Why Authors Kill Their Characters (And Why You Should Too)
Direct Answers
Why do authors kill off main characters?
Authors kill characters to strengthen the story and move the plot forward. Character deaths act as powerful plot devices that remove stagnation and motivate the remaining cast. Authors typically use character deaths for three specific reasons.
- To use death as a plot device that forces the protagonist to take action.
- To conclude the journey of a character who has completed their arc.
- To remove characters who have simply served their purpose in the story.
How does killing a character improve a story?
Removing a character improves a story by forcing the protagonist to grow and face conflicts without their usual support system. It also completely changes the tone of the series by adding real stakes and tension.
- It forces the protagonist to step up and take responsibility.
- It adds weight to the plot by showing the audience that no one is safe.
- It glues the reader to the page by making the villain's eventual defeat feel earned.
What are the best ways to kill a character in a story?
The most impactful character deaths serve a clear narrative purpose rather than relying on cheap shock value. When deciding how a character should die, authors use four main methods that naturally conclude character arcs.
- A sacrificial death where a hero gives their life to save others.
- A redemption death where a former villain finally earns respect.
- An unexpected death that removes safety nets and motivates the cast.
- An ironic death where a villain dies from their own arrogance or mistakes.
What are the worst reasons to kill a character?
Character deaths fail when authors use them as a shortcut instead of a meaningful plot progression. Readers often reject deaths that feel manipulative, random, or poorly planned. You should avoid killing characters for these specific reasons.
- Using death purely for shock value without adding meaning to the story.
- Covering up lazy writing or reducing a cast size you cannot manage.
- Using death to escape a broken plot instead of fixing the actual problem.
- Forcing emotional reactions without earning them through the narrative.
The Purpose of Character Deaths
If you have ever read a story you loved and out of nowhere a character dies, you have probably asked yourself if authors are secretly evil. The death of your favorite character can hurt like a real death.
Authors do not kill characters because they hate their readers. They do it because it is one of the most powerful ways to elevate a story when done right.
Why Authors Kill Their Characters
There are three major reasons authors kill characters, and they all tie back to making the story stronger. First, death is an extremely strong plot device.
A plot device is any technique, character, or event introduced to deliberately move the story forward by creating new conflict. Plot devices allow authors to control the plot by creating suspense or removing stagnation.
Character deaths motivate the main cast. When a mentor dies, it acts as a catalyst for the protagonist to stop being at the mercy of events and start taking action.
That death forces them to grow stronger, train harder, and come back as someone who can protect the people they care about. Without that death, the hero lacks the fire pushing them forward.
The second reason is that some characters have completed their arc. Mentors and villains especially fall into this category, making their death a bittersweet end to their journey.
The mentor passing the torch forces the hero to step up and become the person the mentor believed they could be. The third reason is that some characters have simply served their purpose.
Authors are not keeping characters alive just because fans like them. If a character's role is done and their death pushes the plot forward, they are removed from the story.
Why You Should Kill Characters in Your Story
Killing characters in your own story provides specific benefits for your plot. First, it forces your protagonist to grow by removing the support systems they use as a crutch.
When the protagonist loses a powerful ally, that lack of support pushes them to take on more responsibility. Second, a major death changes the entire vibe of the series.
If the main cast fights the villain and nothing tragic happens, the story can feel too safe. Once a beloved character dies, it gives the story weight and shows the audience that no one is safe.
Third, it glues your audience to the page. When a crucial line of defense falls, it convinces the reader that the protagonist is completely screwed.
That tension makes the eventual defeat of your villain much more satisfying. Ask yourself what death would make the audience question whether the protagonist can actually win.
The Best Methods for Character Deaths
Not all deaths are created equal. Some hit hard while others feel cheap.
There are four main methods to properly execute a character death in your story.
The first method is the sacrificial death. This is when a character gives their life to save others, which completes a noble and heroic character arc.
The second method is a former villain redeeming themselves. Think about a villain who spent the entire series being selfish, but gives their life to save everyone in their final moment.
The third method is an unexpected death. The author leads you to believe a character is crucial to the plot, and then they are suddenly gone.
This immediately tells the audience what kind of story they are reading and removes all safety nets. The fourth method is an ironic villain death.
This happens when a villain dies as the direct result of their own arrogance, stubbornness, or flawed beliefs. They die because of who they are, rather than just being overpowered by the hero.
When Not to Kill a Character
You do not always have to kill characters. Many authors find that writing about grief is depressing and slows the story down.
Stories often grind to a halt during the grieving period that follows a major death. If your story is fast-paced and high energy, a long grieving section might kill your momentum.
The Worst Reasons to Kill a Character
There are also terrible reasons to kill a character that will make readers throw books across the room. The first is shock value.
This is when an author kills a character for literally no reason other than trying to appear edgy and unpredictable. This approach is both lazy and manipulative.
The second bad reason is lazy writing. Authors sometimes kill characters because they do not know how to develop them further or because their cast has grown too large.
Using a death to escape a confusing or broken plot is a result of poor planning. The third worst reason is forcing emotion without a meaningful narrative purpose.
Killing a beloved character randomly feels manipulative rather than tragic. If the death does not serve the story, it is simply emotional manipulation.
Conclusion
Authors kill characters to advance the plot, complete a character arc, or because the character has served their purpose. Killing characters forces your protagonist to grow and makes your audience much more engaged.
The best ways to execute these moments are through sacrificial deaths, villain redemptions, unexpected tragic events, or the ironic death of an arrogant villain.