Anime heroes are among the strongest and most awe-inspiring in television. They typically have humble beginnings, but their tenacity and unbridled determination help them go beyond their goals. There are countless fantastic anime heroes, yet others do not share that same luster.
Some anime characters are underdeveloped or too overpowered. They either have no growth, or no consequences, which makes the shows boring. When audiences always know that the heroes are going to be okay, there are no stakes to keep them hooked. These anime heroes lack the spark and interest that other well-written heroes have.
Updated by Alexandra Locke on June 24, 2023: Anime heroes are among the bravest and most skilled individuals in the genre. Yet, their characters can sometimes fall flat. These poorly-written anime heroes either become too powerful or are relegated to the sidelines. This article has been updated to include even more poorly written anime heroes.
This article contains mention of suicide.
15 Haruka Nanase (Free!)
Haruka Nanase is a member of the Iwatobi Swim Club in Free!. Haru is the best swimmer in the club, but he spends so much of his brain power on “swimming free” that it hinders his personal life.
Not only does Haru push his friends away to achieve ultimate freedom, but he also submerges himself into any body of water he finds. This includes an aquarium display at a sporting goods store. Haru’s one-track mind and disregard for common courtesy solidify him as a poorly-written anime hero.
14 Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
Usagi Tsukino is Sailor Moon – the sworn protector of Earth in the Sailor Moon anime. Despite her lofty title, Usagi cries easily and tries to playfully manipulate others into getting what she wants.
Additionally, Usagi tends to whine often, making her an annoying protagonist. She may be young, but it is hard to root for a hero who constantly complains about the tiniest inconveniences. Usagi also does not help much in battle until the final strike needs to happen.
13 Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)
Tanjiro Kamado is a young man on a vendetta to destroy the king of the demons, Muzan Kibtusuji. Despite only being 15 at the time of the attack and having no training, Tanjiro holds his own against both his newly demonized sister, Nezuko, and the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. Furthermore, Tanjiro's ability to survive against former and current Lower Moons of the Kizuki is a bit of a stretch for someone whose demon-slaying journey has only begun.
Understandably, Tanjiro is the protagonist who fans are supposed to root for, but he succeeds in situations that seem utterly impossible. He even survives after being decimated by Gyutaro in Demon Slayer's Entertainment District arc. While other characters share his "untouchable" problem, Tanjiro stands out for many of his nonsensical successes.
12 Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
Like many protagonists nowadays, Izuku Midoriya begins his journey as a nobody, then explodes into total heroism. There is a short montage of him training to get into U.A. in the first season, and he struggles with how to use smaller amounts of One For All. After that, Izuku faces very few struggles beyond using up his time and energy to fight opponents in My Hero Academia.
No matter the situation, Izuku always comes out unscathed. Izuku also miraculously escapes after fighting with Shiguraki. Plus, his inherent need to be everyone's hero only puts his friends in more danger as they try to protect him. Midoriya would be a great character if he ever faced a single consequence that lasted beyond one fight.
11 Rossiu (Gurren Lagann)
Rossiu began his Gurren Lagann journey after leaving his religious village to keep the balance of people safe. He joins Kamina and Simon and even takes over Gurren for Kamina after his death.
After the time skip, Rossiu makes a complete turnaround in his personality. Whereas he was finally starting to be more open as a teen, he became a severe adult. Despite Simon's wishes, Rossiu stages a coup, but the mission fails in the end. Rossiu is so ashamed of his behavior that he immediately returns to his old village and attempts to take his own life. Thankfully, Simon stops him, but Rossiu's drastic jump from idealized hero to sinister politician seems like too much of a stretch.
10 Jonathan Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Jonathan Joestar is the first in his family to tackle DIO Brando in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Although he is a polite and noble hero, Jonathan lacks the charm and power of his descendants. Furthermore, Jonathan sacrifices too much of himself to stop DIO.
Jonathan's great miscalculation of DIO’s powers seems more like a plot device to shock audiences when DIO revives himself than something Jonathan would actually do. People expected a lot more from Jonathan as the first Joestar and the first Hamon-user.
9 Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Shinji Ikari is one of three Eva pilots from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Their mission to defeat angels is dangerous, and Shinji lets the pressure get to him. He constantly whines about his job, and his fear quickly goes from cowardice to spinelessness.
Most anime heroes would try to swallow their terror, but Shinji leans into his. Shinji’s lack of bravery – while understandable – is annoying to listen to every episode. Plus, it is not compelling to watch these characteristics in a main character.
8 Shirou Emiya (Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Bladeworks)
Shirou Emiya's technopathic abilities are unique to him in the Fate universe, and he is incredibly loyal. However, he also makes many nonsensical decisions that endanger Saber and others.
One of Shirou's worst mistakes is when he uses his last command seal to stop Saber, and she gets impaled. Though everything turns out fine, Shirou's impulsiveness often gets him in trouble. Plus, his and Archer's relationship in Unlimited Bladeworks is convoluted for a lot of fans. Shirou seems like he is going to be a chivalrous hero, but he never quite lives up to even Saber's standard of heroism.
7 Takemichi Hanagaki (Tokyo Revengers)
Takemichi Hanagaki is a downtrodden adult when he is accidentally transported in time to his middle-school self in Tokyo Revengers. He eventually discovers that he is there to save his old girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana, from being killed in the future. Takemichi eagerly takes on the job and frequently goes back and forth in time.
Sadly, no matter what Takemichi does, terrible atrocities continue to befall Hinata. Takemichi is not strong or particularly wise, making it difficult for him to affect change. Plus, he constantly cries, which can get tiresome. Unlike a lot of heroes, Takemichi cannot seem to catch a break, making audiences feel sympathy for him rather than rooting for him.
6 Black Star (Soul Eater)
Black Star is a boisterous Meister from Soul Eater. Black Star is not a typical hero. He lets his ego roam free and he is incredibly impulsive. Black Star acts with such little forethought that his classmates fear for his Weapon, Tsubaki’s, well-being.
Black Star’s self-adulation is not only irritating, but does not make room for any character development. Although his skills improve by the end of the series, fans feel almost nothing for it, since Black Star was already a confident warrior. His lack of insecurities made him much less relatable.
5 Shinra Kusakabe (Fire Force)
Shinra Kusakabe is a bright-eyed newly-minted Fire Soldier in Fire Force. His goal is to find his brother, Sho, and help defeat the mysterious Evangelist.
Shinra's quest sounds like a noble journey, but as time passes, not much happens. Shinra does find Sho but is unable to convince him to leave the White Clad. Plus, Shinra fights incessantly with his fellow soldier, Arthur Boyle, making every scene they are in tedious. There are so many other more powerful and interesting characters that Shinra blends into the background. Shinra is an okay hero in an otherwise bombastic anime.
4 Shinichi Izumi (Parasyte: The Maxim)
Shinichi Izumi lives a normal life until a small creature tries to take over his body in Parasyte: The Maxim. Fortunately, Shinichi stops it from taking his brain, but the creature settles in his hand instead and comes to life.
Like most people, Shinichi is exceedingly reluctant to have an alien for a hand. But he and Migi (the parasite) both risk others finding out about them constantly. Shinichi picks fights with bullies, despite the military hunting down parasites, and he involves many other innocent bystanders in his shenanigans. If Shinichi were more cautious, a lot of casualties could have been avoided.
3 Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)
Eren Yeager has had a mixed reception over the years. Many feel that he is a great character because of his complete personality change. Others feel that the change was too severe. However, after so many seasons, many fans forget what Eren was like at the beginning of Attack on Titan.
Eren's desire to go beyond the walls and his motivation for slaying Titans are both solid plotlines. However, After Eren plugs the hole in Trost, there is a large chunk of time when he does not do much. He practices being a Titan, and he fights Reiner. But once he is captured by Rod Reiss, all of his initial fire seems to leave him. He does not try (much) to escape and is only a husk of his former self. Even once he is free, most of his appearances are in his Titan. Whether fans like Eren's transition from hero to villain, there is no denying that he did not have much growth in the middle of the story.
2 Kirito (Sword Art Online)
Sword Art Online was a cultural phenomenon when it was first released. Kirito's harrowing tale of being trapped in a virtual reality video game delighted fans with its relatively new premise and exciting sword fighting. Kirito is especially impressive, as he learns how to dual-wield swords. Unfortunately, Kirito's inhuman luck starts to go beyond the suspension of disbelief.
The more episodes fans watched, the more nonsensical Kirito became. Every character appears to either be in love with him or fall by his hand. He rarely fails, and even if he does, the mistakes are played as minor inconveniences so as not to affect his heroism. Eventually, every character's obsession with Kirito gets old, and the show is not as much fun to watch since Kirito has no stakes.
1 Shu Ouma (Guilty Crown)
Shu Ouma had a lot of promise as a protagonist in the anime Guilty Crown. Like many heroes, Shu is a normal teenager caught up in a dystopian world and is accidentally gifted with an incredible power. Unfortunately, Shu often hesitates and uses his Power of the King haphazardly.
Shu is frequently selfish and only joins a cause when it suits him best. He makes incomprehensible decisions and even treats his love interest, Inori, with little regard once her true identity is revealed. Shu makes life difficult for the members of Funeral Parlor simply because he is too self-centered to realize how his actions affect them.