6 Most Ruthless Isekai Anime Protagonists

Highlights

• Ruthless anime protagonists show no mercy to their enemies, using high-level magic and brutal techniques to ensure their foes are eradicated.
• These protagonists, like Seiya Ryuuguuin and Ainz Ooal Gown, are cautious and calculating, choosing battles they are confident they can win.
• While some protagonists may have a compassionate side towards innocent people, they are still ruthless and show no mercy when it comes to fighting enemies.

Ruthlessness is a trait that many anime protagonists have. While some employ this brash trait at the peak of rage or against opponents, some main characters don this trait for the majority of their appearance in their respective anime. Unlike many, this category of heroes is thorough and shows no mercy to their antagonists in battle.

In the Isekai genre, characters are reborn in new and unfamiliar worlds. While some of these protagonists may or may not have always been merciless, they navigate the newness so that opponents and sometimes allies are wary of them, because they can be frightening and unpredictable.

6 Seiya Ryuuguuin

Cautious Hero

When Geabrande falls into turmoil, the goddess Ristarte summons Seiya Ryuuguuin to protect the endangered world from a Demon Lord. After a period of carelessness where he endangered his life and loved ones, Seiya becomes overly cautious, only taking on enemies he is fully confident he can defeat.

Despite his carefulness when choosing battles, the cautious hero throws caution to the wind when he begins fighting enemies. As seen in one of his fights, Seiya uses high-level magic to destroy a weak slime; additionally, he continuously pummels weak or dead enemies to ensure they are eradicated and never return. Seiya, despite his aloofness and bluntness, is protective of the people he cares about, never trivializing anything that poses a threat to them.

5 Tanya Von Degurechaff

Saga of Tanya the Evil

Tanya Von Degurechaff is a reincarnation and the main protagonist in the Saga of Tanya The Evil anime series. Before her rebirth, she was a salaryman in Japan who was murdered by a vengeful colleague. In the new world, Tanya is credited with exceptional magical abilities, rising through the military ranks and becoming a remarkable asset in battle.

The soldier employs brutal methods when dealing with enemies on the battlefield. In contrast to her soft features and childish appearance, Tanya Von Degurechaff is extremely calculating and merciless when accomplishing a goal and utilizes gruesome methods and techniques, subsequently earning her the title of the Devil of the Rhine.

4 Ainz Ooal Gown

Overlord

The main protagonist of the Overlord series, Suzuki Satoru, forgoes his normal life as a salaryman when he becomes trapped in a virtual reality game. In the game, he is now Ainz Ooal Gown, a sorcerer-king and the most powerful caster in the new world. He sets out on his journey to dominate the new world while discovering the full extent of his powers, even if it means harming others.

Ainz satisfies his curiosity about his powers by using other people as test subjects, going as far as brainwashing and killing them to attain his self-motivated goals. If it guarantees his survival and fulfills his cause, the undead character will unabashedly lie and deceive harmless people and opponents alike.

3 Lugh Tuatha De

The World’s Finest Assassin

The legendary assassin, despite meeting a tragic end in his past life, is reincarnated in a new world where his legacy continues. Summoned by a goddess and reborn as Lugh Tuatha De, his assignment is to assassinate the Hero who will destroy the world. Lugh learns new assassination skills under the tutelage of his new family and becomes one of the loyal protectors of the royal family of the Alvan Kingdom.

Lugh continues to excel as an assassin, combining his knowledge from his past life with what he has learned in the new world. In his previous world, his life goals were to execute missions perfectly, going as far as seducing the targets he had been tasked to kill. Although in the new world, he is more compassionate towards innocent people, Lugh is still gruesome and ruthless when fighting enemies, showing no mercy for anyone he marks as a target.

2 Hajime Nagumo

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest

Hajime Nagumo goes from feeling inferior and belittled by his friends because of his lack of combative skills to being the strongest character in Arifureta. The main protagonist of the anime series and his friends are summoned to a new world, tasked with saving humanity before he is betrayed by one of them. The unfortunate events that occur in Hajime’s life greatly alter his personality, as he becomes heartless and bloodthirsty.

Hajime employs ruthless and brutal means, never hesitating to slaughter anyone who gets in his way. His demeanor is generally cold and uncaring, void of any sentiment or care for the oppressed. From being an innocent and kind-hearted boy, Hajime becomes a merciless monster who would eradicate the entire living race if he had to.

1 Toyohisa Shimazu

Drifters

When Toyohisa Shimazu is severely wounded, he awakens as a drifter in an alternate world of fantastical creatures. The protagonist of the Drifters anime series is summoned to defeat a revolution of humans who pose a threat to the elves and demi-human race in the new world.

Toyohisa is a savage in battle. Working with the elves, he uses ruthless antics to instill fear in the enemy. Despite being smaller in number, they are able to invade fortresses, using any means to accomplish their goals, as Toyohisa accompanies the elves on their quest for revenge.