Dying is as ubiquitous in anime as it is in real life, especially for those anime genres that have a lot of action or enemies to take down. Most of the time, anime fight scenes are dramatic and drawn out, giving both protagonist and antagonist the opportunity to give the battle their all. But in some cases, anime battles end all too quickly. And in many of those cases, it's because a character wasn't able to put up much of a fight.
Sometimes they're ambushed or double-crossed, and other times they're unprepared for the power levels of their opponents. Some characters simply aren't skilled enough to make it through. But regardless of the reason, there are plenty of anime characters who seem to die a little more easily than they should have.
10 Avdol Didn't Even Get To Defend Himself (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Muhammad Avdol is the skillful commander of Magician's Red and proved himself a capable fighter throughout a good portion of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders. He stylishly took out several enemies in the series before his death. His sudden demise at the hands of Vanilla Ice and his Stand, Cream, feels almost insulting.
Nevertheless, Avdol died a hero's death, as he noticed Cream's attack in time to save Jean Pierre Polnareff and Iggy. Unfortunately, it left Avdol wide open, and Cream finished him off.
9 Kazuma's Death Was Comically Pathetic (Konosuba)
Before being whisked away to his next life as a reluctant hero, Sato Kazuma experienced quite an embarrassing death in Konosuba. Thinking he was saving a girl from being run over by a truck, Kazuma pushed her out of the way and died... but not because he was hit by a truck.
Aqua later reveals that the supposed truck was a tractor that wasn't going fast enough to kill anyone. And on top of that, Kazuma apparently died of shock at the thought of his sacrifice. Pretty pathetic, but heroic at the same time.
8 Future Trunks Annihilated Mecha Future Frieza (Dragon Ball Z)
Frieza had been the strongest enemy Goku and the other Z Fighters had encountered up until the Future Trunks Saga in Dragon Ball Z, which is why it was such a thrill to see Future Trunks kill him so easily.
Since Future Trunks came from an alternate timeline, he was able to receive advanced Super Saiyan training that the other Saiyans hadn't experienced yet, and seeing Trunks' impressive power was shocking to every character watching. Future Trunks was able to parry all of Frieza's attacks effortlessly and chopped him up into little pieces before blasting him to smithereens with ki.
7 Reckless Bravery Led To Hannes' Doom (Attack On Titan)
Being a member of the Garrison Regiment who normally ran for safety, it's surprising that Attack on Titan's Hannes would rush into battle knowing he doesn't have a lot of skill with ODM gear. After all, the Garrison Regiment is trained to defend and hold ground, not rush in and attack.
But Hannes felt a need to avenge Eren Yeager's mother, Carla Yeager, after he failed to help her five years ago. Accordingly, Hannes took the opportunity to attack the Smiling Titan and try to avenge her while protecting Mikasa and Eren in the process.
6 Kagari Was Powerless Against His Murderer (Psycho-Pass)
Labeled as a latent criminal with no possibility for rehabilitation at merely five years old, Shusei Kagari is no stranger to the corrupt Sybil System in Psycho-Pass. It's honestly difficult to believe how he was identified as a latent criminal since Kagari composes himself as an easygoing jokester who doesn't seem like he'd hurt anyone.
Nevertheless, Kagari accepted his role as a latent criminal and life as an Enforcer. He holds a special hatred for the Sybil System after it designated him as dangerous at such a young age, making his murder at the hands of the Public Safety Bureau Chief tragic.
5 Abbacchio Was Completely Blindsided By King Crimson (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
While searching for the Boss's true identity in Sardinia, Italy, Leone Abbacchio was ambushed by King Crimson in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind. Accordingly, Abbacchio had no opportunity to defend himself, making his death seem all too easy.
Since Passione's Boss is desperate to keep their identity secret, they used deception to sneak into Abbacchio's range and finish him off with one strike. Luckily, Abbacchio managed to pass on the clue that Bucciarati's team needed before he passed on.
4 Heart Disease Effortlessly Defeated Goku, The World's Strongest Fighter (Dragon Ball Z)
Even though Goku is the strongest when it comes to physical prowess, an internal disease was still able to take him down easily in Dragon Ball Z. But even so, it felt kind of cheap to kill him that way since Goku had stood up against much more fearsome foes in the anime.
Instead, a heart virus was a convenient means to kill him off, ushering in an age where the Androids reigned with terror and destruction. But this timeline was only for Future Trunks, and the Goku fans know and love lived on.
3 Sakura's Death Was An Instant, Unfortunate Accident (Zombie Land Saga)
In a scene parodied from popular isekai anime, Sakura Minamoto is struck by a vehicle and killed at the beginning of Zombie Land Saga while on her way to school. The entire premise of the anime relies on Sakura's death, so it makes sense that she died so suddenly.
After passing away, Kotaro Tatsumi revived her as a zombie so he could convince her to join an idol group and revive Saga, Japan. A comically easy death for a comically bizarre anime.
2 An Uncharacteristic Act Of Kindness Takes Yusuke's Life (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Although he starts out as an irredeemable gangster, Yusuke Urameshi feels the urge to save a small child from a traffic accident in Yu Yu Hakusho, which results in his unexpected death. The most touching part of Yusuke's death is watching his loved ones react to it.
Yusuke was an irredeemable delinquent who wasn't expected to ever sacrifice himself selflessly, putting the Spirit World in a bind since they had nowhere to put him... so they offered him another chance at life. Yusuke initially rejected the offer, but after seeing how much people cared about him, he decided to go back after all.
1 Marco Dies Off Screen, Making His Death Seem Effortless (Attack On Titan)
When Jean Kirstein finds his good friend Marco Bott half-eaten by a Titan in Attack on Titan, viewers are left to wonder how Marco perished. At the same time, however, viewers are also expected to accept that Marco died as a casualty just like the dozens of other cadets who met their demise.
Interestingly, the Attack on Titan manga reveals the moments before Marco's death. Leaving those details out of the anime was a good choice in retrospect, as it makes the later reveal of Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun, and Bertholdt Hoover's treachery more shocking in the anime.