It’s a common trope now in anime and its related literature to kill some of the nicest, wisest, and most inspiring heroes to prove the point that not everyone good in a shonen anime is insulated from the big bads. Even themain protagonistsare not exempted from such a spectacular and sad fate. Still, some of them refuse to go out simply by closing their eyes – others wrestle with death itself to deliver a few paragraphs of the script.
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The best among these tough nuts deliver the most sensible, invigorating, and most clever lines that sum up their character well in their last living moments. As a result, their deaths did little to affect their immortality as they now live forever in every shonen fan’s hearts and minds. These heroes simply had to get a few last words in just to say they didn’t go down without a fight.
10Escanor – Seven Deadly Sins
What we have here is one of the most impressive competitors for themanliest characterin anime ever. Escanor is the kind to trade some bodybuilding poses withFullmetal Alchemist’s Armstrong or trade blows with All-Might fromMy Hero Academia.
Suffice to say, he’s also one of the most powerful combatants inSeven Deadly Sins, so much so that nobody but himself could kill him. He had to sacrifice himself by going into overdrive and killing the Demon King. Before he succumbed to death’s sweet embrace, however, he just had to confess to Merlin, the woman who gave her power. Turns out there’s plenty of romanticism under all that beef.
9Spike Spiegel – Cowboy Bebop
If anime fans aren’t tired ofCowboy Bebopyet, then here’s one more line from the show, courtesy of Spike Spiegel. The anime’s creator never actually confirmed whether Spike died but it has been a popular fan canon assumption especially after his exhaustive duel with Vicious.
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In true Spike fashion though, he died in a suave and collected manner. Spike momentarily survived Vicious' lethal gunshot and was able to walk down a flight of stairs before gesturing some finger guns at some of the battle’s survivors and saying that quote above. He then collapsed afterward, probably in part due to his own coolness.
8Maes Hughes – Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
The exact translation of the Japanese dub and the English subtitles or dub vary depending on the source, but Maes Hughes’s line against Envy before his death was always a noble gesture. Envy caught him in a bind in theFullmetal Alchemist Brotherhoodversion of his death and he was more helpless there compared to the original version.
Thankfully,Brotherhoodgave his death a bit of justice by letting Maes squeeze a few words that represented what remained of his fighting spirit. It’s both a heavy and heroic death considering how he died fighting, having to leave behind his precious family in doing so.
7Koro-Sensei – Assassination Classroom
Assassination Classroomstarts as an odd and wacky anime but ends up as a tearjerker as it ends in Koro-Sensei’s death. He’s the kindest and most passionate characterin the animewith a dark and troubled past as he was a hired killer before becoming an alien monster.
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In the end, he had to let himself be killed by his very own students as part of their deal. Everybody, even the fans, knew how it was going to end, but they were probably just in denial. That’s why Koro-Sensei’s death still comes as a bit of a shock, one that usually ends in a river of tears. His acceptance of his fate ought to illicit a maelstrom of emotions from the viewers.
6Byakuya Ishigami – Dr. Stone
Some anime heroes are so cool, their last words before death can reverberate through thousands of years of human history and inspire their son more than three millennia later. It’s a little hard to explain how the anime got to that point but Byakuya Ishigami’s last message to his son, Senku,is both a sci-fi marveland a certified heartstring tugger.
This message was crafted through sheer genius and was a crude recording etched into a broken bottle. One can’t send a message in a cooler manner. Also, it made a robotic genius like Senku cry for the very first time in an anime.
5Lelouch Lamperouge – Code Geass
Not many anime heroes can claim that they managed to bring world peace, but Lelouch Lamperouge is in a class of his own. He orchestrated his own death as the emperor of the world to unite all the nations against him. Through his death, he finally managed to end all of the conflicts (for a time) and free all the colonies of Britannia.
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In his dying stupor, he had a few lines to utter to his crying sister, Nunally, which is the quote above. Lelouch was not only proud of his work but also relieved that the world he toyed with is finally getting its much-deserved golden age.
4Kyojuro Rengoku – Demon Slayer
This was supposed to be the coolest last lines from anime heroes, not the most heartbreaking ones, but thanks toDemon Slayer, it’s both an emotional and formidable line. Kyojuro Rengoku, the most recent casualty of theDemon SlayerCorps, dropped some important words of wisdom for his grieving comrades here.
Adding more context to the scene is the fact that Kyojuro fought an unwinnable battle and still managed to nearly defeat his enemy. While this resulted in his death, Kyojuro ended up saving a future generation of Hashira or Demon Slayer elites and he secured that future prospect with those lines above.
3Jiraiya – Naruto Shippudden
Manga readers have already spoiled this one long before it even aired in anime but Jiraiya’s death was still one of the most touching moments in shonen. In his dying words after getting defeated by Pain, he reminisced how his achievements paled in comparison to his peers and forebears.
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However, with his death and final contribution to the war efforts of Konoha, it’s safe to say he measured up well. Hence, the analogy above encapsulates the end of Jiraiya’s journey. Jiraiya needn’t downplay himself anymore.
2Kamina – Gurren Lagann
Some shonen deaths act as a catalyst for the main protagonists to become better and more powerful versions of themselves. In this case, Kamina’s death inTengen Toppa Gurren Lagannwas an awakening for Simon. He had to step up as the leader in Kamina’s absence.
Of course, he had too big a shoe to fill as Kamina is easily the most charismatic and rousing big brotherin animeever. Even in his death, he had to sacrifice himself just to save his comrades. One does have to cut Kamina some slack though, as he did fulfill his last words to Simon. Both of them saw each other spiritually in the future and he even encouraged Simon once again.
1Erwin Smith – Attack On Titan
So far, most of the anime heroes here have been inspiring the main protagonist or other heroes to become better and fight again later. Then there’s Erwin Smith fromAttack on Titan. He grabs death by its skull as would a matador grab a bull by his horns and rallies along with his troops, inspiring them to charge to their doom with him.
Only Erwin could turn a defeatist, demoralized, and cowardly battalion of soldiers into a selfless and honorable cavalry charging into certain death. It does help that he’s at the frontline leading the charge. Even the horses were likely hyped up. Erwin proved that they don’t need to be Titans to have a heart bigger than a lion’s.
