The best anime stories create a sense of suspense, often by featuring a character who’s harboring a secret. Whether it’s a kid who doesn’t want anyone to know that he called himself “Dark Flame Master” in middle school, or a bunch of teenagers who join the military without mentioning to the higher-ups that they’re actually man-eating monsters, anime characters with secrets have explosive plot potential.
Tension builds quickly when viewers know a secret before the rest of the show’s cast have any idea what’s really going on. Other times, viewers are left in the dark, and get to react with the rest of the cast when the secret drops. No matter what, the unraveling of a juicy secret always makes for a good story.
1. Itachi Uchiha Of ‘Naruto’ Massacred His Family For A Good Cause
Naruto is a show built on mystery. One of the show’s biggest secrets is kept by Itachi Uchiha, who murdered his clan (sans his younger brother Sasuke). At the time, Itachi claimed that he did it to test his abilities, prompting Sasuke to swear vengeance. However, the truth is that Itachi was trying to save Sasuke’s life.
When Itachi was 13, a Konoha city official named Danzo gave him a choice: he could either he kill his whole family with the exception of himself and his eight-year-old brother, or the entire clan would be wiped out. Itachi took the deal, and kept the burden of guilt to himself. Up until his death, only a few members of the Akatsuki knew what drove Itachi to slaughter his entire clan.
2. Koro-Sensei Of ‘Assassination Classroom’ Didn’t Really Blow Up Anything
Assassination Classroom is (supposedly) about Koro-sensei, a weird tentacle monster with a smiley face for a head who blew up the moon. If a group of middle schoolers can’t stop him within a year, Koro-sensei plans to destroy the Earth as well.
However, not only is Koro-sensei not planning on destroying the Earth, he wasn’t even responsible for the whole moon thing. The lunar exodus was actually an accident committed by an antimatter-infused rat.
Koro-sensei lied to the world so that he could teach class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School. Back when Koro-sensei was human, that class was taught by the woman he loved, and the creature is intent on making sure the students achieve their full potential.
3. Yato Of ‘Noragami’ Used To Wreak Havoc Upon Humanity
Yato of Noragami is a self-proclaimed “Delivery God” who performs odd jobs in exchange for ¥5 offerings, and who hopes to eventually gain a following of worshippers. What he doesn’t want anyone to know is that he used to be a god of war and calamity. In a former life, he was fully dedicated to destruction and murder, and now that he’s trying to turn over a new leaf, he doesn’t want anyone to discover his sordid past.
4. There Are Titan Shifters Working Undercover In ‘Attack On Titan’
Everyone in Attack on Titan is living in a dystopian Hellscape where man-eating humanoid beasts called Titans keep humanity confined inside a cramped, walled-off city. A small group of soldiers, called the Survey Corps, are tasked with eradicating these monsters. What they don’t know is that enrolled in the Survey Corps are a few of the very same creatures that they’re trying to defeat.
Annie Leonhardt, Reiner Braun, Ymir, and Bertolt Hoover all possess the ability to transform into Titans, and all of them have either directly attacked the city, the Survey Corps, or both. It’s not until the end of the first season that Annie’s identity is discovered, and Reiner, Ymir, and Bertolt don’t admit the truth until season two.
5. Ray Is Isabella’s Spy In ‘The Promised Neverland’
While the terrifying secret of Grace Field House comes as a huge shock to Norman and Emma, Ray has known the truth all along. In fact, he’s known about this secret ever since he was a fetus in the womb thanks to his incredible memory. But what’s even more shocking is the fact that Ray never told anyone about the outside world or the grisly fates of the children.
In order to secure their safety, Ray acted as a spy for Isabella. He was forced to keep quiet even when he knew his friends at the orphanage were being led to their deaths. Of course, his role in the series and his relationship with Isabella is made even more complicated by the end of the first season.
6. Sosuke Aizen Of ‘Bleach’ Fakes His Own Murder
At first, Sōsuke Aizen seems like the responsible, slightly nerdy captain of the Fifth Division in the Gotei 13. He’s a loyal member of Soul Society who is perfectly content to work within its rules. Then, when he is mysteriously “murdered,” everyone blames Ichigo and his friends, as they are newcomers to the group.
As it turns out, Aizen isn’t actually dead, he just doesn’t want to serve Soul Society. His true goal — which he’s hidden from just about everyone save for a few loyal followers — is to destroy Soul Society, and he doesn’t care who he has to step on to achieve his dream.
7. Satsuki Kiryuin Of ‘Kill La Kill’ Is Actually Fighting For Good
Academy. While the school already controls an entire town, Satsuki’s mother is working to take over the world.
For a time, it seems like she might actually succeed, as she has the help of Life Fibers, a powerful being from space that can take the form of clothing, and that can brainwash and consume any human who wears it. At first, it seems like Satsuki is totally onboard, as she’s constantly fighting with her sister, Ryuko Matoi, who is hellbent on trying to loosen Satsuki’s tyrannic grip on the school.
Toward the end of the series, Satsuki reveals her true intentions: she despises her mother, and has molded Honnouji Academy into a battle fortress designed to defeat her.
8. Yuuki Konno Of ‘Sword Art Online II’ Is Secretly Dying
The second half of Sword Art Online II features Yuuki Konno, a fun-loving, outgoing girl who wants to defeat an in-game boss before her player group disbands. The thing is, Yuuki has a secret that she’s keeping from everyone outside the group.
Yuuki isn’t playing the virtual reality MMO for fun; she uses the game to distract from her terminal case of AIDS. In reality, Yuuki is hooked up to a Medicuboid prototype, and has begun to live full-time in the game’s virtual world. With help from the show’s protagonist Kirito, Yuuki’s friend Asuna eventually figures out what’s going on. Unfortunately, by the time they do, Yuuki is so close to death that the others barely have time to say goodbye.
9. The Forgers Are No Ordinary Family In ‘Spy x Family’
All three members of the recently formed Forger Family are keeping major secrets – not just from the world, but from each other. Loid Forger is a world-renowned spy who set up a fake family in order to track down a national enemy. His enemy is reclusive and rarely appears anywhere outside of his son’s prestigious elementary school, which means that Loid needs to find a way in. To accomplish this, he adopts a little girl named Anya who he hopes to enroll in the school. But the school only accepts kids with two married parents, so he marries a woman named Yor who’s happy to get her office coworkers and her brother off of her back with a sham marriage.
But Anya and Yor both have secrets of their own. Yor is actually a skilled assassin who is using the marriage to hide her real career. Meanwhile, Anya has psychic powers and knows exactly what both of her adoptive parents are up to.