar has finally disappeared.
More About Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin) on kenshin.fandom.com
A beast in battle, yet honorbound as well, Thors is the perfect example of a man being true to his ideals – even if it meant death. Although he had the skills to best any kind of foe (he was able to beat an entire crew of warriors, without even causing any major injuries), Thors decided to sacrifice his own life to save his family and his villagers. A tragic death, his passing though spurned his son Thorfinn into living a life of battles.
More About Thors (Vinland Saga) on vinlandsaga.fandom.com
In what may be one of the epic wars in One Piece, Ace’s capture by the Marines was the factor that multiple crews joined forces to rescue the beloved pirate. After all, with Ace as the son of the legendary Gol D. Roger, the pirates really needed to get him back.
And get him back they did. Ace was actually out of harm’s way. Until he saw his brother, Luffy, in trouble. Taking a blow from the monstrous Admiral Akainu’s attack, Ace was able to step in the last moment to save Luffy.
That was a shock, to say the least. Who would have known that the main character’s very own brother would die
More About Portgas D. Ace (One Piece) on onepiece.fandom.com
See you, space cowboy. Spike’s wayward life as a bounty hunter comes to an end in this amazing series’ very last episode. Finally able to see the love of his life, Julia (even if it was just for a very few minutes), Spike decides to finally settle the score with his former partner, Vicious.
As much as anyone would want to see this bounty hunter head on over to more adventures, his death does bring a mix of emotions – it is sad, yes, but also fulfilling to see that Spike was able to achieve what he has always wanted to in life.
More About Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop) on cowboybebop.fandom.com
Do you want to cry? Grave of the Fireflies, from the legendary Studio Ghibli, showed that there is nothing glorious with war. No one wins in these battles, and the most who had to suffer from these atrocities are often the children.
And in this case, Setsuko Yokokawa was the unfortunate victim. Together with her brother, Seita, the siblings tried their best to survive on their own.
With their mother dead from a gruesome firebombing, Seita decided that it would best for him and sister to live on their own, refusing aid from a cruel aunt.
It wasn’t long until their food supplies ran out. Seita, even after looting food, decides to bring a delirious Setsuko to a doctor. The doctor informs the young boy that his sister is suffering from malnutrition – yet does not offer any additional aid.
Desperate to feed his sister, Seita quickly withdraws the remaining money from his parents’ bank. Coming home to cook, he sees Setsuko hallucinating – the young girl had begun eating rice balls (which are mud) and sucking on marbles (fruit candy).
Setsuko then succumbs to her death. A few weeks later, so did Seita.
War is never an easy topic. Kudos to Studio Ghibli for bringing this to light!
More About Setsuko (Grave of the Fireflies) on ghibli.fandom.com
