Even for viewers, betrayals within anime can sting — a kid may turn against their family, favorite characters may do the unspeakable, and the least suspecting character may not have their friend’s best interests at heart. Sometimes these betrayals make sense, and other times, they’re done to help revive and create excitement in a stale story. No matter the reason, the best betrayals always have a way to pull on the heartstrings.
While there have been countless horrendous betrayals across the expanding anime world, there are specific ones that have truly broken the hearts of viewers everywhere.
10 When Reiner & Bertholdt Reveal They’re Titans (Attack On Titan)
In a world where the characters fear for their lives and are always on edge because of the Titans, this betrayal by Reiner and Bertolt hits home.
Eren had suffered through a lot, from seeing his mother eaten by a Titan to his dad disappearing to the many hard and gruesome battles that he and his friends have had to endure. When two of his friends confess that they’re the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan, both Eren, and Attack on Titan fans were shocked.
9 Aizen’s Betrayal Of The Soul Society (Bleach)
Sosuke Aizen was the kind of person who both fans and the characters in Bleach could trust. He was hard-working, polite, and had a knack for working under pressure and finding a solution for everything. He was a valuable member of the Soul Society and was admired by both the academy students and his colleagues.
But that all changed when he abandoned his post, destroyed any form of loyalty that he once had, and attacked the Soul Society with his army of Arrancar.
8 When Rachel Pushed Bam Off The Platform To His Death (Tower Of God)
When two people are as close as Bam and Rachel, a betrayal of any kind seems unbelievable. Bam climbs the Tower of God to chase after Rachel, the girl he loves. The Tower is fraught with dangerous obstacles that only increase in difficulty the higher they go. Bam risks his life for the girl he loves, and that’s why this betrayal stings.
As they’re about to reach the next stage of the tower, Rachel pushes Bam off the platform, and he falls to his death.
7 When Itachi Killed His Own Clan (Naruto)
When it comes to Itachi and the massacre of his entire clan, most fans can sympathize with him and the decisions that he had to make.
To stop a rebellion from tarnishing the Uchiha’s name, he chose to save the Leaf Village by taking on such a heavy burden. Not only did he have to kill his entire clan, but he had to leave his beloved village and his brother behind to become a rouge shinobi and infiltrate a criminal organization.
6 Kyubey's Innocent Appearance & Trickery Had Everyone Fooled (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
No one ever suspects that something as cute and adorable as Kyubey would ever do something as horrible as tricking and deceiving—but it does. Kyubey promises powers and grants one wish to young girls who sign contracts to become a Magical Girl, someone who hunts down and protects the world from witches.
But what Kyubey doesn’t tell them is that witches are magical girls who’ve fallen into despair. When this happens, Kyubey finds and forms new contracts with other girls, and thus, the cycle continues.
5 Where Isn’t There Betrayal In This Anime? (The Count Of Monte Cristo)
There are three things that The Count of Monte Cristo is known for—manipulation, revenge, and betrayal. There isn’t a dull moment in this anime.
On the day of his wedding, Edmond Dantes was falsely framed and imprisoned by his so-called friends. He then allows the demon Gankutsuou to possess him to seek his revenge against the people who had betrayed him. But he discovers that during his imprisonment, the woman he loved went on to marry one of the people who conspired against him. He lost everything that he cared for because of these betrayals.
4 Griffith's Sacrifice Of The Band Of The Hawk (Berserk)
The Band of the Hawk is a mercenary group lead by Griffith. The group is recruited to fight important battles for the King and swayed the outcome. However, when Griffith’s affair with the Princess comes to light, he is imprisoned and tortured.
Due to their love and loyalty for their leader, The Band of the Hawk decides to rescue their leader. But when they reach him, he’s a shell of a man they knew. Instead of being grateful for the rescue, Griffith sacrifices his group when he activates the Crimson Behelit so that he can become the God Hand, Femto.
3 Walter’s Transformation & Loyalty To The Millennium (Hellsing)
In this anime, Walter takes the important position of butler for Integra Hellsing. That's a good thing as he can handle himself against vampires quite well, despite his old age. However, when Walter is captured by the Captain, he is put through a rejuvenation process, which transformed him into a stronger and younger version of himself.
But when he returns to his friends, he reveals he is Millennium’s new secret weapon, known as the Angel of Death. It’s then that Integra learns of his friend’s betrayal and newfound loyalty to the Millennium, a paramilitary organization and the main antagonists in this series.
2 When Anthy Stabbed Her Friend & Savior In The Back (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
When the betrayal comes from a friend, it’s all the more horrible. In this series, duelists fight in a tournament for the reward of the Rose Bride. Utena Tenjou participates in these duels to defend the Rose Bride, Anthy Himemiya. When she does, they become very close.
Despite all of Akio and Anthy’s dark secrets coming to light, Utena continues to fight for her friend. As things escalate, a duel between Akio and Utena ensues. However, Anthy’s true nature is revealed when she stabs her friend and savior in the back.
1 When Naofumi’s Reputation Was Ruined By Malty Melromarc (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
In this series, Naofumi Iwatani is transported to an alternate world to fight the Waves of Calamity with three others. Things go from bad to worse when he meets Malty Melromarc — one of the King’s daughters.
Not only does he waste his money buying her armor, but Malty claims Naofumi assaulted her which turns out to be false. But that doesn’t matter because the entire Kingdom and his fellow Heroes turn against him, not believing his side of the story. Malty ruined Naofumi’s positive attitude and proved that people can be truly cruel and evil.