Many people across all fandoms and forms of entertainment are familiar with the term “problematic fave” — most typically, a person (often fictional) who is popular among audiences but has some kind of glaring problem in terms of their actions, personality or viewpoints. This isn’t merely a minor issue but usually something that would be viewed as ethically questionable at best and at worst, makes that person completely morally bankrupt.
Like any other medium, anime has its fair share of characters who, for one reason or another strike a major chord with viewers despite their more problematic aspects. While these characters can differ wildly in terms of appearance, personality and goals, they also often have a few things in common, from their high intelligence and good looks to their talent for manipulation and general lack of empathy. Conversely, what exactly draws viewers to each character, making them so popular despite their obvious issues, is distinctly unique.
Future Diary’s Yuno Gasai Is a Yandere Who Will Do Literally Anything for Love
The main female lead of Future Diary (Mirai Nikki), Yuno has become the poster girl for the yandere archetype — someone whose romantic feelings are so intense and all-encompassing that it becomes a violent obsession. Yuno’s innocent twin-tailed, pink-haired appearance belies a frighteningly cold and calculating mind. To ensure that Yukiteru “Yukki” Amano, the object of her affection, survives and loves only her, Yuno commits bloody murder, her extreme jealousy and possessiveness triggering her to snap and go from sweetly feminine schoolgirl to cold-hearted killer. In the end, she gets exactly what she wants, reuniting with Yukiteru and obtaining the happily-ever-after she so craves.
Easily one of the most popular and iconic yandere characters of all time, Yuno’s look and facial expressions are legendary within the manga and anime community, spawning countless memes over the years. Despite straddling an uncomfortable line between lovestruck middle schooler and disturbed villain, Yuno’s character development throughout the series gives her an unexpected amount of depth. Her storyline, while both brutal and bizarre, manages to be not only one of the most compelling aspects of Future Diary but also, despite all the raging toxicity of her character, weirdly touching.
Sebastian Michaelis From Black Butler Is an Actual Soul-Eating Demon
Earl Ciel Phantomhive’s dedicated butler, Sebastian presents a flawless outward persona — the very model of elegance, competence and servility — while simultaneously awaiting the day when Ciel’s life ends and he can consume his master’s soul. Much like Yuno Gasai, Sebastian will do anything for Ciel, although in this case, it’s not out of a sense of love, romantic or otherwise, but rather because he craves only the highest-quality (and presumably therefore tastiest) of human souls. Sebastian isn’t necessarily sadistic, but he’s certainly amoral, having no compunction about lying, stealing, cheating, seducing and murdering to fulfill his orders as a butler while achieving his own ends.
Sebastian’s popularity stems in part from his sheer capability as the perfect servant. He carries out every duty to the letter, unfailingly catering to Ciel’s every whim regardless of how trivial or morally questionable it may be. His catchphrase “one hell of a butler” has become an iconic part of his character and the Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) franchise, and he and Ciel make for an intriguingly cunning and manipulative combination. Combined with his undeniably good looks — at least in human form — and his murky, speculative relationship with Ciel that has inspired more than its fair share of boys’ love-centric fanfiction, Sebastian has captured the hearts of anime and manga fans around the world.
Death Note’s Light Yagami Is a Genius Serial Killer With a God Complex
As both the main protagonist and main villain in Death Note, Light Yagami presents a very interesting character, especially for a mainstream shonen franchise. First introduced as a studious and ambitious high school student with dreams of becoming a detective, he eventually slides down a path of deception, manipulation and mass murder, killing first only hardened criminals but then drastically expanding his scope. By the time the story ends, he has killed well over 130,000 people, from unnamed criminals and important FBI agents to his own girlfriend, showing little remorse for any of his actions.
With his handsome features, fierce intelligence and hard-working tenacity, it’s no wonder that Light was constantly praised by the adults around him throughout his childhood and teenage years — and also why he remains a popular character among fans of Death Note. What makes Light’s story tragic, and therefore somewhat sympathetic, is that his strong sense of justice is partially what leads him to commit murder, at least at first. While he eventually becomes drunk on power, utterly convinced that he’s in the right, Light isn’t completely devoid of compassion and maintains his love and protectiveness for his family.
Shigure Sohma From Fruits Basket Manipulates Everyone Without Them Realizing
Shigure Sohma, the Dog of the Chinese zodiac in Fruits Basket, has an outwardly extroverted, fun-loving and goofy persona — someone who welcomes strangers with a smile, writes both serious literary novels and trashy romances, and puts childhood friendships above almost anything else. However, Shigure’s darker side later becomes apparent, revealing him to be cunning and deeply manipulative, unafraid to put others in harm’s way or even harm them himself if it will get him closer to his own goals. Shigure may not be intentionally malicious, but he purposefully hides how much he really knows, and he ruthlessly uses this information and any other trick in the book, no matter how dirty, to get what he wants.
Nonetheless, Shigure is a Fruits Basket fan favorite because, despite his selfish manipulations, he does still care for others and — so long as it doesn’t conflict with his aims — often acts in their best interests even when there’s nothing in it for him, offering surprisingly sage advice when necessary. There’s also the matter of his longtime friendship with Ayame and Hatori, forming the famed Mabudachi Trio — easily one of the funniest and most ridiculous elements of the entire story. In particular, Shigure and Ayame’s over-the-top flirtatiousness and innuendo-laden relationship, while possibly not to be taken too seriously, is a delight to many franchise fans.
Kakegurui’s Yumeko Jabami Has a Shameless Gambling Addiction
Yumeko Jabami, Kakegurui’s leading lady, is definitely a show-stealer. While others in the series mostly gamble for externally self-serving motives — money, power or popularity — Yumeko loves gambling purely for its own sake. The excitement of not knowing whether she will win or lose is her biggest thrill, and so long as she gets this, she doesn’t care about the outcome. What’s more, Yumeko experiences no fear or regret over the risks she takes, no matter whether it could result in physical pain, slavery or even death. Instead, she derives pleasure from the rush that gambling offers. Although fully aware of this fact, she makes no effort to stop, and she shows no sympathy for anyone who knowingly takes on a gamble and loses, regardless of the consequences.
Nonetheless, Yumeko isn’t a bad person. In fact, she bears no ill will toward anyone (with perhaps the exception of the masochistic Midari Ikishima), even when she catches them shamelessly cheating. Friendly and cheerful to nearly everyone, Yumeko is incredibly smart and deeply perceptive, and she very rarely stoops to cheating herself despite this putting her at an obvious disadvantage. In addition, she genuinely values her friendships and doesn’t hold grudges. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Yumeko is also perceived by much of the fan base as extremely attractive, with her curvaceous figure and glossy lips becoming cartoonishly exaggerated whenever the pleasure of gambling takes over, turning her into a hypersexualized figure chasing the pleasure of the game.
