Top 15 Brutal Anime Death Scenes
Anime has never shied away from high stakes or irreversible consequences. When characters pay the ultimate price, the moments often reshape the story and leave lasting marks on the worlds they inhabit. These scenes stand out for the events that lead to the deaths, the way they unfold on screen, and how they alter the paths of the survivors.
Below are fifteen death scenes that changed plotlines, alliances, and motivations. Each entry explains the setup that led to the outcome and what happened next in the narrative. Expect major spoilers throughout, since these moments sit at the center of their respective stories.
Petra Ral and the Levi Squad in ‘Attack on Titan’
Petra Ral and her elite teammates escort Eren during the mission to reach the Walls while the Female Titan hunts them. The squad follows Captain Levi’s orders and uses coordinated tactics to separate their target from surrounding Titans in the forest. The Female Titan feigns capture and then breaks free, turning the encounter into a close quarters fight amid trees and narrow paths.
One by one, the squad members are taken out at high speed while attempting to protect Eren. Their loss forces Eren to transform in desperation, and the operation collapses into a retreat. The deaths immediately reduce the Scouts’ experienced core and push Levi into more calculated strategies for future expeditions.
Jiraiya in ‘Naruto: Shippuden’
Jiraiya infiltrates Amegakure to gather intelligence on the leader of the Akatsuki. He discovers the Six Paths of Pain and engages them inside the city’s waterways. The fight drags on as Jiraiya cycles through ninjutsu, summons, and Sage Mode to test their capabilities and identities.
Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Jiraiya sustains critical injuries and is unable to escape. Before dying, he encodes clues about Pain’s secret for Konoha and sends the message through Fukasaku. The information he transmits becomes the key that allows Naruto to expose the truth behind the enemy’s technique later in the arc.
Asuma Sarutobi in ‘Naruto: Shippuden’
Team 10 tracks the Akatsuki duo Hidan and Kakuzu after they collect a bounty. Asuma leads the engagement and identifies Hidan’s ritual as the core threat but misjudges its range and activation conditions. Once Hidan completes his curse, any damage he inflicts on himself transfers to Asuma.
Despite support from his team, Asuma cannot break the ritual in time. He collapses from the mirrored injuries, leaving his students with parting instructions that guide their development. The fallout prompts Shikamaru to design a targeted counterstrategy for a later rematch that dismantles the same technique that killed their teacher.
Nina Tucker in ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’
Shou Tucker fuses his daughter Nina and the family dog into a chimera in an attempt to keep his State Alchemist certification. The act violates laws and ethics in Amestris and shocks the investigators assigned to review his work. The chimera can understand speech and repeats simple phrases, signaling Nina’s consciousness remains.
A vigilante confrontation follows when Scar arrives to eliminate State Alchemists and their crimes. He kills the chimera quickly at the scene. The death exposes the worst outcomes of alchemical ambition and accelerates scrutiny of State-certified research, shaping how the Elric brothers approach future investigations.
The Eclipse in ‘Berserk’
Griffith accepts a Beherit’s call and triggers the Eclipse after losing hope of realizing his ambitions through ordinary means. Guts and the Band of the Hawk find themselves transported to a sacrificial realm filled with apostles. The ritual marks the members of the group and designates them as offerings.
The apostles slaughter the Hawks as Griffith transcends into a member of the God Hand. The aftermath scatters survivors and sets Guts on a campaign against inhuman forces and the one who sacrificed his comrades. The event redraws the boundary between mortal politics and supernatural warfare for the rest of the story.
Chelsea in ‘Akame ga Kill!’
Chelsea infiltrates the capital and targets Kurome’s forces using disguise and stealth. She assassinates Bols to weaken the Jaegers and attempts to withdraw without leaving a trace. During the escape, Kurome’s puppets intercept her and prevent a clean exit.
Captured and mortally wounded, Chelsea is displayed publicly to demoralize the Revolutionary Army. Her death ends a covert advantage for Night Raid and hardens the conflict into open attrition. The Jaegers use the incident to rally their side, shifting the power balance in the capital for the following battles.
Junpei Yoshino in ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’
Junpei is manipulated by Mahito after being bullied at school. Mahito exploits Junpei’s resentment to awaken his cursed energy and guide him toward violence. When Itadori tries to pull him back, Mahito intervenes and reveals his plan.
Mahito deforms Junpei’s body with Idle Transfiguration and ends his life in front of Itadori. The incident cements Itadori’s resolve to stop the curse user and defines Mahito as a primary threat. The school and sorcerer community respond by escalating surveillance and countermeasures around Mahito’s movements.
Rebecca in ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’
As the crew navigates the Arasaka conflict, Rebecca covers David during a running battle in Night City. The team becomes split across rooftops and narrow streets while trying to evade corporate forces and Sandevistan counters. She watches David push his cyberware beyond safe limits.
Adam Smasher arrives and ends the confrontation in seconds by striking from above. Rebecca’s death underscores the gap between mercenary firepower and top tier corporate assets. The loss leaves Lucy as the only survivor tied to David’s final stand and brings the crew’s operations to a definitive close.
Miki Makimura in ‘Devilman Crybaby’
Public fear of demons turns into mob violence after identities are exposed across the city. Miki tries to protect friends and family and broadcasts messages calling for calm. Her home becomes a target as accusations spread and groups roam the streets.
The mob finds Miki and kills her during the unrest. The death marks the collapse of social order and shifts the conflict from covert battles to open chaos. It also removes a stabilizing presence around Akira, pushing the final stages of the story into all out confrontation.
Mitty in ‘Made in Abyss’
Nanachi rescues Mitty after experiments in the Abyss transform her body beyond recovery. Mitty’s regenerative properties trap her in constant suffering while remaining aware. Nanachi searches for a way to grant relief but cannot find a cure in the lower layers or on the surface.
Reg’s incinerator provides a method that can overcome Mitty’s regeneration. At Nanachi’s request, Reg ends Mitty’s life in their hideout. The act frees Mitty and allows Nanachi to move forward with Riko and Reg, while exposing the full extent of the experiments being conducted in the Abyss.
Hannes in ‘Attack on Titan’
Hannes protects Eren and Mikasa during the fall of Shiganshina and later serves in the Garrison. Years afterward, he fights the smiling Titan during a rescue attempt after Eren is captured. He steps in to repay a debt from the day the Walls were breached.
The encounter turns fatal when he loses footing in the battle. The smiling Titan kills him as Eren and Mikasa watch. The moment spurs Eren to attempt control over his abilities in the field and becomes a turning point in how the Scouts evaluate spontaneous combat decisions against Titans.
Kite in ‘Hunter x Hunter’
Kite engages Neferpitou to allow Gon and Killua to escape during the Chimera Ant arc. He tries to assess Pitou’s speed and strength while buying time for the boys to withdraw from the area. The gap in power becomes clear early in the fight.
Kite is killed and later reanimated as a puppet for training and experimentation. His fate pushes Gon into a single minded pursuit of Pitou and sets the conditions for their showdown. The Hunters adjust their strategy to account for Royal Guard capabilities as the extermination team forms.
Yukari Sakuragi in ‘Another’
Yukari experiences a series of ominous events at school as the class deals with a mysterious curse. After a funeral, she moves in a hurry down the stairs during heavy rain. A stumble sends her forward while she holds an opened umbrella.
She falls from the landing and the umbrella causes a fatal injury on impact. The death confirms that the class is actively under the curse and triggers stricter countermeasures from students and staff. Subsequent plans to identify the extra person gain urgency as incidents continue.
Makoto Itou in ‘School Days’
After a series of broken relationships and confrontations, Makoto isolates himself in his apartment. Sekai confronts him with claims about their relationship and a possible pregnancy. The argument becomes heated as he tries to dismiss responsibility.
Sekai kills Makoto during the confrontation. The fallout leads to further violence as Kotonoha and Sekai meet again with the truth still in dispute. The incident ends the central triangle and closes the story with legal and social repercussions left to implication.
Clementine in ‘Overlord’
Clementine underestimates Ainz while searching for a hidden objective in the city. She taunts him during a duel and tests his defenses with speed and agility. Ainz reveals his true resilience once she commits to close combat.
He restrains her and ends the fight by crushing her with overwhelming strength. The death sends a message to criminal networks and adventurers about crossing Nazarick’s interests. It also clarifies Ainz’s approach to threats in the new world, establishing a public reputation that affects future negotiations and battles.
Share the most unforgettable anime death scene you have seen in the comments so others can add it to their watchlists.