Most people adore the old-fashioned tales where the villain becomes the hero. But everyone seems to like the spice just as much when there’s a hero-to-villain transformation. It gives the character and the plot a lot more depth, raising numerous questions in the minds of the audience. Like if the protagonist was really a villain all along or if they were still genuinely decent while acting bad.
Some former heroes can be turned around because they still harbor good intentions. Others are content to embrace their wicked tendencies if doing so helps them achieve their objectives. Fans are aware that they are in for a crazy trip in any case. Here are the top 10 anime heroes who turned into villains.
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10. Stain from ‘My Hero Academia’
In the television show ‘My Hero Academia’, the villains and the heroes play equal roles. Unbelievably, there are also some villains who, at one time or another in their lives, were heroes. In addition, Hero Killer Stain, also known as Chizome Akaguro, was once a budding hero.
When Stain was still a student, he wanted to be a hero like All Might, but all of his aspirations vanished when he realized how corrupt and dishonest the hero community actually was. Stain eventually dropped out of school as a result and committed his life to find heroes with true nobility in their hearts, tragically killing or hurting many heroes in the process.
9. Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto
Sasuke spent a significant amount of time playing the villain in ‘Naruto’ and ‘Naruto: Shippuden‘, but he is now a decent guy. To gain more authority, he betrayed both his allies and the Konoha village. He did everything to exact revenge on his brother Itachi. Even after discovering the truth, he continued to want to destroy the town that Itachi had been protecting covertly.
Sasuke has tried to kill Naruto and the others and has committed a number of crimes. Thankfully, he’s on the good side, but only after Naruto made him see sense.
8. Ken Kaneki from ‘Tokyo Ghoul’
Kaneki was a straightforward college student leading a typical existence until he met Reze, a stunning woman who later revealed herself as a human-eating ghoul. After a disastrous date, Kaneki suffers severe injuries, and in order to cure him, Reze’s organs are implanted into him as part of an experiment. He thus transforms into a half-ghoul.
This made Kaneki’s life miserable, and he had a lot of problems adjusting to this odd ability. Until he was tortured at the conclusion of the first season, which drastically changed his personality and made him realize that he is no longer a human, he wasn’t ready to accept this ghoul lifestyle.
7. Tetsuo Shima from ‘Akira’
Tetsuo is a brilliant example of what occurs when the wrong individual is given authority. He gave Kaneda the impression that he was a nice buddy and a kind man early in the film. He disguised his fears behind his anger and aggression, but it was clear that he had an inferiority complex. Tetsuo set out to find Akira after acquiring psychic abilities, disregarding anyone who stood in his way.
He murdered Yamagata, a Capsules member, demonstrating his lack of regard for the gang or its members. Tetsuo also harmed, if not killed, numerous military personnel and civilians while using his powers against them.
6. Sōsuke Aizen from ‘Bleach’
The primary antagonist of the well-known vintage anime television series ‘Bleach‘ is Sosuke Aizen. Although Aizen set the bar for the ideal anime villain, he wasn’t always one. He initially gave off the impression of being a kind guy who was fully committed to his role as a Gotei 13 member. He provided his services to the Soul Society and adhered strictly to the law.
However, Aizen was covertly working on schemes that no one else had ever dared to imagine. It turns out that his entire identity was a ruse designed to hide his true motive, which is to destroy Soul Society. He set up his schemes and cunning plans to become the heavenly king while remaining undetected for a very long time.
5. Gaku Yashiro from ‘Erased’
It was interesting to observe how Gaku evolved into a villain because it came as a bit of a surprise. He appeared to sincerely care about his students and do everything in his power to assist them. Satoru was particularly shocked when he disclosed his actual identity because he looked up to him as a father figure.
When Satorou traveled across time, it was discovered that Gaku was the child killer he had been hunting for. He killed frequently and with pleasure. Satorou was the only person who appeared to be somewhat safe from his murderous tendencies, but their relationship is very complicated. Although their relationship is more akin to a rivalry, Gaku found meaning in it.
4. Eren Jaeger from ‘Attack On Titan’
‘Attack on Titan’ has seen significant changes throughout the course of its four seasons. He’s the prime example of a Hero to Villain. One of the highlights of the episode is the evolution of Eren Jaeger into a hero. Eren had to go through a lot from the beginning of the series, and he constantly wanted to exact revenge on the Marley army.
Eren is undoubtedly one of the most well-written anime heroes, yet his very different idea of freedom endangers the lives of 80% of humanity. He began defending his risky techniques as the world’s sole hope as the apocalypse drew near.
3. Light Yagami from ‘Death Note’
Light had a strong sense of justice and first used the Death Note to kill criminals. But as soon as L arrived, he started down the path to becoming ‘Death Note’s antagonist. Light started to pick down everybody who was a threat to him slowly and meticulously out of fear that he would lose his strength and be discovered. killing Raye Penber and Naomi Misora, controlling Misa and Rem, and eliminating his greatest threat L.
He wasn’t wholly callous; he had good intentions when he first started. Light displayed reluctance to utilize others and a desire to avoid killing after momentarily losing his memory. It’s obvious how having the Death Note affected him negatively.
2. Lelouch Lamperouge from ‘Code Geass’
Lelouch Lamperouge is fixated on the idea of overthrowing the British Royal Empire. He has made promises to liberate Japan and build a better society for all. To fulfill his lifelong desire, he never hesitated to sacrifice the lives of bystanders. He’s also one of the characters who had to go through a massive change, from hero to villain.
He gained a place in the hearts of the fans as a hero, but it doesn’t take long for Lelouch’s moral compass to change. He was prepared to compromise his morals in order to achieve his goals in the second half of the series. His own sister unintentionally became collateral damage in his desire for unchecked power. Because of this, he is not only an intriguing character but also one of the best anti-heroes.
1. Griffith from ‘Berserk’
One of the biggest and most infamous betrayals in anime history was committed by this man. To join the God Hand and become Femto, he sacrificed the majority of the Band of the Hawk. The only survivors of the incident, Guts, and Casca, were then tortured and humiliated by him. Guts were betrayed, and he vowed to murder Griffith as retaliation.
His betrayal caused Casca to go catatonic and become a shell of the person she once was. It made Guts reluctant to put his trust in others and to travel alone. Griffith has no regrets for killing his former teammates when he gets back to Earth, and he even tells Guts that he should have known this about him all along.
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