Random Anime Heroes Who Had Legitimate Reasons To Turn Evil (13 items)

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  (#1) Naruto Uzumaki

  • Naruto, Naruto Shippūden, Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison, Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom, Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower, Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel, Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, Naruto Shippuden the Movie: 7, Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds, Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire, Naruto Shippuden the Movie, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie

  Naruto Uzumaki ended up developing a strong desire to help others, but it's something of a miracle that he turned out that way. His parents both died the day he was born after sealing the powerful Nine-Tails beast into his body. The people of Konoha feared the Nine-Tails, and Naruto grew up orphaned and totally ostracized by his community. While Naruto chooses to dedicate his life to becoming the leader of his ninja village and earning their acceptance, it's not hard to imagine how he might have grown up to resent - or even seek vengeance against - the community that turned their back on him.

  There are actually multiple parallels in the series itself that show how Naruto could have turned out. There's Gaara, who was so isolated by his village because of his tailed beast that his own father started trying to kill him, and he became bloodthirsty and homicidal. Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha had a similar personality to Naruto, but was manipulated by Madara into believing that humanity was so wretched that they needed to be done away with altogether. The idea that Naruto could have become a villain - but didn't - is actually one of the main themes of the show. 
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  (#2) Killua Zaoldyeck

  • Hunter x Hunter

  Killua Zoldyck comes from a family of assassins that train their children to be powerful fighters from an extremely early age. In addition to physical prowess, the children are expected to repress their own emotions and betray and even torment each other in pursuit of power. Without some serious intervention from outside sources, as well as hard internal work on his own part, Killua could have easily ended up acting in accordance with his family's twisted beliefs.

  His friendship with Gon, and his family's harsh and unreasonable treatment of his sister, inspires Killua to put himself on the right path. 
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  (#3) Shoto Todoroki Could Have Learned To Hate Heroes From His Father In 'My Hero Academia'

  Shoto Todoroki was raised to be a professional hero by a man he finds impossible to admire. Enji Todoroki, also known by his pro-hero name Endeavor, used illegal breeding practices to create Shoto's quirk, Hot and Cold. He proceeded to raise Shoto in isolation while abusing all four of his children and his wife. Shoto grew up hating his father, and dedicated himself to becoming a hero on his own terms. However, he could have easily become so disgusted by the concept of heroism - which his abusive father embodied - and pursued a life of villainy.

  Like many of the villains in My Hero Academia, he could have decided that he was better off trying to destroy society than preserve it. 
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  (#4) Hitoshi Shinso Has A Potentially Evil Quirk In 'My Hero Academia'

  Hitoshi Shinso's quirk (i.e., ability), Brainwashing, allows him to control other people's actions. The people around him see his quirk as inherently villainous, and many malicious characters suggest that he use it to force himself on girls or commit robberies. Shinso wants to be a hero, but what if he weren't so committed to this lofty goal?

  What if, rather than push against people's unfair expectations of him, he decided to lean into it and use his power for evil? While there's nothing inherently evil about his personality, he could easily be tempted by the possibilities of his power, especially if the League of Villains happened to get in touch with him before a more heroic recruiter did. 
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  (#5) Kurama

  • Yu Yu Hakusho

  Kurama is a demon who possessed an unborn human child. At first, he feels no particular attachment to humanity and is preparing to start preying on them as soon as his newborn body grows strong enough to do so. However, he ultimately develops a bond with his human mother and starts to think of himself as at least partially human. The bond began when his mother injured herself in an effort to protect him.

  If this had never happened or his mother actually harmed him in some way, he likely would have despised humanity.
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  (#6) Migi Could Have Influenced Shinichi Izumi More In 'Parasyte'

  Shinichi Izumi wants to protect humanity from the sinister threat of mind-controlling parasites who take over people's bodies and feed on human flesh. Migi, the parasite coexisting in his body, is generally willing to help him because it benefits his own survival, but he doesn't care about defending humanity per se. When Migi has to merge with Izumi's heart in order to repair damage, some of his cells detach and begin to circulate throughout his body. This not only dramatically improves his physical capabilities, but also changes him emotionally - as do his increasingly traumatic encounters with parasites.

  These changes aren't likely to lead him to side with the parasites, but he could have stopped caring about protecting humans if Migi's cells - and the darker and sadder parts of his own mind - were too much to overcome. 
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  (#7) Edward Elric

  • FullMetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa, Chibi Party, Alchemists Vs Homunculi, Fullmetal Alchemist

  Anyone who is capable of using forbidden techniques to try and raise the dead is also capable of villainy. Edward Elric's goal is to reclaim his arm and leg to reunite with his brother with his physical body. That said, he could have easily decided to continue trying to bring his mother back to life, seeing as the grief and trauma of his first attempt might have clouded his judgment. Plenty of anime villains are motivated by the desire to cheat death, and Ed could have been one of them.

  What's more, the organization that ultimately gives him structure is the military. While in Ed's case this provides him with a set of moral guidelines that prevent him from using alchemy in damaging ways, it also forces him into potentially traumatic combat situations more than once. Also, his contact with people who don't acknowledge their complicity in the Ishvalan genocide would have rubbed off on him. He could have used this experience to justify his increasingly dangerous experiments regardless of who got hurt in the process. 
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  (#8) Kei Nagai From 'Ajin' Could Have Become A Villain After Being Abused

  Kei Nagai is presented as somewhat of an anti-hero. He doesn't like admitting that he actually has a compassionate side, and prefers to think of himself as a logical, utilitarian person. He's also immortal, which makes him an easy target for people hoping to abuse him in order to understand the true nature of Ajin (a super-powered demi-human that suffers widespread discrimination).

  After enduring torment that would kill most people, he could have easily magnified his logical and utilitarian side, while totally squashing the part of him that cares about others. He could dedicate himself to seeking vengeance on those responsible for his suffering or on humankind in general. 
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  (#9) Satsuki Kiryuin

  • Kill la Kill

  For most of Kill la Kill, Satsuki Kiryuin presents herself as a loyal acolyte of her mother Ragyo. She rules over Honnōji Academy with an iron fist and acts as though she plans to help her mother use the academy to take over the world. However, towards the end of the series, she reveals that she's actually totally against this plan, then betrays her mother, and starts working with Ryuko Matoi to defeat her. 

  But Satsuki could have remained faithful to her mother and helped to carry out her plan. She could have been like her third sister, Nui, and acted in perfect accordance with her mother's horrific goals. She had the strength to rebel against her mother, which took a great deal of character - but she could have given into cowardice and remained an accomplice and servant.
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  (#10) Saitama

  There's an old adage that says that absolute power corrupts absolutely - and there are few anime characters out there as powerful as Saitama, who can defeat anyone with a single punch. Though Saitama seems largely content to act heroically, he also isn't particularly enthusiastic about morality. His life as a hero is also a pretty frustrating one. No one believes he's accomplished the things he's accomplished, which makes moving up in the hero system - and thus making more money - seem perpetually out of his reach.

  Saitama seems chill enough about all this, but this is the same guy who lost all of his hair due to the stress of working out excessively. He may not seem like he has a breaking point, but he totally does. Maybe the next time a villain attacks Z-City, he'll want to see if he'll be treated fairly on their side. 
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  (#11) Chise Hatori Was Born With Dangerous Powers In 'The Ancient Magus' Bride'

  Chise's backstory could easily belong to a villain. Her father abandoned her, her mother tried to slay her and then killed herself, and she finds herself orphaned. Her powers - being a Sleigh Beggy - allow her to absorb and use vast amounts of magic, but her body is torn apart in the process. A powerful mage who possesses little human morals or emotions purchases her in a slave auction. What follows is a healing story where Chise drops her guard and starts to care about other people and herself, but it could have easily gone in the exact opposite direction, with Chise learning to control her powers so that she could seek revenge against a world that made her suffer.

  In fact, Chise is actually paralleled with the series' main villain, Joseph. Where Chise went from caring about nothing and no one to dedicating her life to helping others, Joseph started off caring deeply for other people, but made so many sacrifices to his own detriment that he ruined his life, and now seeks to rectify the problem with unethical human experimentation. Chise might have turned out like Joseph had her life circumstances been different. 
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  (#12) Yugi Mutou

  • Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh!: Bonds Beyond Time, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, Yu-Gi-Oh!

  In the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, Yami Yugi killed countless people. Whenever somebody started bullying Yugi - which was often - his darker self would rear its head and challenge them to a torturous game. In one occasion he drove the perpetrator insane with the sound of their own heartbeat, and another time he set someone on fire. While none of this stuff made it into the anime, it's still part of Yami Yugi's history. What if Yugi had appreciated his shadows' attempts to protect him, and had started actively participating in Yami Yugi's vengeful games? 

  Also, when Yami Yugi remembers his former identity as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, it could have easily amplified his power-hungry nature and made him feel even more entitled to harm others - a feeling that could have easily been transferred to Yugi himself.
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  (#13) Hachiman Hikigaya Of 'My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU' Is A Total Misanthrope

  My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU doesn't exactly have a villain - it's a slice-of-life school anime that's more focused on the relationships between its characters than on massive conflicts that can be divided into good and evil. However, realistic shows can still have villainous characters. Hachiman Hikigaya lives with deep, almost impenetrable self-loathing that carries over into his interactions with others. He believes that humans have a social hierarchy that makes them selfish, vapid, and cruel. To avoid being hurt by this system he perceives, he shuts down his emotions and pushes others away with sarcasm.

  In real life, people who think that the world is out to get them sometimes lash out and take their revenge out on the world. Hikigaya doesn't do this, mainly because he's forced to participate in a club which is dedicated to helping others. He ends up taking the opposite route, going so far out of his way to help others that he hurts himself as a result. But without the club and the people who try to help him see that his negative worldview is false, he could have easily ended up becoming violent. 

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