Top 10 Anime Betrayals That Still Hurt

Spoilers for every series named, obviously. A great betrayal is not just a twist; it recontextualizes everything before it. These ten did exactly that.

The rankings

1. Griffith, Berserk. The Eclipse is the betrayal every other one is measured against. A friend sacrifices his entire army for godhood, and the story never recovers, by design.
2. Aizen, Bleach. The reveal that the gentle captain faked his own death and orchestrated the whole Soul Society arc is Bleach’s finest hour.
3. Reiner and Bertholdt, Attack on Titan. Delivered mid conversation, almost casually, which is why it lands like a truck.
4. Itachi, Naruto. A betrayal that turns out to be a sacrifice, revealed years too late for Sasuke to forgive himself.
5. Kyubey, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Not malice, just indifference, which is worse.
6. Lelouch, Code Geass. Betrays everyone, including the audience, for the sake of the world.
7. Muzan and Doma, Demon Slayer. Doma’s kindness to Shinobu’s sister is the cruelest thing in the series.
8. Shou Tucker, Fullmetal Alchemist. A father’s betrayal of his daughter, and the moment the show declared it was not for kids.
9. Mahito and Geto, Jujutsu Kaisen. Geto’s body being worn by someone else is the betrayal Gojo cannot process.
10. Askeladd, Vinland Saga. Killing Thors is the wound the entire series exists to heal.

Why betrayals work in anime

Long serialized stories give you years with a character before the knife goes in. That is a luxury few other mediums have, and the best mangaka use it ruthlessly.

My take: Griffith is untouchable at number one, but Reiner’s reveal is the one I think about most. It was written to be missed the first time, and that is genius.