Even the best shows can sometimes have the worst characters. Shonen anime are usually known for their exciting character development and lovable heroes that gradually become great. However, there are a growing number of fantastic shonen titles that have some of the worst characters.
These characters are either boring and underdeveloped or are all simply terrible people. The fact that no characters are redeemable may serve the stories in some way. However, these casts mostly stand in the way of good storytelling. Whether the characters put audiences to sleep or put them on edge, some of the worst casts come from the best shonen anime.
Updated by Alexandra Locke on April 18, 2023: Whether they are poorly written or perform questionable actions, these characters are among the worst shonen anime have to offer. Despite this, all of these shows are fantastic anime about the human condition. They all, unfortunately, need their terrible characters to tell their stories. With new shows coming out this season and older ones still being watched, this article has been updated to include more of the best shows with the worst characters.
15 Food Wars
Food Wars follows Souma Yukihira and his classmates as they strive to be the top chefs not only in Totsuki Academy but in the world. Disputes in this prestigious school are settled through food battles called "shokugeki". These competitions make all the students incredibly ruthless—even among friends.
Since so much rides on any single shokugeki, the students become unapologetic and brutal toward each other. Even the Elite Ten—the supposed top students of the school—sometimes resort to cheap tricks and favoritism to gain the upper hand. Fans love rooting for their favorite chefs, but when judging is down to the last morsel, the gloves come off of these young characters.
14 Assassination Classroom
Assassination Classroom begins with a group of delinquent students with varying degrees of apathy and violent tendencies. Yet, when they are asked to become assassins, the students are not the ones who become vicious. Though they were tasked with an unsavory job, the students respect their mark - their teacher - and even bond with their classmates.
However, everyone else outside the school treats Class 3-E with disdain. They mock the students' grades and social statuses. Even the adults treat them like second-class citizens. Plus, the Defense Force puts a lot of pressure on the students to succeed. Class 3-E may be full of wayward students, but it is everyone else who is more despicable than them.
13 A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice follows Shoya Ishida as he tries to make amends with Shoko Nishimiya, a girl he mercilessly bullied for her deafness when they were young. Although the premise sounds like a touching story of forgiveness and redemption, the characters in this film are mostly irredeemable.
Although Shoya is willing to patch things up with Shoko, many of her other bullies pretend like they did nothing wrong, believing that Shoya was the only person picking on Shoko. This sentiment is patently untrue, yet none of them are ever called out on it. None of them even try to ask for forgiveness. Although Shoya and Shoko become great characters, the rest of the cast is abysmal by comparison.
12 Black Butler
Sebastian Michaelis may be an otherworldly demon, but he is moderately dangerous in comparison to many of the others that he and Ciel Phantomhive face. With corrupt politicians and rampaging reapers, Ciel and Sebastian have no shortage of terrifying entities with which to deal.
That said, there is an uneasy relationship Sebastian has with Ciel. After all, Ciel promised Sebastian his heart when he was finished using him. However, the butler and his master are always unsettlingly close. All in all, murder, coercion, and deceit are part of the dark and vile world of Black Butler.
11 Future Diary
Future Diary follows a group of people all vying to become the next god by playing a deadly Battle-Royale-style game. As all the characters want honor and glory for themselves (and are mostly willing to kill to do it), it would be hard to classify any of them as "good." Add in characters like Yuno Gasai—the Yandere poster child—and most fans can agree that the Future Diary cast is one of the worst.
Many of these characters have no qualms about killing or deceiving others. Even the protagonist Yukiteru Amano uses Yuno's crush on him to his advantage. No one is safe or pleasant in this dark and twisted anime.
10 Fire Force
Although Fire Force has an intriguing premise, gorgeous animation, and exceptional sound design, the characters leave a lot to be desired. The show does have many cool characters with unique fire abilities, but after their introductions, they begin to fall flat.
Hardly any of the cast, besides Shinra, have any real development throughout the anime. They mostly stay the same as they did when they were introduced. Plus, with so many zany powers and personalities, many fans were disappointed by their lack of charisma overall. Fire Force is a letdown to fans hoping to see the characters more fleshed out.
9 Domestic Girlfriend
Domestic Girlfriend is a chaotic ride from beginning to end. Natsuo Fujii develops a crush on his teacher, Hina Tachibana, but agrees to sleep with another girl, Rui, so she can lose her virginity. Little does he know that both of them are soon to become his stepsisters. Natsuo and the two women are then trapped in a trashy and troubling love triangle throughout the rest of the story.
Not only does Hina not discourage a relationship between a student and a teacher, but she eventually (and actively) pursues Natsuo, giving in to her baser feelings. Additionally, Rui also finds her way into Natsuo's arms, even after becoming siblings. Though the women are as much to blame as Natsuo for their behaviors, Natsuo (or anyone) should have put a stop to both relationships in Domestic Girlfriend.
8 Dr. Stone
Dr. Stone is an entertaining anime about a civilization that essentially has to start from scratch when it comes to medicine and technology. Thankfully, Senku Ishigami, a brilliant mind from the past, has reawakened after thousands of years to provide knowledge and know-how to the struggling villagers of the present.
Unfortunately, this appears to be where the development ends. Although a few characters change during the show, their development is not significant. This lack of character growth makes the plot flat and one-note. Fans are eager to see what Senku has in store for the cast of Dr. Stone. Hopefully, they will be able to pick up some growth along the way.
7 The Promised Neverland
Though The Promised Neverland had a lot of potential, the creators squandered it in the second season by rushing through plot points and leaving others out entirely. While the writing assuredly broke down in the second season, the first season is relatively solid—except for its cast of heinous characters.
While the Grace Field House Mother, Isabella, seems sweet initially, fans quickly learn that her nurturing demeanor is an act. Added to the other Mothers and the Demons they work for, The Promised Neverland is brimming with unpleasant characters. From women raising children for food to the ones eating the meals, this show never fails to make audiences' skin crawl with its plethora of dastardly characters.
6 Death Note
Death Note is a fantastic anime full of intrigue and murder. While it is praised as one of the best shonen anime of all time, it also has many deeply flawed characters.
Not only does the protagonist, Light Yagami, become a killer, but the detective hired to find him is too full of his own brilliance to see Light coming. These characters develop throughout the series–especially some of the cops on the case. Yet, there is no denying that most (if not all) of these characters represent some of the worst society has to offer.
5 Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer is a recent anime phenomenon full of gritty action and vibrant animation. However, other than Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado, the other characters in the cast have little development. Though audiences are slowly learning about the Hashiras' pasts, characters like Zenitus Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira do not have much motivation for becoming Demon Slayers.
Additionally, many of the Hashira (and Zenitsu) have questionable morals. Understandably, the Hashira have faced many horrifying demons, which can make anyone jaded. Yet, many of them are mistrusting and do not develop a lot until after they have fought alongside Tanjiro. Even Tanjiro is beginning to sound like a one-trick pony and has not developed further than "a talented protagonist out to avenge his family." Fans can only hope to see more of the story unfold as time goes on.
4 Tokyo Revengers
Tokyo Revengers is a show based on its characters doing atrocious things. The anime starts with a murder, which spurs the protagonist Takemichi Hanagaki to travel back in time to when he was in a gang. Desperate to save his (past) girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana, from being murdered in the future, Takemichi does his best to climb the ranks of the Tokyo Manji gang, but many opponents bar his way.
Not only are a lot of the rival gangs ruthless in their attacks but the members of ToMan have also been known to commit violent crimes. Added to the fact that another member keeps finding Hinata and killing her in the future, the characters ensure that Tokyo Revengers has one of the most violent anime casts.
3 Beastars
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Characters in Beastars are anthropomorphic animals who are all striving to coexist despite their "predator" and "prey" statuses. After a herbivore student is devoured at the local high school, the entire community is set on edge, with the herbivores terrified of the carnivores, and the carnivores trying to prove their innocence.
There is so much fear and tension that many of the characters lash out at the slightest impetus. There is also lots of in-fighting as blame is thrown around the students of Cherryton Academy. Even the quiet protagonist Legoshi has a dark secret concerning his rabbit classmate, Haru. The characters in Beastars are all deeply broken individuals who yearn for acceptance and love in a time of turmoil.
2 Devilman Crybaby
Devilman Crybaby follows two boys who discover demons living among humans. However, tragedy befalls one of them and Akira Fudo is cursed by one of the demons with the power to turn into a Devilman. What happens next is a horrific battle between humanity and the Devilmen who are trying to prove that they are not the demons that created them. Humanity loses all sense of righteousness, and massacres the Devilmen and those closest to them, causing Devilmen like Akira to retaliate.
The whole situation comes to a head when Akira's friend reveals himself to be Satan. As Akira lies dying, Satan is once again caught by angels and his downfall is once again secured. No one is redeemable in this anime about the dangers of fear and panic in times of crisis.
1 Attack On Titan
War changes people, especially at a young age, which might be why the characters of Attack on Titan have little development throughout the series. Not to mention that the majority of them lack empathy toward their comrades, and mostly look out for themselves. Though there are some notable exceptions, by and large, these characters only care about defeating Titans, so they can eventually live in peace.
A special mention goes to Eren Yeager, one of the protagonists, who becomes so incensed by his situation that he begins The Rumbling, striking down friends and foes alike as he seeks to destroy the world. Most of the characters in this show have done (or continue to do) bad things in the name of winning battles or self-preservation. They may share an interesting bond, but these characters would not hesitate to cause bodily harm if provoked.