Here are some characters who are never forgotten, even in death.
The concept of “haunting the narrative” is a technique commonly used in literature, television, or cinema. It refers to when a character remains highly influential in a story even though they have little to no screen time, and oftentimes die before the events even begin.
It takes advantage of another narrative technique known as “in medias res” which refers to how stories often begin in the middle of things. And there is a long past that we don’t directly see but can feel the influence of at every turn.
Anime, being a massive and complicated industry, has many examples of characters haunting the narrative throughout a story, and we have compiled a list of some of the best examples of various characters who do as such. This Halloween, ditch spirits in favour of ghosts of a different nature!
Himmel the Hero (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
Talking about narrative haunting in anime will first bring us to its most glaring and influential example: Himmel the Hero. In Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Himmel is a hero from the past who dies in the first episode. The titular protagonist Frieren is an elf with a life much longer than humans, and was a member of Himmel’s party which fought the Demon King 50 years ago.
The anime’s story begins with Himmel’s death, and throughout its course, we are constantly reminded of how important Himmel was to Frieren. Though she realises her love for him a bit too late, Frieren undertakes a long and dangerous journey to the land of Aureole, where souls are laid to rest, just to talk to him one last time. But that’s not all. Frieren is also constantly moved by the legacy of Himmel’s unending kindness and follows how he would have behaved in certain situations.
Although someone like Frieren, whose lifespan can be over a thousand years long, doesn’t view this long journey as something tremendous, her willingness to undertake it shows how much Himmel meant to her. Even in death, Himmel’s love is successful as it moved not only Frieren, but everyone who met her and received her kindness. Throughout Frieren’s long journey, we also see how fondly people remember Himmel the Hero, who saved them five decades ago. This anime shows us, through its wonderfully positive example of narrative haunting, that death is not the end of life.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Moving in a similar direction, we arrive at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the legendary swordsman and the first demon slayer in the beloved anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. This story takes full advantage of “in medias res”. It begins with our protagonist Tanjiro Kamado losing his entire family to a demon attack, save for his sister Nezuko, who is turned into a demon. But before Tanjiro begins his quest of joining the Demon Slayers and turning his sister back into a human, there is a long-standing history of struggle between demons and humans.
It all started with the first ever demon, Muzan Kibutsuji, who has turned many people into demons with his blood, and wreaked havoc across the country. The only person who ever stood a chance against him was Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the first ever demon slayer and the creator of the Sun Breathing style or Hinokami Kagura, from which all the other demon slayer breathing styles have derived from.
Despite being dead for a few hundred years, Yoriichi’s influence on the demon slayers and his terror amongst the demons, especially Muzan, is glaring throughout the story. It’s as if his ghost literally haunts the almost-invulnerable demon lord. When Tanjiro reminds him of Yoriichi, Muzan is sent into a state of panic. Much like Himmel, Yoriichi and the demon slayers are hailed as heroes by the humans. But to Muzan and his lackeys, his name brings nothing but terror, as he is the only human whose sword remained undefeated by any demon. His influence was so dreadful in fact, that his own brother Michikatsu, who turned into a demon, couldn’t forget their last fight for hundreds of years.
Gol D. Roger (One Piece)
The story of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece begins with the legendary King of the Pirates Captain Gol D. Roger announcing that he has hidden his life’s accumulated treasure, the One Piece, somewhere in the sea. He is immediately executed by the Marines, but his words inspire pirates across the globe. They terrorize the Marines for the next two decades, dredging up the sea all over the world searching for the One Piece. But Roger’s influence shines most brightly on our protagonist Monkey D. Luffy.
Luffy began dreaming of becoming a pirate and living a life of freedom at a very young age. And despite being a devil fruit user who will drown in seawater, he loves the ocean too much to not follow in Roger’s footsteps. Luffy starts his journey alone, but he saves people and acquires crewmates throughout his journey across the vast oceans of the world. As the Straw Hats become more powerful and face against dangerous enemies, everyone agrees that Luffy reminds them of Roger.
Being the protagonist of a manga series and anime that have been running for almost three decades, it’s obvious that Luffy will ultimately be the one to discover the One Piece. However, we cannot deny that he is the manifestation of what Roger wanted for this world. Decades after his death, Roger is immortalised not through his own notorious adventures, but through all the pirates who dared to follow his dream, especially Monkey D. Luffy.
Hikaru Indou (The Summer Hikaru Died)
Taking a sharp turn away from influential characters, we arrive at a more personal territory, where characters are haunted by someone they loved. One of the greatest examples of this instance would be Hikaru Indou from The Summer Hikaru Died. As the title suggests, this story centres around a boy named Yoshiki, whose best friend and secret crush, Hikaru, disappears in the mountains during the summer.
Although Yoshiki had resolved to accept that Hikaru must have died during his disappearance, Hikaru comes back and continues the normalcy of his life. However, the Hikaru that comes back isn’t the Hikaru Yoshiki knows. His body has now been assimilated by an eldritch horror who has existed in the forest since time unknown. And although nobody else knows, Yoshiki figures it out for himself.
From the very first episode, the audience is made aware of the fact that Hikaru is indeed very much dead. The being who wears his body has all his mannerisms and memories. That’s why, despite knowing his friend is dead, Yoshiki can never fully mourn him. Hikaru’s face and body is always in front of him, as if haunting him from beyond a veil. His connection with the eldritch being also morphs into something more intimate and terrifying, making us wonder if Yoshiki will ever be able to move on from its snares.
Seiroku Sakamoto (Sparks of Tomorrow)
Sparks of Tomorrow takes place in an alternate Meiji Era where instead of electricity, steam is the main source of power. The protagonist, named Kihachi Sakamoto, wants to follow in the footsteps of his missing brother, Seiroku, who wanted them to bring in the golden age of electricity together. On the other end of this story is Yosuke Mizoe, a talented engineer from a family who are the pioneers of steam engine technology.
We soon learn that Mizoe has a deep connection with Seiroku, and is obsessed with finding his missing journal that holds the secrets to bringing the age of electricity. Although Kihachi and Mizoe both want the same thing, and are influenced by the same person, their approach is vastly different.
Where Kihachi is angry with his older brother for not keeping his promise, he wants to follow in his footsteps and fulfill their dream, Mizoe’s obsession with Seiroku is much darker and sinister, the extent of which is slowly unveiled in the story. The anime shows us the contrast between positive and negative influences and how different they can be even if the source is the same.
Trisha Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist/ Brotherhood)
Dead mothers have been a source of great pain and character development for protagonists in anime throughout the years. In both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Edward and Alphonse Elric’s mother, Trisha, is the one who sets off their journey.
When their mother passes away, the two young alchemists use forbidden alchemy to try and bring her back. Instead of her resurrection, Edward has to sacrifice his arm and leg, while Alphonse’s whole body is taken away, leaving Edward to trap his soul in a suit of armour. The brothers then spend the rest of the story trying to get Alphonse’s body back as the country’s problems keep growing.
Although her influence isn’t as obvious as some of the other characters, Trisha is the one who shaped the two protagonists of FMA/B. They always remember her as a kind and loving mother. Their grief over her loss was so great that they were ready to sacrifice themselves to resurrect her. However, it’s also her influence and guidance which allows Edward and Alphonse to become kind and helpful alchemists as they grow up.
Minori Kodai (Journal with Witch)
A 35-year-old shut-in novelist and a 15-year-old orphaned girl; between them hangs the shadow of a dead woman. Journal with Witch begins with Asa’s parents dying in a car crash, and her moving in with her novelist aunt, Makio, who was estranged from her mother Minori Kodai. Although Asa loses both of her parents, it seems as if her mother’s existence haunts her more as she tries to understand her aunt, who hates Minori.
A grieving child and a clueless adult live together in this story, and Minori constantly haunts them. For Makio, the memories are often old and bruising, whereas for Asa, they are loving and painful. She wants to understand why Makio hates Minori, but also doesn’t want to see her dead mother in a negative light. She cries reading her mother’s journal, and Makio understands how differently her older sister treated herself and her daughter.
In the end, Minori helps build the bridge over the turbulent waters between Makio and Asa. They grieve together, long together, and become an unlikely family full of love because of her. As her last act of love, Minori haunts her sister and daughter until they become each others’ oasis in the vast and unbearable desert of grief.
Ai Hoshino (Oshi no Ko)
If we are talking about dead mothers in anime, then we have to include Ai Hoshino, whose presence in Oshi no Ko is so acutely felt that it seems the audience is being haunted by her. Ai was a sixteen year old idol who got pregnant, and as a result, had to go into hiding. Her doctor, Gorou Amamiya, and her fan, Sarina Tendōji, both die on the night Ai gives birth, and are reincarnated as her twin children, Aqua and Ruby.
After just a few years, Ai is murdered in front of her young children, which leaves them traumatised. While Ruby devotes her life to become a beloved idol just like her mother, Aqua throws himself into revenge. And he doesn’t stop until his obsession brings fatal conclusions.
Ai’s ghost is a constant presence in Oshi no Ko, felt most intimately through Ruby and Aqua, who both want to honour their mother in different ways. Would Ai have wanted this life for her children she loved so much? Probably not. But the world of showbiz is cruel to those who are naive and driven by emotions. Ai haunts her children against her own will. Unfortunately, such is the curse of fame.
Regto (Gachiakuta)
A beloved father figure can be just as influential for a child like its mother, especially if he is murdered at the beginning of the story.
Gachiakuta’s protagonist is Rudo Surebec, whose adoptive father, Regto, is murdered in the first episode. Before he can even grieve his loss, Rudo is framed for the crime and thrown into the depths of the “Pit”. The Pit is a massive wasteland where all the Spherites throw their garbage and criminals into.
Rudo miraculously survives, and even gets some cool powers in the Pit. But his whole existence there is fueled by his rage and thirst for revenge. He wants to find the person who murdered Regto and kill them, which is basically his motto throughout the anime.
But Regto’s influence on Rudo doesn’t end there. Despite being angry and borderline-savage in nature, Rudo helps people. He was taught kindness by Regto and doesn’t forget his father’s lessons even in dire situations. Through his selfless acts, Rudo actually manages to find friends and comrades who want to help him in his own quest. Regto and Rudo are classic examples of how kindness begets kindness, and how one loving presence can change someone’s entire worldview from even beyond the grave.
Sakunosuke Oda (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Unlike the other characters in this list, Odasaku doesn’t influence Bungo Stray Dogs’ protagonist, Atsushi, directly. Instead, he was a mentor figure to Atsushi’s mentor, Dazai. In a short few episodes of the anime, we see how despite having a cool power, which let him watch a few seconds into the future, Odasaku liked to stay on the down-low and take care of the orphaned children he adopted.
The cruel world of the Port Mafia that he lived in forced Odasaku to fight to death one last time against an enemy who brought tragedy into his world. Dazai tried to save him but it was too late. As he was bleeding out in his arms, Odasaku wanted Dazai to have a good life and help people.
The power of his dying wish was so strong that Dazai left the Port Mafia and joined the Armed Detective Agency to help people. Thanks to Odasaku, many people throughout the anime received love, kindness, and help from Dazai, who never got much of it himself.