Anime has emerged as one of the best mediums in the entertainment sector, and there is really no parallel to it, especially when it comes to anime stemming from the Shonen genre. This genre, in particular, has emerged as the one that the anime industry is most known for. The motivation and driven nature of Shonen anime is its most compelling element, teaching the notion of never giving up.
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However, there are many elements that contribute to making it great. While character motivations, rivalries, and dreams are the primary elements, deaths are arguably some of the most emotional moments Shonen anime has to offer. The employment of deaths has been one of the biggest factors in making an anime great, yet it is also what devastates fans the most, and arguably, these five deaths have emerged as almost haunting to their fandoms.
5) Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Fullmetal Alchemist is considered one of the greatest anime masterpieces of all time, and it has achieved this through the incorporation of many compelling deaths. While the series had already surprised the fandom with its early episode featuring the chimera transformation, Maes Hughes’ death stands as a heartbreaking and haunting moment that is not easy to get over. Within the political and military premise, Maes stood as the character everyone loved.
He was constantly depicted as everyone’s favorite family man who gave everyone a sense of humanity, and thus, his death, shredding the only warmth this series had provided, remains deeply haunting. It changed the motivations of the main characters and put Roy Mustang on a quest that would emerge as one of the series’ best elements, but fans would still choose Maes living over what his death ultimately resulted in.
4) Ace (One Piece)
One Piece is a series that is not known for killing its characters, yet the character it actually chose to kill was such a shocking choice that fans are still not over it. Portgas D. Ace, as the son of the Pirate King and Luffy’s adoptive brother, had emerged as a beloved character that fans loved to see whenever he appeared. But little did they know that such a character would meet a tragic fate. Ace was positioned at the center of the greatest war One Piece had offered up to that point.
Until the end, it was implied that perhaps Ace would make it out alive, as the two brothers almost succeeded in escaping, until they didn’t. It left a haunting and emotional impact on the fans, with some still wishing to see him alive. That said, Ace’s death was also necessary in shaping what One Piece became from that point onward.
3) Jiraiya (Naruto Shippuden)
Jiraiya from Narutoemerged as one of the characters who, like most on this list, could make moments much brighter and warmer. He had the foundation that not only made him incredibly fun to watch but also established him as a serious character who became one of the most important mentors and parts of Naruto’s life. As a teacher, he had taught many students, and this is exactly why seeing him die at the hands of one of his students was an outcome no one expected.
What makes it even more devastating is that Jiraiya knew what he was stepping into, and as he faced the Six Paths of Pain and met a devastating end in battle, it caught fans completely off guard, with many still not over his tragic death. But his death is a beautiful moment that adds a compelling element to the Narutoseries and ultimately makes the Pain arc the best in the entire series.
2) Kyojuro Rengoku (Demon Slayer)
Rengoku, from his first appearance, also stole fans’ hearts with his charming personality and status as one of the most motivating Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps. He became a sort of guide for Tanjiro and the others almost immediately despite his short time in the series, but what made him a fan favorite was undoubtedly his actions before his death. Standing as a lone Pillar, defeating Lower Moon One, and then going toe-to-toe with Upper Moon Rank Three Akaza, Rengoku was burning passion.
His death, with the emotional context of always being kind, a teaching he learned from his mother and passed on to Tanjiro and the others, arguably makes it one of the most emotional deaths in the anime series. There is no denying that fans would still want Rengoku to stay alive and keep burning with passion and motivation as the Flame Hashira rather than die such an emotional death.
1) Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Jujutsu Kaisen has emerged as one of the most modern Shonen anime of all time, and part of the reason for that is that it does not shy away from killing characters. In the span of three seasons, it has featured more shocking deaths than many Shonen series have throughout their entire runs. However, there is no doubt that one of the deaths that devastated fans the most was Nanami Kento’s death at Mahito’s hands. Nanami was probably the most relatable character in the series in the most realistic way.
With Nanami’s wish to have nothing but a quiet life and go on a vacation abroad, he gave fans the most reason to root for him. However, his fate had a tragic turn waiting instead. His death feels real because his persona depicts that of an ordinary salaryman looking for an escape, but it ultimately ends up being too late. This is what makes his death in a Shonen anime arguably one of the most haunting, as it ends up telling a realistic premise that even reality can’t escape.
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