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Bad guys make anime. Some astound fans with their raw power. Others captivate audiences via their eccentric personalities. More still shake heroes and viewers alike with dark principles, unyielding beliefs, and glimpses of truth. Yet, they can rarely win. Though they might be top dogs for a moment, the heroes typically flip the scales. Yet, good things happen to bad people sometimes.
10 Naruto's Orochimaru Avoided Punishment And Became A Good Guy
Naruto's Orochimaru had many enemies, but somehow he survived them all. Fans were surprised with how much Orochimaru changed from the end of Naruto: Shippuden to Boruto. For most of the franchise, Orochimaru was one of the evilest characters, experimenting on humans, disregarding life, and killing indiscriminately. Yet, he escapes punishment. When Naruto becomes Hokage, the two enemies work together.
There is little evidence for Orochimaru's sudden change between the two series, and fans feel there was a lot they missed out on during the years between Shippuden and Boruto. In the end, Orochimaru got lucky. He not only survived the Fourth Shinobi war, but he was also somewhat forgiven by the next generation.
9 Isaac Saved Hector In Castlevania
Castlevania's Hector made many mistakes, one of which made him Carmilla's prisoner. Hector's sentimentality made him fumble on various occasions. First, he joined Dracula in his genocide of the human race, and when Hector finally started to feel guilt, he joined Carmilla (who proposed to keep humans around as cattle). So, Hector turned on Dracula, which made him not only Dracula's enemy but also Isaac's.
Trying to stop Dracula wasn't inherently a mistake, but his choice to join Carmilla was no better, and she ended up keeping him prisoner. When Isaac returned to kill the vampires that betrayed Dracula, he also had a mind to take revenge on Hector. Yet, he allowed Hector to live, which was one of Hector's few lucky breaks in the show.
8 Bakugo Is A Jerk But Got An Amazing Quirk In My Hero Academia
There are few anime characters angrier than Bakugo of My Hero Academia. His quick temper, jealousy, and willingness to bully others for not having quirks make him a terrible person, even if he is a hero. Despite his heroism, Bakugo's problematic behavior makes him a complete jerk. Still, he innately has one of the best quirks in the world, got into U.A., and is a strangely successful hero.
Among the many great things that Bakugo gets despite his poor behavior is a friendship with the kid he bullied, Izuku Midoriya, great internships with heroes like Endeavor, and notoriety from many top Pro Heroes who work at U.A. Being born with such a powerful quirk was extremely lucky, and Bakugo regularly takes that for granted.
7 Azula Was The Golden Child After Zuko's Exile
ATLA's Azula was beyond evil, working with her father to commit genocide and spreading the Fire Nation's imperial presence. She had no remorse for her manipulation and bullying of her brother, Zuko, and friends Ty Lee and Mai. She was altogether a mean, manipulative, and heartless person. Yet, she was gifted in fighting ability and was next in line for the throne after Zuko's exile.
While Azula did experience a lot of trauma on her own, she was the golden child after Zuko's exile. She was lucky enough to trick the Earth King, take over the Dai Li, and position herself as the Fire Nation's heir. Eventually, it all came crashing down when she, Zuko, and Katara fought in the series finale, but she had it good for a time.
6 Dio Got Vampiric Power In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Dio was one of JJBA's most successful villains. Dio was a bad apple from the beginning, wanting to be eviler than his petty thief father for no reason. He killed Jonathan Joestar's beloved dog and father and terrorized villages with his vampiric powers (even manipulating a woman-turned-vampire into eating her baby).
Later, Dio gets one of the most powerful Stands and finds a way to mind control other Stand Users such as Noriaki Kakyoin and Jean-Pierre Polnareff. The effects of his villainy ripple throughout the entire series, even seasons after his death. Yet, Dio's lucky streak of becoming a vampire and getting a Stand ends when Jotaro Kujo and Joseph Joestar band together and kill him.
5 Shou Tucker Got Notoriety For His Cruel Experiments In Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist's Shou Tucker was an anime villain who cared nothing for human life, which he proved when he turned his daughter into a chimera. His experimentation on his daughter was not his first rodeo with human experimentation. He turned his wife into a chimera before this scene.
It was that experiment that landed him fame among alchemists and the military. He then obtained a contract to make more chimeras. Unfortunately, he fell into a rut. That's when he stooped to using his child to perpetuate his success. His luck ended in his assassination, but no one was too mad to see his end.
4 Light Got Away With Murder For Far Too Long In Death Note
Light Yagami of Death Note is one of the most infamous antiheroes in all anime. By chance, he acquired the Death Note, which allows the wielder to kill anyone as long as they have a name and face. It just so happened to fall into the hands of a genius with a god complex. Under the alias Kira, Light tried to cleanse the world of its villains, launching him into a game of cat and mouse with another genius, L.
Light got away with his schemes for a surprisingly long time. He also got lucky to find and successfully manipulate other Death Note users, like Misa Amane. He even killed L. Yet, he did not achieve his ultimate goal as new detectives, Mello and Near, finally stopped him.
3 Griffith Got Ultimate Power In Berserk
Berserk's Griffith was one of many anime heroes who turned out to be villains. He and Guts were heroes and friends, but after Guts went his own way and Griffith landed himself in trouble with the royal family, things turned tragic. Griffith was traumatized, thanks to his imprisonment and torture. Though Guts eventually found him, Griffith blamed and never forgave his former friend.
Eventually, Griffith sacrificed his men and gained ultimate power, becoming Femto. As this ultra-powerful, monstrous man, Griffith committed unspeakable crimes. However, he also liberated people and shifted the world's power dynamic. While he was undoubtedly a bad person, his effects on the story at large were grayer.
2 Gary Was Always One Step Ahead In Pokémon
Pokémon's Gary was a notorious jerk. He constantly bullied Ash Ketchum for seemingly no reason other than Ash's decision to be a Pokémon trainer. On top of that, Gary and Professor Oak (the person who allowed Ash and Gary to be trainers) were relatives. So, Gary wielded a lot of privilege and never let Ash forget it.
Despite his being a bad person, Gary was constantly ahead. He had great Pokémon, always won his gym battles, and moved around the world quicker than Ash could. Though Gary matured over the decades Pokémon aired, he never had anything too terrible happen to him.
1 Diamond Is Unbreakable's Angelo Got A Stand To Make Violence Easier For Him
Angelo may not be the most powerful villain in JJBA, but he had one of Diamond Is Unbreakable's strongest villain stands. He went to prison because of his many unthinkable crimes like murder, kidnap, and rape. He was one of the most violent and heinous criminals in the JJBA universe. Yet, someone stabbed him with the magic arrow and gave him a Stand.
He used that Stand to escape jail and kill whoever he wanted, including innocent dogs, random townspeople, and even the series protagonist, Josuke Higashikata's grandfather. It took a while, but Josuke and Jotaro stopped Angelo. Josuke rearranged his molecules, making him into a rock. That was the end of Angelo's luck.