In light of a recent character death within a beloved franchise, I've been reflecting upon fictional characters that have been dealt truly terrible hands and, despite their best efforts, have remained in the gutters of misery and general turmoil. While every medium of fiction has characters that would easily fit into this category, I chose to focus on anime because it's something that encompasses so many subgenres and a plethora of different stages/manifestations of horror and depression. The following list will be a comprehensive compilation of fictional men and women that deserved better, far better than they received during the show (or are receiving currently, if the franchise is still alive and well). Of course, given the nature of this list, there will be spoilers therein, so you have been cautioned.
Number 10: Kamina (Gurren Lagann)
(https://www.pinterest.com/dombomb_wog/gurren-lagan...)
Kicking off this list is one of my favorite characters of all time, and sadly, he only makes it to the eighth episode. Yes, you read that correctly. The anime has a total of twenty-seven episodes--with an additional two films--but Kamina kicks the bucket in the eighth freaking episode. After yearning to reach the surface, he and his blood brother Simon's village is suddenly bombarded by immense Gunmen, and through a series of wacky events that could only be created by Gainax, he and Simon finally leave their underground home behind with the aid of a beautiful, well-armed woman named Yoko. Kamina later reveals that his father left him behind when he was young, having gone to the surface himself, and while Kamina initially strives to find his father, he soon learns that he, like most humans on the surface, did not survive. Add to this the fact that Yoko kisses him just before they enter one of the biggest battles from the show--wherein Kamina dies--and the tears from the viewers never stop flowing.
To be honest, I had to take a three month break after watching that episode because I was so heartbroken. I mean, yes, I get that Simon needs Kamina's death in order to grow as a person (and to, you know, further develop the plot), but ouch, my heart.
"Later, buddy." Fight the power.
Number 9: Levi Squad/Farlan and Isabel (Attack on Titan)
(http://smaskvxn.tumblr.com/post/63220869960/guyswo...) (Levi Squad)
(http://bajolasfloresdelcerezo.blogspot.com/2015/05...) (Isobel, Levi, and Farlan)
Admittedly, Attack on Titan is nothing but peril and horror, but these deaths just aren't excusable in regards to how incredibly unfair they are in their nature. The members of the Levi Squad trust each other implicitly, and this is made evident through their well-executed attacks without any need for verbal communication. In addition to this, while their fear is visible, they let their faith in one another--as well as their leader, Levi Ackerman--be their guide while in battle. They are willing to die for each other, and what's more, they're willing to die for Eren, too.
And they do. They die brutally, Petra being crushed beneath the Female Titan's foot (and colliding neck first with a "big ass tree"), while the others are bitten in half or worse. To add insult to injury, Eren witnesses it all from afar, knowing he made the wrong decision and should have shifted into a Titan beforehand, which would have saved them all.
As for Isobel and Farlan, the two were fellow thugs with Levi in the Underground before being forcefully "recruited" by Erwin Smith to join the Survey Corps. The final moment that the two are seen alive is when they are waving to Levi and calling out to him, telling him that they believe in him. When Levi finds them again, they have been brutally dismembered by a Titan, and their brief time beneath the sunlight is brought to an astonishingly quick end.
Number 8: Kaneki Ken (Tokyo Ghoul)
(https://www.tumblr.com/search/white hair kanek...)
Listen, all this kid wanted was to go on a date with a pretty girl and talk about novels with her, and what happens? That very girl tries to eat him, is then punished by some deus ex machina shenanigans and is smashed by falling construction equipment, and the doctor on stand-by decides to replace Kaneki's organs with hers because, well, why not?
Because he'll turn into a man-eating ghoul, that's why. Now, the only human cuisine he can consume is coffee, given that his body now survives wholly on human flesh. Watching this show is akin to that of reading an Osamu Dazai novel, in that there are brief moments wherein you think things might improve, only to have your hopes dashed as you watch things progressively get worse on a downward slope that doesn't end.
In addition to this terrible situation Kaneki has found himself in, he is also subjected to fellow ghouls that want to eat him, brutal forms of torture (having his fingers and toes removed repeatedly while counting backwards from 1,000 in increments of seven), and being a first hand witnessed to the slow death of his best friend, the latter of which smiles until the last moment.
Kaneki is broken, completely. And all because he went on a date. But, hey, at least he's still alive, for now.
Number 7: Euphemia (Code Geass)
(http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-412028/what-...)
Code Geass is my absolute favorite show of all time, and I cried my eyes out when this happened because it was all a damned accident. Euphemia is easily the kindest character, more so, even, than Nunnally, another ridiculously warm female character from the show (seriously, the girls in this show are both gentle and badass; I don't understand why everyone doesn't watch it). After meeting with the terrorist, Zero, in order to create a zone specifically for the Elevens, Lelouch utilizes his geass power unintentionally, resulting in Euphemia's sudden rampage, killing hundreds of Japanese people that had gathered in the stadium as a way to rid themselves of their subjugation, even if only for a few hours. It is importanty to note here that geass is absolute, in that no one can disregard a direct command from a user, and while Euphemia did not succeed in fighting against the accidental command, she tried. She is the only character seen within the show that struggles against the geass power because of how amazingly wonderful she is as a person; her core existence would not allow her to kill people, and she battles the geass control until her final breath.
Number 6: Shirley (Code Geass)
(http://confessionsofarea11.tumblr.com/post/9574611...)
Oh, you thought we were done with this show? Oh, no. This show is nothing but death. However, this will be the last Code Geass entry so as to make room for other tragedy.
This is a relatively unpopular opinion, but Shirley was actually one of my favorite characters, not just out of the females, but including the entire cast. In many anime, the normal school girl can easily become the frivolous young woman without a brain, and honestly, that trope is getting old. Shirley's existence served to fight against that commonality, giving the audience a young woman that was genuinely innocent without the ignorance, and her pure, absolute love for Lelouch was one of the hardest things to watch develop throughout both seasons. During the first, she discovers that he killed her father during a battle, and in order to protect her--and himself--Lelouch erases her memory. However, during the second season, she falls in love with him again, and as she lays dying, she explains to him that, no matter how many times he erases her memory, she will continue falling in love with him, "over and over again." As the light in her eyes slowly fades, Lelouch begs her not to die, but having already used his geass on her once, he cannot do so again, and she dies in his arms.
Shirley is the epitome of dying for the one you love.
Number 5: Elaine/Ban (Seven Deadly Sins)
(http://aminoapps.com/page/anime/6887494/ban-x-elai...)
Seriously, what the hell is up with the eighth episodes always being the most painful?
Elaine is a fairy--with a couple hundred years under her belt--when Ban suddenly appears in her life, trying to drink from the fountain of youth that she is protecting. When she continuously denies him and explains the damage he would cause, he gives in almost too easily, and Elaine is taken aback by this man that seems to genuinely care about what she has told him. They strike up a quirky friendship that very quickly turns to romance, and when a demon appears, destroying the forest, Elaine and Ban are both fatally wounded. Ban urges Elaine to drink the water from the fountain of youth; instead, she pours the water into her mouth and forces it passed his lips during what appears to be their first kiss. Ban, then, becomes immortal, and after defeating the demon, he encourages Elaine to continue living but, unfortunately, she does not.
Ban is then forced to contend with the fact that the love of his life is dead, while he must live forever, and Elaine watches over him from the Necropolis, unable to be ever be together. Two people that were continuously lonely finally found cures for their unhappiness, and had that joy ripped from their hands in the blink of a eye.
Number 4: L Lawliet (Death Note)
(http://lawliet-lawsford.tumblr.com/)
Say it with me.
He. Should. Not. Have. Died.
Most fans of the show would agree with me when I say that Death Note is found to be incredibly lacking in effort and relies heavily on convenience after L's demise. More than that, though, is the scene that occurs just before L's death, wherein he seems to know exactly what is about to happen, even going as far as to point out the church bells he is hearing in the distance while standing in the rain. Seriously, the symbolism is too over the top to mean anything else, and L is intelligent enough to sense Kira's every move, including the ones that pertain to his own death. He seems to be almost taunting to Light while out in the rain, but once the two have gone back inside, L reveals that Light is, in fact, his only friend.
L is killed by his only friend in the name of a sick, twisted form of pseudo justice that eventually turns into full-blown mania. Additionally, he dies knowing he'll never experience human compassion or love, and that is heart stopping.
Number 3: Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
(http://www.less-real.com/images/search/Levi Acke...)
Ah, yes. The man, the myth, the legend.
Also, probably one of the most miserable fictional characters that is still, somehow, alive. As I mentioned earlier, his entire squad--and two best friends from the Underground--were murdered by Titans, leaving him relatively alone in the world. However, this isn't where the misery started for Levi. In the manga, it is revealed that his mother was a prostitute, and that she died without any sort of medical aid. The cravat that Levi is always wearing is actually made from the material of his mother's shirt.
Additionally, his uncle appeared to attempt to take care of him, but later abandoned him, as well, after working with young Levi to hone the latter's violent survival skills. His entire life has been surrounded by death and abandonment, and yet he continues to serve the Survey Corps in order to eradicate the Titans from existence.
All I want for this man is happiness. Please, Hajime Isayama, stop making him suffer.
Number 2: Seita and Setsuko (Grave of the Fireflies)
(https://drgrobsanimationreview.com/tag/grave-of-th...)
The pain. THE PAIN.
War is ugly; this isn't some revelation. However, watching two children die in the aftermath of the Kobe raid reinforces just how terrible these acts of violence can be in regards to small children and other beings that cannot care for themselves. After losing their mother, they attempt to live with their aunt, only to leave later due to a strain that has been placed amongst them due to their continued presence. Setsuko eventually dies from lack of nutrition, and it can be inferred that her death breaks her brother completely, bringing the film full circle to the first scene, wherein Seita tells us the exact date of his death.
This film is not for the faint of heart, but I do highly recommend it. The animation is beautiful, and the love between the siblings is incredibly touching. They deserved so much more than those awful deaths.
Number 1: Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan)
(http://comicvine.gamespot.com/armin-arlert/4005-94...)
I'm still in denial. I can't accept the idea that this boy is now deceased.
From the very beginning, we learn about Armin's desire to see the ocean, and what is truly heartbreaking is that, at the very beginning of the anime and manga, we see Armin with what appears to be a geographical text. He can be arrested for having such things, but he doesn't care. He wants to go outside the walls one day, and no one can stop him from dreaming about seeing the sea.
It is this very sentiment that returned just before Armin's death, entrusting the sight of the ocean to his best friend, Eren, when he acknowledges the fact that he is about to die.
What truly bothers me about this death in particular is that he offered so much to the Corps in terms of intelligence and strategy, often surpassing the superiors due to his extreme reasoning skills and bravery. If anyone deserved to see the ocean the most, it was Armin, and now that that possibility has been removed completely, I don't see how Eren and Mikasa will be abe to function without him.
I'd love to somehow see him come back to life, but unfortunately, I think he has officialy joined Marco, Thomas, and the tons of other Survey Corps members that have lost their lives to Titans.
To be frank, I've actually considered stopping reading the manga because of this seemingly unnecessary death for the sake of shock value, but with Levi still living, I suppose I'll stick around, for now.
