Recommendations Stories where the protagonist dies by the end of the story.

[ACertainPassingUser]

Dang it. Somebody stole mine already.

Do like the fact that you correctly stated that it's the one that "lit the fire for the isekai trend" instead of calling it the original isekai as so many people had incorrectly called it. It's just a series that did isekai so damn well that it turned the previously overlooked genre into one of the biggest things in the entirety of all fantasy narratives across the board.

Yep, its the one Story that makes the concept of being Isekai-ed and the difference between the worlds as a big deal,

instead of just brushing it off as a nice intro before forgetting it and just focusing on the characters, the enemy, and the rival.

People started to imagine themselves being isekaied to those old stories from then on, and self insert suddenly became mainstream genre.

 

[jtwrites]

I was wondering if you guys could recommend me some good stories where the protagonist of a story dies at the end. I know I am spoiling the ending for the stories you may recommend to me given the title, but even if that is the case, there are other things that I can look forward to, so no spoilers besides the fact that the protagonist dies in the end.

As a writer of a story where a main character dies, this would be horrible for me to reply to with a straight answer ? I wouldn't disclose a specific character as slated to not-survive, but I don't mind telling you that one of my main characters does die in the end. If that still aligns with what you're looking for, let me know.

I will say that I think you're setting yourself up for failure though. By entering a story with the knowledge that a specific character will die, you're likely going to keep that character at arm's length, not wanting to get too attached. Part of my job as the writer is to get you attached or at least have you relate to the main characters.

So if you're interested in an on-going serial, where you don't know which of the main characters will die...that, I would be able to help with ?

Happy reading,
JT

Gundam 0079 -> Zeta Gundam -> Char's Counterattack
-> the whole three series started with rivalry between Armuro and Char, they both die at the last film since one series isn't enough to end their journey


Zeta Gundam
-> Even though Camille, the protagonist doesn't die, this story still has a bad ending comparable to those who died. the protagonist fail to survive before the war even ends.

Idk if you want pure "dead" as the protagonist turned into corpse. But the Camille we knew is as Good as dead since his mind as been fucked up and destroyed by his enemy.

Even if he did recover as his mind finally able to talk and walk, the old Camille with his memories and personality is simply gone. It's pretty much replaced with someone new.


Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
-> The whole struggle of the Rebel against the government really show how strong is protagonist and it still shows the flaws of their methods too

The reckless protagonist died recklessly too.



Well, most Gundam have bittersweet ending and rarely bad ending where the MC is dead/something as worse happened.

But there's more bad ending than good ending in Gundam.

I didn't see the other Gundams, but I really enjoyed Iron-Blooded Orphans.

 

[OP1000]

As a writer of a story where a main character dies, this would be horrible for me to reply to with a straight answer ? I wouldn't disclose a specific character as slated to not-survive, but I don't mind telling you that one of my main characters does die in the end. If that still aligns with what you're looking for, let me know.

I will say that I think you're setting yourself up for failure though. By entering a story with the knowledge that a specific character will die, you're likely going to keep that character at arm's length, not wanting to get too attached. Part of my job as the writer is to get you attached or at least have you relate to the main characters.

So if you're interested in an on-going serial, where you don't know which of the main characters will die...that, I would be able to help with ?

Happy reading,
JT

I will say, I am interested to look up your story. Please send me a link to your story.

 

[Zakuro]

Eastern Palace.
Heroic Death System.
Nirvana In Fire.

 

[jtwrites]

I will say, I am interested to look up your story. Please send me a link to your story.

I'd be happy to. It's called Redux Riding Hood. The story is initially framed after the children's story, Little Red Riding Hood, but immediately deviates in the 1.2 Always Prepared chapter.

Ultimately, you're following Sarah (Red Riding Hood), Jack (the huntsman), and Wolf. The story is primarily an Action/Adventure, but it also contains some elements of Horror, light-SciFi, and light-Isekai.

If you end up liking and following the story, I would be interested in hearing which of the characters becomes your favorite. As the story progresses, I plan to add polls to see what character readers seem most fond of. This won't have anything to do with character deaths or the story's outcome though. I am just curious to see what readers choose.

Happy reading!

 

[Baltazyr]

A couple more typically recommended series from the anime side:

• Code Geass: If you pretend the sequel movie doesn't exist
• Cowboy Bebop: If you believe what half the people say about the final scene

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

I didn't see the other Gundams, but I really enjoyed Iron-Blooded Orphans.

Well, Iron blooded orphans simply easier to understand for non Gundam fans that doesn't really understand the lore.

Because those amateur pilots also didn't know what the heck they just discovered at the ruins.

Well, most Gundam in the past are just like that.

Filed with sad tragic background, allies dying, biased loyalist enemy pilot, more tragedy, finally saw enemy doing human experimentation, more allies unexpectedly dying, more sad and depressed MC, and there's no certainty whether the MC will survive or Not at the end of the show.

It's either bittersweet fight, or bad ending where MC doesn't survive, or the rare happy ending.

MC usually wins if they're careful, since they've become powerful over the time, albeit with lots of sadness. But if the MC is just too reckless as Iron Blooded orphans, or just facing too strong opponent, they may die and the series will end.

Because the Gundam series is really about the MC and his Gundam until they became separated and no longer fight.

----------------
Well, even in the Gundam Unicorn where it shows happy ending, it only having happy ending and the next series to satisfy the fans. It's because of success and fans that it has good ending.

In the novel source, it's unclear whether MC survive or not in the first story. It's just unclear what happened after MC talk to his dead parent using new type magic or whatever.

I bet MC probably didn't survive due to aftereffects of using too much power and ends up drifting in space and died with his Gundam. And ironically meeting with his died parent that told him to survive.
------------------
And the newest Gundam Hathaway,
It's gonna be bad ending.

It's kinda unexpected for the 30 year old novel to be adapted into anime. But it pave the ways for true tragic bad ending = MC being executed by his own parent.
-------------------
Sorry for long comment.

 

[Tsuru]

Dang it. Somebody stole mine already.

Do like the fact that you correctly stated that it's the one that "lit the fire for the isekai trend" instead of calling it the original isekai as so many people had incorrectly called it. It's just a series that did isekai so damn well that it turned the previously overlooked genre into one of the biggest things in the entirety of all fantasy narratives across the board.

I think my favorite part about MT is that... you know how in most stories where the hero is fighting the demon lord, and in order to get the strength they need to fight the demon lord they have to rely on knowledge from the past and they keep on and keep on discovering that all the best creations that lead to their eventual victory were all created by the same wizard some hundred or so years in the past?

Well, Rudeus IS that wizard who did everything to path the way for the future hero. And then he dies before the demon lord ever revives. Also, the reader is never told how the future struggle against the demon king goes. The entire story is all just Rudeus's early life in the first half of the story, and then him creating the tools of the future for future generations to use in the second half of the story. It's all about how the small struggles we face now are actually of vital importance to the larger struggles that will be faced by future generations.

The reason i wrote "lit the fight"
is because i suffered 2-3 ragers that flamed me and saying "Wow so wrong ! Inuyasha and etc were the first isekais !!! blablabla"
+ I usually write "grandpa" or "ancestor of isekais" but strangely i had burst of inspiration when writing this particular post in SH forum

Also to satiate your curiosity (just in case and i am bored), yes i already knew from beginning he was not the first isekai, and everytime i meant [MT was the one that started the big trend of isekai and popularized the term itself], and MYSELF am too a picky-punctuation person, but dang you can't believe how annoyed i was when the other peoples pestered me about it >_>
OR not believing me when i said it
-----------------
For me i liked it because
1) not lot of translated novels at that time
2) quality
3) realism of reincarnation (but not too much) AND the realism of mc (otaku)
2.5) harem of high quality (compared at that time of all the animes where MC was dense-asf and lot of girls crushing on him)
4) MC is not the "protagonist/hero that gonna win against the big devil", but just a "random dude" among citizens, just slightly powerful
4.5) MC is not even the strongest, canon fact : even Eris can beat MC if no-magic allowed. And ton of powerful people can crush MC.
------------------
PS : What truly nailed MT as a masterpiece is the TWIST in the middle. (shhhhhhhh no spoiler to others)

 

[jtwrites]

Well, Iron blooded orphans simply easier to understand for non Gundam fans that doesn't really understand the lore.

Because those amateur pilots also didn't know what the heck they just discovered at the ruins.

Well, most Gundam in the past are just like that.

Filed with sad tragic background, allies dying, biased loyalist enemy pilot, more tragedy, finally saw enemy doing human experimentation, more allies unexpectedly dying, more sad and depressed MC, and there's no certainty whether the MC will survive or Not at the end of the show.

It's either bittersweet fight, or bad ending where MC doesn't survive, or the rare happy ending.

MC usually wins if they're careful, since they've become powerful over the time, albeit with lots of sadness. But if the MC is just too reckless as Iron Blooded orphans, or just facing too strong opponent, they may die and the series will end.

Because the Gundam series is really about the MC and his Gundam until they became separated and no longer fight.

----------------
Well, even in the Gundam Unicorn where it shows happy ending, it only having happy ending and the next series to satisfy the fans. It's because of success and fans that it has good ending.

In the novel source, it's unclear whether MC survive or not in the first story. It's just unclear what happened after MC talk to his dead parent using new type magic or whatever.

I bet MC probably didn't survive due to aftereffects of using too much power and ends up drifting in space and died with his Gundam. And ironically meeting with his died parent that told him to survive.
------------------
And the newest Gundam Hathaway,
It's gonna be bad ending.

It's kinda unexpected for the 30 year old novel to be adapted into anime. But it pave the ways for true tragic bad ending = MC being executed by his own parent.
-------------------
Sorry for long comment.

Bad endings and character deaths aren't necessarily bad for the story. Yeah, I get the hurt feelings of fans, and it sucks when a beloved character dies but death and "bad" endings might be the most honest course for the story. As long as it's fair and true to the story, deaths and UNhappily ever after can make the story more real and impactful.

If a fan is sad or upset that a character died, then I think that writer did their job in that they gave the fan a character to love. If the story takes that character back away from the fan, that is still the writer being true to their craft. As long as it's not some cheap trick like a Deus Ex Machina showing up to just kill the character or the writer killing them just to subvert expectations...then it is all fair game so long as the writer stays true to the story and what COULD happen.

I've tried a few animes that I knew nothing about going in. I absolutely loved two in particular, yet both of them were tragic stories; Promised Neverland and Your Lie in April. They are very, very different from the typical action stuff I watch but they are both very good. Promised Neverland has an alright 2nd season and seems to wrap up abruptly but the 1st season is wildly tragic while still being satisfying. Your Lie in April on the other hand...well, it took hold of my heartstrings, then played me like a fiddle. It was a very sad story, but it was an honest one. The music is also wonderful. I've never leaned specifically into classical music, but it is fitting here given that the plot revolves around playing that music.

haha all that to say a story only need be fair and honest. If the events align with what takes place in the story, then a "bad ending" isn't a bad ending and a dead character shouldn't be an insult to a fan.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

Bad endings and character deaths aren't necessarily bad for the story. Yeah, I get the hurt feelings of fans, and it sucks when a beloved character dies but death and "bad" endings might be the most honest course for the story. As long as it's fair and true to the story, deaths and UNhappily ever after can make the story more real and impactful.

If a fan is sad or upset that a character died, then I think that writer did their job in that they gave the fan a character to love. If the story takes that character back away from the fan, that is still the writer being true to their craft. As long as it's not some cheap trick like a Deus Ex Machina showing up to just kill the character or the writer killing them just to subvert expectations...then it is all fair game so long as the writer stays true to the story and would COULD happen.

I've tried a few animes that I knew nothing about going in. I absolutely loved two in particular, yet both of them were tragic stories; Promised Neverland and Your Lie in April. They are very, very different from the typical action stuff I watch but they are both very good. Promised Neverland has an alright 2nd season and seems to wrap up abruptly but the 1st season is wildly tragic while still being satisfying. Your Lie in April on the other hand...well, it took hold of my heartstrings, then played me like a fiddle. It was a very sad story, but it was an honest one. The music is also wonderful. I've never leaned specifically into classical music, but it is fitting here given that the plot revolves around playing that music.

haha all that to say a story only need be fair and honest. If the events align with what takes place in the story, then a "bad ending" isn't a bad ending and a dead character shouldn't be an insult to a fan.

Well, the Author of Gundam isn't that complicated.

Tomino was being forced by Bandai to create more Gundam, more novel, more story for more anime. As result, he went into depression, stress, etc. So his story and characters also became very tragic as he's simply doing some venting stress relief by sending his characters death and tragedy.

But yeah, I agree with you.

 

[Jemini]

The reason i wrote "lit the fight"
is because i suffered 2-3 ragers that flamed me and saying "Wow so wrong ! Inuyasha and etc were the first isekais !!! blablabla"
+ I usually write "grandpa" or "ancestor of isekais" but strangely i had burst of inspiration when writing this particular post in SH forum

Yeah, even those people crediting Inuyasha as the first isekai couldn't be further off the mark. Just to name relatively popular series, Visions of Escaflowne pre-dated Inuyasha by a whole year. (Inuyasha manga started it's releases in 1996, Escaflowne was 1995.) If we go by lesser known titles, it's existed for quite a while before that even. I'm quite certain something pre-dated Escaflowne that qualifies as an Isekai, and I'm also quite certain I don't know the title of the earliest title to meet the qualifications to be called an Isekai.

It also really depends on what your definition of "Isekai" actually is, because ultimately the genre concept started in the Western world. To give you an idea of how old the "another world" trope is in Western fantasy, JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, published in 1954, is credited with temporarily ENDING the trope in western writing. Before Tolkein, the "another world" trope was actually the default model for all fantasy writers. (He didn't end it for long either. Narnia quickly revived the trope, better than ever and now starting to materialize into the version we're familiar with today.)

(For reference sake, the MT webnovel posted to the Japanese forums in 2012)

If you want to use the loosest definition possible, you could credit "Through the Looking Glass," from 1872, as the first Isekai.

PS : What truly nailed MT as a masterpiece is the TWIST in the middle. (shhhhhhhh no spoiler to others)

Middle? You mean every single time there's a chapter titled "Turning Point," right? (That said, I know what twist you are talking about. And yes, that one's a little big compared to the other 4 turning points.)

 

[Tsuru]

Yeah, even those people crediting Inuyasha as the first isekai couldn't be further off the mark. Just to name relatively popular series, Visions of Escaflowne pre-dated Inuyasha by a whole year. (Inuyasha manga started it's releases in 1996, Escaflowne was 1995.) If we go by lesser known titles, it's existed for quite a while before that even. I'm quite certain something pre-dated Escaflowne that qualifies as an Isekai, and I'm also quite certain I don't know the title of the earliest title to meet the qualifications to be called an Isekai.

It also really depends on what your definition of "Isekai" actually is, because ultimately the genre concept started in the Western world. To give you an idea of how old the "another world" trope is in Western fantasy, JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, published in 1954, is credited with temporarily ENDING the trope in western writing. Before Tolkein, the "another world" trope was actually the default model for all fantasy writers. (He didn't end it for long either. Narnia quickly revived the trope, better than ever and now starting to materialize into the version we're familiar with today.)

(For reference sake, the MT webnovel posted to the Japanese forums in 2012)

If you want to use the loosest definition possible, you could credit "Through the Looking Glass," from 1872, as the first Isekai.



Middle? You mean every single time there's a chapter titled "Turning Point," right? (That said, I know what twist you are talking about. And yes, that one's a little big compared to the other 4 turning points.)

Interestingly once, someone mentioned a jp story dating from 16## (cant remember the year at all, maybe even earlier) as very first isekai. Didnt pay attention to the name. Can be considered like an equivalent like Alice-in-wonderland (not in term of plot, etc but in term of "dang, its very very old")

Offtopic : Suddenly i was reminded i once googled the very first xianxia novel, and in a similar way to what i just mentioned, there was a very old story, about a woman's romance -> becoming widow -> disappearing -> re-appearing becoming famous by being strong -> emperor reward her and ask her about her strength -> tell mysteriously she learned her "arts" in some place -> open ending as she go away continuing her journey. Kinda a poetic oneshot-novel.

 

[Jemini]

Interestingly once, someone mentioned a jp story dating from 16## (cant remember the year at all, maybe even earlier) as very first isekai. Didnt pay attention to the name. Can be considered like an equivalent like Alice-in-wonderland (not in term of plot, etc but in term of "dang, its very very old")

Offtopic : Suddenly i was reminded i once googled the very first xianxia novel, and in a similar way to what i just mentioned, there was a very old story, about a woman's romance -> becoming widow -> disappearing -> re-appearing becoming famous by being strong -> emperor reward her and ask her about her strength -> tell mysteriously she learned her "arts" in some place -> open ending as she go away continuing her journey. Kinda a poetic oneshot-novel.

Wow. I mean, I heard the cultivation/xianxia fantasy story concept existed in China before Journey to the West, but I didn't realize there was something pre-dating it that fit the standard trope THAT closely!

(And, yes. If you're wondering about the cultivation genre, Journey to the West which is shown to have been written in 1592 is the one most people credit with the honor of being the oldest, but people who really know their stuff will tell you the genre pre-dates that one. Basically, Journey to the West was like the MT of Xianxia, and it was written over 400 years ago.)

 

[Tsuru]

Wow. I mean, I heard the cultivation/xianxia fantasy story concept existed in Japan before Journey to the West, but I didn't realize there was something pre-dating it that fit the standard trope THAT closely!

(And, yes. If you're wondering about the cultivation genre, Journey to the West which is shown to have been written in 1592 is the one most people credit with the honor of being the oldest, but people who really know their stuff will tell you the genre pre-dates that one. Basically, Journey to the West was like the MT of Xianxia, and it was written over 400 years ago.)

Seems like you misread me. I talk about 2 different things. One being isekai-jp and xianxia of china.

1) First one, (my words are to be taken with a grain of salt) was basically a story in era of newspaper, and was published in one.

2) The xianxia i was talking was kinda categorized the early xianxia because it had a human being having superior strength compared to humans, but most importantly, seems to hint immortality and cultivation, hidden place, spells, etc.
Unlike journey to the west that is a completed work with solid plot and explanations, the work i mention, is more of a oneshot. Kinda like a person trying a new subject never done before, because when the "woman" explains, she barely give explanations beside telling "a illusory hidden place". Blend story with only her being special and very short. The story had like a legend vibe to it.

Exaggerated analogy : it's like finding a dusty parchment written by a bard, containing the very first "story" of a hero fighting a dragon, exuding amateur-ish vibes all over it. Or Da Vinci's scribbles of a flying machine.



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Again, what i say is to take with grain of salt. I heard and googled them. And maybe after years (since i last see them), the infos changed.

 

[Jemini]

Seems like you misread me. I talk about 2 different things. One being isekai-jp and xianxia of china.

1) First one, (my words are to be taken with a grain of salt) was basically a story in era of newspaper, and was published in one.

2) The xianxia i was talking was kinda categorized the early xianxia because it had a human being having superior strength compared to humans, but most importantly, seems to hint immortality and cultivation, hidden place, spells, etc.
Unlike journey to the west that is a completed work with solid plot and explanations, the work i mention, is more of a oneshot. Kinda like a person trying a new subject never done before, because when the "woman" explains, she barely give explanations beside telling "a illusory hidden place". Blend story with only her being special and very short. The story had like a legend vibe to it.

Exaggerated analogy : it's like finding a dusty parchment written by a bard, containing the very first "story" of a hero fighting a dragon, exuding amateur-ish vibes all over it. Or Da Vinci's scribbles of a flying machine.



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Again, what i say is to take with grain of salt. I heard and googled them. And maybe after years (since i last see them), the infos changed.

No, from the sounds of it, the one and only thing I misread was the publishing date of the story you mentioned. If it's in the era of newspaper, then it's well before Journey to the West and doesn't even come close to qualifying as the first of anything.

Anyone worth their salt knows that Xianxia = Chinese. Although, I suppose I did accidentally write "Japan" instead of "China" there now that I read through it again. That was because I just had Japan on the brain because we were previously talking about Isekai before that. Sorry if that threw you off. But, no, it was just a typo.

 

[Tsuru]

No, from the sounds of it, the one and only thing I misread was the publishing date of the story you mentioned. If it's in the era of newspaper, then it's well before Journey to the West and doesn't even come close to qualifying as the first of anything.

Anyone worth their salt knows that Xianxia = Chinese. Although, I suppose I did accidentally write "Japan" instead of "China" there now that I read through it again. That was because I just had Japan on the brain because we were previously talking about Isekai before that. Sorry if that threw you off. But, no, it was just a typo.

.................
I will write shorter.

1) A story written by a JAPANESE in JAPAN in JAPANESE newspaper
and there is
2) A very very very old CHINESE book dating far back written BY A CHINESE

 

[Jemini]

.................
I will write shorter.

1) A story written by a JAPANESE in JAPAN in JAPANESE newspaper
and there is
2) A very very very old CHINESE book dating far back written BY A CHINESE

Ahh... I got what you're saying now. That said, whatever the case of that story was, it would have been inspired by Chinese Xianxia. Just like Japanese Isekai are inspired by Western portal-fantasy stories. (Incidentally, it sounds as though they may have both been cropping up around the same time, which I would assume is around the time Japan's Xenophobia was starting to be breeched during the Meji and Showa eras.

 

[Tsuru]

-

---------------
I know i was weird as I suddenly began talking about a totally different thing in mid-speech of my first post, but i clearly wrote "Offtopic :"
to make the transition between the two.
But seems like you still mistook me as i was talking of a UNIQUE story of a xianxia written by a japanese, which isnt what i talked about.

Ahh... I got what you're saying now. That said, whatever the case of that story was, it would have been inspired by Chinese Xianxia. Just like Japanese Isekai are inspired by Western portal-fantasy stories.

Sigh. Finally.

But yeah. Anyway, it was just what gave google -> a website showing it.
The reason i believe it, is like i mentioned, the "story" gave impression like baby trying to walk or more like a legend.

And yes comparing this to jp-isekai is bad because isekai is copying western-fantasy.
If i got a more "exact" analogy, it would be :
[[[It's like a early western bard being not sure what to write as he suddenly had inspiration to create a fiction story about a knight but no one else ever did it before him because they are busy singing the prowess of the king.]]]