The concept of royalty is often explored in the world of anime. Many kings play a strong role in the narrative, whether in aiding the protagonist or, more often than not, opposing them with the vast resources at their disposal.
Despite the trust that has been given to them, there are dozens of monarchs who abuse their power and treat their people with complete irresponsibility. By identifying them, we can better comprehend whether or not absolute power corrupts absolutely, as well as if their tyranny was ever brought to an end by the story's heroes.
10 Karl Fritz Manipulated & Corralled His People Behind The Walls Due To Eldia's Sins (Attack On Titan)
Karl Fritz was a descendant of the first Eldian king and the heir of the Founding Titan. Unlike his predecessors, he felt immense guilt about the oppression of the titans and corralled as many of his subjects as he could behind the walls.
He used his titan shifter's power to alter the nation's collective consciousness to make them believe that humanity outside the island had gone extinct. Moreover, Karl was comfortable with his peoples' eradication over crimes most of them never had a part in.
9 Aultcray Was Unreasonable With The Shield Hero & Nearly Cost The Kingdom Everything (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
King Aultcray was notorious for his grudge against Naofumi. He had been wronged by a Shield Hero in the past and carried his vendetta over, treating the cardinal warrior with complete derision.
In addition to forbidding him from enhancing his talents, he bought Myne's lie that Naofumi had assaulted her without a shred of evidence. Should Naofumi have given up due to the defamation he received, the Waves would have destroyed the entire kingdom.
8 Doflamingo Became King Of Dressrosa Through Treachery & Nearly Butchered His Own Subjects (One Piece)
After being disgraced from the Celestial Dragons, Doflamingo blackmailed King Riku into collecting an excessive sum from his people so that the Family wouldn't destroy them. However, it was all a ruse; the villain used his devil fruit to force the previous monarch's hand, turning his blades against his subjects and ruining his reputation.
Once he assumed the throne, Doflamingo was far worse than his predecessor ever purported to be. In addition to forcing the population against each other, he also took many citizens as toy slaves for his underground operations.
7 Heathcliff Deceived His Comrades Into Thinking He Was One Of Them (Sword Art Online)
Since Heathcliff was the game designer and master of Aincrad, he was also technically its king. However, instead of ruling with an iron fist, he disguised himself among his "subjects" by posing as one of the realm's most prominent guild leaders.
Initially, Heathcliff had intended to reveal his identity when the heroes reached the final stage. However, after Kirito found him out, he was forced to put his endgame into action prematurely and fought the Black Swordsman to the bitter end.
6 King Bradley Only Saw His People As Sacrificial Pawns (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Since birth, King Bradley's sole objective was to follow his master's wishes as closely as possible. Over the years, he did everything in his power to cover up the reality of the homunculus and went as far as to kill state alchemists toward that end.
Although he led a successful campaign against Ishval and was regarded as a hero by the people, the feeling wasn't mutual. Bradley was solely interested in using his subjects as sacrificial pawns for Father's transmutation circle.
5 The Emperor Listened To Whatever His Adviser Said & Massacred His Own Subjects (Akame Ga Kill!)
The Emperor was exceedingly oppressive against his own subjects, though it wasn't entirely his fault. After his parents' mysterious death, he clung to every word of the corrupt Minister Honest and enacted his policies without a second thought.
When it finally came time for his reckoning, the Emperor had no qualms about using his Imperial Arms to raze entire districts of his people. Consequently, he was executed after the war's conclusion despite still only being a child.
4 Baraggan Contemplated Having His Subjects Fight For His Amusement (Bleach)
Before becoming a member of the Espada, King Baraggan was the undisputed ruler of Hueco Mundo and Las Noches. With no neighbors to threaten his nation's sovereignty, his rule was stable and prosperous. There was only one problem; Baraggan got bored.
His petulance grew so severe that he considered starting a civil war among his own people just to amuse himself. Fortunately, Aizen showed up and claimed his territory before such needless bloodshed could be had.
3 The Shadow Lord Replaced Deltora's King & Tyrannized The Land (Deltora Quest)
The Shadow Lord was a malevolent entity who managed to scatter the gems keeping him at bay before entering and overwhelming the kingdom of Deltora. He had little interest in the success of his country; on the contrary, he actively wanted to spread misery.
His minions, the Gray Guards, prowled every street corner and were voracious for the first indication of trouble. Should they find any foolish enough to defy their master's orders, punishment would be quick, decisive, and merciless. The Shadow Lord was a particularly menacing threat since he was nearly indestructible.
2 The Demon King Treated His Subjects As Disposable & Tried To Steal His Own Son's Body (Seven Deadly Sins)
The Demon King was an oppressive entity who embodied the forces of darkness. Although he imparted fractions of his power to the Ten Commandments, this was only so that they could wage war against the Archangels more efficiently on his behalf.
In the end, the villain did not care about Meliodas or even his most loyal son, Zeldris. Instead, he sought to use his body as a vessel so that he could safely return and conquer all of Britannia.
1 Meruem Was Abusive To His Royal Guards & Killed His People Arbitrarily (Hunter X Hunter)
At the beginning of his life, Meruem was only referred to as "the King." He was unimaginably abusive to his people and took advantage of the chimera ants' unwavering loyalty to the fullest.
Not only did he kill Peggy solely for being too excited to see him, he hit and expected to kill Neferpitou for a petty offense. Meruem would only repent for his oppressive ways and realize the value of his subjects after being poisoned by Netero near the end of his life.
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