A director and writer of more than a dozen animes, Yoshiyuki Tomino is among the most well known people in anime. Aside from the fact that he created Gundam, he's probably most well known for being 'Kill Em All' Tomino, a man who has killed large portions of, if not all of his cast in many of his animes. Here I shall take a look back at the origins of that nickname, and the animes involving it.

To find the origins of Tomino's nickname one would probably start with 1977's Invincible Superman Zambot 3, but one can go even further back than that all the way to 1972's Triton of the Sea to see that Tomino anime would be far different than the traditional light hearted stuff that was out there. The premise of Triton of the Sea was that our hero, Triton, is the sole survivor of Atlantis and fights against the evil Poseidons, who were the ones who destroyed Atlantis. Throughout the series the show didn't seem all that different than those that came out at the time. But we were given a shocking plot twist as the series drew to a close. Triton finally manages to wipe out the Poseidons and mortally wounds their leader, Poseideon (yes, I too wish they were a little more diverse in their names :P) But as he dies, Poseidon reveals that Triton has had it wrong all along, it was those from Atlantis that were the evil ones! The vicious people of Atlantis ruthlessly slaughtered the Poseidons and it was only through the help of God that they were able to be resurrected and exert some justice upon them. Even though the ending wasn't filled with death, it was something that totally shocked the audience and was the first in a long line of depressing, thought provoked Tomino endings.

After working on Brave Raideen, Tomino directed the 23 episode Invincible Superman Zambot 3, which was the first in a long line of mecha animes by Sunrise. Despite the fact that the show starred 10 year old kids piloting the 3 part super robot Zambot 3, the show was quite a dark one for its time. Our heroes, the Jins are descendents of refugees that fled to Earth under pursuit of the vicious Gaizocks. The Gaizock's are about as brutal as they come. They kidnap children, then return them to their parents unharmed. Unknown to everyone is that the Gaizock planted bombs in these children, and they blow up, killing everyone around. Our hero Kappei falls in love with a girl, and she blows up right in front of him! But it gets much, much worse than that as the series draws to a close. In the final battle against the Gaizock flag ship our heroes run out of ammunition. With few other options, one by one our heroes blow themselves up kamikaze style in an attempt to defeat the enemy until only Kappei is left. The Gaizocks are eventually defeated, but it comes at a deep cost.

Tomino would ease up with his next anime, Daitarn 3 before doing his greatest work, Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979. Although MS Gundam isn't a traditional 'Kill Em All' anime, it still contains a large amount of death. Many sympathetic characters like Icelina Echonbach, Matilda Ajan and Ryu Jose are killed. Our hero, Amuro Ray suffers the cruel fate of seeing his mentor (Ryu), first crush (Matilda) and true love (Lalah) all die right in front of him (in fact he is the one who kills Lalah, by accident). By the time the series draws to a close every single member of the Zeons has been killed (A few years later in the movie version it would be revealed that Zeon ace Char Aznable did survive and he returned for the sequel). Luckily the vast majority of our heroes ended up making it out alive.

Tomino followed Gundam with 1980's Space Runaway Ideon, the quintessential 'Kill Em All' anime. While Zambot 3 originated the nickname, Ideon cemented it as his reputation. No one was safe in Ideon. Teenage girls would be decapitated in front of their good friends. Little girls would have their heads burned off. Our pregnant heroine would get shot in the face by her own sister. By the time Space Runaway Ideon draws to a close everyone, both heroes and villains have been killed and with the destruction of the Ideon itself, the entire universe it destroyed. Like Zambot 3, Tomino attached a happy message to the very end (in Zambot Kappei was welcomed home by those who had rejected him earlier), but that doesn't detract from the utter bloodshed that occured beforehand.

Tomino directed another lighthearted show in 1982's Xabungle before working on Aura Battler Dunbine in 1983. The deaths continued in Dunbine, with many supporting characters being killed off throughout the show. The outlook looked good as we approached the last few episodes since pretty much every main character was still alive. But in an act that probably shouldn't have been unexpected at this point Tomino went on one of the biggest massacres in anime history, wiping out over a dozen characters in the final 2 episodes including the main character Shou Zama. Probably worst of all is when one of our heroines is shot in the face by her mother, an act very similar to what happened in Ideon's ending. Only one character, the fairy Chum Huau would survive. Tomino, now having done 3 'Kill Em All' endings was just getting started however.

1984's Heavy Metal L-Gaim was another nice break from the bloodshed, allowing our heroes to make it out alive. Tomino returned to Gundam in 1985 with Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Like Dunbine a few years earlier, Tomino spread out a massive amount of supporting character deaths throughout the show, including both of the main characters parents by the fifth episode. While the show contained about as many deaths as Dunbine, Tomino was slightly more kind in Zeta Gundam, spreading them out more across the last half a dozen episodes or so instead of compressing them all into the final two. As the series draws to a close practically all the heroes we've grown to love over the show (and the villains we've grown to despise) have met their end, and to top it off the main character ends up going insane after a psychic attack from the main villain in the final episode.

In a developing pattern Tomino was a slight more lighthearted with his next effort, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, which while containing many character deaths at the end left pretty much all the heroes alive like the original Gundam before it. Tomino would finish off the original Gundam storyline once and for all with Char's Counterattack in 1988. Tomino introduced many new characters, most of which passed away by the movie's end, and then did the unthinkable by killing the 2 main characters of the Gundam franchise, Amuro Ray and Char Aznable. How many anime directors out there would consider killing off the heart of the franchise? Very few, but Tomino was more than willing to do it.

Tomino's 'Kill Em All' heyday pretty much came to an end with Char's Counterattack. Having put out a whopping 9 TV series and 6 movies in 11 years, Tomino took a well deserved break before returning with Mobile Suit Gundam F91 in 1991, and Mobile Suit Victory Gundam in 1993. Reportedly in a depression at the time, Victory Gundam would feature a death count rivaling that of Zeta Gundam, and would his final 'Kill Em All' show. Today with more lighthearted shows like Turn a Gundam and Overman King Gainer Tomino has finally decided to refrain from tearing the hearts of his viewers out with horrificly brutal endings. Looking back over the late 70's and majority of the 80's, its an era we'll probably never see again in terms of sheer production and the absurd amount of brutality in his shows.

Tomino Anime Death Lists:
Mobile Suit Gundam
Paolo Cassius(Episode 4)
Garma Zabi(Episode 10)
Icelina Echonbach(episode 11)
Ramba Ral(Episode 20)
Crowley Hamon(Episode 21)
Ryu Jose
Matilda Ajan(Episode 24)
Miharu Ratokie(Episode 28)
Woody Malden(Episode 29)
Dren(Episode 32)
Conscun(Episode 34)
Dozle Zabi(Episode 36)
M'Quve(Episode 37)
Wakkein(Episode 38)
Lalah Sune(Episode 41)
Degwin Zabi
General Revil
Gihren Zabi(Episode 42)
Kacilia Zabi(Episode 43)

Space Runaway Ideon
Mayaya Rau(Episode 7)
Abadidi Gurimade(Episode 10)
Guhaba Geba(Episode 13)
Doku(Episode 15)
Damido Pechi(Episode 16)
Gyamus(Episode 20)
Kitty Kitten(Episode 25)
Daram Zuba(Episode 30)
Moera Fatima(Episode 32)
Rukuku Kil(Episode 33)
Hannibal Gen(Episode 35)
Marshall Franklin(Episode 36)
Lin Formosa(Episode 37)
Gije Zaral(Episode 38)
Sheryl Formosa(Movie)
Zou Habel Gande
Tolorof
Banda Lotta
Karala Ajiba
Harulu Ajiba
Kilarul
Gindoro Jinma
Joliver Ira
Kasha Imhof
Bento Malus
Hatari Naburu
Ashura Novak
Fard Maraka
Rapot Famu
Bes Jordan
Doba Ajiba
Piper Lou
Tekuno Gyabari
Deck Afta
Cosmo Yuki
The Entire Universe

Aura Battler Dunbine
Elle Hunm(Episode 48)
Abe
Riml Luft
Louser Luft
Bishot Hate
Keen Keets(Episode 49)
Shot Weapon
Musiy Por
Marvel Frozen
Drake Luft
Nie Given
Ciela Lapana
Bel Al
El Fino
Bern Bunning
Show Zama

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Hilda Bidan(Episode 3)
Franklin Bidan(Episode 5)
Lila Milla Rira(Episode 7)
Kacricon Kacooler(Episode 10)
Roberto(Episode 13)
Buran Blutarch(Episode 16)
Ben Wooder(Episode 20)
Jamaican Danninghan(Episode 26)
Mouar Pharoah(Episode 30)
Four Murasame(Episode 37)
Apollie(Episode 45)
Jamitov Hymem(Episode 46)
Sarah Zabiarov
Rosamia Badam(Episode 48)
Bask Om
Loren Nakamoto
Katz Kobayashi(Episode 49)
Henken Beckner
Ramsus Hasa
Dunkel Cooper
Reccoa Londe
Emma Sheen(Episode 50)
Gady Kinsey
Paptimus Scirocco

Char's Counterattack
Adenaur Paraya
Rezin Schnyder
Kayra Su
Gyunei Guss
Quess Paraya
Chan Agi
Astonaige Medoz
Char Aznable
Amuro Ray