In anime, there is a stereotype that villains are driven solely by selfish objectives. Whether seeking to amass as much wealth and power as possible or having an insatiable appetite for revenge, most evildoers are defined by crooked ambitions.
However, there are a considerable number of antagonists whose desires are entirely selfless. Oftentimes, their most pressing concern is to fulfill an ideology they have been indoctrinated by or even to save the ones they love. By identifying them, we can better appreciate the nuance behind many anime stories and the morally gray villains that inhabit them.
10 Charon Put His Life On The Line To Fulfill His Duties (Fire Force)
Despite his frequent displays of brutality, Charon was surprisingly the most honorable and selfless member of the White-Clad. He was willing to cast his body in front of a massive infernal in order to redirect its attack to the moon and save all denizens of Tokyo.
His stated motive was to protect Shinra as one of the pillars necessary to usher the Evangelist's reckoning. However, even that is an entirely selfless objective with nothing for Charon to personally gain from it.
9 Haku Was A Loyal Vassal Of Zabuza Until His Death (Naruto)
Haku was found and adopted by Zabuza early in his life. Ever since, he has proven himself as a faithful servant with a willingness to risk life and limb to meet the mist demon's increasingly high demands.
During the battle for the bridge, Haku fought and later sacrificed himself for Zabuza's sake. After the mercenary sustained his own grievous injuries, he spent his final moments with the young man who had given up everything for him.
8 Go Koga Only Wanted To Carve Out A Future For The Bounts (Bleach)
Go Koga was a member of the Bounts and the right-hand man of Kariya. His most pressing objective was to secure a future for his people, one which entailed the weakening of the Soul Society through brutal military action.
After realizing that Kariya intended to massacre innocent civilians, Go Koga opposed him adamantly. This was a fantastic illustration of his moral character and proved that he wasn't blindly consumed by revenge. Moreover, it made the shinigami realize that the Bounts were not all monsters worthy of being exterminated.
7 Stain Only Wanted To Preserve The Definition Of A Hero (My Hero Academia)
After his lobbying campaigns failed, Stain resorted to immoral means in order to preserve what it meant to be a "hero." At night, he prowled the streets, searching for targets who were too self-interested for him to consider a proper defender.
Morality was the only thing that prevented him from murdering Izuku Midoriya after his attempt to save Tenya in a dark alley. He recognized that the young boy shared many of All Might's heroic qualities and even put himself at grave risk to save him from a Nomu later that night.
6 Neferpitou Fulfilled Meruem's Command No Matter The Cost (Hunter X Hunter)
Neferpitou is hardly benevolent or kind, though they have proven their selflessness through their actions. Ever since birth, the royal guard's sole interest has been to fulfill Meruem's command. They were even willing to kill themselves, should the King have requested it.
An excellent display of Neferpitou's selflessness was during the final encounter with Gon, where they lied to him in order to buy the time they needed to heal Komugi. Although deceiving the hunter cost the villain their life, it allowed them to fulfill a final act of service to their master.
5 Monspeet Was Only Interested In Derieri's Well-Being (Seven Deadly Sins)
Monspeet may have been a member of the Ten Commandments who claimed countless innocent lives, though his sole priority was the success and well-being of Derieri. Despite her brash demeanor, he patiently doted on her throughout the campaign in Britannia.
Ultimately, they attempted to defect from their duties to the Demon King altogether and live among the humans who once reviled them. However, after realizing their idleness, Estarossa killed Monspeet and stole his commandment.
4 Vanilla Ice Would Give Anything For DIO (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Vanilla Ice was the strongest Stand user in DIO's service. Despite his daunting appearance and equally fearsome abilities, he was completely selfless and existed only to fulfill his master's wishes.
He even beheaded himself in a proclamation of love and allegiance for DIO. As a reward for his loyalty, Vanilla Ice was turned into a vampire and made virtually immortal. Polnareff was only able to kill him after discovering his weakness to sunlight.
3 Baby Five Just Wanted To Be Needed By Someone (One Piece)
Baby Five was unusually charitable for a pirate of the Donquixote family. She was willing to give whatever was asked of her under the pretense that her services were needed, often blushing profusely at the thought.
Although this may seem touching superficially, it allowed many of her comrades and enemies alike to take advantage of her. Buffalo was particularly eager to exploit her goodwill, often plummeting her even further into debt by manipulating her gullibility and generosity.
2 Nui Harime Gave Her Life For Ragyo (Kill La Kill)
Nui Harime was perhaps Ragyo's deadliest servant. She posed a serious threat to both Ryuko and Satsuki, having managed to kill their father and cause them a significant amount of psychological torment throughout the events of the anime. The former was relentlessly tormented and attacked, while the latter was spied on in order to gauge the true purpose of Honnoji Academy.
Despite her deranged behavior, Nui was willing to sacrifice herself to fulfill her mistress' plans and gave up her body happily. As sinister as she may have been, Nui was ultimately bound by her allegiances and a moral code defined exclusively by Ragyo.
1 Zeke Yeager Only Wanted Peace (Attack On Titan)
Since childhood, Zeke has been told by Marleyan oppressors that it would have been better if Eldians were never born. It was criticism that he took to heart; after inheriting the Beast Titan, he did everything in his power to sterilize the Eldian race through collaborating with his half-brother, Eren.
Despite the magnitude of his schemes, Zeke's objective was completely selfless. He only wanted to end the threat of titans to the global population without flagrantly butchering the entire Eldian race.