Saddest Deaths In My Hero Academia

Fans of My Hero Academia are eagerly waiting to see what will happen next for the characters in it. From upcoming battles in the anime to fights already happening in the manga, there’s a lot going on. So, fans should anticipate that a lot of sad events and character deaths will happen before the series ends.

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There has been quite a bit of death in My Hero Academia already, but some have hit harder than others. The MHA deaths featured here are the saddest for various reasons. Whether it’s a villain who was likable in some way or a hero giving up their life to save others, it was sad to see characters go.

Updated August 7, 2024 by Sarah Prado: With the manga ending, there have been even more deaths in My Hero Academia. Whether a hero or villain, these deaths hit fans pretty hard. Even if the character was around for a very short time, it was sad to see them go.

Seeing their comrades’ reactions to their deaths showed just how special they were. The war might be over, but the memories of the fallen heroes and villains will never fade. Even if they were villains, they touched the lives of heroes and others around them. Loved or hated, these are the saddest deaths in My Hero Academia.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the My Hero Academia manga.

19 Sand Hero: Snatch (AKA Sajin Higawara)

His Last Words Affected Dabi

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 77
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 160

Snatch doesn’t appear for long, but his death is still sad because he died in the line of duty. He cared very much about the victims of villain attacks, often making sure to keep people safe over fighting. Snatch was the hero in charge of escorting a defeated Overhaul, but he and the police were ambushed by the League of Villains.

He saved the officers who were part of the escort and then fought against Dabi. Snatch was angry to learn that Dabi was the serial murderer that he’d been looking for and questioned if Dabi even felt bad for the family members of the victims he’d killed. The last words that Snatch told him did have a small impact on Dabi, who actually shed a tear and admitted those words haunted his mind. Snatch's death is certainly among the saddest deaths in My Hero Academia.

18 Master Driller

Took A Nomu Down With Him

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 126

He only appeared in one episode, but Master Driller’s death was pretty sad and shocking to see. After Shigaraki destroyed the hospital and killed many heroes, Master Driller was one of the heroes in the hospital evacuation team. He went to help the remaining heroes who were fighting Shigaraki and the Near High-End Nomu that’d been summoned.

Master Driller assisted the hero, Burnin, in fighting one of them, but the Nomu managed to get its mouth around half of his body. Determined to take it down, Master Driller managed to pierce its brain and kill it. However, this resulted in the Nomu closing its jaws, killing him instantly. Fans may not have gotten to know him, but Master Driller's bravery and determination to help his fellow heroes are more than admirable.

17 All Other One For All Predecessors

Various Heroes Who Fell Against The Same Villain

• Multiple Characters Who Debuted In Different Episodes & Chapters

The One for All users form a small chunk of characters who died in My Hero Academia. Though One for All is a very powerful Quirk, the pasts of previous users show that it wasn’t always the best for their health. Hikage Shinomori, the fourth user, is the only one who chose not to fight All for One, knowing he wasn’t strong enough to defeat him. He used this time to strengthen the One for All quirk for the next user and passed it down to Daigoro Banjo before passing away.

Sadly, most of the previous users have died at the hands of All for One in battle. Though most of them knew they weren’t strong enough to defeat him, they tried their best. While fans don’t get to see them in action, it’s still sad to know that many of them have fallen fighting against All for One.

16 Yoichi Shigaraki

Wasn’t Able To Stop His Brother But Left A Legacy

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 20
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 33

What makes this character’s death sad is that he was too weak to stop his brother, All for One. Yoichi is the first user of One for All but is far too weak to fight and unable to do much. It was believed that he didn’t have a Quirk and that his brother forcefully gave him one. However, Yoichi did have a Quirk that allowed him to transfer it to other people, but even with another Quirk, he couldn’t stop his brother.

While it’s unknown exactly how he died, it is known that he tried to fight All for One and was rescued by the second and third users of One for All. He lived long enough to pass his Quirk onto them, and his strong sense of justice remains alive in all the users.

15 Stain (AKA Chizome Akaguro)

A Villain Who Admired All Might And Lost His Life Helping Him

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 13
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 41

He might be one of the scariest villains in the series, but Stain died fighting on the side of good against All for One. After escaping Tartarus during the Paranormal Liberation War, Stain planned on resuming his “Hero Killer” identity. He eventually meets All Might and sees that the former hero is nothing like he used to be. He points out a little girl cleaning his vandalized statue of All Might and tells him how she was the last person he saved. Stain also explains how he and many people still see All Might as inspiration.

During the Final War Arc, Stain joins All Might in the fight against All for One. Both of them manage to do significant damage to the supervillain, but sadly, All for One has an ace up his sleeve, specifically for Stain. He was left defenseless after getting by All for One’s Bloodlet Quirk and was killed by him along with getting his Quirk taken. Before he died, Stain managed to stretch his arms out, encouraging All Might to keep fighting.

14 Magic Hero: Majestic (AKA Enma Kannagi)

Died Getting The Students To Safety

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 103
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 263

He was seen a little bit throughout the My Hero Academia series, but his death still hurt pretty bad. Majestic joined the Heroes in the Paranormal Liberation War Arc and helped in the fight against Gigantomachia. He used his rings to levitate both Pro Heroes and the students, helping to give them an advantage. With this, the students are able to give Gigantomachia a sedative and trap him, and Majestic congratulates them.

However, the villain transforms and breaks free, killing Majestic and other Pro Heroes in the process. Before his death, Majestic uses his Quirk one last time to get the students to safety and tells them that they've made the right decisions and not to doubt themselves.

13 Magne (AKA Kenji Hikiishi)

Brutally Killed In Front Of Her Friends

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 41
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 73

Magne was only around for a short time, but her death definitely shook her friends and fans of My Hero Academia. Even though she was a criminal, Magne just wanted to live life the way she wanted and proudly accepted herself. She was a big sister figure to some of her fellow villains, and a lot of them cared about her. Plus, she was a pretty strong and smart comrade to have in battle, which benefited her more impulsive friends.

Her brutal death at the hands of Kai Chisaki/Overhaul was unexpected and left a few of her friends scarred, especially Twice. At the end of the Shie Hassaikai, the League of Villains would avenge her death by taking away Overhaul’s arms.

12 Water Hose

Their Deaths Left A Huge Hole In Kota’s Heart

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 41
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 74

The parents of Kota Izumi and former Pro Heroes, Water Hose were well-known heroes and often worked together due to their water quirks. Despite the busy life of being heroes, they had Kota and were a happy family. Later on, the duo would be called to fight off Muscular, an A-rank villain who was attacking a village.

Sadly, they were killed by Muscular, but they managed to damage his left eye so much that he needed a prosthetic one. Their deaths would have a strong effect on Kota as he grew to hate all heroes and those who wanted to follow in their footsteps. His mind would change after Midoriya saved him from Muscular, helping him to realize why his parents were heroes and why heroes choose to fight even if it might cost them their lives.

11 Shield Hero: Crust

Had No Regrets About Sacrificing Himself To Save Eraser Head

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 87
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 184

Crust is another hero who was only around for a short time in the My Hero Academia series, but his death is still quite sad. Crust was a Pro Hero known for being a little emotional, having cried at All Might’s retirement and for not being there to help in his fight against All for One. Fitting as being the number six Hero, Crust was very brave in battle and joined the fight in Paranormal Liberation War Arc. He took on some high-end Nomus and defeated some with help from others.

Crust dies after Tomura Shigaraki wakes up and disintegrates the building they’re in. Seeing that a Nomu grabbed Eraser Head’s leg as they tried to escape, Crust sacrificed himself to save him and was caught in the Decaying blast. What makes his death very sad is that he gives Aizawa a thumbs up and a smile as he disintegrates, showing that he has no regrets about saving him.

10 Oboro Shirakumo

Still Sort Of Alive Yet Isn’t

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 107
• First Manga Appearance: Chapter 216

The sad thing about Oboro’s death is that, in a sick, twisted way, he’s still kind of alive. He was a classmate of Shoto Aizawa/Eraser Head and Hizashi Yamada/Present Mic, and the three were best friends during high school. Oboro had dreams of starting a hero agency with them but lost his life during their second year while protecting a group of kids. This event would heavily shape Aizawa, and he became a teacher, remembering how Oboro commented on how he was good with kids.

Oboro’s body was stolen by All for One and experimented on, making him the Nomu Kurogiri. Though it can be argued that Oboro is technically still alive, what happened to his body after the fact is arguably a much worse fate.