Roses are Red, Alexa play Olivia Rodrigo’s “Traitor”; I thought you were a Friend, but you turned out to be a Betrayer. In anime, there are heroes, and there are villains. There are friends, and there are enemies. However, the most compelling characters are the ones that turned into traitors. These characters have added not only great depth to the plot but also invoked negative feelings among other characters as well as the fans. So, here we shall see the top 10 anime betrayals that left us shocked.
Sometimes these plot twists are loved by fans, while sometimes, fans dislike where the story is going. It also often happens that these traitors betray their own in order to protect themselves or the person they love. Regardless, these characters play an important role in their respective anime to drive the story forward. They also, at times, inspire the growth of the main characters. In this article, we will be looking into the top 10 betrayals in anime. That being said, this article also contains heavy spoilers.
Ray reveals the location of the rope (The Promised Neverland)
The Promised Neverland is a bone-chilling anime as it introduces us to a dystopian world. In this world, there are children who are taken care of in an orphanage. However, things take a dark turn when these children find out the reason for their existence. In this anime, we are taken into the journey of Norman, Emma, and Ray finding their way out of their orphanage while saving all the children present there.
In order to prove there was no traitor among the children who gave out information to “Mama,” their caretaker, the trio came up with a plan related to the escape rope. After a successful plan, Norman catches the traitor, who turns out to be none other than Ray. It is also revealed that Ray had known about the ongoings of the orphanage and thus was given a special preference by Mama as her informant. Ray then reveals that he gave out information to the caretaker in order to earn her trust. Thus, he “double betrays” the characters in the anime.
Kaede Kayano is not a normal student (Assassination Classroom)
Initially, Kayano is shown as one of the most normal characters in Assassination Classroom. Her character appeared to be a sweet and helpful female lead who always supported her friends. However, things change when she reveals her real identity. Although she doesn’t literally betray anyone, fans from Japan have voted as number 1 in a poll on “The Most Shocking Anime Betrayals” in 2020.
She is a part of the abandoned class 3-E but is only studying there to complete her ultimate goal. Although everyone was tasked with the job of killing Korosensei, Kayano wanted to kill him for revenge. She reveals herself to be Akari Yukimura and the sister of Aguri Yukimura, Korosensei’s deceased lover. Not only this, but like Korosesei, she too has two tentacles that come out from the nape of her neck. In the end, she is defeated, and her tentacles are removed by Korosensei, making her take on her fake personality as her real one.
Rachel pushes Bam (Tower of God)
Tower of God is an anime adapted from a manhwa. In the anime, we are introduced to a boy named Baam who decides to enter a mysterious tower in pursuit of a girl named Rachel. He successfully makes it in the tower and advances each floor, making friends and foes. Bam finally meets Rachel and decides to protect her.
However, things take an ugly turn when Rachel pushes Bam to his “death” in the final phase of their test. Although not many people from Baam’s team know this happened, it was already revealed to the viewers that Rachel not only betrayed Bam but has also hated him for a very long time. This is perhaps the most heartbreaking betrayals in anime, considering what Baam went through for Rachel.
Aizen betrays the Soul Society (Bleach)
Aizen’s betrayal made us all wonder what made this gentleman-like captain of the 5th division turn his back on his own people. Sosuke Aizen is a character from Bleach. He betrays his kin by declaring war against the Soul Society by sending out Arrancars, Aizen’s loyal army. Although a villain, Aizen is considered to be one of the strongest characters in the anime. In fact, he was not only powerful, but his powers were supported by his intellect. He is known to be one of the most iconic villains in anime.
Moeka: The Reason behind Okabe’s suffering (Steins;Gate)
The Steins;Gate universe is definitely the most intriguing world when it comes to anime. It is a story about a mad-scientist, Okabe Rintaro, and his obsession with time traveling. He pulls up a crew of 3 people, including him, Mayuri, and Daru. Things take a turn when he finally succeeds in creating a time machine.
We then meet Moeka Kiryu, a character who is obsessed with her phone. Okabe comes in contact with her because of a retro computer he needed. Eventually, she joins the crew, however, with a different motive from the rest of the members. When the crew finally managed to build a successful time machine, Moeka burst open through the door shoots Mayuri. This betrayal causes Okabe to use the time machine to save Mayuri but at the cost of Kurisu, his love interest’s life.
Itachi Uchiha slaughters his whole clan (Naruto)
Itachi Uchiha’s betrayal is justified for its own reason. It is, in fact, one of the most famous betrayals in anime. He is a character from Naruto who was from the Hidden Leaf village. From the very beginning of the series, he is shown as a rogue ninja. Not only that, but he also is revealed to be the target whom his younger brother, Sasuke, swore to kill. He did not betray the village but his own clan within the village. Itachi Uchiha slaughtered his entire clan due to an order to protect the village.
In the first part of the Naruto franchise, Itachi was one of the characters who was hated, but as we move on to Naruto Shippuden, we not only empathize but change our emotions towards Itachi’s betrayal.
Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt: The most shocking betrayal (Attack on Titan)
I still remember pausing this episode and going for a walk around the house for this anime betrayal. Attack on Titan has become one of the most hyped anime. It doesn’t only give us an interesting storyline but also brings forth philosophical themes that leave the viewers thinking. In season 1, we are introduced to Eren Yeager, who turns into a Titan. This itself shifts the narrative but what turns the narrative upside down is when Annie is revealed to be the Female Titan.
Besides this, we still did not know who the Armor and Colossal titans were until season 2. Considering that the Female Titan’s features looked very similar to Annie if you think about it, this betrayal was right in front of us, yet we did not see it. Although the characters suspected them, when Reiner and Bertholdt finally reveal themselves, their “friends” are shown to express feelings of betrayal in the form of anger. Reiner and Bertholdt’s revelation is known as one of the biggest betrayals in recent anime history.
Aoyama reveals the location (My Hero Academia)
Aoyama from My Hero Academia is the newest traitor among the traitors in anime. This one, too, was something we could’ve caught on much earlier. However, whenever we were given hints, we laughed it off. How? Well, consider this, Deku is the protagonist of the anime who was given his quirks by All Might. In his initial stages, he couldn’t control his quirk, which often caused him to injure himself in a very bad way. The second person to Deku who couldn’t control his quirk was Aoyama. If viewers connected the dots, maybe we could’ve known this from the beginning.
However, fan theories have had suspected him among the list of traitors for his shady behaviors in the past. Yet, knowing that he gave off his class’s location to the League of Villains because he was forced to have left some fans empathizing with him.
Griffith’s Insanity (Berserk)
Perhaps one of the most brutal anime out there, Berserk has been loved by many fans for it. This anime tells us the story about Guts and his endeavors after joining the Band of Hawks. This group has a leader who is named Griffith, someone who is looked up to by many people and even named “Falcon of Light”. Griffith has played a big role by joining and ending the hundred-year war.
Things get ugly for him when he engages in sexual intercourse with Princess Charlotte. This act gets him captured and tortured for a long time. This torture causes him to lose himself. The Band of Hawks, however, is determined to get their leader back. Sadly, Griffith ends up sacrificing the Bank of Hawks to become Femto.
Lastly, Don’t fall for Kyubey’s cute appearance (Madoka Magica)
This anime is about a group of girls receiving magical powers from a cute-looking cat-like creature named Kyubey. All this so that the girls could assist Kyubey in fighting some witches. It was an irrefutable offer as Kyubey even offered to grant the wishes of these girls.
However, this contract is based on a dark truth. The witches that they have to fight were once girls just like them who made a deal with Kyubey. This little kitty, thus, creates these witches after these girls give in to their despair. This probably is one of the most shocking betrayals in anime, considering Kyubey was a much-loved character.
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