In Japanese anime, the heroes and protagonists tend to survive while the villains face certain doom. But to create emotional impact or create hard-hitting plot twists, many anime series will kill off a hero or main character. This may break the viewer's and other characters' hearts alike.
Some anime heroes definitely died too soon, either perishing early in the anime or dying at a relatively young age. It's such a loss when a great anime hero dies only a few episodes after their introduction or if they perished long before they lived out their full lives. Many anime fans or in-universe characters would give anything to bring these fallen heroes back for one more adventure.
10 Jonathan Joestar Sacrificed Himself To Stop Dio Brando
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
The first JoJo's hero, the brawny Jonathan Joestar, fought bravely in Victorian England to save his nation from the vampire Dio Brando's wrath. At first, it was a personal battle between foster brothers, but then Dio gained vampire strength and threatened much more than Jonathan's family.
Jonathan defeated Dio, only to fight Dio's severed head aboard a steamship. The whole ship went up in flames, and Jonathan gave his life restraining Dio's head to make sure that vampire died for real this time. 100 years later, though, Dio would return anyway as a Stand user.
9 Judeau Still Had More Fight In Him
Berserk
Most members of the Band of the Hawk died before their time in Berserk's famed Golden Age story arc. Mercenaries like Judeau know that every battle might be their last, but even so, the smart and cool Judeau could have survived much longer if it weren't for the Eclipse.
Judeau risked his life protecting Casca from the Apostle hordes in the Eclipse, and he took many blows protecting her. Casca was heartbroken when her rescuer died of his wounds. Unfortunately, she was in big trouble once again before the Eclipse truly ended.
8 Thors Snorresson Still Had More To Teach His Son
Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga is a seinen anime series that deconstructs the idea of Medieval action sagas with its antiwar message. The proud father Thors Snorresson taught that lesson to his son Thorfinn, or rather, he tried to. Tragically, Thors died when Thorfinn was just a boy.
Thors died too soon, as he had a wife and two children who still needed him. Also, Thors' anti-war message hadn't sunk into Thorfinn's mind yet. However, if Thors had survived, he might have finished teaching Thofinn that lesson. It would have saved Thorfinn years of misery and agony later on.
7 Mavis Vermillion All But Died At Age 13
Fairy Tail
Over a century before Fairy Tail's main events, a brilliant little girl named Mavis Vermillion won her freedom and studied in a library for years before departing her home island. By age 13, she had become a successful wizard and founded the Fairy Tail guild, but she wasn't around long to see it.
Mavis did not completely die, but she effectively did when she got involved with the villainous Zeref Dragneel, her lover. Mavis was horribly cursed, so she went into suspended animation deep underneath the Fairy Tail guildhall. It was a tragic fate, denying this bright girl her future like that.
6 Kyojuro Rengoku Lost His Life Battling Akaza
Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer depicts a violent world where many demon-hunting warriors die young. In fact, even the nine elite Hashira are all in their late teens to mid-20s, suggesting that all slayers die young fighting Muzan Kibutsuji and his supernatural hordes.
The Hashira's aura of invincibility fell when Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, clashed with the Upper Moon 3, Akaza, in the Mugen Train story arc. Kyojuro fought well, but he couldn't stand up to Akaza's rapid regeneration. He died happy after passing on some heartfelt words to Tanjiro's squad.
5 Himeno Couldn't Stop Katana Man In The End
Chainsaw Man
Denji the antihero can survive a brutal beatdown from most devils with his formidable chainsaw powers, and Power is a real survivor, too. Meanwhile, most of Denji's human allies are liable to die anytime in this dangerous profession, including the goofy deredere Himeno.
Chainsaw Man fans were disgusted with Himeno's botched kiss scene with Denji, but then they felt sorry for her during the battle with Katana Man. Himeno gave up her entire body to fight with the Ghost Devil. But, it was no good, and she died in vain, much to Aki's horror.
4 Minato Namikaze Died Defending His Village & Son
Naruto
Naruto fans were devastated when Naruto's mentor, Jiraiya, died fighting the Six Paths of Pain, but being an accomplished shinobi in his 50s, Jiraiya didn't die too soon. Meanwhile, in Naruto's backstory, the famed fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze definitely died before his time.
Minato bravely stood up to both Kurama and the masked Obito Uchiha that fateful night, and he even made sure Kurama was sealed in his son. But he died in the process, even taking a mortal blow from one of Kurama's claws. This led the aging Hiruzen Sarutobi to unexpectedly reclaim the mantle of Hokage.
3 Masaki Kurosaki's Death Was A Terrible Blow To The Family
Bleach
In Bleach's backstory, Masaki Kurosaki proved herself an excellent anime mother, but shonen anime moms tend to have thin plot armor. One rainy afternoon, the brutal Grand Fisher confronted Masaki who, lacking her original Quincy powers, stood no chance.
Masaki died, leaving behind three children and a grieving widower, Isshin. Masaki's three children still needed her, and Ichigo, in particular, could have learned a lot from his Quincy mom when he was older. Instead, it fell to Isshin to explain all this in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
2 Portgas D. Ace Died In Luffy's Arms
One Piece
One Piece is famously reluctant to kill off any of its characters, hero or villain, but it made a heartbreaking exception for Portgas D. Ace. He was Luffy's older foster brother, and he dearly hoped that Luffy would realize his dream of becoming pirate king.
Portgas got captured and sentenced to execution. A devastating battle was fought at Marineford over Ace's fate, but it was too late. Admiral Akainu killed him, and Ace died in Luffy's arms before he could ever salute Luffy as the future king of pirates.
1 Kamina Died Before The Fight For Freedom Was Over
Gurren Lagann
Gurren Lagann rarely killed off its characters, but the ultra-cool, big brotherly Kamina did to give the story a much-needed dramatic moment. Protagonist Simon felt invincible with Kamina on his side, and even Yoko Littner the sniper was warming up to him as a lover.
Then, Kamina died partway through the battle against the Beastmen, and Simon was overwhelmed with grief. Kamina died before he could claim his final victory and truly explore the heavens with Simon, but at least Simon and Yoko found other ways to honor his memory in future adventures.