10 anime protagonists with mysterious pasts

Anime protagonists with mysterious or unknown pasts add an element of intrigue and excitement to a story. Not knowing a character's full history leaves viewers wondering how their experiences shaped them into who they are today.

While some hide painful memories they would rather forget, others have origins so unbelievable that unveiling the truth shocks both audiences and the characters themselves. But no matter the specifics, these enigmatic heroes and heroines keep fans guessing about their true nature while going on compelling journeys of self-discovery.

This article will explore 10 anime protagonists with mysterious pasts whose shadowy backstories are slowly revealed through clever storytelling techniques.

10 intriguing anime protagonists with mysterious pasts

**1. Yuuji Kazami (*Grisaia no Kajitsu***)

Yuuji Kazami, one of the anime protagonists with mysterious pasts, transfers to Mihama Academy, where he joins a group of female students with troubled histories. While highly capable, polite, and helpful, his past remains unclear even to some of his closest acquaintances.

Over time, it is revealed that Yuuji was coerced into a life as an assassin by a government agency operating out of Ichigaya. He had endured extensive violence training under the brutal supervision of Asako Kusakabe. He once assassinated a target without hesitation, grappling with regret only later.

Through support from his friends at the Academy, Yuuji continues to struggle with his past deeds. Still, many specifics, like the identities of those exploiting him, stay frustratingly vague, particularly regarding Heath Oslo.

**2. Kiyotaka Ayanokouji (*Classroom of the Elite***)

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji joins the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School. Considered a lazy, underachieving student by classmates, Kiyotaka hides extreme intellectual gifts and observational skills behind a deliberately crafted façade.

Through inner monologues, viewers realize Kiyotaka spent his childhood in an experimental facility called the White Room, where he was subjected to intense psychological and physical training. He thus comprehends human nature and social mores on a rational level but has limited social experience.

The White Room was a project to create the 'perfect human,' with Kiyotaka as one of its top successes in the anime. He leverages this knowledge to manipulate Class D's rising academic rank while hiding his behind-the-scenes scheming. Only over time do students glimpse his formidable aptitude and atypical upbringing.

**3. Hei (*Darker Than Black***)

Hei, another of the anime protagonists with mysterious pasts, works as an average Li Shengshun while moonlighting as a powerful Contractor named "The Black Reaper" in a secret war between Contractors and Intelligence agencies.

His past as a human and family history hold vital clues for understanding the war's genesis. Hei and his sister Bai were close siblings. Bai became a Contractor following the mysterious 'Heaven's Gate Incident,' an event linked to the appearance of the Gates and the emergence of Contractors.

Hei maintains some human traits and ethics but must keep this secret weakness hidden amongst ruthless Contractors. Unlocking these and other obscured experiences motivates Yin, Mao, Huang, and others who are associating with the shadowy anti-hero in this anime.

**4. Atsushi Nakajima (*Bungou Stray Dogs***)

Abandoned at a young age, Atsushi Nakajima suffers at an orphanage until escaping onto the streets. While starving and exhausted, he encounters Detective Dazai staging a suicide attempt in a river and saves him.

As an orphaned stray, Atsushi hesitantly joins Dazai's supernatural investigation firm. Atsushi assumes he lived an ordinary, tragic childhood. But unusual traits soon manifest, like shape-shifting into a white tiger at will.

In reality, the Armed Detective Agency head, Fukuzawa, already knows that Atsushi possesses extraordinary abilities. As the anime progresses, details slowly emerge about Atsushi's true origins tied to his unique powers.

**5. Seth (*Radiant***)

Seth was found at a young age by Alma in Pompo Hills and had no childhood memories. Still, Seth is driven to fight the Nemesis, believing they hold the key to understanding his lost memories and identity through mysterious means linked to "Radiant."

Alongside Melie, Seth quests to find and destroy the Nemesis' nest called Radiant and recover his identity. Seth soon manifests potent magic powers, hinting at a sorcerer lineage.

Flashback visions suggest Seth not only carries vital knowledge for defeating Nemesis but may have connections to Radiant origins that are still unclear. This suggests a complex backstory intertwining Seth, Alma, and the influx of deadly creatures in perplexing ways not yet fully brought to light.

6. Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)

Lelouch Lamperouge gains tremendous powers of absolute obedience named Geass. He takes on the masked Zero persona to destroy the oppressive Britannian empire, fully aware of being exiled royalty.

Seeking revenge for his mother’s death and sister’s disabling, Lelouch masterfully orchestrates a revolutionary war using his keen intellect. In reality, childhood trauma from imperial family betrayals left significant scars.

His evolving history with the mysterious C.C., Geass's origins, and real family motivations for fighting Britannia all hold deeper significance than Lelouch wishes to admit. Only over time does Lelouch confront painful truths about his past, necessary for making peace.

**7. Ganta Igarashi (*Deadman Wonderland***)

Falsely imprisoned for allegedly slaughtering his entire middle school class, Ganta Igarashi suffers brutal experiences at the sinister Deadman Wonderland prison. Claiming his innocence despite having no memory of the event, Ganta struggles to uncover the true perpetrator of the massacre.

Yet Ganta manifests a "Branch of Sin," allowing him to weaponize his blood against deadly opponents scheming within the prison walls. This links him to the nightmarish "Red Man" responsible both for the classroom massacre and for granting Deadmen these horrific powers.

Across arcs in the anime, disjointed memories show Ganta, the Red Man, and before that, the mad scientist Hagire Rinichirō share deeper connections spanning years.

**8. Yuichiro Hyakuya (*Owari no Seraph***)

Yuichiro Hyakuya, like many anime protagonists with mysterious pasts, was orphaned as a child. He forms a close bond with other Hyakuya Orphanage kids while kept as livestock by vampires, including the vampire noble Ferid Bathory.

After Ferid massacres the orphans, a vengeful Yuichiro quickly joins the Japanese Imperial Demon Army to exterminate the vampires. Yuichiro embraces a human ideology almost religiously to cope with childhood trauma and finds acceptance among the Army's ranks.

In reality, his hatred of vampires conflicts with forgotten events surrounding the Hyakuya orphanage's origins. Yuichiro gradually learns about human corruption and exists as a key part of the experiment "Seraph of the End," making him critical to ending the vampire reign.

**9. Eren Yeager (*Attack on Titan***)

Eren Yeager (Image via Wit Studio / MAPPA)

Driven by witnessing a Colossal Titan breach humanity's protective walls as a child, Eren Yeager dedicates himself to their extermination. After Shiganshina's destruction, Eren enlists in the Survey Corps alongside Mikasa and Armin to protect the remnants of human civilization.

Eren later manifests a shapeshifting ability, allowing him to transform into the Attack Titan. Plagued by recurring nightmares hinting at suppressed memories, Eren is determined to uncover the connection between his powers, his father's secrets, and the Titans' origins.

But the mystery of his father's basement suggests Eren's mysterious childhood conceals truths that could save or destroy all humanity from the Titans.

**10. Tanya Degurechaff (*Youjo Senki***)

Reborn as an orphan girl named Tanya Degurechaff in an alternate pre-World War II era, Tanya quickly rises through military ranks thanks to ruthless cunning. Tanya masks a past of being a male Japanese salaryman who died after being pushed in front of a train.

"Being X" reincarnated Tanya’s soul into this universe after she refused to believe in God, as a challenge from the entity. But Tanya leverages her unusual situation, fighting both fellow soldiers and divine forces while seeking a peaceful retirement.

Tanya carefully conceals her otherworldly origins, keeping her past life and divine challenge hidden from everyone.

Conclusion

Anime protagonists with mysterious backgrounds bring excitement and suspense to their narratives. Hiding painful past events in Yuuji Kazami's case or even entirely fabricated origins like for Tanya, keeps audiences constantly speculating about motivations and the ultimate reveals.

Unlocking those obscured secrets drives the narrative forward and brings layered complexity to the characters. While their individual circumstances vary widely, these anime protagonists with mysterious pasts use fragments of memory to seek self-understanding while building new bonds.

Hei from Darker Than Black, Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs, or Eren from Attack on Titan move towards uncovering their place in the world while fighting threats only they can defeat. The journeys of these unforgettable anime protagonists with mysterious pasts resonate long after their secrets are revealed.

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