Many anime villains, in their journey toward villainy, have betrayed their friends, loved ones, and former bosses to gain power or further their purpose.

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In some cases, these villains did not start as villains, but through this betrayal, they grow closer to evil. In other cases, they were already evil and continued to act as such. Even so, the treacheries committed are still heartbreaking for the villains' friends and loved ones.

10 Sozin Betrayed Avatar Roku In Avatar: The Last Airbender

Sozin Turns Back On Roku

Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku grew up together and led the Fire Nation as best friends. However, their interests diverged when Roku became aware that he was the Avatar and Sozin decided he wanted to take over the world.

When a volcano erupted and threatened to destroy Roku's island, Sozin came to help, but he left his former friend to die, seeing an opportunity in his passing. Sozin was then able to harness the power of the comet and launch the many military assaults that eventually destroyed the Air Nomads and oppressed many other nations.

9 Zuko Betrayed His Uncle and Mentor To Regain His Royal Position In Avatar: The Last Airbender

Iroh lectures Zuko and asks him to free Appa

Prince Zuko began the series as an exiled villain sent to capture the protagonist and help the imperialist Fire Nation further consume the other nations. The only person who was there for him throughout everything (even through his failures and wrongdoings) was his Uncle Iroh, a wise ex-Fire Nation general who wanted to see Zuko follow the path of good.

When push came to shove and Zuko was forced to decide between his loving Uncle who acted as his surrogate father and his position in the Fire Nation royalty, he chose royalty, and this haunted him until he left the Fire Nation, joined the Avatar, and made amends.

8 Orochimaru Betrayed Jiraiya and The Third Hokage By Leaving The Village In Naruto

Orochimaru smirks while wearing the leaf village headband

Orochimaru, one of the three Legendary Sanin, betrayed his former teammates, his former sensei, and his entire village when he put his human experiments, his pursuit of power, and extending his life over what was right. He took his secrets with him, and from the shadows, he constantly threatened the Hidden Leaf Village with destruction.

Eventually, he succeeded in attacking and severely damaging the Hidden Leaf. He also succeeded in killing his former teacher, the Third Hokage. He then tried to convince Tsunade, another Sanin, to throw away her morals and help him heal from the injuries he sustained during his fight with the Third.

7 Shiro Got Ganta Sent To Prison In Deadman Wonderland

Shiro smiles with arm held out Deadman Wonderland

Shiro was hurt when her childhood friend, Ganta, seemed to forget her as she was imprisoned in Deadman Wonderland. So, her alter ego, the Wretched Egg or Red Man, acted out and went into Ganta's class to commit heinous acts of violence and murder.

This was all to lead Ganta to himself be imprisoned in Deadman Wonderland so she could reunite with him. Ganta, who was unaware of the Red Man's identity at the time of his imprisonment, swore he would get revenge, and this led to a lot of tension, heartbreak, and violence throughout the series.

6 Aizen Turned On His Lieutenant Who Was Always By His Side In Bleach

Aizen looks down menacingly

Sosuke Aizen, part of the Gotei-13 and captain of the 5th Division, turned out to be one of the most formidable villains in anime when it was revealed that he was actually behind a string of murders and was the head of a massive force of Arrancar, including the Espada.

RELATED: 10 Most Brutal Anime Betrayals

However, before his reveal as the series villain, he was loyally served by his lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, who loved and respected him. Though Aizen must never have seen Momo as a friend or confidant, Momo would have objected, and it was made all the more heartbreaking when he betrayed her.

5 Jellal Hurt So Many Before Erza Stopped Him In Fairy Tail

Crime sorciere team Fairy Tail

Jellal Fernandes and Erza Scarlet were best friends from childhood, but Jellal lost his way when he became obsessed with Zeref, a Dark Mage of old. Originally, the two had been slaves, forced to spend their childhood building the Tower of Heaven.

Eventually, he was possessed by the Dark Mage, and his goals shifted from stopping their imprisonment to continuing the work. While it was not necessarily Jellal's fault that he was corrupted and thus betrayed his best friend, it did not hurt any less, and he was at the helm of many crimes and wrongdoings. When he finally broke free, he formed a small guild, Crime Sorcière, that focused on stopping Dark Mages.

4 Madara Fought Hashirama Over The Hokageship In Naruto: Shippuden

Madara and Hashirama shake hands

Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju had a rivalry/friendship that mirrored that of Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki's. Through this friendship, they created the Hidden Leaf Village and formed a society that carried a lot of potential. However, there was tension between the two when it came to who would take the Hokageship and lead the village.

Hashirama eventually became the First Hokage, and, while it looked like everything was going well, it was not. After repeatedly being beated down by his brother's death, the Uchiha clan turning on him, and Hashirama staying in power, eventually, Madara turned on the Hidden Leaf.

3 Mahito Tricked Junpei Even Though They Seemed To Get Along In Jujutsu Kaisen

Mahito and Yuji fight in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Mahito may not have ever had the ability to make true friends seeing that he is seemingly incapable of such loyalties, but he appeared to get along with Junpei. Junpei certainly believed in Mahito and regarded him as a friend and mentor. However, this was folly, and Mahito's red-flag-ridden behavior should have been a tip-off.

RELATED: 10 Anime Characters Who Were Betrayed By The People They Trusted

Unfortunately, Junpei believed Mahito could care for his friends right up until Mahito turned him into an aberration and killed him. In the end, Junpei was forced to betray his real friend, Yuji Itadori, and attack him, though the attack ended up being ineffective, as he was unable to endure the transformation into a mutant creature.

2 Griffith Betrays Guts For Ultimate Power In Berserk

Griffith expressionless

The list of Griffith's betrayals goes on and on, and his crimes are both heinous and many. He felt betrayed by Guts, so he committed the ultimate betrayal during the Eclipse by sacrificing many and committing other unspeakable acts as Femto.

The relationship between Griffith and Guts was complicated, but they had once trusted each other with their lives. Though Griffith achieved some great feats and did help some people, his crimes against Guts, Casca, and many others solidified him as a true villain.

1 Obito Betrayed Minato and Kakashi When He Attacked The Hidden Leaf In Naruto

Obito, with both the sharingan and rinnegan, looks concerned

Obito Uchiha was the student of Minato Namikaze (who would eventually become the Fourth Hokage) and the teammate of Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara. However, he was manipulated into turning on the Hidden Leaf Village after a series of events (including Rin's death) left him vulnerable. So, he attacked the village.

When Minato was Hokage, he helped unleash the nine-tailed fox demon on the village and this led to Minato and his wife, Kushina's, death. Toward the end of Naruto: Shippuden, his plot was revealed and his villainy discovered, much to Kakashi's dismay.

NEXT: 10 Anime Betrayals That Borke Our Hearts