Just as not all heroes will remain heroic, not all villains will remain villainous. There are various examples in anime of a character who was once working with the villains, but who came over to the right side after realizing the error of their ways. Today, I present a list of seven such examples. These characters turned from evil to good in interesting ways. Enjoy!

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1) Bulat (Akame ga kill)

Bulat is a lively member of Night Raid, the assassins who are bringing revolution to the country by killing off corrupt Imperial generals and politicians. However, Bulat didn’t always work for the revolutionaries. He was previously a high-ranked officer in the Imperial Army. So technically, Bulat started off on the bad side and then switched over. He is a really fun character and also happens to be gay.

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2) Crona (Soul Eater)

Crona is the child of a Witch and user of the cursed Black Blood that gives rise to the sword of Ragnarok. Though the English Dub mistakenly refers to this child as “he,” Crona is actually a non binary character whose sex is unknown. Anyway, this emotionally unstable young person started out serving their Witch mother and harvesting human souls. But after some encounters with a good-aligned soul reaper (Maka), Crona comes over to her side. It takes time to adjust, and some problems will continue. Nevertheless, Crona definitely became “one of the good guys.”

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3) Itona Horibe (Assassination Classroom)

Abandoned by his father and bullied for being poor, Horibe developed a strong lust for power. He agreed to become the next vessel for the tentacles, powerful artificial lifeforms that provide superhuman strength and speed. In return, the tentacles wreck one’s mind. Horibe was single-mindedly obsessed with his mission to kill Koro-sensei, but after several battles, he started losing his mind. Koro-sensei saved him and removed the tentacles from his head. After that, Horibe calmed down and even joined Koro-sensei’s classroom.

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4) Osamu Dazai (Bungo Stray Dogs)

From the point of view of Atsushi (the main character), Dazai was always on the good side. However, long before Atsushi joined the Armed Detectives, Dazai was working with the Port Mafia. He cared nothing for others and was completely nihilistic, killing many who were in his way. It’s safe to call Dazai a villain at that point in the story. He began to change, however, thanks to his friend Oda. But Oda was tragically killed, leading to Dazai’s choice to leave the mafia. Before dying, Oda told Dazai to be on the side that saves others. Even though Dazai can still be nihilistic, he is now on the right side.

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5) Satsuki Kiryuin (Kill la Kill)

Satsuki started off as an antagonist who ruled over the academy with an iron fist and had several epic battles with the show’s main character, Ryuko. But secretly, Satsuki has been planning a rebellion against her mother Ragyo, the real villain of Kill la Kill. When the time is right, Satsuki betrays her mother and the rebellion begins. Later on, once she is with Ryuko and the good guys, Satsuki apologized for dehumanizing others while she was in charge.

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6) Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

According to how you look at certain values, Scar might not have ever been a “bad guy.” He was out for revenge, killing alchemists. But to be fair, those alchemists were involved in a genocide on Scar’s people, the Ishvalians. Whether you consider him truly evil or justified, Scar began as an antagonist for the main characters of FMA. However, over the course of the series, he reconsiders his revenge quest. In the end, Scar cooperates with the alchemists to defeat the greater threat of the homunculi.

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7) Teruki Hanazawa (Mob Psycho 100)

A powerful psychic with some egotistical tendencies, Teruki challenges Mob, the main character, to a fight. It’s against Mob’s beliefs to use his psychic powers to hurt other humans, so he allows himself to be beat to a pulp and knocked unconscious. While in this state, Mob’s power activates and he inadvertently defeats Teruki. This finally teaches Teruki that he’s not the number one psychic or the main character of the world. After that, Teruki stops using his powers to hurt people, and develops a friendly rivalry with Mob.

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Runner up: Ayato Naoi (Angel Beats)

In the afterlife world, Naoi considered himself worthy of being called God. He went strutting around using his hypnosis powers to force people to face their painful pasts and move toward reincarnation against their wills. Naoi was also known to beat up the NPCs of that world to let off steam. However, all he really wanted was to be seen and acknowledged. The protagonist of Angel Beats, Otonashi, finally gave the boy the recognition he needed, embracing him and telling him he was valued. After that, Naoi joined the good guys and stopped his forceful habits.

I wanted to mention this character because I’ve always liked his fascinating backstory with his twin brother. Naoi is also interesting because he reminds me of the worst parts of myself at times. Additionally, I love his character design.

Thank you for reading~

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PATREON