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Often in anime, the protagonist encounters an enemy who is either in deep inner turmoil or has abandoned their morality for a specific reason. These characters are still immoral, but they aren't entirely beyond saving. This, however, depends entirely on the assumption that hero spares them and helps them to break free of the chain that binds them.

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Such characters are mainly dealt with in two ways; either they disappear after their defeat and are never seen again, or they decide to become friends with the heroes. The chance at redemption is often the preferred one, and it leads to extraordinary character development arcs. Over the years, many reputable enemies have changed their ways and become better people.

7 Vegeta

Vegeta in Dragon Ball

Before becoming a Z fighter, Vegeta was a ferocious enemy who had stood in Goku's way many times. Vegeta bore an extremely ill will toward Goku, and he wanted to destroy the latter at all costs. As the story progressed, Vegeta underwent a major transformation, which changed him a lot.

He became friendlier and the people living on earth did not have to fear him anymore. Vegeta even started to respect Goku and considered him an amazing rival. Eventually, Vegeta married Bulma and had two kids, whom he loves very much. The most surprising thing about Vegeta is that he is undoubtedly a better father to his kids than Goku.

6 Gaara (Naruto)

Naruto Gaara Being Betrayed As A Child

Gaara was introduced in the Chunin Exams arc, and at the time, he came off as an extremely menacing character. Throughout the arc, Gaara showed his dark side as he killed his opponents mercilessly one after the other. He managed to seriously wound Rock Lee, and he would have killed him if Might Guy had not stepped in to save his precious student. The damage to Lee's body was so severe that even Tsunade had doubts if the young ninja could ever recover completely.

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Gaara's behavior stemmed from the bad experiences he had when he was a kid. The people of the Hidden Sand feared him, and his own father tried to assassinate Gaara multiple times. Nobody confronted Gaara as they believed that he would kill them, but when he fought against Naruto, everything changed. The Hidden Leaf ninja understood how difficult it was to be a jinchuuriki and his words moved Gaara, who realized his mistakes. After their fight, Gaara was finally able to show kindness to his siblings and friends.

5 Kakyoin (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Kakyoin Wearing Sunglasses Jojo Part 3

Kakyoin is one of the most recognizable anime characters on the internet. The main reason behind his popularity is the iconic cherry-licking scene, which has become a template for countless memes. Aside from giving anime fans many incredible memes, Kakyoin was also a great character.

When he made his debut in the series, Kakyoin was working as a henchman for DIO and his job was to get rid of Jotaro. However, Jotaro's Star Platinum proved to be too powerful for Kakyoin and his Hierophant Green. After suffering a crushing defeat, Kakyoin joined Jotaro's group as they made their way to Egypt.

4 Teruki (Mob Psycho 100)

Teruki Hanazawa

Teruki used to be the leader of the Shadow Vinegar Middle School. He was an extremely skilled esper, who had no problem using his power to assert his superiority over other people. Before meeting Mob, Teruki was quite full of himself, and he considered himself to be the best esper.

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Blinded by his foolishness, Teruki overestimated himself while fighting Mob, but it did not take long for the latter to humiliate him. Seeing Mob's power and humility, Teruki realized his folly, and he decided to become friends with him.

3 Bon Clay (One Piece)

Luffy & Bon Clay In Impel Down

Initially, Bon Clay served under Crocodile in Baroque Works, which made him an enemy of the Straw Hat Pirates. After Luffy's victory over Crocodile, Bon Clay was no longer bound to serve his boss, and he could do as he pleased. Bon Clay had developed a strong affection for Luffy and his crew, so he decided to become friends with them.

To prove his friendship, Bon Clay helped the Straw Hats to escape from the Marines in Alabasta, which landed him in Impel Down. When Luffy needed help in escaping from Impel Down, it was Bon Clay who sacrificed himself yet again, and enabled the prisoners to escape from the prison.

2 Thorkell (Vinland Saga)

Thorkell the Tall in Vinland Saga

Thorkell is an exceptional warrior, who only lives for the sake of fighting. For the majority of the first season, Thorkell was competing against Thorfinn and Askeladd's group. He fought the two several times, and on one occasion, he came close to killing both of them.

In order to survive Thorkell's onslaught, Thorfinn had to work with Askeladd. The duo barely managed to stop Thorkell, but this was a turning point in the story, as shortly afterward, Thorkell joined Canute's cause and became his loyal underling. The addition of Thorkell to the group made them significantly stronger.

1 Serpico (Berserk)

Serpico fighting Guts

Serpico is Farnese's half-brother and a member of Guts' group. Originally, Serpico was against Guts' methods, and he only traveled with the group as he was looking for an opportunity to kill Guts. When the chance finally came, Serpico could not defeat Guts, which made him realize that it was futile, so he gave up on his goal and stopped trying altogether.

He is a very talented swordsman, who can fight against monsters without any problems. Over time, Serpico has proven to be a very valuable member of the group.

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