What does it really mean for someone to be "good" or "evil", or something in between? And what sets apart a lawful person from a chaotic one? Everyone is different, but a number of charts and tests out there are designed to sort people into categories, such as the Myers-Briggs type. Meanwhile, the popular fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons has devised its own 3x3 chart to measure a character's alignment, and this can apply to anime characters, too.

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On this chart, there are two axes. One of them measures "good, neutral, evil" and the other measures "lawful, neutral, chaotic", making for nine combinations. And no, there is no "neutral neutral," but rather "true neutral." In this way, you can determine the alignment of a character of your invention... or measure an existing one! How might this work for Tite Kubo's popular anime Bleach?

9 Lawful good: Uryu Ishida

Few characters are as upstanding as the young gentleman Uryu Ishida. Aside from the time he defied his father's wishes and joined Ichigo on the Hueco Mundo mission (Ryuken didn't mind anyway), Uryu toes the line.

He fights for good, and he's willing to give his life to rescue Rukia, and later Orihime. Bad guys had better beware when Uryu draws his bow, but he won't resort to dirty or underhanded methods to win. Uryu is polite, fair, honest, and cooperative with any ally he makes.

8 Neutral good: Ichigo Kurosaki

And now we get the protagonist himself, Ichigo Kurosaki. What makes for neutral good? These characters stand up for justice and protect the innocent, but they do so on their own terms, and rarely do they fight for a higher cause or organization. In short, they make their own rules, but they're not as wild and unpredictable as chaotic characters are.

These heroes may fight for good for personal reasons and satisfaction, then lay down their arms and return to a peaceful life when the battle is won. Ichigo is this way too, and he only has a loose alliance with the Soul Society. Otherwise, he's a bit of a rogue and loner.

7 Chaotic good: Yoruichi Shihoin

By most measures, chaotic good characters will fight for what is right and defeat evil, but they're free spirits who chafe under any semblance of order or authority! For a time, Yoruichi Shihoin was a Captain and more like Lawful Good, but this changed when she gave all that up to save Kisuke Urahara from prison 110 years ago.

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Ever since then, Yoruichi has struck it out on her own, often associating with Kisuke as a fellow rogue. Now, she's an outlaw in the Soul Society's eyes, but that doesn't stop her quest to fight evil. Yoruichi will use anything or consort with anyone to win, such as when she gave Ichigo a very risky training session that granted him Bankai with unusual speed.

6 Lawful Neutral: Isshin Kurosaki

Now we reach the neutral characters, who are neither righteous nor villainous. Rather, they operate in self-interest. Overall, Isshin skirts closer to the Lawful Good alignment, but his official Soul Reaper days are behind him, and he now lives as an ordinary family man.

Only when the bad guys get in his way will Isshin take up the sword, and otherwise, he wants nothing to do with battle. But he does run a health clinic and an orderly household, and he's quick to discipline any troublemakers (most of all, Ichigo himself!).

5 True Neutral: Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki

This entry is two characters in one, since Karin and Yuzu are fairly similar. They are twin girls and the youngest children of Isshin and Masaki, and they have nothing to do with Soul Reapers, hollows, plots, or anything else. These girls are happiest when living peaceful and sensible lives, and getting attacked by Fishbone D in the first episode was nothing but terrifying chaos for them.

Karin is a tough kid, but she would much rather stay out of a hollow's way (and can barely see them anyway). Yuzu, meanwhile, has become the mother figure in the household, and that means keeping trouble off her doorstep! Shoo!

4 Chaotic Neutral: Kon

Arguably, this alignment is the most fun of all, since it means the most freedom and chaos! A Chaotic Neutral character is not bound to any higher cause for good or evil, and they are unpredictable and like to make up their own rules. They are the ultimate rogues, and Kon fits that bill just fine.

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He's a mod soul operating in a stuffed lion toy, and he is absolutely not interested in fighting Aizen or joining the Gotei 13 or anything like that. Kon is a hedonist, spending his days chasing pretty girls and fussing at Ichigo's bad attitude.

3 Lawful Evil: Sosuke Aizen

The last three characters all fit the Evil axis, and an Evil character is one who harms others, exploits others, and may cause destruction, death, and misery on their self-centered quest for power and game (or sheer pleasure).

Sosuke Aizen is the intersection of Lawful and Evil, since he selfishly plots world domination and will exploit, abuse, or kill anyone who gets in his way. But he's meticulous and does it by the book, patiently orchestrating a grand plan and sticking to it. His minions, the arrancars, do most of the dirty work for him, and Aizen has carefully thought out his rationale for all this.

2 Neutral Evil: Aaroniero

A Neutral Evil character is not too different from a Chaotic Neutral one, in the sense that they are not bound to a higher cause and they make up their own rules and act independently. But the difference here is that a Neutral Evil character always acts in self-interest, and always at the expense of others.

Bystanders may or may not suffer when a Chaotic Neutral character appears, but they definitely will when a Neutral Evil character like the Espada Aaroniero shows up! This hollow has eaten over 33,650 other hollows to gain strength, and he (it?) loves to torment others and fool them to his own ends.

1 Chaotic Evil: Grimmjow Jaegerjaques

grimmjow grinning in bleach
grimmjow grinning in bleach

And now for the most flashy alignment of all: Chaotic Evil! These characters are not schemers or bystanders. In fact, when characters like Grimmjow show up, there are no bystanders. Chaotic Evil characters will do anything and everything to slay their enemies, gain power, or just have fun, and something will always get destroyed or ruined in the process. Characters like Grimmjow hate rules and law, and they are unpredictable and sensational.

In some ways, they are like a force of nature, but a malicious one. Grimmjow will fight anyone, friend or foe, who gets in his way of fighting the most pleasurable duel possible; in this case, he only wants to fight Ichigo. Still, he has an honorable side, refusing to fight Ichigo unless both of them are at full health and ready to give it their all.

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