These 13 Anime Heroes Were Villains All Along

These 13 Anime Heroes Were Villains All Along

Anime loves to surprise us with unexpected twists, and nothing shocks fans more than discovering their favorite hero was actually the villain the whole time.

Some characters start out seeming brave and good, only to reveal dark secrets that change everything we thought we knew about them. Whether they were secretly working against their friends or slowly transformed into the very monsters they swore to destroy, these anime heroes fooled us all with their hidden villainous natures.

1. Light Yagami

Starting as a brilliant high school student who wanted to rid the world of criminals, Light Yagami quickly became the very thing he claimed to hate.

When he found the Death Note, a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it, Light believed he could become a god of justice.

His mission seemed noble at first, eliminating dangerous criminals who escaped the legal system.

But power corrupted him faster than anyone expected.

Light began killing innocent people who got in his way, including police officers and even his own family members.

He manipulated everyone around him without remorse.

His god complex grew so massive that he saw himself as the only one worthy of judging humanity, making him anime’s most chilling example of a hero turned villain.

2. Griffith / Femto

Griffith led the Band of the Hawk as a charismatic commander who seemed destined for greatness and inspired absolute loyalty.

His dream of ruling his own kingdom motivated everyone who followed him.

Guts and Casca trusted him completely, believing Griffith genuinely cared about his soldiers as comrades and friends.

But when his dream crumbled after imprisonment and torture, Griffith made an unforgivable choice.

He sacrificed every single member of his band to demonic forces, transforming into the God Hand member Femto.

His betrayal remains one of anime’s most traumatic moments.

Griffith’s willingness to murder his closest friends for power showed his heroic persona was always a mask hiding monstrous ambition underneath.

3. Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke began as Naruto’s rival and teammate, fighting alongside Konoha’s heroes to protect the village from dangerous threats.

His cool demeanor and incredible skills made him popular among fans who admired his dedication to becoming stronger.

Many believed his quest for revenge against his brother Itachi would eventually lead him back to the light.

Instead, Sasuke abandoned his friends and joined the villainous Orochimaru to gain forbidden power.

He later tried to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village itself, attacking the people who once considered him family.

His willingness to kill former allies and plunge the ninja world into darkness revealed how obsession can turn even talented heroes into villains who hurt everyone around them.

4. Eren Yeager

Eren started Attack on Titan as the passionate hero who swore to eliminate all Titans and protect humanity from extinction.

Everyone rooted for him as he trained hard, joined the Survey Corps, and fought bravely alongside his friends.

His determination inspired his comrades to keep fighting even when hope seemed lost.

Then everything changed when Eren learned the truth about the world beyond the walls.

He decided the only way to save his people was to commit genocide against the rest of humanity.

Eren activated the Rumbling, unleashing countless massive Titans to crush millions of innocent lives.

His former friends became his enemies as they desperately tried to stop his apocalyptic plan, proving heroes can become the greatest villains.

5. Ken Kaneki

Ken Kaneki was an ordinary college student who loved reading books and living a peaceful, quiet life away from violence.

After a tragic accident transformed him into a half-ghoul, Kaneki struggled to maintain his humanity while surviving in a world that wanted him dead.

His journey seemed like a tale of acceptance and finding balance between two worlds.

But trauma and torture broke something inside him. Kaneki became increasingly ruthless, forming his own ghoul organization and brutally killing anyone he perceived as a threat, including innocent humans.

His descent into darkness showed how suffering can corrupt even the gentlest souls.

Kaneki’s transformation from shy bookworm to merciless leader demonstrated that heroes and villains sometimes share the same face.

6. Yukiteru Amano

Yukiteru started Future Diary as a lonely, passive teenager who just wanted friends and avoided confrontation whenever possible.

When he received a diary that predicted the future, he reluctantly entered a deadly survival game alongside the obsessive Yuno Gasai.

Most viewers saw him as the innocent protagonist trapped in horrifying circumstances beyond his control.

But Yukiteru’s true nature emerged as the game progressed.

He manipulated and betrayed other diary holders without hesitation, even those who showed him kindness and tried to help him survive.

His willingness to sacrifice others to save himself revealed a selfish coward hiding behind a heroic facade.

Yukiteru proved that sometimes the quietest characters harbor the darkest intentions when survival is on the line.

7. Annie Leonhart

Annie trained alongside Eren and the other cadets, earning respect as one of the most skilled fighters in their class.

Her incredible combat abilities and dedication impressed instructors and fellow soldiers alike.

Everyone assumed she would become a valuable member of the military forces protecting humanity from the Titan threat.

Then the shocking truth emerged: Annie was the Female Titan who had slaughtered countless Survey Corps members during expeditions.

She had infiltrated the military as a spy, pretending to care about her comrades while secretly working to destroy them.

Her betrayal hit especially hard because she seemed genuinely conflicted about her mission.

Annie showed that even villains can feel guilt, but that doesn’t stop them from committing terrible acts against those who trusted them.

8. Bertholdt Hoover

Bertholdt appeared as a quiet, gentle giant who never wanted to hurt anyone and always seemed nervous around conflict.

His timid personality made him seem like the least threatening member of the 104th Training Corps.

Nobody suspected this kind, soft-spoken boy could harbor such devastating secrets beneath his shy exterior.

The revelation shattered everyone: Bertholdt was the Colossal Titan who destroyed Wall Maria and killed thousands of innocent people.

He started the entire nightmare that consumed Eren’s life and destroyed countless families.

Despite his gentle demeanor, Bertholdt remained committed to his villainous mission until the very end.

His character proved that evil doesn’t always announce itself loudly; sometimes it hides behind kind eyes and apologetic smiles.

9. Reiner Braun

Reiner embodied everything a hero should be: brave, strong, protective, and always putting his comrades before himself.

He acted as the big brother figure for the younger cadets, offering encouragement and protection during their darkest moments.

His leadership qualities and genuine concern for others made him someone everyone wanted on their side during battle.

Learning that Reiner was the Armored Titan who attacked humanity alongside Bertholdt devastated everyone who trusted him.

He lived a double life so convincingly that he nearly broke under the psychological pressure of maintaining both identities.

Reiner’s internal struggle between his heroic persona and villainous reality made him tragically complex.

His story reminds us that people can genuinely care about others while still committing unforgivable acts against them.

10. Suguru Geto

Suguru Geto was once the closest friend of Satoru Gojo and a promising jujutsu sorcerer dedicated to protecting non-sorcerers from curses.

His compassionate nature and strong sense of justice made him an ideal hero who fought tirelessly to save innocent lives.

Teachers and fellow students believed he would become one of the greatest protectors in the jujutsu world.

But witnessing humanity’s ugliness changed everything inside him.

Geto decided that non-sorcerers were worthless parasites who created curses through their negativity and deserved extermination.

He became a curse user who murdered innocent people, including his own parents, to achieve his twisted vision of a perfect world.

Geto’s fall from grace showed how idealism can twist into extremism when heroes lose faith in those they swore to protect.

11. Kyubey

Kyubey appeared as an adorable mascot character offering girls the chance to become magical heroes and have their deepest wishes granted.

Its cute appearance and promise of making dreams come true seemed like the perfect opportunity for young girls to become powerful defenders of justice.

The magical girl transformation looked like every child’s fantasy come to life.

But Kyubey was actually an emotionless alien harvesting human suffering as energy to prevent universal entropy.

It deliberately targeted vulnerable girls, knowing their emotional despair would produce maximum energy when they inevitably transformed into witches.

Kyubey’s complete lack of empathy while maintaining its cute appearance made it terrifying.

This creature proved that the most dangerous villains are those who see nothing wrong with their actions and hide behind innocent faces.

12. Tetsuo Shima

Tetsuo began Akira as a vulnerable teenager who desperately wanted respect from his friends and protection from bullies who tormented him.

His friendship with Kaneda seemed genuine, even if it was complicated by feelings of inadequacy and jealousy.

Many viewers sympathized with his struggles and hoped gaining psychic powers would help him find confidence and happiness.

Instead, power amplified every negative emotion inside him.

Tetsuo became a destructive force who killed anyone in his path, including innocent bystanders and former friends who tried to help him.

His transformation into a monstrous mass of flesh and psychic energy symbolized how unchecked power and resentment can literally consume someone from the inside out, turning victims into villains more dangerous than their original oppressors.

13. Stain

Stain believed in true heroism so passionately that he dedicated his life to purging society of fake heroes who only cared about fame and money.

His ideology resonated with many people who felt disillusioned by heroes treating their calling as just another career path.

Some viewers even agreed that modern hero society had become too commercialized and corrupt.

But Stain’s methods revealed his villainous nature.

He brutally murdered heroes he deemed unworthy, deciding who deserved to live or die based entirely on his personal judgment.

His willingness to kill people trying to save lives made him a terrorist, not a reformer.

Stain demonstrated how noble ideals become poisonous when someone believes their vision justifies murdering anyone who doesn’t meet their impossible standards of purity.