Death is a theme that is consistent in many anime shows. Anime is not always about joy and fun, many heartbreaking scenes are so impactful that it leaves the viewers feeling quite devastated. And let’s face it, in some ways this creates suspense and drama to the plot.
It becomes more excruciatingly painful to watch when the victim is someone who the killer cares about or loves deeply. In most cases, the deed was done because they were stuck in a situation where they had no choice. So, we compiled a list of the saddest character deaths of all time.
Eri from ‘My Hero Academia’ annihilates her father by mistake
Eri possesses a powerful quirk called Rewind that can turn back the clock on any person or object. While her magic is useful in healing injuries or reviving someone’s youth, it can erase a person’s existence completely.
And as she was too young and inexperienced to control it, she ended up killing her father. It becomes sadder when her mother thinks she’s a cursed child and leaves her under the care of her grandfather.
When Yuno ends hercherished Yukiteru in ‘Future Diary’
Yuno Gasai and Yukiteru share a toxic relationship but their ride or die love is what fans get thrilled from. They also have a similar traumatic childhood and are so loyal to each other, despite how messy their love may be.
And so even though she’s insanely in love with Yukiteru,Yuno kills him because he finds out a horrific secret about her. She performs the deed under the impression that she’ll be able to revive him once she becomes a God.
However, when she realizes how impossible that was, she goes back in time and annihilates her past self before she can harm Yukiteru. Well, talk about a messy yet powerful love story.
Itachi kills his entire family in ‘Naruto’
Danzo Shimura gave Itachi Uchiha a final condition: to kill the clan and save himself and his younger brother, or to die with them. He was pushed into a situation where he didn’t have a choice, and so agreed to Danzo’s offer.
But, as he always remains guilty about it and has no desire to live, he purposely angers Sasuke. Itachi pretends to have killed the clan “to test his power” so that Sasuke will get infuriated and end his life. Itachi also wishes Sasuke would gain the mangeyko sharingan and be strong enough to fight against the enemies.
When Ash Lynx shoots Shorter Wong in ‘Banana Fish’
The heartbreaking scene where Shorter Wong dies is something fans always talk about from the anime Banana Fish. The devastating act happens when Wong consumes the drug Banana Fish, which makes a person lose their mind and act erratically violent.
To prevent Wong from attacking Eiji and also to put him out of his misery, Ash had no choice but to shoot her dear friend. This becomes one of the most hurtful experiences of his life, especially because they were really close friends and trusted each other immensely.
Gintoki makes a distressing decision to kill his teacher in ‘Gintama’
In the “Shogun Assassination Arc”, Gentoki’s dearest teacher, Yoshida Shouyou was taken captive by the Naraku. They gave him an ultimatum to choose between his captured friends or his teacher.
Gentoki makes a painful decision to save his friends. He knows that his teacher would definitely want him to protect Takasugi and Katsura, so he kills his teacher with a heavy heart. It was even more depressingly sad because Yoshida was not just a mentor but was also like a father to him.
