While anime heroes often share the same gallant qualities as ones from other storytelling mediums (such as live-action, DC, or the Star Wars universe), there have been many instances where their deeds have fallen short of the mark -- despite being portrayed as good or even acceptable.
Whether through profane lechery, incoherent moral platitudes, or simply myopic oversights, the way they've responded to certain situations has been detrimental to the plot regardless of how it is framed. By identifying examples, we gain a better grasp of how the actions of many heroes aren't as dignified as presented.
10 Midoriya Was Willing To Risk His Own Life In Order To Perform Well At The Sports Festival (My Hero Academia)
Having yet to master the mysterious power of One For All, Midoriya placed himself in grave danger as the Sports Festival continued to progress. Despite Recovery Girl's warnings, he deliberately destroyed his body and placed himself in serious danger by accepting a fight against Todoroki. Putting one's life on the line for the sake of a broadcasted sporting event is inappropriate for professional athletes, let alone children.
9 Joseph Joestar Spied On His Naked Mother Without Her Consent (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
During their mission to train and become strong enough to defy the Pillar Men, Joseph suspected that Lisa Lisa might be naked and peered through a peephole in order to confirm his suspicions. Not only was this a profane invasion of privacy, but it's especially grotesque when it was later revealed that she was his own mother. However, considering that his lechery would be used as a vehicle to uncover the attack of Esidisi on Suzie Q, it was overlooked as acceptable when it clearly wasn't.
8 Naruto Endured An Abusive Relationship With Sasuke (Naruto)
The relationship between Sasuke and Naruto had been rocky from the beginning. The former was constantly degrading the latter, with insults evolving into physical altercations, and later even outright attempts to kill him.
Despite this, Naruto actively attempted to prevent his comrades from seeking justice against the rogue Uchiha, prostrating himself before the Fourth Raikage and even begging for his Konoha 11 allies to belay their wrath. Considering he only had the Land of Waves as a meaningful reference for Sasuke's loyalty, he shouldn't have been as devoted to such an abusive and potentially life-threatening relationship.
7 Gon Risked His Life For A Father Who Abandoned Him (Hunter X Hunter)
While Gon's reunion with Ging was presented as a heartwarming reunion between father and son, its circumstances were far more abysmal. Not only did the older hunter abandon him before he was even born, but he also tormented him with death-defying games in order to prove "worthy" of his attention.
Even after defeating a royal guard by himself, Ging was too busy with the Hunter Association to visit his son in the hospital - much to Leorio's frustration. Gon's devotion to an absentee father is touching but misguided.
6 Luffy Showed Mercy To Eneru Without Doing Anything To Stop His Plan (One Piece)
Like many of his rogues, Luffy spared Eneru's life after defeating him on the flying arc and left to celebrate alongside Skypiea's other denizens. This was in spite of the fact that he never actually did anything to stop the lightning god's plan -- he just beat him up.
Now that Giant Jack had been toppled, there was technically no way the Straw Hat captain could have stopped the villain if he simply sat up and resumed his plans to destroy the island in a thunderstorm.
5 Arthur Purposefully Deluded Himself To Make His Life Less Miserable (Fire Force)
Having grown up in the ghettos of Tokyo, Arthur's parents encouraged him to "make-believe" that circumstances were more ideal than they appeared so that he'd be happy. Superficially, it helped maintain the boy's spirits through his most taxing endeavors.
However, Arthur took it to such extremes that he was physically incapable of fighting if he couldn't perceive himself as a knight and his adversaries as some form of mythological creature. This predictably had ramifications for his career as a fire soldier.
4 Edward Elric Took Pity On & Spared Selim, The Oldest & Most Powerful Homunculus (Fullmetal Alchemist)
After Kimblee weakened Pride from within, Edward was successful in defeating him. His victory reduced the homunculus to an infant, and he decided to take pity and spare his life.
However, this was foolhardy for a number of reasons. Not only would it ensure that Father's influence remained after his defeat, but Selim was also a manifestation of sin itself whose hubris would inevitably drive him toward malevolence when he became old enough to fight again. Now that Elric lost his alchemy, he'd be even less prepared for such a scenario.
3 Meliodas Was Only Lightly Scolded For Fondling Elizabeth (Seven Deadly Sins)
Meliodas was openly lecherous toward Elizabeth, groping her while she was unconscious and helping himself to her body. This was because he understood the nature of their curse and knew that she was magically bound to fall in love with him again.
However, not only was it a humiliating and unprofessional act, it spoke poorly of his moral fiber as a captain. His attentions were especially appalling since Elizabeth didn't actually remember her old lives or their past relationship - at least not until she only had three days before dying again.
2 Ryuko's Revenge Quest Against Satsuki Was Misguided (Kill La Kill)
Initially, Satsuki led Ryuko to believe that she had killed her father in order to gauge her strength and cultivate her potential. The audience was equally convinced, with no counterevidence to suggest Kiryuin might be lying.
However, this was proven to be a misdirection during the tournament mini-arc. In actuality, Nui Harime was the appropriate target of Matoi's ire. At this point, the heroine had spent roughly half of the series pursuing the wrong villain and was forced to making a sudden correction.
1 Mikasa & The Scouts Handled Marley's Invasion Terribly (Attack On Titan)
When Marley came to attack Paradis, the subsequent actions taken by Mikasa and the Scouts were perhaps the least ideal possible. By defeating the imperial nation, she enabled Eren to access the Rumbling and begin to the rampage that would eradicate eighty percent of the population.
She then attempted to stop Eren after his mission was almost entirely complete, allowing the remnants of humanity to rally together and vengefully obliterate Paradis many years later. In this regard, the deeds of the scout renegades maximized the number of fatalities possible.