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One of the most common tropes within anime involves characters devoid of a conscience. These anime figures can be presented in multiple ways, from recognizing their evil deeds yet remaining apathetic to brandishing themselves as Gods.
Despite how reprehensible they can act at times, they often make for some of the most interesting characters in the entire series. It’s an interesting notion, but sometimes the most engaging and interesting anime protagonists are those with questionable morality.
Here are 10 anime characters with broken moral compasses.
Death Note’s Light Yagami and four other anime characters with broken moral compasses
1) Roswaal Mathers (Re:ZERO - Starting Life in Another World)
Kicking off the list is Re:ZERO’s Roswaal Mathers, head of the Mathers estate and endorser for Emilia’s participation in the Royal Throne selection. However, season 2 sees his cruel and more pragmatic side come to the fore as he lets Subaru know he’s aware of Return by Death and begins manipulating those circumstances to his advantage.
He goes as far as to sacrifice his entire personal staff to force Subaru into choosing between saving Emilia and everyone else. It’s a startling transition in character with almost no warning or foreshadowing, and shows how broken Roswaal is in terms of his morality.
2) Fleet Admiral Sakazuki (One Piece)
Formerly known as Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki is undoubtedly one of the most ruthless anime characters in the medium. His morality is consistently defined as fragile and shoddy, shown initially by his attacking a civilian transport ship during the Buster Call attack on Ohara.
This continues as the series progresses beyond this point, showing his unfettered hatred for pirates as he deems each one as morally bankrupt. Ironically, he shows himself to be more deplorable than his enemy, using manipulative tactics and even resorting to sacrificing his own men.
3) Pain (Naruto)
Pain's sole desire was to make the entire world feel his suffering. His motives stemmed from engulfing everyone in the same veil of hatred that blinded him his entire life. Before assuming Pain's identity, Nagato was a kind individual who merely wanted to reform the world.
As the Six Paths of Pain, he's undoubtedly one of the most morally broken anime characters in the medium. He is even shown willing to toy with his opponents to get what he wants, as seen when he forces Naruto to watch him brutalize Hinata.
From his diabolical ambitions to deplorable principles, Pain’s moral compass was undoubtedly beyond repair.
4) Light Yagami (Death Note)
Light Yagami’s case is a particularly interesting one, as fans don’t get a chance to see whether his ideals of cleansing the world are truly his, or a result of the Death Note. In any case, his moral compass becomes essentially non-existent upon receiving the notebook, as he proclaimed himself judge, jury, and executioner for all of mankind.
He even went as far as to manipulate his close friends and family members to further his own goals and hide his identity, even sacrificing his father in the process. Having desecrated everything for himself, Light is an incredibly reprehensible character.
5) Seryu Ubiquitous (Akame ga Kill!)
Seryu is also a particularly interesting case, as she seems somewhat delusional in her sense of justice and morality. She, like other anime characters on this list, believes that her actions uphold justice since she’s on the side of good, even if it involves murder and sacrifice.
Ironically, she posits that evil deserves no mercy, which couldn't be further from justice. She’s a truly reprehensible anime character who lacks any sense of a moral credibility or values.
6) Rob Lucci (One Piece)
Rob Lucci’s “dark justice” in One Piece makes him yet another anime character with a broken moral compass. Like Akainu, he also believes pirates and criminals to always be objectively evil, as well as anyone who would freely associate with such groups.
Even as a child, he’s shown to have the power and mental fortitude in these beliefs to eliminate an entire crew of pirates single-handedly. Furthermore, he even kills the soldiers of the nation he was sent to assist, proving just how unforgiving and unrelenting theis anime character can be.
7) Zamasu (Dragon Ball Super)
Zamasu’s Zero Mortals Plan solidifies him as yet another anime character with a broken moral compass. As is a common theme on this list, he believes himself to be inherently just given his status as a god. He views all mortals as buffoons and primitive creatures who only know death and destruction.
Ironically, his answer to fixing this aspect of humanity lies in genocide, with the Zero Mortals Plan attempting to eliminate all non-God creatures from the universe. It’s an incredibly evil plan which shows just how reprehensible this anime character is.
8) Stain (My Hero Academia)
Similarly, My Hero Academia’s Stain views the series’ contemporary Hero Society as hollow and rotten, with no true morals supporting it. However, his answer is to kill these fake heroes instead of attempting to change the system from within.
While his plan is somewhat more logical than others on this list, it’s still incredibly reprehensible and shows no compassion whatsoever. Stain also makes the assumption that all but one hero fits into this category, further emphasizing how he’s yet another anime character with dubious morals.
9) Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Shou Tucker is one of the most hated anime characters and for an incredibly good reason. To keep his State Alchemist job, he performs a transmutation which results in a talking chimera, so he can continue providing for his daughter Nina and their dog Alexander.
However, he cruelly uses his two family members to create the chimera, forcing them into a hellish existence as a result. Tucker was subjected to perilous circumstances, but his choice undoubtedly emphasizes just how broken his moral compass is.
10) Osamu Dazai (Bungo Stray Dogs)
Finally, Osamu Dazai has been somewhat shown to have several different personalities throughout the Bungo Stray Dogs series. At times. he’s kind and compassionate, but can also veer into suicidal and even murderous tendencies. Thwaslatter is particularly seen during his time in Port Mafia, where he was incredibly vicious and morally bankrupt.
This is emphasized by his interactions with others in the series, reassuring a character who’s upset over having killed 35 people that it’s nothing compared to what he’s done. Despite being one of the series’ most lovable figures, his checkered past deems him as another anime character with dubious morals.
