There are many anime characters who are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to protect the people they care about the most. Parents are usually the ones to do so, and their sacrifices are made when their children are not yet strong enough to defend themselves.
Their sacrifices often make their children mature faster and grow stronger, but their absence also leaves a giant hole in their children's lives. Sometimes, these children will even feel abandoned. However, fans know that parents do this because they only want what is best for their children.
10 Bleach: Masaki Kurosaki Protected Ichigo From A Hollow
Masaki Kurosaki was originally a powerful, pure-blooded Quincy. She was powerful enough that her husband, Isshin, did not worry about her when she encountered Hollows. At full strength, she could have easily defeated the Grand Fisher, but Yhwach stole her powers. Ichigo did not realize what Grand Fisher was, so she had to jump in and protect him from a fatal blow from the creature.
9 Naruto: Minato & Kushina Gave Their Lives To Save Their Son & Their Village
After childbirth, the seal on the Nine-Tails weakened. The creature was unleashed upon their village despite Kushina and Minato Uzumaki's attempts to keep it contained. In order to save their son's life from the creature, they decided that the best thing to do was to seal it inside of Naruto.
The process cost them their lives but would allow them to meet him when he was older.
8 Fairy Tail: Igneel Sealed Himself Inside Of Natsu To Keep Natsu From Turning Into A Dragon
Igneel wasn't related to Natsu by blood, but he was a father figure to him during his childhood. Igneel grew attached to Natsu and even taught him dragon slayer magic. Unfortunately, learning this type of magic turned the user into a dragon themselves. To prevent this from happening to his son, Igneel had to seal himself away in Natsu. His plan was successful, although it would be years before Natsu discovered what Igneel did for him. When they finally reunited, Igneel fell in battle.
7 Attack On Titan: Eren Jaeger's Mother Told Him To Leave Her Behind During A Titan Attack
After the Titans invaded the human sanctuary, Carla Jaeger was trapped beneath her fallen house. Despite the attempts of Eren and Mikasa, they were unable to free her. Even if freed, Carla knew that she would be in no condition to run. When Hannes arrived, she asked him to take the children and run, which he agreed to do after some hesitation. She resisted every urge to call for help, as she knew that Eren would have thrown his life away if she did.
6 Demon Slayer: Inosuke Hashibira's Mother Ran Away With Him After Discovering Doma Was A Demon
Kotoha Hashibira struggled to care for Inosuke on her own, as she found herself in grim living conditions on multiple occasions. She accepted Doma's offer to shelter her, and they lived a good life until she discovered that Doma was a demon who ate his followers.
Realizing the danger, she ran away with her son. She wasn't able to outrun Doma, so she threw Inosuke into the river, which saved his life. Unfortunately, Kotoha died soon after.
5 Sailor Moon: Queen Serenity Allowed The Sailor Scouts To Reincarnate
Queen Serenity was the mother of Princess Serenity, who ruled over the Moon Kingdom. One day, the kingdom was attacked, which resulted in the death of her daughter. She was stricken by grief and used the Silver Crystal to seal away the attackers, as well as to allow Princess Serenity and the other Sailor Scouts to be reborn on Earth. It cost the queen her life but gave the princess another opportunity to live her life.
4 Demon Slayer: Kagaya Ubuyashiki Sacrificed Himself To Defeat Muzan
Kagaya was the respected leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Because Muzan's transformation cursed his family, Kagaya was too weak to use a sword himself. Despite his weakness, Muzan was eager to take the lives of Kagaya and his successors. Kagaya lured Muzan into a trap, which took him by surprise and weakened him. This cost Kagaya his life but gave his son, Kiriya, a chance to lead the Demon Slayers to victory.
3 My Hero Academia: Nana Shimura Gave Up Her Son, & Eventually Died In The Battle Against All For One
Nana Shimura lost her husband, and she wasn't willing to let her son suffer the same fate, so she decided to hide him away from All For One. She knew that she couldn't be an adequate parent and was afraid that she would not be able to protect him. Defeating All For One would have solved this problem, but unfortunately, Nana died in her battle against him and wasn't able to reunite with her son.
2 The Promised Neverland: Isabella Saved Her Children From A Demon
Isabella started off prioritizing her own safety from the demons. She became the Mama of Grace Field House and raised children so that they would be eaten by demons. When some of her children escaped, Isabella had a change of heart, deciding to go against the demons while pretending to follow their orders. At the end of the manga, she saved Emma from a demon, sacrificing her own life in the process.
1 Overlord: Enri Emmot's Father Gave His Children A Chance To Run
Enri Emmot and her little sister lost their parents when Imperial Knights attacked Carne Village. Their father grabbed one of the knights in order to give them a chance to escape, allowing them to reach the forest before the knights caught up to them. If not for this precious amount of time, Ainz wouldn't have arrived in time to save them from their assailants.