Highlights
- Families in anime can be twisted with evil intentions, questioning the origins of evil as either inherited or nurtured.
- Powerful clans like Uchiha from
Naruto
have dark histories fueled by trauma, revenge, and complex motivations. - The Zoldycks of
Hunter x Hunter
are a messed-up family of assassins, where Killua’s empathy shines through rebellion.
Families are supposed to represent the epitome of unconditional love, warmth, and support, but some anime explore the dark side of this dynamic. Evil parents who would like to raise their children to be just as evil as they are, or wicked siblings who realize that two heads are better than one, are common villains in this medium.
The reasons for these families’ evil doings vary. Sometimes they resort to crime to survive in their respective universes, other times they commit evil for the sake of it. Either way, these families are sure to make the viewer question whether evil is hereditary or purely nurtured.
10 The Moriarty Brothers (Moriarty The Patriot)
Criminals Who Want To End Systemic Inequality
Moriarty the Patriot tells the story of Sherlock Holmes’ arch-nemesis from a more sympathetic perspective. William James Moriarty and his brothers, Albert and Louis, are keen to expose the injustices and corruption of Victorian England, but their methods to achieve this are extreme.
The three brothers, sickened by the privileges afforded to the upper class, seek to dismantle the system that perpetuates class inequality by any means necessary, including blackmail, manipulation, and even murder.
9 The Uchiha Clan (Naruto)
A Prideful Clan With Powers Awakened By Trauma
The Uchiha Clan is one of the most powerful families in the Naruto universe because of their unique ability, the Sharingan. Unfortunately, the advanced stage of the Sharingan is activated through emotional trauma, so the clan’s history is mired with vengeance, betrayal, and suffering, as evidenced by the coup d’état organized to overthrow the Third Hokage.
Itachi Uchiha, wanting to prevent the coup and protect his brother, Sasuke, ends up murdering his entire clan, leading Sasuke on a path of revenge. While some members of the Uchiha clan have done some reprehensible things, their motivations are far more complex than one would give them credit for.
8 The Kamelot Family (D.Gray-Man)
An Influential Family That Is Deeply Loyal To The Millennium Earl
The Kamelots are a wealthy and influential family within The Noah, the main antagonists of D.Gray-Man who are trying to bring about the destruction of humanity. Consisting of a government minister named Sheril Kamelot, adoptive daughter Road, adoptive son Wisely, and brother Tyki Mikk, the family is responsible for the deaths of countless people, all to further the Millennium Earl’s agenda.
Sheril, Road, Wisely, and Tyki Mikk are completely on board with the Earl’s goal of wreaking havoc on humanity, and have used their supernatural abilities to bring about pain and suffering. Even Road, despite her cute appearance, takes pleasure in psychologically torturing her victims by manipulating their dreams.
7 The Toguro Brothers (YuYu Hakusho)
Power-Hungry Martial Artists Who’ll Go To Any Lengths To Achieve Their Goals
The Toguro brothers, consisting of Elder Toguro and Younger Toguro, serve as the main antagonists of the Dark Tournament arc of YuYu Hakusho. Having previously been involved in the criminal underworld, they formed a partnership with a businessman named Sakyo to gain power and dominance.
Younger Toguro, in the anime, is a stoic, calm, and collected man who is willing to stoop to any level to achieve his goals, although he does have a few scruples. Older Toguro, on the other hand, is completely unhinged and sadistic, and is completely aware of it.
6 The Spider Family (Demon Slayer)
A Twisted And Ruthless Group Of Spider Demons
The Spider Family are a powerful group of demons who serve as formidable adversaries to Tanjiro and the Demon Slayers. Rui, one of the Twelve Kizuki, forced a group of weak demons to act as his family, even changing their appearances so that they could play their parts more effectively. The Spider Demons had been left with no option but to obey Rui’s commands, or else face punishment.
Each family member has spider-related powers, with Rui and Spider Mother being able to weaponize their ability to create webs, Spider Father having the super-strength of a tarantula, and Older Spider Brother being able to create venom. The family, fearing the consequences, is tasked to protect Rui by killing any Demon Slayer that threatens him.
5 The Britannian Imperial Family (Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion)
Authoritarian Rulers Seeking Conquest And Control
The Britannian Imperial Family is the main antagonistic faction in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Led by the tyrannical Emperor Charles zi Britannia, the Holy Britannian Empire seeks to expand its influence and dominance over the world.
Emperor Charles’ son, the exiled prince Lelouch, vows to destroy Britannia after witnessing the murder of his mother, eventually becoming the leader of a rebellion against the Empire. As the series goes on, however, Lelouch becomes just as ruthless as his father, right down to using the same manipulative tactics he did.
4 The Zoldycks (Hunter X Hunter)
A Family Of Highly Skilled Assassins
The Zoldycks from Hunter x Hunter are pretty screwed up, to say the least, carrying out contract killings and training their children to do the same. As expected, their family dynamic is rather dysfunctional, as they teach their children via cruel methods to become professional killers and run the family business.
Killua, one of the Zoldycks and an assassin-in-training, eventually rebels against his family and joins the main cast of Hunters. He starts as a cold-hearted assassin due to his background, but he gradually develops empathy and kindness the more time he spends with Gon and his friends.
3 Hansel And Gretel (Black Lagoon)
Sadistic Twin Murderers Who Take Pleasure in Killing
Possibly two of the most evil and disturbing children in anime, Black Lagoon’sHansel and Gretel are twin siblings whose abuse and participation in snuff films led to them becoming sadistic killers who commit acts of murder and torture for the sake of it. They eventually get hired as assassins for the Verrochio mafia, and end up killing the person who hired them, and other people who had nothing to do with the mission.
Though nothing could ever justify the twins’ actions, they are portrayed as victims of circumstance, being orphaned, tortured, and abused from an extremely young age. All of this led them to believe that killing other people is the only way to survive.
2 Frieza’s Family (Dragon Ball Z)
One Of The Most Powerful And Feared Families In The Universe
Frieza from the Dragon Ball franchise is one of the most iconic and evil villains in anime, and his family is just as ruthless and sadistic as he is. His father, King Cold, is less powerful than Frieza, but he was the empire’s ruler before handing the reins to his son, and has been terrorizing the galaxy for a long time.
Frieza’s older brother, Cooler, is far more powerful than him and has conquered many more planets. Chilled, an ancestor who appears in Dragon Ball – Episode of Bardock, takes the cake though. He is not above killing his minions for the slightest of transgressions and is far more sadistic than anyone else in his family.
1 The Yeagers (Attack On Titan)
Titan Shifters Who Are Willing To Commit Heinous Acts To Achieve Their Goals
The Yeager family, including Eren, his father Grisha, and his half-brother Zeke, have been mired in mystery for most of Attack on Titan. Still, their complicated morality is central to the plot of the series. Grisha was an Eldian Restorationist who was involved in the deaths of the Reiss family and imbued his son Zeke with his nationalist ideals.
While Grisha came to regret his actions, Zeke would go on to become involved in the Marleyan military to retrieve the power of the Founding Titan and join Eren in his plan to initiate the Rumbling, which involves unleashing the Titans within the walls to trample the world outside of Paradis.