The temptation to become evil and seemingly all-powerful is hard to ignore, especially in the heightened worlds of anime. Even the most morally upright anime heroes succumbed to the dark side's false promises. These heroes threw away their ideals and friends for a chance to become the villain they thought they were meant to be, only to fail.
Some anime heroes felt that they had no choice but to become the kinds of people they'd normally despise. Others lost themselves to negative emotions like despair or envy. They then inflicted their pain on others. All these would-be villains failed to accomplish their understandable but selfish dreams, and they were arguably better for it.
Spoilers ahead.
10 Czeslaw Meyer's Villainy Was A Lonesome Defense Mechanism
Baccano!
Czes may look like one of Baccano!'s youngest and most innocent characters, but he's really a cynical survivalist who's almost 200 years old. After being physically and emotionally tortured shortly after he became immortal, Czes swore to look out only for himself. Czes survived for centuries by manipulating and killing people.
Czes' cold demeanor made his life lonely and miserable. His life choices backfired during the Flying Pussyfoot incident. Here, Czes found himself at the mercies of Ladd Russo and the Rail Tracer after they saw right through him. Fortunately, Czes also befriended genuinely nice people who helped him turn his life around.
9 Nami's "Allegiance" With Arlong Didn't Fool Anybody
One Piece
During One Piece's earliest arcs, Nami seemed like a money-hungry opportunist. The truth was that she was hoarding money in a desperate bid to buy back her hometown's freedom from Arlong and his gang. When Nami's new friends (namely the Straw Hats) tried to help out, she acted like Arlong's minion and even "stabbed" Usopp.
Nami did this to make Straw Hats abandon her, but it didn't work. Monkey D. Luffy and his beloved crew quickly saw through Nami's ruse. Instead of being discouraged by Nami's lie, the Straw Hats were further emboldened. The Straw Hats defeated Arlong with Nami's help, and she stuck with them ever since.
8 Ken Kaneki Literally Lost Himself To Villainy
Tokyo Ghoul
As Tokyo Ghoul's resident human/ghoul hybrid, Ken felt torn between being a human and a ghoul. Instead of accepting both sides of himself, Ken forced himself to join the radical ghouls of Aogiri Tree. Ken committed countless atrocities with Aogiri Tree, but he lost his humanity and self the longer he stayed with them.
Ken left Aogiri Tree after realizing that he didn't want to become a monstrous ghoul, but it was too late. Ken returned to the peaceful Anteiku just as the Commission of Counter Ghoul besieged the café. Ken survived the battle, only for him to be captured by the CCG and brainwashed into their lapdog Haise Sasaki.
7 Rika Kawai Became A Bully & Regretted It
Wonder Egg Priority
Rika joined the Wonder Egg Project to bring her dead fan, Chiemi, back to life. Rika blamed herself for Chiemi's death, especially since she inadvertently caused it by bullying her. When Rika was a junior idol, Chiemi was her most dedicated fan. However, Chiemi resorted to overspending and shoplifting just to attend Rika's events.
Rika thought that the best way to stop Chiemi was to bully her and cut ties. Instead of stopping, Chiemi starved herself and died. Rika regretted her impulse and did everything to undo Chiemi's death. Even though the Chiemi who came back wasn't the same one she knew, Rika was happy that she at least succeeded.
6 Floch Forster Failed To Stop Eren Yeager's Enemies
Attack On Titan: The Final Season
Previously, Floch was one of Attack on Titan's most unremarkable named characters. After the time skip, Floch transformed from an unassuming Survey Corps member to Eren Yeager's fiercest loyalist. A now-evil Eren was determined to kill the world to protect Paradis Island, and Floch wholeheartedly supported him.
Floch led the Yeagerists, Eren's most dedicated fanatics. The Yeagerists attacked or killed anyone who opposed Eren's genocide, including their former Survey Corps comrades. Floch failed to stop the anti-Yeagerists from escaping Paradis to hunt Eren down. Floch was shot during the chaos and is currently presumed dead.
5 Misato Katsuragi Imitated Gendo Ikari & Made Things Worse
Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo
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In Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Misato encouraged Shinji to save Rei even if it meant ending the world. Misato regretted this decision, and she found refuge in keeping her distance from others and emulating Shinji's villainous father, Gendo. In doing so, Misato inadvertently made Shinji cause another apocalypse.
By pushing Shinji away and threatening to kill him if he ever piloted an Evangelion again, Misato gave Shinji a reason to fall for his father's manipulations. Misato only realized her mistake after the Fourth Impact. In Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, Misato forgave herself and Shinji, and helped Shinji save the world by sacrificing her life.
4 Sasuke Uchiha Let Anger & Hate Take Over Him
Naruto
Despite being introduced as Naruto Uzumaki's best friend, Sasuke was one of Naruto's deadliest villains. Sasuke threw his life away to avenge his clan by killing his brother, Itachi. Sasuke became a villain in the process. However, Sasuke's villainy only got worse after he learned that Itachi was blackmailed into executing their family for treason.
Sasuke led a bloody warpath against Konoha and the ninja world. It took countless fights, Itachi's death, and Naruto's undying friendship for Sasuke to realize the error of his ways. Sasuke failed as a villain with a vendetta against the world, but he changed his ways and returned to heroism before it was too late.
3 Satoko Hojo Killed & Tortured Others For Her Sake
Higurashi When They Cry
Satoko was simultaneously one of Higurashi When They Cry's most tragic victims and perpetrators. Satoko had a terrible upbringing and died horribly in many of Higruashi's nightmarish time loops. Satoko understandably wanted her childhood friendship with Rika to never end. However, Satoko went to murderous extremes to make this happen.
With her time loop abilities, Satoko became a villain. Satoko murdered and tortured whoever got in the way of her idealized future. No matter how many loops or massacres she enacted, Satoko kept failing to achieve her dream. Satoko only stopped her villainy when Rika apologized and confronted her in a heartfelt conversation.
2 Vegeta Was Blinded By Nostalgia & Pride
Dragon Ball Z
Vegeta's biggest flaw was his pride. Despite Goku welcoming him as a friend and even settling down on Earth, Vegeta chose to be a villain. Vegeta chose evil because he believed that beating Goku in a fight was the best way to honor his Saiyan heritage. However, Vegeta was lying to himself, and he knew it.
Vegeta became Majin Vegeta with Babidi's aid, and he fought Goku to a standstill. Vegeta stopped the fight when he accepted that he didn't want Majin Buu to destroy the Earth and kill his loved ones. Vegeta died while only delaying Majin Buu's advance, but his sacrifice completed his redemption and finalized his heroism.
1 Homura Akemi Became Evil To Create A False Utopia
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
Homura was Puella Magi Madoka Magica's true protagonist. The whole anime was a time loop she created to save Madoka Kaname. Homura failed endlessly and grew more bitter with each new cycle. By the time of the movie finale Rebellion, Homura gave up trying to be the hero and embraced her inner darkness.
Rather than let Madoka save her, Homura became evil incarnate. Homura used her villainous godhood to make an alternate reality where she and Madoka were happy together. However, Homura knew this was fleeting. Rebellion ended with Homura accepting that her selfish fantasy would inevitably collapse and that Madoka would fight her to the death.