Five Most Shocking Anime Deaths of the 21st Century

The most devastating anime deaths do not just remove a beloved character from the story. They rupture the world built around them. Friends are forced to grow up, seemingly invincible heroes become painfully mortal, and an adventure that once felt safe can suddenly become impossible to predict. Even years later, fans can pinpoint the exact episode when everything changed.

Sometimes, a secondary character’s death might have a lasting impact on the story, or a main character might sacrifice themselves for a glorious cause. In almost every instance, major anime character deaths have a way of either dividing fanbases or bringing them together. Tragedy is one of the most effective ways to induce catharsis in audiences, and this purging of pity and fear helps elevate a story like never before.

Here are the five most shocking anime deaths of the 21st century, and one honorable mention that shook the world.

Warning: Major spoilers follow for the various anime listed below.

Honorable Mention: Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Rarely has a character death impacted a fandom as much as Satoru Gojo’s in Jujutsu Kaisen. While Gojo’s death has not been adapted for the anime yet, it came as a huge shock to even the most casual Jujutsu Kaisen manga fans. A real-life memorial was held in Chile days after the chapter was released, as millions of people on the internet mourned the beloved jujutsu sorcerer’s death. Gojo’s status as the strongest heavily contributed to the visceral shock surrounding his demise. Moreover, Gojo’s return from the Prison Realm was so highly anticipated that no one expected someone so overpowered to be cut down in his prime.

The Culling Game arc was only possible due to Gojo’s temporary absence. As soon as Gojo was sealed, the status quo of jujutsu society collapsed, putting the very idea of civilization in crisis. Gojo has always been associated with invulnerability, along with the heavy weight he carried all of his life to protect the next generation of sorcerers. Seeing the story’s main villain, Ryomen Sukuna, reduce Gojo to mere collateral damage drastically altered expectations and the path ahead. It instilled a sense of hopelessness at that point in the narrative, casting a shadow of doubt over young sorcerers like Yuji Itadori and Yuta Okkotsu. If the strongest can be bisected without a shred of dignity, how can anyone else hope to defeat Sukuna?

1. David Martinez (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners)

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t have any traditionally happy endings for protagonist V, but some outcomes are considered more hopeful than others. When the anime spin-off prequel Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was released, viewers naturally assumed that young David Martinez would find a way to make it to the end. Over time, David outgrows his humble working-class origins to become a legendary edgerunner. This comes at a cost, with David pushing his body to the limits using an experimental cyberware implant called the Sandevistan. Although David and his crew suffer setbacks and casualties, audiences hoped that David’s unwavering commitment and purity of heart would allow him to escape the worst that Night City has to offer.

Adam Smasher, an Arasaka mercenary with little to no humanity left in him, shatters that hope. When Smasher brutally kills David, the tragedy cuts deep. David never fulfills his dream of going to the Moon with his lover Lucy. Even a military-grade cybernetic implant proves insufficient, and Smasher kills him with ease. David’s untimely death reinforces the themes of the Cyberpunk 2077 franchise, namely the loss of innocence and the futile pursuit of exceptionalism in a society that rewards cruelty.

2. Portgas D. Ace (One Piece)

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is full of memorable twists, but it is not the kind of shonen that indulges in too many deaths. This is why Ace’s death during the Marineford arc feels so disorienting. After Ace is captured, Monkey D. Luffy beats impossible odds to break into Impel Down, a maximum-security prison, to rescue him. Ace’s freedom felt inevitable, making his sudden death feel unjust and cruel. After Luffy unshackles Ace, Admiral Akainu provokes Ace by insulting Whitebeard, which spurs Ace to turn around and fight. This hot-headed recklessness proves fatal when Akainu’s magma fist pierces through Ace and melts his internal organs.

While emotionally devastating, Ace’s death becomes a pivotal turning point in One Piece. It is the unspoken end of an era that causes Luffy to realize that sheer luck, tenacity, and willpower are not enough to survive this unpredictable world. As a result, Luffy trains for two years, maturing greatly as he grows from a protagonist fueled by naive optimism into someone with mastery over Haki and improved Gear techniques. The threats of the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, require the Straw Hats to rewire their expectations. Ace’s death is thematically comparable to that of Jiraiya in Naruto, even though the circumstances remain vastly different. Both events act as emotional catalysts for Luffy and Naruto, forcing them to undergo profound grief.

3. Nina Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Edward and Alphonse Elric experience unthinkable horrors during the journey to reclaim their bodies in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but their run-in with Shou Tucker leaves them and the viewer traumatized. During a visit, the Elric brothers meet Shou’s daughter Nina, a cheerful young girl who immediately bonds with them. In a horrific turn of events, Shou uses alchemy to transmute Nina and her dog Alexander into a poorly formed chimera. This tone shift is jarring as the Elrics witness the depravity of State Alchemists firsthand.

Nina’s brief, agonizing existence as a chimera is cut short after the Ishvalan vigilante Scar kills her. Although this mercy kill spares Nina and Alexander from unimaginable pain, it does little to dull the shock that Ed and Al feel. There is a sense of helplessness to the tragedy, making it clear that even the most innocent lives are not exempt from the recklessness of State Alchemists. Nobody is safe in this story, not even a child who implicitly trusted her father only to be betrayed in the cruelest way possible. The 2003 adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist also handles this tragedy with the gravity it deserves, fleshing out Shou’s twisted motivations to create an unforgettable plot twist.

4. Mayuri Shiina (Steins;Gate)

Steins;Gate is an atypical time travel story. There is little reason to take Rintaro Okabe seriously at first, as the anime’s quirky and lighthearted first half paints him as a chuunibyou, an adolescent who experiences grandiose delusions to feel special. Viewers meet Rintaro’s childhood friend Mayuri right away. She is established as a sweet, cheerful girl who is deeply loyal to her friends. Mayuri’s death feels like a cruel joke when she is murdered in cold blood, turning Rintaro’s world upside down. Rintaro’s desperate attempts to save her in every timeline are difficult to watch because her death feels like an inescapable event.

Steins;Gate dabbles in the consequences of time manipulation, but it is ultimately about the importance of genuine human connection. Mayuri’s warm presence helped ground the story amid a sea of eccentric personalities, and her sudden death destabilizes this sense of safety. Losing someone so important breaks Rintaro, forcing him to bear the brunt of endless tragedies until he can fix his errors. Mayuri’s death becomes a fixed causality that Rintaro must reverse without triggering additional deaths or nudging the world toward ruin. Rintaro’s eventual success feels hard-earned, making the ending of Steins;Gate emotionally satisfying.

5. Kamina (Gurren Lagann)

Gurren Lagann is a robust celebration of indomitable human will. That said, this beloved mecha anime kills off the deuteragonist Kamina just eight episodes in. This is particularly shocking because Kamina had been established as a foil to Simon, creating the illusion that these two friends would continue their adventures together no matter what. Simon’s honest anxiety contrasts against Kamina’s loud bravado, and the two mutually rely on each other to form an unstoppable team. When one crucial part of this equation is removed, Simon is forced to look beyond his limitations and temper Kamina’s bravado with grounded pragmatism.

Despite projecting brash confidence and invincibility, Kamina harbored unspoken fears and anxieties. This recontextualizes his premature death, making it feel more painful and hard-hitting. Kamina dies after a victorious battle against the beastman general Thymilph, succumbing to grave internal injuries inside his cockpit. It is a devastating moment that robs the story of its early optimism, making Simon and Kamina’s victory feel hollow and pyrrhic. Although Team Dai-Gurren suffers a major setback, they come back stronger than ever after confronting the grief of losing an unshakeable idealist.

Source: Polygon