While several characters like Hughie, Annie, Mother's Milk, and Kimiko had happy endings, The Boys (2019-2026) on Prime Video was rife with heartbreaking deaths since its inaugural episode.
Some of the scenes in which these deaths took place vary in emotional resonance, but rest assured: the list's upper echelon were truly heartbreaking moments.
These are the 10 saddest deaths in The Boys, ranked.
10. Robin Ward
In a V1-addicted rush, a member of The Seven in Reggie "A-Train" Franklin, was using his super speed when a woman named Robin Ward stepped into the street. She was the girlfriend of protagonist Hughie Campbell, but she burst into smithereens in a truly shocking scene, one that set the tone for the sheer brutalities to come.
While audiences were largely unacquainted with Robin Ward, her shocking death in the pilot kicked the plot into gear, and seeing Hughie's anguish was enough to tug at the heart.
9. Kenji Miyashiro
Portrayed by Abraham Lim, Kenji Miyashiro was Kimiko's younger brother, who died at the hands of Stormfront during episode three of the show's second season. It's yet another brutal sequence as the villainous Stormfront snapped Kenji's wrist, ridding him of his telekinetic abilities before snapping the character's neck.
On top of the fact that Kimiko watched with dread as her little brother perished, the death of Jenji Miyashiro turned from heartbreak to anger when Stormfront subsequently labeled him a terrorist. He deserved a better ending, even if he was only around for a couple of episodes prior.
8. Popclaw
Another significant other of one of the show's main characters, Popclaw was a supe who once was part of the Teenage Kix group along with her boyfriend A-Train. They had been together before the show kicked off, and it's actually A-Train that kills her, making her overdose on heroin at Homelander's behest.
What separates this from the Robin Ward scene is that Popclaw was a bit more established as a legitimately recurring character, and her death rendered A-Train's story all the more tragic.
7. Black Noir
Multiple versions of this "Supe" have existed, and they've all been killed off. The most heartbreaking of the bunch was the original Black Noir, who was killed by Homelander upon finding out that his old friend was keeping a secret. Of course, it's revealed that Homelander is the son of fellow supe Soldier Boy, and Black Noir withheld this information from the show's most dastardly villain.
In a seriously emotional sequence, Homelander punches a hole into Black Noir's chest, leaving the latter with his imaginary cartoon friends as he died by his lonesome. He may have been part of The Seven, but there's no denying the heartbreak that came with Noir's demise.
6. Becca Butcher
The first truly saddening moment that the series had to offer, the death of Becca Butcher was particularly difficult to watch because of William Butcher's reaction. Sad then stoic, Billy watches the love of his life pass away in his arms, then proceeds to defend her son Ryan from Homelander despite the kid causing her death.
Everything up to this point in Butcher's story line revolved around Becca and their complicated relationship, so it seemed like a real turning point when the character wound up dead. This only fueled Billy's rage even more, and it acted as the perfect setup for The Boys season three.
5. Terror
Just a few episodes before his death, "One-Shots" featured William Butcher's beloved dog Terror as a spotlight, showing scenes from the animal's perspective. Some hilarious moments ensue, and while Terror stayed in the background throughout the rest of the season, that particular episode was his most prominent in the show.
There from the start, Terror had developed close relationships with the likes of Hughie and Ryan. It would've been a truly happy ending if he wound up with either of them, but in the series finale, Terror died in his sleep. At least these evil showrunners didn't let him suffer.
4. Hughie Campbell Sr.
Around for several seasons, Hughie Campbell Sr. is the protagonist's father, and he's played to an impeccable degree by the famous Simon Pegg. That performer's natural charisma made Hughie Cambell Sr. an endlessly compelling character, and it was thus a shame for fans to see him go.
What makes his death so heartbreaking would be how his mind deteriorated before he actually passed away, with Hughie Campbell Sr. going on an accidental Compound V rampage that killed several innocents. You know what happens from there.
3. A-Train
With perhaps the best arc of character development that The Boys ever produced, Reggie "A-Train" Franklin was at first a primary villain when the show kicked into gear. He even caused a couple of deaths that appeared within this list, but make no mistake: A-Train redeemed himself in the hearts of the fans by the time he was killed off, his death going down as the introduction to the fifth and final season.
Coming full circle, A-Train's character arc was something to behold, but what made his death particularly upsetting was its unexpected nature. He was killed by Homelander, who might always be known among the more villainous characters in both television and comic book history.
2. William Butcher
While this was kind of expected, it hurt to see Butcher go, especially when considering his death was rather avoidable within the actual plot. He was seconds away from releasing the virus that kills all supes before Hughie pulled a trigger of his own, shooting his best friend in the stomach and setting into motion a truly heartbreaking scene.
Comparing his friend to another, Butcher says that Hughie is the spitting image of Lennie, someone who'd been referenced several times in the series. The perfect capstone to the dynamic of Hughie and Butcher, and the latter's death was made all the more sad when the boys gathered at his grave, where he was next to Becca. Right where he wanted to be.
1. Frenchie
While it may have been evident in season 5, episode 7 that Frenchie's end was nigh, viewers around the world shed a collective tear as the fan-favorite figure sacrifices himself. He does so to save his love Kimiko from the unstoppable wrath of Homelander, who ends up killing Frenchie in an endlessly heartbreaking sequence.
A fixture of comedy, poignance, romance, and thrills, Frenchie was perhaps the most dynamic character in The Boys as a whole. He's beloved by fans of the comic book and the TV show alike, and to make matters worse, he died in Kimiko's arms. Hard to not put Frenchie here at number one.
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