Top 20 Instant Death Techniques in Anime

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our picks for the Top 20 Instant-Death Techniques in Anime.

“Bleach” (2004-12; 2022-)

When activating his Resurrección, the former God-King of Hueco Mundo takes on a form very reminiscent of death itself, so it’s rather fitting that this ability of his can end his foes instantly. Roughly translated as the “Breath of Death”, Respira is a smoke-like miasma that Baraggan unleashes that can even quickly catch up to someone as fast as Soifon. It can immediately rot its target at an incredible speed, reducing them to just bones in seconds. Respira is so incredibly dangerous that even Baraggan himself became a victim to it after it entered him.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Yes, Shigaraki’s Decay is an amazing ability that we’ll get into later on in this list, but we have to give credit where it’s due when it comes to Kai Chisaki’s quirk. Sharing the same name as his alias, Overhaul grants him the ability to disassemble as well as reassemble the matter of anything he touches. Now he could use these abilities for good, like healing others, but that just isn’t Overhauls style. Instead, he’s often using it to send others to the afterlife in an instant.

“Is This a Zombie?” (2011-12)

Don’t let this shy girl fool you, she actually has powers so great that she’s forced to wear heavy armor just to suppress it. Eucliwood often avoids speaking, mainly communicating through notes and the reason for that is due to her ability Death Inducement. With it, all she has to do is mutter the word “Die” to someone and it will kill them in an instant. The only side effect of this ability is that it’ll give her intense headaches, but that’s nothing compared to whoever is on the receiving end of it!

“That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” (2018-)

After Falmuth’s invasion of Tempest resulted in the deaths of many of his friends, including the lovable Shion, Rimuru devises a plan to bring them back to life by becoming a demon lord. However in order to do this he needs a vast amount of souls, and what better target than the ones that invaded his kingdom? After trapping them in a barrier, Rimuru unleashes Megiddo, a magic ability that essentially turns small water droplets into laser beams. With this he’s able to instantly kill thousands of soldiers within just a few seconds.

“Inuyasha” (2000-09)

Transferred from the Tessaiga and sealed within the Tenseiga by Sesshoumaru’s father Toga, the Meido Zangetsuha is perhaps the most unique technique on this list. Starting off as a crescent shape before evolving into a black sphere, this attack can instantly send its target to the Netherworld, pulling them in like a black hole. What sets this apart from the rest is that it doesn’t actually harm whoever is hit by the technique, it just instantaneously renders them dead after they’ve been transported.

“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” (2006-07)

In this world, Geass is a supernatural ability that works differently depending on whoever is using it. Bestowed upon him by C.C., Lelouch’s Geass is the Power of Absolute Obedience. This gives him the ability to command anyone to do whatever he pleases upon eye contact. Now why is Geass on this list? Well Lelouch can command his enemies to put an end to themselves, which they are more than happy to oblige right away.

“The Irregular at Magic High School” (2014-)

There’s no denying it, Tatsuya is a living force of nature and a superweapon that could turn the tides of any war. However, within his arsenal of magical abilities, Mist Dispersion is perhaps his most quick and efficient lethal ability. With this Decomposition type spell, Tatsuya can directly decompose the physical structure of his target, whether it’s inanimate or living. The unfortunate person on the end of this attack will quickly turn into steam and then scatter, as though they never existed in the first place. What makes Mist Dispersion such a terrifying spell is that it’s quiet, and can be aimed through physical objects, making it incredibly tough to avoid.

“Chainsaw Man” (2022-)

As the anime has only adapted a very partial amount of the manga, we’ve not been able to fully see what Makima is capable of, however this scene has haunted us ever since! With a line of human sacrifices, Makima is able to take out Sawatari’s gang with her deadly Force Manipulation ability. From a long distance, each one is instantly crushed to death one after the other, without realizing what exactly is going on. Honestly it’s a miracle Katana Man and Sawatari were able to get away from it!

“Naruto Shippuden” (2007-17)

It’s little to no surprise that the first wielder of chakra conjured up the perfect technique for killing her enemies. With the “All-Killing Ash Bones” attack, Kaguya hardens her very own bones and fires them out of her skin towards her enemies. For whoever is on the receiving end of this attack, it’s game over as their body will begin to deteriorate at a molecular level, causing them to disintegrate. This is without a doubt one of the most deadliest attacks in the franchise, but luckily for Naruto he happens to be very good at his Shadow Clone Jutsu!

“My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered” (2024)

We’ve seen many, many Isekai protagonists over the years with absolutely insane powers that can take out just about anything, but this one goes beyond the rest. After being transported to another world by Sion, Yogiri obtains the ability to instantly kill anyone he wants with just a single thought. Honestly it doesn’t get any more simpler than that, and because of this there’s a long line of foes that he’s effortlessly killed. Yogiri’s Instant Death Ability is so limitless that he’s able to kill even entities from a higher plane of existence.

“C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control” (2011)

The surprise lovechild of card games and money, this series spared no expense when it came to portraying greed in the most shounen way possible – via magical battles where users summon monsters by betting their fortunes and futures. As Mikuni and Jennifer’s high stakes deal comes to a close, he pulls out the stops to secure his victory, including summoning an Asset that can literally take a bite out of the competition, which she did when her jaws crushed the last of Jennifer’s defenses.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

From the moment we saw him use this Quirk on Aizawa’s elbow, we knew that this ability would be lethal! With Decay, Shigaraki is able to destroy anything or anyone he’s able to touch, disintegrating them into dust in an instant. After undergoing his awakening, Shigaraki’s quirk grows strong enough to cover a wide area, disintegrating an entire city along with whoever inhabits it. This evolution resulted in the deaths of many pro heroes. Watch out Deku, you might be able to smash him up, but if the new leader of the League of Villains gets you in his range - it’s goodbye!

“Bleach” (2004-12; 2022-)

This little bee has one hell of a sting, and while you might manage to walk away from the first, you most certainly won’t the second time round. Soi Fon more than lives up to her moniker as an assassin, especially with her Zanpakuto which grants her the ability to terminate any target, just as long as she strikes the same place twice in a row. Combined with her insane speed and agility, it’s fair to say a lot of her opponents don’t last very long.

“Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” (2009-10)

Brutal yet effective, when it comes to this one man crusade against State Alchemists, Scar doesn’t have to completely follow through with the three stages of alchemy, since he’s perfectly happy stopping at the second and letting loose destructive energy from his fingertips in order to fulfill his desire for revenge. You can’t argue with his results, since his violent methods have managed to bring down weaklings like Shou Tucker all the way to veterans like Basque Grand. Better watch out, otherwise he’ll make your face explode!

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable” (2016)

While its place on the podium of most-powerful stands can easily be contended, Yoshikage Kira’s inner murder machine still stands as one of the most proficient when it comes to dispensing his foes. It might be able to be overwhelmed in direct combat, but your chances of survival are pretty much zero if it manages to catch you unaware. Thanks to its ability of bomb transfusion, anything this creepy kitty touches can turn into a deadly explosion. Its Primary Bomb is strong enough to turn any Stand user into mulch, and that’s all before he really kicks things up by unleashing Bites the Dust!

“One-Punch Man” (2015-19)

Sure, not everything this caped baldy hits immediately gets broken into bloody chunks, but that’s usually because he’s holding back. If you’re a monster looking to pick a fight, then it’s pretty much guaranteed Saitama is going to be wiping your remains off of his dorky looking gloves. Considering even a minor hit can eliminate colossal supervillains like they were nothing, you’d best believe anything caught in the crosshairs of his serious punch is not going to be getting back up again. Just ask the majority of the Monster Association.

“Overlord” (2015-18)

As horrifying as it might be to see such a noble warrior like Gazef get axed in less than a second, on the bright side at least he didn’t end up meeting all of the horrific fates Bone Daddy Ainz has granted to the rest of his victims. As a twisted for of respect, as opposed to letting his Lovecraftian goat demons trample the honorable knight, the Supreme One decided to grant him a merciful death by stalling time and unleashing an uber-spell that snatched the life out of him then and there.

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016-19)

While his greatest and deadliest asset remains his intelligence, it would be wrong to say the enigmatic leader of the Rats in the House of the Dead is powerless in a physical fight. In fact, if you get too close, you are guaranteed to end up as a corpse. While the full depth of his ability remains a mystery, Fyodor is still a Gifted, and as such has access to a deadly supernatural force most mortals can’t contend with. In this instance, it just happens to be the ability to kill anyone he touches. No wonder Dazai is afraid of this guy.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

You can’t be a God of Destruction without having a planet-busting arsenal up your sleeve, and as it happens the death dealers of the multiverse have this little trick. Taking the form of purple energy of varying size, anything it touches ends up getting disintegrated, whether it be landscapes or arrogant Kais. Granted, certain Saiyans have found the strength to deflect and break through certain variations of them, but as for the other 99.99 percent of the cosmos, not so much, especially when it's implemented by someone as Beerus.

“Fist of the North Star” (1984-88)

It’s the martial arts that makes mince meat of raiders and wasteland scumbags everywhere. With but a poke, everyone’s favorite badass Kenshiro has shown to be able to cause his enemy’s head to explode. And that’s just one of his tricks. Not matter how fearsome his opponents may be or how many muscles they’re packing, you can always count on the Seven-Star-Scar Survivor to unleash a wide variety of strikes, screams, and a certain catchphrase, all of which will inevitably lead to his foes ending up as another post apocalyptic stain.

Is there an instant kill technique we’re missing? Let us know in the comments below!