The concept of an anti-hero is far from new, as many well known anime protagonists often defy the traditional image of a hero,taking their character into darker territory. In a lot of cases, a major point of difference between the traditional heroic protagonist and a villain stems from their willingness to adopt an attitude where the results of their actions justify the means by which they attain them. More often than not, this usually amounts to a willingness to take lives, where many shonen protagonists seldom resort to killing their foes — which is one of the reasons why they retain the moral high ground in a conflict.
For many series, the dynamic between the so-called hero and villain, serves as the crux of the conflict which drives the narrative forward. However, there are certain cases where this dynamic is turned entirely on its head, straying into the domain of moral ambiguity, tomake viewers question who the heroes and villainsreally are. With little to differentiate between them, the hero-villain dynamics in these shows pose poignant questions on morality or the nature of good and evil, showing that the real world is full of shades of gray, and not as black and white as fiction makes it out to be.
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8Terror In Resonance
Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe,Terror in Resonanceis a psychological thriller follows a pair of orphaned teenagers, Nine and Twelve, who commit acts of terror to expose a shady government organization responsible for turning children such as them into human weapons.
Pursued by a police detective as well as the organization itself, the duo become acquainted with a troubled young high school girl Lisa Mishima, who becomes an accomplice to their plans. Here, the protagonists are forced to resort to violent methods in order to gather the notoriety they need to fulfill their objectives, even if their motives are noble, and they seldom endanger innocents in the process.
7Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Passoccurs in a futuristic Japan where law enforcementis governed by a biomechatronic computer known as the Sibyl System which scans the biometrics of individuals with a result known as a “Psycho Pass” to determine their potential for criminal activities.
Working under this system, rookie Inspector Akane Tsunemori, works alongside Enforcer Shinya Kogami, a latent criminal, to trace Shogo Makishima, an individual who is Criminally Asymptomatic, despite his many evil deeds. Although Kogami is essentially on the side righteousness, his violent and rebellious tendencies, as well as his quest to avenge a former comrade, bring him into conflict with Makishima, who is striving to expose the true nature of the Sibyl System and its many flaws.
6Devilman Crybaby
A mild-mannered high school student Akira Fudo is transformed into a creature known as a Devilman on fusing with the demon Amon after meeting his childhood friend Ryo Asuka. Gaining supernatural powers which come at the cost of losing some of his humanity, Akira strives to create a society where humans and human-demon hybrids such as him can coexist, in the face of being persecuted for his relation to demonkind.
The dynamic between Akira and Ryo is central to the series' narrative, where the two are portrayed as polar opposites, until Ryo reveals his true nature and intentions. Based on Go Nagai’s highly acclaimed manga series,Devilman Crybabyhas inspired innumerable otherswho reinterpreted this truly unique hero-villain dynamicin different contexts over the years.
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5Hellsing Ultimate
As the ultimate weapon of the mysterious Hellsing Organisation responsible for eradicating vampires across the world, Alucard is an immortal vampire and the protagonist ofHellsing Ultimate, who yearns to find someone worthy of defeating him.The Hellsing Organization soon finds itselfin conflict with the Millennium Organization, a long forgotten paramilitary wing of Nazi Germany who developed an army of vampires to overcome Alucard in order to achieve their goal of world domination.
While Alucard is extremely volatile, violent, and sadistic, to the point where he can no longer be described as anything remotely close to a hero, he somehow finds himself fighting to save humanity from the Millennium Organization, whose motives, goals, and ambitions are far more nefarious than even Alucard’s actions.
4Code Geass
Taking place in an alternate timeline where the Holy Britannian Empire has conquered Japan and annexed it as one of its colonies, renamed as Area 11,Code Geassfollows Lelouch vi Britannia, an exiled Britannian prince attempting to emancipate Japan. As one of anime’s most compelling, intelligent, and iconic protagonists, Lelouch is a ruthless tactician, who gains the power tobend anyone to his will with his Geassafter meeting a witch named C.C. Assuming the identity of Zero, Lelouch wages war against Britannia to restore Japan’s independence and create a better world for his sister Nunnally.
In the process, he is forced to go up against his childhood friend Suzaku Kururugi, who is attempting to change the system from within as a soldier on the Britannian side, as he disagrees with Zero’s tactics, which frequently endanger civilians and cause innumerable casualties.
3Berserk
Kentaro Miura’sBerserkis driven by one of the most prominent hero-villain dynamics in the history of anime and manga, seen in the close friendship and eventual rivalry between its protagonist Guts, and his friend turned sworn enemy Griffith. WhereGuts' bulky frame, violent tendencies, and abrasive personality often see him relegated to the role of an outcast, he seems to have a strong sense of compassion, loyalty, and honor, despite his struggles with vulnerability due to the traumatic experiences he endured in his childhood.
On the other hand, Griffith is often described as a man of unrivaled grace and beauty, who is easily able to manipulate others to attain his goals due to his incredible charisma and intelligence. Despite this, Griffith is also a narcissist who is willing to sacrifice anything to get what he wants, leading him to come into conflict with his former friend and right-hand man Guts.
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2Death Note
Light Yagami is a genius high school student who is bored with the humdrum routine of his life until he one day stumbles across a Death Note, a notebook belonging to the Shinigami Ryuk, with the power to kill anyone whose name is written on its pages. Deciding to deliver his version of justice to society, Light proceeds to use the notebook to kill criminals, as well as anyone who dares to oppose him in a bid to reshape the world as he sees fit.
While working towards this goal, he is forced to evade the suspicion of L, the world’s greatest detective whom he develops a close relationship with.Death Note’ssubversion of the standard hero-villain dynamiccasts Light as the protagonist, despite being the villain of the story, with L as an adversary striving to foil his ruthless schemes.
1Attack On Titan
Hajime Isayama’sAttack on Titanis a rare case where most would struggle to even begin ascertaining who the real heroes and villains are. After the death of his mother at the hands of the monstrous Titans, who keep the residents of Paradis Island confined within massive concentric walls, Eren Yeager discovers that he possesses the power to transform into one himself, and struggles to aid his people in escaping their imprisonment.
Over time,Eren uncovers the secrets of the worldas well as the history behind the persecution of his people, leading him on the path towards a large scale genocide, in order to save his people and those he holds dear from extinction as the hatred of the entire world bears down upon them for the crimes of their ancestors.
