Not all heroes or antiheroes live until the end to see the change they brought upon by their constant efforts and sometimes vile ideology. Keeping the protagonist alive is often the main objective in any television show but some anime series dare to conclude with the ultimate twist – the death of the main character.

“Banana Fish”, “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, and “Cowboy Bebop” are shining examples of how anime can deliver powerful and emotionally charged conclusions that sees a hero’s fall. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most tragic anime where MC dies at the end. So, without further ado, let’s get started

10. Terror In Resonance

Terror in Resonance provides an interesting look into the diabolical minds of two individuals – Twelve and Nine – who threaten to destroy modern-day Tokyo in order to rebel against the corrupt government and uphold their ideologies in a society they no longer believe in.

Being the victims of illegal experimentation, the pair goes all-out to bring down the government to their knees. They eventually succeed in doing so by exposing the Athena Plan to the world but in the end, Twelve gets shot down by U.S. forces and Nine dies because of the effects of the drugs.

9. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood

The start of a series is very much important for the both the protagonist and the story arcs that come afterwards. Surprisingly, the first part of JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure gives a tragic yet heroic end to one of its main characters, making it the rarest of the anime where MC dies.

In Phantom Blood, Jonathan Joestar devotes a significant portion of his life to stopping DIO’s aspirations for world domination and ends up sacrificing his life to ensure he takes DIO down with him. His death doesn’t go in vain though as it’s his heroics that unfolds a new chapter for the franchise’s next lead, Joseph Joestar.

8. Devilman Crybaby

Netflix’s original horror anime, Devilman Crybaby’s finale was tragic yet poignant as everyone died except the main villain. Sounds ridiculous, but in a world where demons live among humans and violence is an everyday act, it’s hard to tell when things take a shocking turn.

A similar situation occurs in the final confrontation between “Devilman” Akira and Ryo – better known as Satan – after which Akira dies at the hands of Ryo. By the end, just about everyone perished, leaving Ryo with the consequences of his actions and the lifeless body of his dearest in his arms.

7. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was one of the best anime by Studio Trigger to be released in 2022. The anime had no shortage of gore and bloodshed throughout the season – including the cyber ware upgrades or changes that David went through each time to become stronger.

All this puts a huge strain on his body and by the end of the series, David finds himself on the brink of cyber psychosis. He wouldn’t have lasted long anyway but it was the final showdown with Adam Smasher that put a nail in his coffin. Thankfully, Lucy survived and she made sure to fulfill David’s final promise.

6. Banana Fish

Ash Lynx’s bleak background gives him a place with characters having the saddest backstories in anime and one might think how much worse it can be. Certainly, it didn’t end well for Ash as after all the sufferings when a ray of light finally shines upon him, he doesn’t even get to have a moment of peace and closure.

His budding romance with Eiji is cut short on his way back to Japan when a rival gang member stabs him to death. Although Ash is able to deal with his attacker and manages to make it into the library, he ultimately succumbs to his injuries – comforted by his love’s heartfelt letter.

5. Akame ga Kill

The biggest confusion that arises with Akame ga Kill is the fact that Tatsumi is the protagonist, even though the series is not named after him. Secondly, one shouldn’t be surprised by his demise at the end because it’s what the story has to offer – murders everywhere throughout the series.

The capital is such a lawless and negligent place, it doesn’t matter whose side you’re on, death is certain. Tatsumi became a part of the revolution to topple this same tyrannical regime, and he had a little success with it as well but it came at a price which he and his other teammates paid with their deaths.

4. Death Note

Psychological thriller detective anime, Death Note starts with a young and principled high school student Light Yagami who follows his wicked sense of justice to purge the world of evildoers with the help of a death-granting notebook. But, in the process, he slowly descends into madness.

Light – under the alias “Kira” – begins fancying himself to be the “god of the new world”, and his primary goal shifts from dolling out justice to saving his neck from the Interpol. With such insidious goals, it was pretty obvious that he’d soon meet his end and when the time came Ryuk was ready with his pen and the Death Note.

3. Cowboy Bebop

Space opera is fun as long as the fan-favorite characters inhibiting it don’t die. Cowboy Bebop managed to maintain it to some extent until the jarring final episode that brought the viewers to tears with its upsetting scene where Spike meets his untimely end after going head-to-head with his long-standing rival, Vicious.

Contrarily, the fate of Spike Spiegel remains heart-wrenchingly open-ended in the series finale as many still believe he didn’t die and the series director himself never confirmed the character’s death. No matter what, a bloodied Spike on a large flight of stairs, bleeding to death will forever remain a momentous site.

2. Attack On Titan

Attack on Titan is a brutal and ravaging series that’s not afraid to kill off the main cast if that’s what the story requires. Isayama has proved from time to time that he doesn’t mind playing with the emotions of the fans as long as it doesn’t influence the narrative badly.

Eren’s gradual descent into his anti-Titan obsession to the point where he decided to cause mass genocide to enact his revenge on Marley, all these events collectively led to the inevitable circumstances of the rumbling which ended with the foreseeable death of Eren by the hands of his beloved Mikasa.

1. Code Geass

A satisfying conclusion is what makes a series masterpiece, and Code Geass delivered it perfectly. However, the way it came was not only heartbreakingly agonizing but it also took away one of the best antiheroes of television history, Lelouch Lamperouge, who met a tragic end.

After following the exiled prince of Britannia through the political and moral turmoil between three dominions, the story reached its pinnacle with Lelouch’s fate being decided by Suzaku. Enough time has passed since then yet the desperate sobs of Nunnally and Lelouch’s farewell smile bring tears to fans’ eyes.

Which one of the following anime where MC dies is your favorite? Feel free to comment down your thoughts and make sure to recommend some other anime like the ones listed above, also don’t forget to share this article with your fellow otaku friends.

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