In anime, it's standard for a character to die after being dealt grievous injuries. This serves as a poignant moment in the series and a sobering farewell to the individual in question. Under specific conditions, it may also herald great celebration if the deceased party was villainous.
However, this is not always the case. Whether persisting through insurmountable injury or literally coming back from beyond the grave, some characters have found a way to cheat death. Through identifying them, we can better appreciate how tenacity has impacted their respective stories.
10 Kurome Temporarily Survived An Insta-Killing Ability (Akame Ga Kill!)
Kurome was the sister of Akame and a loyal servant of the Jaegers. During their initial mission against Night Raid, she was stabbed in the back of the neck by Chelsea, who had assumed the guise of Bols.
The hero's assassination methods were impossible to survive. However, after being momentarily incapacitated, Kurome struck down the spy and returned to the Empire's capital. Nonetheless, Chelsea had already dealt an injury that made her death inevitable - much to Wave's growing concern.
9 DIO Came Back From Losing His Entire Body After A Hundred Years (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Dio Brando was a longtime adversary of the Joestar family who became immortal after donning the Stone Mask. He was vanquished by Jonathan near the end of Phantom Blood, presumably dying alongside him in a fiery inferno and without a body to command.
In Stardust Crusaders, it was revealed that the villain survived his injuries and was actively attempting to rebuild his power structure. Worse yet, his presence had a debilitating effect on Holly Joestar, and her Stand would have killed her if her family did not defeat their adversary in the city of Cairo.
8 All For One Resurfaced After Having His Head Obliterated (My Hero Academia)
All For One was the clandestine leader of the League of Villains and the master to Shigaraki. At one time, he dominated Japanese society, with his criminal underworld thriving from his ability to give quirks to his underlings.
After his first memorable encounter against All Might, he was presumed dead - and for good reason. Toshinori had crushed a considerable portion of his skull, leaving him featureless from above the mouth. Ever since, he has been forced to rely on an advanced life support system just to survive.
7 Meruem Survived A Nuclear Explosion - Temporarily (Hunter X Hunter)
When Isaac Netero's nuclear bomb detonated, it caused immense damage to Meruem and everything else within a nearby radius. Though his body was restored (and enhanced) through absorbing the strength of his Royal Guards, it was only a temporary solution to a more pernicious issue.
Since he was still fraught with radiation poisoning, Meruem was consigned to a gradual and excruciating death. Nonetheless, his ability to persevere from the initial blast was a tremendous accomplishment and indicated that not even mankind's greatest weapon could permanently thwart the will of the Chimera Ant king.
6 Meliodas Survived Having All Of His Hearts Impaled (Seven Deadly Sins)
Meliodas' encounter with Estarossa was one of the most sobering moments of the series. Powerless to defeat his brother, his seven hearts would gradually be impaled, killing him instantly.
He was only revived on account of the curse that the Demon King and Supreme Deity collaborated to inflict. Though his defeat did not have any corporeal consequences, it would pull him closer to his darker nature - just as the Ten Commandments intended.
5 Alucard Overcome An Ability Specifically Designed To Kill Him (Hellsing)
Alucard was the Hellsing Organization's greatest weapon and a vampire who single-handedly thwarted both the Iscariot and Millennium groups. Anticipating his formidability, the latter's leader instructed his servant, Schrodinger, to sacrifice himself so that the antihero would perish on his corrupted blood.
Though this incapacitated him for thirty years and forced Seras to conclude the battle in London's favor, Alucard would eventually return to his master's side. This illustrated his assiduous resolve and the fact that ultimately, nothing could sufficiently kill him (especially given how well he overcome Alexander Anderson's holy weapons).
4 Madara Uchiha Was Brought Back With The Edo Tensei (Naruto)
Madara Uchiha was a feared warrior and legend of shinobi history. He was revived by Lord Mu's Edo Tensei (who himself was restored through the machinations of Kabuto). This portended a massive issue for the Allied Forces since their new adversary decimated an entire army with little difficulty.
While he would eventually regain a living body, his undead condition entailed that it was impossible to injure him in meaningful ways that might debilitate a standard warrior. Because he needed to be sealed in order to be beaten, Madara was able to dominate the Five Kage without sustaining tangible injuries.
3 Eren Yeager Survived Being Swallowed By A Titan Twice (Attack On Titan)
During his first mission with the Scouts, Eren sacrificed himself so that Armin wouldn't be swallowed by a pure titan. It was reasonably presumed that he perished in the battle since none before him had escaped the gullet of a giant alive.
However, he later returned as the Attack Titan, much to his comrades' surprise and delight. Though Yeager would later be consumed again by Annie Leonhart, Levi, and Mikasa collaborated to save his life.
2 Greed Survived Having His Essence Dissolved & Redistilled (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Greed was a rogue homunculus of the Fullmetal Alchemist universe who was forced into a pit of boiling lava for his individualism and willing defiance of his master. After he had been presumably murdered, his essence was distilled into wine that Ling Yao - the group's captive - was forced to drink.
However, instead of subjugating either Greed or the prince, this decision infused two rebellious souls together. It wasn't long before the hardening antihero regained his memories and became a reluctant ally to the Elric brothers. Unfortunately, he would not have similar luck at the conclusion of the series, where Father ripped him from Yao's body.
1 Pell Survived A Point Blank Explosion Intended To Destroy A City (One Piece)
Pell was one of Alabasta's most vigilant guardians and a loyal friend to Princess Vivi. When Crocodile's plan to obliterate the entire kingdom was revealed, he voluntarily seized the bomb and flew into the sky so that only he would be caught in the blast radius.
Miraculously, the eagle would survive after its detonation and later return to the palace. This was in spite of the unimpressive durability he had shown up until that point, such as in his fight against Nico Robin.
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