Anime characters with unknown kill counts are frequently among the most powerful and influential in the series they appear in, owing to the damage they have inflicted throughout the story. This is a fairly common trope in battle shonen, with some of these characters often serving as enigmatic antagonists who are dangerous individuals in general.
Furthermore, their charisma and on-screen presence play an important role in shaping their well-intentioned trajectory, with Jujutsu Kaisen's Ryomen Sukuna and Hunter X Hunter's Hisoka serving as prime examples. Thus, all of the characters on this list, in no particular order, are not only extremely powerful and dangerous but have also managed to become quite popular in their respective fandoms.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for all the series on this list. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.
Ryomen Sukuna, Zeno and 8 other anime characters whose kill counts are unknown
1) Retsu/Yachiru Unohana (Bleach)
Unohana was known for the vast majority of Bleach as Retsu and was the captain of the 4th Division of the Gotei 13, who mastered healing techniques and provided medical support to the Shinigami. However, during the events of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, it was revealed that her name was Yachiru. She was the first Kenpachi, a member of the original Gotei 13 that defeated Yhwach one thousand years ago, and the biggest criminal in the history of Soul Society.
When it comes to anime characters with high kill counts, few stand out as much as Unohana, whose bloodlust was so strong that she routinely sought out people to fight and kill, as evidenced by a flashback from her battle with Zaraki Kenpachi. It is also worth pointing out that she committed multiple murders before the formation of the Gotei 13.
2) Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)
Eren started as a young man who wanted to help the people of Paradis defeat the Titans and be able to go beyond the walls that were imprisoning them. However, as the story of Attack on Titan progressed, Eren's character underwent a major transformation, which led to him taking the lives of 80% of the human race by the end of the series.
After attaining the power of the Founding Titan, Eren initiated the Rumbling, an event that resurrected the Titans behind the walls, who trampled on everything that came their way, destroying houses, vegetation, and killing animals and people. Eren annihilated 80% of humanity by controlling these Titans, making him one of the anime characters with the highest kill counts in the medium, though the exact amount has never been confirmed.
3) Griffith (Berserk)
Griffith began the series as a commoner who formed an army known as the Band of the Hawk and rose to royalty due to their excellence in war. But he was subjected to severe torture for a year and was on the verge of going insane and dying after becoming involved with Princess Charlotte of the Kingdom of Midland. However, he made a deal with the Godhand, an evil entity, by sacrificing the lives of his men and turning into an evil god known as Femto.
Eventually, Griffith returned to the mortal realm and, through the manipulation of an apostle known as Ganishka and the Skull Knight, managed to carve an opening for the magic realm to interact with humans, thus leading to a lot of dangerous creatures taking the lives of thousands of people. He did this in order to save the day with his army of apostles, thus gaining the people's favor and becoming the ruler of the kingdom he always wanted.
Griffith is not only widely regarded as one of the best villains in the medium, but he is also one of those anime characters whose kill counts cannot be measured. Between the people he killed as a human warrior, the people he backstabbed in order to advance politically, his sacrifices to the Godhand, and all of the lives he took as a result of the aforementioned events during the Fantasia arc, his kill count must be staggering.
4) Ryomen Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Ryomen Sukuna was heralded as the most powerful sorcerer of all time because of his exploits during the Heian era centuries ago. The sorcerer built a reputation for not only taking the lives of his enemies but also eating them as well. Sukuna's battles in the series have seen him kill several powerful sorcerers, making him one of the most popular anime villains of recent years.
He is also one of those anime characters whose kill counts are unknown because the Jujutsu Kaisen series has never addressed how many lives he has taken. However, it was already confirmed that he killed thousands of people during the Shibuya Incident arc. Thus, this, combined with the entities he has murdered, points to a massive and shocking death toll.
5) Zeno (Dragon Ball Super)
Zeno is an excellent example of an anime character with unknown kill counts because he is the ruler of all universes in Dragon Ball and is known for destroying numerous realities at the drop of a hat. For example, during the Goku Black arc, Zeno is seen destroying the timeline of Future Trunks.
In addition, the Tournament of Power arc confirmed that he has destroyed several universes in the past, which highlights that he has taken millions of lives.
Furthermore, Zeno is one of the most divisive anime characters of the last decade or so, as many fans of the series dislike the idea of a ruler who can destroy universes at will. And this was shown during the Goku Black arc, as he solved the problem for Goku and his friends without much issue.
6) Obito Uchiha (Naruto)
Obito Uchiha began as a cheerful ninja who wished to become Hokage and help people, but after being saved on a mission by Madara Uchiha, he was gradually corrupted by the old man's ideas and distorted values. Once his childhood friend Rin was killed in the war, Obito went insane and decided to execute the Eye of the Moon Plan for years.
There is a strong argument that Obito has one of the highest kill counts in Naruto because of all the lives he took across the ninja world, as well as the direct influence he had on a much larger number of murdering orders, such as those taken by Akatsuki. He is also one of the most divisive anime characters because of his motivations and how he was redeemed at the end of the series.
7) Hisoka Morow (Hunter X Hunter)
Hisoka is a character cloaked in mystery in Hunter X Hunter, and little is known about him except that he has a tendency to kill people and enjoys fighting to the point of madness. Throughout the story, he is seen wanting to fight strong warriors and going to great lengths to do so, even going so far as to assist Gon, the protagonist, in becoming more powerful so that they can fight properly.
Hisoka is one of those anime characters whose kill count is unknown, but it is almost certainly very high. He fights to the death and is willing to take the lives of others if necessary, with the manga's most recent chapters emphasizing this aspect of his character.
8) Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer)
The first-ever demon in the entirety of the Demon Slayer series, Muzan has not only taken a lot of lives because he needs to eat people to survive and create more creatures like him with his own blood, spreading a disease of death and destruction for centuries. Muzan has always killed people who go up against him, to the point that his fight with Yoriichi, the only man who could defeat him, traumatized him for life.
Muzan is one of the most notorious anime characters when it comes to killing because he has taken a lot of lives for centuries in Demon Slayer. Although Muzan's story of being an ordinary man accidentally transformed into a demon has drawn a lot of criticism, it cannot be denied that he was not afraid to get his hands dirty.
9) Johan Liebert (Monster)
Johan was a mass murderer who managed to take the lives of a lot of people for the sheer joy of doing so. He serves as the main antagonist of Monster and is oftentimes not seen in the series, only appearing from time to time but having a very strong and imposing presence.
Considering that Johan's role in the series is that of a serial killer, he is one of those anime characters with a high kill count. Despite the show's focus on solving murder cases, Johan's kill count has never been confirmed.
10) Giorno Giovanna (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Giorno Giovanna is another anime character with unknown kill counts because of the resolution of his part in JoJo's Golden Wind. He obtains the Requiem Arrow and gains the Stand known as Gold Experience Requiem, resulting in him punishing the villain Diavolo by making him go through an infinite cycle of dying over and over again.
Therefore, it is fair to say that Giorno's kill count is endless and, therefore, grows time and time again. That makes him one of the deadliest anime characters of all time and one of the biggest punishments a villain has suffered in the entirety of fiction.
Final thoughts
There are other anime characters with high kill counts, but these are among the most popular. They are also among the most influential in their respective series, frequently serving as very powerful or major threats.
Related articles
- 5 anime princesses who fight on the front lines (& 5 who play a more political role)
- 10 best one-season anime series
- All 12 Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 deaths in chronological order
- 10 best anime for Star Wars fans to watch
- 4 One Piece islands which could be the Straw Hats' next destination (& 4 which likely won't be)