In Greek mythology, Narcissus was cursed to fall in love with his own reflection, causing him to waste away just looking at himself, until he either dies, turns into a flower, or some combination between the two. He would later spark the term "narcissist," which describes vain people obsessed with themselves or with their appearance. The world of anime is filled with plenty of self-absorbed characters, ranging from villains who want to be the fairest of them all to the flamboyant good guys that just happen to feel they are the star of the show... and they often are. In fact, some characters prove that a little ego can save the day.
If a villain is one of the characters obsessed with themselves, usually it brings about their ultimate downfall. If a narcissistic character is meant to be one of the good guys, they'll usually grow out of it as the series goes along. Other times, it will be treated as them just being overdramatic rather than truly egotistical.
10 Black Clover: Kirsch Seems Based On Narcissus Himself
The Black Clover universe is known for its running joke of characters referencing various myths and fairy tales, so it makes sense they would literally have a character patterned off of Narcissus. Kirsch is the haughty Vice-Captain of the Coral Peacocks who is flamboyant and looks down on those he deems common. At one point, it's even mused that he might just drown looking at his own reflection.
And his association with peacocks is also rather fitting given their association with vanity and beauty, especially since it's the male peacocks who have the colorful plumage.
9 Inuyasha: Tsubaki The Dark Priestess Is Obsessed With Her Beauty
Tsubaki is a miko and was a rival to the more benevolent Kikyo when she was alive. She felt that she deserved the Shikon Jewel, driving her to madness and placing a curse on her. She wants the jewel for the sake of her youth and beauty and later joins forces with Naraku when he offers such power to her.
It could be argued that Naraku himself is a bit of a narcissist, but he seems to change his motives for his evil schemes so often he's arguably just a sadist at the end of the day. Even he seems unsure what his ultimate goals are.
8 Sailor Moon: Rei Hino Was Pretty Vain In The '90s Anime
In the '90s anime, while all the Scouts have their moments, Rei became quite vain and egotistical, often boasting that she was the most beautiful of the girls and bullying the others. Sometimes she split the difference and commented on how much more attractive she was than the other girls. Early episodes also hint that she believes she should be the leader of the group, even hurting Ami when she tried to defend Usagi.
Her obsession with keeping up appearances is sometimes played sympathetically, as when she lied that writing a song for her school's festival was easy when it actually took a lot of hard work. And, like all the Senshi, she'll risk her life to protect her friends, so she ultimately cares a lot for her friends.
7 Yu-Gi-Oh!: Wealth & Fame Aren't Enough To Satisfy Seto Kaiba
Money and success aren't enough to get Seto Kaiba to come to terms with being overshadowed by Yugi Muto at a children's card game. His ego is his worst enemy, even keeping him from winning a few games.
Generally, in most versions, Kaiba transforms from a villain into an anti-hero, although how egotistical he varies from version to version. He's usually more stoic in the second anime than the manga, although the English dub tends to make him more acerbic. Since his backstory is toned down in the Toei anime, some fans might find that version to be the most villainous.
6 Ouran High School Host Club: Tamaki Believes That Life Is A Stage
Tamaki is more of a character who seems to enjoy the pageantry of beauty and appearances rather than caring about these things directly. And he's regularly shown to care about others in need, has a soft spot for children, and is fiercely loyal towards his friends.
That said, he's still aware of his appearance and flaunts it whenever he can. Being overdramatic also seems to be his genuine personality, to the point that he cries at his own wedding. He also likes to make sure that everyone around him, especially Haruhi, is being fashionable.
5 Soul Eater: Black☆Star Wants To Surpass The Gods
Of the main characters in this anime, Black☆Star is obsessed with showing off, to the point where it's actually the main thing holding him back from actually succeeding in his goals, especially since he's a ninja who doesn't seem to grasp the concept of "stealth."
He is famously quoted as saying that he wants to surpass the gods. It gets to the point that Tsubaki, the Shadow Weapon and his partner, has problems dealing with his attitude. Ultimately, however, he does learn to have more concern for his allies.
4 Princess Tutu: Femio's Arrogance Ended Up Saving His Life
Femio made such an impression on viewers that it's hard to imagine that he's only a one-shot character. He runs around the school throwing roses around claiming to be a storybook prince. He laments his supposed beauty, which he claims compels women to fall in love with him, that he regularly allows a bull to attack him as penance. He also puts this showmanship into his dancing,
While vanity is usually treated as a vice in fiction, Femio's arrogance actually saved his life when he ended up being targeted by the Raven as a sacrifice, believing Princess Tutu and Princess Kraehe were fighting for his affections. He is so into his delusions that Princess Kraehe's spell to steal his heart doesn't work on him.
3 Dragon Ball: Vegeta Has The Pride Befitting Royalty
Vegeta was originally a prince of the Saiyan race, so it makes some sense that he would have some sense of superiority. Introduced as something of a sadistic villain, he eventually comes over to the heroes' side, but this doesn't make him any less arrogant.
He also seems to overestimate his power, often facing off against enemies far more powerful than him. As Goku is similar in this regard, some fans speculate a powerful ego might be a quirk among Saiyans.
2 Haruhi Suzumiya: Haruhi Might Not Know How Powerful She Really Is, But She Still Has The Ego To Match
Haruhi is narcissistic to the point that she finds her time too precious to waste with ordinary humans, wanting to meet up with aliens, time-travelers, and espers. She pretty much starts the S.O.S. Brigade to amuse herself, has very little sense of empathy or personal space, as seen in the way she harasses Mikuru, and never apologizes.
On the other hand, she is one of the few characters to have the background to justify her ego, even if she's aware of it or not. She is good with athletics and academics, likely inspired the creation of time travel, and is a reality-warper who can unknowingly rewrite existence.
1 Death Note: Light Is A Mass Murderer With A God Complex
Light Yagami comes across the mysterious "Death Note" and gains the power of who gets to live and who gets to die just by writing someone's name within it. As the story makes clear, Light has something of a God complex as his character flaw, so giving him such power is only feeding into his narcissism.
Exactly how sympathetic he is varies from version to version. The manga ends with him asking for his enemies to be written into the book after being shot, not seeming to realize his name could be written in it, meaning he couldn't comprehend the idea of failing.