Teaching is a treasured profession that plays a vital role in how societies operate. Due to its importance and prominence, a lot of teachers show up in anime. For the most part, their presence is either neutral or benign. A lot of anime teachers hope to guide students to a better future. Many are also jaded dictators who just want to be in a position of authority.

RELATED: 15 Anime Teachers We Wish We Had In Real Life

There are specific teachers in anime that go into the profession for very strange reasons. Sometimes the motives are tied to external forces, dark intentions, or outlandish premises. There are teachers who would not work in schools unless they were pursuing a personal goal or agenda that has nothing to do with helping students.

10 Franken Stein Follows Death's Orders To Develop Talent (Soul Eater)

Franken Stein from Soul Eater

If he were allowed to do whatever he wanted, Stein would not be a teacher in Death Weapon Meister Academy. He was too much of a loose cannon. His moral code was the worst across the school's staff, barring Medusa. However, he was the most powerful meister the school has ever produced.

Due to his talents, Death ordered Stein to train Maka's class. Not everyone is forced to become a teacher by the grim reaper, but Stein agreed after seeing the potential in the students. Soul Eater showed Stein's potential as a possible villain, but he turned out to be the best teacher in DWMA.

9 Nozomu Itoshiki Wants To Spread His Ideals Of Despair (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei)

Nozomu Itoshiki from Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei contains a ton of gags, but none of them are as prominent as Itoshiki's relentless despair. He sees no value in life. Every aspect of it contains something negative for him to focus on. Nothing about his personality suggests that he has passion for teaching.

Instead, he uses teaching to indoctrinate students to his world view. Funnily enough, none of his students buy into it. Itoshiki is seen as a raving madman who is severely out of touch with his class.

8 Junichirou Kagami's Sister Forced Him To Stop Being A Shut-In (Denpa Kyoushi)

Junichirou Kagami from Denpa Kyoushi

Junichirou is a child genius that carries burdens most kids can't comprehend. After graduating from college as a teenager, he falls out of love with physics and sciences. Denpa Kyoushi starts with Junichirou living as a shut-in until his sister demands that he accepts a teaching position in his former high school.

He gives in even though his passions lean towards anime and fantasy culture. His peculiar lifestyle and disdain towards passionless work makes him an effective and impactful teacher for his students. In the end, it works out even if his sister needed to force him.

7 Bloodlust Fuels Gaku Yashiro's Stay As A Teacher (Erased)

Gaku Yashiro in Erased.

Erased's main antagonist is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Yashiro is a twisted murderer who attackes children because they're easy targets. His position as a teacher always keeps him close to vulnerable kids. The audience immediately understands the weight of his cruelty when they learn more about one of his victims, Kayo Hinazuki.

RELATED: 10 Anime Deaths With Lasting Repercussions

While irredeemably evil people like Yashiro are not too divorced from reality, his motives are still extremely rare for teachers. As a villain, he poses an immense threat. His nurturing and mature facade is just a tool for his sinister and wicked intentions.

6 Mizuho Kazami Is An Undercover Alien (Please Teacher!)

Mizuho Kazami from Please Teacher

A plot involving an alien teacher hiding her true identity would work in anime, no matter the time period. Making it a romantic comedy is something only the 2000s would attempt. In Please Teacher! , Mizuho is an alien working undercover, but the plan falls apart when Kei Kusanagi catches her glowing in a lake.

The story's silliness ramps up with each episode, as romance meets sci-fi. Mizuho has difficulties dealing with her situation, but Kei supports her with his devotion.

5 Negi Springfield Becomes A Child Teacher As Part Of His Trial (Negima!)

Negi Springfield from Mahou Sensei Negima!.

Negi is a magical prodigy who lives up to his father's reputation as the greatest mage in the world. However, when attempting to become a Magister Magi, he is told that becoming a teacher in Japan is part of his training. In Negima!'s bizarre story, a Welsh magician is tasked with teaching Japanese school girls.

While Negi clearly cares about his students, he does not teach for the sake of teaching. It's a means to an end. He just happens to be smart and gifted enough to fit the role. His students at Mahora Academy require a teacher as powerful as Negi to bring out their full potential.

4 Ursula Callistis Works In Luna Nova To Run Away From Her Past (Little Witch Academia)

Ursula Callistis from Little Witch Academia

Ursula carries a lot of baggage. Her past as Shiny Chariot plagues her mind. Little Witch Academia shows an Ursula that is emotionally removed from the person she used to be. She is more subdued, introverted, and obedient. Her goal to become an entertainer that uses magic to bring happiness to everyone is lost.

Instead, she spends her time at Luna Nova Magical Academy quietly watching over little witches. It is her penance for failing to accomplish her old dream. She uses teaching to run away from confronting her past mistakes.

3 Aikuru Mikisugi Is Part Of The Most Outrageous Revolutionary Group (Kill La Kill)

Aikuro Mikisugi from Kill la Kill

Aikuru Mikisugi is the mild-mannered and disheveled teacher in Kill la Kill. He looks perpetually tired and his delivery in class is monotone, but this is just a ruse. He is actually a high ranking member of the Nudist Beach rebel group, which opposes the Life Fibers manufactured by the REVOCS Corporation.

RELATED: Kill La Kill & 9 Other Anime You Never Knew Were Magical Girl

It is not enough that he is a spy posing as a teacher, but he is also a devout nudist. Almost every scene that involves him has him stripping his clothes while light shines from his more provocative areas. It is ridiculous, bombastic, and somehow appropriate for Kill la Kill.

2 Eikichi Onizuka Wants To Be A Teacher For All The Wrong Reasons (Great Teacher Onizuka)

Eikichi Onizuka from Great Teacher Onizuka

Of all the aspects of Great Teacher Onizuka that have aged poorly, the worst is Onizuka's motivation for becoming a teacher. He wants to pursue his female students romantically. Fortunately, he gets a class that notoriously hates teachers and adults. They are distrustful and will do anything to rob Onizuka of authority.

Its this dynamic that makes GTO a great show. The kids reject Onizuka as a traditional teacher, so his creepy and misguided intentions do not come true. However, it allows him to prove that his unorthodox and childish lifestyle can help his students out in ways that more strict lecturers couldn't.

1 Korosensei Takes Over A Class To Fulfill A Promise He Made (Assassination Classroom)

Korosensei shooting his tentacle (Assassination Classroom).

Assassination Classroom's central draw is its strange teacher. He is one of the deadliest assassins across the universe with an alien-like form, a comically round head, and skin that changes color. However, his motives are not initially clear. His students have a difficult time figuring him out.

It is later revealed that he took on the teaching position because it was Aguri's dying wish. Feeling indebted to her kindness, he fulfills his promise to her by taking over her duties with Class E.

NEXT: 10 Most Stylish Heroes In Anime