Summary

• Tragic backstories in anime often lead to character growth or villainous paths based on choices made at traumatic crossroads.
• Characters like Naruto and Naofumi face adversity but choose love and understanding over revenge and villainy.
• Despite traumatic pasts, characters like Ganta and Ken Kaneki choose justice and empathy, holding onto their humanity.

In many shounen and seinen anime, tragic backstories are practically a requirement—because what's character growth without a little lifelong emotional trauma, right? These injustices make us feel for the charac☂ters, drawing us into their journey. But trauma is a crossroads: somౠe characters rise above it, others take a dark detour.

The villainous ones often end up mirroring the cruelty they once faced, becoming the very monsters that hurt them. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:They’re usually lonely, revenge-obsessed, and one motivational speech away from a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:redemption arc that never came. Maybe no one hugged them enough? Honestly, if you lived through whaꦿt they did… would you really still be the hero?

There are many anime characters who have experien🅷ced trauma and injustice and came close to becoming villains; therefore, it’s not possible to in💎clude every character in this list. If a character you have in mind isn’t listed, feel free to share them in the comments with others.

10 Tak🌼ashi Natsume ♉

Natsume Yuujinchou (Natsume’s Book Of Friends)

Takashi Natsume has had a rough timeꦐ—since childhood, he could see youkai, those spooky supernatural creatures. Because of this, his family and everyone around thought he was weird and kept their distance (except his mom and grandmaꦫ, who were the real MVPs). Despite all the awkward stares and social exile, Natsume stayed kind-hearted and empathetic.

Thanks to his grandma’s mysterious book, he connected with the past and those creepy beings, growing into a wise guy who chose good over evil. Sure, he faced isolation and misunderstandings, but instead of turning into a villain, he♈ picked love and understanding—basically, the youkai whisperer who refused to go dark!

9 ༺ ဣ Kotoura Haruka

Kotoura-san

Haruka is one of the rare folks born with telepathy, able to♛ hear other people’s thoughts—which made everyone around her freak out and misunderstand her. Friends and family ended up pushing her away, giving her the cold shoulde♔r and zero trust. The loneliness and rejection left her with some serious emotional scars.

On top of tha♌t, some people tried to exploit her powers and bullied her both physically and emotionally. But did she turn villain? Nope! The game-changer was meeting Manabe Yoshihisa, who wasn’t scared or judgmental about her abilities—instead, he showed kindness. Despite all the pain, Haruka stayed sweet and gentle, just wanting love and acceptance, not revenge or world domination.

8 🐽 Killua Zoldyck ꩲ

Hunter X Hunter

Killua, the cheerful kid from the infamous 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:assassin family Zoldyck, has a pretty dark past. In that family, kids grow up under strict disciplinജe, tough training, and plenty of physical punishment. Killua was tightly controlled and pushed hard by his dad Silva and big brother Illumi—talk about a heavy family load!

They expected him to be a cold, heartless assassin with no f🅘eelings, basically a villain in training. But nope, Killua kept his cool, holding onto his empathy and conscience. Thanks to his close friendship with Gon and the gang, he stayed human instead of turning into a supervillain. In the end, love and friendship won—🐻take that, Zoldyck pressure!

7 Crona

Soul Eater

Crona from Soul Eater is one walking emoꩵtional trauma in a cloak. Raised by Medusa—who thought “parenting” meant turning your child into a science experiment—Crona was fed fear instead of 🧜love and got a demon sword (hi, Ragnarok!) installed like some haunted Windows update.

With zero empathy training and 100 percent anxiety, Crona became a walking panic attack. But despite being villain material 101, Crona didn’t go full evil. Why? Maka. With patience, kindness, and the superpower of not running away screaming, Maka helped Crona see a sliver of hope. Turns out, even if the world calls you a monster, a littl🦂e love can reboot your humanity.

6 🌱 Naruto Uzumaki 🍌

Naruto

Naruto was basically handed the job of being a Jinchuriki — a baby with a giant fox demon (Kurama) sealed inside him. This totally wrecked his childhood. 🐼The whole village saw him as a walking disaster and treated him with fear, hate, and some serious side-eಌye. He was bullied, ignored, and left all alone with no one to talk to since he was also an orphan.

But Naruto? He never gave up. If he had, hꦗe might’ve gone full dark side. Instead, his endless need f🍒or love pushed him to improve himself and value others. Thanks to his legendary “talk no jutsu,” he even turns villains into friends. Eventually, the village accepts him—and finally, the kid with a demon inside becomes the village hero!

5 💟 Naofumi Iwatani 𓂃

Tate No Yuusha No Nariagari (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)

Naofumi is one of four heroes summoned to a fantasy world, but instead of fanfare and gl🎐ory, he gets hit with betrayal speedrun-style. Within days, his only ally, Malty, accuses him of a crime he didn’t commit—yeah, false accusation speedrun world record. The kingdom shuns him, the people hate him, and the other heroes🌳 act like he smells like expired potions.

With only a shield (aka the least flashy weapon ever), he can’t even fight proper𝄹ly on his own. Sounds like perfect villain origin material, right? But in𝓀stead of turning evil, Naofumi finds true allies like Raphtalia and Filo, discovers trust, and swaps revenge for protection. His shield? Used for saving, not smiting.

4 🌃 Ganta Igarashi

Deadmen Wonderland

Ganta gets thrown into Deadman Wonderland, a terrifying prison full of death-row inmates and n🧸onstop torture—totally not a fun place. He’s innocent, yet faces brutal abuse from guards and prisoners alike, both physically and emotionally. Sounds like the perfect recipe to become a villain, right?

But nope! Despite all the crap, Ganta chases justice and truth. Thanks to his friends and Shiro’s unconditional love and protection, he learns to trust again and keeps his humanity intact. Though his creepy powers freak him out, he uses them to protect loved ones—not to become a killer. While other Deadmen lose themselves to hate and revenge, Ganta stays the good guy, proving you cಞan suffer and still be awesome.

3 ꦯHyakkimaru

Dororo (2019)

Hyakkimaru was born missing 48 organs, limbs, and senses because his dad made a devilish deal and sacrificed them to demons—then just left him to die. Growing up as a half-human, half-demon patchwork, life was anything but easy. People feared and shunned him, leaving him l⛄onely and misunderstood.

Even though he sees the world as a brutal, strange place and struggles with his humanity, he never turns villain. Instead, he hunts down demons to reclaim his missing body ♛parts, getting one step closer to being fully human with each victory. Thanks to Dororo’s friendship and kindness, plus Dr. Jukai’s help, Hyakkimaru chooses healing over hatred and proves you can be a badass without going evil.

2 𓄧 ❀ Ken Kaneki

Tokyo Ghoul

Kaneki begins as a quiet, gentle young man whose lif⛦e is shattered when he’s attacked by Rize—the girl he thought liked him. After a life-saving operation, he awakens as a half-ghoul, half-human, caught between two worlds that reject him.

Haunted by hunger, isolation, and a fractured identity, Kaneki endures unimaginable suffering, including brutal torture at the hands of Jason. Despite the trauma and the darkness pressing in, he never fully becomes a villain. What anchors him is his empathy—his desire🌟 to protect others and not lose his humanity. Kaneki’s story is not about giving in to hate, bu💦t resisting it, even when pain and loss make it the easier path. He remains a tragic, yet ultimately human, figure.

1 ✃ ♏ Thorfinn Karlsefni

Vinland Saga

Thorfinn witnessed his father’s death as a child and lived solely for revenge. He grew up surrounded by war, bloodshed, and brutality, serving under Askeladd l﷽ike a silent shadow, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Deprived of love, education, and a real c✅hildhood, he was fueled by hatred. But when Askeladd is killed by someone else, Thorfinn’s only purpose vanishes.

Perhaps killing him himself might have pushed him into villainy—but instead, the loss triggers deep reflection. Enslaved and broken, he begins to confront his past. 🍎He learns the value of life and forms a vow never to kill again. His dream of a peaceful Vinland leads him away from darkness. Thorfi🍃nn's journey is proof that even those born in chaos can choose the light.