Top 10 Anime Deaths We Waited Years To See

“Fist of the North Star” (1984-88)

Granted, he wasn’t the one to give Kenshiro his scars, nor did he kidnap his beloved Yuria, and he certainly wasn’t as big of a shithead as Jagi, but out of every foe that Hokuto Shinken master encountered on his travels, his elder brother proved himself as the deadliest of the bunch. Utterly ruthless even by Raider standards, there’s nothing and no one Raoh won’t cut down to prove his superiority, which was made seeing Kenshiro finally surpass him with his own skill all the sweeter.

“Digimon Adventure tri.” (2015-18)

Admit it, you thought this little ‘mon was annoying from the get go. A beast that corrupted the entirety of the Digital World, across no end of movies this thing caused death and deletion wherever it went, but oh no, the Digidestiend couldn’t just take it out. Why? Because it had a fluffy rookie form, and because Tai was hoping to score with its partner. Not that it did anyone much good since come the end of tri, everyone collectively agreed to blast it to pieces anyway. Could have saved us a lot of time doing that earlier!

“Hellsing Ultimate” (2006-12)

By far one of the most unsettlingly charismatic villains to ever grace animation, with just one speech this bloated remnant can convince pretty much anyone to do anything. It would be almost charming…if it weren’t for the fact he’s a Nazi in charge of a thousand psycho vampire soldiers who want nothing more than to consume everything in war. He may have kept himself at a distance while his beloved war raged around him, but not even someone as slippery as the Major could escape from Hellsing for long. Especially when Seras busts out an entire tank.

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

Given the amount of dragon genocide that goes on in this series, it was high time the most feared among them was taken out, especially after all the destruction he caused. Not only was he responsible for killing off Natsu’s father figure, but he was also the one responsible for causing the members of Fairy Tail to spend seven years out of the picture. Zeref might be the true villain, but the Dragon of the Apocalypse was always the one everyone wanted to see beaten. Thankfully not even a monster like him can withstand a combined strike from seven Dragonslayers.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

As one part of the trinity that infiltrated and destroyed the walls of Paradis, Bertholdt was equally responsible for all the lives the Titans killed that day, including Eren’s mother. Combined with the deceptive antics as spies among the Survey Corp, any sympathy one felt for Bertie was shed after he revealed himself to be the Colossal Titan. With one of the most powerful Titan forms to ever exist, bringing him down seemed nigh impossible…at least until Armin and Eren pulled off the greatest Titan-destroying combo ever. What followed was him finally meeting his end via getting eaten by a Titan Armin!

“Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld” (2019-20)

Back during SAO’s first outing, we were introduced to the Laughing Coffin – which were basically a bunch of sadistic gamers who want to take PVP to the next level. They caused a lot of damage, and right at the head of the snake was PoH. With a big mouth and even bigger swing, this behemoth served as the perfect foil for Kirito’s return. Given everything he and his organisation did over the course of the franchise, getting turned into a tree for eternity seemed like a fitting punishment.

“Naruto Shippuden” (2007-17)

Long before his backstory was revealed, the elder Uchiha was one of the most vilified shinobi in the series’ history. After all, he had slaughtered his own clan and was the sole reason that Sasuke had betrayed the Hidden Leaf, kickstarting his path to villainy. It took no end of arcs and filler before the fated battle finally arrived, leading to Sasuke finally completing his revenge by outlasting his brother by the skin of his teeth. Then we learned what a swell bro Itachi was, and his end immediately shifted from one of triumph to complete sorrow.

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04)

This man might as well be the Sinister Serpent, because he is impossible to get rid of! The dark spirit of the infamous thief king, Bakura’s wicked half consistently spun his evil behind the scenes, from the Duellist Kingdom all the way to Ancient Egypt. Always eager to challenge his foes to a Shadow Game, not even the likes of Yami Marik could kill him off, on account that he’s got the God of Darkness Zorc backing him up. He finally met his end whilst fused with Zorc, but he’s come back so many times we still don’t believe he’s actually gone!

“Bleach” (2004-12)

Sure, he’s nowhere near as impressive a foe when compared to the ranks of the Espada, but if there ever was a Hollow in need of getting his head cut off, it was this lump. Given how he was the one to kill Ichigo’s mother, it’s to be expected. Considering he made his debut before Ichigo even knew what a Bankai was, Grand Fisher lived to fight another day after their initial encounter. Thankfully, he wasn’t completely forgotten, since his return as an Arrancar led to the reveal of Isshin being a Shinigami himself, and as such was finally able to avenge his wife.

“Inuyasha” (2000-10)

It took an entire decade and then some, but finally, finally, the spider got its legs pulled off. Forever seeking the Shikon jewel and causing pain to the countless cultures, Naraku’s list of bloody accomplishments is pretty up there. Thankfully, the Final Act finally gave the half-demon his due, with Inuyasha and Kagome bringing an end to every last physical and metaphysical body left at his disposal. You couldn’t ask for a better way to kick off their romantic life together. Hope he doesn’t come back in Yashahime.