Just about everyone loves the classic villain turning into a hero story. However, a hero turning into a villain seems to be aspice that everyone lovesjust as much. It adds a lot more dimension to the character and the story, leaving viewers with a lot of questions. Like if the hero was a villain all along or are they still genuinely good and pretending to be evil.Related:Iconic Shonen Anime Villains, Ranked By Their PowerSome heroes that have turned into villains are still good deep down and redeem themselves. Others are happy and embrace their evil side if it means reaching their ends goals. Either way, fans know that they’re in for a wild ride.Update by Sarah Prado on June 23, 2025:Watching heroes fall into villainy can be heartbreaking for some viewers, especially if the character was a great hero at the beginning. It can’t be denied that it’s entertaining to watch, and can provide some of the best stories in the series along with great character development. Some of them start off with good intentions, while some are pretty obvious that they’ll turn evil, but it’s still a pretty shocking sight to behold. Though some might have some redeeming qualities, their times as villains were definitely more memorable than their times as heroes.
15Jaden/Judai Yuki (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)
Jaden isn’t exactly evil, but he was possessed by an evil spirit that caused a lot of trouble. When he turned into the Supreme King, he killed most of his friends. The Supreme King slaughtered villages of dual spirits and oppressed others that survived. For the short time that he was around, the Supreme King did not only a lot of physical damage but lasting mental damage.
After getting his body back, Jaden is very distant from his friends because he fears bringing danger to them. By the end of the series, he gets back to his old self, but it takes a while for him to recover.
14Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
He’s a good guy now, but Sasuke spent a good chunk of his time onNarutoandNaruto: Shippudenas the bad guy. He betrayed his friends and the Konoha village just so he could get more power. All because he wanted to getrevenge against his brother Itachi. Even when he learned the truth, he sought to destroy the village that Itachi secretly protected.
Sasuke has committed countless crimes and has tried to kill Naruto and the others. Thankfully, he’s on the side of good now, but it was after Naruto beat some sense into him.
13Annie Leonhart (Attack On Titan)
Annie doesn’t ask for anyone’s pity or for them to understand her motives. All she wanted was to see her father again and didn’t care who got hurt or killed to do so. She was part of the 104th Cadet Corps along with Eren, Mikasa, and the others. She and Mikasa had a rather tense rivalry, but it seemed like Annie was a strong female character.
That all changed when it was revealed she’s the Female Titan. In this form, she killed many soldiers,including the First Special Operations Squad,all to complete her mission to capture Eren. After she was defeated, she sealed herself up in a crystal and stayed like this for four years. When she was free, she was unapologetic and knows all that she’s done is irreparable, but is willing to help Mikasa and the others stop Eren.
12Isabella (The Promised Neverland)
While it’s a little understandable why Isabella did what she did, it’s just hard to forgive her. She willinglytook kids away to be devouredby demons all the while being a mother figure to them. While she did genuinely care about the kids under her care (in her own twisted way), she wasn’t afraid to hurt them for trying to escape or learning the truth. She willingly broke Emma’s leg then comforted her in a motherly fashion.
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She became a Mama to save herself after learning the truth about the demons. Isabella was an orphan herself and saw many of her friends get sacrificed and made her only think about her own survival. However, she’s not completely evil and showed that she truly wishes the best for Emma and the others who escaped, gracefully accepting defeat.
11Shiro (Deadman Wonderland)
She may seem sweet, but Shiro is the reason why Ganta isin Deadman Wonderlandand why he’s accused of murdering his classmates. At first, she seems a little odd, childlike, but sweet overall. However, she has a dark secret. It turns out that Shiro was the one responsible for the murders. Her other personality, the Wretched Egg, is a vicious and sadistic persona. Shiro is aware of the Wretched Egg’s existence and they live in relative peace with each other.
Shiro was experimented on throughout her childhood that caused her to develop the Wretched Egg to cope with her pain and suffering. Both personalities wanted Ganta to become a Deadman in hopes that he would kill them.
10Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)
Fans ofAttack on Titanwatched Eren go fromwanting to exterminate all titansin the world to protect humanity to being one of its greatest threats. As the series went on, Eren was willing to kill innocent civilians, manipulate others, and use other unethical means to complete his goals.
Deep down, Eren is still a good guy, but it’s clear that everything that’s happened has taken its toll on him. Getting to the point that he’s unable to tell past, present, and future from each other because of his abilities, Eren could only focus on the end goal no matter the cost: kill all titans.
9Straizo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Straizo was a supporting character inJojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Bloodand helped Jonathan Joestar during the series. After Jonathan’s death, Erina gave the female baby she and Jonathan saved, and he raised the baby girl, known as Lisa Lisa, as his own daughter. However, during the events ofPhantom Blood, fans saw that he was intrigued by the powers of vampires which foreshadowed what was to come.
InJojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency, Straizo becomes a vampire and becomesan enemy to Joseph Joestar.He knew the Joestar family would be a great threat and targeted them. His reasons for doing all this was to keep his youth and power. After his defeat, he was happy to die in his prime rather than die of old age and weakness.
8Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Kyubey proves thatbeing a cute sidekickdoesn’t necessarily mean being good. This deceptive character makes contracts with normal girls to turn them into magical girls. However, Kyubey fails to mention this power comes in exchange for their souls.
Related:Great Anime Antagonists Who Are Not Villains
There’s also the devastating fact that they’re more or less fated to become witches; the beings that magical girls fight. It also doesn’t help that Kyubey doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong and impassive towards the girls.
7Lelouch vi Britannia/Lamperouge (Code Geass)
Lelouch pledged to create a better world for everyone. He started off with the right intentions, but his moral compass switches real quick. He’s cold in battle and willing to sacrifice civilians and soldiers if it means achieving his goals. Lelouch sees most casualties as just consequences of his actions and that the end justifies the means.
Despite this, Lelouch is a very kind and loving brother to Nunally. Plus, he’s still loyal to Suzaku even though they’re usually on opposite sides.
6SÅsuke Aizen (Bleach)
Aizen seemed like a soft-spoken, calm, and collected man who dedicated his life to the Soul Society. Many looked up to him, and he was a well-respected captain among his subordinates. He was known to be polite and usually would make small-talk with anyone he conversed with.
Little did anyone know, he was secretlyplanning to overthrow the king.His true nature is that of a cold, cruel, and selfish man, the complete opposite of what he presented at first. He purposely makes small talk with his enemies to get them riled up, so they can make mistakes. He’s manipulated others and doesn’t care for any of his subordinates, considering them pawns.
