From Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul to Chainsaw Man, there are plenty of anime whose protagonists become monsters. In most of these anime, becoming a monster is the turning point in the main character’s life.
These anime treat the ‘becoming the monster’ trope as an unexpected transformation that pushes the hero beyond their restraints. The characters struggle with their dual identities, but eventually learn to accept their new reality and help those around them with the powers that come with their monster form.
Kaiju No. 8 Shows the Struggle of a Hero Turned Into a Monster
Kaiju No. 8 breaks the shonen norm of teenage protagonists with its hero, Kafka Hibino, a man in his 30s. Soon after the anime begins, Kafka is forcefully turned into a powerful kaiju by a parasitic species. While Kafka gained the destructive powers of a kaiju, he still retained his human memories and consciousness, struggling to fit into the human world again, which is staunchly against kaijus.
Kafka’s struggle with his identity and dreams is encouraging, but the series also isn’t afraid to play his conflict for laughs. As Kafka tries to hide his new identity, he gets into several absurd moments, none of which he has an explanation for. The anime treats his transformation as a mystery and works towards revealing how he ties into the central threats.
Assassination Classroom’s Monster Protagonist Is More Human Than Others
Assassination Classroom begins after its main character has already been turned into a monster. Before becoming the beloved Koro-sensei, the protagonist used to be a merciless assassin who was turned into a threatening tentacled creature through experimentation on his body.
Despite being equipped with Mach 20 speed and capabilities beyond human imagination, the only thing Koro-sensei wants to achieve is the complete development of his struggling students. While Koro-sensei’s transformation creates a major mystery in Assassination Classroom, the anime also focuses on each individual student of Class 3E. Each of their backstories and talents are explored, and by the end of the year, all of them mature thanks to their unlikely teacher, who they are also tasked to kill.
Bungou Stray Dogs Treats its Hero’s Powers with Delicate Care
Bungou Stray Dogs begins by unfolding the mystery behind Atsushi Nakajima, who transforms into a white tiger. However, the discovery comes at the cost of the hero’s mental health, as he is immediately burdened by his powers and the damage he has caused because of them. To Atsushi, his powers aren’t a source of pride but of deep humiliation.
Instead of charging into battles with his White Tiger transformation, Atsushi is often paralyzed by doubt and guilt. Despite being the hero, Atsushi’s story is just a part of the larger scheme in Bungou Stray Dogs. It is characters like Akutagawa, Osamu Dazai, Ranpo, Kunikida, and Chuuya who make the anime more engaging.
Tensura Subverts the Hero vs. Monster Trope From the Get-Go
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, better known as Tensura, might initially seem like a commonplace isekai, but as its protagonist is turned into the weakest monster, the anime turns the hero vs monster trope on its head. Instead of fighting one boss monster after another after being reincarnated into a slime, Rimuru decides to build a nation where all monsters can live in harmony.
Instead of following the same old formula of innocent humans trying to survive monsters, Tensura creates a world where the monsters have history and family just like humans and deserve dignity and safety. Tensura makes its viewers ask who the real heroes and monsters are, and at the center of it all is Rimuru, who uses his powers for diplomacy instead of conquest.
Dorohedoro Turns a Monstrous Curse Into a Source of Dark Comedy
Dorohedoro’s protagonist, Kaiman, becomes a semi-monster as he wakes up with a lizard head on his human body, with no memories of how it happened. Kaiman’s cursed monstrous form is treated as a source of dark comedy as the anime progresses. Instead of being depressed or scared because of his lizard head, Kaiman lives his life normally and hangs out with friends while actively being on the hunt for the sorcerer responsible for the curse.
In Dorohedoro, Kaiman’s curse becomes his weapon as he develops an immunity to magic. The anime focuses on deciphering Kaima’s past and identity, along with why he was turned into a half-lizard in the first place.
