Top 10 WTF Deaths in Anime (ft. Todd Haberkorn)

“Zombie Land Saga” (2018)

Look, no one is denying the revelation about Lily’s childhood didn’t hit hard. Both overworked and ignored by her idol-obsessed father, whatever future she may have had was snatched away when she realized she had entered puberty, by means of a single hair on her chinny-chin-chin. While we have nothing but sympathy for the life she was coerced into by her irresponsible parent…the fact she still died of shock after seeing said hair is still a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?

“KonoSuba” (2016-17)

And this is what happens when NEETs try to act heroically – they end up dying of shock in the most humiliating way possible, to the point that even deities find it hilarious. Such is the tale of our boy Kazuma, who in his attempt to save a young girl from getting run over, ended up pushing himself to an early grave. The poor guy can’t even take solace in the fact he saved a young belle from harm, since she was never in any real danger to begin with and to make matters worse he died of shock. Come on man, who gets a slow-moving tractor confused with a speeding automobile?

“Another” (2012)

Okay, this is just excessive. Surely, after managing to navigate a burning building and getting a chandelier dropped on you, you’ve earned your right to live. Nope. Turns out that in this series, the Grim Reaper is all about that kill count. Even after crawling his way out of the chandelier that splattered his classmates, Kawahori still ends up meeting a sticky end when a random pillar falls on him at precisely the wrong moment. Talk about perfect comedic timing.

“One Piece” (1999-)

Really? That’s how Zoro’s childhood friend lost her life? Don’t get us wrong, it’s all kinds of tragic that Kuina died at such a young age…but this is One Piece! This is the anime where a guy can get his face half blown off and continue fighting! Point is, crazy is the norm here. As such, we expected such a talented sword-user to go out in some gloriously gory fashion. Instead, she dies off screen in the most grounded way imaginable. Guess someone had to.

“Excel Saga” (1999-2000)

It’s the job of every boss to motivate their employees, and while some may choose to throw in a little dramatic flair for good measure, it’s fair to say that attempting a solo Cirque du Soleil act might be a tad too much. Kabapu, while surprisingly agile for an old geezer, ends up messing up his intro at the last second, leading to him breaking his ankle and cracking his head on his inconveniently placed desk. Maybe it was his ridiculous moustache that threw his landing off.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind” (2018-)

Still can’t decide if this death is amazingly stupid or stupidly amazing. After managing to overcome the vile Palpo’s trial, Giorno Giovanna finds himself welcomed among the gangster ranks of the Passione Organisation. However, since said trial resulted in the death of an innocent man, the son of Dio decides that Palpo was due an early release, by means of a bullet. How do you kill a man when he’s locked inside an impenetrable cell? Simple. Use your stand to turn a gun into a banana and trick him into taking a bite. Mmm, potassium rich.

“Crying Freeman” (1988-94)

It’s that time again folks, we’re taking a look into the WTF-ness that is 80s anime OVAs. See if you can comprehend this: an assassin guns his way into a room looking to kill our main man Yo, only for a group of martial arts masters and to leap in the way of the bullets. This goes on until literally everyone in the room has acted as a human shield, giving time for Yo to leap into the air and stab the perp right through the top of his head…who then proceeds to dish out a full monologue before dying. Admit it, you wish you could’ve come up with something as crazy as this!

“Nichijou” (2011)

Even if he was just a random villain conjured by Yuko, you would have at least thought she’d be able to dream up a better death scene. On the hunt for a pair of wooden boxes that would make him invincible, Dolf’s plan to take over the Fey Kingdom ultimately comes undone when he trips over …and dies. Just like that. Either Dolf truly is the weakest bad guy to ever be created, or Yuko is really lacking in the imagination department.

“Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ” (1986-87)

Finally! After stumbling around as the Gundam franchise’s awkward step-child, Double Zeta eventually found a way to become the kind dark and gritty mecha show that wasn’t afraid to kill off its characters. Of course, it would be nice if we could actually figure out exactly how she died. We do know she jumps in to protect Mondo from an oncoming mobile suit, but if the cause of death was that debris then it missed her by a mile! Maybe the dust got in her eyes.

“Fang of the Sun Dougram” (1981-83)

You’ve got to cherish the moments when a series presents what’s obviously meant to be a harrowing death scene…and ends up making something so funny that you just want to put it on loop. Following another hard-fought victory, our group of lovable rebels celebrate the only way they know how – watching Festo make an ass of himself while he drives his bike all over the dunes. Unbeknownst to him, there’s a grenade hidden in the side compartment… which ends up detonating just as Festo declares that he, indeed, is the best. Boom.