History AntiVillain / AnimeAndManga

* Mello and Near from ''Manga/DeathNote'' puts aside their rivalries to play a pivotal role in ending the greatest ever reign of terror by a mass murderer playing God. It just so happens that Mello plays this role by kidnapping, shooting people down (or having others do it for him), and blowing some stuff up, all while working with the Mafia. But it's for the greater good, really! ...And, you know, that raging inferiority complex. As for Near, he serves as a ManipulativeBastard.

** Princess Charlotte is a debatable example, as she is a PrincessClassic who's only a villain by association, and has yet to do anything wrong. Unfortunately, she's also a LivingMacguffin useful in multiple villains' plots ''and'' Griffith's MealTicket, eventually becoming his DarkMistress. As such, through almost no fault of her own, Charlotte nevertheless is a key component to Griffith's goals, and is highly unlikely have ay positive impact on the plot whatsoever.

* Folken Fanel from ''The Anime/{{Vision of Escaflowne}}''. Long, ''long'' before [[spoiler: his abandonment of the Zaibach Empire and HeroicSacrifice seems to be even a faint possibility]], he's set up as a compassionate, thoughtful man who only performs ruthless acts and atrocities for the Empire because he believes they'll eventually lead to a greater good.

* In the anime ''Anime/BlueSeed'', nature God, Lord Susano-oh, is immediately described as the BigBad that wants to destroy the human race, so that his plants the Aragami can rule and dominate. [[spoiler:Turns out that's not true at all. Susano-oh doesn't hate nor want to destroy the human race. He doesn't even control the Aragami. They're controlled the by series' true BigBad, Murakumo. He just wants to return Earth to its rich natural origins, before the dangers of technology and industry destroy the planet for good. Which is why Kaede agrees to side with him and help him achieve his goals.]]

* Lunatic from ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' a [[VigilanteMan vigilante]] who specializes in killing criminals instead of capturing them and is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of his [[KnightTemplar stringent view of justice]]. However, [[KickTheSonOfABitch most of the criminals he executes are truly evil people]], he goes out of his way to avoid endangering innocents and other heroes unless they flat out refuse to get out of his way, and, most importantly, he does thorough research on his targets and, if he believes someone has been WronglyAccused, will actually defend them from police and other heroes. He also has a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds very sympathetic backstory]]. [[spoiler:When he was a child and his father, Mr. Legend, lost his powers, Legend became a brutal {{Domestic Abuse}}r. It eventually reached the point where Lunatic was forced to use his own powers to kill his father to save his mother's life. Ever since then, despite taking care of her well into adulthood, his mother still holds him responsible for the event]].

* Any non-Maniwani villain in ''LightNovel/{{Katanagatari}}'', and you could include the Maniwa Insect Squad. Their motivations earn some sympathy, even if they did [[FaceHeelTurn betray]] Togame, most especially Tsuruga Meisai and her turning that shrine she's in into a refuge and using the swords she got to protect its residents.

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'': At least two members of the Anti-SOS Brigade are this trope. I say "at least" because, though Fujiwara is probably the most traditionally evil character in the series, his ultimate goals are actually pretty noble, due to FridgeLogic, and Kuyou's motivations are completely unknown at this point. The ones who are pretty surely [[AntiVillain Anti Villains]], however, are Kyouko, who prefers not to use violent means to achieve her goal (which, if realized, would make the world more stable, [[CreativeSterility though less interesting]]), and [[IJustWantToBeNormal Sasaki]], who wants nothing whatsoever to do with the supernatural, and is only involved in the plot because the aforementioned Anti-SOS Brigade just will not leave her alone.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':

* Every villain from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' is either this or a CardCarryingVillain. Sometimes both.

* Garou of ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan''. He found the current heroes to fall short of his vision of the IdealHero, so he decided he would defeat those fake heroes in order to draw out the true heroes. Unfortunately, he descends into HeWhoFightsMonsters territory and soon becomes the BigBad.

** In [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]], [[spoiler: ''most'' the Homunculi are presented as tragic figures, especially Wrath and Lust]]. The exceptions in this case are [[spoiler: Pride and Envy]]: the former, [[spoiler: despite [[StepfordSmiler his perceived]] [[VillainWithGoodPublicity congenial and kind image among the people of Amestris]], is shown to be anything but, and is never portrayed sympathetically, and with the way he dispatches the Chimera Marta and especially, later on, with the strangling of his MoralityPet son, is considered the most evil of the Homunculi;]] and the latter [[spoiler: does have a FreudianExcuse of ParentalAbandonment, but it's never seen as sympathetic enough to justify his sadism, violent nature, or [[TheSociopath sociopathy]]. Possibly fitting the common perception that these are the worst of the SevenDeadlySins, [[CoDragons Pride and Envy]] avert this Trope and are very ruthless, full-on villains instead, whereas the other five play it straight to some extent or another.]]

** There are Marine characters who count as this such as: Vice-Admiral Garp (who was willing to let Luffy get off scot free until he was ''ordered'' to go after him), Koby and Helmeppo (who are both friends with the Straw-hats when off-duty), former Admiral Aokiji (who helped Robin escape from the Buster Call on Ohara and managed to get a bunch of the Straw Hats' allies off the hook for helping in the attack against Enies Lobby), Commodore Smoker (who refused to take the credit for defeating the villain that Luffy defeated) and Ensign Tashigi (held off enemies while Luffy was kicking said villain's ass). Admiral Fujitora (who is well aware of the hypocrisy of the Marines and helps get rid of the Shichibukai). [[spoiler: And X-Drake (a deep undercover DoubleAgent pirate working for the Marines).]]

** [[spoiler: Charlotte Pudding, Big Mom’s daughter although AxCrazy and cruel beneath her bubbly persona thanks to her extremely traumatic childhood where she was tormented for the “deformity” that was her ThirdEye. When her fiancé Sanji whom she was supposed to assassinate becomes a SpannerInWorks by complimenting her third eyeball like nobody had done before, Pudding suffers severe VillainousBSOD and is unable to kill Sanji due to her newfound feelings for him while still poorly trying to keep up the impression that she hates and wants to kill him. Soon she helps Sanji and the crew escape Big Mom’s territory and even kisses him but removes Sanji’s memory of it and leaves him, believing herself unworthy of his affection. In “Germa 66's Ahh... An Emotionless Excursion” Cover Story Pudding smacks the captured Niji and Yonji for their abuse of her beloved Sanji.]]
* Garou of ''Anime/OnePunchMan''. He found the current heroes to fall short of his vision of the IdealHero, so he decided he would defeat those fake heroes in order to draw out the true heroes. Unfortunately he descends into HeWhoFightsMonsters territory and soon becomes the BigBad.

** Androids #17 and #18 from the main timeline of are not only stronger than their other counterparts from the {{Alternate Timeline}}s, they are also not nearly as malicious as them. The only reason why they chase Goku is that they think it's like a game and they don't actually try to kill the Z-Fighters, they even spare their lives. It's also shown (in the manga and in filler scenes) that they don't seriously harm other civilians, though in the anime 17 does seemingly kill some rowdy bikers, who to be fair were harassing them

** Broly (unlike his original non-canon incarnation) is this in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly''. Although indisputably the main antagonist of the film, he’s only fighting Goku and Vegeta out of deeply loyal obligation to his abusive father Paragus who’s been raising him as a weapon of revenge against Vegeta since birth. Making matters worse he’s also TheBerserker who becomes increasingly unhinged the more powerful and angry he gets, so even by the time Goku tries deescalating by immobilising Broly with God ki saying he can tell Broly isn’t evil like the other villains he’s faced, it’s too late as Broly breaks free and keeps trying smash Goku to pieces. [[spoiler:Then Frieza (who’ll do anything to insure Goku’s death) kills Paragus and makes it look like Goku did it, causing Broly to go OneWingedAngel in despair which in turn forces Goku and Vegeta to fuse into Gogeta to stop him destroying the planet. Thankfully Cheelai who befriended Broly, makes Shenron wish him away to Vampa and Goku himself goes to Vampa to make amends with his fellow Saiyan.]]
** Dr. Hedo (Gero’s grandson), Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 are this in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperSuperHero''. Hedo is pretty ObliviouslyEvil as he genuinely believes he is a ScienceHero despite many of his creations being sinister and destructive and much like Gohan is an avid fan of cool posing superheroes but is unfortunately gaslight by the new Red Ribbon Army leader Magenta into thinking the Z-Fighters are evil alien monsters working for MadScientist Bulma. He is genuinely appalled at Magenta’s willingness to kidnap and hurt little Pan an innocent girl and he does soon pull a HeelFaceTurn. Hedo’s creations Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 likewise believe they’re on the side of good with Gamma 2 being a SmugSuper at worst and it’s a shock for them when Piccolo and co show them that they are really working for tyrants. [[spoiler:They join the heroes in fighting Cell Max in the climax with Gamma 2 pulling a HeroicSacrifice.]]

** First is Lady Eboshi, the ruler of Irontown who instigates the plot by cultivating the forest for iron angering the animals and spirits and shoots the attacking Boar God Nago who in turn becomes a demon who curses TheHero Ashitaka. However Eboshi herself while arrogant is a very compassionate person who takes in and cares for lepers and prostitutes and does genuinely apologise to Ashitaka for the pain she’s inadvertently brought him. She simply doesn’t care for the forest, valuing industrialism over nature which puts her at odds with it guardians such the titular JunglePrincess San. [[spoiler:Making matters worse the Emperor tasks her with bringing the head of the Forest God in return for his protection against warring Samurai and she dutifully carries it out, almost getting everyone killed when the Forest God becomes GreyGoo and losing an arm to Moro. To her credit she’s very remorseful in the ending and wishes to find Ashitaka and thank him.]]
** Second is Jigo although to a much lesser extent. At first he was a genuine friend and ally to Ashitaka and helped him during his exile, however it’s revealed he is a mercenary of the Emperor [[spoiler: who takes the head of the Forest God and fights Ashitaka and San when they get in his way before finally relenting.]] Similar to Eboshi, he’s not overtly cruel or evil more greedy, self-serving and deeply cynical whilst having some genuine nice traits. This multi-faceted personality is due to Miyazaki wanting a character who couldn’t be easily categorised.

** Androids #17 and #18 from the main timeline of are not only stronger than their other counterparts from the {{Alternate Timeline}}s, they are also not nearly as malicious as them. The only reason why they chase Goku is that they think it's like a game and they don't actually try to kill the Z-Fighters, they even spare their lives. It's also shown (in the manga and in filler scenes) that they don't seriously harm other people.

** There are characters such as Vice-Admiral Garp (who was willing to let Luffy get off scot free until he was ''ordered'' to go after him), Koby and Helmeppo (who are both friends with the Straw-hats when off-duty), Admiral Aokiji (who helped Robin escape from the Buster Call on Ohara and managed to get a bunch of the Straw Hats' allies off the hook for helping in the attack against Enies Lobby), Commodore Smoker (who refused to take the credit for defeating the villain that Luffy defeated) and Ensign Tashigi (held off enemies while Luffy was kicking said villain's ass).

* Garou of ''Anime/OnePunchMan''. He found the current heroes to fall short of his vision of the IdealHero, so he decided he would defeat those fake heroes in order to draw out the true heroes.

*** His status as an AntiVillain is finally driven home when his motivation is revealed. He fights for [[BigBad Aizen]] out of gratitude to him for ending his loneliness, but even then, doesn't ever want to fight seriously. Then, when he finally does decide to get serious, his motivation for doing so is Lilynette pointing out that fighting for real is the only possible way to stop more of his TrueCompanions from dying.

** [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Type II]]: Juvia before her HeelFaceTurn, Jellal (who is also a Type III), The Oracion Seis (Except Brain), [[spoiler:Ultear and Merudy]].

* Fate from Season 1, the Wolkenritter from Season 2, and Zest from Season 3 of ''Franchise/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. Their "villainous" goals range from wanting to see their mother smile to saving an innocent IllGirl from certain death to uncovering the truth behind the deaths of their comrades. All of them fall under the WorthyOpponent type, doing things like holding back to not kill people, and going out of their way to make sure their opponent is okay after she's been attacked by a third party. Scenes of them not in battle portray them as genuinely kind characters that deeply care for their wards and those around them. Almost all of them join the heroes' side after being [[DefeatMeansFriendship befriended]] by Nanoha or her cohorts. In fact, a good portion of Nanoha's current cast is made up of former anti-villains.

** The Egg of The Perfect World was once a deformed outcast of society with no one who loved or cared for him. His life was a living hell, as everyone around him considered him a freak. He was accidentally buried alive when the people began to use his hiding place as a burial pit.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' owns two examples: Rosine, a female Apostle who looks like a pretty moth-fairy, and Sonia, a cute blonde teenage girl who is nothing short of the BigBad's PR and messenger.

* Most villains in ''Manga/CaseClosed'' are {{Sympathetic Murderer}}s, but the case of the person born Seiji Asou is worth some special mention. After narrowly escaping being killed with his family because [[IllBoy he was hospitalized in Tokyo]], he was adopted by his father's friend, Asai, and [[spoiler:grew up into a [[HospitalHottie handsome]], [[DudeLooksLikeALady if girly looking]], [[HospitalHottie doctor]]. He went back to this fishing island as a...''female'' doctor, assuming the feminine name of [[AlternateCharacterReading Narumi]], to investigate and take {{revenge}}. [[MagnificentBastard In 2 years, he killed nearly every one of his targets and nobody even suspected]]. He was caught by Conan -- and despite Conan's pleas for him to live, he chose to [[FaceDeathWithDignity set himself alight with his pianist father's piano]].]]

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''

* Mello & Near from ''Manga/DeathNote'' puts aside their rivalries to play a pivotal role in ending the greatest ever reign of terror by a mass murderer playing God. It just so happens that he plays this role by kidnapping, shooting people down (or having others do it for him), and blowing some stuff up, all while working with the Mafia. But it's for the greater good, really! ...And, you know, that raging inferiority complex. As for Near, he serves as a ManipulativeBastard.

** Scar also fills this role to those who don't believe him an AntiHero. Most of the people Scar kills are shown to be unrepentant war criminals or mooks belonging to the government, which had them commit genocide alongside the war criminals, and a pair killed during a major BSOD during the genocidal war. Even Scar himself admits that he doesn't deserve redemption.

&&*** Psiren the [[ClassyCatBurglar cat burglar]] from the filler episodes is also an example of one. Well, she's supposed to be one anyway and is supposed to be portrayed as a cross between this and a MagnificentBastard, but [[TheScrappy the fandom would disagree]].

* The ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' franchise seems to like antivillains quite a bit.

** Hero-Killer Stain is a vicious murderer that targets heroes that he feels are acting only in their self-interest because he idolizes "real" heroes (i.e. Those who act selflessly and for the sake of right as opposed to for fortune or fame) such as All Might. He ends up saving Izuku's life because he sees Izuku as following in All Might's footsteps. Stain has a good point about the flaws of the hero system, which is filled with many a PunchClockHero and NominalHero who are OnlyInItForTheMoney and/or personal glory, and some are outright villainous behind the scenes (most notably [[spoiler:Endeavor prior to his HeelRealization]]). The problem is that Stain is also ''insane'' and his "solution" to corruption in the hero system is monstrous.
** Later on, we're introduced to villains who are more on the 'anti' side in Gentle Criminal and La Brava. Gentle does his criminal acts in a desperate attempt to leave some mark on the world, and he tries to target people who've done something wrong. La Brava is his sidekick, and follows him mostly BecauseYouWereNiceToMe and his videos gave her reason to live after she was socially shunned and retreated into her house. They're nice enough that when they're caught, they're given the opportunity to use their powers (and La Brava's hacking prowess) for good.

* ''[[Anime/Pokemon3 Pokemon: Spell Of The Unown]]'': Nobody in this movie can honestly be called a ''villain''. Molly Hale/Me Snowdon is just a little girl who lost her parents and accidentally summons the Unown, who use their RealityWarper abilities to grant her wishes. She has no idea that the dream world they've created is slowly crushing the town around her as it expands, and genuinely believes that the dream-Entei they created is her father, and Ash's captured and hypnotized mother is her mother, remaining completely oblivious to the harm her wishes are causing. The Unown are the actual driving force behind everything, but they seem to be an AlmightyIdiot even more oblivious to what's going on than Molly is. Entei is the direct antagonist, but he's just fulfilling Molly's wishes, which he badly misinterprets.

&&*** Psiren the [[ClassyCatBurglar cat burglar]] from the filler episodes is also an example of one. Well, she's [[MoralDissonance supposed to be]] one anyway and is supposed to be portrayed as a cross between this and a MagnificentBastard, but [[TheScrappy the fandom would disagree]].

*** Psiren the [[ClassyCatBurglar cat burglar]] from the filler episodes is also an example of one. Well, she's [[MoralDissonance supposed to be]] one anyway and is supposed to be portrayed as a cross between this and a MagnificentBastard, but [[TheScrappy the fandom would disagree]].

* This trope is fairly common in ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'':
** Finé, from the first season, wanted to destroy the Moon...because that was the key to allowing everyone on Earth to speak the same language again.
** From the second season, Maria Cadenzavna Eve, Kirika Akatsuki, and Shirabe Tsukuyomi all were taking actions that were fairly extreme. They were also working to make sure that humanity would survive after the Moon's orbit had been destabilized during the first season.
** From the fifth season, the group Noble Red made some extremely underhanded moves in their fight against the Symphogear users. They also just wanted to regain their original human bodies.

** Ulquiorra Cifer is also an example of an anti-villainous character in the Espada membership. While he does treat his opponents kindly as well as being a tranquil person, he treats his own comrades like utter shit and looks down on them with disrespect, mainly towards Nnoitra Gilga and Yammy Llargo. He also harshly [[spoiler: hits Yammy for trying to hurt Orihime Inoue and also berating him.]]

** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo Vento Aureo]]'':

** The Puppet Master from [[Anime/GhostInTheShell the film]] is a WellIntentionedExtremist who only wants the same rights extended to AIs [[spoiler: of which he is one]] as humans.