How do you feel about character deaths?

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Started by the-pi-guy, Aug 01, 2019, 02:38 AM

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Dr. Pezus

In stories, a lot of times an author will shift your expectations by killing someone off, because we usually expect that the hero will be successful.  Because of that, there are some people who seem to feel like a character dying can basically be utilized as good storytelling.

For a bit of context, in one show that I enjoy, a lot of people died, and they were brought back to life.  This isn't horribly out of place for the show, it's an anime where exchanging your life for a different one is part of the possiblity of the world, and it was shown several times before.  

For a bit more context, I've seen people suggest complete re-writes of this arc.  Despite substantial rewrites, they still keep the part where the people die, only changing that they stay dead.

It seems strange because it feels like death is viewed by some as an incredibly important part of the story.

For me personally, I usually hate deaths in a story.  
I just imagine the characters being real people, and for example, I hate that character X won't be able to tell character Y about his parents, and I hate that he won't see what character Y grows into.  

Perhaps the thing I really hate about death the most in a story, is that it cuts down on the possibilities of where the story can go.  An abrupt stop, with all potential futures gone.  

What do you think?  We're there some deaths you especially liked or disliked?
It's an abrupt stop for that particular dead character but it can bring other characters' stories in new directions