Not all heroes in anime are perfect saints. Some of them use their powers to get away with some shady stuff, whether to fulfill their own selfish desires or just to abuse their power for their own warped sense of enjoyment.
With great power comes great responsibility, but these ten characters sometimes crossed the line and used their amazing gifts to get away with some deplorable things.
10 Yu Otosaka Revels In Body Swapping Selfishness (Charlotte)
While generally being a strong protagonist in Charlotte, Yu doesn’t start particularly humble or selfless. He regularly uses his power of body takeover to mess with people for fun and get ahold of things he wants, such as information, material objects, and so on.
Near the end of the show, Yu goes down a rather dark spiral of depression, causing him to abuse these powers even further to get whatever he wants to make his life comfortable. He does eventually show some selflessness at the end of the series, but the abuse of his powers was rampant throughout the anime.
9 Katsuki Bakugo’s Explosions Are His Answer To Everything (My Hero Academia)
Bakugo is devotedly training to become a hero of justice, but he’s not the most angelic of characters in My Hero Academia. He’s not afraid to use his explosive powers to the fullest if it means he can show off how strong he is. From threatening teammates to attacking indiscriminately with hugely unnecessary force, Bakugo is the embodiment of a loose cannon.
A lot of flashbacks of Bakugo and Deku show that he’s always been a bit full of himself, and thus he’s not afraid to turn on anyone and everyone who stands in his way. While he’s definitely still a good person at heart, he embodies the role of an anti-hero very well with his tendency to blow up anything and everything.
8 Sebastian Michaelis Is Demonic By Nature (Black Butler)
As a demon, Sebastian is quite evil by nature, but he can be considered a glowing beacon of heroism when compared to some of his foes in the Black Butler series. While he and Ciel normally fight the forces of evil, Sebastian himself has a nefarious goal motivating him throughout the series.
Ultimately, Sebastian is looking to conclude his contract with Ciel by eating his soul; everything he does throughout the story is done with that in mind. Some could argue that there’s nothing more depraved than doing something entirely for the sake of a meal, and Sebastian has used his demonic powers to great excess to ensure that Ciel is the perfect dish for him.
7 Aqua Is A Greedy Water Goddess (KonoSuba)
Aqua never does anything for any evil reasons, but she only puts effort in when it serves to help her gain material objects, like her fancy scarf, or to show off to people like Kazuma. Throughout KonoSuba, it’s very clear that all of the main cast work mostly with the goal of profit in mind, but Aqua takes this to another level by wasting all their money on unnecessary luxuries.
Aqua also loves to show off with her powers, like they’re nothing more than amusing little magic tricks. Her behavior as a goddess is mirrored by her cultist followers, who thrive on conning tourists and taking in copious donations. Aqua may be a very selfish goddess, but at least she isn’t a malicious one.
6 Killua Zoldyck Lives For The Thrill Of The Kill (Hunter X Hunter)
On the surface, Killua is a careful and cheeky companion to complement Gon on their journey together throughout Hunter X Hunter. However, a few times throughout the show, the cracks begin to form, and it becomes clear that Killua is sometimes fueled by an unquenchable bloodlust and passion for killing.
Killua eventually balances out into a healthier person as the story goes on, finding great comfort in his friendship with Gon and eventually putting others before himself. However, his love for assassination never fully goes away, and his need to feel powerful only grows stronger. His tactics in some battles could also be considered overly grotesque and unnecessary, only done for the sake of fun.
5 For Seto Kaiba, Money Is Power (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Kaiba may not possess supernatural powers within the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, but he does possess the powers of infinite wealth and amazing dueling techniques. He often uses both to his own advantage, constantly playing to get what he wants or to prove that he’s the best. Kaiba is always the first to sing his own praises.
Kaiba has let his greed overpower him often throughout the series, from bullying Yugi’s grandpa into giving him the only remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragon to blowing up an entire island out of spite. Kaiba is the embodiment of how money equals power, and when he acts like a spoiled brat, it’s best to steer clear of him completely.
4 Archer Is A Servant Gone Rogue (Fate/Stay Night)
Archer is usually the embodiment of a hero throughout the Fate/Stay Night saga, but his motivations at times have been particularly self-serving, especially in the Unlimited Blade Works route of the story. In Unlimited Blade Works, Archer refuses to follow orders at times, only acting when necessary. He even attacks Shirou with great hatred, all to do what he thinks is right for himself.
In other routes, he’s more noble and acts on what’s best for his master, but in Unlimited Blade Works fans learn the deep intricacies of his background. These plot points lead him to try some particularly devilish things, and he goes on to commit some awful acts of backstabbing.
3 To Homura Akemi, Nothing Matters Except Madoka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Homura serves as the mysterious anti-hero for most of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but viewers eventually learn that she has been working to ensure the safety of Madoka from the very beginning. However, Homura pulls some dangerous time travel shenanigans to fulfill her desire of keeping Madoka safe, so much so that it ultimately makes the situation worse.
The peak of Homura’s desperation is during the Rebellion movie. Homura undoes all of her friends’ hard work to grant herself even more power, all so she can keep things how she wants them to be. She even tramples on the ambitions of Madoka herself to achieve these goals, showing that she will stoop to any level she has to to keep her and Madoka together.
2 Lelouch vi Britannia Is Happy To Mind Control The Masses (Code Geass)
Once Lelouch gains the powers of Geass at the start of Code Geass, he immediately sets to work on using them to formulate his grand revenge scheme against both his father and the Empire of Britannia as a whole. His ultimate goal of freeing countries and unifying people together is arguably noble, but his methods throughout the show easily cross into the realm of devilry.
Lelouch gets multiple people killed with his actions, yet never shows much remorse. He uses his mind-controlling Geass to get people to do whatever he wants and get access to all of the information he could ever possibly need. No matter the results he achieved, it’s undeniable that Lelouch chose a dark path to achieve his aspirations.
1 Light Yagami Has One Hell Of A God Complex (Death Note)
Many could argue that Light loses the mantle of “hero” rather quickly in Death Note. Light starts with a somewhat admirable goal of making the world a safer place, but the power of the Death Note soon weighs heavy on his mind, and he starts to see himself as a god above mere humans. From there, he uses his amazing intelligence for progressively more wicked schemes.
Light racks up an enormous kill count over the several years he commands the power of the Death Note, and he never shows remorse for any of his actions. Even in his final moments, Light believes he’s truly just in wanting humans to be governed by his rules, and this arrogance ultimately leads to his undoing.
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