Top 10 Anime Heroes Turned Villains
For this list, we'll be looking at the characters in anime that started off as heroes or generally decent people, only to find themselves drawn into the roles as villains later down the line. Keep in mind, we'll also be including characters who pulled a U-Turn and went back to being good after they got their antagonist phase out their system. Prepare for plenty of alignment shifts and spoilers down the line!
#10: Slaine Troyard
“Aldnoah.Zero” (2014-15)
Ah adolescence. A time of great emotional complexity, yearning and outbursts. It’s just such a shame that this guy’s hormones propelled him towards being a warmonger. While originally nothing more than a loyal soldier determined to save the life of his beloved empress, who he happened to be harbouring feelings towards, her apparent death plus the fact there was a new protagonist making the moves on her was just a bit too much for Slaine to handle. Murdering his adoptive father, causing chaos with his mecha, there’s no lengths he wouldn’t go for the sake of his thirst.
#9: Stocking
“Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt” (2010)
Technically this villainous twist is played more for laughs and shock value than actual character development, but hey, it still counts! After managing to put the kibosh on Corset by summoning a giant pair of legs from heaven (just go with it) Stocking betrays her sister at the last second by slicing her up into bite-sized angel pieces, all before revealing that, surprise, she’s actually a demon. Are we given an explanation? Nope, but at least we got to share in everyone else’s stares of disbelief as the series concluded on the mother of all cliffhangers.
#8: Kai
“Beyblade” (2001)
Being a jerk and a loner is one thing, but betraying your team for a shiny new Beyblade is a bridge too far. After being given the chance to get his hands on the infamous Black Dranzer, Kai happily throws his lot in with the shady Boris and his Demolition Boys. From there, Kai proceeds to decimate all other players, sometimes whole teams at a time, in order to steal their Bit Beasts for himself. Thankfully, after getting his ass beaten by his former comrades and nearly drowning in a frozen lake, he finally learned some humility.
#7: Straizo
“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (2012-13)
Honestly, turning evil was properly the right move for this guy. At least now he’ll always be the villain that introduced us to the majestic awesomeness that is Joseph Joestar, as opposed to some generic chap who survived the events of Phantom Blood. Deciding to take the power of the Stone Mask for himself, Straizo turns himself into a vampire before deciding to get rid of the one man who could defeat him. Alas, he proves no match for Joseph’s cunning and uncanny ability to pull victories out of his backside.
#6: Seidou Takizawa
“Tokyo Ghoul:re” (2018)
While originally a member of the CCG, Takizawa was nonetheless a well-meaning kid. Albeit one who had a major inferiority complex and didn’t know how to control his fear. Unfortunately for him, he found himself being turned into an artificial One-Eyed Ghoul and was driven crazy by the torturous process. This eventually led him into the crosshairs of Haise, where the two proceeded to engage in all-out Ghoul brawl. Too bad all that insanity wasn’t enough to defeat our brooding lead.
#5: Archer
“Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works” (2014-15)
While on the surface, this Heroic Spirit appears to be the embodiment of suave, one who would happily slice and his shoot his way through the Fifth Holy Grail War for the sake of Rin. Truthfully however, he’s an opportunist looking for the most advantageous way to push his own agenda. As an alternate version of Shirou from another timeline, Archer seeks to end his younger self in order to…uh…timey-wimey/right the wrongs/counter-guardian you get the idea. Have to admit, even as he betrays basically everyone he encounters, he still looks awesome in that coat.
#4: Char Aznable
“Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack” (1988)
Well, so much for all that good faith that he built up during Zeta. After rallying the Neo-Zeon forces in an effort to kick the Earth Federation to the curb, Char once again returns to his status as the Red Comet, complete with some major revenge issues. Turns out he never quite got over Lalah’s death. Thus, the legendary rivalry is reignited, with Char even willing to drop an asteroid on the Earth for the sake of his mission. It’s fair to say that this time around, Char skipped over the morally-grey area and went straight for Vader status.
#3: Ryo Asuka
“Devilman Crybaby” (2018)
While we should have seen the warning signs when he starting pulling out machine guns and stabbing people in nightclubs, for the most part we still trusted Ryou when it came to his mission to wipe out the demons infesting the Earth…until it was revealed that he was the biggest devil of them all. After discovering his true origins as Satan, Ryou is all too eager to fall back on his old apocalyptic habits, paving the way for the slaughter all of mankind in the process.
#2: Sasuke Uchiha
“Naruto” series (2002-17)
Watching your family get massacred by your older brother can certainly have a negative effect on an impressionable young kid, and for Sasuke, it rooted itself in the form of cold-blooded revenge. The younger Uchiha was so driven by a desire to kill his bro, that his narrowmindedness led him to abandon his village and nearly kill his best bud. Of course, the vengeance-train didn’t stop there, as after discovering the truth about Itachi, he soon set his sights on wiping out the Hidden Leaf and almost killed his future wife! Honestly, it’s a miracle that he managed to get himself off the hook by the end of the series.
#1: Griffith
“Berserk” (1997-98)
Of course it’s bloody Griffith! The White Hawk may have pulled some shady shit in order to improve his political standing and win the king’s favour, but he still was shown to have a deep appreciation for the Band of the Hawk as well as his newfound friendship with Guts. At least he did, until he sacrificed them all to become a member of the God Hand, the final nail in the coffin being when he made Guts watch as he violated Casca. Yeeeeeep, that’ll earn you a villain’s loyalty card all right.
