11 Anime characters who can defy death, Ranked least to most well-known

Immortal characters and anime characters who can defy death are not the same. Where it is impossible to kill the former type, the latter type can be killed but this type can also evade death through different techniques.

Achieving such a state where a character can escape death is something inhuman and is mostly in the hands of characters who are not human. However, such a state can also be seen in human characters who achieve it through immoral methods.

In this article, 11 anime characters who can defy death will be ranked based on how popular they are in the fandom. Be it the demons or humans that can come back from death, this article will have all of them.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga series. Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Ryomen Sukuna, Aizen Sosuke, and 9 other anime characters who defy death, ranked by popularity

11) Hitogami - Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Hitogami as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Bind)

Man-God is the entity that reincarnated Rudeus Greyrat into the fantasy world. The entity has a very playful and sadistic personality, as he likes to witness Rudeus suffering due to the decisions he makes.

Being a godly entity, Man-God is one of the anime characters who can defy death. Even though he has never faced a situation where death is a possible outcome, he can never die because he is the God of the fantasy world Rudeus stays in.

10) Zhu Jin - Hell's Paradise

Zhu Jin as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

The Tensen-class God born on the island of Kotaku and part of the group of Lord Tensen, Zhu Jin, is one of the anime characters who can defy death. Just like Zhu, the other members of Lord Tensen are also immortal beings.

During the visit to Kotaku, Gabimaru, the male protagonist, goes against Zhu Jin and weakens the latter so much that Zhu Jin is nearing death. However, due to their godly status, they survive, but Gabimaru manages to escape.

9) Tet - No Game No Life

Tet as seen in the anime (Image via Madhouse)

The God of the world where everything is decided through games, Tet, is the person who reincarnates the main protagonists, Shiro and Sora, into the fantasy world after a simple game of chess.

Being a god, Tet is one of the anime characters who can defy death and reign over the other godly entities that exist in the fantasy world. Although he has never faced any condition where his life is threatened, he is definitely someone who will bounce back if he is ever killed.

8) Fushi - To Your Eternity

Fushi as seen in the anime (Image via Brain's Base)

The main protagonist of To Your Eternity, Fushi, is one of the anime characters who can defy death and has done this numerous times in the series. He was created by God (The Beholder) and sent to Earth to preserve the planet.

He has escaped death numerous times when he fights against the Nokkers because The Beholder follows him everywhere. The Nokkers are evil beings that were created to interrupt Fushi's journey.

7) Imu - One Piece

Imu as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The Supreme Leader of the World Government, Imu, is one of the strongest characters of One Piece and one of the anime characters who can defy death, considering how Imu has been alive since the Void Century.

While most fans speculate that Imu underwent the Immortality Surgery of the Op-Op devil fruit, some speculate that Imu is an incarnation of the devil. However, in reality, there is no telling what this creature is as their identity is, shrouded in mystery.

6) Father - Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Father as seen in the anime (Image via BONES)

Father, more commonly referred to as the oldest Hommonculus, is the final antagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and also, one of the anime characters who can defy death.

He was created from the life essence of Hoffenheim, the protagonist's father, and Eve. While Hoffenheim has tried to kill him several times, he manages to defy death and comes back each time. However, the homunculi he created, betrayed him, leading Father to be sent off to the realm of the dead.

5) Kibutsuji Muzan - Demon Slayer

Kibutsuji Muzan as seen in the anime (Image via ufotable)

The ex-human who later becomes the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan is the main antagonist of Demon Slayer. The only weakness he gets after becoming a demon is his sensitivity to sunlight, which also becomes the reason for his demise.

As for the anime characters who can defy death, Muzan is unkillable other than the exposure to sunlight. Beheading him is also out of the options to kill him as his regenerative capacity is unreal.

4) Aizen Sosuke - Bleach

Aizen as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Sosuke Aizen was one of the main antagonists of Bleach and the former captain of the fifth division of the Soul Society. He later betrays the Soul Society to achieve the ultimate power and become immortal, thus becoming one of the anime characters that cannot be killed.

He fuses his shinigami body with the Hougyoku, the Breakdown Sphere, which gives his body the ability to regenerate from any injury. Due to this, he is sealed away after Ichigo Kurosaki, the main protagonist, defeats him.

3) Ryomen Sukuna - Jujutsu Kaisen

Sukuna as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

The sorcerer who is reincarnated into the body of Itadori Yuji more than 1000 years ago, Ryomen Sukuna is one of the most popular anime villains and also one of the characters that can defy death.

His death is still a mystery, as he is known as the strongest sorcerer in history so someone formidable is responsible for killing him. After getting killed, Sukuna's body is separated into 20 mummified fingers and the more a person eats them, the stronger the consciousness awakens inside them of the King of Curses.

2) Hidan - Naruto

Hidan as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The relentless follower of Lord Jashin, Hidan is the immortal being from Naruto who is behind the deaths of numerous shinobi warriors, one of whom is Asuma Sarutobi. Hidan's technique involves standing in a magic circle after ingesting the blood of someone and then wounding himself, which will automatically affect his opponent.

He met his end but didn't die, thanks to the strategic plan of Shikamaru, who corners him and breaks his body into small pieces. He then buried his body underground so that even if he regenerates, he will never be able to walk on the ground again.

1) Ban - Seven Deadly Sins

Ban as seen in the anime (Image via A-1 Pictures)

The immortal character who is also the sin of greed, Bam, is one of the most famous anime characters who can come back to life, if not the most famous. He becomes immortal moments before dying after Elaine makes him drink the water from the Fountain of Youth.

Chopping off his head, breaking his bones, or any other brutal act against Ban's body, his body will always regenerate. He gives up his immortality in exchange for reviving Elaine later on in the story.

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Edited by Madhur Dave