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This article will contain spoilers for Death Note (2006-2007), Attack on Titan (2013-), and Tokyo Revengers (2021-).
A staple in shonen anime, an action-filled genre aimed at young male audiences, is the main protagonist who is tasked with saving the world. It is up to them to bring justice where justice is not found and, for the most part, they do. But as some series come to show, not all protagonists are able to hold such a tight grip on their sense of justice.
Death Note’s (2006-2007) Light Yagami (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2006-2007). “Light Yagami.” Death Note Wiki. )), Attack on Titan’s (2013-) Eren Yeager (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2013). “Eren Yeager.” Attack on Titan Wiki. )), and Tokyo Revengers (2021-) Takemichi Hanagaki (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2021-). “Takemichi Hanagaki.” Tokyo Revengers Wiki. )), all have that one thing in common: their belief in justice shifts and they play god, deciding who and what deserves to be saved and who does not.
Each one has their own way of going through this process of saving certain characters. From an outside lens it seems appropriate because ultimately, they are saving people; however, saving one person always comes at a price and each character learns that their actions fueled by their god-like complexes have a vastly large negative outcome.
What Is A God-Like Complex?
A god complex, as defined by “Very Well Mind,” is
“a personality pattern in which an individual believes they have great power or influence and are superior to others.”
“What Is a God Complex?” Verywell Mind, 2023.
It is stated in the article that when someone is affected by a god complex, they can become destructive and damaging to those around them. Being able to control a situation by force is a huge factor that contributes to this personality pattern and it’s rooted in a deep sense of self-entitlement.
Death Note. Madhouse. 2006-2007.
Attack on Titan The Final Season. MAPPA. 2022.
Tokyo Revengers. LINDENFILMS. 2021-.
God-like complexes take root for a variety of reasons such as low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, or — as stated in the article God Complex: What It Means and Why People Have Them — because they have an:
“overly protective or enabling parent who fostered these feelings by constantly praising them and making them feel special.”
(( “What Is a God Complex?” Verywell Mind, 2023. ))
There are many characteristics of these anime characters that are associated with god complexes, with Takemichi suffering from low self-esteem, Eren suffering from powerlessness, and Light being held in higher regard than those of his own age. Due to these effects on their past, it is possible that they do not recognize the impact they have on other people which leads to a bigger issue which is when the shift between their beliefs occurs and they believe passing judgment onto others falls into their hands.
Death Note (2006-2007)
Created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Death Note (2006-2007), which was first serialized as a manga in 2003, follows high schooler Light Yagami who finds a mysterious notebook called the “Death Note” that allows the one in possession of the book to murder anyone by simply writing their name in its pages. When he discovers the notebook Light sees this as his opportunity to shed the world of its evil. He sets off to become the god of the “New World,” a place free of injustice and populated with only people that are honest.
After his murders gain negative attention from the authorities and they begin a witch hunt to find him, Light decides to let his beliefs be known, creating a following, and strays from his path of only expelling the bad in an effort to hide his identity and keep himself safe. This captures the attention of detective L (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2006-2007). “L.” Death Note Wiki. )), who sends them both on a mind game only they understand.
Light Yagami — From Model Student To Sinister Mastermind
At the beginning of Death Note (2006-2007), Light is known for being hardworking and a natural-born genius. Light is popular both in and out of school which leads to his parents holding him to a higher standard. His need for justice leads to him formulating his goal for the “New World,” which can be attributed to his father who is the chief of the National Police Agency. Having his father work in law enforcement, Light has learned about and seen the many injustices that occur on a daily basis.
That, along with the praise he garnered, allowed him to, as stated by Psychology Today, weaponize praise,
“In the wrong hands, praise has the power to harm.”
(( “How Narcissists Weaponize Praise.” Psychology Today, 2022. ))
When Light first began murdering criminals and people started to take notice, the praise he received extended farther than what he knew. The civilians called him “Kira” and by giving him that recognition, made him believe that he was the chosen one. He had a responsibility to make the world a better place because to his knowledge he was the only person who had the power to end lives by writing their names into the notebook.
Turning praise into a negative thing is considered narcissism, a personality closely tied to god complexes. The author of How Narcissists Weaponize Praise, Julie L. Hail, explains that narcissists treat praise as an entitlement. By putting Light and, therefore his second persona, Kira, on a pedestal, it was not long until Light began to see himself as a God that could determine if any form of life, innocent or not, deserved to live.
Death Note — Season One, Episode Five “Tactics”
Light’s sense of justice begins to shift in Season One, Episode Five “Tactics” when he takes the innocent lives of twelve FBI agents. One of them was Raye Penber (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2006-2007). “Raye Penber.” Death Note Wiki. )), an agent who was the only one to learn of Kira’s real identity before his death. The reason Light killed these agents was simply that he disliked the fact that they were pursuing him. Light justifies these deaths as a necessity because if he was caught then the utopian world he dreamt of would not become a reality.
When L comes into the equation, Light learns that he is not the only skillful mastermind around. Hence, his need to come out unscathed, kill L, and become someone even greater, ends up as his driving force. After Light is finally able to kill L off, he believes he has won.
However, a few years down the line, a new detective under the alias N (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2006-2007). “Near.” Death Note Wiki. )), emerges and Light finds himself in a bind. This is a breaking point for Light because while he went free for years, he continued to murder recklessly until eventually he is caught by someone he deems unworthy of his intellect.
Attack On Titan (2013-)
Based on the 2009 manga of the same name written by Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan (2013-) begins by telling the story of Eren Yeager and his childhood friends, Armin Arlert (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2013-). “Armin Arlert.” Attack on Titan Wiki.)), and Mikasa Ackerman (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2013-). “Mikasa Ackerman.” Attack on Titan Wiki.)). They live in the walls of Paradis, a civilization created to protect the people from the man-eating titans lurking outside.
It is when the walls are infiltrated by both the sixty-meter-tall colossus titan, and the armored titan that hundreds are killed in the aftermath, including Erens mother. Eren vows to enact revenge on the titans and later enlists in the military branch of the Survey Corps, with Armin and Mikasa, to kill them all. A large goal of Erens, even as the story progresses and it becomes about more than killing titans, is to ensure the safety of his close friends and his people. It does not matter to him the consequences.
Eren Yeager — From Hero To Villain
After Erens mother is killed in Season One, Episode One “To You, In 2,000 Years: The Fall Of Shinganshina Part 1,” of the Attack On Titan (2013-) series, Eren sets out to kill all of the man-eating titans that have terrorized the people of Paradis for years. Again, that was his first goal before he was exposed to the horrors of reality.
Desperation and powerlessness moved Eren the most. He was only a child at the time Paradis was attacked, so he had no real authority to make a huge difference until he learned that he had inherited a titan. When he discovered that, Eren saw that he had a way to make his goal a reality. He is labeled as humanity’s hope for the future and like Light, who was put on this pedestal even before he became Kira, he is given these expectations that later contribute to his descent from hero to villain.
It is with these expectations that Eren begins to learn more about who he is as a titan and the history surrounding Paradis’ existence. They discover that the titan is actually a direct result of the nation across the sea from them, Marley. Eren discovers this when he unlocks the hidden memories of his father’s titan and his original goal to enact revenge for his mother’s death is thrown out the window. As the only one who is aware of the true history behind the two nations, his new goal is to destroy the Marleyans who have forced the Eldians to endure years of pain and turmoil.
“Psychology Today” explains that those who feel a sense of powerlessness, also known as moral distress, as Eren had, feel that they have to compromise themselves “due to external forces.” Eren originally despised titans, however, when he learned he could use them to his disposal, he became more understanding and later uses them to attack Marley.
A divide forms between Eren and the military and just like a god, Eren gains followers who support his every decision even if that means mass murdering thousands of innocents. Season Four, Episode Five “Declaration Of War,” is when Erens beliefs shift and he brutally murders Marleyan civilians, shrugging off the causalities as something that was necessary.
This is not the only instance where Eren feels nothing for those who had been killed, in fact, his plan is to destroy the whole world so that his people and loved ones can truly be free. That is later known as the rumbling which unleased thousands of titans hidden in the walls of Paradis.
Tokyo Revengers (2021-)
Tokyo Revengers (2021-) was first created as a manga in 2017 by Ken Wakui and ended in November 2022. It features the main character, Takemichi Hanagaki, and goes through his journey to save his ex-girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2021-). “Hinata Tachibana.” Tokyo Revengers Wiki. )), after she is murdered by a prominent gang from his childhood called the Tokyo Manji Gang. In order to prevent Hinata from getting killed in the future, Takemichi must travel back in time and alter the past events that may lead to her death later on. He is forced to join the Tokyo Manji Gang and it is when he does, his perception of what is right and wrong begins to shift.
Takemichi Hanagaki — From Civilian To Dictator Of The Future
Even though Takemichi has a difficult time deciding what is the right decision to make, he differs greatly from both Eren and Light in that Takemichi exhibits true genuine remorse for the negative effects his actions may have. He was a normal person who did not have much to live for before he was given the ability to travel back twelve years back in time so as he begins harnessing the ability, it is only natural that he would start to feel like he had a purpose and that is when it begins to backfire.
Takemichi is simply someone who goes back and rewrites the past to fix the future. It may not seem all that bad, however, believing he is the only one who is allowed to change the future to prevent one person from dying, is why he can also be seen as someone with a god complex.
After saving Draken (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2021-). “Ken Ryuguji.” Tokyo Revengers Wiki. )) from dying in Season One, Episode Ten “Rerise,” to prevent his best friend Mikey (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2021-). “Manjiro Sano.” Tokyo Revengers Wiki. )), to turn to darker things, Takemichi feels a sense of accomplishment. He becomes a bit cocky almost and uses his position as a leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang to build up his reputation. This feeling is short-lived.
Therefore, when he returns to the present he initially believes all is well until he discovers that while Draken may be alive Hinatas fate did not change, nor did the glum future of his friends in the gang. A difference between Takemichi’s sense of responsibility to make the future right and that of Lights is that when he returns to the present and realizes that nothing has changed in the past to alter the future in the manner he desires, his low self-esteem returns.
Low self-esteem can greatly affect the way someone thinks, acts, and views themselves. “Psych Central” explains that low self-esteem can be caused due to a variety of reasons and is frequently
“traced to abusive or dysfunctional early years.”
Venzin, Elizabeth. “How Does Low Self-Esteem Negatively Affect You?” Psych Central, Psych Central, Mar. 2014.
By experiencing low self-esteem in the regard Takemichi does, similar to Eren, he develops a desperation to do and be better and save everyone even if that means damaging his own mental health or others.
An example of a life he thought he helped after seeing the unfortunate future awaiting him was his friend, Akkun (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2021-). “Atsushi Sendo.” Tokyo Revengers Wiki. )). Akkun was supposed to be in jail when Takemichi interfered. In the present, this lead to Akkun deciding the only way to escape gangs and Tetta Kisaki (( Wiki Targeted Anime. (2021-). “Tetta Kisaki.” Tokyo Revengers Wiki. )), was to end his own life.
Akkun’s next future is not a bright one either because again, Takemichis actions in the past have negatively altered them. Instead of taking his own life, Akkun kills Hinata and his friend to save his family. Takemichi continues to try and save Hinata but as he does, nothing right comes out of it.
The Variations Of The God-Like Complex Character
Analyzing these three very distinct yet similar characters shows just how different god complexes can be portrayed. They are not always very noticeable like in Takemichis’s case and do not always have a sinister outcome. Nonetheless, these characters have all taken it upon themselves to play god and pass judgment how they see fit.