In anime, most heroes are written to be as likable as possible. Since they are supposed to be the audience’s portal into the universe, a great number of noble or sympathetic qualities are always desirable. However, there are a handful of heroes who fall short of the mark.
Whether due to poor attitudes, lackluster development, or even unfortunate circumstances, these individuals have lost the interest and respect of viewers. By identifying them, it becomes easier to gauge the ways they have fallen short and how future heroes might avoid making the same mistakes.
10 Knov Did Not Meet Expectations As Netero’s Right-Hand Man (Hunter X Hunter)
Knov and Morel were two of the finest adventurers in the Hunter’s Association. Netero brought them with him in order to investigate the growing chimera ant crisis. Despite being handpicked by Netero himself, Knov immediately wilted at the first sign of trouble.
Encountering Neferpitou took such a high mental toll on him that his body aged fifty years, making him no longer able to fight. Unfortunately, Knov’s personality wasn’t developed enough for fans to feel sympathetic to his struggles and collapse.
9 Armin’s Character Deteriorated In The Final Acts Of The Series (Attack On Titan)
Initially, Armin was a bright young man who helped to lead the Scouts against marauding titans. However, his character declined after liberating Paradis and achieving his goal of finding the sea.
Ever since, Armin’s entire personality has been to complain about Eren and provide a moral contrast to other characters. This is particularly ironic since Armin himself has not been portrayed as a particularly upstanding person himself. For example, he told Bertholdt that Annie was being tortured in order to throw him off in a fight.
8 Fugo Abandoned His Friends & Never Looked Back (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Fugo was the only JoBro to completely abandon his friends. After uncovering their intentions to betray Diavolo, he left Team Bucciarati and never looked back. This is particularly egregious when considering the close relationship he formed with Narancia as teacher and student.
Factoring in his poor performance against Zucchero, this meant that Fugo only took part in a single real fight before being retired from the series. It is a particular shame due to the potential of his poisonous Stand, Purple Haze. Should Fugo have stayed loyal to the team, he may have even posed a threat to Diavolo himself.
7 Neito Was More Interested In Defeating Class 1-A Than Fighting Villains (My Hero Academia)
There isn’t much to like about Neito. He is a braggart obsessed with defeating Class 1-A, often going out of his way to disparage them even when it is not appropriate.
To make matters worse, Neito’s only Quirk is to imitate the abilities of others. As a result, he has an incredibly situational power that may prove disastrous if it falls into the wrong hands. Irresponsible and shortsighted, Neito must grow as a person if he ever hopes to become a hero.
6 Ikkaku Had Kenpachi’s Convictions Without The Strength To Back Them Up (Bleach)
Ikkaku was an energized shinigami in service to the Soul Society. Antagonistic and stubborn, he lashed out at the slightest insult and subscribed to Kenpachi’s ideas of militant strength.
However, considering that Ikkaku was one of the first shinigami to be defeated by Ichigo, his values are not entirely consistent with reality. As a result, he is effectively a worse version of his captain and one who cannot embody the values of his squad.
5 Ludociel Was A Radical Servant Of The Supreme Deity (Seven Deadly Sins)
Considering that Ludociel allied with the Seven Deadly Sins and even gave his life to their cause, he can ultimately be considered a hero. Regardless, his radical ideas make him extremely contentious among the series’ fans.
Blindly devoted to the Supreme Deity, Ludociel sought the extinction of the entire demon race – Meliodas included. Worse yet, he manipulated humans into furthering his cause through an ability called “Fraudulent Light.” Though claiming it empowered them, Ludociel actually just took away his minions’ ability to respect their bodies’ limits.
4 Sakura Failed To Catch Up With Sasuke & Naruto (Naruto)
Sakura Haruno’s official goal was to stay relevant to her peers in Team Seven. However, despite the training she underwent with Lady Tsunade, she could never even come remotely close to them. Worse yet, Sakura’s obsession with redeeming Sasuke eclipsed Naruto’s.
In addition to turning Konoha 11 against her, it also nearly got her killed on multiple occasions. Though progressing since the original series, Sakura’s belligerent attitude and petty obsessions demonstrated limited overall character growth.
3 Squard Was A Fool To Doubt His Allies (One Piece)
Squard was one of many captains under Whitebeard’s command. Having previously been warned by Akainu, he stabbed the emperor in the middle of the Marineford invasion. There were a dozen reasons why Squard’s plan didn’t make sense.
Not only was Akainu extremely unreliable as a marine admiral, but attacking Whitebeard in the middle of a war put his own crew in even greater danger. Despite his shortcomings, Squard isn’t a bad person. Once realizing the extent of his error, he apologized to Whitebeard and begged for forgiveness. Whether deserving or not, Whitebeard embraced him as a son.
2 Motoyasu Was Gullible & Needlessly Antagonistic To Naofumi (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Motoyasu was a disaster for the people of Melromarc. In addition to furthering the goals of its treacherous pope, he also exacerbated the divide between Naofumi and the rest of the kingdom over a petty grudge. Gullible and stubborn, he never paused to question the legitimacy of Malty’s accusations.
Despite this, Motoyasu is still technically a hero. He helped to fight off the waves and stood against the pope after uncovering his intentions. Nonetheless, Motoyasu’s miserably poor judgment makes him a greater obstacle than an ally.
1 Near Was L’s Inferior Replacement (Death Note)
By himself, Near is a decent character. He has a handful of quirks, doesn’t cow to danger, and regards all problems with a degree of detachment. However, the issues with his personality become clearer in the context of the complete story. Near was meant to replace L as the person who would defeat Light.
However, considering that he wasn’t nearly as intelligent as his mentor, he had to refer to his predecessor’s existing observations for any measure of success. Additionally, Near’s personality so closely resembles L’s that it becomes impossible to view him as anything but an inferior copy of a legendary character.