Anime character Suicides?

[NinjaJJ]

Are there anime characters who commit suicide? I'm curious since several I'm seeing think about or attempt suicide but I know of none that succeed. For the fact that Japan has a major suicide problem I wonder how it's been addressed in anime.

I know this thread will involve spoilers so I'll just expect them.

Oh, and before anyone answers sacrificing oneself for the betterment of man/saving someone isn't suicide so no references to Goku or Vegeta or something along those lines please.

[Azangel]

I changed the title of your thread so it is a little more clear.
Hope you don't mind.

The only one I can think of off the top of my head was a character in Saiyuki - Kannan killed herself after being raped by a demon. She's not a main character, though, she's related to one of the main characters.

[Alex Scott]

Suicide was pretty prevalent in Evangelion. Ritsuko's mother jumped off a ledge, Asuka's mother hanged herself, and Asuka attempted suicide late into the series.

Then there was Read or Die, with the villain's plot to make everybody kill themselves.

One of Sharon Apple's managers in Macross Plus jumped off the SDF-1 because he was so entranced by the music.

Haibane Renmei also strongly implies that some of the characters committed suicide before they became Haibane, leading them to become "sinbound."

That's about all I can think of.

[The Drunkard Kid]

IIRC, Kaiba drove a few people to suicide, but that might have just been in the manga.

Magic Knight Rayearth's first series was basically Esmeraude's suicide attempt, but that might be exempt as per your OP.

Kikyo basically commited suicide after she sealed away IY, since she seemed to choose death rather than healing herself with the Shikon no Tama.

[Hikari Tsukishiro]

Do attempted suicides count?

I suppose it wouldn't, as some people romantisize the notion.

[OverMaster]

Admiral Munetake in Nadesico basically commited suicide, although he was so delusional you can argue he wasn't actually conscious at all of what he was doing.

Megumi attempted suicide at one point of Rurouni Kenshin, and IIRC, Shishio's businessman Hoshi or whatever his name was killed himself in jail. Then we also have Yumi, but her death might fall under the sacrifice clause of the OP.

Also, it's manwa, but Iori Yagami and M. Bison killed themselves in the SNK vs. Capcom book.

[joegottman]

Princess Emeraude from Magic Knight Rayearth forced the three heroines to kill her. This is just like "suicide by cop" in the real world.

[Jack Zodiac]

"Lain" opened with a suicide.

[Buzz Dixon]

It ends with one as well, albeit self-destruction as a form of sacrifice to save others.

There are the three suicidal ghosts in the creepy but funny episode of PARANOIA AGENT.

[Yun Lao]

"Doc" in Texhnolyze committed suicide by drowning herself in a bath tub and there were only a few dozen suicides in the first part of Weiss Kreuz Gluhen from the brainwashed students and Kyo.