4. Kenpachi Zaraki – Bleach
“Death and pain are just a small price to pay for the enjoyment of battle!”
The only Bleach Anime character that seems to get huge popularity from even the Bleach-haters, Kenpachi is the battle-loving captain of Squad 11 and adopted the name “Kenpachi” when he killed the last battle-loving captain known as Kenpachi, he is an anti hero along With his little “loli girl” Yachiru on his back and by his side, Kenpachi is constantly rushing into battles that he shouldn’t and doing whatever he damn well feels like.
When we first saw Kenpachi, we all got a sense that he was capable of so much. And we were right because from giving Ichigo the first cut on his body, to having huge grins of enjoyment from the possibility of getting cut, to slicing folk in half within seconds of meeting them, Kenpachi does brilliantly with a serious “fuck you” attitude.
Of course, he tends to back up the side of the good guys but of course, just backing up a side doesn’t make you part of that side. Kenpachi has a death count that would make some serial killers pale and cry, and he doesn’t even go full power or force to do it. He holds his power back and refuses to go full because his battle-boner would go down and he’d get bored. So we cheer for him as he fights the villains and just loves it so much, that even villains like Hisoka and the Joker would be freaked out.
3. Viral – Gurren Lagann
“I have no reason to listen to anything a human says!”
What, you don’t know this guy? Shame on you! He is Viral from Gurren Lagann and one of the members of the Human Execution Squad. In case it isn’t obvious yet, Viral isn’t human and is instead a Beast-man, which are a blend of human and animal DNA mixed together to create this infertile but terrifying species that now take control of the entire surface. Viral is also one of the top wielders of the giant robots known as Gunmen.
in The Anime When we first met him, he’s a full-blown villain and anti hero, No doubt about it, He’s also the rival of fan-favorite character Kamina, and then later the main character Simon. He sees humans as nothing but “Naked Apes” and his cocky personality causes him to suffer several defeats at the hands of the heroes, as he does nothing but do his best to get a full-blown victory. However, as time goes on and we see Viral get constantly smacked, yelled at and more, we see his other side start to show more. We see he is not dishonorable and has his pride, even going so far as to respect Kamina and Simon despite trying to kill them.
However, what most attracted me to Viral was how deceiving his first impression is. We see so much of his true self, including a side that was said to be impossible for his own species. He wants to fall in love and have a child. I know that sounds really simple and cliche, but sometimes we don’t need a big thing where characters demand tons of ridiculous plots or ideas. It’s the little things that can make a big difference, and with Viral, it introduces so much more to his character than doing something super-dramatic.
2. Light Yagami – Death Note
Okay, you knew he would be on this list of the best anti hero characters, and don’t bother saying or complaining he doesn’t belong here. Sure, you’re probably sick of hearing his name by now but face it, he’s infamous at being an anti-hero. He’s the student who got the top grades in school and one day, just happened to pick up the Death Note, a notebook that kills whoever has their name written in it. Of course, he starts off his quest by actually trying to do some good, planning to only kill criminals and trouble-makers.
And we all know what happens next. Light snaps and tries to become “God”, killing all these people under the alias of “Kira”. Soon, he’s going on a rampage of murder and slaughter as he battles his rival L over the difficult decision of whether or not it is justified to kill criminals. With brilliant brains, good looks and ruthless decisions, Light provides constant drama and strategy as he makes the show his own.
What makes Light so popular is just how dark he gets and how brilliant he is at it. When he started off, he was calm but finding this necessary as the world needed to be taught a lesson. However, the power of the notebook corrupted him and he soon found himself sinking into insanity, and creating genius plots to allow himself to do nothing more than murder those he saw as unfit to live, or who were just in the way of his glorious triumph. Shame to think he thought he was doing the right thing during it all.
1. Vegeta – Dragon Ball Z
“My heart is calm and pure… pure evil!”
Oh Vegeta, you are in such denial. He is the Prince of all Saiyans, the biggest rival Goku has ever had and the second/third-toughest character to survive the series. Starting off as nothing more but a rebellious villain who wanted to blow up the Earth to sell for scrap, with a dark intent to destroy everyone who fails him, Vegeta has possibly had the most development of the series, although Piccolo and Gohan are definitely near his level.
After his defeat on Earth, Vegeta’s alignment went into question during the Frieza arc as he then joined forces with Gohan and Krillin to satisfy his own ends. So after the typical death-then-come-back moment that almost every character faces in that series, Vegeta finally made it to Earth and his rivalry with Goku, his son from the future Trunks, and the nagging girl “he totally doesn’t love” Bulma being involved, Vegeta jumped constantly around as he kept changing his morals and what he truly wanted.
And that’s what made him such an important brilliant part of the series. Everything he did was for his own gain at first, and all he did was focus on taking down “Kakarott” for his own pride and glory. As time went on, Vegeta went through the changes that so many go through in real life. He learned pride wasn’t important, he cared for his family more than anything, and he basically learned to grow up. Vegeta started out as a villain and ended as a hero, but we’ll never forget the path he took to get from there.
Credit to: otakunuts
