First, there’s this little video:
And now my Top 10 List of mentally ill anime characters, in reverse order! Warning! Some minor spoilers.
10. Death the Kid from Soul Eater. A textbook case of obsessive compulsion disorder. I have known people with OCD, and they are totally functional. But Kid? It often puts his life, and the lives of his weapons, Patty and Liz, in danger.
9. Tatsuhiro Satou from Welcome to the NHK. Tatsuhiro is a “NEET,” someone who lives alone in his apartment and never comes out. He is afraid of the outside world and of any relationship. A high school girl takes it upon herself to cure him. Tall order there.
8. Yumeko Jabami from Kakegurui. At first I was going to list Midari Ikishima, the one-eyed masochist. But Yumeko is the main character, and her gambling compulsion is way out of hand. Winning or losing is of no importance. Only the thrill counts.
7. Mika from Lain. Supposedly Mika is Lain’s big sister, but that’s a major spoiler. She has kind of a cold personality, but seems intelligent enough – until apparently an attack by the Knights gets her instead of Lain. Mika becomes a babbling vegetable. It’s all up for interpretation. The series requires multiple viewings.
6. Mima from Perfect Blue. Goody-goody Mima leaves her all girl pop singing group to become an actress. And along the way her sanity goes sayounara. Someone is upset over Mima’s change of image. Is it a stalker? Or Mima herself? This movie is one of my favorite mind-f*** anime.
5. Nina Einstein from Code Geass. How does a girl from a privileged background go psycho? Well, first she falls in love with Princess Euphemia. Then when Lalouch, who does not know the extent of his own powers, gets Euphemia to go on a murderous rampage, he is forced to kill his favorite half-sister. This is too much for Nina to take, and she goes totally out of control nearly causing a massacre. Nina does get enough control to later build weapons of mass destruction for the government. Yes, Lalouch has his own issues, but Nina going insane is something even he can’t equal.
4. Light from Death Note. A classic sociopath. He can kill, and he feels he is totally justified.
3. Mr. Satou from Ajin: Demi-Human. Satou seems a nice enough guy. He’s the neighbor who invites you over to watch the big game on TV. He’s the buddy who you sit with in a bar exchanging stories. He’s the one person you must invite to your backyard barbeque. Oh, and he kills people. And he’s very good at it. His easy going manner hides a sociopathic mind.
2. Ladd Russo from Boccano. OK, we are definitely in psycho territory now. The one scene were an overjoyed Ladd, soaked with the blood of others, goes skipping happily through the train should tell you everything. What do you expect from a guy who promises the girl he loves he will someday kill her?
1. Johan from Monster. Quiet, easy going Johan does not seem like a threat. But he not only kills, he manipulates others to kill for him. A total psychopath, Johan leaves a trail of bodies all over Europe.
Honorable Mention:
Tsukiko Sagi from Paranoia Agent. Her psychoses is not in her head. Her drawings brought it to life. OK, she's more of a victim herself, which is why she is not in the top ten.
Half the cast from Boogiepop Phantom. Too many to list, but there are more than enough to keep your attention.
Your turn.
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