In the world of anime, some characters go out with such epic finality that even death can't make them kneel. We're diving into the most legendary warriors who remained standing even after their final breath, showcasing pure badassery and unbreakable spirit!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the anime characters who
00:11remained on their feet upon their deaths.
00:21Number 10.
00:22Kakukayo, Baki Given that he's 146 years old, Kakukayo
00:27seems an unlikely contender to survive a match against the world's strongest creature,
00:32Hanma Yujirou.
00:34Spoiler alert, he doesn't.
00:36The ancient Chinese martial artist puts up a surprisingly great fight against Yujirou,
00:41redirecting his powerful attacks.
00:50But that's still not enough to overcome Yujirou's ridiculously overwhelming strength.
00:55Just when Kaku's monstrous opponent is ready to deliver the final blow, he stops.
01:00Kaku is already dead on his feet.
01:06This leaves the match without a conclusion, and Yujirou is incredibly frustrated.
01:11However, it turns out that Kaku stopped his own heart temporarily.
01:15You can't lose if you're already dead, Baki logic at its finest.
01:25Number 9.
01:26Terry's Mother, Toriko When Toriko enters a coliseum match against
01:30a battle wolf, he's initially excited to go up against such a legendary creature.
01:35He decides to hold off on hunting and eating her, though.
01:39After all, she's ready to give birth.
01:43Instead, Toriko defends the pregnant beast until she gives birth to a pup, who Toriko
01:49dubs Terrycloth.
01:50However, when an enraged devil serpent attacks them, Terry's mom leaps into action, despite
01:56her exhaustion, to protect her child.
01:58While she defeats the serpent, a villainous GT robot fatally wounds her.
02:08The battle wolf spends her last moments grooming Terry and imparting her love, before dying
02:13on her feet.
02:14Pause.
02:15That's her mother's love for you.
02:23Number 8.
02:24Atlantis, Kanekoman Perfect Origin Arc
02:31The wrestling match between Atlantis and Marlin Man is quite the spectacle, given that it's
02:36set in a ring over the water, and sometimes in it.
02:40The Akuma Choujin's signature moves are counted, and he takes several near-fatal wounds
02:44from Marlin Man's spear-like nose.
02:47However, the lone cheers of a young fan in the audience push Atlantis to fight on.
02:57He ultimately uses his rival, Robin Mask's signature move, the Tower Bridge, to break
03:03Marlin Man's back and kill him.
03:15Although Atlantis stands triumphant, he dies while still upright, which leads to the match
03:20being declared a draw.
03:22He may have been a villainous Akuma Choujin, but Atlantis went out like a hero.
03:32Number 7.
03:33Siren, Devilman the Demon Bird
03:35Even demons have people they care about.
03:38The harpy-like Siren ruthlessly pursues Devilman protagonist, Fudo Akira, blaming him for fusing
03:44with the demon Aman, the demon realm's greatest hero.
03:52Siren enrages Devilman in a lengthy battle that ultimately results in her taking her
03:57own life and being badly injured.
04:00Unwilling to do anything to achieve her revenge, she fuses with her devoted ally, Kaim, using
04:05her new power to overwhelm Akira, leaving him for dead.
04:13Although Akira survives, he awakens the next morning and discovers that she died while
04:18standing before she could finish him off.
04:21Siren may not have achieved her victory, but she died believing she had.
04:34Number 6.
04:35Fushiguro Toji, Jujutsu Kaisen
04:37He may not have cursed energy, but Toji is an absolute beast.
04:41Blessed with superhuman strength, the vicious mercenary is powerful enough to nearly kill
04:46Gojo Satoru, the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer in the world.
04:50However, the near-death experience ultimately ends up giving Gojo the flash of insight he
05:02needs to learn how to regenerate.
05:04After Gojo returns for a rematch, his new strength overwhelms Toji, particularly with
05:09his final attack, Hollow Purple.
05:15Toji loses nearly half his torso, yet continues to not only stand, but also talk.
05:22After effectively telling Gojo to look after his son, Toji dies on his feet.
05:26He may have been a jackass, but he went out like a badass.
05:39Number 5.
05:40Captain Commander Yamamoto, Bleach
05:42Given that he is the leader of Soul Society's military, fans eagerly awaited seeing Captain
05:47Commander Yamamoto unleash his full strength.
05:50And we finally got our wish when the wizened Shinigami Commander used his Bankai against
05:55the Quincy leader, Yhwach.
06:01Yamamoto's blazing Bankai scorches everything in its path, and seemingly overcomes even
06:06his arch-nemesis.
06:08However, Yamamoto discovers too late that he's been fighting an imposter.
06:13The real Yhwach shows up, steals Yamamoto's Bankai, and slices him in half.
06:25And despite being in that state, Yamamoto's legs remain standing, and his arm grabs hold
06:31of his enemy's cloak.
06:32Yhwach may call him pathetic, but Yamamoto's fire still burning after his death is awesome
06:38in our books.
06:49Number 4.
06:50Adam, Record of Ragnarok
06:52The father of humanity, Adam, is pitted against Zeus, father of the Greek gods, in this death
06:58match tournament to decide his children's fate.
07:01With nothing but a knuckle-duster and his fists, Adam lays into Zeus.
07:11Even after losing his eyes, which let him copy any technique, Adam continues punching
07:15until Zeus kneels in defeat.
07:17However, it turns out that Adam is already dead, which means Zeus wins by technicality.
07:30Adam may have died, yet he continued to stand and even fight to protect his descendants.
07:37The first man was all that is man.
07:47Number 3.
07:48Tors, Vinland Saga
07:49He may be a pacifist, but Tors still takes up a sword to defend his son and his friends
07:55after they're attacked by Vikings.
07:59After engaging the Vikings' leader, Ashlad, in a duel, Tors dominates his opponents, leaving
08:04the formidable fighter at his mercy.
08:06However, when Tors' son, Torfinn, is held captive, he surrenders to protect the boy.
08:18After securing Ashlad's promise to set his son and friends free, Tors is shot by many
08:23arrows.
08:24Even receiving that many wounds isn't enough to drive the troll to his knees, and he remains
08:29on his feet as he dies.
08:36If any warrior is worthy of Valhalla, it's Tors.
08:39Number 2.
08:40Rau, Fist of the North Star
08:42While dying while upright is kind of a tradition in this anime, the greatest instance of it
08:48undoubtedly occurs here.
08:50Main antagonist Rau faces off against his adopted brother and the series' hero Kenshiro
08:55in a final battle.
09:09Despite his prowess, Rau can't overcome Kenshiro, and he concedes defeat to his sibling.
09:14After bidding farewell to his brother, Rau decides to reach the afterlife on his own
09:19terms.
09:23He gathers his own life force together and releases it into the sky, clearing the clouds
09:29and essentially punching his way into heaven.
09:31Rau dies standing, his fist raised high.
09:35What an impossibly bad-ass way to go out.
09:56Number 1.
09:57Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard, One Piece
10:00The only thing more epic than the life of the Pirate King's greatest rival is his death.
10:06Whitebeard suffers many wounds during the battle at Marineford.
10:09However, it's his confrontation with his traitorous ex-subordinate Blackbeard that fatally wounds
10:14him.
10:23With his life fading, Whitebeard uses his last breath to declare that the One Piece does
10:28exist, which acts as a last bit of revenge against the world government and inspiration
10:33for a whole new generation of pirates.
10:43The strongest man in the world recalls his dream of having a family, and his body refuses
10:48to fall even in death.
10:50To top it all off, the narrator lists out his many wounds, none of which were on his
10:55back.
10:56What an absolute legend.
11:03Is there an anime character who died upright that we forgot?
11:06Make your stand in the comments below.