With anime proving that the delight that is Japanese animation can work with almost any genre, it’s not surprising how there’s an anime for almost any concept alongside equally-interesting characters. As such, some anime not just have protagonists that save the day but also protagonists that end up being the villains of their own show.
Surprisingly enough, some anime characters end up fooling both themselves and viewers that they have no idea they’re actually evil. Which anime characters have viewers admired that don’t realize they’re actually evil?
10 Bondrewed (Made In Abyss)
What perhaps makes Bondrewed of Made In Abyss terrifying is an ages-old conundrum in the scientific field: just how would ethics enter the picture of seeking knowledge for the sake of science? When the Abyss spawned smack in the middle of Beolusk, various Delvers started to explore its uncharted lands to discover secrets. However, a lot of them fall prey to traps and other terrifying creatures outside their comprehension.
And for Bondrewed, this simply meant a lack of knowledge regarding the Abyss. Hailed as one of the Abyss’s most knowledgeable explorers, Bondrewed is more than willing to conduct illegal experiments - even on children - for the sole purpose of unveiling everything there is to know about the Abyss. While Bondrewed doesn’t represent himself as a villain per se, his nonchalance for trading lives for the sake of studying the Abyss is sure to cross the line.
9 Light Yagami (Death Note)
When Light Yagami acquires the eponymous Death Note, he’s only momentarily surprised by the existence of supernatural forces such as the Shinigami. Instead, it took him only a few moments to understand the scope of what he can achieve with the killer notebook. Already driven by a sense of justice, it didn’t help that Light Yagami is a natural genius. In turn, it was quite easy for the youngster to start killing off criminals with no one the wiser.
That is, until L. Hailed as the World’s Greatest Detective, not only was L able to humiliate Light on live television, he was able to pinpoint the location of “Kira,” Light’s alter-ego, in Japan. Throughout this game of cat and mouse, Light will continue killing criminals to create his “perfect world.” And for him, the lives of criminals and throwing the lives of those who oppose him are a worthy cost for the world he’s out to create.
8 Griffith (Berserk)
Perhaps the most terrifyingly evil characters are those who wholeheartedly believe they’ve done no wrong. In Berserk, protagonist Guts had Griffith at the top of his hit list. And for Griffith, he’s simply done what he should’ve done to survive. Raised as a peasant, Griffith persevered through tooth and nail to lead his own mercenary band. Driven to succeed no matter the cost, Griffith became dedicated to succeed - perhaps too fatally efficiently.
Had he not been instrumental to both the suffering and demise of people around him, Griffith could be praised for his keen drive. If people weren’t useful for his cause, Griffith saw no reason not to discard them. He wholeheartedly accepted a choice to become a literal demon simply to pursue his dream. These aspects make Griffith horrifying - as he’s only done what should be done to achieve his desires, and everyone else dying wasn’t too much of a cost for him.
7 Makishima Shogo (Psycho-Pass)
In the dystopian world of Psycho-Pass where feelings can be quantified via the Emotional Coefficient and where one’s propensity for crime is calculated via the Psycho-Pass, it should be easy to identify right from wrong. Not for Makishima Shogo. Determined to test the system to its limits and force it to crash for what he sees as hypocrisy, Makishima Shogo easily became an infamous serial killer. And when he started to cross paths with protagonist Inspector Akane Tsunemori, it’s revealed Shogo has been doing this with no twang of remorse whatsoever.
What’s horrifying is the reveal that Shogo doesn’t even seem disturbed by his actions, to begin with. For Shogo, he’s simply doing his task to give back the freedom of choice to the people of Japan. And while the idea of Shogo not being considered “evil” in the context of quantifiable emotions is disturbing, there’s no question that his “need” to kill others to prove a point still falls under evil.
6 Hisoka Morrow (Hunter X Hunter)
It’s one thing to be convinced one isn’t evil when doing evil actions, but it takes another monster to simply not care. Such is the case of Hisoka Morrow or Hunter X Hunter. Despite his clown-like appearance, Hisoka is a fierce fighter - his rubber and gum-themed Nen Abilities allow him to contend with some of the strongest Hunters around the world. And such is his dream: to do whatever it took to fight worthy opponents.
In this regard, Hisoka wouldn’t hesitate to do anything to satisfy his curiosity and cravings. An ally only to himself, Hisoka can discard allies as he sees fit. A born showman, Hisoka wouldn’t hesitate to kill if a person didn’t meet his standards. And while Hisoka is far from being an antagonist in Hunter X Hunter, he is certainly never going to be a hero.
5 Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Is there truly such a thing as an evil act if the rest of the universe is at stake? In Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Kyubey simply doesn’t care. This adorable little cat-like creature is in fact what’s known as an Incubator, a species of highly technological (or magical?) beings who took it upon themselves to prevent entropy from fully exterminating the universe. It’s their species that also realized it’s human souls - particularly souls of prepubescent girls - that are the most efficient in this regard.
As such, his mission throughout the series was to goad the likes of protagonist Madoka Kaname to become a Magical Girl. And unbeknownst to her, Kyubey plans on simply using her and her friends for the universe’s survival. What’s perhaps horrifying about Kyubey isn’t just the fact that manipulating someone and then “discarding” them is evil, no matter the goal. Rather, for him, ethics doesn’t necessarily matter.
4 Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!)
In Durarara!! where Ikebukuro becomes dangerous at night because of gang after gang, it’s Izaya Orihara that even the most terrifying of gangs don’t want to mess with. Known primarily as an information broker, Izaya is a natural genius with a love for humanity’s propensity for chaos. As a result, he often has a tendency to revel in conflict simply as a means to observe how people would react.
More than that, Izaya has the tendency to love being in the front seat of conflicts around him. However, it doesn’t mean he wants to participate in them. He’ll goad others into conflict and become capable of working for both sides, serving only himself. What perhaps tips him worse than evil geniuses with plans to dominate the world is the fact that he doesn’t seem to want to control others. Rather, Izaya just wants to keep himself excited by having people react naturally in situations - no matter the cost, and no matter who he has to hurt and provoke in doing so.
3 Younger Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Anyone who’s been exposed to 90s anime would remember the sheer terrifying nature of Younger Toguro, the first major villain of Yu Yu Hakusho who could kill almost anyone with his sheer power. While others argue Shinobu Sensui is the more compelling villain, the fact that his guilt led to the creation of his multiple personalities meant that he understood what he’s done is evil.
For Toguro, this isn’t the case. Having known to only fight and pursue power, Younger Toguro has become fearful of being old and weak. This pushed him to the point of discarding his humanity and becoming the very beings he’s trained to hunt. It was only with the arrival of Yusuke, a worthy opponent, that Toguro was finally able to “let loose” and be freed through death. And unfortunately, despite his rather lonely existence, Younger Toguro had still committed evil acts.
2 Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Aside from being the winner of the “Worst Dad” award in a lot of anime lists, Gendo Ikari of Neon Genesis Evangelion takes the cake as one of the evilest characters to ever grace anime. He is by no means without a backstory, as Gendo has begun neglecting his son and drowning himself in research and science after his wife’s death. And when he realized Shinji is key to piloting the EVA Unit 01 against the Angels, Gendo has spared no time to reconnect with his son. Worse, Gendo didn’t hesitate using whatever emotionally-manipulative card he had up his sleeve to keep the reluctant Shinji in there.
While these more or less simply fall on the lines of neglect, Gendo’s acts cross the threshold to evil when it’s learned he has manipulated people time and time again to further his ends. Such was his obsession with his goals that he sabotaged a plan of his superiors to “unite” the world quite literally - simply because he wanted to form a world in his own image.
1 Madara Uchiha (Naruto)
Tragic is the case of someone who saw submission as the truest way to achieve peace, and this was the main flaw of Madara Uchiha of Naruto. Raised at a time of constant war, Madara of the Uchiha Clan was raised to survive at all costs. As such, when he and his friend Hashirama Senju achieved peace for what is going to be called Konoha, Madara was conflicted about what “peace” truly is.
When Hashirama wanted his version of Konoha to decide for itself, Madara saw this only as conflict in the making. Convinced that the world would be in an endless state of suffering, Madara was led to believe that it’s only through the Infinite Tsukuyomi or an endless illusion that people could be happy. Unfortunately, despite his noble goal, striving for pure control at the cost of even his allies’ lives still makes him evil.