Anime heroes who turned evil

Key Takeaways

• It's rare in anime for a protagonist to turn into a villain, but the complexity makes it fascinating.

• Complex backstories lead characters like Lelouch, Vegeta, and Homura down dark paths.

• The development from tragic hero to villain can be seen in Eren, Griffith, Takizawa, and Walter.

It's not uncommon to see a show's antagonists switch sides, but it's certainly rare to see a protagonist go down a dark path and end up as a villain or even the show's main antagonist.

Often times, these characters endear themselves to fans for their complexity and backstory, which leads them to do these things. We won't just focus on characters who have gone permanently villainous. But the same goes for those who have walked down a dark path for a while.

Below are spoilers for various anime.

8

Lelouch by Britannia

code geass

Initially, the protagonist of Code Geass, Lelouch is an exiled prince of Britannia who seeks to create a better world for his sister Nunnally. Lelouch appears as a protagonist with great ambition and intelligence. Once CC grants Lelouch the powers of Geass, Lelouch takes on the role of Zero and begins working toward a rebellion against his father's oppressive regime.

Lelouch goes down a darker path when he inadvertently orders his sister Euphemia to massacre a group of Japanese civilians, sparking mass bloodshed. It was originally a coincidence, but from now on, Lelouch fully takes on the role of antihero. Lelouch becomes a cold and calculating villain in everyone's eyes because he is ready to sacrifice anything necessary for his cause.

7

Akemi Homura

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Akemi Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is probably one of the saddest and most heartbreaking examples of a hero turning into a villain. She begins as a timid girl who becomes a magical girl to save her friend Madoka from a tragic fate.

However, as the story progresses, she falls into despair and falls into a moral gray area while living in the same time period. Her turning point comes in the film Rebellion, where her obsession with protecting Madoka ends with her betraying Madoka herself. To prevent Madoka from becoming a god and erasing her own existence, Homura rewrites reality itself and takes control of Madoka's powers, becoming a self-proclaimed devil.

In the end, Homura's actions were driven more by love, and although her actions were quite understandable, the fact remains that her actions were selfish to say the least.

6

Hiwatari Kai

beyblade

If you grew up in the 90s, you probably still remember when Kai betrayed the Bladebreakers in the first season of Beyblade. When the Bladebreakers go to Russia for the final battle against the Demolition Boys, Boris subjects the Bladers to intensive training at Balkov Abbey.

However, as Kai is later seen entering the monastery alone, it seems that he is keeping a few secrets. There, Boris tries to persuade Kai to join them through a loudspeaker. At first Kai resists, but finally agrees to become a member of the Demolition Boys thanks to the power the Beyblade possesses when they target the Black Dranzer.

Everyone is shocked when Kai appears in the battle against the Demolition Boys' All-Stars. He is later saved, but this is a turn of events that no one expected.

5

Vegeta

Dragon Ball Z

The character of Vegeta is arguably one of the most complex characters in Dragon Ball Z, and throughout the series we are constantly reminded not to underestimate the prince of all Saiyans.

After the end of the Cell saga, Vegeta seems to have finally taken on the role of an Earthling. However, as the threat of Buu approaches, Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta try to stop Bibidi's plan with the help of Supreme Kai. Here, Vegeta learns of Bibidi's ability to draw out a person's power by using the evil they possess.

In a shocking turn of events, Vegeta willingly gives up control of his mind so that Bibidi can return him to his former self. Vegeta ends up killing a lot of people, and fans finally get to see the fight they've been waiting for as Goku and Vegeta face off against each other for so long. Although Vegeta later achieves redemption, this is simply a good reflection of Vegeta's personality.

4

Seido Takizawa

tokyo ghoul

Seidou Takizawa's transformation into an owl in Tokyo Ghous is probably the saddest and most shocking thing in anime history. Originally, Takizawa was an investigator for the CCG who wanted to eradicate ghouls and bring positive change to the world.

However, after being captured by the powerful ghoul organization Aogiri Tree, Takizawa undergoes extreme pain and cruel experiments, turning him into a half-ghoul. Due to continued mental and physical torture, Takizawa eventually breaks down, and eventually succumbs to temptation and reappears as a ghoul owl that eats both ghouls and humans.

In Takizawa's case, he is closer to a tragic hero who has been robbed of all humanity rather than a villain.

3

Walter C. Donez

Hellsing Ultimate

Walter C. Dornez was originally Sir Integra Hellsing's butler. But a mixture of obsession and a burning desire for a legacy made Walter want to kill Alucard to prove his worth and combat his fear of growing old.

Even though the narrative wasn't perfect, the fact still remains that Walter's desire to surpass Alucard has been there since he was 14 years old. His ambitions were much more complex than met the eye. Because he doesn't intend to destroy Alucard, he dies regardless of the outcome.

In pursuing this goal of finding meaning for himself, Walter underwent the Millennium Doctor's botched vampirization, transforming him into a vampire. The process made him much younger, but because it was done hastily, it led to rapid deterioration. Even while fighting Alucard, the Angel of Death realized that time was not on his side and was being pushed forward. His despair led to his tragic transformation into a villain driven by a desire for meaning at the expense of his own humanity.

2

Eren Jaeger

attack on titan

Attack on Titan had already become one of the best anime of all time when the first two seasons aired, but perhaps no one expected the show to turn out this way.

Eren Yeager defines the tragic hero turned villain. Originally the show's protagonist, Eren appeared as a young boy who wanted to protect humanity so that it could one day thrive against the Titans.

From the beginning, Eren is shown to be eager and ambitious. However, the turning point comes in the later seasons when Eren learns of Marley's oppression of the Eldians. This leads him to use Rumbling to end the cycle of violence.

Marley's massacre of innocents confirms that Eren has lost the line between right and wrong. As the final chapter of the story unfolds, fans will question what it means to find freedom at the expense of others.

1

griffith

fierce

When it comes to heroes becoming villains and the greatest traitors in anime history, we have to mention Griffith from Berserk. Griffith was originally the leader of a band of falcons who aspired to build their own kingdom. This engenders unwavering loyalty from his colleagues, especially Guts.

But as the show progresses and Griffith suffers a series of defeats and captures by the Kingdom of Midland, Griffith remains broken. Now his dreams are shattered, and he makes the fateful decision to sacrifice his allies to gain god-like powers during a solar eclipse. This causes him to become Femto. The worst comes when he betrays Guts and Casca and watches them get slaughtered in pursuit of his ambitions.