A popular trope throughout anime and manga is that of the faked death. Whether it is a purposely faked death that is meant to trick enemies or an instance of the writers seemingly killing off a character to trick fans, fake-out deaths in media keep viewers on the edge of their seats and plant a seed of doubt within audiences when a character dies.
So, be it to pull on fans’ heartstrings or to serve a utilitarian purpose for the character’s survival, these anime deaths left either characters or fans with major trust issues.
10 Naruto Leaves Us Thinking Choji Had Died Fighting Jirobo
During the Sasuke recovery arc, each member of the mission is paired with a powerful enemy. Choji fights Jirobo, a member of the Sound Ninja Five who can create a chakra-draining earthen cage. Choji, the underdog, goes as far as to eat a special food pill that results in great power. However, the drawback is death. As Choji lies dying in the forest, writers have a symbolic butterfly pass by Shikamaru. It isn’t until the end of the arc that we find out Choji narrowly survives.
9 In YuYu Hakusho, Kuwabara’s Fake Death Inspires Yusuke To Fight
In Episodes 63 and 64 of YuYu Hakusho, titled “Yasuke’s Despair” and “Toguro’s Desire” respectively, Kuwabara is seemingly killed at the hands of Toguro, and a grief-stricken Yusuke begins to show his true power. However, it is revealed in Episode 65, “Out with a Bang,” that Kuwabara is actually still alive, and his faked death was a ploy to get Yusuke to power up. For Yusuke, who completely believed Kuwabara had been killed, this was a cruel tactic, but it was an effective method of getting Yusuke to fight nonetheless.
8 Dio Brando Dies Over And Over Only To Come Back Throughout Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Jonathan Joestar is convinced of Dio’s death after their final fight at the Joestar Mansion in part one of Phantom Blood. However, Dio returns to kill Jonathan while Jonathan and his wife sail to the United States.
In the end, Jonathan is killed, and Dio is sent to the bottom of the ocean. Just when everyone thought that Jonathan’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, Dio returns in Stardust Crusaders as a thorn in both Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo’s sides only to be killed once more by Jotaro and his stand, Star Platinum.
7 Full Metal Alchemist’s Maria Ross Had To Fake Her Death After Being Framed
When Meas Hughes is killed, everyone looks to Maria Ross for their suspect. This is because the homunculus that killed Hughes had taken Ross’ form when it did so. Even more suspicious, the bullet that killed Hughes could be traced back to Ross’ gun. With the help of Barry, she escapes her incarceration and runs. To avoid prison and eventual execution, Ross was forced to fake her own death, and with the help of Roy Mustang, they pull the plan off.
6 Naruto’s Gaara Was A Goner Until Lady Chiyo Stepped In
The consequence of extracting a tailed beast from its jinchuriki is the death of the tailed beast’s human host. Gaara finds this out first hand when he loses to and is captured by Sasori and Deidara of the Akatsuki and the Shukaku is forcibly removed from his body. Naruto and his teammates try to save Gaara but are too late. However, Lady Chiyo steps in and performs a forbidden jutsu none knew was possible. In a move no character sees coming, she trades her life for Gaara’s and he is resurrected.
5 In Jujutsu Kaisen, Itadori’s Death At The Hands Of Sukuna Really Convinced All His Teammates
When Sukuna possesses Yuji Itadori, he rips out Itadori’s heart, killing him. However, in his last moments, Itadori winds up in Sukuna’s domain and makes a deal with the King of Curses for his life. Sukuna then heals Itadori, and Itadori wakes up, much to everyone’s surprise. But, Itadori’s teacher, Gojo, decides to prolong the farce by keeping Itadori’s fate a secret from everyone, including Itadori’s peers. When he is finally revealed to them, everyone is incredibly taken aback and pissed off by the trick.
4 Kakashi Really Did Die And Meet His Father’s Spirit In Naruto
During his fight with Pain, Kakashi is actually killed. As the episodes progress, he is shown in a purgatory-like space where he gets to meet his father, Sakumo, who had committed suicide years before. The two can finally reconcile and reach an understanding.
However, at the end of this discussion, Sakumo relays to Kakashi that Kakashi’s time is not yet up, as many of those Pain killed during his attack on the Hidden Leaf Village are brought back to life, thanks to Naruto getting through to Nagato.
3 Muhammad Avdol Surprises His Friends With His Return In Stardust Crusaders
While trying to save the hot-headed Polnareff from being ambushed by Hol Horse and J. Geil, Avdol is seemingly killed by a bullet to the head. However, in reality, Avdol narrowly escaped the shot and was only injured. Still, during his recovery, his survival is kept from Polnareff, who still had a lot of unresolved trauma keeping him from thinking things through. Finally, in “Judgement, Part 2,” Avdol returns in a bid to save Polnareff from Cameo, much to Polnareff’s surprise. This makes it tougher for fans to swallow Avdol’s real death in Dio’s mansion later on.
2 In Bleach, Aizen’s Death Makes Revealing Him To Be The Villain All The More Shocking
Sosuke Aizen, a captain of the Soul Society, was thought to have been killed, and his death was made all the more convincing because Kyoka Suigetsu had fabricated a dummy body for him. This shook the Soul Society to its core. Faking his death allowed him to come back as the villain, shocking all the characters. Furthermore, the show deliberately made Gin Ichimaru look suspicious from the beginning to make Aizen’s reveal all the more impactful.
1 Stardust Crusaders Almost Got Fans Again With Joseph’s Fake Death
At the end of Stardust Crusaders, Joseph Joestar is stabbed in the neck during the climactic battle with Dio. After Jotaro finally defeated Dio, fans are sure Joseph is dead. Jotaro demands that Joseph undergo a blood transfusion using Dio’s blood. In the end, Joseph uses this setup to prank both viewers and Jotaro into thinking he has come back as a vampire.
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