10 Biggest Red Flag Characters in Anime, Ranked

Anime is filled with plenty of well-developed characters that are both worthy of praise and criticism. Due to the varying genres of anime, from shōnen to isekai, there are a multitude of different, varying characters with distinct appearances and personalities. Some of these characters are memorable favorites, like Goku or Naruto. Other fan-favorite characters are anti-heroes, like Eren and Ken Kaneki.

However, even in the wide expanse of beloved characters, there are plenty who deserve their own criticism for their controversial actions or shockingly evil performances. Most characters who were once controversial have grown since their debut; others have just been stuck as red flags in their respective animes. But to those who have grown from their controversial qualities and others who have remained just as controversial, these are the ten red flags in anime.

10 Master Roshi

‘Dragon Ball’ (1986-1989)

When Bulma tracks down the Dragon Balls using her radar, she runs into a young kid named Goku who, despite his bizarre appearance, joins her on her adventure. Along the way, they meet new foes and make new friends.

Master Roshi is first introduced in the Dragon Ball series, though he appears in the other installments as a recurring character. He ultimately becomes Goku and Krillin’s mentor, and though he is extremely powerful and knowledgeable, Master Roshi is also somewhat controversial, as he has some very odd and uncomfortable interactions with a young Bulma, and even then, his perverted nature knows no bounds.

9 Sanemi

‘Demon Slayer’ (2019-2024)

Sanemi is a character in the anime Demon Slayer, which follows demon slayer Tanjiro as he hunts down Muzan to avenge his family and potentially save his sister. Sanemi’s own family was killed by his own mother, who had transformed into a demon herself.

Though not the worst character in all of anime, Sanemi proves to be quite the red flag and controversial character when he uses violence incessantly. This includes when he is unapologetically violent toward his younger brother Genya and even goes as far as to torture Nezuko when she proves to be harmless.

8 Miroku

‘InuYasha’ (2000-2009)

InuYasha follows teenager Kagome as she traverses back and forth between the feudal era and the modern one. As she attempts to find all the missing shards of the sacred jewel, she meets and makes friends along the way, one of whom is Miroku.

Miroku is a monk whose family has been cursed by Naraku. All men in his family receive a curse where one of their palms contains a wind tunnel, and this results in an extremely short lifespan should they use it often. Though kindhearted and somewhat sneaky, Miroku is a perverted monk who sees no qualms in trying to impregnate women and touching them inappropriately. This is undoubtedly his worst quality.

7 Sasuke

‘Naruto: Shippuden’ (2007-2017)

Following the adventures of Naruto, a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto: Shippuden is Naruto’s journey to become Hokage and retrieve Sasuke. Though foes throughout most of the series, Sasuke and Naruto were once teammates before Sasuke realized the betrayal caused by the Hidden Leaf Village.

Sasuke is another case of red flag blues. He originally left the village to obtain power from Orochimaru, another enemy of the Hidden Leaf Village. His awful qualities come from his overwhelmingly abusive and violent nature toward his old allies and even Sakura, who eventually becomes his love interest. Though he grows out of these despicable qualities, it’s hard to forget the kind of person Sasuke was.

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6 Himeno

‘Chainsaw Man’ (2022)

Chainsaw Man follows teenager Denji as he becomes a devil and joins the Public Safety Division to hunt down other demons who need to be stopped. Himeno is another member of the Public Safety Division.

Though harmless and actually very considerate, Himeno has proven to be a somewhat perverted woman when under the influence of alcohol. Though she has eyes only for Aki, after she drinks with Denji, she attempts to sleep with him even though he is a minor, and she is an adult woman. Though nothing ever really happens, apart from some intimate moments, her lack of restraint in a drunken state has proven her to be a somewhat controversial figure.

5 Hampnie Hambart

‘Sunday Without God’ (2013)

Sunday Without God follows young gravekeeper Ai who has to grow up quickly and learn the hard truth of the world. Though oblivious at first—and not necessarily by choice—she doesn’t realize that her village is full of the dead. She learns quickly when a mysterious immortal man named Hampnie Hambart arrives to her village and kills them all.

Hampnie Hambart has proven to be rather violent and aggressive, even toward a young girl such as herself.

Of course, Ai becomes extremely distraught over the loss of the people she loves. But even though she has her own grievances that are rather reasonable, Hampnie Hambart has proven to be rather violent and aggressive, even toward a young girl such as herself. Without hesitation, he is seen kicking her around multiple times, and he even attempts to kill her when her grief becomes too overbearing.

4 Mikey

‘Tokyo Revengers’ (2021-2023)

Tokyo Revengers is an anime series that focuses on the drama surrounding a gang called the Tokyo Manji gang. Its main character Takemichi, finds himself teleported back into the past by twelve years following his ex-girlfriend’s death, and in order to prevent that sad future, he attempts to alter the past.

Mikey is the strongest gang leader in Tokyo Revengers, proving himself to be somewhat of a prodigy in martial arts and karate. While relatively nice to his friends, Mikey has proven to be a rather awful character at times due to his excessive violence and aggression toward others. But most of all, Mikey seemingly becomes a controversial figure in the future, as it is his gang that has overrun Tokyo and is involved in sexual harassment, drug dealing, and murder. Not a good look on Mikey who seems to be responsible for the future of his gang.

3 Hisoka

‘Hunter×Hunter’ (2011-2014)

Hunter×Hunter follows young boy Gon Freecss as he takes a difficult hunter’s exam after learning that his supposedly deceased father is still alive. With his father living as a Hunter, Gon follows the same path to find his dad.

Hisoka is one of many well-developed characters in the Hunter×Hunter series. An important character in the story and a rather intriguing one, Hisoka is close to being one of the most controversial figures seen in anime. Obsessed with the most powerful people, Hisoka has definitely presented some interest in Gon and Killua where it is borderline pedophilic. His obsession has led him to obsess over the duo, which has made his character weird for anyone who watches it.

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2 Vegeta

‘Dragon Ball Z’ (1989-1996)

After the events of Dragon Ball, Goku settles down in the sequel spinoff titled Dragon Ball Z. Unlike the the first series that followed Goku as a child, Dragon Ball Z focuses on adult Goku as he fights some of the universe’s most challenging foes.

One such foe is Vegeta, who was once Goku’s enemy. Though he is an ally now in Dragon Ball Super, he was once one of the most controversial characters in the Dragon Ball series, valuing Saiyan strength over the livelihood of others. It has even gone as far as Bulma admitting that Vegeta has never once admitted to caring about her, despite being her husband. Vegeta has grown plenty since Dragon Ball Z, but that doesn’t make him any less of a controversial character.

1 Griffith

‘Berserk’ (1997-1998)

Berserk follows lone mercenary Guts as he pushes through life despite the trauma inflicted on him. At a young age, he joined the Band of the Hawk after losing to its leader, Griffith, in a duel. Though Griffith and Guts grow closer during their journey together, Griffith is completely devastated when Guts beats him in a duel and decides to leave the mercenary group years down the roat.

This has led to Griffith making bad decisions, and as a result of his bad decisions, he eventually finds himself imprisoned and tortured. After his trauma, Griffith activates the Behelit unintentionally and becomes a God Hand member. This decision leads him to have most of his comrades killed, and Griffith has non-consensual sex with one of his team members. Every decision he makes after his trauma is a controversial one, making Griffith one of the best yet worst anime villains to exist in anime.

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