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One of the most common tropes in shonen and beyond is the concept of major anime betrayals, with these actions often being integral to a series’ narrative in some way, shape, or form. Most often, these are used to establish the betrayer as a cold and ruthless villain, setting them up for a major defeat to a central character either in general or to their betrayal plotline specifically.
However, a few major anime betrayals instead present themselves as reasonable, justifiable courses of action when considering the full context of the situation. While there aren’t many that do, a few of the biggest major anime betrayals indeed fall into this category of justifiable in context.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.
Justifiable major anime betrayals can hinge on plot, character arc, pure logic, and more
1) Roy Mustang "kills" Maria Ross (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
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Kicking off the list of justifiable major anime betrayals, one of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s earliest overarching plot points is the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes.
Maria Ross is eventually deemed guilty of Hughes’ death, with the series setting up Mustang as being so blinded by rage he kills Ross without question. Protagonist Edward Elric, as someone close to Ross, immediately protests this and criticizes Mustang for his rash actions.
It’s eventually revealed that Mustang saved Ross, helping fake her death and in turn, betraying Edward and his brother Alphonse by hiding the truth from them. Yet, given their young age, rash personalities, and lack of forethought as they are at this point in the series, it’s completely justifiable to hide this ruse from them. The decision greatly pays off in the end, both absolving Ross of her guilty verdict and directly assisting Edward in his adventures.
2) Itachi’s Uchiha clan massacre (Naruto)
One of the most infamous major anime betrayals of all time is Itachi Uchiha’s massacre of his own Uchiha clan. Everyone in the clan was killed by Itachi’s hand, save for his little brother Sasuke whose safety was part of the deal Itachi made for this deed. There’s even a scene that shows Itachi tearfully taking his parents’ lives as they say they don’t blame him and call him a kind boy.
In full context, Itachi’s betrayal is justifiable. For starters, he worked for the Hidden Leaf Village as an ANBU member, somewhat necessitating he stop the revolt the Uchiha clan was planning.
There’s also his personal history with Shusui Uciha, as well as his thoughts on and experiences with war, which were largely negative. His true love for the Leaf Village serves as the final reason why such a course of action can be deemed justifiable.
3) Villetta shoots Ohgi (Code Geass)
One of the most intriguing aspects of Code Geass’ story is how many double agents, ulterior motives, and side switches there are in the context of the series’ main conflict.
This leads to one of the most justifiable major anime betrayals in the form of Villetta’s shooting of Kaname Ohgi. In the first season, she loses her memories and ends up joining Lelouch’s group. She meets Ohgi and immediately develops a romantic bond with him.
However, she ends up regaining her memories and betrays him by shooting him in the stomach and escaping (though she eventually rejoins him romantically and his group in terms of allegiance). While certainly a controversial act, it is nevertheless justifiable considering Villetta and Ohgi were enemies from the start, and she was only following her orders upon regaining her memories.
4) Satsuki betrays her mother (Kill la Kill)
Kill la Kill’s final villain is Ragyo Kiryuin, the mother of Satsuki Kiryuin, who serves as the main antagonist for much of the series’ progression. However, it’s made quite clear throughout that Ragyo has emotionally and physically abused Satsuki. The former saw her continuously call Satsuki useless, while the latter saw her experiment on Satsuki with Life Fibers against her will.
In the final episodes, it’s revealed that Satsuki had been plotting against Ragyo since learning of her evil plot to destroy the Earth. Like many other major anime betrayals, this is completely justifiable considering Ragyo’s goals and her abuse of Satsuki throughout her life.
5) Kenjaku absorbing Mahito into Uzumaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)
At the end of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shibuya Incident arc, one of the most unexpected major anime betrayals of all time takes place. Up to that point, Kenjaku and Mahito had been portrayed as very close allies who were working together for a common goal. While their goals may not have been the same, there was enough overlap for them to work together.
However, Mahito is on the verge of exorcism following a brutal beatdown at the hands of Yuji Itadori, eventually crawling his way to Kenjaku, who absorbs him into the Uzumaki Cursed Technique.
In reality, this is completely justifiable, as Mahito’s all-but-losing to Yuji showed his time in the series as a threat was running thin. There’s also the fact that once Gojo was contained in the Prison Realm, their partnership was somewhat lessened from what it first was.
6) Hawks betrays the League of Villains (My Hero Academia)
One of the most beloved major anime betrayals in recent years is My Hero Academia’s Hawks betraying the League of Villains. A significant reason why this is one of the more popular major anime betrayals from recent years stems from the relationship Hawks and Twice, aka Jin Bubaigawara, develop together. The two become true friends, and it pains Hawks to have to put Twice through such strife with the reveal of his true intentions.
While it may be painful, the betrayal from Hawks was completely justifiable in the end. He was a hero sent to the League to collect intel on them and was established as a life-long Endeavor fan and general Hero fan up to that point. Further justifying the betrayal is that even while breaking Twice’s heart, he tried to offer the villain a path of rehabilitation and reintegration into Pro Hero society.
7) Gin’s betrayal of Aizen (Bleach)
One of the most justifiable major anime betrayals is also one of the most shocking in the form of Bleach’s Gin Ichimaru betraying Sosuke Aizen towards the series’ end. However, this betrayal is a lifelong plan of Gin’s, starting when he and Rangiku Matsumoto were children. The pair were very close to each other, and one day, Gin saw Aizen and some Soul Reapers standing over Rangiku’s limp body while scheming over the Hogyoku.
It was revealed that they stole a portion of Rangiku’s soul, leading an enraged Gin to become a Soul Reaper with the intent of one day destroying Aizen in revenge. He gets as close to Aizen as possible to do this, sparing no act if it means gaining Sosuke’s trust.
While his betrayal is unfortunately not as successful as he likely hoped, it is nevertheless incredibly justifiable given his love for Rangiku and the horrible acts Aizen was committing.
8) Eren’s betrayal of Zeke (Attack on Titan)
Eren’s betrayal of his brother Zeke Yeager is one of the most devastating in Attack on Titan for how unexpected and sudden it is. While they seem to be working in perfect sync as they begin their plan, Eren quickly reveals that he never intended to aid Zeke in euthanizing the Eldian race. He likewise only worked with Zeke to further his own goals — activating the Rumbling.
It’s a very cruel betrayal, but justifiable considering Eren’s well-established goals and values. He has always valued the safety and happiness of his friends above all else, likewise explaining why he’d be so vehemently against an Eldian euthanization plan. In turn, Eren is somewhat justified in choosing to betray his brother by protecting his friends.
9) Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie betray everyone (Attack on Titan)
The second of Attack on Titan’s justifiable major anime betrayals, it’s hard to fault Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, or Annie Leonhart for their actions with the full context in mind. Being raised in Marley led to them being indoctrinated into a cult of self-hatred, and being led to believe that becoming warriors was one of the only ways to justify their existence.
The trio were also extremely young as they were fed these philosophies and ideals, emphasizing why they remained true to them even after making the friends they did. In essence, the trio are just children doing all they were taught. While their actions may still be reprehensible, their full origin stories do more than enough to explain and justify their actions.
In summation
While there are many major anime betrayals in the medium, a select few are done for good reason and are justifiable. Common motivations include protecting a loved one or friend, being driven by revenge, or simply even doing the right thing. Regardless of the exact circumstances, the above major anime betrayals are likely some of the most justifiable in the medium today.
