10 most hated anime characters of 2023, ranked by AI

Whenever hated anime characters come up, there are usually more than a few that everyone can agree upon. The heinous actions of Shou Tucker of Fullmetal Alchemist fame, or Minoru Mineta's constant perverse actions in My Hero Academia, are some of the more typical actions. They show up on a number of lists constantly.

Others, however, such as Asta from Black Clover are atypical and normally not the main characters on a list like this. That's why an AI was asked to rank the most hated anime characters of 2023. Some of the results will surprise people, which is why this article will cover the 10 most hated anime characters of 2023 ranked by an AI.

Disclaimer: The following article will contain spoilers for the various anime. Likewise, the opinions belong solely to the author and fans.

10 of the most hated anime characters, ranked by an AI

10) Sakura Haruno (Naruto)

Expand Tweet

A not surprising addition to a most hated characters list is Sakura Haruno from Naruto. Regarding Sakura, the AI stated:

"Sakura has been a divisive character among Naruto fans due to her initial portrayal as weak and overly reliant on others. Despite character development, some viewers still harbor negative feelings towards her."

This isn't a new development, as Sakura has always been a divisive character in the Naruto anime and manga. While this has been changing recently, Sakura Haruno continues to be hated by some for the very reasons the AI stated. This is more to do with the writing, but most people don't make that distinction.

The reason why this has been changing has a lot of complexity to it. Sakura Haruno is very much let down by the writing but still has her own arc that she goes through. Most people that look past her initial portrayal find her to be one of the better-developed female characters in Naruto, which goes into Boruto as well. Plus, if nothing else, she grows out of the "useless" label past the first arc.

9) Asta (Black Clover)

An interesting idea is criticizing the protagonist of an anime, this time Black Clover. According to the AI, Asta has plenty of faults including:

"Asta's loud and energetic personality has drawn mixed reactions from audiences. Some find him annoying or overly repetitive in his desire to become the Wizard King."

This one can usually be chalked up to repetitive Shonen Anime Protagonist Syndrome. It is a trait that most Shonen anime protagonists have with their loud energy and some were getting sick of it. Asta's portrayal in the anime didn't help matters on this one.

Here's the rub on Asta though: He still places first in many Black Clover polls, except the first two. So, clearly, there are fans that don't mind Asta's personality and love him for more than that such as the fights he's in and that the series' weakest point is the start. Some have even said that Asta is Naruto done right.

8) Kirito (Sword Art Online)

One of the least surprising entries is the main character Kirito from Sword Art Online. To specify, the AI says that:

"Kirito's perceived overpowered nature, coupled with his harem-like relationships, has sparked criticism among anime fans who feel his character lacks depth and complexity."

Kirito is arguably one of the most hated anime characters in history. The AI already states why, and critics are not likely to budge on these sentiments. Kirito has attracted derision for basically ignoring Sword Art Online's entire point. He is disliked for being a boring invincible hero that never truly faces any real threat of death.

Fans of his, however, are very much like Sakura's fans. They say a lot of the hate is blown out of proportion when taken in context. Kirito isn't a jerk most of the time, his overpowered nature is actually developed throughout the series. Additionally, his relationship with Asuna tends to overshadow any others he might have which negates the harem complaint.

7) Nina Einstein (Code Geass)

Nina Einstein (Image via Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.)

If ever there was an example of a hated anime character being a war criminal, Nina Einstein of Code Geass would win that award. To quote the AI on Nina:

"Nina's extreme xenophobia and her role in certain events in Code Geass have led to her being disliked by many viewers."

That's extraordinarily vague, so here's the whole reason why people hate her. Nina was xenophobic toward Japanese people from the jump, doubly so when Princess Euphie got killed by Zero. Most fans hated her guts when the F.L.E.I.J.A. was launched and destroyed all of Tokyo. They never quite forgave her for that.

Fans, or sympathetic people, however, were very quick to point out a few things.

First was that she was manipulated by Schneizel further into the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. and had her doubts. Second, she was severely traumatized upon seeing the devastation the weapon created and didn't actually fire it, Suzaku did when under Lelouch's Geass. Third, she created a successful countermeasure to the weapon she created and even Lelouch saw her as good for this.

6) Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)

As one of the most disliked parents in anime, Shou Tucker is no stranger to a hated characters list. The AI had this to say about this infamous character:

"Shou Tucker's infamous role in Fullmetal Alchemist, involving unethical alchemy experiments, has made him one of the most despised characters in the anime community."

For further context, and why Tucker is vile, a summary will be provided. Tucker is known as the Sewing life alchemist, who made chimeras out of his daughter, dog, and wife by forcibly fusing them together. Nobody really defends this, as many believe Tucker's death by Scar is karmic.

There's another side, as there always is. While nobody is attempting to defend Tucker, per se, some people have brought up the fact that his experimentation was being used by Brigadier General Basque Grand. The Brigadier General was using it as part of an attempt to form a half-beast army.

That, however, is in the 2003 continuity. In the Brotherhood continuity, people still critique the Amestrian military for not looking into Tucker sooner without sympathizing with Tucker.

5) Griffith (Berserk)

Griffith pre and post Eclipse (Image via Sportskeeda)

Cliche as this statement is, Griffith is part of one of the worst betrayals in anime history. The AI only summarizes his actions like this:

"Griffith's heinous actions and betrayal in Berserk have solidified his place as a detested character among fans."

Berserk's Griffith is a good example of a fallen hero. Someone who is so obsessed with their dream of being a hero, of having a kingdom, that they can think of nothing else. Nobody defends Griffith's messy actions during the Eclipse, showing that he's so far gone that he's willing to sacrifice even good friends for power.

His actions in the aftermath, disturbingly, do have a small subset of defenders. There are some that recognize how psychologically twisted and broken one has to be in order to cause demon sacrifice, though appreciate when he achieved his dream. It's a mixed bag of opinions on either side.

4) Mineta Minoru (My Hero Academia)

Arguably one of the worst examples of a perverted character, it's not a huge revelation that Mineta from My Hero Academia would find himself on the worst list. The AI summarizes him thus:

"Mineta's lecherous behavior and objectification of female characters have resulted in his widespread unpopularity among viewers."

That is a prime understatement in terms of just how unpopular Mineta is among the My Hero Academia fandom. He's treated as worse scum than even All for One or someone like Overhaul, due to his character being considered as little more than a perverted author self-insert.

There are very few genuine defenses of Mineta. The ones that take it upon themselves to try, however, argue that Mineta is a teenager so it's expected he'd be a perv, and also that he is brave when the going gets tough. One of the reasons why he considered Deku a friend was how brave he was during the USJ after all, and strove to emulate that

3) Makoto Itou (School Days)

In an anime based on a visual novel, there are obviously going to be changes made to the characters. Then there's the School Days anime, and its bloody ending that leaves audiences horrified. Of particular note, the AI has this to say about Makoto Itou:

"Makoto's actions in School Days, involving manipulation and infidelity, have made him one of the most disliked characters in the anime community."

It's worth noting there's no lie there. Makoto in the anime is the type of Harem Protagonist gone completely wrong. Most fans were happy he was killed at the end because of his constant two-timing, lustful, "I want it all" behavior that led to a bunch of the girls getting their hearts broken. Basically, one camp sees him as a sociopath.

The other half of this equation, however, argues that anime screwed up the visual novel by only presenting one horrible ending. Some see it as intentional to show a deconstruction of a harem protagonist. Likewise, since the anime kills all the main girls, some have jumped to the manga and the original video game to ease the trauma of what happens in the anime.

2) Shinji Matou (Fate/stay night)

One of the antagonists of Fate/stay night and one of the most "designed to be hated" characters in anime, Shinji Matou might be unknown to people who aren't Fate fans. The AI sums him up as:

"Shinji's malicious and despicable behavior throughout the Fate/stay night series has earned him a significant amount of disdain from fans."

The description doesn't do the character justice. His detractors say that he's arrogant, spoiled, and has an inferiority complex the size of a skyscraper. Not to mention, his crimes include the s*xual violation of his sister, attempting to kill his entire school to power up his servant, and being a manipulative tool.

On the other hand, while nobody is in any hurry to absolve Shinji's crimes, there are a few things some people say in his defense. His family uses and manipulates him on a lot of levels, especially his father Zouken, which led to his broken and horrible lack of real morality. Then again, nobody defends his crimes just because of the manipulation.

1) Nina Sakura (Ultra Maniac)

Nina Sakura (Image via Ashi Productions)

A shojo character from a romantic comedy magical girl anime titled Ultra Maniac, Nina Sakura is one of the main characters with nothing really objectionable besides being clumsy. The AI has this to say:

"Nina's constant selfishness, immaturity, and lack of consideration for others have made her a disliked character in the anime community."

This seems false, since looking at the top 10s, and up to a list of over 200 disliked anime characters on various websites has yielded no results about her being disliked for any real reason. That means this is one outlier out of an otherwise solid list of hated characters. At least, the others are far easier to find why they're hated.

As a defense, Nina's not inconsiderate at all. If anything, she sacrifices too much for other people's happiness. She does cause a lot of problems during her tenure, but that's mostly due to being a clutz of a witch. In the end, she even gives up eternal happiness to another one of her friends who actually is the childhood love of a magical prince.

So, barring the one example, these have been the 10 most hated anime characters of 2023 as ranked by an AI. Some are killers, some are backstabbers, some are too perfect, and some are victims of bad writing.

All of these examples are huge examples of subjectivity when it comes to a piece of media, particularly where and when AI is involved. Should any kind of disagreement on this list, or the AI, be noted, readers are heavily encouraged to comment.