Do you like undying characters?

[roriconfan]

And I don't mean the undead. I mean series where the characters survive impossible amounts of beating.

This topic does not take into account the comedies and parodies where death is not there because the series is not realistic nor it is serious.

First of all I love anime for having the guts to actually kill characters. Cartoons are really holding back on this. On the other hand, the death toll in most anime were people can "actually" be killed (not comedies or school life every day stories) is very small. And even then, most of the times a dead character gets ressurected a little later so death losses its meaning.

I could also mention how the death toll for the villains is always 1000 times greater than the good guys but let's not head there.

So, the question and poll is this: Do you find it irritating when someone does not get killed or stay dead no matter what? Doesn't that kill (bad pun) all the suspense or drama around the series?

[Endrance]

Bleach is a perfect example of this......the good guys get pieces chopped off but still live while all the bad guys die. While its also necessary for some anime's to have undying characters i guess it just depends on the anime

[KholdStare]

But in other anime it's mostly the enemy. When an ally ("good guy") dies, he usually dies. When an enemy dies, he doesn't, sometimes the show would just re-use that enemy over and over again to create "surprising re-entries," but after a while, it's just boring. After the 150th episode, it's the same "bad guy" again and you're wondering why you're still watching this anime.

[james0246]

^Then again, the bad guys are often times the ones most likely to stay dead.

Honestly, this topic is too general. There are plenty of anime/manga where the good guys/bad guys stay dead; and there are plenty where no-one dies; and then there are plenty that have both.

Does the lack of death affect the seriousness of the situation? Not really, or at least not really when the mangaka/director/writer fully establishes just what the various characters are fighting for. For instance, while no one (important) dies in One Piece, the individual characters dreams and desires can be destroyed. Consequently, while the fights may not be fully life-or-death, the fact that a character's dreams are always on the line in their fight, adds to the seriousness of the situation (in essence, the mangaka had transplanted the possibility of death with the possibility that a dream could be destroyed, effectively making the characters fight for their very futures).

[HayashiTakara]

Originally Posted by Endrance

Bleach is a perfect example of this......the good guys get pieces chopped off but still live while all the bad guys die. While its also necessary for some anime's to have undying characters i guess it just depends on the anime

so true, I hate how characters never die no matter what happens to them.

[icab]

I havent seen much anime yet.
But one of the only ones that this topic brings to mind is Now and Then, Here and There.

Spoiler for Shu:

Shu Gets the Living shit kicked out of him, but manages to keep alive. Normally this might annoy me, but in this specific case i believe i wouldnt have it any other way. It shows strength in his character.

[Archon_Wing]

Hah, you should remember that main characters have 5 extra lives, while minor enemies have none.

Personally I don't really care, but when it happens too much, say like in DBZ , then it loses its effectiveness because the ability to revive is as common as lunch and also because people die for the most retarded reasons. But like mostly every thing, this is a plot device and it looks bad due to mishandling of the concept.

For a case where people undie which makes the story more effective, you don't have to look further than

Spoiler:

Higurashi and Umineko, where death is one of the better things you can hope for.

[ethereal_sol]

If there's some level of justification (Thinking Alucard etc) then I generally tolerate it, but I cannot instances where it's clearly just plot armor/the fact that the character is the protagonist (Thinking Ichigo)

[momobunny]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

For a case where people undie which makes the story more effective, you don't have to look further than

Spoiler:

Higurashi and Umineko, where death is one of the better things you can hope for.

This is true in more ways than one, but in another way (for Higurashi at least) once the character dies, that exact character at that time is really dead. It doesn't really change things seeing as you still get to enjoy seeing them, but looking back and thinking about how the characters of certain worlds died, it can be viewed a little differently... just a little. You're right though, I'm not arguing with you at all.

[synaesthetic]

The only interesting undying character is the Nameless One.

Spoiler for spoilery:

And you actually die when you win the game.

[straferd]

It's not funny with undying characters until your favorite dies

[Kafriel]

Zoro from OP fits this role perfectly, you just gotta love his persistence to survive, no matter what insane wounds he may be carrying on him...he can still die though, he's no superman.
On the other hand, I hate the everlasting BLEACH characters, who could have dropped dead on so many occasions but still lived on after having their lungs ripped, their faces melted down at a molecular level (!), their souls taken out of their bodies, etc.,etc...

Spoiler for Vampire juji-kai:

The only undying character I like is Akabara Strauss, because his own power causes tragedy to befall everyone around him even if he doesn't want to, thus adding to the gravity of his character.

[Vampire]

Soso on this, watching Guren Laagan was like watching reckless people that get out of situations with extreme willpower. and mostly luck; but proved to be a great show nonetheless.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Vampire

Soso on this, watching Guren Laagan was like watching reckless people that get out of situations with extreme willpower. and mostly luck; but proved to be a great show nonetheless.

I actually didn't like the show for that reason alone.

I personally wish they would just die, rather than consistently survive multiple near death experiences.

I wouldn't mind if it were only done once or something. It can be done well but very rarely is. Samurai Champloo, for example, did it well imo.

[Vegard Aune]

Originally Posted by Vampire

Soso on this, watching Guren Laagan was like watching reckless people that get out of situations with extreme willpower. and mostly luck; but proved to be a great show nonetheless.

Does that show really count? I mean, several characters do die. Mostly in the final episodes, but there are a few of them in the first arc too. The only "undying" character I can think of would be Viral, who somehow managed to be the sole survivor of pretty much every battle he was involved in...

Spoiler for Episode 15:

And then he went and actually became immortal, so I suppose he doesn't count either.

[Vampire]

Originally Posted by Vegard Aune

Does that show really count? I mean, several characters do die. Mostly in the final episodes, but there are a few of them in the first arc too. The only "undying" character I can think of would be Viral, who somehow managed to be the sole survivor of pretty much every battle he was involved in...

Spoiler for Episode 15:

And then he went and actually became immortal, so I suppose he doesn't count either.

Do people learn to pilot giant robots just be believing in themselves that believe in themselves? How does one find a small little drill plus a robot that comes with it in a vast amount of Earth that so happen to be the most overpowered weapon in reality? As an anime, even luck has it's limits but in reality, those guys would've been dead by episode one.

[Haladflire65]

The only 'undying' character I liked was Alucard from Hellsing.

Spoiler for Hellsing Manga:

And even he sort of died in the end...

Those kind of invincible characters really annoy me, because I favour realism. Which is why I dislike Bleach where the good guys never die - and I loved Monster, where characters drop dead in every other episode, practically.

[Guernsey]

Which is the main reason I don't like Alucard too much, he somehow keeps coming back and mocks the bad guys for 'failing' to kill him. I know the point is that Invincible Heroes are invincible but it still ruins the Suspension of Disbelief as they somehow come back to life with some Deus Ex Machina or any plot hole that just doesn't plain make sense.

[Haladflire65]

Well, for Alucard, I think that's such a big part of his character, that invincibility, and how he mocks his opponents. And technically he's not even really a hero. People consider him a monster, and that's what he is, so I think the undying thing is pretty essential for him. It's also why the twist at the ending of the manga made such a huge impact on me...

Okay, I'll correct myself. Alucard is the only undying character I don't dislike.

Shifting the topic, I hate how so many characters in Naruto get such dramatic death scenes when they're not even gonna die. I hate that. I really do.

Spoiler for Naruto:

For instance, why do they make people sob for Chouji when he doesn't die? Why?!?

Spoiler for Hellsing:

And even Alucard didn't even get a death scene that was nearly as dramatic as those fake Naruto ones...

Bleach... I don't even wanna talk about it...

[Hijiroku]

Originally Posted by HayashiTakara

so true, I hate how characters never die no matter what happens to them.

Lets not forget

Spoiler for Rosario + Vampire:

Tsukune never seems to die EVER!