The life of an anime protagonist isn't just ultimate power, fangirls/fanboys, glitz, and glamour. Sometimes life in the limelight means pain and suffering. Whether it be a painful past with a childhood filled with bitter memories, a long journey that leads to agonizing tests of strength and heart, or both, anime protagonists must earn their character development somehow!

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However, too much character development can push someone in the wrong direction and in the end, leave audiences with a sympathetic villain. Here are some anime characters that suffered from so much "character development" that no one would blame them if they decided to give up their good heart and become a villain.

7 Naruto (Naruto)

Naruto Uzumaki Sad Childhood

Many newer Boruto fans may not know the troubled past of the new generation's original protagonist. Despite now being the prestigious Hokage, the village of Konoha once shunned young Naruto for many years of his childhood. At birth, Naruto was unfortunately chosen to act as the Junchuriki for the nine-tails known as Kurama. Junchurikis are humans that serve as a vessel for one of the powerful tailed beasts and must live with the beast sealed inside of them.

Due to the fear surrounding the dangerous Kurama, the rest of Konoha treated young Naruto with horror and disgust, leaving him with no friends or family to lean on when times got rough. Most people would find it rather easy to turn their back on the people that once treated them so poorly. However, a bright-eyed, optimistic Naruto fought his hardest against all odds and won the trust (and hearts) of both his friends and the citizens of Konoha, leading him to be the Hokage he dreamed of.

6 Mikey (Tokyo Revengers)

Mikey Tokyo Revengers

It's beginning to be clear that what lies at the crux of Tokyo Revengers is Mikey. Mikey (real name Manjiro Sano) is at the head of the famous Tokyo Manji Gang and naturally holds a great amount of power; controlling Mikey meant controlling a big authority. Antagonist Kisaki is trying to make his way to the Toman leader and gain his trust to bend Mikey's will into whatever he wants.

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Mikey has already suffered losing one of the closest people in his life; his guide and voice of reason: his older brother. As if that wasn't enough, Mikey now must live with the fact that his childhood friend, Baji, died trying to protect him in the end. Mikey may have suffered a great deal and has done his fair share of damage (so far), but luckily for him, he has the golden-hearted Takemichi by his side to travel back into the past, to ensure that the unbeatable Mikey is always grounded.

5 Vash (Trigun Stampede)

Vash Trigun Stampede Finale

Vash is a kind soul, yet because of his involvement with his brother, Knives, every human in sight thinks he's bad news. Despite how much Vash tries to help people, it seems as if the ties with Knives always brings him misfortune, causing more trouble than good. Vash doesn't believe in killing humans, regardless of how endlessly they try and hunt him down.

Even when confronted by his brother, Knives, Vash still remains unconvinced. Although Knives is right about how humanity doesn't see independent plants (like themselves) as equals, deserving of kindness or rights, Vash insists on staying true to his peace-loving self. No one would blame Vash if he one day decided to finally fight back, but being the kind-hearted man he is, will always try to keep the peace.

4 Gaara (Naruto)

Naruto Gaara Childhood

Young Gaara was unfortunate enough to experience an eerily similar childhood to the title character, Naruto. Over in Suna (the sand village), Gaara was also chosen as the Jinchuriki for the one-tailed beast named Shukaku with the intent of later using him as a weapon. Gaara was of course shunned and seen as nothing but a monster because of this power sealed inside of him. He was treated harshly by both the adults and children in the village, leaving him with no one to turn to except his uncle, Yashamaru.

While Gaara thought he had at least one person that loved him, he one day discovers that the masked assassin that tried to kill him was the one person he thought would protect him: Yashamaru. This was Gaara's breaking point and had Naruto not intervened and shown Gaara how to trust and love again, Gaara could have found his way down a dark path. Luckily, after meeting Naruto and seeing his similar situation, Gaara turned things around for himself and began to show compassion to those around him.

3 Deku (My Hero Academia)

My Hero Academia Deku

After proving all his friends and foes wrong about their doubts about his capabilities, My Hero Academia's Deku had yet another problem on the road to Number One. After evacuating citizens into a safety zone, U.A.'s class A decides to bring Deku in for him to rest up after taking on multiple battles on his own. Poor Deku had taken it upon himself to distance himself from everyone, ensuring that every fight was his own, in fear that more innocent citizens or heroes would get hurt.

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The citizens (despite all the good Deku had done for them) were lightning fast to deny him entry; claiming that it would be dangerous to let him in as the villains were after him, and him alone. Instead of trying to argue or even throw a (well-deserved) fit about how many people he had saved, Deku simply tried to leave. The kind-hearted protagonist not only tried to obey everyone's wishes for him to leave, but he didn't even try to guilt-trip them about how selfish they were being!

But at the end of the day, no one would blame him if Deku decided to catch a bit of an attitude if he did at that moment!

2 Denji (Chainsaw Man)

Chainsaw Man Anime Denji's Transformation Scene

It's true that Denji is technically under a contract with Makima to ensure his loyalty to the Public Dafety Devil Hunters, but his attitude is what is important. Although he is faithful to humanity by contract (and the fear of his own life), Denji's outlook on the human race hasn't changed much. Denji quickly sees how awful devils are treated after his fusion with Pochita. All of a sudden, he wasn't just treated as trash because he was a beggar, but also because he was a dangerous devil.

Denji's suffered a great deal of pain, both physically and mentally, throughout his life, yet still manages to keep his head up. His cheery demeanor and carefree attitude aren't something simple. After all the horrific events poor Denji has gone through, it would be easy to lose one's mind; descend into darkness and turn to a life of violence. Denji has more than enough reason to turn his back on humans (or even just the world in general), but still somehow has it in his heart to enjoy all the smaller things in life.

1 Guts (Berserk)

A piece of fan art sees Berserk's black swordsman going into battle against Elden Ring's Godrick the Grafted.

It's easy to go through something so incredibly traumatic and think, "if I had to suffer, why shouldn't others know this pain as well?". However, Berserk's Guts, despite the horrific things he witnessed and experienced, turned things around for himself. Although it had taken a while, Guts eventually found himself with a group of comrades he can comfortably call friends.

While Griffith took nearly everything from him, Guts took his time to find himself and eventually turned that anger into something positive; a pushing force to make him continue his goals and never give up. After witnessing the things Guts did, no one would question him if he fell into a life of darkness, meaningless violence, and pushing everyone that cared about him away. Rather than wanting others to suffer the agonizing life he had for himself, Guts (unlike Griffith) is the one to try and help others because he knows what it means to suffer, and doesn't wish it upon anybody else.

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