They used to be bad, but now they're good?

Villains and antagonists, they're supposed to be the bad guys or the opposing team. They're supposed to be the ones that we despise (or in some cases ire) to our hearts content. They're the ones that sometimes make us say "You son of a b****, die already!" However, there are certain occasions where they tend to turn over a new leaf and bring a new aspect or point of view to the story, plot, etc. Today I'm going to be taking about a few baddies who went good after seeing the light. (Um I don't mean the light from the Poltergeist movie of course)

KEYNOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW WHO THESE CHARACTERS ARE AND HAVE NOT SEEN THE ANIME THAT THEY ARE FROM YET. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED IN ADVANCE.

Gaara (Naruto series)

Gaara is the son of the fourth Kazekage and also the vessel of the first tailed beast (Shukaku). As such, he didn't have a very good childhood. A victim of child neglect, a survivor from almost being assassinated, and always ridiculed by his fellow village mates because of what was inside of him, Gaara had enough of trying to live a normal life. Gaara became a villain once he snapped and decided that no one mattered to him and that he only cared for himself. He brutally started to kill anyone and everyone who got in his way and started walking a lonely path by himself. After entering the chunin exams and badly injuring not only Rock Lee but Sasuke Uchiha as well, Naruto stepped up to the plate, confronted and beat the crap outta him just to put some sense into him. He comes to understand and ire Naruto Uzumaki after that incident and then befriends him. From then on, he works his way up to the top to gain the respect of his peers and teammates so that he can get some redemption and atonement for his past sins. He wishes to become a great leader and a good friend. (He ends up doing so when he becomes Kazekage later on in the beginning of Shippuden)

Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)

(Yea I know I talked about this guy in my other blog too but don't go making a fuss about that ok :sweat_smile: ) Hiei didn't think much about others, only himself. Just like Gaara, he had a miserable childhood and had to take of his own self growing up too. Abandoned at birth, raised by thieves, hunted down by many, and scarred in the process, Hiei definitely couldn't catch a break in the beginning. So he resorted to what he knew best. That was, killing other demons in order to survive and get stronger. He eventually meets Kurama and then teams up with him because they have similar interests (at the time) and they flee to Earth. (or rather the human world) When that happens, Hiei runs into Yusuke Urameshi. He tries to kill him but ends up losing the battle and from then on he swears that he'll get his revenge against him. Slowly but surely, Hiei starts to lose interest in getting revenge and starts to follow Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwobara and the rest of their teammates just for the heck of battle and entertainment. His heart gradually starts to change and he becomes a bit softer by the end of the show. He finally learns the ends and odds of why it's not ok to kill mercelessly and starts to think before he acts a lot more often.

Kurama (Naruto version)

Kurama is an enormous nine tailed fox demon spirit who is supposed to be the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts. He really hates humans because of a past experience with Madara Uchiha. (who was later to be revealed as someone else) He hates them so much that even the mere thought of one entering inside his territory would ruffle his fur. He was a cold hearted, ferocious, and mean creature that just wanted to run amuk. He couldn't stand the sight of one more thing though. That thing was the Jinchuriki. (The inhabitants of the tailed beasts who hold the tailed beasts within their bodies) Naruto Uzumaki just happened to be one of those people who held the nine tailed fox within him. He harbored his power, hatred etc for several years straight. When the time came for him and the nine tailed beast to fight it out against each other once and for all, a lot of things were revealed about his past and why he was always so angry. After hearing some inspirational words from Naruto and making a promise to him that he'd take on all of his hate and save his friend (Sasuke Uchiha) in the process, Kurama thinks back on what the old sage of six paths told him as a young foxling. He truly starts to believe in humans again and begins to have a change of heart. By the end of the show he's a lot less cold hearted and a whole lot kinder. (still a bit sarcastic and loves to make hilarious smart remarks at Naruto though)

Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho version)

Just like the other Kurama I previously mentioned, this Kurama is also a demon. (And a fox one at that, hmmm I see a pattern here) He used to be one of the most feared demons of the demon realm. In fact (if I correctly) he was considered to be an A class ranked in the demon world. Demons across the realm feared him so much that they didn't even want to use his full name (Yoko Kurama) let alone talk about him near others. Kurama used to steal, kill, and strike fear into the heart of others just for the fun of it and to survive at the time. He gathered some followers and became a fearless leader to all of them. One day though, his past deeds got the best of him and he had to retreat and go into hiding after being severely wounded. He fled to Earth and hid his presence inside of a newborn baby. From then on he possessed the baby boy and stayed silent for a few years. He had grown accustomed to his new life and even started liking humans more than he used to. After caring so much for his human mother and finding out that her life could be in danger, he decided to give up his old ways for good. (Yusuke also had a part to play in this but I'll leave that pt alone for now) Kurama becomes one of the most kindest, dependable, and reliable, demons in the whole show.

Mars (Black Clover)

Mars was another mentally scarred person that had been through his own personal h*** as a child. He and his childhood friend Fana, couldn't catch a break when they were younger. They grew up in the Diamond Kingdom. Unlike the Clover Kingdom where people are much more free and can make decisions for themselves, the Diamond Kingdom was more of a military strife type of place. They raised little kids to become weapons or assassins at a very young age. Mars had become a victim of such things. He and Fana were experimented on every day until their final test came. They were to kill one or the other until their was only one victor left standing. Fana betrayed Mars and attacked him out of rage. When Mars retaliated because he couldn't believe what was happening, he lost his mind and accidentally killed her in the process. From then on he became a mindless slave to the Diamond Kingdom who didn't care about anything but following his orders to survive. He tries to brutally kill Asta and Yuno when they first meet in a dungeon on a mission. After fighting and getting bashed by Asta a few times, he comes to his senses and is slightly confused as to what the words Asta said to him on that day truly meant. When they encounter each other again he finally changes for the better and tells Asta how sorry he is. He also finds out that Fana survived and is still alive. He makes up his mind to change his corrupted homeland for the better.

Len Tao (Shaman King)

Len (Also known as Ren Tao in the Japanese version) was one of those cocky a******* in the beginning who thought he could beat anyone and everyone at the drop of a hat. He especially hated Yoh Asakura because he saw how happy go lucky his attitude was. He came off as one of those evil and arrogant villains whose mind couldn't be swayed to come to the good side at first. He wanted to destroy each and every contestant in the Shaman tournament no matter the means necessary. He was one of Yoh's strongest opponents. He and Yoh battled it out several times and each time he was close to victory yet always lost somehow. Over time, Len stopped being so cold hearted, became less aggressive, and a lot more caring. He wanted to study Yoh and compete against him as a rival. However all of that changed yet again when his father and head of the Tao clan started brutally abusing him and his sister (all over again but that's another story that I might just save for another blog). Ren thought that he couldn't escape his father's grasp, so he decided to slip back into his old ways to protect the people that he loved. Once Yoh found out about it, he rushed to his aid and they both took down his father for good. Len was very grateful to Yoh for ridding him of his shackles. To repay him, he decided it would be better if he'd help Yoh become the ideal Shaman King. (He still argues and fights with him and his other friends every now and then though lol)

Satsuki Kyurin (Kill la Kill)

Out of all the things that happened while watching this anime, I never would've guessed that Satsuki would've turned into a good guy. It was a huge plot twist and I definitely didn't see it coming. I mean come on, she came off as this strict and all powerful ruler of the school. She was among the high and mighty. She declared that all who disobeyed her must grovel below her feet. None would dare oppose her and mostly all feared her. The only two people who stood in her way were her own flesh and blood. (Ryuko and their mom) It was not until a few more chance encounters with Ryuko and hearing a few bit of words uttered by her mother that she realized what was truly righteous and what was incorrect. She decides to stop judging books by their cover and takes up arms with Ryuko to defeat their true nemesis. (her mother, Ragyo I believe was her name)

Karma Akabane (Assassination Classroom)

Karma Akabane was no ordinary student. He was highly intelligent but always got himself into trouble. He was sorta the type who got into trouble to satisfy his own tastes. (He was sadistic as heck and a total douchebag) He laughed at and disrespected his teachers. He got into fights on purpose just to see where he'd end up. Nothing in particular really peaked his actual interests until he met Nagisa. Nagisa had a certain unique charm about him that caught Karma's eye. After getting into severe trouble again and being suspended for a while, he would not meet up with him again until being placed in Class 3-E. (the end class) There, his devious and very cunning behavior is put to the test when he meets his new teacher Koro Sensei. He thinks that he has it made and that he'll easily mop the floor with him and the whole class. However, Koro Sensei teaches him a thing or two about meeting his match and from there Karma starts to focus less on causing problems and more on his actual school work. (oh and of course killing their teacher as well, for the people who've seen this anime, you know what I'm talking about) Karma is a lot less threatening (appearance wise and actions wise) by the end of the show and he becomes a lot more likeable.

Lancer (Fate series)

Ahem, I will not be talking about Lancer from Fate/Zero, nor will I be mentioning the two lancers from Apocrypha either. I'm specifically going to be talking about the guy with the really long blue ponytail and bright red piercing eyes. That's right, I mean Cu Chulainn. This guy only thought about battle in the first few episodes of Fate/Stay Night. All he wanted was to kill at the command of his master. The single thought of challenging someone to a fight was all he needed to strive and live on. He didn't care about the people who died in the process or the consequences of his actions. He didn't think about the aftermath. He just thought about the fun of the 'here and now'. After trying to kill Shiro more than once, being betrayed by several different people who he thought he could trust, and deciding to make his own decisions from now on no matter how crucial the outcome may be, he decided to side with his enemy (that being Shiro and Rin at the time) and cut his losses short. He truly became an asset and a pretty likeable guy by the end of the show. (It's just too bad that he didn't live to see how it all played out in the end)

Alice Nakiri (Food Wars)

This chick here......I swear when she was first introduced into the show, she was the spitting image of her cousin Erina Nakiri. They both had this snarky stuck up attitude problem. They both thought almost everyone else was beneath them. They both also disliked the main character Soma Yukihira. Alice disliked Soma so much that she mocked the crap outta him and his cooking methods. She lost to him when it came down to an actual shokugeki battle though. In the process her true colors started to show. She began iring Soma's talents, showcasing her skills, and even giving him some pointers on some things that he himself didn't know about. She stopped acting like a conceited little brat and finally started being nice towards her friends. She's actually a very cheerful and pretty smart person overall.

That's all for now amino peeps. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I apologize for any grammar issues as always. I may or may not make a second part to this blog real soon. Comment down below if you want to.