Saddest Anime Deaths of The Decade:
The last decade gave us some truly amazing anime to look back to. A lot happened within a span of two years. New characters were introduced. Plot twists and turns also happened. But most importantly, the last decade marked the end of the line for major anime characters that we had grown to love and respect.
1. Mrs Ryoko – Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul is an anime that is about a subspecies of humanity called Ghouls living within the human world. The Ghouls need to ingest human flesh to survive. The very idea of human flesh being eaten by a group of rabid, bulletproof zombie-like beings is extremely nasty. So, most of the Ghouls’ death in the anime did not strike that huge a chord with the viewers. But Tokyo Ghoul also did a splendid job of humanizing the Ghoul community. They too have emotions and they too value their loved ones. Mrs Ryoko was not your typical Ghoul. She would keep her hunting to a minimum and would only feats on flesh off of dead bodies provided by Anteiku. But when she came to know that her husband has been killed by the man who is standing right in front of her and he is coming for her daughter next, she let go. She managed to save her daughter but her final expression before her death, which she knew was coming, as heart-braking.
2. Menma – Anohana
Anohana is not your typical anime. It does not have a lot of action or sci-fi. Menam is about the ghost of a dead girl coming back to ‘haunt’ her circle of friends that have since taken their separate ways after Menma departed. The audience knows that Menma is dead and we are only seeing her ghost. So we all knew that the journey of Menma and her comic adventures with her friends is about to come to an end. It still does not stop us from crying when Menma finally takes her to leave it the final episode of Anohana. She asks her friends after they realize that they must come together and help each other out in their times of grief as per Menma’s wishes, to let her go and only think of the happy memories she made with them in life and in death.
3. Otonashi – Angel Beats
Yuzuru Otonashi watched her sister die right in front of his eyes. He was helpless as death slowly and steadily gripped his sibling and finally took her away from him. Otonashi decided to ensure that never happens again. He pursues a career in the medical field, aspiring to become a doctor and help people in need. After a train accident, Otonashi is forced to survive within a cave. He is trapped along with a small group of survivors. They have minimal resources and Otonashi shows his true selflessness by helping the other survivors cope up. He still wants to do more. In the end, right on the brink of death, Otonashi decides to fill up the Organ Donor card and let the authorities use the organs of his corpse if he is found in time, to help other people. He dies right before the rescuers managed to crack open the cave.
4. Itachi Uchiha – Naruto Shippuden
Now, this is a death that will be remembered throughout the ages. Itachi Uchiha was termed the butcher of the Uchiha Clan and branded a traitor. His brother was his mortal enemy, who had vowed to kill Itachi and take his revenge. In his final battle with Sasuke, Itachi reveals that he was already dying because of a disease and it was only a matter of time before he breathed his last. He still managed to best Sasuke in single combat but let him win in the end. It is later revealed that Itachi killed his own clansmen on the orders of the Leaf Village and he was branded a traitor so that he could join Akastuki and report on them to the authorities. What he did save the world but his sacrifice will only be remembered by a select few.
5. Whitebeard – One Piece
Whitebeard was one of the Yonko. He was the strongest Pirate alive. With his bare hands, he could bench press entire mountains. He was THAT strong. So his death was all the more shocking. Whitebeard died just like a Pirate King should. He went down guns blazing. But before he shut his eyes for an eternal nap, White Beard took down with him a lot of enemies and he even managed to confirm the existence of One Piece. Whitebeard’s death was one of the greatest and saddest deaths in anime history.
6. Jiraiya – Naruto Shippuden
Coming to anime deaths, we think this takes the cake undoubtedly. Lord Jiraiya aka the Toad Sage earned a lot of fame with his pervert antics and his comic timing. Jiraiya was one of the most popular characters of Naruto. When he visits Rain Country and infiltrates the Hidden Rain Village, his encounter with Pain leaves us all dumbfounded. For Jiraiya fights pain to the death and manages to deliver the message to Leaf Village. His actions probably help save an entire village from destruction. Nobody remembers his death in the anime series other than Naruto and a very close group of friends. Lord Jiraiya will always be remembered as the hero Konoha needed and the Hero Konoha deserved.
7. Kaori Miyazano – Your Lie in April
When we first meet Kaori Miyazano, we fall in love with her endlessly positive attitude and her bountiful optimism. Not to mention she is the literal embodiment of cuteness. Your Lie in April is an anime that gives us a very important message – Life is fleeting and anything can happen to anyone at any point in time. The least we could do is try to live it to the fullest. Halfway through the series, it is revealed that Kaori has a terminal disease and she has a very limited amount of time to live. Her death shook the fans and left many crying, who had fallen in love with the character.
8. Portgas D Ace – One Piece
One of the first biggest anime deaths of the decade, Ace’s departure to the afterlife in 2011 was a shock to many. One Piece is known to kill major characters but the deaths were mostly contained within characters pertaining to a particular story arc. One Piece started the chain reaction which has led to several major recurring characters’ death starting with Ace’s unfortunate demise. In the arc that showcased Ace’s death, Portgas D Ace was captured by the Marines and was taken, prisoner. Whitebeard and Luffy joined forces to retrieve him. Ace was almost on the clear but when he saw Akainu about to kill his little brother he decided it would rather be his own life than Luffy’s that Akainu should take. Akainu’s fist rams right through Ace’s chest as the entire fan base starts gasping for air.
9. Netero – Hunter X Hunter
The strongest Hunter ever to be a part of the Hunter Association, Netero was the chairman of the Organization of the Hunters. His death came during the Chimera Ants arc where he was tasked with fighting Meruem – the Chimera King. The anime showed the fight between Netero and Meruem in the best possible manner and the fans had huge respect for the way Netero managed to evade Meruem’s attacks and make him have a run for his money. When Netero realizes that his power is not enough to stop Meruem, he commits suicide and a bomb within his body explodes right when his heart stops, taking Meruem out with him. He would rather sacrifice himself than let Meruem roam free in this world. Netero-San, you will not be forgotten.
10. Julius – Black Clover
The Wizard King in Black Clover was the most powerful wizard of his time. He had the ability to control time and was nigh invincible. In a fight, it was almost impossible to beat Julius. But someone still hatched up an elaborate scheme to kill Julius. And to everyone’s surprise, they actually succeeded in killing the Wizard King. Julius’ death was also of a true hero’s sacrifice. When an elf mage called Patolli wanted to exact revenge on humanity by massacring a group of innocent people, Julius happily gave up his life to protect his people.
