10 anime characters who had the worst fate

Anime characters who had the worst fate are a common topic in the medium, often going through torture and abuse in many different forms, and being trapped in endless cycles of pain and suffering. A lot of series push the boundaries of the medium and lead to difficult situations for the characters, especially when it comes to the protagonists in some cases.

Some critics claim these anime characters go through a lot of pain for shock value, but these elements are oftentimes essential to their characterization, such as the case of the Soul King in Bleach or Guts in Berserk. So here are, in no particular order, anime characters who had the worst fate in their respective series and why it happened to them.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for all the series on this list. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Bleach's Soul King and nine more anime characters who had the worst fate

1. Hidan (Naruto)

Hidan, one of the anime characters with the worst fate (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Hidan is a devout worshipper of Lord Jashin and managed to gain immortality, thus becoming the sole character in the entire Naruto series who cannot die. As he made a solid introduction as one of the members of Akatsuki, Hidan took the life of Asuma Sarutobi, thus kick-starting Shikamaru Nara's quest to avenge his mentor.

Once Shikamaru and his allies managed to get a hold of Hidan, he was dismembered and buried alive since he was never going to die in any shape or form. As far as fans of the series know, Hidan is still buried to this day, making him one of those anime characters who suffered a fate worse than death.

2. Guts (Berserk)

Guts, one of the anime characters who has suffered the most (Image via Young Animal)

When it comes to anime characters who have suffered awful fates, Guts is usually one of the first names that come to minds. Guts suffered from the very moment he was born. His mother died, he was taken in by mercenaries, his surrogate mother died of the plague, and he was forced to fight in wars when he was merely a kid, while he was s*xually abused by a fellow soldier named Donovan and more.

As Guts grew older, things only got worse, to the point that his then-friend Griffith sacrificed him and the rest of the Band of the Hawk to an evil entity known as the Godhand. That resulted in Guts having to fight evil demons for the rest of his life, losing most of his comrades and friends, and having to witness Casca, the love of his life, being abused by Griffith in front of him.

Very few anime characters have gone through what Guts has lived in Berserk, which makes his ability to persevere all the more admirable in the series.

3. The Soul King (Bleach)

The Soul King, one of the most iconic anime characters in this department (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Soul King might be one of the best examples of anime characters having a fate worse than death. At the beginning of time itself in Bleach, there was only one world and the Soul King was an individual with tremendous power. He was slaughtered by the five noble houses that formed the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the world of the living.

The series has never fully explained why the Soul King allowed himself to be mutilated when he was a lot more powerful than anyone else. He basically became the battery of the three worlds, and his state led to the birth of Yhwach. Several parts of him became individuals of their own, such as Mimihagi being his right arm, Pernida being his left harm, and Gerald being his heart.

4. Elder Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Elder Toguro, one of the most evil anime characters (Image via Studio Pierrot and Shueisha)

Elder Toguro appears to have deserved this awful fate as there is an argument to be made that he was the most evil character in Yu Yu Hakusho. A good example of that is that his younger brother became a demon to not age and not face the trauma of losing his students, while Elder Toguro just did it for the sheer joy of hurting others.

He enjoyed taunting others and reveling in making them miserable, as was shown during his battle with Kazuma Kuwabara when he mocked Genkai's death. Due to the sheer nature of his ability to manipulate his body, he could never die, so Kurama trapped him in a special trap that keeps him fighting endlessly against him in his mind. As far as people know, this is still going on to this day.

In many ways, he is one of the few examples of anime characters who certainly deserved a fate worse than death.

5. Diavolo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Diavolo, another one of those anime characters with a fate worse than death (Image via David Production)

Diavolo was born under bizarre circumstances in Italy and had a double personality, slowly rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld and becoming the leader of the mafia. During the events of the fifth arc of JoJo, Golden Wind, he had no problem killing his men and Trish, his daughter, to keep his life secret, although that is when Giorno Giovanna appeared.

As Giorno gained the Requiem Arrow, his new Stand, Gold Experience Requiem, he punished Diavolo with one of the worst fates imaginable, which was constantly dying over and over again. It didn't matter what Diavolo did, he was always going to die, which led to the meme in the fandom that says "If Diavolo dies, then it's canon".

6. Zeno (Yona of the Dawn)

Zeno, one of the most underrated examples of anime characters who suffered a lot (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Zeno is one of the four chosen Dragon warriors who are born with special abilities and are chosen to serve the Crimson Dragon to bring peace to the world. While the other three Dragon warriors can die and others can be born to take their place and powers, Zeno has the distinction of being immortal and has lived for centuries since the first generation appeared.

Despite his youthful and uplifting personality, Zeno is one of the most tragic anime characters as he has seen everyone he loves pass away, and cannot die in battle or out of his own volition. His character arc is a good representation of what immortality can be, and how it can affect a person's mental state.

7. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)

Ken Kaneki, one of the most tortured anime characters (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Few anime characters have had to fight for their humanity as Ken Kaneki did throughout the entirety of the Tokyo Ghoul series. While the anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot hurt the story's prospects in the grand scheme of things, most readers of the manga know the infinite amount of problems and tragedies this protagonist had to go through.

The most notorious example, and the one that started the whole series, was Kaneki turning into a ghoul that can only survive by eating human flesh, starting his character arc where he slowly becomes a monster. Another prominent moment is the infamous "torture scene".

8. Nina (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Nina, one of the most tragic anime characters of all time (Image via Madhouse)

There is no denying that Nina from Fullmetal Alchemist had one of the worst fates when it comes to anime characters, despite having a minor role in the series. However, such was the impact of her tragedy that fans still remember her to this day.

She was the daughter of Alchemist Shou Tucker, a man who had fallen from grace in his profession and was willing to do anything to keep his license. Tucker had already experimented with his wife. Edward and Alphonse Elric discovered that he turned Nina and their dog, Alexander, into a chimera, which led to him being sent to prison.

The most heartbreaking moment was the fact that the chimera of Nina and Alexander were shot to death so their souls could die in peace. It was a scene that has become one of the most known in the franchise, especially because Nina was innocent in this entire storyline and didn't deserve anything that happened to her.

9. Subaru Natsuki (Re:Zero)

Subaru Natsuki, one of those anime characters with awful fates (Image via White Fox)

Few anime characters in the isekai genre have struggled as Subaru Natsuki, and that is because of his ability, which is centered around being able to go back in time when he dies. Therefore, Subaru cannot die but keeps the memories and feelings of that moment, while the rest of the world forgets what happened because they have gone back in time.

The entirety of the series focuses on the different struggles Subaru goes through and how he has to survive all of these traumatic events. It is a powerful ability that helps him a lot in the story, but that comes with the cost of tremendous pain in the process— a rarity among anime characters in the isekai genre, as mentioned earlier.

10. Bartholomew Kuma (One Piece)

Bartholomew Kuma, one of the most recent examples when it comes to anime characters in this trend (Image via Toei Animation)

Bartholomew Kuma's past was shown in 2023, making him one of the latest examples of anime characters with some of the worst fates imaginable. While One Piece in general is not too violent or extreme when it comes to dealing punishment to its characters, author Eiichiro Oda made a noticeable exception with Kuma, thus making him arguably the most tragic individual in the entire series.

The Egghead arc shows a flashback of Kuma's past, who was a slave by the World Government because of being a part of the Buccaneer race. He also lost his wife and sacrificed his humanity to become a Pacifista to help his daughter, Bonney, to the point that his body has lost any kind of individuality and is an empty shell.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay