In the world of Naruto, characters can die and stay that way—instead of being revived in other shonen titles. From the main characters to the antagonists, there have been many character deaths over the years of the anime and manga that have been heartwrenching, from fan favorites to unnecessary ones.
However, sometimes the characters weren't always responsible for the final blow. They may have died from an outside force or even another character in the midst of their battle. Here are 10 of the strongest enemies that heroes didn't deal the final blow to in the series.
8 Rock Lee VS. Kimimaro — He Ultimately Died From His Illness
Kimimaro was the sole survivor of the Kaguya Clan, a group composed of descendants of Kaguya Otsutsuki who could manipulate their bone structure to utilize in battle. His battle against Rock Lee during the Sasuke Recovery Mission was known as one of the best fights in Naruto.
Rock Lee used the Drunken Fist against him, pinning him in the battle and overturning his strength, despite him being stronger than him. However, when Rock Lee began to sober up, he defeated him and was blocked by Gaara, who attempted to crush him to death with sand. Before he could reach Gaara and kill him, he eventually died due to his illness.
7 Team 7 VS. Zabuza — Zabuza Was Wounded, But Succumbed To His Wounds And Gato's Men
Zabuza and Haku were the first serious antagonists' Team 7 caded off against after only having missions dealing with finding missing cats and minimal tasks. Haku almost killed Sasuke, and Zabuza went head-to-head with Kakashi, showing why his nickname was the Copy Ninja.
However, after Kakashi killed Haku with a Chidori after taking the hit for Zabuza, the Mist ninja was stricken with regret for treating him after a scolding from Kakashi. In the end, he used a kunai in his mouth to kill Geta's men, but his wounds from battle and the new ones he gained from being reckless caught up to him, causing him to die.
6 The Allied Shinobi Forces VS. Madara — Madara Was Killed By Black Zetsu Before He Could Cause Any More Destruction
Madara's final moments caused an uproar with fans for how easily he fell, despite being on the path to victory. After successfully extracting Kurama from Naruto and impaling Sasuke with a Black Receiver, Madara became the Ten-Tails jinchuriki.
All was going according to plan until the plot twist of Black Zetsu aligned with Kaguya Otsutsuki—his so-called mother—and he stabbed him through the chest. For such an overpowered villain, his death was too easy.
5 Sasuke VS. Deidara — Deidara Gave His Life To Art And Explosions By Blowing Himself Up Before Sasuke Could Kill Him
Deidara was a well-liked member of the Akatsuki amongst Naruto fans. However, he was a character who died early in the series Obsessed with art being explosive and jealous of Itachi after he made him join the group. He battled against Sasuke out of his hatred toward the Uchiha Clan.
However, he was overwhelmed by Sasuke, prompting him to realize he would not win. In the end, he decided "art was an explosion" and blew himself, and most of the forest, up in a last-ditch effort to take Sasuke down with him.
4 Kisame VS. Might Guy — Kisame Decided To Take His Life By Getting Eaten By Sharks To Protect The Akatsuki
Kisame didn't look like the type—especially since joining the Akatsuki means betraying one's village—to be loyal to anything. However, that's exactly how he ended his life. During his fight against Might Guy and Aoba, Kisame realized he was in over his head.
He then decided to take his own life before the Hidden Leaf ninja could capture him and extract valuable information about the Akatsuki through Psycho Mind Transmission using the Water Prison Technique and allowing himself to get eaten alive by a shark.
3 Kakashi VS. Obito — Obito Sacrifices Himself After Turning Over A New Leaf And Dies Protecting Naruto And Kakashi
After it was revealed that Tobi was Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's teammate and childhood friend, hatred and confusion overtook the air between the two. They fought, which produced one of the best taijutsu fights in the series and anime itself, and Obito decided to turn over a new leaf during the war.
He wasn't killed by being crushed by a rock but instead by protecting Naruto and Kakashi. In truth, he mainly saved Kakashi from dying by pushing him out of the way of Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones.
2 Naruto VS. Pain — Nagato Sacrificed Himself By Undoing His Wrongs And Bringing Back Those He Had Killed
Fans either stopped watching after the Pain Arc or thought it was the best part of the anime and manga. Either way, this doesn't change the fact that Pain, otherwise known as Nagato, caused massive destruction upon the Hidden Leaf.
Amongst the casualties were even Kakashi, which some fans may have forgotten. After taking half of the villagers' lives, he used the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, causing his life to fade away in turn of bringing back the lives of everyone who died during his assault.
1 Sasuke VS. Itachi Uchiha — Itachi Was Already Suffering From Blindness And Died Before Sasuke Could Deal The Final Blow
Sasuke and Itachi's first final fight was one full of sadness and hatred that he carried for all of his life. However, when it came down to the final moments of Sasuke killing him, he would have lost if it weren't for Itachi hiding his illness—that of him going blind and weakening from overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan.
At the very end of the fight, Itachi slowly walks toward Sasuke and taps his forehead—a sign of love between the brothers—before dying from his wounds and his very own predicament.