The Art of Balancing Death in Shonen Anime

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Death is a powerful yet elusive concept in shonen anime and manga. The risk of it is implied to be constantly overhead, yet look back with some objectivity, and you'll be reminded of the power of plot armor. The protagonist is almost always safe, but the same can't always be said for their compatriots.

Indeed, often the most powerful and emotional deaths in anime and manga come from those who are closest to the main characters, or those who have become fan favorites. But for each of these moving, tear-jerking deaths, there are many more that feel botched and unnecessary. How and when should deaths among supporting characters be used as a plot device? And is there such a thing as too much or too little?

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In terms of having many deaths, different series have dealt with it different ways. Some like Demon Slayer were all too happy to permanently kill off huge chunks of its supporting cast before it concluded, while others like Dragon Ball trivialized death by making it de facto impermanent. In both cases, the result is desensitization for different reasons. In the former case, the fact that nearly no life is guaranteed by the series' end is established very early on, and therefore fans are given some incentive not to fall too hard for any one character.

Alternatively, the fact that so many characters have died and been revived in the Dragon Ball franchise makes death seem unimportant. After all, whenever a character is needed alive, others just need to get some version of the dragon balls and wish it so. Nearly all of Dragon Ball's main characters have died at least once, sometimes being revived up to four separate times (looking at you, Krillin). Therefore, in the long run, death in