History KilledOffForReal / WesternAnimation

* In ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' a few recurring characters such as Mr. Weed (choking on a roll Brian himself choked on, all thanks to being to close when Peter successfully uses the Heimlich maneuver), Paddy Tanniger (run over back and forth by the tank Stewie and Brian were in), Vern and Johnny (both shot by Stewie), and Francis Griffin have been killed off. Despite NegativeContinuity, any returns are made by their ghosts.

*** Amusingly subverted with [[AdamWesting James Woods]]. He's seemingly killed off for good in that same episode only to turn up later on (complete with deliberately hilarious and absurd VoodooShark explanation for his return to boot).

** Horace dies in "Save the Clam".

** Cleveland's original wife, Loretta, also got the axe in the spin-off series ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow''.

** Buck Strickland's mistress Debbie, meets her end in the episode "Hanky Panky", where as shown in the next episode "High Anxiety", after Debbie went to get snacks at a convenience while waiting in a dumpster with Buck's shotgun, she accidentally shoots herself while struggling to juggle between the snacks and the shotgun.
** Pops Popaseto,

* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', quite a few recurring or main characters have been killed off over the years including Luann's first boyfriend Buckley, Buck Strickland's mistress Debbie, Pops Popaseto, Cotton's war buddy Topsy, and most recently Hank Hill's father Cotton Hill. Neither of them ever returned after their deaths, though Buckley did return in "Wings of the Dope", in the form of Luanne's guardian angel, before permanently descending into the afterlife.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' has quite a few, most [[TearJerker heartbreakingly]] 24's death by exploding muscle car.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Sanders, Clifford, Clown with Glasses, Hercules, Miriam, and Duper (he was replaced with a clone) have all died permanently.

** In the season 9 premiere, [[TonightSomeoneDies the trailers advertised that someone would die]]. As it turns out, Muriel Goldman, Derek, Diane Simmons, and onetime characters Stephanie and Priscilla were killed off.

** [[DomesticAbuser Jeff]] in "Screams of Silence".

** Inverted with [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Kenny]]. He was killed off for real, but returned at the end of the next season, with no explanation given. [[note]]Originally, Kenny ''was'' supposed to stay dead, since [[Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone Parker and Stone]] were getting tired of killing him off in every episode and were running out of original ways to do so. Butters was meant to take his place as the new ButtMonkey character, but ExecutiveMeddling from Creator/ComedyCentral meant the duo had to change these plans by bring back Kenny. [[/note]]

** [[WesternAnimation/ScrewballSquirrel1944 Screwy Squirrel]]'s final appearance, "Lonesome Lenny", ends with Squirrel crushed to death by Lenny.

** Inverted with [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Kenny]]. He was killed off for real, but returned at the end of the next season, with no explanation given. [[note]]Originally, Kenny ''was'' supposed to stay dead, since [[Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone Parker and Stone]] were getting tired of killing him off in every episode and were running out of original ways to do so. Butters was meant to take his place as the new ButtMonkey character, but meddling from Creator/ComedyCentral meant the duo had to change these plans. [[/note]]

** This trope finally caught up with Mona Simpson, Homer's mother. What makes this death particularly impacting is her successive NotQuiteDead track record in previous episodes.
** Mob boss Fat Tony dies of a heart attack, but in a SubvertedTrope, he was replaced by his cousin Fit Tony, who got so fat he looked just like Fat Tony, then changed his name to Fat Tony.

* In an aversion of [[JokerImmunity the very trope named after him]], the Joker eventually got this treatment in the Franchise/{{DCAU}}. Yes, having proven himself as much of a survivor as his counterpart in the comics, every bit the "no one" in NoOneCouldSurviveThat, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'' took the big leap and put him down once and for all - killing him twice; first his body was destroyed and buried deep within Arkham Asylum in flashback, then the chip containing a copy of his DNA and memories was burned out, just to make sure he won't be coming back. (In just a bit of a cheat, the event occurs at the far end of the universe-at-large's history, allowing him to show up in stories taking place earlier; ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' took advantage of this.)

* In ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' a few recurring characters such as Mr. Weed (choking on a bone Brian himself choked on), Paddy Tanniger (run over back and forth by the tank Stewie and Brian were in), Vern and Johnny (both shot by Stewie), and Francis Griffin have been killed off. Despite NegativeContinuity, any returns are made by their ghosts.

--->'''Narrator:''' (tearfully) And for the first, and final time, the day is saved thanks to Powerpuff Bunny.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' as a whole has never shyed away from this.
** ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' continually killed its cast, despite the fact that ''Beast Wars'' characters are a bit hard to kill, as robots they have survived deadly attacks and being blown to bits (in which case they can easily be repaired). Some simply died, in one case to make room for new characters. A surprising number died, were brought back, and died again. Two of them died, were brought back as a fused form of the two, and then died. And two of them died [[ChekhovsGun with the possibility that they might return]], but didn't.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' Blurr is killed, pretty graphically, for a machine. Namely he was crushed into a cube and dumped down a trash chute.

** In fact, [[ButtMonkey Meg]] and [[{{Jerkass}} Peter]] are the only characters to die and come back to life. Later, Stewie, Chris, and Mort have been killed but only as a gag. Brian also died but was revived by Stewie.

* Webstor has the distinction of being the only member of the regular cast to truly die in the ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse''. In the "Web of Evil" episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'', he was assaulted off-screen by the Snake-Men as the heroes were closing in, then brutally beaten by them and collapsing dead on the ground when the good guys finally reached his lair. However, the scene depicted his death in an ambiguous manner, so fans were left to debate themselves whether or not he had survived until after the show's cancellation, when [[WordOfGod Ian Richter]] confirmed that he did not. (It is entirely possible that the writers had planned for the possibility to reverse this decision and include him in a later story, seeing as the series was cancelled three episodes later.)

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' For all of the attempts at his life throughout the series, Splinter was killed by Shredder ''twice'', ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice. His first actual death was undone via time travel between Season 3 and 4. By the time Season 4 ended, he was killed by Super Shredder, and this time he was gone for good, with only appearances of his spirit in later episodes, or alive in flashbacks.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' For all of the attempts at his life throughout the series, Splinter was killed by Shredder ''twice'', ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice. His first actual death was undone via time travel between Season 3 and 4. By the time Season 4 ended, he was gone for good, with only appearances of his spirit in later episodes, or alive in flashbacks.

* The final ''Roland and Rattfink'' cartoon by Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZxcYqJp9J8 Cattle Battle]]" (1971), has both title characters die in a CartoonBomb explosion at the end. Naturally being the villain, Rattfink ends up in the FireAndBrimstoneHell, while the good guy Roland and his horse ascend to the FluffyCloudHeaven.

** Other recurring characters to have died over the years include Ms. Choksondik, Ms. Crabtree, the mayor's aide named Ted, Pip and most recently Jason White.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', quite a few recurring or main characters have been killed off over the years including Luann's first boyfriend Buckley, Buck Strickland's mistress Debbie, Pops Poppaseto, Cotton's war buddy Topsy, and most recently Hank Hill's father Cotton Hill.

** In yet another Stinkmeaner-related episode, death strikes again, this time nailing Bushido Brown, via [[OffWithHisHead on-screen decapitation]] during his fight in Season 3: Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy". The Colonel apparently palled around with a group of disgruntled elderly[[{{Jerkass}} jerks]] who formed the Hateocracy, a gang that wreaked havoc within the walls of a nursing home. The members of the gang show up to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] the Freeman family in what looks like a RoaringRampageOfRevenge, so the Freemans hire Bushido as their equally jerkish bodyguard, who actually holds off the Hateocracy- until he catches a [[DeadlyDisc spinning disk of doom to the neck]]. The Freeman family's reaction? A group [[PrecisionFStrike "OH, SHIIIIT!"]].

* Don King in ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' normally comes back from the dead after getting killed in the audience, usually on accident or by a monster. When he actually fought in a match, Donald Trump killed him, only to never be seen again.
** Stacy Cornbred dies after spontaneously combusting in "The Prophecy". She came back as a zombie in one Halloween episode, but was killed again when Debbie Matenopoulos shoves her through the side of a door, shredding her into bits. She stays dead from that point on, even though Johnny and Nick could easily have revived her with the Time Machine both times.

* In ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' a few recurring characters such as Mr. Weed, Paddy Tanniger, Vern and Johnny, and Francis Griffin have been killed off. Despite NegativeContinuity, any returns are made by their ghosts.

** In "Endgame", Kid Flash is disintegrated when he absorbs too much energy helping The Flash and Impulse get rid of an energy field that threatened to envelop the Earth. To honor his memory Impulse [[TakingUpTheMantle takes up his mantle]], and to hammer the point home he gets a hologram in the garden like Jason Todd, Tula and Ted Kord.

*** And the in the sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'', Optimus, Megatron, and Rhinox are killed as well. Leaving the only seven characters alive at the end to be Rattrap, Cheetor, Blackarachnia, Silverbolt, Waspinator, Nightscream, and Botanica.

** Joan Quagmire died on a technicality, having tried to grab Death's hand. As she was married to the "deceased" Glenn Quagmire and having taken his last name, he agreed to take her instead. Being a bit off didn't hurt, either....

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Sanders, Clifford, Clown with Glasses, Hercules, Miriam, and Duper (he was replaced with a clone) have all died permanently.

* The GrandFinale of ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' implied this happened to The Delightful Children.

* {{Implied|Trope}} to be King Koopa's fate in ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld'' which was the last Creator/DiCEntertainment adaptation of the ''Mario Bros.'' games. At the end of "A Little Learning", Mario and Luigi give Koopa "a little bed-warming" which involves rerouting a pipe to have lava flow in his bedroom. Before fading to black, Koopa screams for help as the lava rises closer to his bed. The next episode, "Mama Luigi", is the series finale and a WholeEpisodeFlashback where only Luigi and Yoshi appear outside of the former's bedtime story.