While many anime characters are usually selfless and put others before themselves, they are modeled after humanity, and humans cannot be selfless one hundred percent of the time. Though no one expects anyone to be perfect at all times, there are a few times during which a characters’ usual selflessness is juxtaposed by a memorable moment of selfishness.
When these characters act selfishly, it is usually for a good reason. Whether it be because of grief, fear, loss, or concern, there are anime characters who have stepped out of their selfless character for a moment to commit acts that can only be described as selfish.
10 Hinako Keeps Minato’s Spirit Captive Too Long In Ride Your Wave
Hinako was always a selfless person. As a child, she saved another kid from drowning, and this kid later turned out to be Minato. Minato was so inspired by Hinako’s selflessness that he became a firefighter and died trying to save another drowning person.
However, when Hinako began seeing the late Minato’s spirit in water, she kept him around. She refused to try to move on, grow, or reach acceptance, and instead, she relied heavily on Minato. Eventually, she realized she needed to learn to rely more on herself, and Minato was able to move on to the next realm.
9 Aang Refused To Work On The Avatar State Due To His Love For Katara In Avatar: The Last Airbender
Aang needed to put his mastering of the elements and the Avatar state above all other priorities to stop the war waged by the Fire Lord. However, when he worked with Guru Pathik, he saw Katara in trouble and left. While many do not blame Aang for wanting to save Katara (and it all worked out in the end), Aang’s duty as the Avatar was to put the world’s balance first.
That was not the only time Aang chose Katara over his duties, either. Luckily for him, it always seemed to work out in his favor, even if he did get less impulsive.
8 Polnareff’s Vendetta Made Him Unable To See The Plan In Stardust Crusaders
Jean-Pierre Polnareff’s vendetta against J. Geil is completely justified, and the devotion of his life to the pursuit of avenging his loved one was selfless. However, his approach to doing so was selfish, and it put Jotaro and the others in a dangerous position.
In fact, Polnareff was so liable to ruin things to such a degree that Avdol had to fake his death and did not resurface again until Polnareff made another selfish mistake in wishing for his sister’s resurrection.
7 In Naruto: Shippūden, Sakura Used Naruto, Even If She Had Her Reasons
Like Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno devoted herself to saving Sasuke Uchiha from the clutches of Orochimaru and getting him back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Unfortunately, Sasuke did not make this an easy feat, and they spent the entirety of the series hunting him down.
This eventually caused Naruto so much pain that Sakura could visibly see the damage it was causing to him. So, she lied to Naruto and told him she loved him so that he would stop pursuing Sasuke. However, this did not stop Naruto’s resolve to save Sasuke.
6 Mitsuki Defected From The Village Because He Had To Know More In Boruto
Mitsuki was created by Orochimaru, and as an artificial being, Mitsuki had a lot of questions about his will, destiny, and autonomy. So, when a different group of artificial beings came to the HIdden Leaf from the Hidden Ston Village, Mitsuki jumped at the chance to learn more.
He left the village, a serious crime, and worked with them in order to learn about himself; however, it led to a lot of pain and grief for the Hidden Leaf shinobi.
5 Watanuki Takes Everything Out On Doumeki In XxxHolic
All Kimihiro Watanuki wanted was to get rid of his ability to see spirits. He even contracted his life to the witch, Yuuko Ichihara, who promised to fulfill his wish in exchange for his labor. However, he hated much of the work involved, and he was preoccupied with his friend and love interest, Himawari.
On the other hand, there was Doumeki, an unlikely friend who had the power to ward off spirits. While Doumeki was kind and helpful, Watanuki wanted Himawari to himself and was rude to Doumeki often.
4 Zenitsu Lets His Fear Keep Him From Helping Others In Demon Slayer
Zenitsu’s job as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps was to stop demons and save the innocent. However, he often shirked his duties because he was so afraid to fight demons. He was so afraid that he could only fight when asleep or incapacitated.
There were plenty of times Zenitus came through. He risked his life fighting spider demons, saved a child, and protected Nezuko. However, he often had to have a selfish reason for doing so (or he had to be out like a light).
3 Shiny Chariot Wanted To Help Others But Took From Them Instead In Little Witch Academia
Shiny Chariot wanted to be a performer and a famous heroic witch. However, her naive desire to achieve these feats made her vulnerable to manipulation. As a result, she was used and her shows ended up stealing magic from children. Her selfless desire to make others smile became a selfish act of naivety that made a terrible difference.
As Professor Ursula, she became a much wiser and selfless witch, and though she never meant to be selfish, sometimes people-pleasing pursuits become a reflection of selfish desires.
2 Elias Can Be Too Protective Of Chise In The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Elias Ainsworth bought Chise Hatori when she was at her lowest, and he changed her life by giving her acceptance and teaching her about the magical realm. Chise, in turn, taught him about accepting himself. Elias cared about Chise a lot, but sometimes he went too far in his efforts to protect her.
Most notably, there were moments Elias became a large, terrifying monster when he got angry. Sometimes, this was completely misplaced, and it dipped into the realm of jealousy and selfishness. They work well together, but Elias has a few things to work out.
1 Katara Is Too Controlling Of The Group At Times In Avatar: The Last Airbender
Katara always assumed the role of Team Avatar’s mother. She was the responsible one even before they set out on their world-saving journey. However, because of her tendency to be the responsible one, she sometimes gets too controlling about the way things are done.
Sometimes, this led her to act selfishly. She got mad when Aang was better at water bending than her. She often went on missions without consulting or getting approval from the others, and she was rude to Toph.
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