29+ Most Heartbreaking Deaths in Anime!

Updated November 8, 2022 by Ernie

When it comes to deaths in anime, they could either be heartbreaking or satisfying. Of course, the satisfying part usually goes to the villains and traitors but the heartbreaking ones are usually from the characters that we treasure the most. So don’t cry yet because we’re about to find out the most heartbreaking character deaths in anime!

Check out: 25+ Best Red Hair Anime Characters!

 ANIME DEATHS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR HEART WRENCH

30. Abbacchio (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) – Episode 28, Beneath a Sky on the Verge of Falling

INFORMATION
Title	Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Genre	Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	David Production
Premiered	2018
Episodes	39
Duration	23 min. per ep

Starting with the first unexpected death from the Jojo series! Abbacchio is one of the members of Passione who is also a stand user which bears the name, Moody Blues. He is known to be the most cautious member among the team and always makes sure to keep everyone on guard. Unfortunately, his death was very unexpected as he was attacked by Diavolo when he was alone, with a straight punch through his heart. However, the other members of Passione were too late when they arrived at Abbacchio’s location.

 

29. Tahoumaru (Dororo) – Episode 24, Dororo and Hyakkimaru

INFORMATION
Title	Dororo
Genre	Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Tezuka Productions, MAPPA
Premiered	2019
Episodes	24
Duration	24 min. per ep

Next up is Tahoumaru who is one of the antagonists from Dororo and is known to be determined in doing his best to make his parents proud. Even at a young age, he thinks he has the capability to carry on his father’s legacy in defending their nation. Tahoumaru also has good judgment and is prepared to put his life in danger to protect his followers. His life came to an end when their domain got destroyed and died along with his mother.

 

28. Tomomi Masaoka (Psycho-Pass) – Episode 21, Blood-Stained Reward

INFORMATION
Title	Psycho-Pass
Genre	Action, Sci-Fi, Suspense
Type	Series
Studio	Production I.G.
Premiered	2012
Episodes	22
Duration	23 min. per ep

Tomomi Masaoka works as an enforcer for Division 01 of the Public Safety Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Department. He assists the other team members when they are having issues and acts as a sort of father figure for them. He is respected by a lot of subordinates whom he works with because of his experience in their department and strong investigative abilities.

He is fairly relaxed in his attitude to investigations and accepts everything as it is. When Masaoka and Nobuchika Ginoza were on a mission, he sacrificed his life to save Ginoza who he sees as his own son.

Related: COMPLETE Psycho Pass Watch Order (OFFICIAL)

 

27. Bulat (Akame ga Kill) – Episode 8, Kill the Three Part 2

INFORMATION
Title	Akame ga Kill
Genre	Action, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	White Fox
Premiered	2014
Episodes	24
Duration	23 min. per ep

Bulat was one of the members of Night Raid and wields the Incursio which grants him the ability of invisibility. When Tatsumi first joined their organization, Bulat was one of the people who mentored him in his first days as a member. There came a time when they went on a mission that went unexpectedly wrong and eventually cost Bulat’s life in order to save Tatsumi. Upon his untimely death, he passed on his Incursio to Tatsumi and gave him permission to use it however he wanted.

Check out: 9 Heartbreaking Devilman Crybaby Quotes – (Season 1 Netflix)

 

26. Askeladd (Vinland Saga) – Episode 24, End of the Prologue

INFORMATION
Title	Vinland Saga
Genre	Action, Adventure, Drama
Type	Series
Studio	Wit Studio
Premiered	2019
Episodes	24
Duration	24 min. per ep

Askeladd is a clever, smart, yet manipulative man. He is a brilliant swordsman and a terrific fighter, but his knowledge, strategy, and adaptability are his greatest strengths. This is because he can easily tell a person’s personality from just by staring at them! He moves quickly to get what he wants and is slow to get angry.

His crew admires him as a reliable captain because they see him as a brave, fortunate, and capable leader. His death made a great impact especially to Thorfinn when he tells him to go find his own way to becoming a true warrior.

 

25. Bruno Bucciarati (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) – Episode 37, King of Kings

INFORMATION
Title	Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Genre	Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	David Production
Premiered	2018
Episodes	39
Duration	23 min. per ep

Now we introduce the leader of Passione and stand user of Sticky Fingers, Bucciarati himself! Among the members, he is the most level-headed of them all and is well-known for making strategic plans when going on undercover missions along with the gang. During their first encounter with Diavolo, he suffered a mortal injury that cost him his life but still managed to hold on for much longer by possessing his soul to his own dead body.

This proves his resiliency as a leader and still managed to keep the morale of their gang. After his soul starts to ascend in the heavens, he left everything to Giorno’s hands including finishing Diavolo off for good. One thing to say here is mad respect for Bucciarati!

Related: Where To Start Jojo Manga After The Anime?

 

24. Erwin Smith (Attack on Titan Season 3) – Episode 18, Midnight Sun

INFORMATION
Title	Attack on Titan
Genre	Action, Drama, Suspense
Type	Series
Studio	Wit Studio
Premiered	2018
Episodes	12
Duration	23 min. per ep

Erwin Smith is the captain of the Survey Corps and with his charisma and foolproof strategies, he was able to gain the utmost trust of his subordinates to follow him in every battle against the Titans! Through his years as their leader, he won and failed several times as part of the Survey Corps and when they finally made an attack to reclaim Shiganshina, he created history.

Despite the overwhelming odds, they were able to accomplish their mission but at the cost of deaths of many soldiers and his own life by getting hit by the Beast Titan’s boulders. This makes his death heartbreaking yet the most honorable one of them all. Even anime fans see this as a death worthy of everyone’s salute!

 

23. Isla (Plastic Memories) – Episode 13, I Hope One Day You’ll be Reunited

INFORMATION
Title	Plastic Memories
Genre	Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Doga Kobo
Premiered	2015
Episodes	13
Duration	24 min. per ep

Isla was initially introduced as a Giftia, an android with a limited time span, who has shown little to no emotion, but thanks to her relationship with Tsukasa Mizugaki, she has grown in her character. She is also quite naïve and can be awkward when it comes to social interactions. But deep inside, Isla wants to do everything in her power to make Tsukasa the happiest person. As her lifespan runs out, Tsukasa promises her that he’ll stick with Isla up until her last moments.

 

22. Euphemia (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) – Episode 23, At Least with Sorrow

INFORMATION
Title	Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Genre	Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Sunrise
Premiered	2006
Episodes	25
Duration	24 min. per ep

Among the Britannian’s noble family, Euphemia is the kindest person you will ever meet because everyone respects not just the Britannians but also the Japanese. With her charisma and kind-hearted words, she has gained full trust of the opposing forces until Lelouch made the stupidest joke he can ever think of.

Lelouch made a genocide joke while unknowingly has his Geass turned on and this led Euphemia to slaughter every Japanese in the stadium. Since Euphemia now has a grave reputation, Lelouch had no choice but to kill her off as Zero and “avenge” the Japanese. In the end, all of Euphemia’s efforts went down the drain due to one accident making her death more tragic and heartbreaking.

 

21. Setsuko (Grave of the Fireflies)

INFORMATION
Title	Grave of the Fireflies
Genre	Drama
Type	Movie
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Premiered	1988
Episodes	1
Duration	1 hr. 28 min

Here comes another heartbreaking death and most of you would probably know this movie already and that’s Grave of the Fireflies! Despite this, at a young age, Setsuko is shown to develop an understanding and awareness when it comes to life and death as events take place during the movie. A fleet of bombers attacked their area, they managed to survive but suffered in malnutrition. She eventually dies as her brother, Seita, is by her side and was later cremated on the following day.

 

20. David Martinez (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) – Episode 10, My Moon My Man

INFORMATION
Title	Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Genre	Action, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Trigger
Premiered	2022
Episodes	10
Duration	25 min. per ep

Coming in 20th place is the Edgerunner, David Martinez, from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners which became a game-changer for the video game, Cyberpunk 2077! After equipping the Sandevistan, he became a merc accepting gigs along with Lucy and Maine’s gang.

Throughout the story, David and Lucy developed a romantic relationship and promised her that he’ll bring her to the moon to achieve her dreams. But this promise was broken when they faced off against Adam Smasher. Since they have nowhere to run, David had to sacrifice himself for Lucy to live. In the end, Lucy achieved her dream of reaching the moon but alone.

Check out: Who Is Yoriichi, Is He A Demon And What Are His Powers?

 

19. Ebisu (Noragami Aragoto) – Episode 13, The God of Fortune’s Message

INFORMATION
Title	Noragami
Genre	Action, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Bones
Premiered	2015
Episodes	13
Duration	24 min. per ep

The God of Commerce and Fishing is none other than Ebisu from Noragami! As a god, he blends with the human society very well as he takes the form of a salaryman. His death however was portrayed differently in the anime and the manga.

In the manga, he immediately dies after exiting the Underworld, but in the anime, he lost consciousness first but later died while being held by Yato after they escaped from the Underworld. They may be different, but both were still emotional for the god’s death.

 

18. Jonathan Joestar (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) – Episode 9, The Final Ripple!

INFORMATION
Title	Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Genre	Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	David Production
Premiered	2012
Episodes	26
Duration	24 min. per ep

Jonathan Joestar is the first Jojo you will encounter in the series during the Phantom Blood Arc. He eventually became a Hamon user when he was trained by Will Zeppeli. Jonathan and Dio both had numerous encounters and battles against each other and their last one is where Dio claimed his victory.

They last fought on a cruise ship and Jonathan ended up having to sacrifice himself to save his wife, Erina, and their unborn son. Shortly after Jonathan’s death, Dio used his own decapitated head to attach himself to Jonathan’s body, replacing Jonathan’s head and survived the sinking ship. This makes Jonathan’s death in vain and heartbreaking.

17. Sakura Yamauchi (I Want to Eat Your Pancreas)

INFORMATION
Title	I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
Genre	Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
Type	Movie
Studio	Studio VOLN
Premiered	2018
Episodes	1
Duration	1hr. 48 min.

Another painful and heartbreaking death is Sakura Yamauchi’s. Sakura is known to have a pancreatic disease and wants to spend the rest of her days  just enjoying herself. She and Haruki Shiga spent a lot of time together and developed quite a relationship.

In this type of show, almost every viewer already expected that she’d die eventually due to her disease, but that’s not the case for this anime. Unfortunately, she was at the wrong place at the wrong time and died of homicide. This was very heartbreakingly unexpected especially to Haruki because they were supposed to meet the following day.

 

16. Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) – Episode 10, Separate Destinations

INFORMATION
Title	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Genre	Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Bones
Premiered	2009
Episodes	64
Duration	24 min. per ep

A lot of you would probably know who this guy is as he has the most undeserving death in Fullmetal Alchemist and to be fair, if he didn’t die then FMA would have ended pretty quickly. Maes Hughes is a military officer and a loving dad with a happy family and everything around him turned upside down when he discovered something that he shouldn’t have and can cause a big problem for the Homunculus’ plans. When he was at a telephone booth, he was targeted by one of the Homunculus, Envy, and shot him in the chest. In his final moments, he was able to say his goodbyes to his family.

Check out: 37+ Best Black Hair Anime Characters!

 

15. Kushina Uzumaki (Naruto Shippuden) – Episode 249, Thank You

INFORMATION
Title	Naruto Shippuden
Genre	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Pierrot
Premiered	2007
Episodes	500
Duration	23 min. per ep

The one and only loving mother of Naruto is Kushina Uzumaki. She was a kunoichi from the Village Hidden in the Leaf and eventually built a family with Minato Namikaze. But all these happy moments came to an end when the Nine-Tails attacked their Village.

Kushina was put into a situation where she had to seal a part of the Nine-Tails, but Minato rejected it. Instead, he decided to seal a part of the Nine-Tails in Naruto and the other in Minato. While protecting Naruto from the Nine-Tails, both parents sacrificed themselves by getting stabbed by the Tailed Beast. Later on, they meet their unfortunate deaths as the Nine-Tails is sealed within Naruto’s body.

 

14. Kyojurou Rengoku (Demon Slayer: Mugen Train)

INFORMATION
Title	Demon Slayer: Mugen Train
Genre	Action, Fantasy
Type	Movie
Studio	Ufotable
Premiered	2020
Episodes	1
Duration	1 hr. 56 min.

This one here is truly a heartbreaking one especially to all Rengoku fans out there! Kyojurou Rengoku is the Flame Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps and is deemed to be very strong in offense with his fiery flames. But unfortunately, some Demons were able to outsmart his battle techniques which ended the life of the Flame Pillar.

The last Demon he fought is Akaza, an Upper Rank Three Demon and is one of the strongest enemies you will find. Rengoku died at the hands of Akaza after suffering a mortal wound when he got punched through his chest. What makes his death heartbreaking is all the effort he’s gone through to become a Pillar and now it’s all gone because of a Demon.

 

13. Nina Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) – Episode 4, An Alchemist’s Distress

INFORMATION
Title	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Genre	Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Bones
Premiered	2009
Episodes	64
Duration	24 min. per ep

Nina Tucker is the daughter of Shou Tucker, an alchemist focused on creating chimeras and innovating new ways on improving them. Nina along with her best friend and pet, Alexander, enjoys most of their lives without worrying about anything. Even though they show concern for their father being a workaholic, they are still shown to be cheerful all the time.

One day, Ed and Al were searching for the two to play with them but ended up finding a chimera who can talk. The talking chimera mentioning Ed’s name as “Ed..ward” and “big brother” made the brothers realize something horrible. Nina and Tucker were merged into a chimera by their own father. The chimera eventually dies when Scar kills her,  considering it as mercy.

 

12. Koro-sensei (Assassination Classroom Season 2) – Episode 24, Graduation Time

INFORMATION
Title	Assassination Classroom
Genre	Action, Comedy
Type	Series
Studio	Lerche
Premiered	2016
Episodes	25
Duration	23 min. per ep

Koro-sensei is the renowned homeroom teacher in Kunugigaoka Junior High! Koro-sensei was a cheerful person even though he knew that he would be the reason for the planet’s annihilation in a year. Due to that, every student in his class attempts to assassinate him every day to save the planet.

Despite the attempted killings, he was respected by all of his students as he tries to connect with every one of them making him probably the best teacher you will ever encounter. This makes his death so heartbreaking as he did not just make an impact on his students but to the anime fans, as well. But we all know this has to end this way, otherwise, the world will end.

 

11. Shirley Fenette (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) – Episode 13, Assassin from the Past

INFORMATION
Title	Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Genre	Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Sunrise
Premiered	2006
Episodes	25
Duration	24 min. per ep

Shirley Fenette is a Britannian student from Ashford Academy who also has a crush on Lelouch, the main protagonist. Unfortunately, there was a time when she ran into Rolo and the two had an argument which ended up Rolo shooting Shirley with a gun giving her a mortal wound. As Lelouch finds her dying, Shirley was able to convey her true feelings to him during her final moments. Lelouch then formed his plans to destroy the Geass Order, which includes Rolo, as an offering for Shirley’s death.

 

10. Orga Itsuka (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2) – Episode 23, Promise

INFORMATION
Title	Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2
Genre	Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Sunrise
Premiered	2016
Episodes	25
Duration	24 min. per ep

One of the main characters from Iron-Blooded Orphans is Orga Itsuka and is the head boss of their organization, Tekkadan. Throughout the series, he has shown great determination in expanding their organization to fight for their own cause.

When all is going well, he meets his unexpected death when he was shot by the hitmen who ambushed them. After his death, Tekkadan used this as their own motivation to continue moving forward by remembering all of Orga’s words and everything he’s done for them. It may not be an honored death, but it was the most respected one.

 

9. Yui (Angel Beats!) – Episode 10, Goodbye Days

INFORMATION
Title	Angel Beats!
Genre	Drama, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	P.A. Works
Premiered	2010
Episodes	13
Duration	24 min. per ep

For Yui’s case we wouldn’t really call it death as she is already in the afterlife but I gotta admit that she has the most tear-jerking moments when she disappears from the afterlife. In order for her to resurrect, Yui needs to fulfill the regrets she hadn’t done when she was alive such as getting to play baseball, perform a German suplex, and to even marry. After fulfilling all of these, Yui was able to move on and this scene made a lot of anime fans teary-eyed because of the background music that plays with it. It made the scene more emotional, sad, and heartbreaking.

Related: Meliodas Vs Naruto: Who Would Win?

8. Neji (Naruto Shippuden) – Episode 364, The Ties that Bind

INFORMATION
Title	Naruto Shippuden
Genre	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Pierrot
Premiered	2007
Episodes	500
Duration	23 min. per ep

Neji Hyuga is one of the most prominent characters in Naruto Shippuden. Ever since his Chunin days, he was already deemed as one of the finest ninjas you could find. In terms of combat prowess, intelligence, and how he uses his Byakugan is already top notch.

But unfortunately, during the 4th Great Ninja War, he made a noble sacrifice in order to save Naruto from the Ten Tails attack. Even until now, Neji’s death has been one of the most unforgettable ones because if it weren’t for him, Naruto and Hinata would’ve been dead.

 

7. Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad: After Story) – Episode 16, White Darkness

INFORMATION
Title	Clannad: After Story
Genre	Drama, Romance, Supernatural
Type	Series
Studio	Kyoto Animation
Premiered	2008
Episodes	24
Duration	24 min. per ep

Nagisa Furukawa who later bears the surname of Okazaki after she married her boyfriend, Tomoya Okazaki, has one of the saddest deaths in anime. After announcing her pregnancy, the whole family is overjoyed as they get to start a new life with their child. But all of this suddenly became a fantasy after Nagisa dies of childbirth. After she gave birth to Ushio Okazaki, Nagisa’s body was unable to keep up and died shortly after.

 

6. Miyazono Kaori (Your Lie in April) – Episode 22, Spring Breeze

INFORMATION
Title	Your Lie in April
Genre	Drama, Romance
Type	Series
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Premiered	2014
Episodes	22
Duration	22 min. per ep

This anime is not the type of show of what you thought it would be when it was released. At first, it looked to be a happy-go-lucky music anime that tells the story of a pianist and a violinist. But as you watch it, well it turned out to be quite different. So, Miyazono Kaori is a violinist who had a disease that she’s been keeping  as a secret from her friends. But as it gets worse, she starts to regret the wrong decisions she’s made in her life such as lying to Arima Kousei. As her last days approached, she wrote a message to Kousei and was given to him after her untimely death.

 

5. Kamina (Gurren Lagann) – Episode 8, Later, Buddy

INFORMATION
Title	Gurren Lagann
Genre	Action, Adventure, Award Winning, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Gainax
Premiered	2007
Episodes	27
Duration	24 min. per ep

Kamina’s noble death is an important factor for the growth of Simon’s character in Gurren Lagann. After a successful mission of defeating Thymilph, Kamina suffered a mortal wound to the chest and heavy loss of blood. As he dies in the cockpit, Kamina left Simon the words he needs to remember and gave him the determination to fulfill his destiny as “the drill who will pierce the heavens”. Kamina was given an honorable burial in the battlefield with his sword. For a lot of anime fans, it is indeed a sad moment for the loss of Team Gurren’s founder.

 

4. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden) – Episode 138, The End

INFORMATION
Title	Naruto Shippuden
Genre	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Pierrot
Premiered	2007
Episodes	500
Duration	23 min. per ep

As one of the few living Uchihas and the sole brother of Sasuke, Itachi’s death broke the hearts of many people. Most of the time, he was shown as an antagonist who always threatened to take  Sasuke’s life but as his story unfolds, Itachi is actually a tragic hero who didn’t have any choice but to do what he needed to.

Knowing that Sasuke is the only one that could defeat him, they still had a deadly battle where Itachi ended up losing. As Itachi slowly approaches his death, he gave Sasuke his Sharingan and poked him on the forehead reminding Sasuke that he’s still the big brother he once knew this whole time.

Related: COMPLETE Naruto & Naruto Shippuden Filler List (EASY)!

 

3. Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2) – Episode 25, Re;

INFORMATION
Title	Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Genre	Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Type	Series
Studio	Sunrise
Premiered	2008
Episodes	25
Duration	24 min. per ep

The top 3 is for the unsung hero of the world, Lelouch vi Britannia! Lelouch has always been known for his intellect, foolproof strategies, and powerful Geass that grants him the power of absolute obedience. He used his Geass as an instrument to put an end to the war so that Nunnally will have the bright future she deserves.

As Lelouch’s identity as Zero became widely known, he created an image to the world as everyone’s enemy. With this plan, Britannian and Japanese forces will unite and put an end to Lelouch’s tyrannical reign. After his death, he brought peace to the world and the only people who know the truth are the few who trusted him the most.

 

2. Portgas D. Ace (One Piece) – Episode 483, Looking for the Answer – Fire Fist Ace Dies on the Battlefield

INFORMATION
Title	One Piece
Genre	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Toei Animation
Premiered	1999
Episodes	Unknown
Duration	24 min. per ep

We all know Ace would be on this list because why not, right? Ace was one of the strongest Devil Fruit users out there known for his fiery abilities with his Mero Mero no Mi. But he made a bad decision when he faced Blackbeard and was captured by the Marines. After Luffy heard of his execution, Luffy did everything he could just to save Ace and all of it was put into vain after Akainu managed to gain the upperhand. As Akainu punched Ace through the chest, there was no way of saving him leaving Luffy into severe depression due to the loss of his only brother.

 

1. Jiraiya (Naruto Shippuden) – Episode 133, The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant

INFORMATION
Title	Naruto Shippuden
Genre	Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Type	Series
Studio	Pierrot
Premiered	2007
Episodes	500
Duration	23 min. per ep

Taking the crown of the most heartbreaking death is Naruto’s mentor, Jiraiya! Known for his reputation as one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya is one of the ninjas who you consider a true icon up till now. What makes him a legend is the pure effort he has shown when he faced all different versions of Pain.

If Naruto was already struggling with one, then imagine the strength that Jiraiya possessed when he faced them all at once! But unfortunately, in terms of power and quantity they were able to overpower Jiraiya and finally put an end to his life after their long battle. His death made a great impact on Naruto which only made him become stronger and was able to avenge his death by defeating Pain but unlike other deaths in this arc, Jiraiya’s can’t be reversed.

Related: COMPLETE Naruto Watch Order (Easy to Follow) Guide!

 

Conclusion

This concludes this heartbreaking list and I hope you didn’t cry with this list we’ve given you because for sure there are more to come when more animes get released in the future! So, if you ever want to cry your eyes out, you may want to try watching the shows these characters are in!