There’s something undeniably satisfying about watching villains in anime undergo a complete transformation and become the heroes we cheer for.
There are times when I find myself liking them even more than the main character! It just goes to show how powerful a redemption arc can be.
This transformation of characters from villains to allies introduces a fresh perspective to the narrative and enhances its appeal. So, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 most impressive redemption arcs in anime.
The best part is when the redemption arc is done well; it makes the character growth and progression so fulfilling to watch. Watching the characters realize the errors of their ways and make up for them, in the end, is totally worth it.
10Isabella’s Character Evolution in The Promised Neverland
At first, Isabella seemed like the perfect ‘mom’ to all the orphaned kids, but it turned out she was actually running a meat plant for demons!
But it wasn’t all black and white. Isabella herself was once an orphan and was forced to accept this job to survive. Still not the best excuse, but at least we could kind of understand her motives.
Isabella was very conniving and almost ruined the kids’ escape plans multiple times in The Promised Neverland. But in the end, she helped them and sacrificed herself to save Emma from a demon attack.
It was a pretty shocking redemption arc, to say the least. I was pleasantly surprised with how it all played out. It shows that sometimes people can surprise you, even when they seem irredeemable.
9Chimera Ant Arc in Hunter x Hunter
At first, Meruem was portrayed as a big, evil, and ruthless leader of the Chimera Ants who was willing to kill anyone who crossed his path. But then he met Komugi, a blind girl who was a pro at the board game Gungi.
Meruem was only playing with her for fun, but then he started losing, and that really got to him. He couldn’t believe that a mere human could beat him at his own game.
As Meruem kept playing with Komugi during the Chimera Ant arc, he began to appreciate her more. He started to see the value of human life and realized that maybe they weren’t all just food for him and his ant army.
Before Meruem passed away, he spent his final moments with Komugi, holding her hand and telling her how much she meant to him. He died knowing what love feels like.
Komugi taught him that humans aren’t worthless and he’s capable of feeling emotions. It’s a beautiful arc and definitely one of my favorites in the series.
8Endeavour Agency Arc in My Hero Academia
Endeavor wasn’t exactly the poster boy for good parenting. In fact, he was pretty much the opposite – abusive and neglectful to his wife and kids.
But even though he was a total jerk, he somehow managed to become the No. 1 Pro Hero after All Might retired. And that’s where things got interesting.
Endeavor from My Hero Academia started to realize how his actions had hurt his family, and he tried to make amends. It wasn’t easy, but he was committed to becoming a better person and a better hero.
Honestly, I was skeptical about his redemption arc at first. But watching him try to make up for his past mistakes and help his son Shoto deal with his brother Dabi, it’s clear that he was trying to be a better dad and hero. He isn’t there yet, but he is on the right path.
7Reiner Braun’s Journey in Attack on Titan
Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie were responsible for kicking off the whole storyline of Attack on Titan by breaching Wall Maria. But after their mission was discovered, Reiner was left with a lot of emotional baggage.
After Marley’s attack on Paradis didn’t go as planned, Reiner faced his former comrades in the 104th Scout Regiment. Things got pretty heated, but eventually, they all decided to work together to stop the Rumbling.
As Attack on Titan went on, I learned that there was a lot more to him than meets the eye. Reiner was actually from the Liberio Internment Zone, where the Marley government shoved all the Eldians they didn’t like.
He joined the Marley Warriors to give his mom a better life and became the Armored Titan alongside Bertholdt and Annie.
6Guts’ Development in The Conviction Arc of Berserk
Guts didn’t have your typical redemption story. He wasn’t exactly going from evil to good, but his character development was definitely a type of redemption.
Casca had gone missing, and he had to rescue her from these insane, Apostle-like demons.
In the Conviction Arc, Guts was thrown into a town controlled by a twisted religion, where he began to change. He had always been a lone wolf, but he started to form a bond with his traveling companions and even learned to trust strangers.
Guts might have been a feared mercenary with a dark past, but he had a heart of gold buried deep down. And in the Conviction Arc, we saw it shine through as he protected Casca and fought his way through a town full of corrupt zealots.
5Greed’s Change of Heart in FMAB
Greed went through a mental breakdown in FMAB and even killed one of his former comrades to finally come around. Once his soul was transplanted into Ling Yao’s body, he started to see the bigger picture.
He ended up helping everyone fight against Father and even managed to take down Wrath. When Father absorbed Greed’s soul, he unwittingly made himself vulnerable.
Greed’s abilities manipulated Father’s body and made him brittle, which was pretty darn satisfying to watch. And even though Greed’s soul moved on to the afterlife, his last thoughts were of his friends Ling and Edward.
Greed’s redemption arc was unexpected, but it was also a testament to the power of growth and change. Seeing a character go from full-on villain to hero was pretty awesome.
4Vegeta’s Transformation in DBZ Majin Buu Saga
Vegeta used to be a straight-up villain. He destroyed planets with Nappa by his side, serving under Frieza. And let’s not forget his infamous arrogance, like expecting everyone to cater to him and not wanting his shirts to be pink.
Vegeta’s redemption arc was one of the most memorable in DBZ, showcasing his growth as a character. It took him a while, but he eventually became one of Earth’s protectors and even one of Goku’s greatest allies.
It started from the Cell Saga, where he began to change little by little. He realized the error of his ways and used his new powers to defeat Buu, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
3Reiko’s Conversion in Parasyte
Reiko was pretty much the textbook definition of a psychopath. She was a parasite who took over a human host and was utterly indifferent to the damage she caused to humanity. But then, she gave birth to a child, and things changed.
Reiko Tamura from Parasyte didn’t immediately feel a bond with her human baby, but over time, she started to care for him so much that she sacrificed her own life to protect him.
At first, she wasn’t really into the whole motherhood thing, but she formed a bond with her kid that was stronger than anything else. It was crazy to see how she went from being this cold-hearted parasite to showing true love for her child.
2Itachi Uchiha’s Redemption Arc in Naruto
You couldn’t talk about redemption arcs in anime without mentioning Itachi Uchiha from Naruto. At first, I thought he was a real jerk for killing off his whole clan, but then I found out he had a pretty darn good reason for it.
He was forced to choose between his clan or a larger war, and it was either kill his family or everyone dies. Talk about a messed up situation.
After Itachi Uchiha died and got brought back, Sasuke learned the truth about everything. Even then, it took a while for fans to really warm up to Itachi’s redemption.
Sure, he did some shady stuff to Sasuke, like putting him through the Sharingan torture, but in his mind, it was all for the greater good. And even though he died from an illness while fighting Sasuke, he managed to redeem himself by helping Sasuke save the world.
1Shoya’s Growth in A Silent Voice
Shoya Ishida started off as a bully toward a deaf girl named Shoko, and it was heartbreaking to see how much pain he caused her. But the story didn’t just focus on the bullying itself – it went deeper and showed us the demons that Shoya had to face.
Shoya’s journey towards making amends with Shoko was very heartwarming, and it was amazing to see how much he grew as a person throughout A Silent Voice.
Shoya had to work hard to repay for the hearing aids and lose all of his friends to fully understand the severity of his actions.
Watching him struggle to make amends and redeem himself wasn’t easy, but it was such an important message about taking responsibility for your actions.
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