Anime remains one of the most creative and versatile mediums of entertainment. It’s impressive to see how new anime series continue to come out with unique premises and find fresh angles for their stories and characters. There are definitely anime hero archetypes that audiences have grown to notice, but it’s helped these characters grow and defy expectations over time.
Certain protagonists may initially appear shallow, but eventually reveal their layers or that they’re capable of much darker deeds. Sometimes these transformations happen naturally, but often anger can be a crucial trigger that ignites a frightening side to some otherwise lovable heroes.
10 Katsuki Bakugo Has A Fiery Temper That Matches His Explosive Quirk
My Hero Academia excels with how it juggles dozens of characters and figures out the right moments to give them important moments to shine. Katsuki Bakugo is often presented as a friendly rival and foil to Izuku Midoriya. Bakugo’s anger problems and glee towards mayhem led the League of Villains to believe that they might be able to turn him to their side.
Katsuki has firmly proven himself as a vital hero and even a worthy One For All host. However, his temper still gets the better of him and sends the hero in a literally explosive rage.
9 Shigeo Kageyama Turns Off His Emotions To Prevent A Psychic Explosion
One of the central premises behind Mob Psycho 100 is that Shigeo Kageyama is an esper of unimaginable psychic strength, but he’s intentionally turned himself off from intense emotions to prevent a dangerous explosion of psychic power.
The anime plays with the tension around the increasing percentage level of Shigeo’s emotions and the chaos that’s possible if he reaches 100%. Shigeo can normally control himself, but moments where his friends and family are endangered bring out his darker side and the destructive power that accompanies it.
8 Vash The Stampede Tries To Compress The Lifetimes Of Pain That He’s Seen
Trigun is a powerful action anime from out of the ‘90s. It presents a legendary bounty hunter who turns to pacifism since a lifetime of bloodshed has left him disgusted with the world. Vash the Stampede is a complicated and fascinating figure, especially once vigilantes force his hand and make him turn to violence.
Vash would rather hurt himself than take another life. Vash masks his emotions with a goofy attitude that causes many to underestimate his talents. However, the occasions where he’s forced to break his values bring forward a terrifying and angry figure that’s more weapon than man.
7 Fairy Tail’s Natsu Dragnell Isn’t Afraid To Let His Dark Side Take Over
Fairy Tail gets a little reflexive with fantasy archetypes and their place in the shonen genre with how it turns magic into a gig economy for mages. Natsu Dragneel has a lot to learn at the start of his guild mission, but he gradually turns into an admirable hero and leader.
The second half of Fairy Tail: The Final Series pushes Natsu to a rough place and he gets as close as ever to taking lives. Lucy brings out emotions in Natus like nobody else and it's genuinely frightening to see him become this unhinged.
6 Levi Ackerman Carries The Weight Of His Team On His Shoulders
Attack on Titan does an excellent job presenting the way war turns children into hardened soldiers. The entire cast becomes progressively cold and desensitized, but right from the start, Levi Ackerman has always been a Scout member that appears to be in control.
Levi is an inspirational leader during times of doubt and his composure is instrumental in the Survey Corps’ demeanor. Levi is only human and there are moments, like his fight against Kenny, where he just snaps and lets out pure, unbridled aggression. It’s chilling to watch this skilled fighter shift into berserk mode.
5 Murderous Rage Becomes Yuno Gasai’s Trademark In Future Diary
Future Diary is almost like if Death Note became a competitive reality program. A dozen individuals go through a surreal form of training to become the new God of the world. Every Future Diary holder applies a different strategy and tries to mask their true intentions.
Yuno Gasai looks sweet, but she turns homicidal at a moment’s notice whenever her precious Yuki is threatened. Yuno’s obsession with Yuki and her inability to understand boundaries makes her one of the most dangerous characters in the series. She’s one of the few examples here when a bad mood will result in murder.
4 Durarara!!’s Shizuo Heiwajima Has The Explosive Anger Of The Hulk
Durarara!! looks at dangerous gangs and the criminal underworld of Ikebukuro. Durarara!! is full of surreal visuals and characters, but it truly triumphs with its rich world-building. Shizuo Heiwajima looks fairly normal in comparison to some of the criminals in Durarara!!, but he's driven by a Hulk-like rage that turns him into a useful anomaly.
Shizuo is typically docile, but he recognizes that he's a much greater asset once his rage is unleashed. Shizuo will frequently engage in this kind of behavior and appreciates his anger rather than fear it like some other individuals that are looked at here.
3 Rak Wraithraiser’s Rough Exterior Doesn’t Always Reflect His Attitude
Tower of God involves a grueling quest to the top of an enigmatic tower that’s full of danger. Rak Wraithraiser befriends the series’ hero, Bam, early on. Rak has a very rough look as if he frequents gladiatorial matches.
It’s an endearing change of pace that Rak is really a big sweetheart and a useful observer and source of comedic relief. Rak does get pushed past his limit when he views some of the behavior going on within the Tower. Rak can dominate on the battlefield and become a one-man wrecking crew when his anger gets the better of him.
2 Meliodas’ Anger Is A Ticking Time Bomb That Frightens Him
The Seven Deadly Sins leans into shonen and fantasy conventions while it focuses on a group of disgraced warriors who get an important chance at redemption. The anime features characters that cater to different extremes and Meliodas is a fairly standard kindhearted shonen protagonist.
However, the potential behind Meliodas’ anger is what terrifies him. The rare occasions where Meliodas' anger runs unchecked turns him into a nuclear bomb of sorts and he takes out a whole city. Meliodas spends considerable time trying to control and train his anger, but it's far from an easy process.
1 Vegeta Is A Simmering Prince With Unfathomable Rage
Dragon Ball has many villains that rehabilitate themselves into productive heroes, but Vegeta is perhaps the most inspirational example. Vegeta becomes a defender of Earth, but this doesn’t mean that his personality completely changes. Vegeta still has a curt and dismissive attitude, which is also quite entitled due to his Saiyan Prince roots.
There are several occasions where Vegeta’s honor is disgraced or those close to him are insulted and it’s pushed him to erupt in a dangerous rage. These displays of anger sometimes even become their own unofficial stage of Super Saiyan transformation because Vegeta’s anger is so intense.