Good guys in anime typically embody a strong sense of justice, unwavering determination, and a storyline about “never giving up” or “pursuing your dreams.” They often follow a specific trope that audiences can easily relate to or empathize with. But what happens when the plot centers on a main protagonist who has embraced the dark side?
If you're into anime where heroes end up embracing their villainous side, we're ranking those characters by the chaos they’ve caused and the gripping backstories that led them down a path of no return.
10. Ryuugamine Mikado - Durararara!!!
In an anime with multiple protagonists, Ryuugamine Mikado is often seen as the most seemingly normal. Some might even call him too plain and average to be the main character in a series set in a city full of exceptional and unusual people.
But as Durarara!!! progresses, viewers uncover his true purpose and the power he actually holds. With great influence, however, come tough decisions about how to wield it. Driven by his intense desire for excitement and manipulated by the cunning Orihara Izaya, he becomes one of those protagonists in anime who lose their way and make terrible choices — but isn’t entirely evil.
9. Rokuro Okajima/Rock - Black Lagoon
Rock from Black Lagoon didn’t always let his values succumb to the greedy and ruthless criminal underworld of Roanapur, often acting as the voice of reason among his peers. However, as a white-collar worker accustomed to being bossed around and feeling insignificant, he knew deep down that something within him needed to change to truly make a difference.
Like many good-natured individuals worn down by societal struggles, Rock’s exposure to the chaos around him gradually alters him. While he initially relies on empathy and a strong sense of justice to help others, he eventually turns to scheming and manipulation to protect those he cares about.
8. Yuji Sakai - Shakugan No Shana
Yuji Sakai’s shift from being a positive and sympathetic lead to siding with the enemy in later seasons shocked many viewers. Some even believe this plot twist in Shakugan No Shana felt unexpected. However, his obliviousness to those around him, combined with his tendency to become overconfident and fear of losing his powers, are subtle signs foreshadowing his turn to villainy.
One of the biggest factors in his transformation is his desire to end the war between the Crimson Denizens and the Flaming Haze. After joining Bal Masqué and partnering with a Crimson God, he becomes more powerful and independent, but this comes at the cost of his personality taking a darker turn.
7. Ken Kaneki - Tokyo Ghoul
From the moment Tokyo Ghoul’s Ken Kaneki accidentally became a carnivorous ghoul, his life took a sharp turn for the worse. Sure, he gained superhuman strength and speed, but becoming less than a mortal being was something he couldn’t easily come to terms with. His journey to self-acceptance subjected him to some of the most excruciating tortures a half-human, half-ghoul could ever experience.
Once he fully gives in to his ghoul side, he begins his quest for revenge. Gone is the shy, introverted man searching for romance — Kaneki transforms into a ghoul who kills and tortures in the brutal ways he once despised.
6. Sasuke Uchiha - Naruto & Naruto: Shippuden
Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto’s rival in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, serves as one of the franchise's main protagonists and a foil to Naruto Uzumaki. While Naruto starts with nothing and exudes a happy-go-lucky attitude, Sasuke is a stoic prodigy. However, few would believe he was once as cheerful as Naruto in his younger days — until tragedy struck when his entire clan was killed by his own brother.
As the series progresses, his personality becomes even grimmer, and the path he takes to avenge his family grows increasingly perilous. He teams with the evil Orochimaru, inflicts severe harm on his former allies, and betrays the Hidden Leaf Village, locking in his role as a villain. He might have followed an even more destructive path if not for Naruto’s resolve to save him.
5. Sayaka Miki - Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Sayaka Miki is introduced in Puella Magi Madoka Magica as one of the cheerful protagonists, seemingly destined for fun and carefree adventures as a magical girl.
However, this initial impression is just one of the series’ many clever subversions of audience expectations. Sayaka’s story takes a sinister turn as she becomes entangled in Kyubey’s cycle of despair. Out of heartbreak, she commits horrific acts, gaining immense power but ultimately succumbing to corruption, transforming into an evil witch.
4. Lelouch - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Lelouch Lamperouge already harbors a deep hatred for the country of Britannia at the start of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. However, after receiving the power of Geass through C.C., he begins to evolve into someone with a distorted sense of morality.
What starts as simple experimentation with his newfound abilities to aid the oppressed people of Japan ultimately leads to his rise as an emperor consumed by revenge. While his initial goal is to protect those he holds dear, Lelouch eventually succumbs to the darkness, with death becoming his only escape from it.
3. Light Yagami/Kira - Death Note
Light Yagami, also known as Kira, shows signs of his descent into madness from the moment he first writes someone’s name in the Death Note. However, it’s something viewers find hard to accept at first. As the show’s protagonist, audiences are naturally inclined to justify his terrible actions and hold out hope for him to change his ways.
But, as expected, he begins walking an irredeemable path, even killing innocent civilians to serve his own purposes. Still, Kira tries to convince himself that everything he does is for the greater good. However, the countless lives lost and the destruction he causes throughout the series tell a different story.
2. Griffith - Berserk
Few characters experience the depths of suffering that the cast of Berserk faces. Guts and Griffith encounter different trials that push them to the brink of sanity. While both are deeply flawed and engage in morally ambiguous actions, Griffith inflicts torment on others for his own selfish desires.
Once an honorable knight, Griffith’s egotistical and ambitious nature leads to his imprisonment, where he endures brutal torture. But even that doesn’t deter him from chasing his dreams. Now known as Femto, the series’ main antagonist, he continues to bring pain to those who oppose him, especially Guts.
1. Eren Yeager - Attack On Titan
Given the trauma Eren Yeager faces at the hands of the Titans, it's shocking to see him lead the charge in eradicating humanity. The protagonist of Attack on Titan initiates “the Rumbling” near the series' conclusion, convinced he has no other option.
Viewers watch as Eren gradually loses hope for a world free from the death and suffering of those he cares about. There’s only so much a fractured mind can endure. Upon learning that the future holds devastation for the people of Paradis, Eren decides that annihilating most of his enemies — even at the cost of billions of innocent lives — is the only choice he can make.