Top 10 Most Satisfying Deaths in Anime

“The Eden of Grisaia” (2015)

Kicking off our list, Heath Oslo was the guardian of protagonist Yuuji, after the boy lost his family. Heath went on to train Yuuji to become the ultimate killer, which involved a lot of drugs and mental manipulation. When Yuuji finally comes to his senses, he confronts the man who made him into a monster. Although it was no easy battle, that made his defeat all the more satisfying. Especially when Heath is killed by a ballpoint pen of all things. As the old adage goes, “The pen is mightier than the sword”.

“The Seven Deadly Sins” (2014-15)

There’s nothing sadder than a soldier who can’t let go of war. Enter Great Holy Knight, Hendrickson. Seeing battle as the only reason his order exists, Hendrickson revives an old enemy, the Demon Clan, in order to give the Holy Knights an enemy to fight. This means turning his back on old friends and allies to keep the war train running. Most despicably of all, Hendrickson even takes down his own friend, Dreyfus, when he looks for redemption. That was one step too far for Melodias who swiftly laid the smackdown.

“Hunter X Hunter” (2011-14)

The Hunter x Hunter series has managed to slip in a few satisfying deaths along the way. However, as an original member of Phantom Troupe, Uvogin was one of the ones we wanted rid of the most. He was a lover of battle and wanted nothing more than to fight strong opponents. Uvogin never hesitated to kill either, in pretty gruesome fashions, making him that much more dangerous. Kurapika, a survivor of one of Uvogin’s massacres, is the one to end this monsters rampage for good with an attack from his Judgement Chain.

“Mobile Suit Gundam” (1979-80)

Kycilia was one of the most prominent and ruthless commanders of Zeon during the One Year War. As the only daughter of the Zabi family, Kycilia had to prove herself against three successful brothers. She did so by engineering powerful weapons of destruction. Kycilia was fiercely loyal to Zeon, leading the final battle against the Earth Federation at A Baoa Qu. Kycilia ended up living the longest of her family during the One Year War. But since her family was responsible for the death of Char Aznable’s father, She was next on his list…so, he demonstrated the greatest headshot in anime history.

“Akame ga Kill” (2014)

There were many big deaths in Akame ga Kill, like Akame taking down Esdeath. However, Seryu was a whole other level of satisfying. An empire puppet, Seryu believed that killing criminals, innocent or not, deemed her a savior. A psychotic and hypocritical seeker of justice, Seryu crossed the line when she befriended Tatsumi, while her Teigu, Koro, killed his comrade, Sheele. What follows is a spectacular duel between Seryu, Koro, and the members of Night Raid. Pumpkin wielder, Mine, who witnessed Sheele’s death, scores the killing blow with her own brand of justice.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

One of the hottest Anime villainesses ever was also one of the toughest to bring down. With deceptively good looks and razor sharp claws, Lust lived up to her name as she seduced and killed anyone in her path. With a Philosopher’s Stone placed inside her, she was practically immortal. That is, until she went up against the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang, who was driven by the death of his former comrade. In an epic showdown, Roy unleashed his fury on Lust with just a simple lighter.

“Death Note” (2006-07)

For an entire series, we watched Light evolve from idealistic student to power hungry maniac with a God complex. He had killed enemies, allies, and even innocents with his Death Note. By the end, we were waiting for Light to get what was coming to him. And he did so in the least elegant fashion. When he was caught and exposed, Light broke down and lost it in a glorious rage. Icing on the cake, Light’s legend ended in a whimper as his long time Shinigami ally, Ryuk, added Light’s name to his Death Note. Thus ended the reign of Kira.

“Naruto Shippuden” (2007- )

Danzo Shimura was a character beyond redemption. He was a war monger who saw peace as the ultimate step backwards. Using back handed deception, as well as his own personal ninja unit, the Foundation, Danzo makes his way up the ranks. His term as Interim-Hokage doesn’t last long as series fan favorite, Sasuke, is able to defeat and mortally wound him in combat. Probably wasn’t a good idea to take the eyes of his clan members, after all.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Freeza was one of Dragon Ball Z’s first long running villains. In the span of almost 70 episodes, this intergalactic tyrant laid waste to the Namekian population. He was also responsible for inflicting considerable damage on the Z-Fighters, ending the lives of Krillin and Vegeta. Freeza did prove powerful, as even a final attack from Goku couldn’t finish him off for good. That honor went to time traveling, Super Saiyan, Trunks. The once invincible Freeza was literally cut to pieces by the golden haired teen and blasted into oblivion.

Before we reveal our most satisfying end to a character, here are a few honorable mentions:

Adon Coborlwitz
“Berserk” (1997)

“Shishio”
“Rurouni Kenshin” (1996-98)

Kuero Mado
“Tokyo Ghoul” (2014)

Shougo Makishima
“Psycho-Pass” (2012-13)

“JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” (2014-15)

You thought Freeza had a hard time staying dead? Trust us, he’s got nothing on our number one pick. Dio was the first antagonist of the JoJo saga. Once believed dead, this vampire nemesis returns, alive and well, in the modern era, to continue his campaign against the Joestar clan. With the body of his former rival, Jonathan Joestar, at his disposal, Dio is stronger than ever. However, he is unprepared for the hidden power of Joestar descendant, Jotaro. Being a vampire proves his ultimate downfall as he is tossed into the desert by the father/son duo to roast for good.

Do you agree with our list? Were there any other character deaths that left you satisfied? For more character honoring Top 10’s published daily, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com