What defines a character as minor? Is a deceased parent minor in a genre that frequently orphans its protagonists? Or is a minor character defined solely by how little screen time they receive? It's hard to say. Some characters last an entire series without leaving much impact, and others exist for only an episode or two but change the entire trajectory of a story.
Once we exclude parents from the mix, there remains no shortage of characters whose loss is deeply felt by both characters and the audience. Sometimes, these characters are what make a series truly unforgettable.
10 Jujutsu Kaisen Establishes A Great Character Only To End Him
What elevates Jujutsu Kaisen, placing it just a hair above other recent shonen series, is its willingness to embrace the horrific within a shonen construct.
In any other series, a character like Junpei could have been a protagonist. Bullied mercilessly and deeply apathetic as a result, Junpei begins to feel more empathy upon befriending Yuji. Unfortunately, he's easily manipulated by Mahito. For a brief moment, Yuji convinces Junpei to stop his trajectory of violence, extending a hand of understanding. But the moment Junpei isn't useful to him, Mahito destroys him.
9 The Apparent Death of a Sister Changes Charlotte's Entire Trajectory
Charlotte has both fans and detractors. While viewers may argue the merits of the show, there is consensus on one front: when the show goes dark, it goes really dark.
Protagonist Yuu is accustomed to abusing his psychic abilities for his own gain. When he's caught in the act and transfers to a school for kids with psychic abilities, his sister Ayumi transfers along with him. But when Ayumi appears to die in a collapsing building due to losing control of her abilities, Yuu goes off the deep end. In a tonal shift for the ages, Charlotte's seventh episode documents a grief spiral that's hard to watch and all too relatable.
8 Years Later, Marco's Death Remains Harrowing
Marco Bott is barely in Attack on Titan. He is dead and gone by the midpoint of season one, killed in the Struggle for Trost. So why are fans still deeply upset by his loss?
Initially, it may have been the grisly nature of his death. Marco is discovered by his best friend Jean, mutilated almost past recognition, in the wake of the battle. Jean has often been a fan-favorite character, and perhaps the impact Marco's death had on his character really hammered home the loss. And later in the series, when the cause of his death is revealed, the rage Eren and company feel is completely shared by the audience. It's one thing to be killed by monsters and another to be killed by friends.
7 Sabito & Makomo Are Dead All Along
Demon Slayer begins with death in the snow, and fans know to expect high stakes and tragedy from episode one onward. Even so, the realization that Sabito and Makomo are ghosts is deeply affecting.
Fans meet Sabito and Makomo in episode three and learn that they are both former apprentices of Urokodaki. They take over the duties of training Tanjiro for the upcoming demon slayer selection. Sabito and Makomo are harsh but likable tutors, and they help shape Tanjiro into a fearsome fighter. It's only at the end of the episode that Tanjiro discovers they are both dead, killed by a demon who claimed the lives of many students. Tanjiro kills the demon and Sabito and Makomo are free to move on at last.
6 Mafuyu of Given Grieves A Loved One's Suicide
It's hard to understate how accomplished a series Given truly is. The show presents queer characters as the agents of their own stories who engage in consensual relationships. Given manages LGBTQ+ representation well, and it also addresses suicide with exceptional grace and nuance.
When fans meet Mafuyu, he's a quiet oddball who refuses to join Ritsuka's band despite his phenomenal talent for music. Mafuyu's first boyfriend committed suicide, and Mafuyu is struggling immensely to cope. Over time, his friendship and a budding romance with Ritsuka help him articulate his grief. When Mafuyu finally belts out a farewell song to his departed lover, only the coldest of hearts could be unmoved.
5 Julia's Death Triggers The End Of Bebop
The genius of Bebop is the way it creeps up on its viewers and leaves them deeply changed. It's apparent that each member of the Bebop's crew is running from the past, and the entire universe proves too small to escape it.
Spike and Julia fell in love while members of the same crime syndicate. They longed to elope but leaving the syndicate meant becoming a target. When Spike reunites with Julia at last, the past catches up with both of them. Julia dies in Spike's arms, and her final words are "It's all a dream." The implication that every part of the series was a dream that couldn't last, that there was never any escape, makes Cowboy Bebop only more profound.
4 Nina & Alexander's Shared Fate Has Disturbed Generations of Viewers
While Brotherhood is considered superior to 2003's FMA adaptation by most fans, there's no doubt that the first series did a much better job tackling the cruel demise of Nina and Alexander. To this day, there are few story arcs more deeply upsetting and memorable than the Elrics' encounter with Shou Tucker.
In a bid to retain his State Alchemist license, Tucker transmutes his daughter and dog into one, creating a horrifying hybrid creature that has no place in the world. When Scar kills what has become of Nina and Alexander, it's a mercy, but the tragedy persists, haunting the Elrics and the audience thereafter.
3 The Boy's Tragic Ending Becomes Fushi's True Beginning
Simultaneously strange, cinematic, and heartbreaking, the first episode of To Your Eternity combines science fiction elements with a harrowing story of survival.
When the entity arrives in an arctic landscape and takes on the form of a wolf, it is taken in by an unnamed boy living alone in an abandoned village. The boy mistakes him for his pet and, desperate for company, narrates his life to the wolf. Through their interactions, the audience learns how dire the boy's circumstances are. He's been forgotten in this place, and there's no way out apart from across the tundra. His suffering is tangible and though the boy is doomed, the audience can't help but admire him.
2 An Uncle's Untimely Death Fuels The Career of a Young Mangaka in Bakuman
The death of an idol is hard for anyone to cope with. And if the person one idolizes is a relative, the loss is doubly felt. Such is the tragedy in Bakuman, which chronicles two teens' long journey to becoming a successful mangaka.
Artist Mashiro grew up looking up to his uncle, the mangaka Nobuhiro Mashiro. But Nobuhiro suffered from the limited success and criminal overwork that the manga industry is infamous for, and eventually died from exhaustion. His death fuels Mashiro's desire to succeed in the industry, but his loss is felt in every moment of failure and success that the new mangakas encounter.
1 Mami's Demise Redefines the Magical Girl Genre
There were certainly those who dismissed Madoka after its first episode. Sure, the Shaft series is beautiful and director Gen Uroboki is very skilled, but what difference would that make if the story was just basic magical girl fare?
But the death of Mami in episode three changes everything. Mami is introduced as a magical girl mentor, a strong gun-toting fighter with spiral curls who seems capable of destroying any evil. So when a witch quite literally decapitates her in front of the horrified protagonist, the impact is chilling. Suddenly, this series has a lot to say.