Quote:
Originally Posted by Ero-Senn1n
Does he/she have to have a name? 
I'm also disappointed by this, this war is a noname average ninja holocaust but not even one of the named ninja died, it's simply too unrealistic. |
I agree it's kind of jarring that none of the newly introduced older characters were killed off. I think some, like Mifune (who hasn't really done anything since his fight with Hanzo) should've died.
But death does cost the story in terms of moving the plot along. It can be mentioned a dozen no-names got killed off screen in one panel then back to the story without missing a beat. A named character's death must receive build up (flashbacks and such) and closure (more flashbacks, other characters shown mourning) in order to have impact. The more important the character, the more time spent with their death. Readers expect it. For a named character, there's going to be at least a page or two devoted to just showing the others remember them. If a major character dies (like Sandaime) probably they're going to receive an entire chapter focused on their passing.
Considering that, I can see why Kishi and other mangaka are reluctant to constantly string deaths together even though it might make things more intense. It would bog down the rest of the story. Still, I would've liked to seen one or two deaths squeezed in by now.