10 most jealous anime characters of all time, listed

Anime characters are often celebrated for their achievements and personalities, with jealousy at times standing out as a powerful driving force that shapes their actions and motivations. Whether it's a healthy rivalry between friends, the envy of someone's achievements, or jealousy over relationships, this particular emotion has the power to alter the course of any story.

From Vegeta to Bakugo, some of the best anime characters in all of fiction have been driven by jealousy at one point or another, showing the audience that even the best of us can fall victim to this emotion. In this article, we'll take a look at 10 such jealous anime characters.

Disclaimer: Any opinion expressed in this article solely belongs to the author.

Vegeta and 9 other jealous anime characters of all time

1) Vegeta (Dragon Ball)

The Prince of All Saiyans, Vegeta, is arrogant throughout the Dragon Ball series, with his pride being bruised by the fact that a common Saiyan like Goku surpassed him and always seems to be one step ahead in terms of power. The jealousy he feels toward Goku is the central motivation for him to become stronger.

Vegeta's drive to surpass Goku snapped something in him during his Super Saiyan training, helping him attain this form for the first time. Ever since then, he has been pushing his limits to become the strongest warrior in the multiverse, in the hopes of one day being stronger. Eventually, he learns to appreciate his strength and tones down the jealousy he feels toward Goku.

2) Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)

Sasuke Uchiha (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Eternal rival to Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha is a fascinating character study of what happens when someone is blinded by hatred. After a tragic childhood, where he was forced to watch his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, kill their parents, it’s understandable that Sasuke would be willing to go to any lengths to get revenge.

Despite starting out as a prodigy, Sasuke is slowly outshone by Naruto, whom he always considered inferior. During one of their figths, the stark difference in power forces Sasuke to leave the Konoha Village and train under Orochimaru, ultimately leading him to join the Akatsuki. Much of Sasuke’s life is defined by his relentless drive to gain strength, a pursuit rooted in his childhood trauma.

3) Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist)

One of the Seven Homunculi in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Envy, true to their name, is driven by jealousy toward humans. Envy masks this jealousy with hatred and goes to great lengths to make people suffer. They serve as a prime example of how people often hate what they cannot become.

Deep down, Envy is envious of the free will and solidarity humans share, wishing they could form such meaningful bonds and experience the full range of human emotions. As a shapeshifter, Envy can take on someone's outward form, but their inner self remains filled with hatred, despair, and loneliness.

4) Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)

Yuno Gasai is an anime character from Future Diary who becomes completely obsessed with Yukiteru Amano, the male protagonist of the story. She cannot stand the idea of anyone getting close to Yukiteru, and often resorts to harming those she believes might take him away from her.

Yuno is extremely dangerous and violent, with her intense jealousy negatively affecting Yukiteru as well. Her personality is shaped by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother and the absence of her father, followed by their deaths. She views Yukiteru as her sole support system and feels deeply threatened by anyone who diverts his attention away from her.

5) Misa Amane (Death Note)

Misa Amane is a major anime character in Death Note who perfectly fits the archetype of the possessive girlfriend. She is a disturbed individual who idolizes Kira, and upon discovering his true identity as Light Yagami, develops an unhealthy obsession with him, going so far as to threaten killing any woman who gets close to him.

Misa's obsession with Light stems from the psychological trauma she endured after witnessing her parents' murder. She fell into depression upon learning that the murderer was later acquitted. When Light killed the person responsible, she was grateful to him, and this experience made her a staunch believer in Kira's mission of cleansing the world of its criminals.

6) Endeavor (My Hero Academia)

Endeavor is an anime character who divides the My Hero Academia fandom right down the middle. He spent the majority of his life trying to surpass All Might as the Number One Hero. However, seeing All Might's popularity and strength, Endeavor realized that he himself might not be able to surpass All Might, and instead wanted his offspring to do so.

He abused his wife and children in the pursuit of making his son, Shoto Todoroki, the Number One Hero. This deranged jealousy he felt toward All Might shaped the entire course of Endeavor's life. It was only later that he realized the error of his ways and gave his all to become the next Symbol of Peace.

7) Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Seto Kaiba is a fascinating anime character from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series and the arch-rival of Yugi Mutou. He is shown to be jealous because Yugi is better at a card game than he is. Despite being the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company and a world-class duelist, Kaiba is not satisfied because he cannot beat Yugi in a duel.

Seto Kaiba acts more as an anti-hero than a villain, with his jealousy toward Yugi stemming from his tragic past. The jealousy this anime character endures comes from the fact that he was orphaned at three, and the man who adopted him, Gozaburo Kaiba, abused him, making him arrogant and obsessed with winning.

8) Katsuki Bakugo (My Hero Academia)

Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia is an arrogant, cruel, and short-tempered anime character, whose insecurities manifest as jealousy toward his classmate Izuku Midoriya. Bakugo envies Midoriya's courage and his relentless determination, even when he was quirkless.

Bakugo's jealousy intensifies when Midoriya begins surpassing him, nearly ruining their friendship. However, after All Might's fall, Bakugo gradually comes to terms with Midoriya, apologizes for his past behavior, and starts treating him as a proper rival.

9) Darkness (Konosuba)

Lalatina Ford Dustiness (Image via Studio Deen)

Lalatina Ford Dustiness, known as Darkness, is an anime character from Konosuba who is a masochistic pervert, taking great pleasure in pain and humiliation. She enjoys all forms of abuse, whether physical or emotional. Darkness often becomes jealous when she sees someone else in an unfortunate situation because, to her, it feels like they're having fun being tortured.

Darkness gets excited by the prospect of torture and willingly faces danger for her companions. She is a twisted character whose jealousy doesn't affect others significantly, but sometimes leads her to act rashly in certain situations.

10) Gauche Adlai (Black Clover)

Gauche Adlai is an anime character from Black Clover who is obsessed with his sister, Marie, and places her at the center of his universe. He becomes insanely jealous whenever his sister likes someone or when someone gets close to her. At one point, he even planned to kill Asta because his sister said she'd marry him.

During his childhood, Gauche's parents were killed by nobles, who then usurped their property and forced him and his sister to live on the streets. This traumatic experience made him distrustful of people, causing him to only care about the well-being of his sister and himself from that point on.

Final thoughts

Jealousy is a powerful emotion that everyone experiences at times. However, the 10 anime characters mentioned in this article are primarily driven by this emotion, going to great lengths to outshine others or secure their relationships, even if that means destroying everything in their wake.