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In the Naruto series, there are many unnecessary deaths. Sometimes these deaths are sacrifices that are made in vain, and other times it is the writing that makes their end completely unwarranted.
Either the story would have progressed the same even if they survived, or it just made no sense for them to die, considering the context, their skill, and other factors.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the author's opinion. It also contains spoilers for the Naruto series.
10 most unnecessary deaths in Naruto
1) Neji Hyuga
Neji Hyuga was one of the most loved characters in Naruto. After his fight with Naruto during the Chunin Exams, he gained a massive amount of fans. During the War Arc, Neji died after being impaled by a wooden stake shot out of the Ten-Tails.
Although his death was incredibly heroic, as he died protecting Hinata and Naruto, his demise was completely preventable. He could have easily used the Gentle Fist: Airpalm to send the attack in the other direction rather than throwing himself in harm's way.
2) Konan
Konan is one of the most popular female characters in Naruto and is considered to be an amazing waifu by many fans. After the death of Nagato, Konan moved back to Amegakure and decided to try and restore the village back to its former glory. However, Obito came and disrupted her time there. Konan seemingly killed Obito after engulfing him with over 600 billion explosive tags, but Obito was able to survive using Izanagi.
He then killed Konan almost immediately after. Many fans consider Obito surviving Konan's attack the way he did to be a blatant case of plot armor. Although he had to survive to continue the series, he should have been in much worse shape, thus preventing him from killing Konan.
3) Shisui Uchiha
Shisui Uchiha did not need to die. If Danzo had been stopped before his dark plans were set into motion, the young prodigy definitely could have lived. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and he was forced to throw himself off a cliff after giving Itachi his right eye.
Shisui had so much potential in his life. He could have easily become one of the strongest Uchihas in the series, but Danzo decided to put his selfish plans ahead of everything and everyone else.
4) Hizashi Hyuga
Hizashi Hyuga, Neji's father, died due to him being in the Hyuga branch family. Prior to the beginning of the series, Hiashi Hyuga killed one of the most important Shinobi in Kumogakure.
As retribution, Kumogakure demanded Hiashi to be killed; however, Hizashi took his brother's place and died instead. Although Hizashi's death prevented a war from occurring, a better alternative could have been discovered.
5) Sakumo Hatake
Sakumo Hatake was Kakashi's father and held the moniker White Fang of the Leaf. He was considered to be on, in some instances, even above the level of the Legendary Sannin. Despite his strength and skill, he was not immune to the words of others.
After failing a mission because he put the safety of his teammate first, everyone began to hate him. Both Shinobi and civilians shamed him repeatedly for his actions, which caused him to commit suicide. Sakumo did the morally correct thing, putting the lives of his friends before the mission. There was no need for the citizens of Konohagakure to treat him so badly.
6) Ao
Ao was once an incredibly respected Shinobi during Naruto Shippuden. He was Mei Terumi's right-hand man and one of the strongest ninjas Kirigakure had to offer. However, after losing parts of his body during the attack on HQ, he joined Kara as a way for him to gain a reason for living.
His allegiance to Kara caused him to fight Boruto and his friends during a mission outside of Konoha. He lost the fight and surrendered in defeat, but Kashin Koji, a powerful Kara Inner, decided to kill Ao for his failure. There was no reason for Ao to die, and his brilliant mind would have been an asset to Konohagakure.
7) Kimimaro
Kimimaro was Orochimaru's strongest follower in the original Naruto anime before Sasuke and the former leader of the Sound Five. Orochimaru implanted the Cursed Seal of Earth on his body after he pledged his life to the Snake Sannin. His kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku, allowed him to easily take one of the Konoha 11 and several chunin and jonin during the Sasuke Recovery Mission arc.
Despite his immense potential, his health was steadily declining and he died from a mysterious disease sometime later. Kimimaro could have easily become one of the strongest Shinobi the Naruto series had to offer, but he died way too early and unnecessarily.
8) Madara Uchiha
Madara Uchiha's death was controversial to many fans of the Naruto series. He's the most infamous Sharingan user who was set to become the final boss of the series. At the start of the War Arc, he single-handedly took down the Shinobi Alliance without breaking a sweat. As the arc progressed, he was able to absorb Hashirama's Sage Mode and regain both his Rinnegan. He eventually sealed the fully matured Ten-Tails within himself.
Nobody was able to match Madara when he finally became the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Even a full-powered Team Seven was unable to bring him to his knees. As he reached the height of his power, Black Zetsu swiftly took it all away from him by stabbing him through the chest. Fans were outraged by this development and believed that it should never have happened to Madara in the first place.
9) Hayate Gekko
Hayate Gekko was a very skilled special jonin and one of the Chunin Exam proctors in the original Naruto anime. One of his greatest assets was his skill in kenjutsu. He mastered the high-level kenjutsu Technique Dance of the Cresent Moon in no time and was incredibly proficient in tracking and stealth.
Hayate's end came after Baki, a Sunagakure Shinobi, noticed him eavesdropping on his conversation with Kabuto. The Sand Shinobi went after Hayate, and Hayate used the Dance of the Crescent Moon technique to try and defend himself. However, Baki was able to perfectly block the attack and killed Hayate with the Blade of Wind technique.
There was no need for Hayate to die right there. If he had escaped, he could have become a powerful kenjtusu user, capable of taking on even the strongest characters in the series.
10) Minato Namikaze
Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki died protecting Naruto during Kurama's rampage. As Minato was preparing to seal Kurama inside Naruto, the Tailed Beast noticed and decided to kill Naruto. However, Minato and Kushina quickly jumped in to protect their newborn son. Kurama's claw pierced both their abdomens, but Minato successfully sealed half of Kurama in himself and half in Naruto. They died only seconds later.
As the Fourth Hokage, Minato could have assembled a team of Konohagakure's strongest Shinob in mere seconds of giving a command. They would then have been able to restrain the Tailed Beast with more success, allowing Minato to perform a less-risky sealing ritual while staying at a safe distance.
