There are certain moments in anime when the anime protagonists turned evil. This might be a consequence of the circumstances or simply a result of the narrative structure. The anime protagonist-to-antagonist shift is however very complicated and these protagonists still gain a lot of sympathy from the viewers even after turning evil.
In this article, we will look at the top 10 moments in Anime when the protagonist turned evil and also try to understand why they did so.
Top 10 moments in Anime when the protagonist turned evil
10. Griffith from Berserk
Griffith from Berserk was the head of the Band of the Hawk. His leadership role in a group of mercenaries who fought for the greater good led him to be obsessively invested in the quest for power. Griffith is one of those anime protagonists who sacrificed their own men to become what they once fought against. Griffith, therefore, remains a character full of controversies.
9. Light Yagami from Deathnote
Light Yagami was a brilliant student who stumbled upon the Death Note by accident. In his quest for delivering justice and punishing sinners, Light became obsessed with the powers which were handed over to him. He started thinking of himself as the God of Death and he went on to become the one who would decide humanity’s fate.
Light Yagami is another example of a character trapped in the cycle of power relations and how this turned their hearts into something sinister and evil.
8. Kaname Kuran from Vampire Knight
Kaname Kuran transforms from a hero to a villain in Vampire Knight due to many factors. The primary reason behind his shift in ideological beliefs is his tragic backstory. Moreover, Kaname Kuran was also in love with the protagonist Yuki Cross and when Yuki falls in love with someone else, Kanami does everything in his power to keep things his way.
This makes him very manipulative in the process. Kanami Kuran is one of those anime protagonists who turned evil because of tragedy.
7. Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Homura Akemi was once very weak but once she discovered the possibilities of the magic girl world, she started using everything to her benefit. She became a cold and manipulative warrior and in the process, she also hurt some of her closest allies and friends.
Homura Akemi is one of those few anime protagonists who turned evil because of a selfish desire to justify one’s actions.
6. Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto
Sasuke Uchiha was always looking for revenge on his brother Itachi Uchiha. According to Sasuke, Itachi murdered his clan and his plans and from the very beginning of his childhood, he vows to avenge their deaths. However, Sasuke turned evil the moment he met Orochimaru, who promised him great power to avenge his family.
This promise and quest made Sasuke’s dreams blurry and he got lost in the relentless thirst for the acquisition of power.
5. Kirei Kotomine from Fate/Zero
- Kirei was a kind and gentle character at the beginning of Fate/Zero. He was also a revered member of the Church. However, life took a dark turn for him the moment his wife passed away.
- He got lost in darkness and started to find a path for himself to bring calm to his chaos. His beliefs were shattered and he tried to bring devastation to the world in his search for answers.
4. Ryo Asuka from Devilman Crybaby
Ryo Asuka is one of the closest friends of Akira. But as the story unfolds, we encounter the reality in a very weird manner. Ryo becomes friends with Akira for his own interests. He was actually a fallen angel and he tries to carve humanity in his own way.
In this regard, he manipulates Akira into becoming a Devilman and uses him for his own selfish interests. His quest for destruction and reconstruction of humanity makes him one of those anime protagonists who turned evil due to their overpowering darkness.
3. Itachi Uchiha from Naruto
Being one of the strongest characters in Naruto, Itachi was a loyal shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village and a member of the Akatsuki. But he discovered the evil plans of his own clan and therefore, to protect the village he murdered everybody from his clan.
Itachi remains a villain for the people but in his heart, he always had the interests of his village and his shinobi vows. Itachi is not exactly an evil character but the narrative of the show is to decide who is evil and who is not, then Itachi is one who turned evil.
2. Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan
Eren Yeager is introduced as the lead protagonist of the show Attack on Titan. But due to various factors, he turns evil. Eren Yeager became the lead antagonist of the show primarily because of his frustration against the world and also because of the dark secrets which are revealed to him. Eren becomes a Titan to destroy and cause chaos to humanity after he understands the true motives and nature of human beings.
1. Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z
Vegeta was a ruthless and arrogant prince of the Saiyan race. He was obsessed with power and he goes on to conquer planets before finally reaching Earth, where he fights Goku and the Earth fighters. But Vegeta soon realizes the value of friendship and he develops a soft spot.
But as we saw him on the path of redemption, he soon gives everything up as he starts growing jealous of Goku and from then on starts seeing him as his rival.
Conclusion
As we saw in the article, a lot of these characters were not exactly protagonists, but in whichever manner we plan to see them they were closely related to the idea of a protagonist. Turning evil requires a lot of darkness, and these characters who have always advocated the righteous path were drawn to their darkness in the process. As a result, we have these anime protagonists who turned evil due to their rising conflict with themselves and the world around them.