Despite what a heroes' intentions may be, power has a tendency to corrupt even the purest of minds. Rarities like Spider-Man, Superman, and All Might may be able to fight off the allure of greed that comes with the promise of power, but there are those who call themselves heroes who often fail to control their strength.
Anime heroes like Son Goku, Gon Freecss, and Satoru Gojo each mistakenly associate excesses of power with their right to freedom. With this definition of freedom in mind, these three heroes—and others like them—regularly ignore the well-being of their peers and act in ways that many would deem irresponsible.
10 Bakugo Makes It His Right To Bully Others Because He Was Born With A Powerful Quirk (My Hero Academia)
The Explosion Murder God has come a long way since first being introduced in Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia manga. When fans first met Kacchan Bakugo he was a spoiled middle schooler with high aspirations and the Quirk to match.
Bakugo revels in his ability to display strength because of his admiration of All Might, but the former number one hero knew better than to just rely on strength. To be a true hero, one has to be strong and selfless. The latter half of this description often slips Bakugo's mind while he uses his power to bully those weaker than himself.
9 Luck Follows After Goku By Using His Strength To Seek Out Conflict (Black Clover)
Though Luck's behavior doesn't often fall outside of the requirements of his job description, if any normal person were to seek out physical conflict as often as he does, it would be deemed irresponsible.
Luck's obsession with fighting has led him to both physically and emotionally harm a number of people that call him an ally. It has also led him into a number of tight spots that his strength wasn't able to get him out of. Nobody has a hard time loving the lightning mage of the Black Bulls, but it is hard to view him as a responsible member of society.
8 Vegeta's Power & Privilege Led Him Into The Business Of Mass Genocide (Dragon Ball)
The Saiyan Prince has a very tumultuous past, but his time playing hubby with Bulma has led many Dragon Ball fans to overlook Vegeta's sins. Still, no amount of house sitting can erase the fact that Vegeta is a mass murderer who invaded and destroyed a number of planets before being confronted by Goku.
Goku isn't the most responsible anime hero himself, but he does do his best to avoid taking lives with his own hands. Vegeta, on the other hand, believes that a display of power is only accomplished by completely overpowering his opponents.
7 Saitama's Unmatched Strength Offers Him The Freedom To Play Video Games While Others Risk Their Lives To Stave Off A Monster Invasion (One-Punch Man)
The plot of One-Punch Man could accurately be described as "distracting Saitama until every other hero has failed to stop the conflict at hand."
It seems that regardless of the conflict, other heroes have to put their lives on the line before Saitama arrives on the scene to save the day in one punch. The entire anime's second season saw Saitama playing video games with King while a legion of monsters invaded the city. If this isn't irresponsible then nothing is.
6 Colonel Mustang's Status & Fire Alchemy Make It Possible For Him To Fight His Superiors From Within (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
In the grand scheme of things, Colonel Mustang's behavior throughout Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was good, but that doesn't mean his actions were responsible.
As many readers know, sneaking behind the backs of your elders and breaking direct orders can and will be called irresponsible. Still, sometimes irresponsible behavior is what a country needs to get itself back on track.
5 Gon Freecss' Prodigious Nen Allows Him To Push Further Than His Emotional Maturity Can Handle (Hunter X Hunter)
Morel's face during the Chimera Ant Arc says it all for fans who are questioning whether Gon is a powerful anime hero. When taunted by the death of Kite, Gon nearly punches a hole through Morel with his nen-powered Jajanken.
This instance is just one moment that proves just how emotionally irresponsible Gon is when handling his incredible power. Instead of taking the time to understand how his emotions need to be controlled, Gon pushes forward into conflict without ever considering what it could be doing to his mental and emotional well-being. As a result, his anger catches up with him and he nearly gets himself and his best friend killed for the sake of revenge.
4 Eren Yeager Uses His Strength To Indulge Himself With Revenge Instead Of Enforcing Diplomacy (Attack On Titan)
By the end of the Attack on Titan manga series, Eren proves that he is powerful enough to demand anything of the world other than omnicide. With this in mind, it becomes extremely clear how irresponsible the young man is for choosing omnicide as his objective in the final arc of the series.
Eren could have easily enforced diplomacy after stopping the Marleyan invasion of Paradis. Instead, he leaned into his rage and adopted a mission for revenge that both of his best friends advised him against.
3 Satoru Gojo's Irreverent Behavior Became Irresponsible The Day He Graduated From Tokyo Jujutsu High (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Satoru Gojo is loved by everyone thanks to his incredible power and irreverent behavior. As the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, Satoru has no reason to adhere to the stuffy rules enforced by the higher-ups, so he doesn't.
Satoru's irreverent behavior does become slightly irresponsible when he fails to work with the higher-ups to create a strong base of powerful jujutsu sorcerers who are willing to protect the weak from the threat of cursed energy. Instead, Satoru gives into his own childish nature and recruits children to his side rather than making peace with his elders. While this is a good idea, it proves insufficient when he is sealed inside the Prison Realm and has nobody but students to fight alongside him.
2 Son Goku Forced Entire Universes To Fight For Their Right To Exist Just So He Could Get Stronger (Dragon Ball)
Though it took until Dragon Ball Super for Akira Toriyama to address Goku's problematic addiction to violence, the mangaka approached the topic brilliantly with the introduction of Zeno. The childlike overlord of the Dragon Ball universe is a hilarious metaphor for the viewers who are as captivated by combat as Goku is.
By bringing these two characters together, Toriyama was able to put together one of the most entertaining tournament sagas in anime history. Unfortunately, the Tournament of Power put trillions of lives at stake just so Goku and Zeno could lean into their irresponsible habit of romanticizing violence.
1 Takemichi Hanagaki Immediately Put His Life On The Line After Learning He Could Travel Through Time (Tokyo Revengers)
Takemichi is not a powerful anime hero. Throughout Tokyo Revengers he regularly gets himself beaten to a bloody mess because of his weakness. Fortunately, Takemichi is blessed with the ability to travel through time.
With this power, Takemichi works hard to make his future self happier by saving his middle school girlfriend from death. That's right, Takemichi uses his power to make powerful allies, get himself involved in gang activities, and change the future for his own selfish gain. While this is the behavior of a relatable and endearing protagonist, it is hard to call it responsible.