10 Anime Betrayals That Shook The World And Broke The Internet In 2024
Every great anime relies on a moment of devastating emotional collapse, and nothing delivers that gut-punch quite like a sudden, shocking betrayal. As of December 2025, the conversation around the most brutal and impactful betrayals in anime history continues to evolve, with new series like Boruto: Two Blue Vortex adding fresh, heart-wrenching twists to the canon.
The true measure of a betrayal is not just the act itself, but the sheer narrative force it exerts, turning trusted allies into the most terrifying of enemies. We’ve scoured the depths of the anime world, from classic psychological thrillers to modern shonen epics, to compile the definitive list of the ten anime betrayals that permanently altered their respective stories and left the global fanbase in stunned silence.
The Definitive List of Anime's Most Devastating Betrayals
The following list details the ten most impactful character betrayals in anime history, ranked by their emotional devastation and long-term narrative consequences. Each entry represents a pivotal moment where a trusted friend, mentor, or comrade revealed their sinister true colors.
10. Kanjuro's Treachery (One Piece)
Kanjuro, initially presented as a clumsy, eccentric member of the Nine Red Scabbards, was a character fans learned to love and tolerate for his terrible drawings. The reveal that he was a double agent for Orochi and Kaido, a master artist who had been faking his incompetence and leaking critical information for decades, was a stunning blow. His betrayal was a calculated, long-game espionage plot that undermined the entire Wano arc's rebellion, making it a powerful example of a slow, simmering act of treachery. The emotional weight came from his deep-seated commitment to the role, having lived a lie for so long.
9. Lelouch vi Britannia’s 'Betrayal' (Code Geass)
While not a traditional betrayal of trust, Lelouch's ultimate act is a betrayal of the world’s expectations. His "betrayal" of the Black Knights and his descent into tyranny as the tyrannical Emperor Lelouch was a calculated performance. This grand deception, known as the Zero Requiem, was the ultimate self-sacrifice, where he made himself the world’s greatest villain so his death would usher in an era of peace. It's a meta-betrayal of the audience's hope for a heroic ending, transforming the protagonist into a necessary martyr and solidifying his place as one of anime's most complex anti-heroes.
8. Rob Lucci and CP9's Revelation (One Piece)
For months, the seemingly harmless members of the Galley-La Company, including the quiet, pigeon-carrying Rob Lucci, were trusted allies of the Straw Hat Pirates in Water 7. The sudden reveal that Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno were actually Cipher Pol No. 9 (CP9) agents was a masterclass in plot twisting. They immediately turned on their friends, brutally assaulting Iceburg and Franky. This betrayal was a direct, violent shock that exposed the true, ruthless nature of the World Government's intelligence agency and set the stage for the iconic Enies Lobby arc.
7. Kawaki’s Memory Switch (Boruto: Two Blue Vortex)
One of the most recent and relevant betrayals in the current anime landscape, Kawaki's actions are a devastating, narrative-altering twist. Driven by an obsessive need to protect Naruto, Kawaki uses Eida’s omnipotence to rewrite reality. This results in the entire world believing that Kawaki is Naruto’s true son and Boruto is the outsider who killed him. This act is a complete betrayal of his adopted family and a fresh example of a betrayal driven by misguided love and fear, not malice. It launched the *Two Blue Vortex* storyline, making it one of the most talked-about plot twists of 2024.
6. Shou Tucker's Chimera Experiment (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Shou Tucker’s act is arguably the most morally repulsive betrayal in anime. The "Sewing-Life Alchemist" was a respected State Alchemist who, in a desperate attempt to retain his title, committed the unspeakable act of transmuting his own daughter, Nina, and her dog, Alexander, into a talking Chimera. This betrayal is a crushing blow to the Elric brothers, particularly Edward, as it exposes the horrific, amoral depths some humans will sink to for personal gain. It’s a moment of profound psychological horror that permanently scarred the protagonists and the audience.
5. Ryo Asuka's True Identity (Devilman Crybaby)
The entire premise of *Devilman Crybaby* is built on Ryo Asuka’s manipulation of his best friend, Akira Fudo. The final, horrifying reveal that Ryo is actually Satan, the fallen angel, is a cosmic-level betrayal. Ryo/Satan orchestrated the entire demon-human war and manipulated Akira into becoming Devilman, all in a subconscious attempt to understand the love he felt for him. This twist fundamentally recontextualizes the entire series, transforming a story about fighting demons into a profound tragedy about the loss of humanity and the devastating failure of love.
4. Itachi Uchiha's Clan Massacre (Naruto)
For the majority of the original *Naruto* series, Itachi Uchiha is presented as the ultimate villain: a cold-blooded, patricidal traitor who slaughtered his entire Uchiha clan to test his own strength, leaving his little brother Sasuke alive only to torment him. The later revelation that Itachi was actually a triple agent, acting on the orders of the Leaf Village's elders to prevent a civil war, was a monumental retcon. This "betrayal" was actually the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, forcing him to live as a pariah to protect the peace. The emotional weight of Itachi's secret is what made his story one of the most tragic and complex in all of shonen anime.
3. Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover (Attack on Titan)
The reveal of Reiner and Bertholdt's true identities is arguably the most perfectly executed betrayal in modern anime history. For years, they fought alongside Eren Yeager and the Survey Corps, enduring trauma and forming deep bonds of friendship. The casual, almost desperate confession by Reiner—"I'm the Armored Titan, and he's the Colossal Titan"—is delivered in such a mundane setting that it creates a jarring, unforgettable shock. This betrayal instantly shattered the foundation of trust for Eren and the Survey Corps, exposing the devastating reality that the enemy had been sleeping in the same barracks all along.
2. Sōsuke Aizen's Deception (Bleach)
Sōsuke Aizen's betrayal is the gold standard for long-game manipulation. Introduced as the kind, bespectacled Captain of the 5th Division, Aizen was the picture of benevolence. His faked death and subsequent revelation as the mastermind behind almost every major event in the series—from the Soul Society's internal conflicts to the manipulation of the Hōgyoku—was a jaw-dropping moment. His final ascent, tearing off his glasses and slicking back his hair, is an iconic villain transformation. Aizen's goal was not mere power, but to transcend the very concept of the Soul King, making his intellectual betrayal a threat to the entire spiritual world.
1. Griffith and The Eclipse (Berserk)
The betrayal of Griffith is widely considered the most brutal, devastating, and iconic betrayal in anime history. Griffith, the charismatic and beloved leader of the Band of the Hawk, sacrifices his entire mercenary company—his friends, his family, and his most loyal follower, Guts—to the monstrous God Hand during the ritual known as The Eclipse. This act of ultimate egoism transformed him from a human hero into the demonic Femto. The betrayal is not just of his comrades, but of his own humanity and the audience's hope for him. It is a defining moment of horror and tragedy that sets the entire, dark tone for the *Berserk* series.
The Psychology of Anime Betrayals: Why They Hit So Hard
The reason these moments resonate so deeply with the audience lies in the expert use of several psychological and narrative entities. Anime writers spend dozens, sometimes hundreds, of episodes building up the Topical Authority of a character's loyalty, only to dismantle it in a single scene. This is a crucial element of effective storytelling.
The Role of Misguided Ideology and False Protagonism
Many of the most impactful betrayals stem from a misguided ideology, not simple malice. Itachi Uchiha and Lelouch vi Britannia both acted out of a twisted sense of "greater good," believing their terrible acts were necessary to save a larger population (the Leaf Village and the world, respectively). This complexity turns them from simple villains into tragic figures, making their actions far more compelling than a generic evil plot.
In contrast, characters like Sōsuke Aizen and Griffith represent the concept of the False Protagonist or the Charismatic Manipulator. They spend years cultivating an image of selfless leadership—a kind Captain or a noble General—making their true, self-serving ambitions a profound shock. Aizen's entire existence was a lie to obtain the Hōgyoku, and Griffith's was to achieve his dream of a kingdom, regardless of the cost to the Band of the Hawk or the horrors of the Eclipse. These entities and concepts are central to the narrative weight.
The Power of Intimacy: Friendship Betrayed
The betrayals that cause the most pain are those that violate the deepest bonds of friendship. The relationship between Eren Yeager and Reiner Braun was built on shared trauma and mutual respect within the Survey Corps. Reiner's confession wasn't just a plot twist; it was the destruction of Eren's ability to trust, a psychological wound that fueled his later actions. Similarly, Ryo Asuka's betrayal of Akira Fudo in *Devilman Crybaby* is devastating because it reveals that the person Akira loved most was, in fact, the source of all his suffering—the fallen angel, Satan. This focus on intimate, personal destruction is why these moments become legendary Plot Twists and continue to dominate discussions in the Anime Fandom.
The ongoing saga of Kawaki in *Boruto* serves as a modern example of this intimacy. His desperation to protect Naruto Uzumaki led him to use the power of the Otsutsuki and Eida to erase Boruto Uzumaki from the world's memory, effectively sacrificing his brother for his father figure. This high-stakes, family-based betrayal ensures that the topic of "top ten anime betrayals" remains perpetually updated and emotionally charged for years to come.
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