8 most hated Isekai anime characters, ranked

The Isekai genre now commands a leading position within the anime community through its presentation of imaginative realms experienced by distinctive Isekai anime characters. Not every character featured in the Isekai anime has earned the affection of viewers. Certain characters are infamous due to their unpleasant personalities, unethical behavior, or morally dubious choices.

These Isekai anime characters do not improve the story but instead frustrate viewers, which reduces their enjoyment of the series. Their actions or attitudes may even overshadow the story's potential. This review delves into eight Isekai anime characters who have earned widespread dislike, analyzing the reasons behind their unpopularity and how they negatively impact their respective shows.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article solely belong to the author.

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Sugou Nobuyuki, Kyouya Mitsurugi and 8 other most hated Isekai anime characters

8) Shido Itsuka from Date A Live

Shido Itsuka as seen in the anime (Image via Geek Toys)

Shido Itsuka may initially appear to be one of your average Isekai anime characters, but he has more serious character defects than others. Shido's function as Date A Live's protagonist includes getting the spirits to fall in love with him to seal their abilities. Nevertheless, His performance on this task frequently comes out as awkward and forced.

Because he appears to fumble through crucial moments rather than acting decisively, viewers usually criticize his lack of autonomy and self-determination. He comes out as unreliable and weak-willed due to his propensity to rely too much on other people, especially the spirits he is meant to be assisting. Viewers are frustrated not because he is bad but rather because, despite the gravity of his duties, he has not evolved above his first portrayal.

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7) Kyouya Mitsurugi from KonoSuba

Kyouya Mitsurugi as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Deen)

Kyouya Mitsurugi is a particularly disagreeable illustration of the "hero complex" gone bad in a series that thrives on undermining Isekai clichés. Equipped with the fabled blade Gram, Mitsurugi personifies all the negative aspects of self-described heroes. Every appearance is a challenge to viewers' tolerance due to his exaggerated feeling of self-importance and incapacity to acknowledge his inadequacies.

His character acts as a mirror to typical Isekai anime characters, exposing their frequently absurd nature, which is what makes him particularly annoying. However, Mitsurugi's serious attitude about his supposed heroic position makes him bothersome rather than funny, in contrast to other KonoSuba characters whose shortcomings are played for laughs.

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6) Tanya Degurechaff from The Saga of Tanya the Evil

Tanya Degurechaff as seen in the anime (Image via NUT)

Tanya may be the series' nominal protagonist, but she is one of the few major Isekai anime characters that viewers tend to actively dislike. As a former salaryman brought back from beyond in the form of a young girl living in a militaristic parallel world, Tanya's pursuits are coldly efficient and cruelly pragmatic.

It's tough to sympathize with her, being willing to throw anyone and everyone under the bus to ensure things go her way, and using the sanctity of military protocol to back up what seems like really bad behavior whenever the subject arises. The contrast of her innocuous aspects with her sullied disposition often leaves a jarring divergence many viewers struggle to accept.

It is difficult for many viewers to reconcile the unnerving dynamic created by the stark contrast between her innocent appearance and her cunning, frequently vicious disposition. Some see her as an anti-hero, while others see her as a symbol of all the problems with Isekai power fantasy stories.

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5) Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti from Re:Zero

Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti as seen in the anime (Image via White Fox)

As one of Re:Zero's most memorable antagonists, Petelgeuse's character design and behavior were specifically crafted to make viewers uncomfortable. His extreme worship of the Witch's Cult combined with his warped understanding of love establishes him as a truly unsettling character.

The character's unpredictable actions paired with disturbing voice work and unexpected violent behavior combine to generate intense discomfort. His antagonist performance works well but his scenes become notorious for being some of the hardest to watch because of his character's psychological terrorizing nature and disturbing mental instability.

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4) Haruto Amakawa from Seirei Gensouki

Haruto Amakawa as seen in the anime (Image via TMS Entertainment)

Haruto represents many of the most criticized aspects of the Isekai protagonists. The character functions more as a user's fantasy figure than a complex individual because his powers and abilities appear effortlessly acquired. His approach to managing conflicts and relationships appears contrived and selfish, which results in negative critiques of character development.

The audience finds fault with his unpredictable characterization because he switches between his past personality and his present one without any evident motivation or consequences.

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3) Sugou Nobuyuki from Sword Art Online

Sugou Nobuyuki as seen in the anime (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Few Isekai anime characters have earned as much genuine bitterness as Sugou Nobuyuki. As the primary villain of SAO's Fairy Dance arc, his actions go beyond typical antagonist behavior into truly despicable territory. His treatment of trapped ALfheim Online players, particularly his psychological torture and attempted assault of Asuna, makes him universally reviled.

What makes him especially unlikable is his cowardly nature – acting powerful and dominant when in control but breaking down pathetically when confronted. His character represents some of the darkest aspects of power abuse in virtual worlds, making him not just disliked but actively despised by the anime community.

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2) Keyaru from Redo of Healer

of the isekai anime characters Keyaru as seen in the anime (Image via Sentai)

Perhaps no Isekai anime characters have generated more controversy than Keyaru. His actions throughout the series, while presented as justified revenge, cross numerous ethical and moral boundaries that make many viewers deeply uncomfortable.

The extreme nature of his revenge and the methods he employs have sparked intense debates about the limits of anti-hero narratives in Isekai. While the character is supposed to be morally grey, his actions often venture into territory that many viewers find impossible to justify or sympathize with, regardless of his past trauma.

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1) Malty Melromarc from The Rising of the Shield Hero

Malty Melromarc as seen in the anime (Image via Kinema Citrus)

Malty Melromarc from The Rising of the Shield Hero takes the top spot as possibly one of the most disliked Isekai anime characters in new Isekai stories because of her actions. The untrue sxu*l ass*ult allegation Naofumi faces from Malty starts his struggles but her ongoing spiteful activities establish her as the series' most despicable character.

Malty's actions stand out from other antagonists because they emerge from nothing but her selfish and cruel nature. Malty's deliberate destruction of lives for her benefit along with her political manipulation and absence of remorse ensure she becomes a character that audiences despise yet find compelling.

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Conclusion

These Isekai anime characters distinguish themselves within Isekai anime by embodying some of the genre's most irritating and difficult elements rather than just existing as villains or flawed beings. The combination of their deeds, character traits, and narrative functions results in their status as some of anime's most unpopular characters.

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