Since the advent of anime, fans have been subjected to some of the most tragic and heartbreaking deaths in entertainment. Most of the time, these deaths are used as ways to move the plot along or give the heroes motivation to defeat their enemies.
Related: Best Anime Shows With Meaningful Lessons And Inspiration
While this may give us a reason as to why our favorite characters had to die, that does not stop fans from grieving their demise. Among the thousands of deaths that have occurred in anime, some will forever be remembered as the most soul-crushing. Below, you can read about anime's most iconic and devastating death scenes.
Spoilers Warning: Beware of major plot spoilers for the anime below!
9 Kaori – Your Lie In April
As a child, Kaori wanted nothing more than to be like her personal hero, Kosei Arima. For years, she tried to become the best violin player in Japan, letting her heart guide her strings. Sadly, a few years after, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, cutting her time short.
Related: Best Slice-Of-Life Anime Shows, Ranked
She decided to use the time she had left to enjoy life to the fullest. She became Kosei’s friend and helped him surpass his trauma, slowly revealing her true feelings for the boy. When she finally passed on, she was happy for having achieved her dreams, leaving fans mourning her death during a beautiful musical number.
8 Sasha – Attack On Titan
Due to her sincere personality and hilarious antics at the beginning of the show, Sasha became one of the most popular characters in Attack Of Titan, a series infamous for its many tragic deaths. As she grew older and obtained more experience, she went from a disobeying recruit to a battle-hardened soldier.
During the attack on Liberio, Sasha was crucial to the success of the Survey Corps, saving Eren and the rest on more than one occasion. Tragically, she was shot and killed by Gabi, who wanted revenge for the group’s attack on the city. Sasha was confused for a moment after being shot and asked for meat as her final wish, reminding fans one last time why they loved her.
7 L- Death Note
For most of the show, fans knew L as the cold and calculating detective trying to find out Kira’s true identity. Viewers grew to love the eccentric black-haired man due to his incredible displays of intelligence, ingenious quips, and sense of justice.
Related: Most Iconic Moments From Death Note
However, our perception of L changed when he confessed to Light that he was his first true friend. This revelation became even sadder when Light tricked Rem into killing L, betraying his trust. To this day, L’s death is one of the most shocking and traumatic moments in Death Note.
6 Sir Nighteye – My Hero Academia
Nighteye used to be the sidekick of the most powerful and beloved Hero in Japan, All Might. For Mirai, Toshinori was more than just the Number One Her, he was the pillar that kept the world from collapsing. This is the reason behind his harsh treatment of All Might’s successor, Deku.
Nighteye spent weeks trying to prove Deku was unfit to be the new user of One For All. Midoriya managed to change his mind during the fight against Overhaul, in which Mirai was badly hurt. Nighteye’s last words were an emotional and touching speech to Deku and Mirio, asking them to keep fighting for justice like the true Heroes they were.
Besides being a brilliant soldier, Maes Hughes was also a family man. He was known for shoving pictures of his wife and daughter in the face of everyone he met. Hughes was also a kind man, always willing to help everyone.
In his quest to bring justice to Amestris, Hughes came across Father’s plans to use the people of the country as sacrifices. He was killed by Envy, who took the form of Hughes’ wife, before shooting him. His funeral scene, in which his daughter cries for her daddy, still brings tears to fans all over the world.
4 Koro-Sensei – Assassination Classroom
One of the biggest plot twists in Assassination Classroom was the truth behind Koro-sensei’s predicament. At first, we believed he would destroy the Earth in one year out of spite. In reality, the brilliant teacher was destined to blow up due to the experiments that gave him his new body in the span of a year, and he wanted to prevent this outcome.
Related: Most Unconventional Heroes In Anime
The government tried to end Koro-sensei’s life with a massive laser, which surprisingly failed. In the end, the ingenious and brilliant teacher decided to let his students be the ones to put him to rest. After an emotive speech in which he congratulated his students for their accomplishments, Koro-sensei was stabbed, turning into orbs of light and leaving fans crying inconsolably.
3 Rengoku – Demon Slayer
The Pillars from Demon Slayer are the most powerful fighters in the world, which turns them into the protectors of the innocent. Rengoku took this job seriously, doing the impossible to keep the people of the world safe from the demons trying to kill them.
Nowhere was this exemplar and heroic behavior better shown than during his fight against Akaza. During this battle, Rengoku did everything in his power to make sure that the bloodthirsty demon would not harm anyone else, going as far as to sacrifice his life. In his last moments, Rengoku left a message for his friends and family before reuniting with his mother at last.
2 Ace – One Piece
When they finally got their hands on Ace for his crimes and scheduled an execution, Luffy, his friends, and many other pirates allied themselves to save him. While they successfully prevented Luffy’s brother from being executed, the pirates that attacked the Marines still had to get away from the military.
Related: Best Anime Plot Twists, Ranked
Luffy, in an attempt to save his friends, faced Akainu, one of the most powerful and cruel Admirals in the world. The Admiral, tired of the fight, tried to use his lava-based powers to put a hole through Luffy’s chest. Ace, seeing his brother in peril, stepped in and intercepted the blow, dying in a devastated Luffy’s arms, forever scaring One Piece fans everywhere.
1 Jiraiya – Naruto
Driven by the love he felt for his godson Naruto, Jiraiya went alone to the mysterious Amegakure to find out more about the leader of the Akatsuki. In there, the legendary Toad Sage discovered the man behind the criminal organization was none other than his student Nagato.
After an intense fight in which Jiraiya tried to make his pupil see reason, he was mortally wounded, leaving him with just enough time to send a warning to Konoha. Jiraiya died alone, regretting not having confessed his feelings to Tsunade but happy knowing he helped Naruto and his village.
Next: Saddest Deaths In Video Games
