Loyalty is commonly a factor when explaining the motivations of anime characters. For example, Naruto Uzumaki is loyal to Konoha and his actions are primarily motivated by this loyalty. He will take the necessary action to protect his village and the people in it. Similarly, Goku is loyal to the people of earth and often puts his life on the line fighting god-like entities in order to protect his planet.
Even villains are loyal to cause, such as Pain, whose loyalty to Yahiko's peaceful vision drove him to lead the Akatsuki. But there are some characters whose motivations are impossible to pinpoint. Their egregious actions are attributed to their entirely selfish nature. Loyal to themselves, their only concern is satisfying whatever desire takes hold of their mind.
10 Hisoka Morrow (Hunter X Hunter) Only Cares About Fighting The Strong
Hisoka traverses the Hunter X Hunter universe in hopes of finding worthy opponents. He has no friends or family and promises his loyalty to absolutely no one. This is evident when he joins the notorious Phantom Troupe only to serve his desire of fighting Chrollo Lucilfer.
The only semblance of a relationship Hisoka has is with the equally sadistic Illumi Zoldyck, but their relationship is business-like. Because of his vigorous individuality, Hisoka takes the path of greatest self-gratification, meaning he kills frequently and brings chaos into the lives of others. If there's one message those who encounter Hisoka take away, it's to not trust the Killer Clown.
9 Orochimaru's Only Goal Is Immortality (Naruto/Boruto)
Shaped by the loss of his parents during his youth, Orochimaru obsessively committed to overcoming death and obtaining immortality. From that point on, the sadistic Sannin's actions have been entirely selfish. He has performed countless experiments on innocent individuals and nurtured talented shinobi only to take their bodies.
He betrayed Konoha and killed his own Sensei, and he was willing to kill Tsunade and Jiraiya, the two only friends he had. After he was resurrected by Sasuke, Orochimaru took a genuine interest in someone other than himself for the first time. He is currently back in Konoha under the watchful eye of Yamato, but the jury is still out on where his allegiance lies.
8 Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer) Kills Anyone Who Displeases Him
Muzan Kibitsuji is the original demon, born from frailty and the twisted mind of a doctor. For over 1000 years, Muzan has turned countless people into demons, obedient to only him. He has killed countless families and his existence is comparable to that of a natural disaster. He has no friends or family, his heart is void of love and his life void of meaning. Even the members of the Twelve Kizuki are nothing more than weapons, expendable to the hands of demon slayers or that Muzan will kill if they no longer serve a purpose. His exact motivations are never clearly defined, the most probable assumption being that he kills because he enjoys it.
7 Illumi Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter) Uses The Façade Of Family To Mask His Selfish Actions
The normal rules of family cannot be applied to the Zoldycks. As a family of world-renowned assassins, their relationships with one another are complex and confusing. Despite all this, they do appear to care for each other (Killua and Silva share several genuine father-son moments).
But even amongst the Zoldycks, Illumi is particularly sinister. He defends his actions by claiming they're protecting the family, but the results or logic often suggest otherwise. Illumi wanted to kill Gon, Killua's only friend, and has gone to great lengths to capture Alluka for himself. Illumi's true motivation seems to be unbridled power and he is willing to use his family to get it.
6 Light Yagami (Death Note) Sacrifices Anyone Who Gets In The Way Of His New World Order
Light Yagami's evolution is a tragic one. Upon receiving the Death Note, Light's idealist philosophy saw him kill criminals and anyone deemed a danger to society. Sure, it was a simple and naive way to intervene with humanity, but many people could understand his thinking. But the god-like power warped the young genius' mind and his focus shifted to eliminating anyone who dared try and take his power from him. His descent into madness resulted in the deaths of thousands, including plenty of innocent people. By the end of the series, Light's only loyalty was to the Death Note.
5 Hidan (Naruto) Joined The Akatsuki But Didn't Care For Its Goals
Despite fighting for the Akatsuki Terrorist Organization, Hidan was by no means loyal. The Akatsuki was made up of questionable characters with their own selfish traits, but all of them united and fought for the same goal. Well, all but Hidan. The immortal nutjob only joined because he was promised endless sacrifices for his God, Jashin. He didn't care about ending war and the concept of peace, he just wanted to kill as many people as possible.
4 Garou (One-Punch Man) Wants To See Just How Far He Can Evolve
One-Punch Man is not the type of anime that explores character depth. It's a comedic series that combines impressive animation with immense fight scenes and sticks to that winning formula. So, Garou's motivations are simplistic and selfish. He lives for the fight, targeting heroes and monsters alike in hopes of gaining immeasurable strength.
There's no loyalty to anyone, betraying his Sensei and killing members of the Monster Association who attempted to recruit him. Garou's only concern is his own power and evolution; everything else should just get out of his way.
3 Sukuna's Power Is So Overwhelming That Everyone Else Is Deemed Unworthy (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Sukuna's backstory remains a mystery. Fans of the popular anime know he was formally a human and his strength was so great he defeated all of the Sorcerers from the Golden Age. But that's about it. Almost every human and curse to exist pales in comparison to Sukuna and his cursed energy.
Therefore, everyone he encounters is no more significant than an insect and he makes that clear in his entertaining interactions with Yuji and Mahito. Loyalty is a foreign concept to Sukuna; he sits atop the world and no one else matters. He even treats Gojo—a sorcerer with the strength to match Sukuna—with the utmost disrespect.
2 Johan Liebert (Monster) Is A Psychopathic Killer And Nothing More
Johan Liebert is the antagonist of the brilliant anime Monster and a murderous enigma. The root of his actions are a mystery and analyzing him has proven hopeless. He possesses immense charisma and intelligence, effortlessly manipulating anyone he meets and driving them to the extremes of the human psyche.
Johan is unique amongst anime antagonists as his true strength lies in his words. His incomparable understanding of the mind means, in mere moments, he can bring out the darkness in every human. Johan sees the absurdity of life and thus treats it as such. No one is safe from the devil incarnate.
1 Father (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) Didn't Care About His Children
Father is the original Homunculus and progenitor of the Homunculi whose sole goal is to absorb God and obtain knowledge that surpasses the Truth. He answers to no one, cares for no one, and is loyal to no one. He created the other Homunculi and referred to them as his children, but didn't express any form of grief at their demise. His demeanor is stoic and detached and he remains apathetic about his actions that have killed so many. Throughout the anime, Father frequently compares humans to insects, suggesting killing a human is no different to when a human kills an ant.
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