Banana Fish has gathered a large and enthusiastic fanbase despite its dark and tragic themes.
The reason why this series is loved is the fact that its main character speaks out about the ways in which sexual assaults affect individuals.
Ash’s character and Eiji’s uncompromising support pulls at the viewer’s hearts and turn them into avid viewers.
About Banana Fish
Banana Fish has Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old teenager who meets the body of a man that has been murdered.
The final words spoken by this person, “Banana Fish,” throws Ash into an exciting tragic, dreadful, and fated journey to discover the meaning behind it.
With Eiji Okamura, a sweet youthful photographer from Japan, and his family to be his companion, a myriad of details will come to light.
Ash abandons the throne ruled by the devil-like man who raised him.
This show is my absolute choice, and maybe it’s a bit tragic for me, but it’s always a joy to watch the show impacting other viewers in exactly the same way.
The unjustly gritty realism of Banana Fish that led to its tragic end, evokes some unwelcome angst and haunts the audience until today.
The only consolation fans can take from the recent changes on the Banana Fish website. The site’s website shows that all dead characters were grayscaled, which included Ash however, his status was recently declared unknown.
This leads us to the question: is Ash really dead?
Does it seem like there’s a chance the boy will receive his happy ending and alleviate the hurt in our hearts?
Let’s learn!
Does Ash Die in Banana Fish?
The final season of Banana Fish ties all the loose ends. Hosts are freed, Foxx and Golzine are killed, and the entire documentation of that Banana Fish project is destroyed.
Additionally, Sing decides not to fight Ash and convinces Yut-Lung to stop his pursuit of them.
As Eiji leaves for Japan, and Ash goes to the library while reading the letter that Eiji wrote to him, all seems to be good, that is, until Ash is stabbed.
The manga’s storyline is that following being wounded, Ash goes to the library to read Eiji’s letter.
He dies bleeding to death.
In the animated series anime, his status is revealed.
The ending of the story is not clear in accordance with MAPPA.
According to the sources, it is believed that he actually passed away.
Who Killed Him?
Ash, as well as Sing, were meant to fight it out to the finish but in the end, they decided to not fight.
It was later discovered that Lao was unaware of the peace agreement between them.
To protect Sing, he attacked Ash who was distracted by Eiji’s message.
After being wounded, Ash shoots Lao and is taken to the library to read Eiji’s letter.
After a few minutes, Ash puts his head down and the show ends.
The ending is not revealed the assumption is that Ash passed away.
Why Didn’t Ash Seek Help?
Ash died shortly after he had finished Eiji’s letter. This implies that there was a long time ago that Ash could have sought help and, thus, prevented his death.
The question is what made him not take the initiative?
In the 12th volume of the manga, Ash wrote these lines that perfectly give the answer to the question.
Ash would allow himself to be destroyed in the name of his happiness and that of Eiji’s.
Letting Eiji go was probably the hardest thing Ash ever needed to do. It required all his restraining to not run at him from the airport. And look at how quickly that had changed after reading the letter.
As we all, and Ash himself believed that the worst was over and he was able to leave to start a new life in Japan with Eiji but it turned out to be nothing more than one brief time of hope and innocence.
Despite being pushed into this brutal lifestyle, Ash was a part of it and tragedy would always be there for him.
The reason Ash didn’t seek help and decided to take his death was that regardless of how much Ash and Eiji attempted to live happily together one thing or the other was always going to come up against it.
After experiencing the true joy that was felt, Ash did not want to be deprived of the feeling. Ash did not want to experience the trauma of having it taken away from him once more.
In this way, Ash died thinking of Eiji and being aware that his soul would be always in his heart.
In his last moments, He knew that the person he loved was secure, and that’s what Ash desired; that was his peace.
Why Did Ash Have to Die in the End?
Interview with Yoshida who is one of the founders of Banana Fish, she explained her reasoning for the reasons Ash was always supposed to be killed in the final.
She also said that even if her characters are forced into a particular way of life, and murder because they fear being killed, at their final analysis, they’re murderers.
People who steal another’s life must take responsibility for the loss by living their own lives. This is why it was inevitable that Ash had to go to the grave.
Yoshida added that her initial theme to Banana Fish was that there’s something tragic about those who die young, such as the way Ash lived his whole life in just 17 years, rather than 70 years he lived.
He was a victim, loved, and went through more what normal people would throughout their lifetime. He lived his life and it was only natural that it would end at some point.
