It is not uncommon for an anime villain to turn good at some point. After fighting with the hero, they are often shown a new worldview or they gain a respect for life that they did not have before. Sometimes, they just want to honor the hero by following in their footsteps or helping them along the way.
However, anime villains do not always turn good because of some noble or heartfelt reason. Some villains just turn good on a whim or due to some unexpected and unassuming cause. There are many anime villains who turned good for the most ridiculous reasons.
10 Speedwagon Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Became Good After Seeing Jonathan Joestar's Resolve
Robert E. O. Speedwagon was a common criminal living in London's streets before he met Jonathan Joestar. On the fated day that the two met, Speedwagon tried to attack Jonathan, who looked out of place against London's harshness. However, Jonathan easily beat Speedwagon, and Speedwagon saw the light.
Jonathan inspired him to be better, and while this does not sound like a "ridiculous" way of becoming good, the ridiculousness can be found not only in Speedwagon's idolization of Jonathan Joestar, but also in his narration of Jonathan's fights with DIO, which was ridiculous, to say the least.
9 My Hero Academia's Gentle Criminal Stops His Attack For Views
Gentle Criminal was a villain in it for the social media likes and views. He was rejected as a hero, despite his interesting Quirk, and in his dejection, he became a villain. However, Gentle Criminal still has a strong set of values, and most of his villainy is focused on becoming famous, which is why he targeted U.A.'s school festival.
When Deku found this out, he tried to stop Gentle Criminal, and after some fighting and a little punch therapy, Gentle Criminal agreed to back off of the school festival. Gentle Criminal was not a typical villain, and he had some heroic parts within him. He acted on his good side this time simply because the views were not worth ruining the students' happiness.
8 The Devil Became Good Because He Had To Work A Part-time Job In The Devil Is A Part-Timer
Isekai anime The Devil is a Part-Timer! answers the unasked question of what would Satan do if he had to work a minimum wage job. It is safe to assume that, being Satan himself, the main character was once a villain. However, he ends up having to become friends with the very hero that fought him and put him in the situation of needing to be a part-timer in modern-day Japan in the first place.
Though his deeds are not necessarily born out of a desire to do good, he does need to make money to survive in a modern world, and there is nothing that will change a person like the customer service industry.
7 Orochimaru Finally Became Good Because He Had A Clone Son In Naruto
Orochimaru technically joins the "good" side when he helps Naruto and the rest of the villages fight against world destruction during the Fourth Ninja War. However, he did not start showing signs of being "good" until he had Mitsuki to think about.
Orochimaru had a lot of experiments, but in Boruto, he seems particularly attached to Mitsuki in a very parental way, something that is hard to believe coming from someone like Orochimaru. In this new series, Orochimaru is almost sympathetic, and it even encourages fans to forget Orochimaru's past crimes.
6 Yato Does Good For A Couple Yen Now In Noragami
Yato used to be a god of calamity, destruction, and violence, even if he was controlled by his father. However, he broke free of that control and was able to pave a new way for himself. Unfortunately, this left him a lowly, disconnected god.
As a result, Yato began traveling around town to answer random prayers and wishes he could to ensure him a few yen. He seemed happy to do so, and once he met Hiyori and his new regalia, Yukine, he began acting more out of a desire to see well done in the world, even if it is on his terms and by his definition of "good."
5 Gaara Turned Good Because Naruto Headbutted Sense Into Him
When fans first met Gaara of the Hidden Sand Village, they were faced with a violent, merciless villain who would not hesitate to kill and had more than enough power to do so. He terrorized members of the Konoha 11 such as Rock Lee and Sasuke Uchiha. However, Naruto Uzumaki had a plan.
Naruto fought Gaara even when Gaara had taken on the giant sand demon's form, Shukaku. To wake Gaara up both from the jutsu that let the Shukaku take control and from his villainy, Naruto headbutted Gaara and defeated him. Gaara was forever changed by his fight and conversation with Naruto, and it led Gaara to become not only a hero but also the Kazekage.
4 Rohan Becomes Good To Get More Manga Material Out Of Koichi In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Kishibe Rohan was a mangaka (manga artist) who gained his inspiration by using his Stand to peel back the layers of experience that comprised people. Unfortunately, he gained a liking for series co-star, Koichi Hirose. This tormented Koichi and even caused him to shed most of his body weight, making him a husk.
However, after Josuke Higashikata beat up Rohan to save Koichi, Rohan became a part of the protagonists' team and settled for Koichi just being a simple muse. So, he became good because he wanted a muse so badly he got himself beat to a pulp.
3 Sailor Moon Was So Sparkly With Love It exorcised Galaxia
Sailor Galaxia was one of the Sailor Senshis' most powerful enemies, and when Sailor Moon triumphed over her, it was not because she beat Galaxia in combat or a test of power. Rather, she beat Galaxia because she woke Galaxia up to the evils she was committing.
Galaxia had been possessed by the spirit of chaos, itself. So, when Sailor Moon reached her with the light of love and friendship, Galaxia was exorcised of the evil entity. Thus, Galaxia was able to return to the side of good.
2 Sukuna Helps Out Because He Is Cranky In Jujutsu Kaisen
Sukuna never turned good in any capacity, but he did get trapped within the series protagonist's body, Yuji Itadori, and he is somewhat under Yuji's control. So, occasionally, Sukuna has to help Yuji out, and he commits very violent but helpful acts.
For example, when the super-powerful Mahito attacks Kento Nanami and Yuji, Mahito accidentally touches Sukuna's domain. This causes the ever-grumpy Sukuna to immediately cut Mahito down because he was angry Mahito would dare enter his personal space, which is a petty reason to do something helpful.
1 Toga Is So Obsessed That She Even Helps Out At Times In My Hero Academia
Himiko Toga was part of the League of Villains, but this did not stop her from helping Deku and his friends on occasion. Toga's allegiance may have lain with the League of Villains, but her idolization of certain Quirks, abilities, and heroes made her obsessed to the point of actually being helpful.
While she is by no means a hero, she had been known to help the side of good, however indirectly that might have been. She was especially helpful during the Overhaul arc, which saw the League of Villains share a common enemy, Overhaul, with Deku and the heroes.