Betrayals inanimeare nothing new. Some betrayals are obvious and easy to predict, while others leave you in a state of shock and utter disbelief. The latter are the best kind of betrayals, offering a higher level of engagement with the anime you are watching.
The impact of the twist is even bigger when the betrayal targets a friend, family, or even an entire nation. If executed well, it can evoke intense emotions, making us feel the same sense of anger and heartbreak as the characters themselves. A well-written story uses this opportunity to explore the characters more deeply and force them to grow.
8Obito Uchiha
Naruto
Obito was a cheerful and wholesome child until he was rescued by Madara and forced to see many painful things. He eventually despaired at the misery of the world, choosing to abandon it entirely and create a dream world where everyone can live happily.
Obito then betrayed his best friend, his teacher, and the entire village by releasing the Nine Tails on the leaf village. He was responsible for many atrocities, including the murder of Naruto’s parents and the start of the fourth great ninja war. Whether you agree with his actions or not, Obito is definitely an amazing character who fulfills his role in the story.
7Sosuke Aizen
Bleach
Aizen was once a captain who pretended to be a kind leader for a hundred years. He would eventually betray everyone who looked up to him, along with the whole of Soul Society. His goal was to become the Soul King and rule over everyone.
No one knew the real Aizen until he betrayed them, making it hurt even more. Interestingly enough, Aizen didn’t have any trouble doing what he did. He was confidently smiling the entire time and rubbing the betrayal in. He is certainly one of thesmartest and most menacing villainsout there.
6Suguru Geto
Jujutsu Kaisen
Geto’s betrayal doesn’t come as a surprise because we already knew Geto as a villain. However, his motivations and backstory largely remained unknown. It was later revealed that Geto despaired at the world, which slowly pushed him to the edge, and he betrayed Gojo.
Even if the betrayal isn’t shocking, Geto’s slow change is written well and shown brilliantly through the visuals. While his actions are objectively wrong, he is an understandable character. Not to mention, none of his colleagues helped with what he was going through. On top of that, the first-grade sorcerer who sat to talk with Geto made the whole thing much worse.
5Light Yagami
Death Note
After finding the Death Note, Light decides to go on a killing spree in the name of justice. He eventually finds Misa, a girl deeply in love with Light. The first thing Light thinks of his betraying Misa and using her for his own benefit.
Light manipulates Misaas much as possible, essentially using her as a tool. It’s not a shocking betrayal. In fact, it’s expected. But it’s written so well that it still gets under your skin. The betrayal also fits Light’s character perfectly and adds more questions to his morality.
4Eren Yeager
Attack On Titan
Technically, Eren didn’t completely betray his friends because he was willing to destroy the world for them. However, he went against their ideals and brutally beat up Armin. Eren said awful things to Mikasa and even locked the scouts up. This more than qualifies as betraying your friends, regardless of your intentions.
Controversial actions aside, Eren is still one of the most fascinating and brilliantly written characters in anime. He has a long history that shapes his decisions and his whole character. All of his actions are understandable and make sense within the bounds of his character. However, they still come across as utterly shocking.
3Takasugi Shinsuke
Gintama
Takasugi grew up with his best friends, Gintoki and Katsura. He was a kind person who helped out greatly in the Joui War. However, their Sensei was taken and Gintoki was forced to kill him to save his friends. While Takasugi understood Gintoki’s actions, he hated the world that forced their Sensei to suffer. Ultimately, Takasugi betrayed both of his friends and chose the wrong path.
Takasugi is a highly complex character whose true motivations were unknown until the very end. He was hurting from the inside and wanted to destroy the world and also himself. We all knew Takasugi as the main bad guy, so his betrayal wasn’t as shocking as seeing his backstory.
2Yuga Aoyama
My Hero Academia
Aoyama was the eccentric and cheerful student inUA’s class 1-A. Almost no one expected him to be working for All For One and leaking the heroes' information to him. The reveal was both shocking and sad at the same time, as Aoyama was blackmailed and didn’t want to betray his friends.
Very small hints about Aoyama’s true intentions were shown throughout the earlier seasons of My Hero Academia. They were cleverly placed, making them impossible to notice until you rewatch the anime all over again.
1Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke betrayed the entire village and his friends in Team Seven, who had become like family to him. He did all of this because he was obsessed with revenge, leading him to seek out more power by any means necessary.
It wasn’t entirely Sasuke’s fault, considering he was just a child being manipulated by both Itachi and Orochimaru. He may come across as selfish, but Sasuke is a tragic character who had to see many traumatic things even after leaving the village.
