There is a common stereotype that anime villains like to be bad. Often they revel in their sins, as the audience is more likely to turn against them in the grand scheme of history. However, other antagonists are more complex.
They hate being bad, but justify their actions by stating that it is for the greater good or that they had no choice. However, they are plagued with guilt and do not always follow through with their machinations due to their conscience. In the end, they never lost their humanity.
10 Juice Was Friendlier Than His Monstrous Appearance Suggested
naruto
Jugo was a friendly shinobi in the Naruto universe. Freed from Orochimaru by Sasuke, he accompanies him on various missions, such as attacking the Five Kage Summit.
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Although Jugo was completely unhinged in his monster form, overall he was such a trustworthy and kind-hearted person that even animals gravitated to his presence. In the end, Sasuke’s hatred drove Jugo’s actions more than anything he could have invented on his own. He was a good person allied with the bad crowd.
9 Colt Didn’t Like Hurting Humans
Hunter X Hunter
Colt fell victim to Chimera Ant attacks in Hunter X Hunter. After being eaten, he is reborn as a member of their ranks and tasked with getting the queen to consume more humans.
Although Colt did his duty, he showed far more empathy towards his prey than most other villains. This was seen in his conversation with Rammot, where he berated him for killing too much. He justified that if Rammot continued to hunt, the queen might be deprived of future meals.
8 Eren Had A Convoluted Peace Plan
The attack of the Titans
Attack on Titan Eren Yeager had a convoluted plan for peace. In promulgating the Rumor, he did not take the free will of his friends to have the power to stop him. He realized what he was doing was wrong and hoped that his defeat indicated that not all Eldians were evil.
Before the battle for Liberio, Eren told Reiner that he understood what happened in Shiganshina. However, instead of forgiving his enemy, he used it as justification to attack Marley’s nation and murder many innocent people.
7 Cindry Was A Slave To Hogback’s Will
A play
One Piece’s Doctor Hogback has agreed to serve Moria under specific terms. In exchange for her surgical services, he made her use the Shadow Fruit to reanimate Cindry’s body.
Cindry could have obeyed Hogback, but it was clear that she resented everything the villain made her do. Every time he let his guard down, she threw plates at his head in a feeble attempt to hurt him. With Moria’s defeat, all of her shadows were released and Cindry finally found the peace she had been deprived of for so long.
6 Zuko Was Never Fully Dedicated To Capturing Aang
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Zuko may have been the main antagonist in the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but he was never fully involved in Aang’s downfall. Much of their trip was a journey of self-discovery, which Iroh carefully curated.
Although Zuko made a few half-hearted attempts to capture Aang, he quickly abandoned the mission to enjoy life in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko may have later reluctantly helped Azula attack Aang, but he deeply regretted his actions and later took steps to redeem himself.
5 Villainy Wasn’t Gentle’s First Priority
my hero academia
Like many My Hero Academia characters, Gentle’s first aspiration was to turn professional. He tried time and time again to make a name for himself but failed time and time again. In the end, Gentle gave up his ambitions in disgrace, as his actions nearly ended an innocent person’s life.
However, Gentle needed the spotlight so badly that he became a villain just to stay relevant. Instead of harming innocent people, Gentle performed daring illegal stunts that quickly made him an internet sensation. He tried to avoid evil as much as possible, to the point that even fighting Deku was uncomfortable for him.
4 Drole Was Forced To Keep The Ten Commandments
The seven deadly sins
Funny was the commandment of patience in The Seven Deadly Sins. Once a great giant, he joined the villains because he was too proud to run from Zeldris and too afraid of death.
As a member of the Demon Clan, Drole hated waging war on Britannia and even his own people. Seeing how Diane would have done things differently, he empowered her, fought Chandler, and ultimately gave his life in a final act of atonement for his mistakes.
3 Satsuki Kiryuin Played The Villain Role To Gauge Ryuko’s Potential
kill her kill her
Although Kill La Kill’s Satsuki Kiryuin was the anime’s opening antagonist, his villainy was a ruse. She blamed herself for the death of Ryuko’s father in order to better assess her abilities. Hopefully, Satsuki hoped that Senketsu would be the answer to the impending threat from the Life Fiber.
At the end, Ryuko confronted Satsuki about her manipulation. Her sister felt so guilty that she was ready to take whatever abuse the heroine decided to unleash. Reluctantly, Ryuko held herself back so they could better focus on the mission at hand.
2 Kiwi Tried To Justify Betrayal To His Friends
Cyberpunk: Edge Runners
Kiwi betrayed the heroes of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners near the end of the story. This not only made Faraday’s trade with Arasaka easier, but also dishonored the sacrifices the crew had already made for each other.
Although racked with guilt for her actions, Kiwi justified her betrayal by stating that it was the town’s way of doing things. Ironically, she herself was betrayed as Faraday didn’t want the details to know about the cyberskeleton.
1 Bols Constantly Claimed He Was A Bad Person
¡ Akame Ga kills!
Unlike the other Akame Ga Kill! Jaegers, Bols had no confusion about being a bad person. He understood that what the empire was forcing him to do was fundamentally wrong, but he committed his atrocities so that his family could have a happy life.
Despite his friendly personality, Bols constantly reminded those who flattered him that he was actually a monster. In the end, Bols received the punishment he thought he deserved by being stabbed in the back by Chelsea. Sadly, his death left his family alone as the world around them grew increasingly violent.