Manipulation is the art of influencing or controlling people or situations cleverly. Manipulators usually have clear ulterior motives and to fulfill them they try to control everything around them.
In the case of anime, there are quite a few extremely talented manipulators who tend to influence every situation, be it for their own sake or for others. Technically all of them are dangerous but depending on their motives and style of manipulation one may easily fall for them.
Take for example light from death note, his intentions became twisted and thus his manipulation causes terror. Compare this with Dazai, from BSD whose acts of manipulation S2 onwards have ultimately led to the protection of people.
Though whatever the case be they are all Master Manipulators, let’s countdown the other cool manipulators out there!
Table of Contents
Light Yagami ( Death Note )
Light is Death Note’s protagonist and a guy who starts of with genuine intentions but gets corrupted with the new power he gains. The death note grants him the power to kill whosoever’s name he writes.
Even though his initial plan was to kill criminals only, he soon changes his moral compass. Ready to go as far as possible to become a new god! As well as to protect himself. His manipulation skills are a class apart.
Light skillfully fools everyone around him while literally being a mass murderer. It is only when L shows up does he start to reveal cracks in his otherwise rock-solid disguise.
Though in the end if not for Ryuk, Light did almost manage to get his way by getting rid of most of his enemies. Even his own family was unaware. Such skill as a manipulator that even in death none could match him.
Lelouch vi Britannia ( Code Geass)
A truly unparalleled genius who went as far as to orchestrate his own death and managed to fool everyone with it! Lelouch was an extremely charismatic man who believed in imparting justice. This garnered him the respect of most of the people around him.
His calculative nature makes him use everyone as a pawn. With ease, he manipulated both civilians and the military to do his bidding. Lelouch showed no signs of remorse on the death of any of them considering it to be a mistake in his calculations.
He kept switching between his two personalities as ruler and Zero smoothly with the ultimate aim to make a world for his sister. Such skill that at one side, he manipulated the society to hate Lelouch the king.
But on the other hand, love the rebellious Zero. Right till his supposed death, a perfectly manipulated scenario with every step planned in detail. No scope of failure.
Lelouch can undoubtedly beat most manipulators cause not only is he sly and tactical in battle but also his Geass, is literally meant for manipulation.
Dazai Osamu ( Bungo Stray Dogs)
Dazai is fundamentally one of the most important characters of BSD. He comes out as an incredibly strong guy while being a suicidal maniac. His special ability allows him to neutralize anyone’s superpower on touch.
Add to that his intellect and calculative side, there it is a ruthless manipulator. Dazai has a really dark personality, though, in the present, he seems very comedic. His long-run strategies are nothing short of perfection though he doesn’t reveal the motives until he feels like.
His character is one of the few, who are extremely popular but are always shrouded in mystery. What is his true goal? Is it good or evil, remains unknown. Dazai has been involved in numerous situations where he has manipulated his enemies and gained benefits for his team.
In the past, his methods of torture were even worse but as of now, it seems he has shifted to the good side. Using his manipulation for the good of all. But is this the reality or a short-term venture? Is still a lingering question.
Yuichi Jin ( World Trigger)
The talented, sharp, calculative yet chill guy whose one of the four main characters of World Trigger. Jin has the gift of foresight, apart from being gifted both with wit & trion plus a black trigger.
His roundabout method of solving things and extremely manipulative strategies allows him to conveniently ace any situation. For 90% of the show, it is as if Jin has got everyone wrapped around his little finger.
It doesn’t matter how grim the situation is, or if at first glance he seems to be at a disadvantage. Because ultimately no matter what the result is he is always prepared and usually gains something positive.
It won’t be wrong to say that Medeen’s survival is largely based on how Jin moves. Not only does he forewarn about dangerous events but sets up situations to make sure the enemies get manipulated.
Like it’s so natural one won’t even realize till the end that they are being manipulated.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji ( Classroom Of The Elite)
The MC of Classroom of the Elite, he seems like an utterly unimpressed, boring guy. Though in contrast to that is extremely observant, well-trained, and dangerous.
Throughout the anime, he gives these mysterious vibes making the viewers unable to guess his true intentions! He is one of the few who was cautious of the school system and thus when the entire class was in panic while he was literally chilling.
Kiyotaka is the kind of character who could kill many without batting an eyelid and will never be suspected. A skill that he uses efficiently as a manipulator is to make himself look like the unlikeliest of targets.
He made his class win without putting in much effort but here is where it gets creepy. The whole point was to make sure that he’s in a good position which means when the time comes he could easily turn his back to his classmates for his own sake.
And since the manipulated ones would never guess he will have a freehold. An extremely dangerous manipulator with whom its best to not cross paths at all.
Ferid Bathory ( Owari No Seraph)
One hot, sadistic crackhead. One of the reasons why everything happened in the story, that too simply because he was bored!? Ferid is one of the strongest vampires in the series and one of the main antagonists.
Though moving further in the story it’s difficult to gauge his true intentions. It is revealed that he made a deal with Guren and that is why he manipulates Yuichiro and Mikaela. Which evidently moves the story in the direction we see.
He clearly has no qualms in killing as is seen when he kills off Yuichiros family and many others but yet again what exactly does he want is unclear. His manipulation is effortless since even Krul, the queen falls prey to it.
Though one thing is crystal clear that it is he who is capable of single-handedly saving or destroying Mika and Yuichi’s future as well as the fate of humans and vampires. If not for him being such a frivolous yet bloodthirsty manipulator he definitely would have been more popular.
Crazy, easy-going, dangerous, and bone-chilling manipulators await all who enter the world of anime. The one takeaway from these men is to learn to hide our emotions and objectives cause today’s world is not a safe place for those who wear these on their sleeves.
