Just because a character is a villain does not mean they are immune to suffering. Their painful experiences sometimes served as the foundation for their later villainy. This list will focus on some of the saddest shonen anime villain backstories. Get a box of tissues ready, because some of these stories will make you cry. These tragic tales do not necessarily excuse the villain’s actions, but they do help to explain where they are coming from.
Lust Just Wanted To Be Human Again In ‘Fullmetal Alchemist 2003’
Lust was significantly more sadistic than her siblings, and she took great pleasure in torturing her opponents. Such as during her fight with Roy Mustang and Jean Havoc in Research Laboratory 3. She is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Obito Uchiha Was Brainwashed And Tormented In ‘Naruto’
Obito’s determination and idealism were shattered after Rin’s death. He became calmer and more focused, no longer caring about his village, his friends, or even his name, all of which were meaningless in a miserable world that had forced Rin to die at the hands of someone she loved. He is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Joseph’s Body Is Rotting In ‘The Ancient Magus’ Bride’
Before joining forces with Cartaphilus, Joseph was a caring, young grave keeper who wanted to help the dead find peace and offered to assist Cartaphilus. However, because he was unable to do so and couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning the man, he chose to merge with him. He is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Shinobu Sensui Learned About Human Cruelty In ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’
Before his madness took hold, the original Shinobu personality held extreme black-and-white views on the nature of the world. As such, he was as virtuous as humanly possible to those he considered righteous but utterly ruthless to all those he considered evil. He is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Isabella Was Forced To Participate In The Institution That Harmed Her In ‘The Promised Neverland
Isabella worked as a caretaker in Grace Field House, caring for the orphans who lived there. Although she appears to be a loving and affectionate mother to the children, she has a twisted nature and is distant from their tragic fates. She is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Utsuro Endured Extreme Persecution In ‘Gintama’
Utsuro is a ruthless, fearsome, cruel, and sadistic psychopath with no empathy or compassion. She is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Legato Bluesummers Escaped Extreme Suffering In ‘Trigun
Legato Bluesummers is an antagonist in Yasuhiro Nightow’s manga and anime Trigun, voiced by Toshihiko Seki in Japanese and Richard Cansino in English. Throughout the series, he serves as Millions Knives’ right-hand man and Vash the Stampede’s adversary. He is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Esdeath’s Clan Was Wiped Out In ‘Akame Ga Kill’
Esdeath was a high-ranking Empire general. Because of Night Raid’s effectiveness as an assassination unit, she eventually became the Prime Minister’s appointed leader of the Jaegers. She was madly in love with Tatsumi and obsessed with her. She is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Rui’s Demonic Transformation Destroyed His Life In ‘Demon Slayer’
Rui is the main antagonist in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s Mount Natagumo Arc. He is a demon who is a member of the Twelve Kizuki and holds the position of Lower Rank Five. He is one of the top anime villains with the saddest backstory.
Zeref’s Curse Kept Him Isolated In ‘Fairy Tail’
Zeref Dragneel, along with Acnologia, is one of the two main antagonists turned anti-heroes in the anime/manga series Fairy Tail. He is regarded as the series’ strongest mage due to his incredibly lethal, powerful, and destructive magic.
Tomura Shigaraki Destroyed His Own Family By Mistake In ‘My Hero Academia’
He is the League of Villains’ leader, and he makes his first major appearance as one of the main antagonists of the USJ Arc. His master, All For One, raised him intending to kill All Might, the “Symbol of Peace,” ultimately destroying the society he represents. He quickly merged his organization and the Meta Liberation Army to form the Paranormal Liberation Front, eventually becoming Grand Commander and inheriting the All For One Quirk.
Shiro Endured Human Experimentation In ‘Deadman Wonderland’
Shiro is described as a genius in logic and problems but struggles with emotions and behaviour, relying on Sora to help her defeat emotional beings such as Tet in their chess match.
Senor Pink Lost His Baby In ‘One Piece’
Senor Pink is an assassin and member of the Diamante Army of the Donquixote Pirates. He was also the Russian’s husband and Gimlet’s father.
Yuno Gasai’s Parents Starved Her In ‘Future Diary’
Yuno has an ambiguous personality. When she’s around Yuki, she’s mostly a sweet, feminine, and sometimes shy girl. This, however, conceals her dark and sanguinary side — a ruthless, cold, and calculating psychopath who has little, if any, qualms about using others for her and Yuki’s survival.
Benten Amplifies The Themes Of ‘The Eccentric Family’
Ben’s immaturity and attention-seeking behavior often led him to joke around regardless of the situation, although the majority of this attitude stems from Ben using humor to mask his fears.
Severe Abuse Leads To Dilandau Albatau Creating An Alternate Personality In ‘Visions Of Escaflowne’
He is the commander of Zaibach’s elite squad of Guymelef pilots, the Dragonslayers, and the pilot of the red Alseides and Oreides Guymelefs.
Akira Midousuji’s Strange Behavior Is Perfectly Explained By His Backstory In ‘Yowamushi Pedal’
Akira has a severe and eccentric personality; he’ll do anything to win, including constantly causing emotional distress to others. Due to their history, he appears to enjoy harassing Shunsuke Imaizumi in particular, but anyone he races against becomes a target for his psychological torment and cunning.
Geass Drives Mao To Insanity In ‘Code Geass’
He is depicted as condescending, constantly speaking down to others. Mao developed a highly twisted sense of morality as a result of how having Geass affected his mind and growth. He despises any kind of “bad” thought, to the point where he refers to Shirley, an innocent teenager, as an “evil witch.”
Griffith’s Childhood Of Poverty Inspires His Current Lust For Power In ‘Berserk’
Griffith has always carried himself in a well-mannered, exemplary manner that is almost indistinguishable from that of nobility; his mannerisms, combined with his keen intellect, frequently astound people at his humble origins.
Tetsuo Shima’s Exploitation By The Government Parallels Their Own Exploitation Of Other Psychics In ‘Akira’
He is obstinate, sulky, and self-conscious Tetsuo, who is introverted and self-conscious, serves as a foil to Kaneda, who is outgoing and confident. Tetsuo might not have such a strong inferiority complex if he wasn’t surrounded by such strong-willed, arrogant friends.
Shinsuke Takasugi Wants Revenge For His Teacher’s Death In ‘Gintama’
Takasugi’s tenacity and unfeigned desire to destroy the world define him. He is a charismatic person, and all of his soldiers eagerly trust and assist him in his desire.
Marik Ishtar Doesn’t Want To Live Underground In ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’
Marik was an innocent child who wanted to see the outside world despite his clan’s laws forbidding him from doing so and was willing to sneak out to do so. He adored his sister Ishizu Ishtar and considered Odion to be his brother even though they were not blood relatives.
Johan Liebert Arose From A Eugenics Experiment In ‘Monster’
On the surface, Johan appears to be a well-mannered, charismatic, and compassionate yet somewhat aloof young man who possesses a plethora of positive traits and can easily overwhelm individuals with his seemingly flawless nature, as Hans Georg Schuwald describes him as “not of this world.”
Hiei Was A Cursed Child In ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’
Hiei prefers to keep his distance from others, which makes him appear aloof and elusive. He has a cynical, if not misanthropic, view of the world around him, frequently belittling and mocking humans and their emotions and the importance they place on friendship and life.
That’s all folks! These were the top 24 anime villains with the saddest backstories. If you know any more villains do mention them in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
Also, check out -> Top 25 Anime with Cat Girls
