Ask John: Is it Normal in Anime to Kill the Main Character?

Question:
In “A Hero’s Farewell,” Goku sacrificed himself to save Gohan, his friends and the Earth. By the story line thus far this would mean that he can not be brought back by the dragon (Correct?), which means that the series (DBZ) ends with Goku (the main character) dead. Is it usual in anime to kill off the main character/hero? I was under the impression the world of Dragon Ball was the ongoing story of Goku, but that’s hard to do if he is dead.

Answer:
By now you probably know that there’s still quite a bit of Dragonball Z to go. To some degree, Dragonball sort of made up its rules as it went along.

Regarding the death of main characters in anime, I have no real factual basis for this theory, but would suggest that the common practice of killing main characters in anime is rooted in the Japanese psyche and cultural history. Japan has traditionally maintained a strong regard for nature, as evidenced by the elevation of gardening and flower arranging to the status of high art, the embodiment of wild animals as supernatural creatures and gods, such as shape changing foxes and supernatural cats, and the continued existence of large expanses of untainted wilderness, even in contemporary Japan. Part of this “nature worship” is an emphasis on the natural cycle of life and death. Life leads to death, which in turn engenders and nurtures new life. The Asian and Buddhist religious beliefs in karma and re-incarnation suggest that death is not an ending, but a new beginning. Thus death is not an event to be afraid of. Furthermore, the ancient bushido warrior’s code upheld the dignity and honor of personal sacrifice and noble death. While I’m not suggesting that these traditions directly influence anime, I do believe that these traditions do affect anime and its creators. If not directly, then anime may play off these ideas in a reactionary way, by parodying or contradicting expectations. In anime including Astro Boy, Jungle Emperor, Minky Momo and Yu Yu Hakusho, the death of the main character is actually just the beginning of the story. Astro Boy and Yuusuke of Yu Yu Hakusho are both killed in car accidents and revived as a robot and as a spirit, respectively. In Jungle Emperor (AKA Kimba the White Lion), young Leo (Kimba) begins his quest when his father is killed. At the conclusion of the first Minky Momo TV series, Momo is struck and killed by a dump truck. She then spends the second series having magical adventures in the afterlife.

In a reactionary sense, it’s not uncommon for anime to kill a main character for purely temporary and/or comical reasons, very similar to the way Kenny dies in almost every episode of South Park. Excel, the main character of Excel Saga is killed twice (both by car accidents) in the first episode alone. The series intentionally pokes fun at the trend by reviving her, saying that the main character can’t die in the first episode. Not to ruin any surprises, but Nadesico also contains a surprisingly sudden and unexpected main character death early in the series, again included strictly for its absurdist shock value. The Lupin III: $1 Money Wars movie, and the final episode of the Dirty Pair TV series and the Dirty Pair: Flight 005 Conspiracy OAV all feature parodies of the main character death syndrome, letting the viewers think that a main character is dead for a short time.

Finally, and most obviously, anime tends to kill off main characters to create a significant, dramatic impact on the viewer. Unlike American cartoons, which focus on being a light, happy entertainment, anime often tries to create a serious, dramatic and realistic tone, and the death of characters is only a natural occurrence in the midst of the fantastic events that commonly occur within anime. The list of anime that has killed main characters is very long. Beside war stories including Gall Force, Graveyard of Fireflies, Ima Soku ni Iru Boku and Berserk, and horror anime such as Devilman, Devilman Lady, Boogiepop Phantom and the Vampire Miyu TV series, all of which one would expect to have a major body count, a vast number of shoujo, sci-fi and drama anime series have featured dramatic, heart-rending deaths. Fushigi Yuugi, Oniisama E…, Key the Metal Idol, the Macross TV series and Macross Plus, Hime-chan’s Ribbon, Cutey Honey F, the original Gundam TV series and Char’s Counterattack, Nausicaa, Sailormoon, Cowboy Bebop, Gatchaman, and D4 Princess, just to name a few, all feature major characters dying (albeit, admittedly, in some cases, also being revived). In nearly every case, the death is one that represents something- either a catalyst for action, or meaningful, heroic sacrifice. It’s not unusual for anime to kill a main character, but it is unusual for anime to kill a main character without reason. In most cases, if the death is not there to create a strong empathic response in the viewer, it’s there because it creates repercussions that will affect the remaining characters and story.