Anime is one of the few art forms where the protagonists actually die.Luckily for fans of some ofthe most popular characters around, most of their beloved main characters find a way to escape death. These characters come back to life one way or another, proving that even death can’t keep them down.
Anime characters across all genres have faced death, some more than once. While it makes their deaths a little less emotional, nobody wants to see their favorite character die. Some characters are too popular to truly die, as fans clamor to see their beloved protagonist back on screen.
It almost seems like to be a truly great anime character, you have to die at least once. There are a few amazing main characters who haven’t died, showing that death is only an inconvenience for the strongest of the strong.
Natsuki Subaru has died more than any other character in anime, and almost all of them combined. He stars inRe:Zero − Starting Life in Another World,one ofthe darkest anime series ever made. It’s an amazing isekai series from start to finish, but not for Subaru.
Subaru has the power to Return by Death. After he dies, he respawns at a predetermined point in time. While this gives him the ability to rewrite the future as he sees it, he has to suffer brutal deaths to make it happen. It’s a power that’s tested his sanity on more than one occasion, pushing the tragic main character well past his limits.
Knuckleduster is one of the protagonists of the prequel/spin-off toMy Hero Academia – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.He’s a tough brawler who acts first and thinks later, if he thinks at all. He’s become a great mentor to Koichi and a fervent defender of the neighbor they both live in.
Towards the end of the first season ofVigilantes,Knuckleduster finally found his daughter. He realizes that to save her from the parasite taking over her body, he’s going to have to go past his limits. He adds a defibrillator to his stun gun,restarting his heartafter their battle and coming back from death to save his one and only child.
Shion is one of Rimuru’s most loyal allies inThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.She’s also one of the strongest characters in the series as an ardent defender of the nation of Tempest, but that doesn’t make her immortal. During an invasion of the country, she sacrificed herself to protect a child,laying down her life in the process.
Rimuru couldn’t accept the death of one of his closest allies and friends. He chose to become a Demon Lord, as it was one of the only ways to resurrect Shion. It worked, and Rimuru was able to resurrect everyone who died defending his fledgling country.
KonoSuba:God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!isn’t just a hilarious isekai series, it’s one ofthe funniest anime of all time. The writing is incredible, the characters are extremely lovable, and the world the series is set in is beyond intriguing. The series is so funny that evenmain character Kazuma Sato’s deaths are worth a laugh.
Kazuma dies pretty frequently. He either bites off more than he can chew, or one of his less-than-reliable party members lets him down. Either way, it’s always funny to see Kazuma talking to Eris as he tries to explain that his death wasn’t actually that big of a deal in a failed attempt to impress her.
Chainsaw Man
Denji is a beautifully simple character inChainsaw Man.He’s only ever wanted a roof over his head, a warm meal, and a girl who loves him. Unfortunately for poor Denji, his life is a little more complicated than that. He inherited his father’s debt to the yakuza, forcing him to work a series of dangerous jobs to repay them.
Chainsaw Man - The Movie: The Reze Arccomes out June 01, 2025.
During one of these jobs, Denji dies.His best friend, the Chainsaw Devil Pochita, became Denji’s heart to save him.It’s a touching moment that sees the two characters become one, creating the titular Chainsaw Man and giving Denji another chance at life.
My Hero Academia
Katsuki Bakugo’s death was incredibly surprising inMy Hero Academia.The series isn’t exactly a stranger to killing some of its bigger characters, butnobody could have seen this death coming.Bakugo is just a kid, and he’s also Midoriya’s childhood friend and rival.
Bakugo died trying to buy time for Midoriya. He stood againstthe strongest villain inMy Hero Academiawith a daunting look on his face. He held his own for a few moments, but even he was no match for the fully empowered Shigaraki. Edgeshot then sacrificed himself to become Bakugo’s new heart, giving Dynamight another chance to become the strongest hero in the series.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisenis one of the most brutal shōnen series ever made. Most shōnen series kill off a major character or two, butnobody is safe inJujutsu Kaisen.Itadori Yuji, main character of the series, surprisingly died towards the beginning of the series, and again towards the middle.
Yuji dies to both Sukuna and Yuta Okkotsu respectively. The first time he dies, Sukuna uses his death as an opportunity to create a Binding Vow with the young sorcerer, gaining a rare opportunity to take over Yuji’s body. Yuta then kills Yuji after the Shibuya Incident Arc, reviving him by using the Reverse Cursed Technique.
Naruto
Kakashi’s death shookNarutofans to their core. He’s been one of the most beloved characters in anime sinceNarutofirst aired, andnobody took his death easily.WhenNarutoarrived to Konoha, the first thing he did was ask Tsunade why he couldn’t sense his master’s chakra.
Luckily, Naruto was able to bring his entire village back to life. He used his textbook Talk-no-Jutsu to persuade Nagato that he was the hope Jiraiya wrote about, convincing the former leader of the Akatsuki to sacrifice himself so that everyone he killed in Konoha would come back to life.
Sung Jinwoo has quickly become one of the most popular anime characters around, thanks to the massive success that is theSolo Levelinganime adaptation.Solo Levelingis a record-breaker, dominating the charts like nobody could have predicted. Most people forget that it all started with Jinwoo’s brutal death in the Double Dungeon.
Jinwoo came back to life thanks to the mysterious System,but that wasn’t the only time he met death.He dies later in the series when Rakan, Querehsha, and Sillad join forces. His dad, Sung Il-Hwan, buys him enough time to transcend death and obtain the true powers of the Shadow Monarch.
Dragon Ball
Goku and Vegeta have died so many times that they’ve proved death is almost entirely meaningless inDragon Ball.Goku has died five times, counting his two deaths inDragon Ball Z,one death inDragon Ball Super,one death in Future Trunks' timeline, and a final death in Zamasu’s timeline.
Vegeta has died twice, three times counting Frieza’s destruction of Earth. Every time they die, they find one way or another to come back to life. Death means just about nothing in theDragon Balluniverse.To Goku, death means he gets time to train, and that’s about it.
