Many anime and manga franchises are beloved for their terrifying and memorable villains, from Madara Uchiha and Sosuke Aizen to the mighty Frieza and Captain Blackbeard. Many anime scenes also show a character succumbing to the temptation of the dark side, such as Sasuke Uchiha. But some anime characters resist that temptation.
For every fictional character who becomes evil, there is one who resists the call of villainy, or a third party intervenes and puts them back on the path of heroism and justice. These ten anime characters were close to becoming villains until someone or something snapped them out of it. The world of anime has enough scary villains as it is.
10 Narancia Ghirga, A Punk Who Hit Rock Bottom (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
During the Golden Wind story arc, it became clear that the streets of Italy were rife with crime and drugs, and many people lost their way and turned to crime to survive. Many members of Bruno Bucciarati's squad were like that, especially Narancia Ghirga.
Narancia was framed for a crime, and he was rejected by everyone around him. He had nothing except his own isolation and rage, and he easily could have become a petty villain until Bruno Bucciarati met him and gave him a new team and a new purpose.
9 Colonel Roy Mustang, Who Nearly Killed Envy Out Of Hate (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Colonel Roy Mustang is an ambitious officer in the Amestris military, seeking to become the nation's new leader so he can guide it in a better direction. That's a noble thought, but Roy is ruthless and self-centered, and things only got worse when his good friend, Maes Hughes, was shot and killed one night.
Roy became obsessed with finding Maes' killer, and he finally zeroed in on the homunculus Envy, who was responsible. Roy defeated Envy in battle with his flame alchemy, but he also tried to kill Envy in a fit of rage and malice until his associates stopped him. If Roy had gone through with that, he would have been lost to hate forever.
8 Laxus Dreyar, The Lightning Dragon Slayer (Fairy Tail)
One of the mightiest members of the Fairy Tail guild is Laxus Dreyar, who can demolish his foes with devastating lightning techniques in battle. He first appeared as an antagonist, turning his fellow guildmates against each other to determine who was truly worthy. He was defeated, then ejected from the guild for his crimes.
Laxus was brutal, and he was almost a villain during that story arc. What is more, he could have become an official villain after getting exiled, and sought revenge on the Fairy Tail guild. Instead, Laxus returned as a noble and selfless hero, a grandson Makarov could be proud of.
7 Endeavor, The New #1 Pro Hero (My Hero Academia)
Some pro heroes really skirt the line between hero and villain, and the new #1 hero Endeavor is a prime example of that. He had a Quirk marriage with Rei to create the ultimate child, and Endeavor cruelly pressured Shoto into becoming a hero who could surpass All Might someday. It was a highly dysfunctional household, to say the least.
Some progress is being made, though. Endeavor is slowly starting to atone for what he's done, especially since he has to set a good example as the new #1 pro hero. Whether Endeavor deserves a second chance is up for debate, but it's clear that he was this close to being lost to villainy. Only now is his good side emerging.
6 Prince Zuko, Who Sought To Restore His Honor (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation had a few misconceptions that led him down the wrong path. He mistakenly thought that winning his father's favor would give him purpose, and he was wrong to think that serving the Fire Nation's best interests would make the world a better place. He soon learned otherwise.
Zuko's redemption arc is legendary, and he acted as a villain not because he is evil at heart, but because he was lost and confused, and he acted the way he thought someone in his position was "supposed" to. In the end, Zuko figured out his own destiny and helped Avatar Aang save the world.
5 Mai Zen'in, The Envious Younger Sister (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Mai Zen'in is one of those anime characters who act villainously not out of malice or grand ambitions, but because she has been hurting for almost her entire life, and is desperate to escape that pain and find peace. She and her sister Maki felt rejected by their traditionalist family, and Mai envied her sister's prowess.
Mai is enrolled at the Kyoto sorcerer school, but she is deeply antagonistic toward the Tokyo school's students, most of all Nobara Kugisaki and her sister Maki. Mai could have really gone off the deep end, but she and Maki made up somewhat during their duel, and most likely, Mai will become more heroic in future story arcs.
4 Inosuke Hashibira, Who Wants To Fight Everyone (Demon Slayer)
The wild demon slayer named Inosuke Hashibira isn't used to deal with people. He grew up in the wilds and developed his own "beast breathing" technique, and to him, humans, animals, and demons are all fair game for testing his skills. He was, at best, a wild card during the fight against Kyogai.
Inosuke was soon hostile to Tanjiro's party, beating Zenitsu and fighting Tanjiro until he finally decided to join the team for real. He just as easily could have rejected them and stormed off into the forest, vowing revenge on Tanjiro. Fortunately, things didn't go that way.
3 Geld, The New Orc Leader (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
The pig-like orc race became a puppet of Demon Lord Clayman, and their leader Geld became the Orc Disaster, a titanic monster that nearly conquered the world. Rimuru ate Geld with his Predator ability, and then the next orc leader received the name Geld as well. But this Geld was different.
Geld once fought for Clayman, and he had intended to devour all his enemies. Now, he is humble in defeat, and he gratefully accepted Rimuru's offer to join the growing Jura Tempest Federation as the representative of the orc race. Now Geld fights for good, but he's no less brutal for it. He absolutely demolished Shogo in battle, for example, and showed no mercy.
2 Motoyasu Kitamura, The Spear Hero (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
This particular isekai story is rather gritty and dark compared to most other titles in its genre, and even the protagonist, Naofumi Iwatani, started to develop some villainous traits. Then there's the matter of Motoyasu Kitamura, who was a real thorn in Naofumi's side for more than one reason.
Motoyasu was the spear hero, and though he did fight the actual villains without fail, he was also vain, arrogant, self-absorbed, and antagonistic, getting in Naofumi's way whenever he could. He might have gone totally rogue, but near the end of Season 1, he turned away from villainy and started to get his act together. He still has a ways to go, though.
1 Captain Soi Fon, Who Simply Wanted Her Friend Back (Bleach)
During the Soul Society arc, most Soul Reapers served as temporary antagonists, though many of them were simply doing their duty, such as Captain Kaname Tosen and Captain Shunsui Kyoraku. Meanwhile, the commander of squad 2, Captain Soi Fon, was consumed with rage and grief.
Why? She had lost her beloved friend and mentor, Yoruichi Shihoin, and now Yoruichi was back... as an invader. Soi Fon didn't just fight Yoruichi out of duty; she wanted Yoruichi dead, and acted out of malice and retribution. However, Soi Fon soon burned off all her anger, and she was reduced to tears. The fight was called off, and Soi Fon soon became Yoruichi's ally once again. Hatred and revenge are not the Soul Reaper way.
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