Life is not always black or white. Almost every time, there will be shades of gray. As true as it is in real life, it’s as true when it comes to the anime world. There are someanime characters who overcome hatred despite whatever life throws their way, and then there are characters who are so driven by hate towards those who did them wrong that they only see red.
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From popular anime series likeNarutoandDragon Ballto underrated anime like 91 Days, there have been anime characters who are driven by hate. These characters are so consumed by hatred that one can even say that they became the very thing these characters hated. Here are some of the best anime characters who’ll go to any length to exact their long-awaited revenge.
10Giriko (Soul Eater)
Lived Nearly 30 Lives To Await The Revival Of Arachne
Soul Eater
The notoriouspsychopathic anime characterfrom Soul Eater is not the onlychainsaw manin the world of anime. His ability to transform his body parts into chainsaws gives him an edge in fights over his opponents in the series.
Even someone who wears a mask of goodness, can still have darkness in his heart.
Apart from indulging in all kinds of unethical behaviors, Giriko is also a vengeful character, driven by his hate for the ones involved in the killing of Arachne. In the wake of Arachne’s death, Giriko, the expert golem maker, is seen siding with Noah’s gang of fighters to avenge Arachne’s death.
Release Date
Where to Watch
June 24, 2025
Crunchyroll,Prime Video
9Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter)
Aims To Collect All Remaining Pair Of Scarlet Eyes & Avenge His Clan
Hunter x Hunter
Kurapika is the last surviving member of the Kurta clan fromHunter x Hunter. A clan that is hunted down for its scarlet eyes, which are also among thestrongest eyes in anime. Kurapika has made it his life’s goal to hunt down the ones who took part in the destruction of his clan and recover the remaining scarlet eyes.
Their eyes were stolen from every single body. All of them… Killed for what death creates. So I’ve sworn to capture the Phantom Troupe… And recover the eyes of my clan!
Despite losing everyone close to him, Kurapika acts as one of the good guys in the series. However, he chooses to maintain his distance from others and has his grieving heart shut to others, which he deems necessary to fulfill his life’s mission.
July 06, 2025
Netflix,Crunchyroll
8Kikyo (Inuyasha)
Wants To Kill Naraku & Destroy The Shikon Jewel Once And For All
Inuyasha (2000)
Kikyo, Inuyasha’s former love interest, was a priestess and was given the duty of protecting the sacred Shikon Jewel. She was manipulated by Naraku, a Hanyo, who successfully turned Kikyo and Inuyasha against each other in a bid to seize the sacred jewel for himself.
Go, Naraku… Gather the shards of the jewel, and once you’ve found them all, then I will send you to Hell. I am free to hate. My soul is so much freer now than it was then. Free to hate, Free to love.
The Shikon Jewel, which was given to her by a demon slayer to keep from anyone looking for its powers, became the very reason for her untimely demise and her hate-filled quest. As fate would have it, it was not the end of the line for Kikyo, as she was reincarnated. After learning the truth about Naraku’s manipulation and his hand in her death, she swore to kill Naraku and destroy the jewel for once and all.
July 04, 2025
7Afro Samurai (Afro Samurai)
Nothing Will Stop Him From Avenging His Father
Afro Samurai
On similar lines to Thorfinn, Afro went down the path of revenge nourished by hatred towards the one who killed his father in front of him. After witnessing his father (the holder of the Number 1 headband) getting beheaded by Justice, who was the holder of the Number 2 headband, Afro resolved to avenge his father through any means necessary.
Nothing personal. It’s just revenge.
Given Afro was still a child and had no means to kill Justice, the latter spared him and told him to find him once he grew up. Taken in by The Sword Master and trained to be a brilliant swordsman, Afro made his lifelong dream realize by killing Justice.
June 22, 2025
6Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Wants To Get Even By Killing State Alchemists
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Scar from the Fullmetal Alchemist series is a character built to the same degree as Naruto’s Sasuke Uchiha. Being the last survivor of his people, Scar is hell-bent on avenging the genocide of his tribe. Interestingly, the thing that sets Scar apart from your typical anime avenger is the approach to his story.
I am walking down a path of no return, so I will leave behind me every gift I’ve received from God.
Initially revealed as one of the series' main antagonists, Scar transitioned into an anti-hero figure when his background was revealed, and it was known that the character was not a rebel without a cause. He was driven by hate with an aim to eliminate the state Alchemists, who brutally crushed the Ishvalan Rebellion, resulting in the destruction of its people.
June 10, 2025
Netflix,Prime Video
5Edmond Dantes (Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo)
Employs The Help Of A Demon To Settle Things
Gankutsuou
As given away by its name, the anime is inspired by the fabled Le Comte de Monte-Cristo(The Count of Monte Cristo) from 1844 by French novelist Alexandre Dumas. While the anime series is an adaptation of Dumas’s work, it offers a fresh perspective with a few unique elements of its own, in addition to the classic persecution, suffering, and revenge plot.
Do you have it in you to follow me? Into the darkest depths of Hell?
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Imbued with supernatural elements and slight changes to the original story, the anime’s plot follows The Count, aka Edmond Dantes, who lives only to obtain revenge on those who betrayed him long ago. Filled with hatred and willing to go to any lengths to make the ones responsible for his agony suffer, the count takes the help of the demon Gankkutsuou.
July 19, 2025
4Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
Throws Away Nearly Everything In His Pursuit For Revenge
The last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan from Naruto Shippuden, Sasuke Uchiha’s character, fell into the limitless well of hatred after witnessing the horrific sight of his entire clan being massacred at the hands of his elder brother, Itachi. While the sight of his entire clan getting massacred was enough to instill hate in him from a young age, seeing his parents dead was pivotal in pushing him on the path to revenge.
This Is The Path I Walk. Not You Or Anyone Can Change That.
Determined to grow stronger than his brother through any means possible, Sasuke grew distant from everyone at the Ninja Academy, including his friends and teachers. He pursued the likes ofpsychopaths like Orochimaruto gain the power needed to kill Itachi.
July 26, 2025
3Angelo Lagusa (91 Days)
Even Killed His Childhood Friend To Get Revenge
Witnessing the death of a dear one is enough to make one go through a myriad of emotional outbursts. To top it off, watching one’s entire family getting killed in cold blood is another type of horror that can make even the happiest of people go into a walking revenge-planning machine packed full of hatred.
I thought that by completing my revenge and making my family’s killers pay, I would find a reason to live again. But there was nothing left. It was all for nothing.
This is precisely what happened on the unfortunate night of Angelo’s birthday when he helplessly saw his father, mother, and younger brother getting killed at the hands of Vincent Vanetti. The incident left Angelo orphaned and having to fend for himself. As he grew up, Angelo resorted to petty crime to fill his stomach. However, the fire for revenge was never doused. In his mind, the only goal of his life was to eliminate the entire Vanetti family, which he ultimately did when the opportunity came knocking.
July 26, 2025
Prime Video,Crunchyroll
2Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)
Willing To Sacrifice Everything To Make “Humanity” Free
Attack On Titan
As a child, Eren was idealistic, always daydreaming about the life beyond Wall Maria ever since Armin showed him what awaits beyond the walls they’re confined in. His personality can be best described with traits like altruism, only seeing the world in black or white, and being short-tempered.
I don’t have time to worry about if it’s right or wrong, you can’t have hope for a horror story with a happy ending!
Eren’s character wasn’t always filled with rage. Rather, he started to hate the Titans and wanted to free humanity from the terror of Titans when his mother was devoured in front of his eyes after the collapse of Wall Maria by Berthold. Vowing to go to any lengths to put a stop to the Titan terror, Eren’s journey, fueled by hate towards the colossal beings, is a roller-coaster ride full of emotional drama.
August 10, 2025
1Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)
Consumed By Revenge & Worked Under The Man Who Killed His Father
Vinland Saga
Imagine working tirelessly and becoming a better warrior in the shadow of the one who killed your father. That was pretty much the life of Thorfinn as the Viking protagonist ofVinland Saga, after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of Askeladd.
Without my hate, I’m empty. I survived on my hatred alone. I don’t know anything besides the battlefield.
As a child, Thorfinn was a playful boy, always looking for new adventures. It was this curiosity of his that incited his hate and an immensely strong will to take revenge. Going from being a light-hearted child to a ruthless killer with no remorse for any human relation and without sympathy, Thorfinn’s teenage is driven by hate and wanting to avenge his father.
August 01, 2025
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