Most of these anime characters would do anything to get rid of their curse because of the isolation and trouble it causes in their lives.
Plenty of anime characters endure unthinkable misfortune. Sometimes, a character’s shortcomings are exacerbated by a terrible curse. Whether they’re born with the curse or somehow become cursed later on in their life, these characters are subjected to supernatural torture. Many curses involve death or other physical torture. Others take psychological tolls.
In some cases, they can harness the evil power for their own gain and turn it into an advantage. However, most characters would do anything to get rid of their curse because of the isolation and trouble it causes in their lives — not only to themselves but also to their loved ones.
10. Yuta Okkotsu (Jujutsu Kaisen)
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuta Okkotsu witnessed his childhood friend, Rika, die in a tragic accident. However, Rika became a special grade vengeful cursed spirit who haunted Yuta for most of his life. Rika’s presence made it impossible for Yuta to form connections with others because nobody understood what he was dealing with.
Every time Yuta tried to escape her haunting, she made it impossible for him. Luckily, Yuta came to terms with the fact that love is the most twisted curse of all and enrolled at Jujutsu High. There, he learned to unravel the curse and harness Rika’s power for more productive purposes.
9. Allen Walker (D. Gray-man)
In D. Gray-man, Allen walker can see demons’ souls. The curse certainly comes in handy on occasion, but it makes his job as an exorcist much harder. Since Allen has a glimpse into their souls, it makes it extremely challenging for him to successfully exorcise his demonic targets.
Most people find it easy to view every demon as an evil, wretched creature. Though this is certainly true in some cases, Allen’s ability reveals that many of them didn’t want to turn out like that and harbor enough pain to define their existence.
8. Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke)
In Princess Mononoke, Ashitaka’s arm carries the curse of a deceased boar god. His village fell victim to a rampage by the boar god in question. Ashitaka defeated him but got himself cursed in the process.
The curse takes on a gnarly physical form on his arm. It’s a quickly metastasizing curse that will eventually spread throughout Ashitaka’s body and kill him if he doesn’t get it under control or find a way to break it. Though the curse grants Ashitaka enough power to take a life, he cuts his life shorter each time he kills someone.
7. Class 3-3 (Another)
In Another, the entirety of Class 3-3 is cursed because a student died in the 70s. At the time, his classmates pretended he was still alive which sparked the curse. Ever since then, a dead person haunts the class.
However, the dead person is typically hard to distinguish from their living peers. It creates a devastating pattern of death. Eventually, Class 3-3 decides to break their curse by entirely ignoring one of their peers. This, obviously, just makes it worse for them and creates a neverending cycle.
6. Mitty (Made In Abyss)
In Made In Abyss, Mitty was turned into a horrifying blob because of unethical experimentation at Bondrewd’s hands and fell prey to the Curse of the Sixth Layer. Mitty underwent a painful transformation. She lost important cognitive skills like communication, and any semblance of basic intelligence she once had disappeared.
Though her new form grants her eternal life, it’s not worth it. Mitty’s constantly in pain and became an unrecognizable shell of her former self. She never had a happy ending, since there was no way to break the curse.
5. Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
In Naruto, Orochimaru placed the cursed seal of heaven on Sasuke after he hijacked the Chunin exams. Though it allows him access to a greater amount of power, those who fall prey to the seal are doomed to becoming Orochimaru’s mindless servants.
Kakashi prevented the seal from working as Orochimaru intended, but most of the responsibility fell on Sasuke to avoid giving in to the mark. Every time he relied on even a fraction of its power, Sasuke lost control. Luckily, Itachi removed the cursed seal from Sasuke’s neck using his Totsuka blade.
4. Miroku (Inuyasha)
In Inuyasha, Miroku has a black hole in his hand. Though it seems like an appealing ability at first, it’s quite horrifying. It’s extremely dangerous to the user behind the void. It effortlessly demolishes enemies, but the user is always at risk of being sucked into the black hole.
Miroku’s father was fated to such a brutal demise. The entire curse started with Miroku’s grandfather. Miroku is bound and determined to defeat Naraku, ultimately breaking the curse and killing an evil villain in the process.
3. Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
In Dororo, Hyakkimaru’s father traded his limbs for fame and fortune. When Hyakkimaru was born, he didn’t have any legs, arms, eyes, nose, or ears. He initially didn’t even have skin. A doctor was horrified by his condition and gave him prosthetic limbs and organs.
Though he’s taken well to all of the prosthetics, Hyakkimaru’s existence is undeniably tragic. His father literally sold his newborn kid’s limbs and organs to vicious demons for money. Even worse, his father didn’t even stick around when he was born and abandoned Hyakkimaru.
2. Guts & Casca (Berserk)
In Berserk, Griffith’s betrayal left a physical memory on Guts and Casca in the form of a Brand of Sacrifice. The Brand of Sacrifice ensures that Guts and Casca would be haunted by demons wherever they go, making it impossible for them to settle down in a specific area.
The Brand subjected Guts and Casca to a never-ending battle against demons because of their former friend’s awful betrayal. The Brand of Sacrifice basically forces those afflicted by it to kiss away any semblance of peace they’d previously known goodbye.
1. Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)
In Fruits Basket, the Sohma family’s Zodiac curse is awful for everyone afflicted by it. It causes strained familial ties and their current God, Akito, is an abuser who traumatized each member of the Zodiac. However, Kyo’s a unique case in the Sohma family since he represents the Cat.
Being born as the Cat basically dooms someone to a life of isolation. The Cat was ostracized by the original Zodiac members and the God because it pointed out that they’d all die one day and the banquet would eventually end. In its current incarnation, the Cat is cursed with a terrifying true form. Each generation is subjected to solitary confinement.
