10 anime characters like Orochimaru from Naruto

Fans expect anime characters like Orochimaru to be as evil and ruthless as the Naruto character, but there is a wide spectrum of anime characters who have the same love for knowledge as Orochimaru but couldn't be considered evil in any way.

Orochimaru is one of the major antagonists of Naruto, who not only tried to destroy the home village of the titular protagonist, but also lured the latter's best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, down the wrong path in life. Orochimaru gave up his humanity to gain immortality by using humans in experiments, and he eventually became a snake after doing experiments on his body.

In this article, ten anime characters like Orochimaru will be compiled, out of which some share the same love for knowledge or power as the Naruto character, such that they are willing to give up anything for it, be it their humanity or their own bodies. While some others are just as ruthless and cold-blooded as Orochimaru.

Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinions.

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Light Yagami, Naraku, and 8 other anime characters like Orochimaru from Naruto

1) Naraku (Inuyasha)

Naruku as seen in the anime (Image via Sunrise)

Naruku is the main antagonist of Inuyasha and one of the anime characters like Orochimaru, who shared the same thirst for power as the Naruto character. Naruku gave up his humanity to attain the powers of a spider yokai but died sometime after that at the hands of the protagonist's group.

Before losing his humanity, Naraku wasn't any better because his body was being controlled by several types of demons. He could also summon poisonous insects like Saimyoushou, making him one of the few anime characters like Orochimaru that are as strong as the latter.

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2) Imu (One Piece)

Imu as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Imu is one of the major antagonists of One Piece, and fans speculate that he is Nefartari Lili, a human who ruled over the Arabasta Kingsom in the series. It is speculated that she wanted power and disguised herself as the mysterious Imu.

The fact that makes Imu one of the anime characters like Orochimaru is their cold-blooded attitude towards humans, as Imu removed the whole Lulusia Kingdom from the map of the Grand Line just to test a weapon, which proved how ruthless this character is.

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3) Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)

Eren Yeager as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

Eren Yeager, the person who went crazy in pursuit of power only to save his comrades, is the main protagonist of Attack on Titan. He was introduced as a weak little boy but later became the strongest person in the series, with various titan powers at his disposal.

He is one of the anime characters like Orochimaru who went crazy in pursuit of power and lost his humanity, becoming a titan that no one could turn back into a human being. However, his reasons for attaining ultimate powers were different from Orochimaru's.

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4) Bondrewd (Made in Abyss)

Bondrewd holding Prushka as seen in the anime (Image via Kinema Citrus)

Bondrewd is a White Whistler from Made in Abyss. The mad researcher is also one of the anime characters like Orochimaru, whose thirst for knowledge made him cross every limit.

Just like Orochimaru used humans in his experiments, Bondrewd also followed suit and did every forbidden research possible, just for the sake of knowledge. His adoptive daughter, Prushka, fell prey to his experiments and was converted into a cartridge.

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5) Griffith (Berserk)

Griffith as seen in the anime (Image via Studio 4C)

Griffith is one of the primary antagonists of Berserk and one of the anime characters like Orochimaru. He gave up his humanity to attain power and was transformed into a God Hand.

Griffith had a very kind personality that even Guts, the protagonist of this series, admired, but the torture he faced as the series progressed broke his mental state, which resulted in him invoking the Eclipse.

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6) Shuuichi Kagaya (Gleipnir)

Shuuichi Kagaya as seen in the anime (Image via Pine Jam)

Shuuichi is the main protagonist of Gleipnir and also one of the anime characters like Orochimaru. The protagonist could transform into a dog-like beast, which was not due to his own will, but as the plot progressed, he sought out more control over his monster form, which made him less human.

The reason for this was the female protagonist of the series, Claire, who wanted to take revenge on her sister and blackmailed Shuuichi into obeying her. Shuuichi started to try his best to gain control over this form, which could have made him a monster as a whole.

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7) Mayuri Kurotsuchi (Bleach)

Mayuri Kurotsuchi as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Mayuri, the mad scientist who is willing to turn his own allies into walking bombs, is one of the primary antagonists of Bleach. He was famous in the series as a man willing to sacrifice anything for knowledge.

He abandoned his humanity and transformed into a being that could transform into liquid, which made him one of the anime characters like Orochimaru. And just like the Naruto character, Mayuri didn't die as the series concluded.

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8) Dr. Franken Stein (Soul Eater)

Franken Stein as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

Dr. Franken Stein is one of the supporting characters of Soul Eater and one of the anime characters like Orochimaru. He was a mad scientist who found pleasure in dissecting others and himself just for the sake of knowledge.

Since his childhood, he has developed an eerie attraction to dissecting anything. Naigus, a character from the series, claimed that Dr. Franken Stein had no affection within him for anyone, but the latter proved her wrong as he still had a heart that cared for others.

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9) All for One (My Hero Academia)

All for One as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

All for One, the man who didn't bat an eye before stealing someone's quirk and ruining their whole life, is one of the anime characters like Orochimaru. He is also one of the main antagonists in My Hero Academia.

Throughout the series, he goes around stealing the quirks of heroes, thus ruining their entire lives. His subordinates are also not safe from his claws, which is why he is such a dangerous person in the series, just like the Naruto character.

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10) Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries)

Maomao as seen in the anime (Image via OLM & TOHO animattion studio)

One of the anime characters like Orochimaru that has almost no resemblance to the former's personality, Maomao still shares the thirst for knowledge like the Naruto character. Her love for medical knowledge made her conduct experiments on her own body making it frail.

If Jinshi, the male protagonist of the series, wanted anything from her, he would offer an herb in exchange, as he was also aware of her thirst for knowledge. Unlike Orochimaru, who had grand schemes like destroying the village and becoming an immortal being, Maomao was just a girl whose knowledge of medicine outshined everything else in her life.

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