Even among the sensational new generation anime like Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia, the tragic villain trope is alive and well. It has always been a staple cliché used in action and adventure anime, and it doesn't look like this will change in the future.
Many villains become evil because of their tragic pasts, and thus they stand as foils to the heroes. For example, MHA's Tomura Shigaraki suffered child abuse and accidentally killed his parents when his quick manifested. MHA juxtaposes Shigaraki to Izuku Midoriya, who became a hero despite getting his quirk late in life. Alternately, some characters turn evil after experiencing great injustice, as fans see with Berserk's Griffith. Though tragic backstories are well-used tropes, they motivate villains across anime.
11 Bleach's Ulquiorra Died Right When He Figured Out What Emotions Were
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Bleach's Ulquiorra Cifer was part of the Espada and an underling to the main antagonist, Sousuke Aizen. Because of his particular Hollow nature, he felt no emotion and didn't believe in a "heart." As a result, he subconsciously killed others by piercing them where the heart should've been (and where his Hollow hole was).
He was a tragic figure because he was one of the few Hollows who showed the potential to feel human. In the end, he died just as he learned what a "heart" actually was. This realization made Ulquiorra one of the most likable Espada and the most unfortunate.
9 Griffith Became Evil After Being Tortured In Berserk
Griffith became a villain after suffering the consequences of his actions. The pain he endured while being arrested and tortured turned him into a husk of the former hero he was. His fate was tragic because, until that point, he had been a heroic figure, and it felt as though the punishment didn't fit the crime.
In imprisoning and torturing Griffith, the authorities unknowingly opened the door to more tragedy. Though Griffith was somewhat responsible for his arrest, the unbalanced punishment led to the loss of a great protagonist, as Griffith later did some of the worst things in the series.
8 Abuse And Human Experimentation Created Monster's Johan Liebert
Naoki Urasawa's Monster was an acclaimed anime that followed the serial killer Johan Liebert and the doctor who tried to stop him. Liebert and his sister were the products of eugenics experiments, which was tragic enough. His mother then relinquished his sister, Anna, to suffer further experimentation. This moment haunted Liebert as he didn't know whether his mother confused him with Anna.
Johan became the title monster because doctors subjected him to eugenics experiments throughout his youth. Fans might not feel bad for Liebert, but things could've turned out differently if they hadn't used Johan like a lab rat.
7 Gaara's Father Neglected And Tried To Kill Him In Naruto
Naruto's Gaara was a dark reflection of the series' protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki. Like Naruto, Gaara was a jinchuriki housing the spirit of a Tailed Beast. However, while Naruto eventually gained respect, Gaara's village hated him. Even Gaara's father tried to kill him.
The Kazekage turned Gaara into a weapon and discarded him when he required nurturing. The only person to ever show him compassion was the same person who tried to assassinate him. The worst things Gaara has done occurred because of the abuse and neglect he endured. Those crimes included almost killing Rock Lee and murdering Chunin Exam participants.
6 Rui's Parents Tried To Kill Him In Demon Slayer
Rui was one of Muzan Kibutsuji's most powerful demon moons. While a human, Rui was terminally ill, and when Muzan offered him a second chance, he took it. Unfortunately, demonhood was not what Muzan promised.
Rui's parents suspected that he was a monster. So, they tried to kill him to keep others safe and end his misery. As a result, Rui killed his family despite not wanting to. The incident was so traumatic that he spent the rest of his days desperately trying to build a pseudo-family. Rui was so tragic because he was an innocent who Muzan manipulated.
5 People Imprisoned And Experimented On Deadman Wonderland's Shiro
Shiro was an imprisoned human experiment stuck in Deadman Wonderland despite not having done anything to deserve it. As a result of that trauma, she developed another personality. This second personality, nicknamed the Wretched Egg and Red Man, was murderous, selfish, and evil.
Red Man massacred Ganta Igurashi's entire class, framing him for the tragedy. Ganta became Deadman Wonderland's next prisoner, but he didn't know that Shiro, his childhood friend, was behind the deaths. Shiro was simultaneously a villain and a product of her circumstance. Her alternate identity's crimes were the result of her abuse.
4 Fairy Tail's Zeref Lost His Family And Suffered A Curse
Zeref Dragneel, one of the main villains in Fairy Tail, was not always so terrible. Before becoming the notorious dark mage, he had a family that included Natsu Dragneel. Unfortunately, a dragon attack resulted in that family's death, and Zeref was left alone and utterly destroyed.
He spent many years dabbling in taboo magic to bring his family back, and once society caught wind of this, they cursed him. He was fated to roam the land forever, and he would always be alone. One of the many Zeref facts only true fans know is that his Curse of Contradiction killed anyone he loved.
3 Tomura Shigaraki Accidentally Killed His Family In My Hero Academia
Tomura Shigaraki was My Hero Academia's first major villain. He was the face of the League of Villains and All-for-One's protegé. While he was eccentric, creepy, and disturbed, he had a good reason to be that way.
When Shigaraki was a child, he suffered abuse at his father's hands. One day, Shigaraki unlocked his Decay quirk and accidentally killed his entire family while dealing with the stress of the abuse. This traumatized Shigaraki so intensely that he started wearing his dead parents' hands on his face. Shigaraiki's harsh reality was that no one would ever be there to save him.
2 The Promised Neverland's Isabella Was A Victim Of The System
In The Promised Neverland, demons raised humans on farms made to look like orphanages. The cleverest female children could become Mamas, figures who were in on the operation and raised the children. Isabella found herself in that very situation.
After years of rearing children, she watched Norman, Ray, and Emma escape. Their success changed her, and she sacrificed herself to give the children a chance. Isabella was a tragic figure because she was a victim of the system. Fans might not know Isabella was artificially inseminated and gave birth to Ray, who was fated to be demon food. Though the anime and manga differ in their endings, she had to go through extreme trauma before her story's close.
1 Naruto's Itachi Uchiha Had To Kill His Family And Live In Exile
Itachi was the Uchiha clan's golden boy until his family began plotting against the Hidden Leaf village. Being part of the Anbu Black Ops, Itachi was loyal to the Hokage. So, when the Hidden Leaf's elders asked him to massacre his clan, he had little choice. Itachi murdered every Uchiha except Sasuke and went into exile. In Itachi's true legend, he even killed his love interest.
Itachi lost everything to save the Hidden Leaf, and everyone saw him as a villain. The ordeal traumatized him so terribly that he devised a plan to have his brother kill him in revenge. Itachi's story was a tragic tale of helplessness, murder, guilt, and death.