The subject of this list has likely been the most memefied of all time, but that’s likely the work of the villains and traitors who want to make their vile crimes seem more passable via the filter of easy Internet laughter. That shall not pass.
Anime is everyone’s go-to for over-the-top action and drama, meaning it also sets the perfect stage for some of the most heartbreak and revenge quest-inciting moments of all time. Let’s take an actual serious look at the vilest betrayals in the history of anime.
10. Aizen is actually evil, but actually cooler than you knew (Bleach)
Aizen betrays the soul society to reveal not that he was working with the bad guys, but that he was the bad guy. Aizen then goes on to pull his hair back and toss his glasses away, giving us the second surprise reveal that he’d been a total chad the entire time. This is an awesome betrayal that even mimics the popular Hollywood trend of showing the culprit’s supposed corpse beforehand an attempt to throw audiences off.
I’m not giving Aizen’s betrayal a low ranking because I think it’s bad. I’m giving it a low rank because I think it’s actually a pretty cool betrayal and one that’s not heartbreaking at all.
9. Frieza turns on the Saiyans (Dragon Ball Z)
This is one of the best betrayals in anime history because on top of showing true villainy, it also reveals the villain’s greatest shortcomings. Though incredibly powerful and respected by the Sayians, Frieza’s fear that they’ll turn on him has him deciding to destroy their home planet in an attempt to kill all birds with one energy ball.
It’s a cute idea, though Frieza probably should’ve put more thought into the part where he willingly leaves Prince Vegeta, the most vengeful and most powerful known Sayian threat to Frieza’s rule, out of his murderous plan.
Reiner and Bertholdt (Attack On Titan)
The events of Attack On Titan are kickstarted by the Colossal and Armored Titans, two of the most powerful villains that we encounter throughout the entire series. They show up numerous times to spread death and destruction, then vanish before getting caught or killed.
The whole thing seems fishy from the get-go, but viewers are struck by a punch in the gut when they learn that these aren’t just brainless monsters, nor even full-time Titans. These are actually the Titan forms of Reiner and Bertholdt, two people you’d expect to be fighting against the Titan threat.
7. Itachi does a mass murder (Naruto)
Ninjas are no stranger to killing, but there’s killing your enemies and then there’s killing your own folk. Itachi doesn’t seem to make that distinction, as he conducts the massacre of his own clan.
In Itachi’s defense, he does it out of self-preservation and to save his little brother. This gives this character way more depth than what one would expect from someone responsible for this kind of deed.
6. Ultimate Walter is a completely different guy (Hellsing Ultimate)
Walter spends most of the show being the efficient Butler/handyman of Integra Hellsing in the Millenium organization, then has a change of heart that puts the main characters in serious jeopardy. By itself, this isn’t a huge betrayal because turns out he’s actually evil because he’d been brainwashed, but it gains a lot of weight if you’ve known the previous iteration of Hellsing.
Before Hellsing Ultimate, there was just Hellsing, another highly popular anime in which Walter stays loyal to the “good guys” until the end, even nearly sacrificing his own life out of loyalty to the cause.
5. Kaworu loves Shinji but has second intentions (Evangelion)
Kaworu is such a famous character that it’s hard to believe he only shows up in one episode of the original Evangelion. He and Shinji, the main character, share the closest Shinji ever has to a real friendship, but it just doesn’t last.
It turns out that Kaworu is an angel, and his objective is to reach the base of NERV’s headquarters. Even though he’s there to pretty much end the world as we know it, his feelings for Shinji are true, which makes this one of the most bittersweet betrayals in anime.
4. Kyubei is the worst cat (Madoka Magica)
What if the fairy godmother was an evil mischievous being who only “helped” to suit her ulterior motives? That’s more or less the hidden premise of Madoka Magica, a story a seemingly cute cat asks girls if they want the power to fight an important battle against evil.
Who would say no to cool anime powers? The problem is that Kyubei doesn’t immediately state that those who accept will either have to fight forever or will become that evil themselves. Kyubei is less of an empowering mentor and more of a merchant of death who sells non-cures for the disease it’s responsible for spreading.
3. Harry MacDowell shows his true colors (Gungrave)
Brandon Heat spends the first half of GunGrave helping his friend, Harry, get to the top of the Millenion, the largest criminal organization in the world. It’s only when they’re at the cusp of reaching their goal that Harry makes Brandon an offer he can’t refuse. Still, Brandon doesn’t immediately accept it, and that’s more than enough for Harry to try to off Brandon right there and then. Harry’s rash betrayal paves the way for Brandon’s brutal revenge arc in the second half of the series.
Seeing the main character trusting his best friend against his better judgement, only to see his supposed best friend killing him off out of feeling offended is just rough.
2. Griffith sacrifices the band of the hawk (Berserk)
What makes this one of the most interesting betrayals of all time is that Griffith states at the very beginning of Berserk that he will do whatever it takes to achieve his dream. Still, we see him grow closer and closer to his men, especially Guts, which leads viewers to believe he’s actually learned that there are more important things in life. Maybe he really did, but his luck takes a turn for the worse. Griffith finds himself tortured over the course of a year, losing most of his physical and likely mental capability in the process.
In the end, Griffith sacrifices everyone he supposedly loved just so he can become very powerful. This isn’t one of the biggest betrayals in anime because it reveals a character in peak villainy mode, but because of the depth involved in his choice. In his position, how many of us wouldn’t at least feel very tempted to do the same?
1. Nina’s fate (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Early in Fullmetal Alchemist, we’re introduced to scientist Shou Tucker, his daughter Nina, and their dog. Everything seems fine at first, with the show giving us a few scenes that cement the daughter and the dog as characters you’d like to have around going forward.
That’s not to be. Shou, out of all characters, reveals himself to be an absolute piece of crap who uses alchemy to merge the bodies of his daughter and their dog. You’d expect this show to come up with a happy resolution to this situation, but the best that it does is just put this new creature out of its misery. This whole subplot isn’t just one of the saddest moments in anime, but one of the saddest that I can think of and my immediate go-to moment whenever someone asks me about a cruel twist.
What makes this the greatest betrayal in the short but intense history of anime isn’t the fact that it’s betraying the characters. The scientist never swore loyalty to Edward. You would, however, expect that he’d owe his daughter his love. In that scene, Fullmetal Alchemist is betraying the actual viewers, and the result is a wound that’ll never heal.
