This is okay to some people, and it makes others throw up in their mouth. Because sometimes you really don’t want a world full of rainbows where everyone loves each other, and hugs are the ultimate weapon. So let’s head in the exact opposite direction as we talking about a handful of anime shows where the MC is just flat-out hated.
15. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (David Martinez)
Okay, I put David in this spot, but I really mean anyone who’s not filthy rich. Because man does this world not like poor people (couldn’t be ours though). David’s mother was basically left to die in the middle of the street just because she didn’t have a high enough package. And in school, everyone openly hated David simply for not being able to afford the higher-end gear. He then got new gear and was hated (for a bit) by Maine because it was originally meant for him and not David. So, the first episode really just kept handing David Ls. And being how he becomes an influential and powerful criminal, later on, plenty of new people started hating him along the way. Sure, it’s not too extreme – but I wanted an excuse to talk about this show.
14. Assassination Classroom (Class 3-E)
If there’s one thing anime has taught me about high school, it’s that there’s always a hierarchy. Well, that, and that the student president always wears glasses and is evil. And in Assassination Classroom, you can really feel the hierarchical divide – with class 3-E being at the very bottom. Like seriously, other students basically tell horror stories about joining 3-E. Not to mention that all of its students are seen as something between an inferior lifeform and the bogyman. But the best part is the fact that the group everyone is hating on is both saving the world and training as professional killers – which are the two types of people you never want to mess with!
13. A Silent Voice (Shoya Ishida)
Initially, it was Shoko that was getting all the hate (which is just terrible). She got bullied constantly and it didn’t take long for most of her class to completely dismiss her. But then karma struck and Shoya became the most hated dude in school. Not only was he bullied by other classmates but even his own friends completely turned on him. And unlike Shoko, it lasted for quite a while. Even after the time skip, it takes ages for anyone to give Shoya a proper chance (besides Tomohiro because he’s an angel). His friendships were fragile as even mentioning what he had done to Shoko would unleash a new wave of hatred from those around him. My dude was properly depressed for quite a while – being completely isolated from all those around him. But what can you do – you reap what you sow.
12. Black Clover (Asta)
In a world where magic is literally everything, having zero of it makes you stick out like a sore thumb. Especially if you also claim that you’ll become the Wizard King. For this reason, everyone just hates Asta upon meeting him (especially if they have some blue blood). His character also didn’t do him any favors initially – as he screamed at the top of his lungs constantly and kept getting into fights. And seeing how his eventual power comes from demons – you can see why a lot of people are still pretty torn up over this walking bicep. I also want to give an honorable mention to Zora’s father. Man, people hated that lovable dork to hell and back.
11. Jujutsu Kaisen (Yuji Itadori)
Itadori was simply seen as a walking time bomb. And honestly, I can’t really blame most of the characters who saw him this way. After all, the dude had the most powerful curse in existence casually chilling out inside of him – with his resurrection being a very valid possibility. Plus, he didn’t come from a fancy family with hundreds of years of history (unlike most of the top players). Therefore it isn’t all that surprising that the higher-ups tried to take Itadori out of the picture a few times. I’ll also say that Gojo came in a close second. Although the fanbase would give their life for him – most of the characters hate the dude. But what can you expect when you’re the strongest dude around and don’t feel like playing nice?
10. Naruto (Naruto Uzumaki)
There are a few characters in Naruto that would fit this list. Sasuke was basically a terrorist in Shippuden, so he was hated by everyone except Naruto. Sakura was just hated by the fanbase. And characters like Gaara and Itachi were downright tragic but they’re technically not the main characters. Therefore, we’ll go with the dude the show’s named after! It’s basically a meme at this point about how badly Naruto was treated growing up (even though his dad saved the entire village and carried legend status). He was made to live all alone, had no friends, and was actively avoided in public due to the Nine Tails sealed inside him. There were plenty of solo swings and even more sad violin. And just like Asta, Naruto was loud and headstrong – which meant butting heads with everyone who thought he was all talk. It took saving the entire village for him to finally get the respect he deserved all along.
9. Saga of Tanya the Evil (Tanya Degurechaff)
Tanya was a ruthless military commander – inspiring fear in comrades and foes alike. On the battlefield, she was considered a demon, and had many soldiers vow to one day take her down. It probably happened so frequently that Tanya stopped even noticing the difference. And even her own troops weren’t always safe – as Tanya took discipline very seriously. She’ll beat you senselessly in front of everyone if you start talking back or whining. And let’s not forget that one time she literally Fortnite danced on the enemy’s territory and pissed off an entire country! Overall, if you manage to even have beef with God, it’s safe to assume that you aren’t all that well-liked.
8. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Rudeus Greyrat)
In his original life, people really seemed to hate Rudeus’ guts. It started off with just an insane amount of bullying – eventually leading to him being tied to the school fence naked. No clue why they hated him though. He then turned into a complete shut-in, refusing to exit his room even when his family members were dying. I can very much understand why his family hated him for that one. However, things did get better in the isekai world. He’s still quite the perv (which rubs certain characters and audience members the wrong way). But at least he’s not tied to a fence anymore.
7. Dororo (Hyakkimaru)
Now we’re getting into characters that were honestly just playing life on hard difficulty. Before he was even born, Hyakkimaru lost 99% of what made him human just so that his father can have a prosperous land. And being how he became a murderous Pinocchio later on – most strangers didn’t care much for him either. But the insane part is that both his father and brother doubled down! His brother was adamant about killing him up until the very end. He even had the nerve to call Hyakkimaru selfish for wanting his own body back! And when your own family treats you this badly, you have to admit that you’ve been given some really bad cards in life.
6. Blue Exorcist (Rin Okumura)
Remember Naruto, and how everyone hated him for having the Nine Tail Fox? Well, even that seems somewhat desirable when compared to Rin’s situation. While his family and most of his friends were all exorcists, Rin had direct ties to Satan himself. So it comes as no surprise that Mephisto originally just wanted to kill Rin – only changing his mind out of pure curiosity. But even after that initial conflict, there was still hatred for Rin in the air. Even some of the closest people in his life subconsciously blamed him for what had happened to Shiro and associated him with Satan. Plus (just like every other shounen protagonist) Rin was extremely loud and definitely stepped on every toe in his way. So he wasn’t doing himself any favors either.
5. Attack on Titan (Eren Yeager)
Eren had three major phases in terms of being hated by everyone around him. In phase one he was just too loud and cocky. He thought he was the very best (like no one ever was) and even accused other people of not taking their position seriously enough. In phase two, he did the classic shounen thing and became the very thing he (and everyone around him) hated. He was treated as a monster and had to plead for his life on more than one occasion. Not to mention that he got kidnapped at least a dozen times. And in phase three he just decided to go to war against the rest of the world. Because if everyone wants to hate you so bad, you might as well hate them back! No matter at which point of the timeline you are, someone is hating Eren for something.
4. Casshern Sins (Casshern)
When the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, you sort of have to assume that there aren’t many positive vibes going around. With sentient robots all over the world only now getting the message that they’re actually mortal and have to face death – it’s like a never-ending Monday. But Casshern somehow managed to get an even more miserable life – as everyone thought that eating him would grant them immortality. So as you could imagine, not many took the time to sit down and have a chat. In fact, most just went for the kill straight away and relied on their supposed immortality to catch up on manners and ethics.
3. Redo of Healer (Keyaru)
If you’ve seen the show, you’ll know that it’s one of the most R-rated revenge stories in anime. And while I can’t condone literally anything this dude does, I can also clearly see how he got so messed up. In the original timeline, Keyaru was treated like the scum of the earth. Actually, even that is putting it too lightly as saying “of the earth” implies that he lives on the same planet as the rest of us. The other characters drugged, beat, and did other non-PG things to Keyaru on a daily basis. And when I say non-PG, I want you to think along the lines of Berserk. His life was as valuable as a fallen leaf and people really didn’t try to make him believe any different. The dude was just straight-up hated by everyone for no reason whatsoever. However, he at least fixes this little issue in the second timeline (mostly thanks to disguising himself).
2. The Rising of the Shield Hero (Naofumi Iwatani)
When you saw the title of this list, you might’ve assumed that Naofumi was going to be at the number one spot. And I can’t blame you. The first two episodes of Shield Hero were an emotional rollercoaster that firmly cemented Malty as the most hateable character in all of anime. But in universe, it was Naofumi that got all the negative attention. Shield heroes weren’t that beloved to start with and now everyone thought he was also a monster. Needless to say, no one invited him with open arms. The dude literally had to buy a slave in order to have a travel companion – that’s how much everyone hated his guts!
1. Uncle from Another World (Yousuke Shibazaki)
If this was the first isekai to have ever come out, I think the genre would’ve died right then and there. Not because the show is bad (it’s quite the gem actually), but because of how undesirable an isekai life would seem. After all, this guy lived the unluckiest, most devastating life imaginable in the new world! People would literally take one look at him and call the knights to have him killed, or spit in his face out of disgust. One of the main reoccurring jokes in the show is how often this man has been chased by an entire village just because everyone hated his face that much. And even the “friends” he made along the way constantly lashed out at him (usually because he wouldn’t shut up about SEGA). So I can confidently say that he’s the most hated MC I’ve ever seen in anime.
