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10 Shonen Anime Heroes Who Deserved Better

Otaku Otaku
October 18, 2024

The following contains spoilers for various manga/anime series.

In many shonen anime series, the narrative carries a strong sense of justice, giving heroes rewards for their hard work while punishing villains for their misdeeds. Most shonen characters end up with the fates they deserve, but sometimes, a shonen hero or protagonist gets cheated out of the good life or happy ending they were due. This often leads to some of the most heartbreaking story arcs and plenty of untimely deaths or near-deaths.



These shonen characters are good people who only wanted to do the right thing, but despite that, they suffered greatly either partway through their arc or at the very end. Sometimes, the noblest heroes got killed off too soon, or an innocent, pure-hearted character experienced brutal trauma that fate unfairly dealt to them. In some fortunate instances, the shonen heroes will recover and move on from the suffering they didn’t deserve, but the fact remains that they definitely deserved a better life experience than they got.


10 Kyojuro Rengoku Died Well Before His Time

At Least He Left an Inspiring Legacy For Tanjiro’s Trio

Side view of Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira in Demon Slayer.


Even if the Demon Slayer anime is relatively short and tightly paced, the anime spared too little time for fan-favorite characters like Kyojuro Rengoku, the flamboyant Flame Hashira. He appeared in a few brief scenes, then took center stage in the Mugen Train story arc, leading the counterattack against Enmu and fighting the Upper Moon 3, Akaza, all by himself.

Tragically, Kyojuro met his fate after Akaza thrust his fist all the way through Kyojuro’s chest. Akaza got away with murder, and Kyojuro’s promising career was cut unfairly short, but at least Kyojuro had a chance to share some heartfelt parting words with Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu. Leaving behind such a warm legacy was the least Kyojuro could do.

The poster for Demon Slayer depicts Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsumu and Inosuke Hashibira leaping forward.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Release Date
April 6, 2019

Cast
Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Akari Kitō , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Seasons
5


9 Naofumi Iwatani Was Set Up to Fail as the Shield Hero

He Had an Entire Church Conspiring Against Him

Naofumi in The Rising of the Shield Hero

Naofumi Iwatani is an example of a shonen character who deserved better not at the end of their arc, but at the start. This isn’t quite such a terrible thing, since there’s still time for characters like Naofumi to move on from their unfair fate and make things better. But even so, any fan would agree that when The Rising of the Shield Hero started, Naofumi deserved a much better hand than he was dealt.

All Might next to King Kai

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The Kingdom of Melromarc summoned four young men from Japan to serve as the legendary Cardinal Heroes, one for each the sword, spear, bow, and shield roles. Naofumi was assigned the Shield Hero role, but he didn’t realize that the king, Malty the princess, and the Church of Three Heroes was conspiring against him, leading to endless suffering on Naofumi’s part right off the bat. He was falsely accused of a dreadful crime, exiled, and labeled the Shield Devil, none of which he deserved.

8 Maes Hughes Died For the Crime of Finding the Truth About Father

He Left Behind a Grieving Wife and Daughter

Maes Hughes after getting injured by Envy


The story of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is packed with heart-wrenching tragedies and dark plot twists, and the most sorrowful one of all is Colonel Maes Hughes’ untimely demise. He was introduced as a wonderful person and a fine officer, even if he annoyed people by gushing about his family. The problem began when Maes stumbled upon the truth of Father’s plan, which cost him dearly.

Lust and Envy both attacked Maes to protect those plans, and Envy even assumed the forms of Gracia Hughes and Maria Ross to discourage him from attacking back. Maes was shot and killed before he could leak the truth of Father’s plan, leaving his friend Roy Mustang to launch a vengeful quest find his killer.

Edward and Alphonse Elric are on the poster of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Two brothers search for a Philosopher’s Stone after an attempt to revive their deceased mother goes awry and leaves them in damaged physical forms.

Release Date
April 5, 2009

Cast
Romi Park , Rie Kugimiya , Vic Mignogna , Maxey Whitehead

Seasons
1


7 Star and Stripe Died Right After Making Her Flashy Debut

She Didn’t Deserve to be a Mere Jobber

The #1 American pro hero, Star and Stripe, had all of two episodes in which to impress My Hero Academia fans when the anime’s 7th season launched. Around that time, Tomura Shigaraki loomed large as the villain to beat, and no one in Japan could take him on. So, Star and Stripe recklessly rushed over to that nation atop a stealth bomber, and got herself ready to fight.

Star did well with her New Order Quirk, but Tomura’s plot armor was too thick. Thanks to his identity crisis, Star couldn’t control him with New Order, so Tomura destroyed her, robbing My Hero Academia of one of its best characters far too soon. The only consolation was that in her dying moments, Star and Stripe destroyed a variety of Tomura’s Quirks from the inside so she could get the last laugh.


6 Nico Robin Was Labeled a Demon Child By the World Government

She Was Also Betrayed in Alubarna

Nico Robin and a Poneglyph

The good news is that Nico Robin’s life generally got better after a point, and as of the most recent One Piece storylines, such as Wano and Egghead, she is doing better than ever. However, her earlier days were marked by brutal tragedies and unfair treatment, starting with the utter destruction of her home during a hellish Buster Call on Ohara. She was lucky to survive, but her suffering wasn’t over yet.


Chainsaw Man, JJK and Kaijiu N8

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The young Nico Robin wandered the world, labeled as a problematic “devil child,” until she joined Baroque Works as a young woman, taking her place by Sir Crocodile’s side. Then, when Nico failed to deliver results in Alubarna, Crocodile tried to kill her, a merciless move that Nico absolutely did not deserve, even as an antagonist. Nico Robin’s life changed for the better after joining the Straw Hats, but she still had to endure the Navy’s wrath at Enies Lobby before the good times could begin.


5 Rock Lee Got Written Out of the Action Too Soon

He Was Supposed to be So Inspiring

Rock Lee raises his hands to defend himself in Naruto

While the martial artist Rock Lee did survive and recover from all his hardships, it’s still clear that he deserved much better than he got in the main events of Naruto. Rock Lee had a promising start as a taijutsu specialist in the Chunin Exam arc, having a resonant theme of hard work and grit making up for a lack of talent. Then he fought Gaara, and his arc was promptly ruined.

It hardly even mattered that Rock Lee made a full recovery later, because his “hard work beats all” theme rang hollow after he failed to defeat first Gaara, then Kimimaro. After that, Rock Lee faded into the background as a token extra, with his character arc still idling at the start line. Rock Lee deserved to make huge strides like his counterpart Naruto Uzumaki, but it was clearly never meant to be.


4 Chad Was Written to be Much Cooler Than He Actually Was

At Least He Has the Heart of a True Hero

Chad gets surprised in the Bleach anime.

The problem with Chad’s character arc isn’t that he refused to fight back against bullies who tormented him in his flashbacks. In fact, Chad’s backstory was perfect for molding him into a noble warrior with big biceps and a bigger heart, but the story of Bleach never quite got him there. Each time Chad took a much-deserved step forward, he took two undeserved steps back.


Thanks to his cool character arc, hard work, and his charming “strong and silent” approach to the power of friendship, Chad deserved to become a superstar alongside his friend Ichigo Kurosaki, but the narrative simply didn’t let him. Chad almost became a running joke as a tough fighter who talked a big game, only to get clobbered in almost every fight that mattered. Chad needed another chance to truly live up to his potential and the concept of a “Chad” character in every sense of the word.

3 Nobara Kugisaki Met Her Fate at Mahito’s Hands

She Wasn’t Done Being a Shonen Icon

Nobara smiles while mocking Mahito in Jujutsu Kaisen


Modern shonen anime has made big strides in making the female characters proper heroes and not just token love interests or eye candy, with Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Nobara Kugisaki being a fine example. Everything about her character’s design and arc thrilled shonen fans, and viewers couldn’t wait to see more in Season 2, only for Mahito the villain to butcher her in one move.

Jujutsu Kaisen's Sukuna, Choso Kamo and Satoru Gojo

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In the anime version of Jujutsu Kaisen, Nobara’s fate is still in the air as she lays there, seemingly dead. Whether or not Nobara survives and recovers from that, the fact remains that this excellent shonen heroine deserves far more screen time in which to fight, laugh, and love, but she can’t do that while she has one foot in the grave.


That Denied Her One Last Chance at Happiness

Misa Amane looking at her nails in Death Note.

Like her ally Light Yagami/Kira, Misa Amane does have a lot to answer for as a prolific killer, but then again, she did nothing wrong in their personal relationship. Light Yagami was cruel and unfair to Misa, exploiting her loyalty and affection by using her as a tool and nothing more. Misa only wanted Light to love her and make her happy, but he did neither of those things.


Whether Misa deserved a better version of Light Yagami or deserved a life free of his manipulative ways, Misa definitely needed a better life than she ended up with. As Ryuk once noted, picking up the Death Note tends to bring misery, and such was the case when Misa got hers and vowed to support Kira no matter what.

The Death Note poster depicts Light Yagami, L, Misa Amane and Ryuk in front of a black background.

Death Note (2006)

Original title: Death Note: Desu nôto.
An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Release Date
October 21, 2007

Cast
Mamoru Miyano , Brad Swaile , Vincent Tong , Ryō Naitō , Trevor Devall

Seasons
1

1 Aki Hayakawa Suffered a Fate of Brutal Irony With the Gun Devil

His Last Chance For Revenge Slipped Away

Aki Hayakawa makes his Kon Fox Devil summoning gesture in Chainsaw Man


The characters in Chainsaw Man regularly suffered tragic fates that they did not deserve, such as Himeno’s untimely death and Power’s destruction at Makima’s hands later in the manga. One of the most prominent examples is Aki Hayakawa, a tough tsundere of a devil hunter who vowed vengeance on the horrific Gun Devil after it slaughtered his family years ago.

Aki was owed at least a chance to get revenge on that deadly devil, but he never got that far, and in fact, he suffered even more on the Gun Devil’s account. The tragic and undeserved irony arrived when the Gun Devil turned Aki into an unthinking pawn with a giant pistol barrel sticking out of his head, a monstrous puppet that attacked Denji and fought him to the death.

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