Top 20 Anime Deaths That Pissed Everyone Off

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Top 20 Anime Deaths That Pissed You Off

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Top 10 Anime Deaths That Pissed You Off

Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the anime deaths that we’re still mad about. Be warned - major spoilers ahead!

“That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” (2018-)

When Falmuth’s forces mounted an attack on Tempest, there were bound to be a few casualties. Unfortunately, one of them happened to be Rimuru’s number one secretary, Shion. Given her large role in the series, her haphazard death feels incredibly anticlimactic. Especially since fans only got to mourn her for a handful of episodes. That’s right, Shion’s corpse was barely cold before Rimuru channeled the power of a demon lord to bring her back to life. The fact that “Slime” immediately backtracked on this scene proves that they only killed Shion off for shock value. It’s not just a cheap tactic, it’s an actively lazy way to treat a fan-favorite character.

“Parasyte -the maxim-” (2014-15)

Introduced as a bully who develops a crush on the main character, this teenager was a far more interesting potential love interest than Satomi; sadly, Kana's life is abruptly cut short and with little closure. Possessing the ability to send out signals to other parasites, Kana mistook this skill for a personal link to Shinichi, despite the protagonist's repeated attempts to convince the girl to stop using it. This misunderstanding directly causes the character's demise, as Kana's gift attracts the wrong parasite. Her death has a huge impact on Shinichi, but "Parasyte" never really gives any explanation as to why why Kana owned this ability.

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#18: Piccolo

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“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

There’s no way to sugarcoat it; this death is lame. It’s bad enough “Super” kills off Piccolo, but they couldn’t even think of an original way to do it. He dies shielding Gohan from a lethal blast just like he did back in “Z.” There’s not even a point to it! This scene doesn’t happen in the movie version of events, and Piccolo would later be resurrected like nothing happened, anyways. His death holds absolutely no weight, and instead comes across as an eye-rolling attempt to cash-in on “Z’s” iconic moments. If “Super” really wanted to tug at the heartstrings, they could have at least brought something new to the table.

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#17: 9'α

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“Darling in the Franxx” (2018)

A cross-production between A-1 Pictures and Trigger; "Darling in the Franxx" concluded on a somewhat controversial final arc, and Alpha's death was only one of many missteps. Introduced as the smug leader of the 9's, Alpha accepted every opportunity to mock Zero Two and Squad 13, although the Parasite's most villainous acts were largely a result of manipulation. After realizing that Papa had betrayed them, Alpha joins Squad 13 in fighting off the alien menace, before quickly and pointlessly sacrificing himself to save Hiro. Besides coming across as rushed, Alpha's character arc felt like "Darling in the Franxx" was just ticking boxes off a checklist.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

If you look up “missed potential” in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Ponzu. She played a memorable role in the Hunter Exams, then randomly vanished for half the series. The huntress finally reappeared during the Chimera Ant Arc… only to promptly die an episode later. For what it’s worth, Ponzu spends her final moments sending invaluable info about the Chimera Ants to the outside world. That’s nice in a vacuum, but for a character of her caliber, it still feels like a pretty pitiful last act. If this is what “Hunter x Hunter” was going to do with Ponzu, they shouldn’t have bothered bringing her back at all.

“Bleach” (2004-12)

Among the most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army, Ulquiorra handed Ichigo a sound beating early on in the anime's run. More than a 100 episodes later, "Bleach" finally staged the highly anticipated rematch between the two, but the conclusion was anti-climactic, at least for Ichigo himself. Initially, Ulquiorra demolishes Ichigo, but the human's inner Hollow takes charge and returns the favor, leaving the fourth Espada without a couple of limbs and knocking on heaven's door. Ulquiorra manages to revert Ichigo back to normal, but the villain was already defeated by this point, so the two never truly got to have a fair fight they both wanted.

“Overlord” (2015-22)

Ainz Ooal Gown isn’t one for mercy. In layman’s terms, that means Prince Zanac of the Re-Estize Kingdom had to die. But, surely “Overlord” could have given him a better sendoff than this. After Zanac’s attempts at surrendering fall on deaf ears, his own subjects murder him and use his severed head as leverage. It’s brutal, unbecoming, and completely unwarranted. Even worse, their plan doesn’t even work. As it turns out, all Zanac’s head is worth is a slow, agonizing death in the torture chamber. So much for leniency. In the end, this gambit robbed Zanac of a dignified goodbye, and “Overlord” of a great character.

“Devilman Crybaby” (2018)

In a world overrun by devils, murder, and paranoia, Akira only has one thing keeping him going. Actually, it’s one person; Miki Makimura. She never loses faith in the good of humankind, and as a reward, a belligerent mob tracks her down and executes her with no remorse. The scene is almost too horrifying to look at. Then, to rub salt in the wound, her killers have the gall to parade her body parts around like some kind of twisted bloodsport. Akira’s trust in humans dies with Miki, and we can’t blame him. Devilman or not, this mob is what really turned him into a devil.

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#12: Pip Bernadotte

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“Hellsing Ultimate” (2006-12)

When star-crossed lovers Pip and Seras finally lock lips, it should be grounds for celebration. The issue? Pip has a giant, gaping scythe wound in his back courtesy of the bloodthirsty maniac, Zorin. As a result, Pip and Seras’ first kiss is also their last. In the show’s defense, having Pip become a part of Seras’ soul is the closest thing to a happily-ever-after as you could expect from “Hellsing.” But, that’s still a meager consolation prize compared to what this couple could’ve been. At the very least, Seras drinks Pip’s blood and gets enough strength to royally curbstomp Zorin in retaliation. It basically doubles as Pip’s funeral.

“Trigun” (1998)

No good deed goes unpunished. Especially in “Trigun.” For starters, the Gung-Ho-Guns clan follows one very simple philosophy: violence is the quickest way to get results. And yet, after meeting Vash, Wolfwood isn’t so sure anymore. So, when he gets into an altercation with his former boss, he does the unthinkable. Wolfwood gives mercy. Unfortunately, his possessed overlord isn’t as friendly. After being shot, Wolfwood is left practically crawling to a church to say his final words. It’s not fair in the slightest. But, that’s the cost of mercy in a kill-or-be-killed world. It’s just a shame Wolfwood had to die to prove it.

“JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean” (2021-22)

There’s no medal for Father of the Year in “Jojo’s,” and even if there were, Jotaro wouldn’t be around to get it. He does get points for helping his daughter, Jolyne, stop the mad Pucci. But, his execution leaves a lot to be desired. During his Stand’s Time Stop, Jotaro has a choice: save his child, or finish off Pucci. His parental instincts kick in, and he takes the lethal blow for his daughter. Keep in mind, Pucci can reset the universe, taking out Jolyne and rendering Jotaro’s sacrifice moot. This death is certainly worth a few gasps, but since reality gets rebooted anyways, it’s more rage-inducing than anything else.

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#9: Ai Hoshino

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“Oshi No Ko” (2023-)

This might be the first time that “killing them with kindness” ends up actually killing someone. You heard that right, Ai’s only crime was being too nice. She devoted everything to her idol career, her fans, and most notably, her newborn twins. And it still wasn’t enough. One day, Ai simply opened the front door, and came face to face with her blood-thirsty stalker. Afterwards, even when she’s bleeding out in front of her infant twins, Ai still has it in her heart to choose kindness. As such, her final words to her children are downright soul-crushing. Ai would’ve made a great mother, and taking that away from her is a truly unforgivable act.

“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)

Naruto's Chūnin Exams fight against Neiji is one of the show's defining moments. While the marginalized protagonist refused to be constrained by social status or fate, Neiji was a prodigy who believed destiny could not be altered, although the ninja's ideology weakens thanks to Naruto's infectious attitude. Largely ignored throughout the majority of "Shippuden," Neiji was the most significant casualty of the Fourth Shinobi World War, and Kishimoto confirmed this death was done to help strengthen Hinata and Naruto's relationship. One could say it was Neiji's destiny to be used as a stepping stone by other characters.

“Hell's Paradise” (2023-)

If you turned on “Hell's Paradise” expecting Tenza to be a main character, you’d be very, very wrong. Although, we can’t blame you for thinking so. Tenza is introduced as an enthusiastic warrior determined to rise above his poor upbringing. There’s even some hints of romance between him and Nurugai. But then, almost as soon as he’s properly joined the team, Tenza just dies. It’s supposed to be a heroic self-sacrifice, but it comes so abruptly, the whole thing feels pointless and manipulative instead. Then, they replace Tenza with his mentor, who’s just a less charming version of a character we already loved. Remind us why they killed off Tenza again?

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#5: Kid, Zorthy, Iraak, Makken, Jorgun, and Balinbow

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“Gurren Lagann” (2007)

Gainax's anime never shied away from axing off characters, but was there really any need to kill six characters in the same episode? Gearing up for the final conflict against the Anti-Spirals, Team Dai-Gurren knew casualties had to be expected. In order to stress the finality of the situation, "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann's" minor characters began dropping like flies, which would have been fine if the deaths were spread out. Due to these six falling during the opening space battle against the Anti-Spirals, the last three episodes had to make do with a fairly thin cast.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans” (2015-17)

Death is always a mecha battle away in Sunrise's anime. While most are hard to sit through but effective, Lafter's passing felt manipulative and trivial. A fantastic pilot with an optimistic nature and an endearing personality, Lafter shows signs of maturity throughout the series, and this character development seemed set to continue. Then, out of nowhere, Lafter is randomly shot while out shopping, wasting any hope tied to the character. To add insult to injury, the villain behind the cheap hit barely lasts another episode, making Lafter's death practically pointless.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-23)

When you’re in the Scouts, death is a common work hazard. Mostly, they go out with glory battling Titans. Sasha, on the other hand? Sasha dies from a stray bullet. No warning. No fanfare. The real kicker is that she isn’t even in combat. After the assault on Marley, Sasha’s retreating in the airship when Gabi rolls out of hiding and shoots her point blank. It’s an ungracious, almost disrespectful way to kill off a character. Especially one as beloved as Sasha. If she had to die, “Attack on Titan” could have at least let her go out fighting. Or with some more inspiring last words. Anything would’ve been better than this.

“Akame ga Kill!” (2015-16)

Despite what might be implied by the title, Akame is not the main protagonist for 99% of this show. After catching up to the manga, "Akame Ga Kill!" decided to do its own thing for the last handful of episodes, and things quickly spiraled out of control. Just one of many characters to die in quick succession, Tatsumi – the anime's real protagonist – defeats the enemy's strongest Teigu but dies moments later trying to protect some civilians. With an episode to go and various villains left to slay, Tatsumi's premature death seemed like it was done purely for shock-value. Do yourself a favor and read the manga.

“Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020-)

Not even a Grade 1 Jujutsu sorcerer is safe from the threat of a heart-wrenching death. That means you, Nanami. It’s hard to say goodbye because he was at the very top of his game. Just a few episodes earlier, Nanami broke the whole internet by pummeling Haruta into oblivion. It’s not like the Shibuya Incident Arc needed any more casualties, either. Yet, for some reason, “Jujutsu Kaisen” spent all that time making Nanami a fan-favorite, just so it would hurt more when Mahito killed him. It’s a cruel and unusual waste of a character; one that inspires more hair-pulling than tears. Hey, we’ll always have Haruta’s beatdown, right?


Did we miss any anger-inducing death scenes? Let us know in the comments below!