The world of Japanese animation is populated with thousands of beloved characters of all sorts, from compelling shonen heroes and heartfelt shojo heroines to terrifying but exciting villains. Most of these characters make a good impression when they first appear, or at least, they make an accurate first impression so viewers know what to expect from these characters.
Other times, though, a fictional character might make a misleading and unflattering first impression. Such characters might have misrepresented themselves at first, but usually, they show their best side later on and prove those bad first impressions wrong.
10 Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi Was A Sadistic Villain (Bleach)
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi leads squad 12, and remarkably, his actual personality and methods are only slightly better than his horrible first impression would suggest. He soon became a hero in the story of Bleach, but only barely. He is not at all sentimental nor does he make friends. He devotes all his efforts to the pursuit of science.
In Mayuri's hands, science can be cruel, and in his first battle, Mayuri tormented Orihime and Uryu nonstop. He also blew up his own subordinates, using them as living bombs to corner his prey. He was a nightmare in Uryu's eyes.
9 Isuzu Sohma Was Known For Her Bad Attitude (Fruits Basket)
Isuzu "Rin" Sohma embodies the horse of the Chinese zodiac, and she has a lot of drama to work through. When heroine Tohru Honda met her, Isuzu morphed into her horse form, and then her bad attitude became her defining attribute. Tohru really had her hands full with the uncooperative and miserable Isuzu Sohma.
Isuzu kept almost everyone at arm's length, and she wasn't afraid to throw tantrums either, even at her boyfriend, Hatsuharu Sohma. Later, though, Isuzu worked out her problems and became calmer and somewhat happier, allowing her best side to shine through at last.
8 Laxus Dreyar Was Introduced As A Villain (Fairy Tail)
Laxus Dreyar is the grandson of Makarov Dreyar, the Fairy Tail guild's master, but Laxus and his grandfather have very different magical talents and personalities. When he first appeared, Laxus was an antagonist to Natsu and Lucy despite being a fellow Fairy Tail wizard, and then he launched his violent plan.
Laxus wanted to weed out Fairy Tail's weakest wizards in a series of tournament-style duels, and he even held a handful of Fairy Tail members hostage via Evergreen's gorgon-style magic. Later, though, a defeated Laxus returned as a somewhat kinder and humbler wizard who fights for his friends and not himself.
7 Naruto Uzumaki Was A Selfish Troublemaker (Naruto)
The titular hero himself, Naruto Uzumaki has a lot of personal baggage weighing him down, such as his jinchuriki status and how everyone fears and hates him as a result. Naruto had no friends or family growing up, so he resorted to pranks and troublemaker antics to get some attention.
Naruto became much more sympathetic before long, but at first, he was tough to like. Naruto defaced the Hokage monument again and again, defied his teacher Iruka, goofed off with the sexy jutsu, and generally had an uncooperative and arrogant attitude. No wonder Sakura didn't like him.
6 Aoi Todo Was A Thug At First (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Aoi Todo is a powerful martial artist sorcerer who has a strong and outgoing personality, but at first, he acted more like a villain than anything. This gave a bad impression to Jujutsu Kaisen fans, Nobara, and Megumi alike.
Aoi and his classmates confronted Nobara and Megumi, and with little provocation, Aoi attacked and beat Megumi down. It seemed he cared for nothing except violence and, for some weird reason, he wants to learn about everyone else's tastes in women. At the time, it was a bit creepy, coming from him.
5 Misaki Ayuzawa Was Defined By Her Worst Traits At First (Maid-Sama!)
Misaki Ayuzawa is a hardworking, responsible, and loyal person, and she is also the student council president of Seika High. There's a lot to like about this shojo heroine, but at first, Misaki was defined by her negative traits, such as her antagonism toward the school's male students, her short temper and her stubborn side.
Misaki had good reason to act this way, but still, she almost seemed villainous at first, and it was little wonder everyone knew her as the "demon president." Fortunately, Misaki's better traits came to light before long, such as her protective feelings towards her friends and her little sister, Suzuna.
4 Askeladd Was A Scheming Assassin (Vinland Saga)
Askeladd, like Mayuri Kurotsuchi, was actually almost as bad as his first impression suggested. After all, he is a pragmatic and merciless Viking commander who has no qualms about raiding villages and slaughtering his enemies, but there are actually more villainous people than him in this medieval world.
It was Askeladd who, on Floki's orders, lured Thors into a trap in the Faroe Islands and cornered his small fleet. Askeladd then dueled Thors and had Thors killed with arrows, sparking Thorfinn's quest for revenge. Later, though, Askeladd's relatively wise and noble side emerged, and he proved to be much more complex and sympathetic than first impressions would imply.
3 Sokka's Worst Side Showed Itself Right Away (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe soon showed his better traits, such as his clever mind and his protective nature, but he made a rather weak first impression in the early episodes of Avatar. Sokka's sarcastic and cynical side was the first thing everyone saw of him, and that made him rather unappealing at first.
Sokka doubted almost everyone and everything except himself, and he also had rather backward views on women and girls, which endeared him to no one. But once he started his adventure with Aang and saw the wider world, Sokka's attitude quickly changed for the better.
2 Shoto Todoroki Was Ice-Cold At First (My Hero Academia)
Shoto Todorki has his fair share of personal baggage, most of it concerning his tyrannical father Endeavor and his somewhat strained relationship with his mother, Rei. All this made Shoto a self-absorbed and emotionally distant person, a kuudere who wanted nothing to do with his classmates.
Shoto's self-centered and arrogant attitude made a bad first impression, though fans could tell that Shoto wasn't a bad person, but rather, a troubled boy who needed help. As time went on, Shoto opened up and showed his warm side at last. He's even mending ties with Endeavor by this point.
1 Benimaru Wanted Rimuru Dead (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
When Benimaru and his fellow ogres were introduced, they were burning with rage and grief, determined to avenge their fallen villagers at any cost. Benimaru, in particular, mistook the masked Rimuru for Gelmud and attacked without mercy.
Rimuru convinced the ogres to stand down with a bloodless show of strength, and the misunderstanding was soon cleared up. Benimaru apologized for his rash actions and became Rimuru's loyal soldier, and he cooled off his rage. Now he fights confidently for Rimuru's noble cause.