Possible Spoilers in the examples of course.

Searched and am kind of surprised there isn't a thread for this here.

Anyway, I'm looking for something with a death of an important character, either a protagonist, sidekick, or even an enemy that they seemed to identify with, but not something where it's common like most horror or psychological series, I'm looking for something where there is maybe one or two dramatic deaths in the entire series, like the Following:

Yu Yu Hakusho- Though It's cheated since he wont stay dead.
Rurouni Kenshin-(I'm counting Jin'nae since Kenshin didn't want him to die and was affected by his last words)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Tigun
Cowboy Bebop
History's Strongest Disciple
Naruto (I hate to say it, I really do but it fits)

As you can see I'd preferably like action shounen. No shoujo or shounen-ai, and no rape involved in the series, it's one of the biggest turn offs for me in manga, though I don't mind a situation like in I's (aka, saved before it happens).

Also, I don;t mind a very dramatic near death due to personal sacrifice, but nothing like Bleach where it seems like someone is going to die at the end of every fight but no matter how terribly wounded they are they survive somehow.

Most importantly, male only. for some reason it seems female deaths are a lot more common in manga, and I'm not a fan.

Thanks in advance.

________________
Favorite Manga:
Yu Yu Hakusho
Mx0
Midori no Hibi
That is all.

Ares
Shin Angyo Onshi
Vinland Saga

________________
Avatar by tassyn.livejournal.com

Reading: Kingdom, Sangokushi, Historie

read them, they fit, but I didn't post them because they lack the same feel, like the death is too expected.

Ares is a war story, Shin Angyo Onshi was a little to violent early on for me to feel really shocked or sad when anyone dies, And Vinland saga is the same as Ares. My bad,Thanks though. I mean the series I posted were all action and had battle but the deaths of certain characters were just so unexpected, making them so much more dramatic to me.

________________
Favorite Manga:
Yu Yu Hakusho
Mx0
Midori no Hibi
That is all.

Fullmetal Alchemist

________________

Two that I can think of at the moment are:
Death Note (Stupidly Tragic)
Gantz (I forgot exactly how tragic though)

________________

Everyday I'm tumblin'

Haou Airen

________________

I wouldnt call that tragic really. More like a happy ending. But I hated the guy.

The best example I can think of is in Scrapped Princess anime since I consider him an important character. Never read the manga so it could be totally different.
Another anime with a similar shocking death for me was Noein (hope I'm not remembering it wrong) and My-Hime where the authors decide to ruin the entire story in the last episode... again I don't know the manga so they could be very different.

Also D-Ash, hope I'm not wrong since it's a while since I read it. It's not an action manga though.

And of course the most famous works of Urasawa Naoki (especially Pluto) are full of tragic death scenes, but they're not quite unexpected.

________________
What I like in Trivial Pursuit style. Pick your category:

Ai-Ren has two truely tragic deaths, and the worst part is that it was inevitable.

________________
Do not feed the trolls

Kekkaishi
ES

Also here are a couple of shojo/josei that have a good level of action in them and are not predicatable.
Banana Fish
07-ghost
Akusaga - been a while since I've read it but I remember some important male dies.

Hope this helps.

________________
The pen is mightier than the sword...and considerably easier to write with.

Not an action manga, really, but Area No Kishi does qualify.