The perception that anime is for children is devoid of any valid reasoning when they present possibly the most emotionally intense stories. While anime can be vibrant, underneath it all lay storylines packed with lore, nuance, and complexity.
For example, without watching One Piece, it looks deceptively silly. However, once you start the series, you quickly find it handles very heavy themes and does it better than most Western television. Some anime that don’t hold back or present themselves differently would be Vinland Saga and Attack on Titan.
So when dealing with dark themes, one of the most common emotional storytelling devices employed by mangaka is sacrifice. Some sacrifices we’ve seen were fairly predictable, some genuinely shocked us. This list will contain the noblest and heroic sacrifices in anime history.
Lelouch vi Britannia’s sacrifice brought peace to the world
Code Geass is the original complex, political anime, and nobody can debate that. Lelouch is one of the greatest anti-heroes in the history of anime. However, his sacrifice brought his arc full circle, ending his story with an act of honor.
The protagonist had planned this from the beginning. He committed some unspeakable acts to orchestrate this perfectly and knew there was no happy ending waiting for him. The Zero Requiem brought world peace and allowed him to atone for his sins.
Ichirou Okouchi, the writer for Code Geass, admitted he didn’t know how the audience would receive this ending. Despite the mixed feelings behind Lelouch’s intentions, it’s undeniably one of the greatest sacrifices.
Whitebeard endured massive damage to allow his crew to escape Marineford
The Marineford Arc was insanely stressful. The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies arrived at Ace’s execution with one goal in mind: to save their 2nd Division Commander. Whitebeard, on the other hand, was essentially saving his son.
The former Emperor endured 465 wounds in total, including 267 sword wounds, 152 gunshot wounds, and 46 cannonball wounds. The anime censored it, but half of his face was also blown off.
Whitebeard was also fighting while he was terminally ill. One Piece includes several great sacrifices in its storyline but the old pirate was in a league of his own. His last words left a lasting impact that even we, as the audience, won’t forget.
Alphonse Elric gave Edward a last fighting chance against Father
In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Father had bested everyone, and the last man standing was Edward Elric. Alphonse, his younger brother, was falling apart and realized he could do one last act to give him a chance to win. He sacrificed his soul to restore his brother’s right arm.
There’s possibly nothing these brothers won’t do for each other. Edward had sacrificed his original right arm to save Alphonse first, now, the younger brother did the same.
Edward later on also gives up his alchemy to revive Alphonse in his original body. Say what you will about these sacrifices, the Elric brothers are the best brotherly duo in anime.
Erwin’s final charge is the coldest moment in Attack on Titan
The 13th Commander of the Survey Corps in Attack on Titan is the best they had. Erwin Smith knew what it took to survive in this world and faced it head-on. His last and final charge, leading a suicide mission against Zeke, is the greatest moment in the series.
Whether or not you like Erwin’s leadership is up to you, but he was a fantastic soldier. His words resonate to this day and his sacrifice was never forgotten, even after plenty of others died along the way.
Corazon gave meaning to Law’s life
There’s already a One Piece moment on this list, but let’s mention another. Corazon or Donquixote Rosinante was the father figure who stepped up. As a child, Trafalgar Law had little chance to live but this man scoured heaven and hell to find a cure.
He risked his life to find the Ope Ope no Mi for Law, which cured his illness and gave him a chance to live again. He also made sure he was safe from Doflamingo’s clutches and was careful not to give away his location. He ultimately died at his brother’s hands but gave Law everything.
All of these sacrifices are only a few of several great and heroic acts in anime history. These came to mind because of how much they still impact the community to this day.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
