T5W#458-Top 5 Tragic Chosen Ones in Anime

Incase you aren’t aware, Dune: Part Two is now on Blu-Ray and is streaming.  This isnt a plug in any sense, this is just me saying that if you haven’t seen the second part of Dennis Villenuve’s adaptation of one of the greatest SciFi Novels of all time then WHAT IS YOUR DEAL!!!???  The movie is freaking awesome and I’m looking forward to watching it a few more times to take it all in.  Anyway, those familiar with Dune’s immensely deep lore and characters might be aware of one key detail (SPOILER ALERT FOR DUNE: PART II AND POSSIBLE FUTURE SEQUELS): Paul Atredies isnt the “hero” everyone thinks he might be.  No, Dune is a nice deconstruction of the “Chosen One” trope, showing that even if he’s meant to be a savior, the future he sets into motion is probably going to wreck the universe a new one in the process.  Paul accepts this, if only to spare Humanity an even worse fate if you can believe it.  Anime has its fair share of such similar figures, those who are either cursed by being tools of fate or starting journeys with the noblest of intentions that fall to darkness in the process and either cant return from it or must make the ultimate sacrifice to set things right.  So this week on T5W, let’s look at five prime examples of this tragic trope with my Top 5 Tragic Chosen Ones in Anime (btw, major spoilers ahead since most of these are all about Series Finales).

 
#5-Light Yagami (Death Note)

Oh Light, Light, Light.  This kid had such a bright future as a student of the law and potential future police chief like his Dad.  Then he found the Death Note and the rest quickly fell into place from there.  Thanks to the Death Note’s near limitless potential, Light brought swift and brutal justice to both criminals and those who would hinder his plans as “Kira.”  He went from idealistic student to False God in a pretty quick time span and it remains as tragic as it is entertaining to watch.  Light’s epic final fall in the Series Finale is still the stuff of legends and still solidifies Death Note as one of the very best Anime ever made.
 

#4-Lelouch Vi Britannia (Code Geass)

Much like his spiritual cousin, Light, Lelouch started out his crusade as Zero with noble goals though they were merely a mask for a very long and elaborate revenge plot against his Dad, the Emperor of Britannia.  Along the way though, to make his future a reality, Lelouch crosses plenty of lines, putting allies and loved ones at risk all for the sake of his grand plan.  It eventually gets to the point where Lelouch has the whole world gunning for him…and turns out, in one of Anime’s greatest twist endings, this was the plan all along.  After taking out his Dad, Lelouch brought all of the Worlds hatred onto himself, just to have himself slain in order to unite the world in piece.  Talk about a helluva sacrifice (and don’t worry, the Lelouch of the Resurrection movie takes place in an alternate continuity so even if you don’t agree with it, the legacy of this brilliant Series Finale is still intact).
 

#3-Kamui Shiro (X: The Movie)

When working on this list, Kamui was one of my first candidates.  Kamui is a double chosen one, kind of.  He’s supposed to side with either the Dragons of Heaven or the Dragons of Earth and become their leader for the final battle for the fate of the planet.  What I mean by double chosen one is that whichever side he chooses, his best friend, Fuma, must become his enemy on the other side.  I’m specifically going with the Kamui from the X Movie because of the bleaker finale that comes with it.  Kamui finds himself in a deadly final duel with Fuma with Tokyo pretty much in ruins.  When the dust settles, Kamui has won but the cost has been paid with Tokyo, like I said, basically destroyed (which he was trying to prevent) and Fuma killed by his own sword.  Cue the sad but awesome “Forever Love” music.
 

#2-Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Oh man this one just…oh man.  Madoka Magica turns all the positive Magical Tropes on their head in a heartbreaking but brilliantly told way.  I was tempted to put Homura Akemi in this spot but in the end, it’s Madoka who is the more tragic of the two.  While Homura is trying time and time again to rescue her best friend from a dark fate, in the end it’s Madoka who must tell her there’s only one way to stop all Magical Girls from suffering a tragic end, and that’s for her to take on all of those throughout history.  Madoka’s sacrifices spares hundreds of magical girls throughout time the fate of becoming Witches and even restores some of her fallen comrades to life in the process.  The sad drawback is that Homura is the only one who remembers Madoka after all of this.  It just…so freaking sad.  Annnnd then the “Rebellion” Movie had to ruin it but the less said about that, the better.
 

#1-Griffith (Berserk)

Even though I haven’t seen much of it, there isnt an Anime fan alive who isnt aware of the tragedy of Griffith.  The man saw himself as the epitome of rulers everywhere, the man destined to change the world.  Then his plans went horribly wrong and Griffith became a shell of his former self.  How could he get himself back on track?  Easy, converse with the Gods of all Evil, sacrifice his army and closest friends to them and become a Demon God himself.  The mere idea of this is sickening and nightmare inducing to me, be it in the Manga or the Anime.  AND, to my knowledge, this hasn’t been resolved yet (partly due to the tragic passing of Berserk author Kentaro Miura).  Who knows if Griffith can even be redeemed after all of this…probably not if Guts ever gets his hands on him.