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Anime where the main characters act like jerks.


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redsabre



Joined: 29 Apr 2012
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:47 pm Reply with quote
Hey guys, I am just now getting into anime, and I'm also studying it for a film project as well. I've seen some anime before over the years, but I'm not really familiar with it at all.

I'm looking for anime where the main characters act like jerks. And by jerks I mean brash, arrogant, possessing an attitude, and the like.

So I'm kind of hoping someone here can point me in the right direction. Where should I start? What anime sub-genres should I get into?

Thanks to everyone who can help.
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bravetailor



Joined: 30 May 2009
Posts: 817
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:43 pm Reply with quote
There is no subgenre of anime that is dominated by jerky protagonists. They kind of just randomly pop up here and there. They tended to be much more prominent in old-school anime, like the 70s and 80s. Ashita no Joe comes to mind.

If the Tales of the Abyss anime is faithful to the game, then the main character there should act like a jerk initially. The problem is that jerks in newer anime tend to eventually reform and become "nice" later on.

There's also School Days. Laughing
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EricJ



Joined: 03 Sep 2009
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 6:56 pm Reply with quote
redsabre wrote:
Hey guys, I am just now getting into anime, and I'm also studying it for a film project as well. I've seen some anime before over the years, but I'm not really familiar with it at all.

I'm looking for anime where the main characters act like jerks. And by jerks I mean brash, arrogant, possessing an attitude, and the like.


Well, there's characters who act like shounen "delinquent" fantasies of rebellious jerks, like YuYu Hakusho, or Ataru Moroboshi on UY...

And then there are those characters who unintentionally end up as jerks anyway, like the hero of Grave of the Fireflies.
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5146
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:59 pm Reply with quote
I'm going to mention a title, but it may or may not apply. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Revolution has inspired impassioned discussion as to what degree one of main protagonists -- Lelouch Lamporouge -- is evil or just a well-intentioned jerk.
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anime racket



Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Posts: 314
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:26 pm Reply with quote
nbahn wrote:
I'm going to mention a title, but it may or may not apply. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Revolution has inspired impassioned discussion as to what degree one of main protagonists -- Lelouch Lamporouge -- is evil or just a well-intentioned jerk.


Huh, he's my favorite anime character of all time and I think what
he did he was mostly trying to help people. Either that or he was
fooling himself into thinking that he was helping people.

Oh well, he's a cool main character either way.
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Animeking1108



Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:38 pm Reply with quote
Inuyasha if you want them to be unlikable.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15573
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:13 pm Reply with quote
No one has mentioned The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, some do find her endearing, but blackmail, break-ins, and molestation are clues she acts like a bit of a jerk.

I am thinking of the main character in The World God Only Knows, he says things like having no interest in the real world.

And though not sure I am thinking Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sugunai, well one girl starts with saying things like guys are bellow her, and another pretty much picks on her the entire series, pretty cruelly as well.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:07 pm Reply with quote
DuskyPredator wrote:
No one has mentioned The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, some do find her endearing, but blackmail, break-ins, and molestation are clues she acts like a bit of a jerk.

I am thinking of the main character in The World God Only Knows, he says things like having no interest in the real world.
Those two are perfect. Imo, both Haruhi and Keima are jerks, but not to such a degree as to ruin the show and be completely unlikable.

If you liked Code Geass, you'll probably like Death Note too, tho odds are you've already at least heard of it. InuxBoku Secret Service might be what you're looking for. The main character Ririchiyo is very socially awkward, and to cover up her nervousness at interacting with people she acts arrogant and rude. She feels terrible about it, but she can't keep herself from turning into a jerk every time she tries to be nice.
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kaydub



Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 318
Location: Cincinnati, OH
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:37 pm Reply with quote
If you don't mind watching something completely offensive (as in vulgar, crass, profane, etc.), Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt might be a good one. The two protagonists fit your criteria perfectly IMO, they're brash, arrogant, full of attitude, only care about themselves, and act with complete disregard for those around them (and for each other).
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naninanino



Joined: 18 May 2008
Posts: 680
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:56 am Reply with quote
The protagonist of Super Dimension Century Orguss is a rather big jerk. For example, he doesn't give a 2nd thought about chasing after another guys fiancee, while still not even knowing what happened to his previous lover a short time before. You know, the kind whose own impulses are reason enough to behave however he wants.

Maybe also check out Desert Punk. I seem to recall the lead being a mixture of a lecher/thief/hero with the balance leaning towards the former attributes.

There is quite a bit of a difference between these two. For example, in Desert Punk the jerkness is often more or less played for laughs. In Orguss the hero is just a regular jerk.
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ggqt



Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:20 am Reply with quote
I think pretty much everyone can agree that Light from Death Note is a total douche bag.

But this is kind of a tough topic because the idea of most shows is to see the MC grow up from being a jerk to a nice person.

If I had to name one though I guess you could count Laharl from Disgaea. Although you see him start to grow up after two episodes.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4157
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:00 am Reply with quote
If I had to name one it would be Gokudo from the fantasy series Gokudo. If pressed for more, there's the Slayers, Rune Soldier Louie, Sorcerer Hunters, Those Who Hunt Elves, the Familiar of Zero and many, many more...

A lot of fantasy animes like to have jerky protagonists. People who save the day despite wanting nothing else but to go home or be left alone; quite a few would be almost villains in other series. Gokudo gets the best recommendation because of his jerkworthyness, his ability to attract further jerks {aka "friends"} and the fact he makes it through his world alive and in his own form, defying gods and mortals, by remaining a type one jerkass.

It's not his defining characteristic, being obnoxious is his superpower.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:18 am Reply with quote
I just remembered Yoshitaka from He is My Master. He's a 14 year old millionaire with the biggest swelled head I've ever seen, a pervert, arrogant, and definitely a jerk.
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 627
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:16 pm Reply with quote
So I guess you aren't looking for antagonists, you're looking for protagonists who are jerks. Well, a couple of shows already mentioned above: Haganai (known in Japan as Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai) has two such characters: Sena, a fairly antisocial eroge-lover who considers everyone else beneath her, and Yozora, the principal female character who bullies Sena incessently, and threatens to post naked pictures of a 10-year old girl on the internet after manipulating her constantly. Another character is Fukuyama in Girls Bravo, a womanizer who acts pretty nasty to the main male at times. However, in those examples that "jerkiness" is actually what makes the viewer like the character.

One example where the character is a jerk, and his attitude doesn't make the viewer like him, is Kakeru Daichi in Akikan!. Throughout the show it is always Melon that you root for, while Kakeru just makes you more and more mad. I guess another instance of that (though less so) is Takaya Murase from Indian Summer.
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:23 pm Reply with quote
You may want to check Darker Than Black, mainly its second season. If you do decide to watch it then good for you, that's one anime that people rarely dislike (as far as the first season is concerned).
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