25 Anime Where the Main Character Gets Betrayed

Hell hath no fury like a main character scorned. They are the pillar of their series, the series just doesn’t know it yet! However, betrayal can be both an excellent way to jump-start a vengeance plot or a great twist to a series that shatters all that the main character held dear.

If you are looking for anime recommendations where the main character gets betrayed and comes back filled with piss, vinegar, and fury, then head on down below.

Best Anime Where the Main Character Gets Betrayed

Gungrave

Gungrave switches between a mafia story flashback and the dystopian sci-fi world of vengeance that is a character’s present. You explore the history of Brandon Heat and the betrayal that made him an undead war machine that is both seeking vengeance and protecting a young girl.

The Rising of the Shield Hero

This has become one of the most notable anime series about betrayal in recent years because it happens so soundly and in a genre that was not typically accustomed to it. Isekai heroes are supposed to be just that – heroes. Now imagine the kingdom that summoned you betrays you and paints you the villain to all the people. It is enough to make anyone a bit bitter.

Arifureta

In a very similar vein to the aforementioned Rising of the Shield Hero, Arifureta follows a main character that has pretty weak abilities, but is still happy to be there and helpful in any way. He is happy right up until a comrade betrays him and leaves him for dead. The ordeal he has to go through to survive twists him into a bit of a jaded lad, as you would expect.

Berserk

The betrayal in Berserk isn’t apparent at first, and you actually don’t become aware of what it is until the very end of the first season. However, it is a betrayal that is so infamous in anime that it is definitely one of those top ten moments. It is enough to leave your mouth agape as the season ends.

Yona of the Dawn

Yona’s journey starts with a massive betrayal. Her childhood friend and guy she was sort of sweet on just up and kills her father in a political coup. She ends up fleeing the palace with her bodyguard, starting the journey to regain her kingdom. Interestingly enough, you also learn slowly that his reasons for killing her father may not have been as evil as she thought.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan

The Heroic Legend of Arslan has a similar betrayal to Yona of the Dawn above. A prince goes off to war, and while he is gone, an adviser usurps the kingdom. Unlike Yona of the Dawn, which is more about character growth, Arslan is more about political intrigues and military maneuvering.

Guilty Crown

The thing about the betrayal in Guilty Crown, in which I won’t go into specific details, is that Shu kind of deserved it. It comes after a time of him acting like a true tyrant to the people around him. This makes it difficult to feel too sorry for him, which in itself is an interesting twist of the trope.

91 Days

I’m convinced that no one in any media can write a mafia story without a betrayal in it. In this particular story, the main character had his family murdered as part of Mafia vengeance. He then infiltrates that same mob family and plots his vengeance. He grows close to the family, and then viciously betrays them in turn.

Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers

You know that game Among Us? This anime is essentially like that. Six heroes are chosen to fight the demon lord, seven people show up to go do it. Naturally, they think the extra person is there on behalf of the demon lord to kill them. The main character is then accused, being betrayed by his comrades and hunted down as suspicion spreads like wildfire.

Seven Deadly Sins

Interestingly enough, while the knight group the Seven Deadly Sins were betrayed by their comrades and their kingdom, making them enemies of the world, the story really isn’t about vengeance. It is very much proof that you need not be respected and loved by everyone to still be one of the good guys.

Code Geass

As a political thriller surrounding rebellion, betrayal is literally everywhere in Code Geass. Lelouch himself started the rebellion because he was betrayed by his father and empire. He then betrays friends and allies to make the ends meet. Those around him caught up in the war betray others. I’d go as far as to say there are few episodes in the entire series where some string of betrayal isn’t at least being tugged on.

Gankutsuou

Gankutsuou, being an anime re-imagining of the Count of Monte Cristo – one of the greatest tales of revenge in literature – is unsurprisingly all about vengeance. Interestingly enough, if you consider the naive Albert the main character, his betrayal is rather minor. His betrayal is that he is a tool for the Count, a man so fiercely betrayed by noble society as well as the woman he loves that he – in this version – allows a demon to take him in order to give his fury wings.

The Legend of Legendary Heroes

If you have already seen Berserk on this list, I like to call The Legend of Legendary Heroes, a Berserk-lite. It doesn’t have the same viciousness to it, but it has the same character dynamics and betrayal. Essentially one of these people is going to go rogue and attempt to kill the person they care about the most. They will have good-ish reason to as well, but friends you try to kill rarely see it that way, right?

Vinland Saga

While Vinland Saga focuses more on the politics of the world, the story of the main character is very much a story of betrayal and vengeance. His family was murdered by the very Vikings that took him afterwards and raised him. He has not forgotten, but his feelings about vengeance have gotten a little muddier.

Tower of God

It takes a few episodes for the betrayal to happen, but when it does, boy does it sting. The thing is that Tower of God left no little breadcrumbs that it would happen as well as charmed you by the main character’s child-like innocence about everything. The suddenness of the betrayal was really what gave it the most impact.

Devilman: Crybaby

You will watch Devilman Crybaby, distracted by the sleight of hand that is sex and violence, and wonder where the betrayal is. Like in series such as Berserk and Gungrave, the betrayal doesn’t come until right at the end. However, by this point, you have gotten pretty attached to everyone, which makes the coldness of it so devastating.

Dororo

What greater betrayal is there than to be betrayed by your own parent. As a child, Hyakkimaru was stripped of his body parts by his father so he could give them to demons for more power and left to die. He didn’t die, though. Now he’s back for blood.

Redo of Healer

While more violent and sexual than even your worst teenage fanfiction, the need for vengeance is strong in this anime. It spends a bit of time detailing how Keyaru was betrayed in literally every way, then spends the vast majority of the rest of the series raping and torturing the people that did it in revenge. It is a series for a very specific sort of person, yes.

Cross Ange

It’s a touch hard to feel as sorry for this main character. She was a princess who hated those who could not wield mana like everyone else. However, it is discovered she can’t wield it either on her 16th birthday. As such, she is shunned and exiled, forced to live with the harsh realities of non-mana wielders. It isn’t so much a betrayal as it is comeuppance for bigotry, but still applicable.

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen

In this series, the true betrayal actually happens to the main character’s foster sister, but it still motivates their entire quest as well as not quite being what it seems. She is turned into a dragon in an experiment, and their teachers of the magical arts decide to drive her off and cover up the whole incident. The anime focuses on Orphen fighting his teachers and trying to turn his sister into a human again.

Black Lagoon

As far as betrayals on this list go, the betrayal in Black Lagoon seems pretty minor. Essentially, Rokurou is left to die by his company when he is kidnapped during a work trip. This forces him to see just how expendable he is to the company he has given his life to. It is real strong commentary on salaryman culture, but most salarymen screwed over by their company probably don’t become increasingly jaded mercenaries like Rock.

Akame ga Kill

Only a fool really believes their government is looking out for them. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a painful lesson that Tatsumi has to learn first hand. He ends up seeing just how bad the “good guys” in the government really are and ends up joining the revolution against them.

Btooom!

This is another ultimate betrayal by family. At the end of her rope with her NEET son who plays video games all day, a mother lets an organization take her son to an island to play a killing game. Unfortunately for him, that is not the only betrayal he will have to survive either.

Evil or Live

Much in the same vein as Btooom, Evil or Live features another parent sending their child away for being a basement dweller. This time, it is not a killing game, but a abusive school where they are one twee black-and-white bear away from a killing game.

Do you have more anime series where the main character gets betrayed? It would be a betrayal for you to not let fans know in the comments section below.