Top 10 Saddest Cartoon Character Deaths

Brian Griffin (Family Guy)

Brian H. Griffin, popularly known without his middle initial as Brian Griffin, is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the Griffin family's anthropomorphic pet dog, known for his dry wit, intellectual demeanor, and liberal political views. Brian is voiced by series... read more

I literally teared up when Brian died. Regardless of how you feel about the canine, everyone can agree that this was one of the saddest deaths in cartoon history. It's a good thing Stewie went back in time and saved him.

Maude Flanders (The Simpsons)

Sad. She was one of the most decent characters on the show.

Kenny (South Park)

Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is one of the main characters in the animated adult television series South Park. He appears alongside his close friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. Known for his consistently muffled speech and frequent deaths in early seasons, Kenny has become one of the... read more

South Park, a show that never failed to make me laugh, made me tear up over an orange perverted cinnamon roll. Great job, Trey and Matt.

I cry every time! Every single time!

Karen Plankton (Spongebob Squarepants)

Bleeding Gums Murphy (The Simpsons)

Murphy was the only true friend Lisa ever had.

HorseDuck (CatDog)

Cat and Rancid Rabbit were happy when HorseDuck died. Dog didn't really care. Mr. Sunshine was the only one who was actually upset. He is also the one with no attachment to HorseDuck. HorseDuck is awesome too. Cat and Rancid are so greedy.

Chef (South Park)

Jerome "Chef" McElroy was a cartoon character on the Comedy Central series South Park, voiced by soul singer Isaac Hayes. His character served as a voice of reason during the show's earlier seasons.

Chef was known for singing humorous and often vulgar R&B songs after offering advice to the four... read more

He was my favorite, and he left South Park because his cult of Scientology was insulted.

Pops (Regular Show)

Why is Brian 1? He was becoming a total jackass, so I'm glad he's dead. But Pops sacrificed himself to save the universe.

Jiraiya (Naruto)

Jiraiya is a fictional character in the Naruto anime and manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Introduced in the first part of the series, he was a student of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is also one of the "Legendary Sannin" alongside Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade, who were his former teammates... read more

Seymour the Dog (Futurama)

After an entire episode of Fry trying to clone his 1000-years-gone dog, accompanied by flashbacks of his dog trying to find him, he changed his mind in the end after seeing the effort Bender put in to try to get Fry's attention. He felt he was going to be replaced by the dog. He said that Seymour (his dog) probably forgot about him and moved on, as Fry walked away from the fossilized remains of his old friend.
However, that is contradicted in the following scene, showing Seymour waiting outside of Fry's work 1000 years in the past, after Fry was frozen. It shows the years pass as he aged and the pizzeria closed down. Seymour sat in the same spot he always sat at as he waited for Fry to get out of work. At the end of the flashback, he slowly laid down his feeble body and closed his eyes, presumably for the last time, alone, but loyally awaiting Fry even to the very end.

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Marcy Wu (Amphibia)

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Avocato (Final Space)

Charlotte (Charlotte's Web)

At least it was of natural causes.

Pearl Burton (Family Guy)

Mufasa (The Lion King)

Mufasa is a major character in Disney's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the father of Simba, the mate of Sarabi, and the older brother of Scar. Mufasa was the King of the Pride Lands until his death.

In the film, Mufasa is tragically killed by Scar while trying to rescue Simba... read more

Saddest. I never cried because of any movie, but this death almost did.

How is this so low on the list? It should've been 1!

Asuma Sarutobi (Naruto)

Asuma Sarutobi is a fictional character in the Naruto anime and manga franchise, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a jonin of Konohagakure and the leader of Team 10. Asuma is also the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Neji Hyuga (Naruto)

Neji Hyuga is a fictional character from the anime and manga series Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of the Hyuga clan and is recognized for his Byakugan ability, which grants him nearly 360-degree vision. Neji plays a significant role in several story arcs and is known for his disciplined... read more

Zane (Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu)

Zane was seen in "The Titanium Ninja" where he sacrifices himself in order to destroy the overlord to protect his friends. At the end of the episode, Kai gives a speech at Zane's funeral, and hopefully, Zane might be still alive in the next episode.

Optimus Prime (Transformers)

Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is consistently depicted as having strong moral character, excellent leadership, and sound decision-making skills. Optimus Prime is known for his military tactics, powerful martial arts, and advanced alien weaponry, and he serves... read more

Kyle Broflovski (South Park)

Kyle Broflovski is a main character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is known for his strong moral compass and often serves as the voice of reason among the group.

I wouldn't be watching South Park without Kyle, and this is why I don't watch Imaginationland! What's even sadder is the reason why Cartman revived him.

Here's what's also sad: If Kyle hadn't made that agreement with Cartman (or if he had already done "it"), then he wouldn't have revived him. Cartman would've just paraded around and let Kyle be.

Gin Ichimaru (Bleach)

Gin Ichimaru is a fictional character in the Bleach manga series and its adaptations, created by Tite Kubo. He is a former captain of the 3rd Division in the Gotei 13 and is known for his constant sly smile and mysterious demeanor. Gin plays a major role in the Arrancar arc and has a complex relationship... read more

Portgas D. Ace (One Piece)

Portgas D. Ace, born as Gol D. Ace and nicknamed "Fire Fist" Ace, is a fictional character in the One Piece franchise. He was created by Japanese manga artist Eiichiro Oda. Ace is the adopted older brother of the series' protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, and possesses the ability to control fire using the... read more

Jet (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Stanley Pines (Gravity Falls)

Stanley "Stan" Pines, also known as Grunkle Stan, is one of the main characters in the Disney animated series Gravity Falls. He is the great-uncle of twins Dipper and Mabel Pines and runs the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap filled with bizarre curiosities. The character is voiced by series creator Alex... read more

Atlas (Astro Boy)

In Atlas' last appearance in the series (Atlas Forever), Astro Boy found out that he was Atlas' brother. At the end of the episode, Atlas gave up his evil ways and sacrificed himself to save the world.

It is so sad that Atlas tried to save Mr. Tokugawa from getting sucked away into space. Astro tried to give him a hand to pull him over, but Atlas refused Astro's help as he drifted away into space.

Atlas died in a shuttle accident trying to save his father. He floats off into space.

Edna Krabappel (The Simpsons)

Edna Krabappel is a fictional character from the animated series The Simpsons. She was voiced by Marcia Wallace until Wallace's death in October 2013. Edna was the teacher of Bart Simpson's fourth-grade class at Springfield Elementary School and was known for her sarcastic humor and frequent exasperation... read more

Her death was offscreen, but the aftermath makes it sad. I'm glad that LEGO made a minifigure of her in tribute to her voice actress.

She was not the only lovable character that was killed. Her actor also sadly passed.

Setsuko Yokokawa (Grave of the Fireflies)

This has to be the most heartbreaking one of them all.

Anime again, though it was pretty sad.