Anime can have really terribly written side characters who completely ruin the show. There are a lot of examples out there, ranging from the most popular shows to the most obscure ones. This extends throughout modern as well as retro anime.
In the list below, we will be taking a look at some side characters who we feel are terribly written and completely ruin their anime for some viewers.
The Worst Side Characters Who Ruined Their Anime
Mineta (My Hero Academia)
My Hero Academia is one of the best shounen anime from recent times. Kohei Horikoshi is inspired by Western superhero comics like Marvel and DC. He wanted to make something of his own, which brings the superhero aesthetics but for the anime audience.
The show follows a story of perseverance surrounding the character Izuku Midoriya. To make this world more like Marvel, Hirokoshi put in more high school characters who have superpowers. One of them might just be a character that completely ruined the anime for many.
Mineta is a terribly written side character in My Hero Academia. His design is funny, and he might have some funny quirks in the show. But his whole personality is based on being the most annoying pervert in the show.
This is a really cool anime to pick up, but unfortunately, a lot of people drop it because of how weird Mineta is. He actively turns off people’s interest in what’s going on with the main story at times.
Tamaki Kotatsu (Fire Force)
Fire Force is the newest and highly popular work of Atsushi Ohkubo, who is known for the stylish Soul Eater anime series. This is why a lot of the design choices and liberties taken in Fire Force echo sensibilities from Ohkubo’s former series.
These elements are also reflected in the character designs for the show. Fire Force has a lot of really fun and interesting side characters, with the exception of Tamaki Kotatsu. He is very irritable and a terribly written character, almost ruining the show, no matter his fun moments.
Tamaki Kotatsu is a character who is overused throughout the series for fan service. It is very apparent that fanservice is a staple part of most popular anime. This show goes overboard with the trope through this character. This is more so justified with terms such as ‘Lucky Lewd Syndrome’, which is stupid and completely ruins the show for a lot of people.
Gabi Braun (Attack On Titan)
Attack on Titan is a grim and dark show surrounding humanity facing extinction in the hands of giant titans. It is a show that is filled with lots of deaths, including important side characters.
The anime slowly shifts from the narrative of humans vs titans to something much darker and philosophical. It ends up showcasing a lot of killings and characters trying to go at each other’s throats. But almost all of them serve their purpose, except Gabi Braun.
She could’ve been one of the most formidable characters, but by killing a series favorite side character, she completely ruins the series for some fans. Gabi Braun might definitely be one of the most terribly written side characters.
Orihime (Bleach)
Kubo Tite’s Bleach was once considered as one of the biggest shounen manga and anime of all time. Standing tall beside the likes of One Piece and Dragon Ball. A lot of people still hold the show in high regard.
Given the popularity of the adaptation of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War arc, the series has been seeing a resurgence in recent times. It might as well be one of the recent popular shows, and it has a really good cast of side characters.
Except for Orihime, who has a soft spot for Ichigo, the main protagonist. She has been a terribly written character in the long-running history of Bleach. Most of her function in the show always ends up falling into the realm of a damsel in distress.
One of the many criticisms that this show gets actually always hinges on Orihime, due to how much of a soft character she is. Even though she was set up to have her own powers to defend herself in fights.
Misa Amane (Death Note)
People trying to get into anime media are often turned off by most of the shows. Because the mainstream shows during recommendations usually point to the shounen shows with tropes. But there is one really popular anime that we can always recommend, Death Note.
Death Note follows the story of how a literal supernatural notebook falls into the hands of one of the most brilliant human minds, Light Yagami. He initially uses it to eliminate criminals and some of the most vicious people all around the world. But eventually, his own morals get twisted, and he becomes the antagonist of his own show.
Light is surrounded by a cast of side characters, the most important one of them being Misa Amane, and also a terribly written character. She was a character who could have been an arch-rival for Light. But instead, she is written as a mindless girl who falls for him. Eventually, she spirals into a puppet that does Light’s bidding.
Happosai (Ranma 1/2)
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the greatest female manga artists ever. Being able to write some of the greatest stories that span across different genres. One of his best works is the popular fantasy romcom, Ranma 1/2.
Ranma 1/2 follows the story of Ranma Saotome. He falls into a curse that transforms her into a girl every time he comes in contact with water. It is one of the oldest shows to bring the discussions about anime to LGBTQIA+ spaces.
It should also be noted that the show is a whole can of worms when it comes to fan services. But regardless, the show is filled with some amazing side characters. Except one, who goes overboard with the fan service and might ruin the show for a lot of people.
Happosai is a character from Ranma 1/2 who suffers from the same problem as a lot of others do. A very annoying old man who is constantly scheming and trying to steal the inner garments of young girls. He is a terribly written character just there to provide comic relief using the ‘perverted character’ trope.
Nina Einstein (Code Geass)
Code Geass is an anime produced by the legendary Sunrise studio. They are known for one of the most famous mech franchises in the world, Mobile Suit Gundam. Mechs are also an important aspect of Code Geass, but not central to the conflicts this show tackles.
The anime follows an alternate history setting in the future, where Prince Lelouch has been exiled. Now he must lead a rebellion with his newfound powers and purpose to snatch the empire back. The show boasts a plethora of amazing side characters.
One of them is an outlier, whom everyone watching the show agrees to collectively hate. The character in question is Nina Einstein, a racist and the cause of a genocide. But that’s not all, she is also one of the more terribly written side characters. Because the show also deliberately exposes an unnecessary private moment of her.
Lambo (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is an amazing shounen anime created by Akira Amano. Even though it ended long ago it still remains fondly in the memories of a lot of fans. Akira Amano’s most popular and recent work includes Psycho Pass, which is also an amazing show.
The plot of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! follows Tsunyoshi Sawada, who finds out that he is the next heir to the throne of a powerful Italian Mafia family. By fate, he befriends a lot of side characters who would become his trusted comrades in this journey.
One of these characters, though, might be the most annoying and terribly written out of all. Lambo is the youngest hitman in the ranks, and due to this, he also has a very annoying personality. He is constantly crying and attention-seeking. Every time he shows up in the show, he ends up ruining moments.
Puck (Berserk)
This one doesn’t need any new introductions; everyone knows about the exploits of Guts the Black Swordsman in Berserk. Created by the late Kentaro Miura, this manga is considered the pinnacle of dark fantasy in Japanese anime media.
Berserk has a lot of side characters initially, until they all get wiped clean off the slate due to circumstances that we shouldn’t spoil. But what we were left with were a few side characters, including an annoying elf companion who is terribly written.
In the original Berserk anime from the 90s, Puck was removed as a character, and it sort of helped in preserving the dark themes of the show. But this doesn’t mean that the manga is any less fun to read because Puck officially exists in it.
We will say, though, that his character and personality are more exposed in the anime instead of being restricted to the pages of a manga. This causes a lot of people to realize how annoyingly written he is.
Sakura Haruno (Naruto)
Naruto is one of the most important shounen manga ever created by Masashi Kishimoto. It played a very significant part in popularizing anime culture in the West. The show is very popular in cosplay culture, hence it is always under fire for being a bad influence, according to outsiders.
Regardless, Naruto is an anime with a long history; its story is still being told even today. Thus, it also has a colorful cast of characters, but some of them can have very flawed characterization. Especially Sakura Haruno, who is supposed to be an important side character.
But her characterization constantly faces conflicts because of how terribly written she is. She was supposed to be a pillar member of Team 7, but by the end of the show, it’s only Naruto and Sasuke who surpass.
