Anime has presented audiences with some of the most emotionally impactful stories of characters overcoming immense hardship and tragedy. A character’s backstory helps viewers relate to them on a deeper level by understanding the events that have molded them into who they are.
Some of the most iconic anime characters have endured immense suffering in the past, with hardships so severe that it would destroy a viewer. Yet these characters get through immense grief and trauma to become people of strength and purpose, be it for good or bad. This list looks at 10 characters who have endured the most tragic of backstories in anime.
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10. Sakura Matou (Fate/Stay Night)
Sakura Matou endured extensive physical and mental abuse at the hands of her adoptive grandfather Zouken and brother Shinji Matou. They used Sakura as a sacrificial ritual tool for crest worms, stripping away her body and dignity through constant violation.
Isolated and broken, Sakura was a mere shell of a human until fate intervened. Her torment at the Matou household was one of the cruelest and most disturbing storylines within the anime, forging Sakura into a character seeking redemption and escape.
9. Edward and Alphonse Elric (Full Metal Alchemist)
The brothers at the center of ‘Fullmetal Alchemist‘ endured unspeakable consequences when they attempted to use alchemy to resurrect their deceased mother. The failed human transmutation cost Alphonse his entire physical form and left Ed having lost an arm and leg. However, it provided a devastating lesson that playing God always extracts a steep price.
Shouldering immense guilt, the brothers sought to right their greatest mistake and recover what was lost. Their fallen family and personal sacrifices established one of the most emotionally impactful dynamics in shonen anime.
8. Nico Robin (One Piece)
From a young age, Nico Robin from ‘One Piece‘ faced unimaginable hardships as the sole survivor of Ohara’s destruction. Labeled a demon by the world government, she was forced to spend her childhood running and evading capture at any cost. The solitude of constant isolation broke down any sense of personal bonds, leaving her cold and untrusting as an adult.
It was only after joining the Straw Hat crew that Robin began to open up emotionally and let others in. Her backstory shaped her into one of the most calculating and wary characters in One Piece who fights relentlessly for her place in the new era.
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7. Trafalgar Law (One Piece)
As the captain of the Heart Pirates in ‘One Piece‘, Trafalgar Law maintains an aloof and cunning persona. His past is extraordinarily tragic. Law witnessed his hometown Flevance’s deadly destruction by a deadly plague. With his family and fellow citizens burned alive, he narrowly escaped by hiding among the corpses.
Later he found purpose and joy serving under Corazon, only to have even that taken away at the hands of Donquixote Doflamingo. Law endured immense loss and turmoil that has forged him into one of the most calculating and ambitious pirates on the seas.
6. Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
The titular character from ‘Naruto‘ endured immense loneliness and isolation as a child due to being the Jinchūriki vessel for the Nine-Tails. Hated and shunned by the villagers who saw him as the beast itself, Naruto grew up without parents or friends in a cold apartment. All he wanted was to be acknowledged and find his place in the village.
Despite his painful upbringing, Naruto remained resolute in his goal of someday becoming the Hokage and gaining the village’s respect through his own strength and character. His burden and determination make for one of the most inspiring coming-of-age stories in anime.
5. Eren Jaeger (Attack On Titan)
The protagonist of ‘Attack on Titan‘, Eren Jaeger lost his mother to a Titan attack at a young age and witnessed the death and destruction of his hometown. After the fall of Shiganshina District, Eren’s entire world crumbled, leaving him with nothing but a burning desire for vengeance against the Titans. Fueled by anger and grief, Eren enrolled in the military to train and one day rid the world of all Titans.
While his backstory launched him on a path of violence and destruction, it also awakened dormant powers within him that would prove key to humanity’s fight. Eren’s intense trauma shaped him into a determined soldier willing to go to extreme lengths for freedom.
4. Ray (The Promised Neverland)
As one of the main characters in ‘The Promised Neverland‘, Ray endured immense emotional trauma from a young age. At Grace Field House orphanage, Ray, Emma, and Norman discovered that the children were being raised as livestock for demons. Knowing his friends’ inevitable fates weighed heavily on him every day.
When their home’s true nature was revealed, Ray devised an elaborate escape plan to save as many children as possible. Despite his young age, Ray exemplified strength, care, and intelligence in the face of immense fear and horror.
3. Levi Ackerman (Attack On Titan)
Born to a mother forced into prostitution, Levi Ackerman endured a harsh childhood on the streets of the underground city. Orphaned young, he joined gangs to survive in the lawless slums of the ‘Attack on Titan‘ world.
Though largely stoic and detached as a Scout Regiment captain, Levi’s painful past of loss and hardship is part of what drives his devotion to restoring humanity above all else. With no one to rely on from an early age, Levi learned to stand strong on his own through any means necessary.
2. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)
One of the most tragic and complex backstories in ‘Naruto‘ belongs to Itachi Uchiha. As a child prodigy of the Uchiha clan, Itachi made an impossible choice during a planned coup. To protect Sasuke and the village, Itachi slew his entire clan, including his parents, becoming viewed as a rogue ninja.
This was all part of Itachi’s undercover plan to join the Akatsuki and monitor their activities from within. He wanted to be seen as the villain, so Sasuke would gain strength from his desire for revenge, protecting him from their clan’s cursed past. Itachi’s actions, though brutal, stemmed from love and sacrifice, which are revealed only later in the Naruto universe.
1. Guts (Berserk)
The protagonist of the show, Guts from ‘Berserk‘ faced an unspeakingly cruel upbringing and coming-of-age. Born from a hanged woman during an era of endless war, Guts grew up an orphan in a cruel world. The Band of the Hawk took him in, giving him family and camaraderie. However, he watched helplessly as the entire company, including his lover Casca, was slaughtered during an eclipse.
Betrayed and traumatized, Guts became a haunted shell consumed by rage, violence, and vengeance, his world irreparably shattered. Of all the characters in anime, Guts withstood one of the most graphic and emotionally devastating backstories ever told.
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