Humility is an elusive yet important social skill that can be incredibly difficult to practice. There is a multitude of personality traits that interfere with one's ability to be humble - pride, fear, and narcissism being common culprits. But what all these have in common is a focus on the self: pride in one's own achievements, fear of one's own inadequacy, and narcissism toward one's role in the world.
Even anime characters have moments where they're faced with their own unseemly behavior, and they need to either accept or reject that criticism. While it's easy for some characters to own up to their misgivings, there are also plenty of characters out there who can't stomach admitting when they've messed up.
10 Emperor Pilaf Typically Blames His Subordinates (Dragon Ball)
As a comic relief villain, Emperor Pilaf is vehemently opposed to ever admitting any of his failed schemes are his fault in Dragon Ball. Even when Mai and Shu faithfully carry out Pilaf's wishes, if the result isn't what Pilaf wanted, he's quick to turn around and blame them for his failings. Pilaf's temper tantrums range from amusing to uncomfortably abusive, depending on which part of the Dragon Ball franchise he's appearing in. Prior to Dragon Ball Super, Pilaf's outbursts tended to be a bit on the cruel side.
9 Akito Can't Accept That Her View Of The Zodiac Bonds Is Wrong (Fruits Basket)
The Zodiac Curse is the central conflict in Fruits Basket, but it's Akito Sohma who's the source of most of the dysfunction. For better or for worse, Akito's father led her to believe that she is special as the God of the Zodiac. This may have played out innocently if Akito's mother hadn't been so emotionally neglectful and abusive. Akito ended up developing a complex about the Zodiac bonds, and she did several terrible things to the cursed members throughout their lives. It's not until the end of the series that Akito seeks to make amends.
8 Asuka's Inferiority/Superiority Complex Causes Her To Project (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
When she's first introduced in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Asuka Langely Sohryu is unbearable with her condescending behavior and inflated sense of ego. She portrays herself as objectively better than Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, which is fueled by the fact that Asuka knows she is the most successful pilot out of the three of them.
But when things start to go wrong, Asuka has the tendency to blame others for her shortcomings instead of sharing responsibility and working on getting better.
7 Bakugo's Toxic Pride Holds Him Back (My Hero Academia)
Katsuki Bakugo believes that being the strongest is the single most important thing to being a hero. And for Bakugo, being the strongest means never losing. To this end, Bakugo works hard to stay on top and always aims for the highest possible goal in My Hero Academia, just so he can say he's above others. While his self-confidence is certainly admirable, the dark side is that Bakugo refuses to accept when he's lost or done something wrong. He grows more as a character as the series progresses, but his stubborn pride is his toughest opponent.
6 Nico Aggressively Protects Her Social Image (Love Live! School Idol Project)
Being the eldest of four children in a single-parent household pushed Nico Yazawa to develop a thirst for attention in Love Live! School Idol Project. Since she's ordinarily responsible for all the household chores and making sure her siblings are in line, Nico wants to be loved and doted on as an idol. She's become fiercely protective of her public image as a result, so she rarely admits when she's done something wrong. In fact, there's an entire episode in Season 2 that's dedicated to Nico's occasional dishonesty and unwillingness to own up to it.
5 Satoko's Mischievousness Drives Her To Deception (Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni)
As the master of traps and deception, Satoko Hojo admitting she's wrong would amount to badmouthing what she's best at. Instead, Satoko spends a good amount of Higurashi: When They Cry mischievously playing tricks, setting traps, and telling lies. Since she's so prideful over her skill in tricking others, getting Satoko to apologize is nearly impossible. Keiichi Maebara has had the most success with outsmarting Satoko and giving her a taste of her own medicine, but Satoko usually comes out on top, claiming that it's the other person's fault for letting themselves be deceived.
4 Light Believes He Has To Be Perfect (Death Note)
With genius intellect and fantastic good looks, Death Note's Light Yagami developed quite the complex. He believes everything he does has to be perfect. Since he does everything perfectly, then he must be perfect himself.
After using the Death Note, Light succumbs to his overinflated ego and begins rationalizing everything he does as the right thing to do since he's basically God... or so he thinks. Light's God complex drives him to his eventual defeat, making it painfully obvious for him that he was wrong the entire time.
3 Matsuri Routinely Justifies Her Bad Behavior (Citrus)
As a neglected child, Matsuri Mizusawa grew up in crushing loneliness in Citrus and wanted to avoid it at all costs. Not only did she develop a cynical and negative view of the world, but she also learned how to manipulate others to get what she wants. This combination adds up to a character who is shameless and unapologetic about anything she does, no matter how underhanded it is. She frequently has a convenient justification for her misdeeds, and it's not until later in the series that she shows any growth as a person.
2 Faye's Traumas Put Her On The Defensive (Cowboy Bebop)
Who can blame Cowboy Bebop's Faye Valentine for not wanting to be at fault for anything? Her past is effectively nonexistent after the gate accident that put her in cryogenic sleep and gave her amnesia, and the only people she could conceivably trust upon waking fifty years later turned out to be con artists. Faye literally has no friends or family to have her back, and it's unclear what her fate is after Cowboy Bebop ends. Denying when she's wrong is a defense mechanism to keep Faye confident and loyal to herself in a universe with little sympathy.
1 Yuno Sacrificed Too Much To Admit She's Wrong (Future Diary)
Yuno Gasai's murderous rampage in Future Diary cannot be forgiven under any circumstances, which is why Yuno needs to focus so intently on her actions as acceptable. In the second and third worlds, Yuno is seen as mostly docile and agreeable, but the first world Yuno that became God is warped beyond recognition. Since she's on a desperate mission to secure Yukiteru Amano's love, she can't let her resolve falter, lest she risk the entire plan falling apart. On one occasion, Yuno even injured herself to prove to Yukiteru that she was right about something to keep his trust.
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