Most Gut-Wrenching Tragic Backstories in Anime History

These anime characters may appear cool and tough from outside, but no one wants to experience what they have gone through.

Written by

Priyanko Chakraborty

Jul 18, 2025 11:23 PM

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The anime world has presented the fandoms with great characters and backstories that define them. Backstories are like the spine of a character’s growth and ideals, and help the audience understand them. However, there are a few characters whose backstories can traumatize the viewers. Characters like Guts and Itachi Uchiha never knew happiness and have always been the victims. Here is a list of anime characters who have experienced tragedies like no one else has, making other backstories look like the most pleasant thing in the world.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. Levi Ackerman

Anime: Attack on Titan

The strongest human soldier in Attack on Titan’s history, Levi Ackerman, has one of the saddest back stories ever. His mother was a prostitute and conceived him after getting physical with one of her clients. Levi was raised in the filthy Underground, but somehow managed to defy all odds to become a squad captain of the Survey Corps.

Unfortunately, fate never let him find peace as he saw his best friend, Erwin Smith, die, all of his comrades die in front of him, saw his uncle, Kenny Ackerman, die, but he alone kept on living. Levi did not even know he had family until Kenny decided to reveal their relationship to him. Levi always kept a straight face, but knowing how much he went through, he might be weeping like a child on the inside.

2. Bartholomew Kuma

Anime: One Piece

Bartholomew Kuma belonged to the Buccaneer race, who are considered to be criminals by the World Government due to some mysterious crime they committed in the past. Kuma spent most of his childhood as a slave, mostly doing rigorous physical work. He had to experience his parents’ deaths without ever getting to see their corpses. During the God Valley incident, he escaped with Ginny and Ivankov.

Later, Ginny was kidnapped by the Celestial Dragons and was kicked out after some years. On her deathbed, she gave birth to Bonney, and Kuma raised Bonney as his daughter. However, she ended up with the Sapphire Scales disease, which was incurable. Kuma sacrificed his life and saved. Even though he suffered so much, he always kept a smile on his face, but watching his story made everyone burst out crying.

3. Itachi Uchiha

Anime: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden

Itachi Uchiha’s backstory will always be legendary, and even thinking about it will make tears run down everyone’s cheeks. A genius since childhood, Itachi was destined for great things. When tension between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Uchiha Clan, Itachi decided to take matters into his hands. He killed his entire clan, sparing only his little brother, Sasuke Uchiha. For years, he remained one of the most hated characters ever, but when the truth came out, he gained legendary status. Itachi Uchiha redefines self-sacrifice, kindness, selflessness, and affection. Even years after his death, every anime fandom hopes to see a better ending for him.

4. Acrobatic Silky

Anime: Dan Da Dan

Before becoming a Yokai, Acrobatic Silky was a single mother who dearly loved his daughter. She had a hard life, but her daughter was the one who helped her keep her smile. Acrobatic Silky worked multiple jobs, including working as a prostitute, all to secure her child’s future.

Unfortunately, her debtors kidnapped her daughter while almost beating her to death. Acrobatic Silky tried her best to get to her daughter but failed. Sad and broken, she takes the final step, but her fate does not let her escape the tragedy. Acrobatic Silky was a lovable and cheerful character, even though her backstory was tragic. Putting up a smile while suppressing a horde of emotions is something only a mother can do.

5. Grisha Yeager

Anime: Attack on Titan

Grisha Yeager has one of the most tragically complex backstories ever. Born in Marley, he was always blamed and degraded for being an Eldian, due to their ancestors’ sin. During his childhood, he had to experience his younger sister’s brutal death, and as an adult, his son, Zeke, turned him in to the Marley officials.

Grisha’s wife was turned into a mindless Titan, and later, when he got a second chance at life, his second wife was killed by a Titan, and his son, Eren, from his second marriage, was forced to become the Attack Titan. Grisha Yeager’s life was one tragedy after another. The saddest part of all was that, unknown to him, he was a part of a greater ploy.

6. Ymir Fritz

Anime: Attack on Titan

Ymir Fritz was a slave of the first Eldian King and the first person who obtained the powers of the Titans. Due to her incredible abilities, the King married her, but never treated her like a Queen. Since she had always been a slave, she was accustomed to the King treating her as a slave. She bore him three daughters, Maria, Rose, and Sheena.

Due to her nature as a slave, she died after being pierced by a spear while saving the King. The King was unmoved by her death. Rather than holding a ceremony for her death, she ordered his three daughters to eat Ymir to gain Titan powers. Ymir never got to know happiness in her life or the afterlife.

7. Guts

Anime: Berserk

Guts’ backstory is not just tragic, it is emotionally devastating and brutal. He was born from a corpse, who hanged herself. It was clear from the moment that Guts would have a hard and miserable life ahead. His backstory features him getting abused as a child, his best friend betraying him and raping his girlfriend in front of him, and watching his comrades die most brutally. Tragedies don’t define Guts; rather, he is made from them. Only the people with the strongest hearts can witness Guts’ story because of its raw nature. Even experiencing one of those things will traumatize a person for life, Guts still keeps on going, irrespective of how much he has to suffer.

8. Trafalgar D. Water Law

Anime: One Piece

Trafalgar D. Water was born in Flevance, a city known for Amber Lead. However, the excessive mining of the mineral caused a deadly disease amongst the residents. Multiple people perished, including Law’s parents and younger sister. He, too, was dying, but joined Doflamingo’s crew to kill as many people as possible as a dying wish.

However, Corazon, one of Doflamingo’s crewmates, took an interest in him and helped him find a cure with the Ope Ope no Mi. Just when Law found someone meaningful in his life, everything was destroyed. He had to witness Corazon’s death in silence, leaving a deep scar that took years to mend. Trafalgar Law is known as the Surgeon of Death, but he failed to fix his broken heart.

9. Hyakkimaru

Anime: Dororo

Hyakkimaru’s tragedy began even before he was born. Before his birth, his father sacrificed him to 12 Demons, in exchange for bringing peace and prosperity to his kingdom. Born as a disfigured mass of flesh, his father ordered him to be killed. His mother could not bring herself to kill him and threw him into a river. Hyakkimaru’s life began after he was picked up by a doctor who provided him with prosthetics. Later, he set out on a journey to take back his body parts from the 12 demons. Hyakkimaru never felt any emotions or pain, and more importantly, he was abandoned by the people who brought them into the world.

10. Kakashi Hatake

Anime: Naruto/Naruto Shippuden

Kakashi Hatake is one of the coolest characters in Naruto, but once people got to know his backstory, they learned that not only does his face have a mask wrapped around it, but his heart also has a mask wrapped around it. Kakashi witnessed his father getting branded as a traitor and committing suicide, experienced his friend’s death, his sensei’s death, and unintentionally killed his teammate. Kakashi Hatake was a genius when it came to being a shinobi, but when it came to life, he has always been the victim. For years, Kakashi became emotionless, distancing himself from people and setting his heart cold. People want to become like Kakashi until they get to know his true story.

11. Nagato Uzumaki

Anime: Naruto Shippuden

Nagato Uzumaki has always been a part of Madara Uchiha’s experimentation. After Madara’s Rinnegan was implanted onto Nagato, his worst days began. Even though Rinnegan is an all-powerful visual prowess, he was not able to use it to its fullest since it was not his. As a child, he saw his parents getting murdered, and later, when he was an adult, he had to experience the death of his best friend, Yahiko.

Yahiko’s death had a major impact on him and caused him to become the Six Paths of Pain. Betrayed, hunted, vengeance, etc., Nagato got everything, but never found peace until he met Naruto Uzumaki. A great character, but got manipulated into becoming a sufferer and a villain.

Also Read: 8 Cancelled Anime That Haunt Our Watch History Forever