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Anime characters with split personalities aren't the most common trope out there, but there's no shortage of these types of characters, either. Essentially, this archetype is about anime characters with at least one significantly different version of themselves hidden away.
Some people call it split personalities, while others call it Dissociative Identity Disorder. Either way, this article will cover some notable anime characters with split personalities, any physical differences (if applicable), and some lore behind these entirely different versions of themselves. Some will only have two distinct personas, while others might have as many as seven.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
8 examples of anime characters who have split personalities
1) Cavendish (One Piece)
One Piece has a character for any archetype, including those with split personalities. His alternate self is Hakuba, who only rises once Cavendish is asleep. A common trait for anime characters on this list is that they often develop this extra side of themselves in strange ways, with Cavendish's method involving sleep.
Cavendish adores attention, whereas Hakuba is cruel, and the two sides can argue with one another regarding certain decisions. Hakuba can also disappear if he defeats everybody around him, which is strange in and of itself.
2) Reiner Braun (Attack on Titan)
Attack on Titan fans seem to think Reiner has Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is relevant here. Basically, he has two personalities. One side is his warrior persona, while the other side is his soldier persona. The two sides act very differently, with their memories different from one another.
He's ultimately a conflicted character. He tried to take some of Marcel's traits as his own after the former's death, and his cruelty is usually circumstantial.
3) Seijūrō Akashi (Kuroko's Basketball)
Split personalities in a sports anime might seem random, but it makes sense for Seijūrō Akashi. He's the captain of Rakuzan High's boys' basketball team and is obsessed with winning. It is not surprising that he developed a split personality due to his background of being the son of a significant person, as it meant that he was fostered in an elitist environment.
In the anime, he experiences the second of his split personalities in middle school. That alternate side of himself is overbearingly arrogant, and somehow his eye color changes too. He didn't want to be left behind by his teammates, eventually leading him to become the person anime fans see today.
His conflict with his split personalities is a huge part of his character, and he tackles it well compared to other characters on this list.
4) Harumi Chōno (Paranoia Agent)
Some anime characters know about their alter ego but don't want others to find out. Harumi Chōno from Paranoia Agent is a perfect example since she usually appears as an ordinary tutor in the morning. However, she becomes Maria at night, and the two personalities can interact through an answering machine.
Maria works in the world's oldest profession and looks nothing like Harumi. They're drastically different characters, yet their inability to act as one ultimately leads to Harumi's unfortunate demise.
5) Shinobu Sensui (YuYu Hakusho)
The Chapter Black saga was an intriguing storyline in the YuYu Hakusho anime, with its main antagonist being the complex Shinobu Sensui. His mind was shattered when he witnessed the atrocities of humankind in the "Feast of Human Vices," leading him to murder all humans. From then on, he developed six additional personas:
- Minoru
- Kazuya
- Naru
- George
- Makoto
- Hitoshi
Each persona had a liking for particular aspects of his inner self. For example, Hitoshi loves animals, while Kazuya is the most violent.
6) Twice (My Hero Academia)
Twice's whole shtick in My Hero Academia is due to his instability for having several selves. His Quirk allows him to create clones of himself and anybody else, but his ability to clone himself is the main reason he's so erratic. He made copies to do his bidding despite their disagreement, leading to several fights that resulted in the clones killing one another.
His split personality involves him saying one thing and then immediately saying something contradictory to his last statement. He supposedly could have taken over countries with this power, but My Hero Academia fans could not see that due to his untimely death at the hands of Hawks.
7) Suikotsu (Inuyasha)
Inuyasha's Dr. Suikotsu has two main split personalities:
- The original self is a kind doctor and a good person all-around.
- The violent one, who is as vicious as they come.
He transitions from the first state to the second one due to his hemophobia. His kind self doesn't know anything that the other side does, but the violent side knows everything that happens between the two selves. Suikotsu's kind half eventually discovers what his violent side has been doing thanks to Kikyō and subsequently, requests to die.
Suikotsu is similar to the next anime character on this list as they both have different physical features, unique to all of their personalities.
8) Launch (Dragon Ball)
Some Dragon Ball characters were sadly forgotten after the first iteration of Dragon Ball. One notable example is Launch, a fascinating anime character with split personalities. Bizarrely enough, her mood would change whenever she sneezed. Even her physical appearance would change, making it somewhat unique compared to some other examples of anime characters with split personalities.
She became unimportant as the series went on, with Toriyama stating:
"To tell you the truth, I totally forgot about her at one point. And then I remembered her after a while and I had to think of a reason why she disappeared. So I made it seem as if she were running after Tenshinhan."
One side of her was sweet and gentle. Her physical appearance in this form had big eyes and blue hair. By comparison, her alternate self was violent and temperamental, with her having smaller eyes and blonde hair.
