Being the rudeness level, I think it's also a matter of shock level. Characters in anime and movies are likely to use '死ぬ' because it's very shocking to say it like that, where in real life people are a little more likely to have some restraint.

Let's face it, "お前はもう死んでいる" has more impact than "お前はもう亡くなっている".

Being the rudeness level, I think it's also a matter of shock level. Characters in anime and movies are likely to use '死ぬ' because it's very shocking to say it like that, where in real life people are a little more likely to have some restraint.

Let's face it, "お前はもう死んでいる" has more impact than "お前はもう亡くなっている". (Both mean "You are already dead", but the first is a direct quote from the anime Fist of the North Star's Ken.)