Betrayal is a fact of life for anime protagonists. Sooner or later, someone they run into is going to betray them. Sometimes the upcoming betrayal is obvious, if only to the audience, but not always. The best betrayals, of course, are the ones that fans don’t see coming, where the viewer is hurt as badly by the betrayal as the characters are. Here are 10 of the most brutal betrayals in anime–some from characters you might suspect, but others that seemingly came out of nowhere.
As might be obvious from the topic of betrayal, HEAVY spoilers ahead.
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10 Straizo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Straizo was an ally of Jonathan’s against Dio in the first part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and although not as close as Zeppeli or Speedwagon, proved to be handy to have around, as he was another master of Hamon, the ability needed to defeat vampires. However, when Straizo reappears in part two, it’s revealed that he was terrified of growing older, and in a desperate attempt to maintain his youth, donned the Stone Mask just like Dio. He then targeted anyone who knew about the mask, which meant the surviving members of the Joestar family. With fifty years between parts one and two, Straizo had plenty of time to turn to villainy. His only concern is protecting himself–even if it means killing his deceased friend’s wife and grandson to do it.
9 Albert Maverick (Tiger & Bunny)
In Tiger & Bunny, Barnaby (Bunny) is mentored by a man named Albert Maverick, the top executive behind the HeroTV concept, who essentially raised him from the time after his parents died. At the end of the first season, however, it’s revealed that Maverick was behind the deaths of Barnaby’s parents, as they had discovered evidence of a crime he’d faked to build up his heroes’ reputation. Maverick had been behind every major incident in the series, and had been using Barnaby his entire life just for the sake of amassing power and money. In terms of scale, there are few betrayals that can match Maverick’s, as he essentially worked against everything he publicly professed to believe.
8 Kyubey (Madoka Magica)
Kyubey starts out the Madoka Magica series looking like a typical cute magical girl sidekick character, like Luna from Sailor Moon or Kero from Cardcaptor Sakura. He’s just the adorable mascot, right? Fans might got suspicious though when Homura destroyed Kyubey and he came back fine, but Kyubey hadn’t really done anything to merit that kind of response from a viewer’s perspective. Eventually, however, it’s revealed that Kyubey is a member of a species that hopes to prevent the heat death of the universe by increasing entropy through the creation of magical girls, who inevitably fall and become witches. By making contracts with these girls, Kyubey is effectively signing their death warrants. And, worst of all, Kyubey doesn’t even feel bad about it, since it’s ultimately “for the greater good.”
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7 Kaede Kayano (Assassination Classroom)
Kaede Kayano is one of the most prominent students in Assassination Classroom, and even a love interest for the protagonist, Nagisa. Yet, all that time, she was actually plotting a massive betrayal, using a fake name and persona, intent on claiming the life of Koro-sensei, whom she believed to be her sister’s killer. She even went so far as to have tentacles like his implanted into her so that she’d be able to fight on that incredible level. Her true identity was Akari Yukimura, an incredibly talented actress and the sister of Koro-sensei’s beloved, Aguri. Her betrayal hit Class E very hard, especially since her entire identity was synthesized, but unlike most of the characters on this list, she eventually came around when it became apparent that Koro-sensei was not the one who had killed Aguri.
6 Uryu Ishida (Bleach)
A fairly fresh betrayal for anime-only fans was located in the post-credits sequence for Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War episode 13. Uryu spent most of Bleach’s revival trying to decide whether to continue associating with Ichigo in the wake of realizing he was not the last of the Quincy. In the post-credits scene, it’s revealed that Uryu has finally made his decision, and he’ll be siding with Yhwach and the Quincy. These are his people, after all, even if he’s never known them, and the Soul Reapers are the ones who tried to kill them. He has every reason in the world to betray Ichigo’s trust, except for the fact that they’re friends. While anime fans have yet to see Ichigo’s reaction to Uryu’s betrayal, a preview for the second part teased Ichigo’s shock and disbelief. Manga fans, of course, already know how Uryu’s betrayal will turn out.
5 Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt (Attack on Titan)
Attack on Titan is rife with betrayal, coming from every angle. One of the first (and biggest) betrayals was the reveal that Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt were in fact the human forms of the three Titans that had been attacking the city and killing members of the Survey Corps–their own comrades. All three were pretty well-liked, but their betrayal was inevitable, as they’d been sent into the city to join the Survey Corps specifically as spies for the outside. The betrayal of Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt arguably kickstarts the major plot points of Attack on Titan, revealing other Titan-shifters as well as the existence of other humans beyond the walls, so unfortunately for them, there was no other way for it to play out.
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4 The Government (Ghost in the Shell)
A bit unusual, since this wasn’t an individual’s betrayal, unless one wants to hang the responsibility on Aramaki, who had no choice in the matter. In Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the entirety of Section 9 is betrayed when corrupt forces in the government frame them for a variety of heinous crimes. Section 9’s hideout is raided, and the team is scattered to the wind, each on their own with only the order to “survive.” They were targeted for trying to reveal the corruption of the Secretary-General, and while lying low, disseminated the information on his corruption to those who could act on it. This nearly ended with the Major’s death, yet in the end, everyone went back to working for Section 9 in the government, just like before.
3 Wolfwood (Trigun)
While Wolfwood’s status as a traitor has already been revealed in Trigun Stampede, it was a pivotal twist in the original Trigun anime from 1998. Late in the series, it’s revealed that Wolfwood has been a member of Trigun’s Gung-Ho Guns all this time, and his assignment was simply to keep Vash alive while watching him suffer events that Knives hoped would turn him against humanity. Wolfwood was finally given the order to kill Vash, and it even escalated to a fight, but Wolfwood ultimately saved Vash’s life. Wolfwood was fatally wounded by his former mentor and died tragically after finally embracing Vash’s nonviolent philosophy.
2 Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)
One of the most hated men in all of anime, Shou Tucker appears early on in Fullmetal Alchemist alongside his adorable daughter Nina and their big dog, Alexander. Shou Tucker is nervous about his upcoming performance review as a State Alchemist, and says he’d do anything to keep the life that they now have. However, after two episodes of getting to know the Tucker family, it’s revealed that Shou’s first attempt at creating a Chimera that could speak was only a success because he had used his wife as part of the transmutation process, and now had done the same to Nina and Alexander. The scene is so horrific and is legitimately a surprise to first-time viewers, who no doubt took Tucker’s friendliness at face value. While every other villain in the manga is shown going to heaven in a bonus panel after they die, Shou Tucker is the only one who goes directly to Hell–like every fan undoubtedly wanted.
1 Kaworu Nagisa (Evangelion)
It’s hard to say whether Kaworu’s betrayal should’ve been a surprise; after all, he shows up late in the series, by which point viewers should know that nothing in Evangelion is what it seems. There’s also the fact that Kaworu’s betrayal happens in the same episode as his debut, only about 13 minutes apart. Still, Kaworu’s betrayal is one of Evangelion’s most emotional moments. Shinji, who has had no one all this time, finally meets someone who’s warm and kind, and that person almost immediately betrays him in a quest to destroy humanity. Yet, Kaworu’s feelings towards Shinji are unambiguously real; he truly does care about Shinji a lot, in a way that transcends continuities. Kaworu has no choice, really, which makes his betrayal one of the most heartbreaking in any anime series out there.
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