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

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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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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