who were the five deaths in stranger things

The phrase “the five deaths in Stranger Things” usually refers to the five main or emotionally major on‑screen deaths that fans and articles most often highlight, not a formal list from the show itself.

Core answer

When people talk about “five deaths in Stranger Things,” they are usually referring to these key characters whose deaths had a big emotional or plot impact across seasons 1–4:

• Barb Holland – Nancy’s best friend, killed by the Demogorgon in season 1.

• Bob Newby – Joyce’s boyfriend, killed by demo-dogs while helping everyone escape the Hawkins Lab in season 2.

• Billy Hargrove – Max’s stepbrother, sacrifices himself to save Eleven and the others from the Mind Flayer in season 3.

• Chrissy Cunningham – The first of Vecna’s teen victims in season 4, killed in Eddie’s trailer in a brutal, supernatural attack.

• Eddie Munson – The Hellfire Club leader who dies in the Upside Down after heroically distracting the demobats with his guitar solo in season 4.

These five are not the only deaths in the show, but they are the ones most often grouped together in fan discussions, “saddest deaths” rankings, and forum debates about who had the most heartbreaking end.

Why these five get singled out

• They are all named, developed characters with relationships to the main cast, so their deaths hit harder than random background casualties.

• Each death is tied to a major turning point : Barb’s disappearance exposes the Upside Down, Bob’s death raises the stakes around the lab, Billy’s sacrifice marks the climax of the Mind Flayer arc, and Chrissy and Eddie define how terrifying Vecna and season 4 really are.

• Fans still reference them in current rankings, retrospectives, and theories about who might die in season 5, which keeps the idea of a “core five” deaths circulating in trending discussions.

Quick note on other deaths

There are many more deaths across the series (including characters like Benny, Dr. Brenner, Fred, and more), and some viewers swap one or two of those into their personal “top five” list. So if you saw a different set of five mentioned in a specific article or forum thread, it was likely that writer’s or community’s own pick of the five most important or saddest deaths rather than an official canon label.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.