Anime protags are supposed to be invincible people who simply can’t be defeated. They are beacons of hope and no matter how dire the situation gets, they still come on top at the end of the day. At least that’s how people perceive them as. But what if they do get defeated? What if they lose? What if they “Die”?
MyAnimeGuru brings to you the list of the 13+ Best Anime Where Mc Dies (Ranked) for every curious reader who is interested in watching an anime where the mc isn’t an invulnerable God but is rather very much mortal. It is a list of anime where happy endings don’t necessarily happen. Be Ready.
List of Best Anime Where MC Dies
This list of best anime where MC dies will be based on the overall impact of the MC’s death upon the story, the quality of storytelling and plot depth, and the popularity of the series. So let’s begin.
15. Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Episodes – 10 | Year – 2022
A journey so close yet so far sees David Martinez have his life destroyed by those who are in power and his quest to take vengeance on the culprits. This makes him become an Edgerunner, a cybernetically enhanced human who works as a mercenary. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
But in his quest for revenge against Adam Smasher, he gives away his humanity and suffers endlessly, yet when he finally fights Adam Smasher, he comes up short and gets destroyed by him leaving Lucy alone who manages to fulfill her dream of reaching the moon but without the one she loved.
14. Inuyashiki
Episodes – 11 | Year – 2017
You can’t just help yourself from supporting mistreated people. In the case of Inuyashiki, as the viewers see how much the namesake protag has suffered throughout his life, they want a happy ending for him but it doesn’t happen as he sacrifices himself to save everyone in the end.
All his life he was ignored and ridiculed by friends, family & others so when he becomes a mechanical being, he decides to use his life for the betterment of people, and even at the very end, he gave his life away to save Earth from a meteor.
But in his last moments, his loved ones came to care about him and respect him for his sacrifice, so at least there’s some kinda happy ending. This makes it one of the best anime where MC dies.
13. Akame Ga Kill
Episodes – 24 | Year – 2014
I mean it won’t surprise anyone that this anime is here. After all, it is famous for killing everybody sans Akame by the end of the show. The anime is straight-up bleak with the Night Raid losing its member by the first half of the anime. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
While the assassins fighting for a good cause are ready for death, it still hurts to see when we witness the protag Tatsumi dying in the process of saving the townsfolk from the falling debris during the final battle and passes away in the hands of Akame who is left broken at his death.
12. Clannad: After Story
Episodes – 24 | Year – 2008
As if the prequel wasn’t sad enough, Clannad after story pushes the tears out of us with its heart-wrenching ending. Nagisa after suffering for so many years finally got her happy ending with Tomozaki confessing his love for her. But she sees everything she values fall apart in this sequel.
The illness which makes her suffer throughout her life, final takes the final toll on her body just as she was pregnant with her child. She ends up dying after giving birth to her daughter, who also suffers from the same disease and ends up dying. It is one of the saddest anime and the best anime where MC dies.
11. Space Runaway Ideon
Episodes – 39 + 1 Movie | Year – ( 1980-1982)
From the creator of Gundam, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ideon is perhaps one of the most depressing and brutal mecha anime ever. While all mecha anime have far from happy endings, Ideon takes it a step further by simply killing everyone in the end including the protag, Cosmo who dies in the final attack.
An intergalactic war between Humans from Earth aboard the Solo Ship and the Buff Clan sees massive damage to both parties. In the end, the titular sentient guardian deity/Mystical robot decides to destroy everyone in the galaxy thus ending the war and vaporizing anyone and everyone.
Ideon self-destructs killing everybody from both groups in hopes that they will be reborn in a peaceful reborn earth. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
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15+ Best Mecha Anime Of All Time (Ranked)
10. Terror in Resonance
Episodes – 11 | Year – 2014
A sad but thrilling montage between the Protags Twelve and Nine and the Police department makes sure that a lot of spectacular storytelling is done as the two boys try to bring to light the heinous crimes that the government did by conducting human experiments. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
The Project Athena which brought them into existence is the reason for both their creation as well as their eventual demise as in their fight twelve gets shot by the police while an enraged and distraught Nine eventually succumbs to the same illness that plagues other experimental children.
9. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Episodes – 50 | Year – 2015
It is one of the most bitter Gundam series and in the end, all of the main characters including Augus and Orga end up dying while fighting their bitter struggle for equality and justice against the corrupt Gjallhorn who go on to claim victory while McGillis remains in power. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
The denizens of the colony on Mars are treated like trash by the Earthlings so the CGS try to get back their dignity from their rulers or die trying and that’s exactly what happens since by the time the dust settles on the final battle, the protag Augus and all other members of the CGS are dead.
8. Banana Fish
Episodes – 24| Year – 2018
One of the most emotional deaths, Ash Lynx had been abused for all his life and had forsaken himself to the whims of the criminal world and being taken advantage of by his Crime lord namesake father Golzine who used him as a sexual outlet traumatizing him severely.
This all changes when he finally meets Eiji Okamura, a kind and pure-hearted photographer from Japan, with whom Ash develops a close bond.
However before anything happens between them, Ash is forced to send Eiji back to Japan to protect him while he gets stabbed by Lao before killing him and succumbing to his wounds while reading Eiji’s letter having that final peace in his moment of death. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
7. Chrono Crusade
Episodes – 24 | Year – 2003
A pair of exorcists consisting of a Nun with guns and a demon go on their quest to find the former’s brother but they fail to realize their journey is full of pain, hardships, and death. In fact, by the time the final episode rolls in, most of the characters’ friends or Foe are dead.
This of course includes Rosette and Chrono, who while successful at defeating the demon Aeon couldn’t escape their fate. Rosette ends up slowly withering away due to her disease while Chrono succumbed to his wounds as they both passed away in each other’s embrace. It is the best anime where MC dies.
6. Grave of Fireflies
Duration – 88 Minutes | Year – 1988
There are anime that are sad, and then there are anime that are heartbreaking. This is one such title. It tells the story of a brother and sister in post-war Japan decimated by bombing and how they struggle to simply survive and have enough to eat in a time when food was a luxury.
It is a film that is many things to many people. For some, it is anti-war propaganda, and to others about how sometimes, ego should be swallowed for survival. But the only objective truth is that Seita & Setsuko ended up dying of starvation in one of the best anime where MC dies.
5. Devilman Crybaby
Episodes – 10 | Year – 2018
A remake of the classic title that inspired generations, it tells about Akira Fudou and how he becomes a Devilman and fights the demon hordes let loose from Hell.
However, his biggest enemy is not some demon or monster, but rather his best friend Ryou, who is Satan himself. As the chaos between demons and humans unravels and Earth is turned into a blood bath, Ryo and Akira have their final battle.
At the end of this, we see Akira dying from the fight as Ryo mourns the death of his friend as God bombards Earth with meteors and destroys it to start life anew. It is one of the best anime where MC dies.
4. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood
Episodes – First 9 EPs from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure S1 | Year – 2012
The first of the JoJo’s see us in 19th century England where we see the tensions rising between the rich young heir Jonathon Joestar and his adoptive brother Dio Brando who is so blinded by his greed for power that he will stop at nothing to achieve that. It is one of the best anime where Mc dies.
Eventually, he takes the help of the stone masks for this purpose and tries to take Jonathon’s body and make it his own but Jonathon foils his plans as he dies from the wounds he suffered from fighting Dio earlier, in the presence of his lover Erina, and Dio’s decapitated head.
3. Cowboy Bebop
Episodes – 26 + 1 Movie | Year – (1997-2001)
Bounty Hunter Spike Spiegel sees him escape death many times over many different occasions but in the final battle against his arch-nemesis Vicious sees him finally die he manages to kill Vicious but soon succumbs to his wounds in front of the Inter-Galactic Police.
What this teaches us is that a person cannot run from their past and no matter how much Spike tried to escape from his dark past as part of the Syndicate and his affair with Julia, in the end, he couldn’t do it and for this reason it is one of the best anime where MC dies.
2. Death Note
Episodes – 37 | Year – 2006
As Light Yagami becomes Kira and becomes blinded by his power, the number of innocent people dying from his Death Note was growing and it wouldn’t have been long before he would be judged for his transgressions against humanity and that’s just what happened. It is the best anime where MC dies.
Just like Ryuk said at the beginning, he would be the one who will finally kill Light and after Light gets caught by the efforts of Near and shot by Inspector Matsuda, that’s just what happens. As he is lying on the stairs from his gun wounds, Ryuk writes Light’s name on the note and kills him.
1. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Episodes – 50 | Year – 2006
Perhaps one of the most iconic deaths, throughout the series we see Lelouch become a kind person who wanted to change the world and get rid of the Britannia Empire’s tyranny only for him to become the same kind of despot that he loathed. This makes it the best anime where mc dies.
By the end of the series, we see Lelouch realize his mistakes and use the hate of the world directed at him to cleanse the world of all enmity. A disguised Suzaku kills him dressing up as Zero as Lelouch dies in the embrace of his sister and a crying Suzaku.
Truly the best anime where mc dies.
Conclusion
Generally, it is hard to make a list of the best anime where there is such a bleak ending like the MC dying but after much thought, we made this list of the best anime where MC dies. It contains both classic and popular titles as well as little-known gems which I know you would love.
So enjoy these best anime where MC dies and keep reading more of our content in the meantime as you are waiting for more awesome content from us.
Source – Anilist
FAQ Section
Is there any anime where MC dies?
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood surprised fans by giving a tragic ending to one of the main characters, Jonathan Joestar. He died after saving his wife and a baby on a burning ship.
Who is the saddest anime death?
Jiraiya (Naruto)
What is the anime that ends with everyone dying?
Devilman Crybaby
