Just because they were evil doesn't mean their endings weren't tragic. Join Ashley as we look over the anime antagonists who were given upsetting deaths
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00:00 [Music]
00:16 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the moments in anime where
00:21 memorable villains perished in ways that left fans feeling sympathetic and full of sorrow.
00:28 [Music]
00:32 Number 20, Korome. Akame ga Kill. Unlike her sister who chose to rebel against the Empire,
00:39 Korome became one of its most lethal enforcers.
00:42 Not only was she brainwashed by the Empire into an obedient and ruthless killer,
00:53 but due to the nature of her tegu, not even death can save Korome's victims from becoming her playthings.
00:59 Unable to turn against her twisted masters, Korome is eventually forced to confront her sister
01:05 in a no-holds-barred fight to the death. Sadly, unlike her manga counterpart, Korome doesn't get
01:11 to enjoy a happy ending in the anime and dies at the hands of her beloved sister.
01:20 Even with all the suffering she caused, it's still heartbreaking to witness how Korome's demise
01:26 impacts the few people who genuinely care for her.
01:29 Number 19, Wamuu. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
01:40 Unlike his masters, Wamuu lived, fought, and died following the warrior code.
01:49 During his final confrontation against Joseph Joestar, Wamuu pulls out all the stops to defeat
01:55 his human rival. He even goes so far as to destroy his own body to achieve victory. In the end,
02:02 even with his superhuman abilities, he's ultimately no match for Jojo's cunning nature
02:07 as he pulls off an impossible win with a little help from a fallen comrade.
02:16 Despite losing to Jojo, Wamuu accepts his defeat like a true warrior,
02:21 and even protects Jojo from being attacked by his vampire underlings. Impressed by Wamuu's
02:27 sense of honor, Jojo pays tribute to his fallen rival and honors him before giving him a final
02:33 send-off.
02:33 Number 18, Ryoko Tamiya. Parasite the Maxim.
02:45 When a legion of parasitic aliens hell-bent on taking over humanity have begun their conquest,
02:51 the last thing you expect to do is get emotional.
02:54 Ryoko was always morally ambiguous throughout the series. One minute she'd be slicing heads,
03:06 the next she'd be having a baby. After giving birth to her son, she soon turned her back on
03:11 her fellow parasites, only to get brutally gunned down by the police.
03:15 Strange thing is, she could have easily fought back,
03:23 but didn't resist just so she could protect her human child.
03:38 Number 17, Nephrite. Sailor Moon.
03:42 A loyal servant to the nefarious Queen Beryl, Nephrite was willing to endanger innocent people
03:48 by robbing them of their life force. When his constant failures to destroy Sailor Moon
03:53 threaten his standing with Queen Beryl, Nephrite attempts to redeem himself by targeting Usagi's
03:59 friend and classmate, Naru. Although Nephrite only intended to use Naru for the sake of his
04:08 own goals, he eventually came to genuinely care for her. His desire to protect Naru is so strong
04:14 that he even ignores an opportunity to destroy Sailor Moon to save her from some yama,
04:19 and even takes a lethal blow for her. Nephrite's final moments are so heartbreaking that even the
04:30 Sailor Guardians can't help but shed tears for their fallen enemy.
04:33 Number 16, Gilderay. Drifters.
04:42 To join the all-powerful Ents, you need one thing, hatred. And the serial-killing marshal
04:53 of France, Gilderay, is no stranger to that. Standing defiantly beside his love, Joan of Arc,
05:00 the big guy proves to be a one-man wrecking crew. However, despite this evil allegiance,
05:06 Gil still got an emotional send-off. In his final moments, Gil recalls that he committed his
05:14 infamous act of evil so that he could follow Joan, who had been tried as a witch, into hell.
05:20 Seconds later, he crumbles into salt and vanishes from history forever.
05:30 Number 15, Narumi Asai, aka Seiji Aso. Detective Conan. From victim to villain,
05:38 Seiji's fall from grace is as tragic as they come. Driven by the desire to avenge his family,
05:44 Seiji goes on a killing spree, targeting the true culprits behind their tragic demise.
05:50 Unfortunately, when Seiji's actions and true identity are discovered by Conan,
05:58 he traps himself in a burning building with the intent of leaving this world the same way his
06:03 father did. Despite Conan's best efforts to convince Seiji to live and honor his father's
06:12 final wishes, Seiji refuses due to the severity of his sins. Fortunately, he has enough time for
06:19 one last act of altruism by saving Conan. Conan's failure to save Seiji affected him so much that
06:26 he considers it his greatest failure. Number 14, Zareth Dragneel. Fairy tale. All he wanted was
06:40 to bring his brother back to life. Instead, he suffered a fate far worse than death. While
06:46 conducting research into reviving the dead, Zareth unfortunately pissed off the wrong god and was
06:52 struck with a terrifying curse that forced him to kill every living thing around him.
06:57 If that wasn't bad enough, this curse also caused Zareth to become known as the most evil mage
07:09 in history and warped his personality to the point where he sought to destroy the world that
07:15 rejected him. It isn't until Zareth's lover, Mavis, finally confesses her love for him that his curse
07:21 of contradiction is finally broken, allowing them both to die peacefully in each other's arms.
07:34 Number 13, Toji Fushiguro. Jujutsu Kaisen. His traumatic upbringing turned him into a
07:41 sorcerer-killing machine so dangerous that even his own family feared him. However,
07:47 even a beast like Toji can't help but look out for his kid. During a confrontation with a young Gojo,
07:53 Toji initially appears to have the upper hand. Unfortunately, his actions end up helping Gojo
08:04 ascend to even greater heights. This, along with the fact he murdered Gojo's friend, Riko Amanai,
08:11 seals his fate. Before dying, Toji mentions his son Megumi to Gojo, causing a domino effect that
08:21 grants Megumi a better life away from the Zenin clan's influence and proving that deep down,
08:27 Toji may have cared about him. Number 12, Hiro Shishigami. Inuyashiki. Both Shishigami and Mr
08:42 Inuyashiki were unfortunate enough to be caught in a mysterious explosion, resulting with their
08:48 bodies being replaced with powerful robotic copies. And that is where their similarities
09:03 end. While Inuyashiki uses his newfound powers for good, Shishigami goes on a murdering rampage.
09:10 So, he was pretty much the last person we expected to help stop a meteor from destroying Earth.
09:16 Finally seeing the error of his ways, the violent youth activates his self-destruct module
09:22 in hopes of saving those he loves. Despite the dark path that Hiro walks down,
09:35 his sacrifice shows us the tragedy that what was a villain could have truly been a hero.
09:41 Number 11, Vegeta's First Death, Dragon Ball Z. Vegeta's no stranger to death, but the experience
09:58 of his first demise was truly something else. During his time serving Freeza, Vegeta destroyed
10:04 numerous worlds and claimed many lives. The fact he had an inflated ego only added to his merciless
10:10 nature. It wasn't until Vegeta came face to face with Freeza's full power that he finally got a
10:16 taste of what it's like to be a victim. As he drowns in despair against an unstoppable foe,
10:30 Vegeta is powerless to stop Freeza from breaking him in both body and spirit.
10:36 In his final moments, Vegeta completely abandons his pride as he breaks down in tears
10:47 and begs Goku to put an end to Freeza's reign of terror.
10:57 Number 10, Sensuei, Yu Yu Hakusho. Morality isn't always black and white, and sometimes,
11:10 what you thought was right turns out to be the exact opposite. After seeing the good in demons
11:15 and the evil in humans, Shinobu went into hiding, only to come out decades later to judge humans
11:22 for their evil ways. So, after Yusuke is finally able to beat him with the help of his puppy,
11:33 Sensuei reveals the truth that he didn't desire the end of humankind,
11:38 just to be killed by demons to make up for all of humanity's crimes.
11:49 Dying in the arms of the one person who loved him, we finally see some sort of sense in his actions.
11:54 Number 9, Caster and Kuzuki, Fate/Stay Night's Unlimited Blade Works.
12:00 Among the participants of the Fifth Holy Grail War was this deadly master-servant combo.
12:06 Though they were major antagonists early in the series, the two meet a heartbreaking end.
12:17 Yet, beneath all the trickery and underhanded schemes was a love story that led Caster to
12:23 sacrifice her own life for the stoic fella. But to make things worse, the bloodshed doesn't stop
12:34 there. Despite being able to walk away from the battle, Soichiro resolves to continue the fight,
12:39 despite the impossible odds.
12:45 Number 8, Eren, Attack on Titan. All he wanted was to be free and save his people from the Titans.
12:52 Instead, he became his world's most evil villain. Upon learning that the whole world wants to wipe
12:59 out all of the subjects of Ymir, Eren takes extreme measures to save his people. Thanks
13:04 to the Attack Titan's power of foresight, Eren influences events in his favor and acquires the
13:10 power of the Rumbling to unleash a worst-case scenario of genocidal proportions. What makes
13:22 this whole affair truly tragic is that, despite his actions, Eren, more than anyone, hoped to
13:28 end things peacefully. Unfortunately, even with his foresight, Eren could not change humanity's
13:39 tragic fate, nor fulfill his desire to spend the rest of his life with the people he loves most.
13:45 Number 7, Twice, My Hero Academia. He may have been one of Japan's worst criminals,
13:56 but he was also someone who would do anything for his friends.
14:07 Growing up, Twice suffered several tragedies which gradually pushed him towards the path of villainy.
14:12 He even suffered a traumatic event due to his own quirk which left him in an existential crisis.
14:19 While society may have failed him at every turn, Twice eventually found salvation with the League
14:24 of Villains, as they provided him with purpose and true friends. Unfortunately, Twice's happiness
14:31 came to an end at the hands of the undercover hero, Hawks, whom he also considered a friend.
14:37 With his remaining life force, Twice sends one last clone to save his comrades,
14:42 and apologizes to his friend Himiko as he expires in her arms.
14:46 Number 6, Ito Kamotaro, Gintama. After being blamed for the weak health of his twin brother
14:57 by his mother, Ito worked to excel in literature and martial arts to earn his family's approval,
15:04 which only served to garner jealousy from everyone around him.
15:07 Bitter and cynical towards people, he planned to betray his fellow Shinsengumi members in
15:21 hopes of becoming its new leader.
15:23 Only after having his plans foiled did he realise how important the relationships he had formed
15:38 truly were, and was granted an honourable death at the hands of the Vice Commander, Hishikata.
15:50 Number 5, Ukiura, Bleach. Ukiura was an arancar with one strict belief;
15:56 that the human heart is non-existent.
15:58 This is something he made clear after his kidnapping of Orohime, and subsequent war
16:07 with Ichigo. However, after the intense final battle with the substitute Shinigami, he seemed
16:13 to have regained a part of his humanity, since he gets one last emotional moment with Orohime,
16:19 and finally realises what a heart is before fading away to dust.
16:24 Number 4, Kyotaro and Daki. Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba. They may have been heartless demons
16:36 that took many lives, but their tragic past makes it hard not to feel for them. Growing up in the
16:42 slums of society, Kyotaro and Daki were surrounded by the worst aspects of humanity.
16:48 When their hazardous lifestyle finally pushed them to the brink of death,
16:56 they soon found salvation by becoming demons.
16:59 For over a century, these siblings turned Yoshihara's red-light district into their
17:09 hunting ground, where they tormented and devoured many people. Upon being defeated and ascending to
17:14 the afterlife, Kyotaro attempts to chase Daki away to spare her from eternal damnation.
17:20 However, Daki refuses to leave him, and the two reaffirm their bond,
17:32 before marching straight into hell's face with the weight of their sins together.
17:36 Number 3, Meruem. Hunter x Hunter. As the top chimera ant, Meruem respected strength over
17:52 everything, and due to their weakness, he only saw humans as food.
18:01 Yet, his mindset was challenged when he met Komugi, a young blind girl who displayed a
18:07 different kind of strength to Meruem. As time passed, this admiration grew stronger,
18:12 and following his poisoning, he chose to spend his last days playing Gungi with Komugi.
18:17 The two died alongside each other, showing that even the most inhumane of villains
18:30 can experience love.
18:32 Number 2, Envy. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Envy is easily the most unlikable of all the
18:49 homunculus. He's loud, he's rude, and he tends to find joy in the misery of others.
18:55 And yet, despite all this, we still felt for Envy in his final moments.
18:59 After the homunculus was reduced to a weak little creature,
19:09 we saw exactly what he was envious of - human beings.
19:13 Envy was humiliated, reduced to tears by this realisation, and in his despair,
19:28 he ended his life by ripping the Philosopher's Stone from his body,
19:33 simultaneously ripping at our heartstrings.
19:36 Bye-bye, Edward Elking.
19:41 After sacrificing his life for Kakashi and giving him his Sharingan,
20:05 Obito Uchiha supposedly died. But little did we know that in the shadows,
20:10 he was orchestrating something colossal.
20:12 With the help of the Akatsuki, Obito started the Fourth Shinobi World War,
20:22 but had a change of heart at the last minute, sacrificing himself to save Kakashi once more
20:28 in an attempt to atone for his past sins.
20:31 In the Pure Lands, Obito got to see his beloved Rin once again,
20:40 which, paired with his selfless sacrifice, truly redeemed the once-lost soul.
20:45 Which anime villain death left you feeling emotional? Let us know in those comments below.
20:56 Well, I still respect you.
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21:08 [music]