Top 20 Anime Characters with a Tragic Past

“Gintama” (2006-18)

He may be the lead in what is primarily a gag series, but Gintoki has a surprisingly grim backstory. An orphaned scavenger, Gintoki is taken in by a swordsmanship school. There, Gintoki makes friends and learns under the wing of his sensei, Shouyou. However, war sees most of the students die, and Gintoki is forced to choose between killing his remaining friends or Shouyou himself. Shouyou has always insisted that Gintoki look after his fellow students, and is accepting of Gintoki’s decision to kill him. That doesn’t make Gintoki’s sadness or his friend Takasugi’s horrified distress any less easy to bear in the moment though.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Villains are made, not born. Tomura Shigaraki, born Tenko Shimura, is the grandson of famous hero Nana Shimura. Initially believed to lack a Quirk, Tenko idolized heroes, despite his father Kotaro resenting his mother, and all heroes by extension. Kotaro’s abuse of Tenko and his family has disastrous effects. When Tenko finally manifests his Quirk, it leads to horrific tragedy. Tenko can decay anything he touches, which leads to him accidentally killing first his dog, then his sister, mother, and grandparents. When Tenko intentionally kills his dad, it’s awful…though we get it. And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Tenko is groomed as Tomura Shigaraki by All For One, the man who killed his hero grandma, and created his experiences in the first place.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019-)

Given how cruel they are as demons, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that Daki and Gyutaro had a rough upbringing when they were human. Both were born to a sex worker in the poorer parts of the Entertainment District. Abused by their mother, the duo eventually left her to live by themselves. The siblings hoped to escape poverty after Daki, or Ume, began training in a brothel and Gyutaro worked as an enforcer. However, after she stabbed a customer for insulting her brother, Daki is burned alive, nearly dying in the process, with Gyutaro nearly killed by her attackers too. Given how desperate their lives were until that point, we can’t even blame them for accepting the offer to become demons.

“Soul Eater” (2008-09)

When your mother is a witch trying to resurrect the Kishin, you’re not going to have a happy childhood. Crona is always a little unhinged, and they got that way through some awful abuse. For starters, they had all their blood replaced by Black Blood, allowing the demon sword Ragnarok to fuse with them and manifest as a separate being. When Ragnarok wasn’t insulting or belittling Crona, Medusa kept her child locked up unless they killed for her. This horrific environment basically guaranteed that Crona would grow up on the verge of madness and with little experience with or empathy for other people.

“Angel Beats!” (2010)

In one way or another, every character in “Angels Beats!” has a tragic backstory: they’re all dead and hanging out in limbo. Masami was the child of parents who seemed to be constantly fighting, causing her to feel severe anxiety and loneliness. She found an outlet when she began playing the guitar. Things seemed to be looking up – until she then suffered a stroke which paralyzed her. This was due to her father hitting her in the head with a beer bottle when she was younger, and would eventually lead to her death. Hopefully she’ll have better luck in the afterlife.

“Made in Abyss” (2017-)


The deeper you go into “Made in Abyss,” the more traumatic everything gets. Mitty used to be a cheerful, optimistic young girl. She makes friends with Nanachi as they both volunteer to work under the White Whistle Delver, Bondrewd. Gradually, fewer and fewer children are part of their group, until at last, Mitty is called. Nanachi follows and Bondrewd sends both to the 6th level of the Abyss as part of his experiments. Both are transformed, and while Nanachi retains her intelligence, Mitty devolves into a blob-like, monstrous creature, barely capable of speech and unable to die, no matter how much pain is inflicted on her. It’s a horrific thing to happen to anyone, much less a little girl.

“Clannad" (2007-09)

Kotomi is painfully shy and withdrawn when viewers first meet her in “Clannad”. It turns out that she and Tomoya, the main character of the series, were once good friends when they were little. They renew their friendship, but one day they witness a bus crash which traumatizes Kotomi. It reminds her of the plane crash that killed her parents and made her afraid to get close to anyone again for fear of being hurt. Fortunately, Tomoya doesn’t let her withdraw from the world again – but it takes a lot of effort to bring Kotomi back into contact with people.

“Ai Yori Aoshi” (2002-03)

Kaoru’s problems originate in his birth. He was the oldest son of the head of the Hanabishi clan, so things should have been rosy. Unfortunately, his father and mother lived together without the benefit of marriage, which caused a bit of a scandal. His father died when he was five years old, his grandfather insisted on adopting him – and cutting off all his ties with his mother. He suffered a great deal of physical and verbal abuse thereafter before running away to live on his own.

"Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic" (2012-14)

Being a prince isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Just ask Hakuryuu. At the age of six, he was caught in a massive fire when enemies revolted against his father. He fled with his older brothers, both of whom died – but not before revealing that it was their own mother that started the revolt. One of his brothers stabbed himself and poured his blood all over Hakuryuu, hoping the liquid would protect him from the flames. Although scarred, Hakuryuu lived – and had to confront the fact that his mother had brought about this destruction.

“Future Diary” (2011-12)

Yuno is one crazy kid – and we mean that literally. Anyone might go a little nuts with her history, though. Her father largely ignored her, while her mother was obsessed with turning Yuno into a perfect person. To that end, she locked her in a cage and starved and abused her. Eventually, Yuno was able to turn the tables and locked her parents up. Unfortunately, she forgot to feed them and they eventually starved to death. After which, she kept their dead bodies around for conversational purposes. You know, healthy normal stuff.

“Hellsing Ultimate” (2006-12)


Vampires typically have a life bathed in blood, but Seras Victoria’s began before she joined the undead. Through an illusory flashback, we learn that Seras’ father was a police officer. His undercover work was exposed and the gang he was infiltrating found and murdered him. As Seras hid in a closet, his killers were confronted by her mother, who was also killed. Seras tried to attack them as well, and although she stabbed one in the eye, she was shot and left for dead. That alone would be enough for a lifetime of trauma, but the unspeakable things one of them did to her mother’s body…well, we can see why Seras has such a strong sense of justice as an adult.

“Vinland Saga” (2019-)

Initially a wide-eyed young boy from Iceland, Thorfinn’s whole life changes after he stows away on a ship with his father, Thors. Tragically, along the way they are ambushed by Vikings led by Askeladd, who orders Thors’ death. Distraught and furious, Thorfinn stows away again, joining Askeladd’s band in the hopes of one day killing him. Thorfinn’s youth is spent constantly at war and surrounded by violence. However, Thorfinn is denied his revenge and is sent into slavery. Robbed of his family and his reason for living, Thorfinn begins his adulthood truly adrift. It’s no wonder he feels as if nothing good has ever happened to him.

“Dororo” (2019)

Some people are born into tragedy. Hyakkimaru’s father, Lord Kagemitsu Daigo, made a pact with demons before he was born. In exchange for power, Daigo’s firstborn is born without skin, limbs, and many other bodily functions, like being able to feel pain. Set adrift by his father, Hyakkimaru is adopted and given prosthetic limbs by a surgeon, Dr. Jukai. As Hyakkimaru kills demons, he regains the limbs and sensations denied to him, though he also risks losing his humanity. There’s stealing the next generation’s future from them, and then there’s this!

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

Given that these two brothers are introduced as being partially or fully metallic, there’s no chance of a happy origin story. When the boys were young, their mother Trisha passed away, leaving them orphaned, as their father had been away for years. Already talented in alchemy, the duo studies further, eventually attempting to perform human transmutation - essentially trying to bring their mom back from the dead. Horrifically, not only is what they create not even human, but Ed’s arm and leg and Al’s entire body are sacrificed as “payment.” Alchemy is about equivalent exchange, but there’s no equaling the trauma they experienced here.

“Black Butler” (2008-)


You don’t summon a demon to be your butler if life has gone according to plan. On Ciel’s 10th birthday, he found his parents and dog dead. He was then abducted and enslaved by a cult. After suffering their abuse, which included torture and branding, among other unsavory things, Ciel eventually managed to summon the demon, Sebastian Michaelis. By contracting with Sebastian, he set the demon on those responsible for his many ordeals. Ciel can come off as cold and a bit of a brat, but after what he endured, the kid’s earned all the leeway in the world.

“Elfen Lied” (2004)

Lucy is an outcast, and the small horns she was born with are a clear sign to everyone that she isn’t human. Because of it, she is feared and mistreated by those around her. The fact that she believes her parents abandoned her also causes her grief. As a child, she befriended a stray puppy and came to love it. When she revealed the puppy’s existence to a girl she considered a friend, the girl betrayed her trust. Some local school boys heard about the puppy, stole it from Lucy and beat it to death in front of her. So she killed them. After that she was taken in by a secret organization who experimented on and tortured her endlessly. Well, that does explain the bouts of rage.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-23)

This dark series has plenty of horrifying backstories to choose from. Although Levi’s was certainly a contender, all of them pale compared to that of the Founding Titan, Ymir Fritz. 2000 years before the current storyline, Ymir was a young girl whose tribe was conquered by the Eldians. She had her tongue cut out and was hunted for sport. While being chased, Ymir encountered a mysterious being that bonded with her, creating the power of the Titans. However, she was so beaten down that she continued serving the Eldian King Fritz, giving her life for the asshole, who then forced their daughters to cannibalize her. Even death didn’t end her enslavement, as Ymir continued serving her descendants by constructing their Titan bodies outside of time.

“Naruto” franchise (2002-)

Ninjas cut onions constantly in this franchise - it’s downright infamous for its tragic backstories. The title character grows up alone and ostracized by his village. His rival Sasuke’s entire clan is murdered by his brother, Itachi. And the reason why Itachi had to do that is heartbreaking too! Characters like Gaara are raised to be monstrous weapons. Heroes and villains alike get a raw deal. The world of ninja is harsh and unforgiving, and filled with young people whose lives are defined by trauma. The fact that it’s probably easier to list the “Naruto” characters without sad backstories is kind of why we had to lump them all together like this.

“One Piece” (1999-)

It’s just a goofy pirate anime right? Well, turns out practically most of the main cast has a backstory that ranges from sad to downright horrific. Basically every member of the Straw Hat crew and several major side characters went through something in childhood or their early lives that will make you bawl your eyes out! Nami’s mom is killed in front of her and she has to work for her murderer for years. Brook’s whole crew dies and he spends 50 years in solitude. Robin and Law are both survivors of two different genocides! “One Piece” can be joyful, sure, but it’s all the heartbreak the characters have experienced that makes the happy times shine brighter.

“Berserk” (1997-98)

Some births are more difficult than others. Guts, for example, was born from his mother’s corpse as she hung from a tree. But wait, there’s more. He was adopted by an abusive mercenary named Gambino who regularly assaulted Guts and later ‘rented’ him out to the rest of the army. When Guts was old enough to finally kill Gambino and flee, all he knew was a life of suffering and hardship. For a long time, Guts’ only source of happiness is fighting and killing, traveling around with mercenary groups in search of a glorious death.


Is there an anime character with a dark past, whose absence from our list haunts you? The first step towards healing is telling us your favorites in the comments!