Over the years, many anime characters have grown to positions of popularity within their respective fandoms. Whether due to cool cosmetics or legendary moments, these icons are often even identifiable by people unfamiliar with their series. They are frequently the topic of conversation, message boards, and even extravagant anime merchandise.
However, not all of them have earned their station as individuals worth remembering. By identifying anime characters who are criminally overrated and unpacking why, we gain a better understanding of how superficially appealing characters become overrated based on the circumstances surrounding them.
10 Chrollo Disgraced Himself As The Phantom Troupe's Leader (Hunter X Hunter)
Chrollo was established as the Phantom Troupe's formidable leader. With the ability to steal the nen gifts of others and the skill to fight two Zoldycks at once, it seemed as if Kurapika was in over his head regardless of Emperor Time's power.
However, the villain was ultimately defeated so quickly that it made the fight against Uvogin seem challenging in comparison. To add insult to injury, Kurapika placed a nen condition on him so that he could never see his comrades again.
9 Todoroki's Growth Is Overshadowed By Bakugo & Deku (My Hero Academia)
Oftentimes, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Midoriya are regarded as Class 1-A's three most prominent students. However, he has failed to progress as much as either of them both physically and mentally, as proven through his defeat in the Sports Festival.
While Midoriya was mastering One For All and Bakugo refined his rage, Todoroki was still grappling with his refusal to use his father's Quirk. His character is so profoundly affiliated with Endeavor that without him, he lacks the character depth necessary to be compelling.
8 Olivier Barely Contributed To The Series (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Superficially, Olivier Armstrong has dozens of appealing qualities. She is strong, decisive, and commands the respect of her soldiers. She is also willing to put the people of Amestris above herself, as proven through the bold choice to defy the insidious King Bradley.
Despite this, she scarcely showed up during the final battle and cowered behind her brother when he fought against the lumbering homunculus, Sloth. In the end, much of Olivier's contributions were through the soldiers she provided. Her own combat merits were never fully explored or understood.
7 Sasuke Did Far More To Hinder The Leaf Than Help It (Naruto)
Many fans adore Sasuke's devil-may-care attitude and antihero methods of solving the problems that come his way. In fairness, they provide a necessary contrast to Naruto's overly optimistic approach against villainy.
However, the rogue avenger has committed so many atrocities against the Leaf that it's hard to justify his redemption. For example, he attempted to murder Sakura, conquer the world, and destroy what remained of his humanity by putting down Naruto. Sasuke's popularity as a reformed Konoha shinobi is satisfying (albeit questionable) when considering the lives he ruined.
6 Meliodas' Heroism Is Offset By His Vices (Seven Deadly Sins)
As his series' flagship character, Meliodas is responsible for solving many of Britannia's problems. This makes him a naturally compelling character to many people, especially given the patience he exhibits toward his friends.
However, it underlies Meliodas' inappropriate behavior toward Elizabeth - specifically, the things he did to her shortly after their reunion at the Boar's Hat. Though he justified his actions with the notion that Supreme Deity's curse would make her fall in love with him anyway, he was still being flagrantly predatory.
5 Joseph Joestar Has An Extremely Sketchy History (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Joseph Joestar is often perceived as a wise-cracking maverick with a heart of gold. Although this notion is partially justified, it fails to account for his many debilitating flaws.
For example, he spied on his own mother while she was changing during the events of Battle Tendency. To make matters worse, he also cheated on his own wife with Josuke's mother, then abandoned him for his entire childhood. Joseph himself admitted that he had yet to properly atone for his sins regardless of his many acts of heroism.
4 Ed Lacked Most Of The Cast's Depth (Cowboy Bebop)
Ed was the Bebop's engineer and talented hacker. Having joined the crew as a stowaway, her giddy and childlike disposition starkly contrasted an otherwise gloomy ship.
However, she failed to match the emotional depth of characters like Faye Valentine, Jet Black, and Spike Spiegal. Her only profound moments were against Chessmaster Hex and when she finally reunited with her father. Unlike the series' other heroes, Ed's constantly excitable disposition also made it difficult to stomach her in extended doses.
3 Sanji's Eccentricities Put Himself & Others In Danger (One Piece)
Unlike every other member of the Straw Hat crew, Sanji's eccentricities actively sabotage his ability to protect his friends or even himself. This was demonstrated during the Enies Lobby arc, where he lost against Kalifa on account of his reluctance to hit her. After his defeat, the agent targeted Nami next.
His chivalry is so extreme that he couldn't bring himself to hit Mr. Two solely for the fact that he was using Nami's likeness. Sanji is so excessively lecherous that simply visiting Fish-Man Island's Mermaid Cove hospitalized him on account of profuse nose bleeding.
2 Levi Doesn't Actually Have Many Accomplishments (Attack On Titan)
As humanity's greatest soldier, one might assume that Levi is a tremendous credit to Paradis. In some aspects, this is true. He saved Eren in the forest and decisively overcame Kenny Ackerman's military police.
However, his greatest contributions are usually just correcting a previous mistake. Annie likely could have been defeated if Eren worked with him, and Kenny was going to betray Rod Reiss regardless of whether or not the Scouts showed up. Levi cannot even take credit for defeating Zeke, as the villain managed to escape safely back to Marley.
1 Aizen Is Overrated & Generic (Bleach)
Aizen is often regarded as one of anime's most fascinating villains. To his credit, he is powerful enough to kill ordinary people simply by existing in their presence and overwhelmed the combined efforts of the Soul Society.
However, Aizen is not particularly compelling as a character. He was primarily motivated by power, and his god complex is nothing that hasn't been explored before in other shows. He was also sometimes comically evil, such as when he betrayed Tier Harribel for not finishing off Captain Hitsugaya fast enough.