In most anime series, the protagonist is the axis of the story, we follow him from his origins to his final transformation, but some anime series completely break this formula, from the first episode, they decide to eliminate the main character, leaving the viewer stunned and reconfiguring the entire course of the narrative. Whether through heroic, absurd, metaphorical or permanent deaths, these unpredictable beginnings demonstrate that in anime, nothing is guaranteed, the death of the protagonist is not the end, but the beginning of something deeper, more tragic or even more absurd.
anime protagonists that do not make it to the second episode, at least not as we knew them.
In the world of anime, few narratives are as shocking as those that kill off their protagonist in the first few episodes; this audacious resource not only surprises the viewer, but also redefines the course of the story, whether through resurrections, spiritual successors or alternative worlds. From existential dramas to absurd comedies, here we explore the 10 series where the initial death of the main character becomes the axis of the anime’s plot.
To Your Eternity
In this emotional series by Yoshitoki Oima, the supposed protagonist is a lonely young boy who lives in a deserted tundra in the hope that his tribe will return someday, the story seems to focus on him, but his death occurs in the first episode. After succumbing to hunger and cold, his death gives birth to the true protagonist, Fushi, an immortal entity that takes his form, the story does not revolve around the boy, but the impact he had on Fushi, and how that first human connection shapes his long journey of learning and emotions.
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth
This historical series begins with the tragic death of Rafal, a young man passionate about astronomy who defends the heliocentric theory in the middle of medieval Europe, his execution sets the brutal and oppressive tone of the scientific world of the time. Rafal dies believing in knowledge, and his death is the catalyst that makes science the true protagonist, instead of focusing on an individual hero, Orb bets on showing the legacy of ideas and the price of truth in a world where knowledge is punished.
Angel Beats!
In this peculiar anime, the protagonists are already dead from the beginning. Otonashi wakes up in a strange school with no memories and soon discovers that he is in a kind of limbo where young people who died with emotional trauma must reconcile with their past in order to leave, although Otonashi is the center of the narrative, his deceased status completely changes the nature of the story. The series mixes action, humor and tears, turning death into a starting point towards redemption and acceptance.
Yu Yu Hakusho
Yusuke Urameshi dies saving a child from being run over, and he does so in the first episode, surprisingly, his sacrifice was not even planned by the spirit world, which causes a crisis in the afterlife, his return as a spirit detective allows him to continue in the story. But now with a new purpose, his death, though brief, transforms Yusuke from an aimless delinquent into a hero with a sense of duty, opening one of the most beloved shonen sagas of the 1990s.
Zombie Land Saga
In this comedy and zombie anime, Sakura Minamoto is brutally run over in the first minutes while on her way to an idol audition, the grotesqueness of the accident contrasts with the light tone of the series. Sakura wakes up years later as a zombie, unaware that she was revived to be part of an idol group made up of dead girls from different eras; her absurd death marks the parodic tone of the anime, which combines the idol genre with the supernatural and black humor.
Shakugan no Shana
Yuji Sakai thinks he is a normal student until he discovers that he is already dead, he is a Torch, a residual flame that will disappear soon. Shana, a young immortal warrior, reveals the truth to him and protects him as his existence fades away, the interesting thing is that Yuji does not die on screen, but his life is no longer real. His transformation and struggle to keep his identity and will are the real driving force of the story, in a mix of fantasy, action and philosophy about the self.
Excel Saga
Excel, the titular protagonist, dies repeatedly in ridiculous and absurd ways throughout the series, usually in every episode, either by starvation, explosions or unexplained accidents, her death is part of the chaotic humor of the anime. However, she is always resurrected by God Peter or some other delusional device, here, the death has no emotional weight, but rather functions as a critique of the narrative conventions of anime, the protagonist not only dies, she dies so much that she ceases to be relevant.
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World
Subaru Natsuki dies on his first day in a new fantasy world, he is stabbed without explanation, but wakes up again in the same place, his power is to return to the past each time he dies, making each death a traumatic reset. Unlike other series, here the protagonist dies several times and with each experience he becomes more broken inside, his evolution is not that of a warrior, but that of a mind that suffers and learns based on losses.
Chainsaw Man
Denji, the anti-hero of this bloody story, dies at the end of the first episode, killed by the yakuza he served, however, his pet demon Pochita merges with him and revives him as Chainsaw Man, a hybrid of human and demon, this death is a brutal rebirth that changes everything. Denji is no longer just a poor boy in debt, but a new entity with a body capable of slaughtering monsters, it is a violent beginning that summarizes the visceral and chaotic tone of the series.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood
Jonathan Joestar is the protagonist of the first part of the mythical JoJo’s saga, throughout Phantom Blood, Jonathan confronts his adoptive brother Dio, but in the end he dies tragically on a burning ship, his death, however, does not close the story: it is the beginning of a dynasty. Dio survives using his body, and this sets up the multi-generational conflict that defines the entire franchise. Jonathan dies a hero, but his legacy literally lives on in the blood of the Joestar.
These initial deaths are not simple narrative gimmicks in anime, they are bold gambles that break with viewer expectations and mark a before and after in each story, rather than following the traditional path. These anime chose to start with the ending, proving that even death can be the first step towards something bigger, stranger or more emotional, sometimes dying is just the beginning.