While they don’t have to be perfect paragons, anime heroes are at the very least expected to be heroic in the ways that truly count. The best anime heroes aren’t flawless, but they’re willing to risk their lives to do what’s right and protect those weaker than them. The same can’t really be said for all heroes.
Despite their best intentions and genuine heroism, some anime heroes failed to live up to their archetype’s expectations. Some of these heroes didn’t act as courteous as a hero should, while others rationalized their atrocities with noble causes. These heroes aren’t fully evil, but there’s a reason why even those they save don’t trust them.
10 Karamatsu Matsuno
Osomatsu-San
Of Osomatsu-San’s focal sextuplets, Karamtsu is the most confident and personable. Karamtsu does his best to be the big brother who protects his younger siblings, while also being the coolest guy around. The problem is that Karamatu only really does this because he wants to impress others, and his brothers saw right through his act.
Karamatsu is an arguably better big brother than Osomatsu, and he genuinely cares for his younger siblings (especially Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu). But thanks to his inflated ego and perennial need to put on a show, Karamtsu’s good intentions manifest as insufferable grandstanding even when he doesn’t mean to.
9 Gintoki Sakata
Gintama
As the Odd Jobbers’ boss, Gintoki Sakata always asked for money before doing anything for anyone. However, Gintoki is more altruistic than he’d want to admit. Besides instinctively helping others for free, Gintoki genuinely cares for his closest friends. None of these heroics make up for just how annoying he really is.
When he’s not working, Gintoki is an aloof slacker who brushes off others’ concerns. Most of the time, he has to be financially convinced to do anything. Even during his most heroic moments, Gintoki can still be more rude than necessary. That being said, it’s obvious that Gintoki’s putting up a detached front to hide his vulnerability.
8 Kazuma Satou
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!
KonoSuba is one of the funniest yet most vicious parodies of the isekai power fantasy. Kazuma Satou is a good example of this. Like most modern isekai heroes, Kazuma was a goodhearted but underachieving gamer. Kazuma thought his gaming knowledge would help him in the new fantasy world, only to hilariously fail at every turn.
Kazuma may have his heart in the right place, but he still couldn’t shake-off his juvenile tendencies. When he’s not being lecherous, Kazuma’s either too lazy or selfish to be an actual noble hero. Kazuma’s worst traits were further exacerbated by his party of equally well-meaning but ultimately silly failures.
7 Guel Jeturk
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
Although he started out as Suletta Mercury’s arrogant rival, Guel Jeturk gradually dropped his ego and became a hero in his own right. After being humbled halfway through Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Guel began to truly fight for himself and become his own person free from the Jeturk family name.
But every time Guel tried to stand up for himself and forge his own path, he failed horribly. The worst instance of this was when Guel tried to save Suletta during the Plant Quetta attack, only to accidentally kill his father. Only time will tell if Guel will continue to fail or if he’ll properly redeem himself in The Witch from Mercury’s comeback.
6 Gotenks
Dragon Ball
Theoretically, Gotenks should be one of Dragon Ball‘s most powerful fusions. Gotenks comprises Gohan and Trunks; two of the youngest Saiyans who also have the most untapped potential and raw power. But whenever Gohan and Trunks combine their powers, their ensuing fusion always fails and embarrasses everyone.
Gotenks is powerful, but he’s too boastful to be of any use. Worse, Gotenks often wasted what limited fusion time he had by showing off. Truth be told, Gotenks was more of a nuisance to the Z Fighters than an ally. Gotenks failed so many times at being a hero that Goku and Vegeta understandably don’t trust him.
5 Ryuko Matoi
Kill La Kill
Despite her lack of training, Ryoku Matoi was undoubtedly one of Kill La Kill’s strongest fighters. Even if she lost to Satsuk Kiryuini, Ryuko still defeated countless armed orgs and even most of the Elite Four by herself. Unbeknownst to Ryuko, she was actually helping crush the human resistance against the Life Fibers.
Ryuko only realized that Satsuki wasn’t the real enemy just as Ragyo Kiryuin ripped her heart out and brainwashed her. Before then, Ryuko was too hot-headed and myopic to humor the chance that she was fighting the wrong person. If not for Satsuki, Ryuko would still be stuck as the Life Fiber’s strongest and deadliest pawn.
4 Katsuki Bakugo
My Hero Academia
Katsuki Bakugo isn’t just My Hero Academia‘s most violent student; he’s also Izuku Midoriya’s childhood tormentor. Before entering UA, Bakugo relentlessly bullied Midoriya. Even after calming down a bit with age, Bakugo still threw his weight around. Despite this, Bakugo sincerely wanted to become a hero.
Bakugo looked up to All Might and wanted to inherit his mantle. However, he was so aggressive and violent that Bakugo seemed more like a villain than a hero. After many failures and being overtaken by Midoriya, Bakugo finally realized the errors of his ways. His growth as a person was cemented when he apologized to Midoriya.
3 Suzaku Kururugi
Code Geass
Suzaku Kururugi’s biggest fault was that he was too idealistic and naive for Code Geass’ cynical world. Suzaku genuinely believes that he could inspire peace between the Japanese people and the Britannian colonizers if he worked hard and honestly within the system. This, however, turned him into a Britannian stooge.
Suzaku justified everything he did with peace and unity. This only led to more bloodshed. Worse, Suzaku betrayed his Japanese heritage and also failed to win over his Britannian officers. As Code Geass went on, Suzaku eventually grew so disillusioned with himself that he ultimately defected to Zero’s (aka Lelouch vi Britannia) side.
2 Shinji Ikari
Rebuild of Evangelion
The core difference between Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Shinji Ikari in Rebuild of Evangelion is that he’s more assertive and proactive in the rebooted movies. This, however, wasn’t exactly a good thing. Shinji’s determination to stand up for himself, atone for his mistakes, and save others literally ended the world twice.
In the hated Shinji’s defense, he was being emotionally manipulated by outside forces into acting the way he did. That being said, his lack of maturity and self-control at the time made him susceptible in the first place. It took Shinji many losses to truly grow up and face his problems on his own terms instead of being led on.
1 Eren Yeager
Attack on Titan
Despite being the most hot-headed and impulsive Attack on Titan character, Eren Yeager really wanted to defeat the Titans to give his loved ones and fellow Eldians a future. Eren was willing to do everything to achieve his goal. But due to many circumstances, Eren constantly failed whenever he tried to save others.
If Eren wasn’t abducted, he was powerless at the worst moments. Because of how fate and time travel worked in Attack on Titan, these weren’t really Eren’s faults. However, every failure took its toll on him. Eren’s endless failures drove him and the Yeagerists to commit global genocide to permanently stop any and all threats to the Eldians.