Alter egos are an interesting concept that can add flavor to an otherwise lackluster character. Whether it be a complete personality change or even the existence of another being inside one person, an alter egocan throw all sorts of hijinks into a story’s concept.
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Sometimes, characters can have evil alter egos, alternate personalities that are more villainous and vicious than their counterparts. Evil alter egos can result in some very interesting stories, especially if they are owned by otherwise heroic characters. Here are some of the best evil alter egos that can be seen in anime.
10Hakuba – One Piece
The pirate Cavendish is known for being a narcissistic, handsome man who cares for little other than fame and his good looks. While he might seem like a shallow man, he does have his principlesand a sense of honor and duty.
However, when Cavendish falls asleep, he awakens his alternate personality: Hakuba. Hakuba is completely different from Cavendish, attacking anybody who might cross his path without rhyme or reason with a ghoulish grin on his face. Cavendish is aware of this alternate personality and hates it with a passion. However, there is little he can do about it.
9??? – Mob Psycho 100
Shigeo Kageyama, also known as Mob, isone of the most powerful espers in the world. He’s so powerful that he is forced to keep his powers in check to avoid hurting his close friends and family. Normally he can do so without much problem, but emotional stressors can cause his psychic powers to explode, which is shown as a meter that slowly reaches 100%.
Whenever Mob goes unconscious, however, his psychic powers are let loose, manifesting as an alternate personality of Mob known only as ???. ??? only appears a few times throughout the series but always brings wanton destruction whenever he does, though he is not explicitly evil.
8Agito & Lind Wanijima – Air Gear
Akito Wanijima is a young, delicate boy with a secret: he hides a second personality in Agito Wanijima, an abrasive, foul-mouthed young man. Agito serves to protect Akito, fighting for him when his strength as the Fang King is required.
While Agito is certainly a much more aggressive personality than Akito, he is not evil. That is not the case for Lind, the third hidden personality within Akito Wanijima. Lind is ruthless and sadistic compared to the previous two personalities, but even he is not wholly evil.
7Hallelujah Haptism – Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Allelujah Haptism is one of Celestial Being’s Gundam Meisters and a major player in their plan to end all wars on Earth. A former orphan who was put through experiments to become a super soldier, Allelujah was forced to endure much trauma from childhood.
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That trauma eventually formed a split personality known as Hallelujah. Unlike the quiet and gentle Allelujah, Hallelujah is sadistic and more than willing to kill whoever is necessary to survive. While Hallelujah is certainly a vicious personality, Allelujah relies on him greatly for his battles.
6SkullGreymon – Digimon Adventure
Many evil alternate versions exist in theDigimonworld thanks to the existence of Dark Digivolution, with at least one featuring in mostDigimonseasons. The most iconic exampleoccurs in the very first series,Digimon Adventure, as a result of pressure from Tai towards his partner Agumon.
In the hopes of pushing Agumon to evolve to Ultimate, Tai takes a series of reckless actions that ultimately result in Agumon becoming SkullGreymon instead. SkullGreymon rampages without a semblance of sanity, hurting friend and foe alike.
5Diavolo – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Diavolo is the boss of the mafia organization Passione, therefore serving as the main antagonist of the fifth part ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Diavolo is obsessed with keeping his true identity a secret and goes as far as attempting to kill his daughter to avoid the possibility of her leaking his identity to others.
Diavolo has another secret that even his closest subordinates do not know - he is sharing a body with Vinegar Doppio, his underboss, and uses him to move in secret when he cannot. Doppio is unaware that his boss is in fact in his own body, which Diavolo uses to his advantage often.
4Hollow Ichigo – Bleach
Ichigo initiallywent through a number of risky methodsto gain strength as a Shinigami before the Soul Society Arc. One such method nearly turned him into a Hollow, but he managed to fight his way back and became a proper Shinigami instead.
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However, that incident seemed to awaken an existence within Ichigo which he acknowledges only as his hollow self. He is forced to come into conflict with this ruthless and violent version of himself many times, despite also needing to draw power from him as well.
3Saber Alter – Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel
Alter Servants inFateare versions of Servants that are different in some aspect from their original forms. There are many ways a Servant can become Altered, such as being blackened by mud from the Holy Grail.
Saber Alter comes about after Saber is consumed and blackened by mud from the Shadow. Unlike the normal Saber, Saber Alter is a cold-hearted killing machine, though she still retains her sense of honor and dignity. Despite this, she opposes her former master without a hint of hesitation or regret.
2Dark Schneider – Bastard!!
Lucien Renlen is a fifteen-year-old boy, but his childlike appearance and naive personality make him seem like anything but. Constantly protected by his childhood friend Tia Noto Yoko, Lucien seems like nothing more than a spineless brat not worth caring about.
In truth, Lucien Renlen isthe sealed reincarnationof Dark Schneider, an evil wizard who once nearly sealed away the world. With a kiss from Yoko, Lucien is transformed into the mighty wizard who, despite retaining many of his villainous traits, is slightly more heroic than before.
1Yami Marik – Yu-Gi-Oh!
Marik is the main antagonist of the Battle City arc inYu-Gi-Oh!. A member of a family charged with protecting the pharaoh’s tomb, Marik desires revenge for that duty eventually forcing him to endure a cruel and abusive childhood.
Yami Marik was born as a result of that trauma and took control when witnessing his father beat his closest friend Odion. Unlike Marik, Yami Marikwas born from cruelty and hatredand has no redeeming traits. When Yami Marik takes over, dispelling him becomes Yugi and the pharaoh’s main goal for the arc.
