Emotions can be seen as a source of great strength for many people. They help to process information and fuel the desire to succeed. In theory, this should entail that they are a net positive to the recipient. However, there are many instances where an anime character's strength is explicitly increased by negative feelings.
Though usually villains, even a handful of heroes have such an unhealthy relationship with their own abilities. It has noticeably impacted their disposition on many occasions. Through identifying such individuals, it becomes easier to gauge how their negativity has made them stronger and at what potential cost to their general well-being.
10 Perona's Negative Hollows Prey On Enemy Insecurity (One Piece)
Perona's Devil Fruit allowed her to summon a number of negative hollows. These specters were effectively indestructible since they could not be physically damaged or influenced by any elemental attack. As a result, she was among One Piece's most underrated villains.
When passing through a target, the hollows will immediately inflict the target with a great sense of dread, malaise, and worthlessness. Their sudden decline in self-esteem will be so profound that they refuse to fight. In the end, only Usopp was able to stand against her on account of his negative personality.
9 The Founding Titan Was Bound By Self-Hatred (Attack On Titan)
In Attack On Titan, the Founding Titan was usually passed down to descendants of the Reiss family. However, since it was bound to the will of Karl Fritz, each recipient of its power suffered from his "will."
As a result, they could no longer think for themselves or even act in a way that would best protect Paradis. Instead, they were so mired in guilt that Frieda could only muster the will to protect her own family. Fortunately, Eren broke the curse when freeing Ymir and inheriting her immense power.
8 Estarossa Could Not Be Struck By Those That Hated Him (The Seven Deadly Sins)
As the commandment of love, Estarossa had one of the most overpowered abilities in The Seven Deadly Sins. Anyone who held hatred in their heart could not lift a finger to him, which made capable enemies especially scarce due to his villainous behavior.
In the end, only Escanor managed to overpower him since the man felt so superior that pity was more appropriate than hatred. Nonetheless, Estarossa's commandment was powerful enough even to paralyze Ban and an entire regiment of Holy Knights. When combined with his own "Full Counter" ability, he is nearly unstoppable.
7 Jugo's Rage Made Him Stronger (Naruto)
Naruto's Jugo was an experiment of Orochimaru who could harden his body to great lengths. In this state, he was powerful enough to challenge Sasuke and durable enough to withstand a direct punch from the Forth Raikage.
However, it came at a heavy price. Jugo was unable to control his emotions in his enhanced form, rendering the previously mild-mannered man into a raging brute. As a result, he considers the experience to be extremely unpleasant and will only exhaust his full power if no other option is available to him.
6 Baise Exploits Her Victim's Lust (Hunter X Hunter)
Hunter x Hunter's Baise was a hunter in service to the Yorknew crime family. Her Nen ability was exceptionally distinct, allowing her to put the target under her sway with a single kiss. Its effects lasted roughly 90 minutes, meaning she could control a slave for any fight.
Unfortunately for Baise, its power only works if her target is actually interested in her. Without much physical strength, Baise cannot force a kiss and must usually seduce her opponents into obeying. This makes her ability highly situational and unreliable.
5 Enigma Capitalized On Enemy Fear (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
A master of psychology, Terunosuke's Stand had one of the most horrifying effects in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Those who showed the body language of fear in his presence twice were immediately sealed into a paper that he could do with as he pleased.
In this state, they were incredibly easy to kill since Engima would only need to rip them in order to shred their actual form. However, since Terunosuke's Stand was weak on its own merits, he needs to attack his opponent's loved ones in order to make them more vulnerable to his power.
4 Naofumi's Darker Emotions Give Access To New Abilities (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
As the cardinal Shield Hero, Naofumi's primary asset was his defense. He generally preferred allies to inflict damage for him and gripped enemy attention in exchange. This dynamic proved successful with Raphtalia up until fighting the Pope and first waves in The Rising Of The Shield Hero.
Naofumi can use his rage shield when gripped by his anger. This grants highly potent offensive properties that significantly increase his potential. Still, considering the pernicious physical and psychological toll it takes on him, Naofumi considers it a last resort and prefers not to use it deliberately if it can be helped.
3 Sasuke's Sharingan Is Fueled By Emotional Pain (Naruto)
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan abilities have often been unlocked through periods of great emotional pain and trauma. This was why Itachi went out of his way to torment his younger brother when massacring his parents and kin in Naruto.
Nonetheless, acknowledging the Sharingan's true potential yields massive rewards. Its user gains access to tremendously powerful abilities like the Susano'o, amaterassu, Izanagi, and other incredibly advanced forms of genjutsu. Further, they are able to perceive enemy movements with much more clarity than average shinobi.
2 Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit Takes Years From Fearful Opponents (One Piece)
Big Mom's Soul-Soul fruit allowed her to take years from the lives of others through fragments of their "soul." She could either use these years on herself or plant them inside homies in order to bring Whole Cake Island to life. As a result, she earned her title as a One Piece empress.
There are two ways Big Mom can extract time from her targets. Either they must relinquish their souls voluntarily, or she can take them if her opponent is afraid of death. Considering her status as an emperor of the sea, there are few individuals who do not cower in her shadow.
1 Re-Destro's Quirk Is Powered By His Own Stress (My Hero Academia)
Re-Destro was the leader of the Meta Liberation Army and a high-profile industrial tycoon in My Hero Academia. When spreading his message of quirk freedom, he challenged the League Of Villains and fought them in a large city.
Able to harness his pent-up stress as physical strength, Re-Destro proved so powerful that even Shigaraki had a hard time dealing with him in spite of his melee-based Decay Quirk. He was forced to push himself past his limit in order to succeed, making Re-Destro realize him as the future of the liberation movement.