All anime fans must have noticed that the edgy anime characters are mostly those who have a very serious nature. They set difficult, often brutal goals and go to all extents to achieve them. They avoid getting attention but still end up getting it from fans and other characters anyways. These edgy characters are cold in nature because of the difficulties they have faced in life and the past trauma which molded their personalities. We picked out the edgiest anime characters for you and put them on top list.
Although edgy anime characters often keep the viewers on the edge and make us nervous about what they’re going to do next. However, these characters are the ones who pump up the anime because of their unexpected actions. The nervousness is many times treated with joy and relief afterward the character does his cool thing.
If you are interested in reading articles about anime characters, then you might enjoy seeing the top anime boys with long hair or if you’re into girls, take a look at the top 20 crazy anime girls.
1. Guts from Berserk
Guts has been cursed to suffer his whole life since childhood. He had a horrible past and his life doesn’t seem to get any better. Things get worst the moment he thought they were getting better. Even then, Guts does not let his emotions and weakness take over him. He is very psychologically strong as he has been on the verge of death multiple times but he got back up and fought.
Guts is an extremely powerful swordsman. Spending a lot of time on the battlefield and facing so many losses and betrayals have made him cold to people. However, he still deeply cares for his loved ones and that’s what gave him the will to live. Guts is nicknamed the Black Swordsman because of always wearing Black clothing.
2. Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul
Kaneki is a classical edgy anime character. Most edgy anime characters are given a certain appearance that makes them look cooler, stand out, and give off a different vibe. Kaneki’s white hair, red-eye combined with a full black attire are an example of this.
Kaneki’s personality took a 360-degree turn. From a kind and gentle boy with a light smile on his face to a ghoul who would crack your skull in a second. His previous personality made him get bullied, so he changed to a much more brutal and cold soul after he went through an unimaginable amount of trauma.
3. Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto
Throughout the Naruto series and even Boruto, Sasuke is only shown wearing dark clothes. His body would be covered in black tattoos with the curse as well. All of this is to show Sasuke as someone having a different, dark vibe to himself. Sasuke was a charismatic child but after the tragedy of losing his whole clan, he turns into a very cold person.
Sasuke cares about nothing but revenge at first. He has his emotions locked up and is seen as a very mysterious character. However, Sasuke’s cold and calm nature soon turns into aggressiveness when he is triggered. Many fans seem to hate him while some love him. There is no in-between.
4. Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion
Lelouch is a fan favorite anime protagonist. He is one of the few anime characters who achieves his goal despite going through a series of unpredictable events. Lelouch himself is unpredictable. One can never find out what is in his mind, and he can always put a mask on his face and pretend to be something he is not. He went from a normal schoolboy to someone willing to do anything to get what he wants.
Lelouch manipulated his friends and put their lives at risk. He uses his ability to change people’s will to save himself and even put them in danger. Lelouch’s edginess is different from other characters. He has burdened himself with a huge responsibility which causes him to be in internal emotional turmoil and make tough decisions.
5. Lucy from Elfen Lied
The first female character on this list is one truly insane character, Lucy/Kaede from Elfen Lied. Many people even call her the edge queen because of the crazy bloodshed she starts within the very first episode. The personality she has other than Nyu, one in which she becomes a bloodthirsty antagonist is her edgy personality.
Lucy when through a lot of trauma, loneliness, and abuse which turned her into a murderer. She didn’t care if the other person is a human or one of her kind, she would pull their head apart if she had the chance.
6. Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z
Finally, the legendary anime character Vegeta gets the spotlight. Vegeta is introduced as a powerful, smart, and ruthless character. Some fans love Vegeta while some hate him. He has greatly influenced the Dragon Ball franchise and the fans. He also set standards for edgy anime characters to come in the future.
Vegeta creates a different vibe around him. His fights show his edginess too which portrays his sadism and arrogance. Vegeta shows no remorse in his fights and goes all out. He is the best rival for Goku and the ideal example of what a character should be like when he is way too serious about his goals.
7. Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia
One must have figured out that he is going to be an edgy character the moment they saw his appearance. Severed hands of his face and body so aren’t it obvious? Tomura’s unique appearance hints that he has a messed-up past. Without giving manga spoilers, one thing can be said that Tomura has had it rough in the past which has caused him to become evil and hate people.
Tomura has a scary quirk like decay. He is the leader of the Paranormal Liberation Front in which he has many creepy villains like him to do evil acts. He has his sense of justice and implements it without a doubt. All of this makes Tomura worthy of being on this list.
8. Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho
Hiei is one of the most praised characters of Yu Yu Hakusho. He is very unfriendly, belittles others, and has harsh behavior. He has a lot of built-up anger which he takes out in fights. The reason behind Hiei’s personality is his traumatic past. He has faced torture, abandonment, and involvement in killing ever since he was five. Moreover, he is intelligent and thinks things thoroughly during battles.
Hiei’s character, later on, inspired the creation of many famous edgy characters such as Sasuke. Hiei is a total badass and he keeps the anime entertaining with his mocking comments, cool attitude, and fights.
9. Karma Akabane from Assassination Classroom
Karma’s personality changes so fast that it spits out the word “edginess”. Karman at first seems like an average high school student. He looks calm, sounds friendly, and smiles. However, the moment his sinister laugh comes on his face, the vibe around him changes.
Karma developed extreme trust issues after being betrayed by a teacher whom he trusted. He has his morals and does nice things such as saving a classmate. But when he is triggered, he can take anyone down. Like many other edgy characters, Karma is also very smart, lazy, and arrogant. Either way, he is one of the fan favorites.
10. Light Yagami from Death Note
Light Yagami is one hell of an edgy anime character. Although he doesn’t seem to have a disturbing background story like other edgy characters, Light still manages to be edgy enough to deserve a spot on this list. Light has a god complex and he is willing to go to any extent to achieve what he wants.
Light seems like an ordinary smart high school student, all until he gets the death note. Even after getting the death note, Light acts very sweet and kind in front of people to manipulate them. However, the look on his face changes when he is finally going to take advantage. Such as he did with Naomi Misora. Although Light uses and kills many people, he is still one of the most loved anime characters by fans.
11. Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter
Anyone who has watched Hunter x Hunter would agree that Kurapika is a very edgy character. Kurapika at first looks like a very sweet boy. He has a light smile on his face and he treats his friends very well and even puts himself in danger to save Killua. However, Kurapika has a traumatic past and he is the only one left of his tribe.
Kurapika’s main life motive is to get revenge from Phantom Troupe. When he gets angry his eyes turn red and he loses his mind. He has no hesitance in killing his enemies, especially the Phantom Troupe members. Kurapika’s extreme thirst for revenge is why many fans even call him the ‘edgelord’.
12. Ulquiorra Cifer from Bleach
Ulquiorra Cifer is one of the main antagonists of Bleach. He is seen as very cold-hearted and does would hurt his enemies without a second thought, or even hurt his comrades if they come in his way. He is calm and does not initiate fights unless he is ordered. He is the most loyal to Aisen.
However, when Ulquiorra encounters humans, a very soft side of him is seen. He starts showing hints of kindness even during his encounters with Ichigo which makes Ichigo even pass comment on him becoming softer. Ulquiorra had a rough past and was unable to feel kindness, but the moment he feels kindness his heart starts to soften. He is a complex character who is often questioning his existence. The parallels between his extreme coldness and inner kindness are what make him an ideal edgy character.
13. Zora Ideale From Black Clover
Zora has the personality of a typical edgy character. He is a man of his own choice as he doesn’t listen to anyone and does whatever he thinks is right. Zora is independent and doesn’t trust anyone at all because of a past that made him lose trust over all humans, especially the nobles.
Zora has specific hate towards nobles and disrespects them whenever he can. He is well with deceiving people as that is what his magic is about. Like other edgy characters, Zora also puts on a thick skin and doesn’t show friendly behavior. He is an unpredictable character because he supports or doesn’t support his comrades at all, depending on his mood.
14. Takasugi Shinsuke from Gintama
Takasugi Shinsuke isn’t the main character of the series, yet he has an impact on it because of his “edginess”. Many fans even nicknamed him “the emo edgelord”. Takasugi is arrogant and doesn’t want to even consider changing his opinion of the world’s destruction. He has a bitter personality and the reason behind this, and his evil motives are because of his traumatic past of losing his beloved teacher.
Takasugi is shown to have hate for the world and himself too for not being strong enough. Although he seems to bring out some humor even through his cruel nature. In the end, he is a villain who’s shown to be suffering in his misery for a long time. Takasugi is a villain turned into an anti-hero in Gintama.
15. Yuu Otosaka from Charlotte
Yuu Otosaka is a very selfish and edgy anime character. He has harsh behavior with others and uses people for his benefit. He uses his power of possession to cheat although it is seen throughout the anime that he is smart enough to get good grades on his own. He is narcissistic, arrogant, and doesn’t care about anyone. The only exception is his younger sister Ayumi with whom he keeps a softer personality.
Yuu already looked selfish enough but he loses his mind after a certain event takes place. He switches from going berserk to being normal from time to time. It is shown Yuu laughing like a villain when he beats thugs. It represents the pleasure he feels in hurting others. He may seem fine in the first few episodes, but things go down way too soon with Yuu.
That brings this list to an end. If you wish to know more about anime characters, take a look at these adorable red hair anime girls or blonde anime girls.
