Some of anime’s best villains are tragedies first and threats second. Their pain explains how they became dangerous, though it rarely excuses what they do. Here are 10 villains with surprisingly tragic backstories. Spoilers follow for Naruto, Demon Slayer, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fairy Tail, Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece and My Hero Academia.
- Nagato (Naruto). Orphaned by war, he and his friends Konan and Yahiko dreamed of peace. After Yahiko’s death, he used his friend’s body as a puppet and became Pain. Our look at the Pain Arc covers his story.
- Obito Uchiha (Naruto). He was a kind-hearted boy who was devastated by the death of Rin. Madara and White Zetsu then manipulated his grief into hatred.
- Akaza (Demon Slayer). As a human, he lived in poverty and struggled to support his sickly father. After he lost the woman he loved to a poisoned well, he went on a murderous rampage.
- Rui (Demon Slayer). A sickly child, he was turned into a demon and manipulated into killing his own family. His lonely “Spider Family” is a twisted attempt to replace what he lost.
- Gyutaro (Demon Slayer). Along with his sister Daki, he fought for survival and tried to protect her, a backstory that makes him one of the franchise’s saddest villains.
- Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood). The military exterminated his people, the Ishvalans, and killed his brother, who sacrificed himself to save him. Scar then began a campaign of revenge against State Alchemists.
- Zeref (Fairy Tail). Orphaned as a child, he studied magic to revive his little brother, and his curse kept him isolated.
- Suguru Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen). He began as a tireless defender of non-sorcerers, but tragedy turned his idealism into disdain.
- Donquixote Doflamingo (One Piece). Born a World Noble, he lost his status when his father stepped down. After his mother’s death, a lynch mob hunted the family, leaving him with lasting hatred.
- Dabi (My Hero Academia). Sources describe his story as a case of neglect, in which his parents could not handle his outbursts and he never got the help he needed.
Which villain’s story hit you hardest? For a different take on fan-favorite antagonists, see our list of anime villains more popular than the hero.
Sources: ComicBook.com, CBR, CBR (saddest), CBR (sympathetic), Wikipedia.