Poll: What Was The Most Shocking Anime Death?

Welcome, one and all, to another fortnightly poll! Last time, I asked the question, which is the best  of the ‘big three’ shonen anime? That was actually the most popular poll I’ve run in terms of votes. When it comes to the results, there was a clear loser: Naruto. There was cetainly not a clear winner, though, as both Bleach and One Piece scored equally.

Moving on, we’re sticking with the world of anime. This time around though, I’m looking at something that anime does well: kill characters. That’s right, I’m asking you, what was the most shocking anime death?

Now, I’ve picked a few of my favourites, but I am leaving an ‘other’ option open in case yours is not on the list. Of course, you should also be aware that this poll contains spoilers. Regardless though, these are the options:

Nina Tucker [Fullmetal Alchemist]

I was actually kinda tempted to go with Maes Hughes here, but in the end, I figured that his was more sad than shocking. With Nina, we saw a child killed, and essentially sent down that road by her own father. The first time we see Nina as a chimaera, you kinda get the idea f what has happened before she’s revealed, leaving that little sliver of hope that her dad hasn’t done what we think he has. This one was just such a jaw-dropping moment of cruelty, it had to be on the list.

Sasha Blouse [Attack On Titan]

This is the most recent entry on the list. The thing with Sasha was, she was never the main character. She was a nice presence in the team though, with her desire for food acting as a light-hearted break from the brutality of the action. For me, potato girl always felt like an important part of that B-team group with Jean and Conny, and honestly, I expected her to just plain survive in the background until the end. That she didn’t even die in battle but was instead shot by a child in the aftermath was such a shock for me.

Kamina [Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]

Now, I’ll be honest here: I didn’t enjoy Gurren Lagann. It would be hard to justify not including this one on the list though. Kamina was always set up as the ‘cool’ character that our main hero, Simon, looked up to. If anything, you kinda expected him to be the one to lead the team right up until Simon was ready to take over. In the end, his death seemed to come out of the blue, and far earlier than anyone could ever have imagined.

L [Death Note]

Much of the appeal of Death Note was the game of cat and mouse between L and Light. The genius detective was truly the only one that could keep up with Light’s intellect, and his quirky habits made him a real fan favourite. So much so that, when his death came, I don’t think anyone who hadn’t read the manga saw it coming. Many even felt that the series lost a step without him leading the way.

Mami Tomoe [Puella Magi Madoka Magica]

Mentors don’t do well in anime, do they? Mami came into the series as the experienced magical girl that looked pretty badass compared to rookie Madoka. Now, I’m referring specifically to her death in the first timeline here, during the battle with Walpurgis Night. Seeing her limp body hanging there, then falling was not the sort of scene common to magical girl anime, and boy did it have an impact!

So, those are my picks for you to choose from Like I said, there are plenty of other anime deaths to choose from, though. If your pick for most shocking isn’t there, simply hit the other option and let me know your choice in the comments below.