Not all anime characters are honest or upfront with those around them. In fact, some of the most infamous liars in media come from anime. Anime liars can be manipulative and self-serving in their actions, willing to stop at nothing to hide their dark secrets.
However, not all anime liars are malicious. Some at least have good intentions behind their lies and try to do the right thing. Whatever their reasoning, the liars of anime play an important role in their series. For better or worse, the lies spun by these characters add necessary tension and drama to the story that keeps fans on the edge of their seats.
10 Kaori's Secrets Aren't Revealed Until Her Death (Your Lie In April)
With a title like Your Lie in April, it's safe to assume that a character's lies play a big role in the series. Kaori Miyazono is unlike the typical anime liar, which is clear just by looking at her. She seems like any ordinary cute female lead. However, she hides many dark secrets deep within her, the biggest being the terminal illness she's slowly succumbing to.
Even after her condition is revealed, Kaori is still unable to open up about everything to Kousei, who never learns the full truth until her tragic death. Her true feelings aren't revealed until after her tragic death when Kousei reads the letter she left for him.
9 Usopp Is Infamous For His Ridiculous Lies (One Piece)
When Luffy and the gang first meet Usopp early on in One Piece, he's already made a reputation for himself as a notorious liar. Any time he finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, he tries his best to lie his way out of it.
Usopp tells numerous lies at the start of the series, most seemingly too farfetched for anyone to actually believe. Though he has a lot of experience as a liar, his lies don't really fool anyone most of the time. Funnily enough, some of his fibs turn out to have some truth to them later on in the series.
8 Hawk Boasts About His Power But Never Proves He's Telling The Truth (Seven Deadly Sins)
Hawk is a talking pig and one of Meliodas' companions in Seven Deadly Sins. When he's not working at the Boar Hat or creeping on women, he's bragging to anyone within earshot about his amazing powers. He even goes so far as to claim that he has enough strength to defeat the Deadly Sins themselves.
However, Hawk seems to be just a bunch of talk, as he never backs any of his claims with a show of his abilities. In fact, whenever danger comes around, Hawk is reduced to a coward and pathetically cries for help. Needless to say, his constant boasts appear to be far from the truth.
7 Tomoko Lies To Try To Seem Cooler Than She Actually Is (Watamote)
At the start of Watamote, Tomoko Kuroki vows that she will become popular, no matter what it takes to make that happen. Unfortunately, her high school career doesn't exactly go as planned, and she becomes a nobody immediately.
To try and save her dying reputation, Tomoko tells lie after lie to her fellow classmates, hoping her fabricated life will boost her popularity. However, her lies get the better of her, forcing Tomoko to either keep up the charade or come clean and accept her low social status.
6 Kyubey Offers Unsuspecting Girls The Promise Of Their Dreams In Exchange For Their Souls (Madoka Magica)
Becoming a magical girl seems like a dream come true on its own but coupled with the ability to make any wish a reality, how can a young girl refuse? Kyubey's offer to Madoka and her friends seems almost too good to be true, and anyone familiar with Puella Magi Madoka Magica knows it's exactly that.
With his cute appearance and promise of any dream imaginable, Kyubey charms unsuspecting girls into relinquishing their humanity and trapping themselves in an endless war between magical girls and witches. What first appears to be the opportunity of a lifetime turns into a life of pain and suffering.
5 Erika's Lies Backfire And Force Her Into An Abusive Relationship She Can't Escape (Wolf Girl & Black Prince)
Wolf Girl and Black Prince is an infamous shojo series featuring one of the most toxic romances of the genre. This relationship comes to be after protagonist Erika Shinohara lies about having a boyfriend, fooling everyone into believing she's dating the most popular boy at school, Kyouya Sata.
Her reckless lie backfires once Kyouya himself discovers what she's been telling their classmates, and he uses this to his advantage. From then on, he blackmails Erika into becoming his dog, doing whatever he pleases to her. Caught in her web of lies, Erika has no choice but to do as he says or suffer the consequences.
4 Reigen Is A Professional Liar (Mob Psycho 100)
As a con artist, Mob Psycho 100's Reigen Arataka is in the business of lying, and he makes a pretty good profit from it. Much of the series' plot revolves around his lies, as he claims to be a skilled psychic with the ability to exorcise ghosts.
He uses this to his advantage, roping in young Shigeo Kageyama, otherwise known as "Mob," to do his dirty work for him, claiming he can train him to further his own psychic powers. Although his occupation is questionable, Reigen is an upstanding guy and acts as a great mentor for Shigeo throughout the series.
3 Itachi Hides The Dark Secret Of The Uchiha Clan's Fate (Naruto)
Shortly after meeting Sasuke Uchiha at the start of Naruto, fans learn of plans of revenge and the horrible massacre of the Uchiha clan. Throughout most of the series, it's believed by everyone that his brother Itachi is solely responsible for the tragedy. However, when Sasuke finally takes his revenge, he discovers the dark truth that his brother kept from him all those years.
In reality, the Leaf Village ordered Itachi to take out his own clan and left him to carry the blame himself. Itachi went along with this, telling no one the truth of what occurred, not even his little brother Sasuke. After learning the truth, Sasuke realizes everything that he ever knew about his clan and Konoha was a lie.
2 Light Yagami Conceals His True Self From Everyone (Death Note)
Even before finding the notebook in the first episode of Death Note, Light Yagami is a well-seasoned liar. He puts on a fake smile for the world, presenting himself as the perfect student and son. After obtaining the power of the Death Note, Light's true evil begins to surface. He becomes the feared serial killer known as Kira and sets out to become the world's one true god.
Light keeps his true intentions secret, constantly lying to friends, family, and the police to protect his newfound identity. As he evades suspicion, he appears like any other boy his age. But in reality, he's a cold-blooded murderer with an uncontrollable god complex.
1 Makoto Is One Of The Most Despicable Anime Liars Of All Time (School Days)
Makoto Itou from School Days is one of the most infamous and hated liars in the history of anime. The series itself is notorious for its disturbing elements, most of which are thanks to this horrible human being. Makoto is dishonest and self-serving from start to finish, cheating on his girlfriend at any chance he can get and using the other girls for his own pleasure.
Makoto strings each girl along, putting her through constant emotional turmoil. It's honestly no wonder he meets such a grim end after the way he plays with their hearts, and many agree that he gets what's coming to him.
