Top 10 Anime Betrayals [2024]

A lot of anime plots have their ups and downs and twists and turns, but what makes a lot of them memorable is a good ol’ betrayal.

Yep, we’re a sucker for a surprising backstabbing deception, so we’ve compiled what we thought were the best of the best.

This is not a drill or a meme, folks. Here are 10 of the best anime betrayals!

Anime Betrayals

Kyubey and the Truth About Magical Girls (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Kyubey started out like a lot of mahou shoujo sidekicks – tiny, cute, and a helpful guide the magical girls can depend on.

Sadly, Puella Magi Madoka Magica isn’t your typical magical girl anime, and Kyubey definitely isn’t your usual adorable animal sidekick.

In the show, one can become a magical girl by accepting Kyubey’s contract. They get one wish granted and then devote their existence to fighting Witches.

But the truth about magical girls is quite sinister. It turns out that the despair from magical girls fuels the power of stopping the heat death of the universe.

They all eventually fall into despair and pain, and Kyubey is not one bit guilty about it.

Stocking’s True Nature (Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt)

Panty and Stocking were two Anarchy Sisters who were banished from Heaven for their inappropriate behavior according to Heaven standards.

They can only come back after doing their punishment of hunting demons. Stocking manages to get back into Heaven’s good graces before Panty and returns first, but quickly comes back to help her.

However, at the very end of the show, in true Gainax fashion, it is suddenly revealed that Stocking is a demon all along and rips Panty into 666 pieces!

It’s a wild ending that has the fans scrambling in theories to explain it, even years later.

Itachi Killing His Clan (Naruto)

It’s definitely difficult to come to terms that the brother you look up to is the person behind the massacre of your entire clan.

That’s exactly what Sasuke went through. He was close with his brother Itachi until the night he saw him standing over the bodies of their parents.

While that betrayal is shocking enough, it even gets more complicated and heartbreaking.

It turns out that Itachi’s actions prevented a possible war between his clan and the rest of Konoha, as the Uchiha clan was planning on starting a coup.

It was a choice between eliminating his clan or an all-out ninja war.

Kaworu’s False Friendship (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Being a teenager is tough. Emotions are difficult to process, hormones can get in the way, and adults seem to be keeping some information from you.

It’s even worse for Shinji. The world is in a chaotic mess due to dangerous heavenly beings called Angels, his father is distant, and his responsibility of piloting mechas is important to the world.

Thank goodness for the arrival of Kaworu. He shows up in Shinji’s life, becomes his friend, and is an intimate companion to Shinji.

But it turns out Kaworu has a hidden agenda and doesn’t hesitate to leave Shinji for his true goals.

Rachel at the Top of the Tower (Tower of God)

In the Tower of God, a mighty tower beckons people to grant their wishes. But only the most deserving are allowed to enter and can reach the very top.

Bam is what they’d call an “Irregular” in their world. He wasn’t summoned by the tower, but he managed to open its gates on his own. Together with his very first friend, Rachel, he ventures into this mysterious building.

Well, this very first friend, who seemed so supportive and helpful to Bam, actually only ever thought of herself. And when they reached the top, she did not hesitate to push Bam off the tower.

Mama Knowing the Secret of the Orphanage (The Promised Neverland)

The Grace Field House seems like a paradise for orphans. The kids are well cared for with good food, proper education, companionship, and a caretaker called “Mama,” who is like a mother figure to them.

But the truth about this orphanage is a grim reality. The kids are actually raised as demon food!

And the “Mama”? Yep, she was in it the whole time! She knows what will become of them and even stops them from knowing and leaving.

To be fair, she has resigned to their reality. If the kids are gonna end up eaten anyway, she’d rather genuinely care for them.

It’s bittersweet in a twisted way.

Griffith’s Pursuit of His Goal (Berserk)

Behind Griffith’s gentle bishounen looks and seemingly warm smile is a cold and calculated being who has no qualms about abandoning anyone just so he can get to his goal.

Griffith wanted a kingdom of his own. To make that possible, he wants power and connections, so he decides to join the powerful and evil entity called God Hand.

But in order to join them, he let despicable things happen to his companions, who treated him like family.

Aizen’s True Plan (Bleach)

Aizen was the gentle, soft-spoken captain in Gotei 13. He seemed like he was investigating something suspicious among Soul Society and got tragically killed for meddling.

His body was even splattered above a wall for everyone to see. It was truly a gruesome sight!

But surprise, surprise – he wasn’t an innocent guy that got hit in the crossfire, he was actually the secret bad guy and wanted to trick everyone!

Shou Tucker’s Experiments (Fullmetal Alchemist)

In their search to find a way to restore their lost body parts, the Elric brothers came across Shou Tucker, a bio-alchemist known as The Sewing-Life Alchemist, for making a speaking chimera.

They spent some time with him and even played with his daughter and their pet dog. Unfortunately, Shou is not the nice family man and brilliant alchemist he seems to be.

Pressured to repeat his chimera discovery, he fused his own daughter and their dog together.

To say the brothers were shocked and heartbroken is an understatement. Shou betrayed the brothers’ trust and belief in him and worst of all, he betrayed his family.

Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt Revealing Their Real Identities (Attack on Titan)

Fighting against Titans is insanely dangerous already, but knowing there are spies among the squad just adds to the tension and stress of it all.

The squadmates that Eren and the others once trusted and relied on turned out to be the people who broke the wall and started it all.

But what makes this betrayal so memorable is the nonchalant way Reiner revealed everything. “Oh yeah, Eren, we’re the Armoured Titan and Colossal Titan. Wanna come with?”

Absolute bonkers of a reveal!