Top 10 Characters with Split Personalities

Oftentimes, we have our own distinctive masks to wear depending on the moment we currently face. Usually, we have one we show to other people and the other where we hide it from the shadows with only a few close ones knowing it. Everyone can have different sides of themselves, it’s normal as this is what makes us uniquely special from the others. But what if you literally do have an alter ego that you may not know about nor can you control it at will?

If you have read Stevenson, Robert’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” then surely you have some knowledge regarding the topic we are about to discuss. Class, do get your notes and pens as we teach you this particular disorder. For those of you who don’t know, Dissociative identity disorder or in layman’s terms, Split Personality, is two different identities hosting one body, most likely due to traumatic events. The individual initially has no recollection of the other personality’s actions and doesn’t have control over the other personality as it is already considered a different person with its own will. Mostly, depending on the person, they have certain things that have to be done in order for the switch to occur.

Take note that characters such as Gasai, Yuno from Mirai Nikki, Stein, Franken from Soul Eater and other characters alike will not be on this list as they are fully aware and in control of their consciousness as well as their actions. What they are showing are merely various sides of their personality, but we will not deny that they are near in this spectrum as their actions are one of the symptoms of having this disorder.

Alas! With that long explanation done, we hoped you listened very well as there will be a quiz regarding this at the end of the article. We will only list 10 examples of characters who really do suffer from this disorder. Just a warning: this article contains a lot of SPOILERS, so without further ado, on to the list!


10. Sensui, Shinobu from Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghost Fighter)

  • Episodes: 112
  • Aired: Oct. 1992-Jan. 1995

Before Togashi, Yoshihiro made the famous Hunter x Hunter, he first made the big hit classic that is Yu Yu Hakusho. Urameshi, Yusuke, a delinquent, made a surprising act when he saved a child from being hit by a car. Now laying dead in place of the child, he wonders around town to see how his death would affect those who are around him until he was brought to the spirit world. Because of his sudden death, the spirit realm is not ready to accept him yet, instead, they gave him a chance to live again, but this time, he has to take cases and be the renowned Spirit Detective. One case that he has to face is to fight his predecessor Sensui, Shinobu.

Sensui, or known as the Black Angel, was the former Spirit Detective that Koenma recruited. Sensui is considered a powerful fighter who has a great sense of morality of what is right and wrong. That is until he begins to question his views about humans and demons when he saw the brutality that was happening in the Black Black Club. Since what he witnessed has given him quite a burden on the psychological department, he instead made 6 more personalities apart from his original one to help him punish humanity.


9. Hansel & Gretel from Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: Oct. 2006- Dec. 2006

Okajima, Rokurou or “rock” was a normal businessman having his own business trip. Until he was kidnapped and put to ransom by the group of pirate mercenaries known as the Black Lagoon. With his bosses not willing to pay the ransom, they abandon him instead. Feeling betrayed, he decides to join the group leaving his boring life behind in exchange for the adrenaline rushing adventures.

Hansel and Gretel are twins that were born to a family that has abandoned them. They are twisted ruthless killers who have no mercy on their victims' lives. What is so scary about these two is that they do such sadistic things to their target while acting all childlike as if they were playing an innocent game of tag. Due to being subjected to child pornography and forced to do snuff films, they have both developed a split personality disorder wherein they interchange their personality together along with their appearances. You might know one child as Hansel and the other as Gretel, but the next thing you know Hansel is now Gretel and Gretel is now Hansel! It’s confusing, but hey, they were complex from the start.


8. Echo from Pandora Hearts

  • Episodes: 25
  • Aired: Apr. 2009-Sept. 2009

Vessalius, Oz, who just turned 15 was pulled down into the abyss during his coming of age ceremony. The only choice to go out of the world of the abyss is to form a contract with a chain, Oz takes the bait and made Alice as his chain. Now back in his original world, he was shocked to find out that 10 years have passed. He decides to join Pandora to find the answers he seeks and to help Alice bring back her memories.

We have another character that suffers from this disorder which came about when their chain Duldee, created another personality causing the original identity having an alter ego. Echo is the personal servant of Nightray, Vincent. Echo’s initial personality is that of a doll, simply put, she shows no emotions at all. She does, however, start to show more of herself after meeting Oz. She begins to decide things on her own as she discovers to know more about her situation. On the other hand, her second personality is Noise or otherwise called as Zwei as a member of the Baskerville clan. Zwei acts more like our crazy twins from our last selection. She is selfish, vicious, mentally fragile, and extremely obsessive of her master Vincent. No matter how much different these two identities are, the only thing they share is their loyalty towards Vincent.


7. Mikawa, Fumika from Shigofumi (Shigofumi: Letters from the Departed)

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: Jan. 2008-Mar. 2008

Shigofumi are letters of the dead that are addressed in the living world. This contains the words of the dead that they did not manage to tell while being alive. Fumika and co-worker Kanata are mail carriers that are given the task to deliver these letters.

Being abandoned by her mother was the first step of developing her alternate self. Mikawa, Kirameki, Fumika’s father, took all of his sadness and anger out of Fumika when his wife left them. He continuously abuses her to the point where Fumika created “Mika” for her not to be lonely. Fumika’s personality is one that is quiet and shy while Mika is the stronger personality where she shows a reserved, stoic attitude that does her job earnestly. Both do communicate with each other with Mika incredibly trying to watch over Fumika.


6. Haptism, Allelujah from Mobile Suit Gundam 00

  • Episodes: 25
  • Aired: Oct. 2007-Mar. 2008

Ridiculous his name might be, this perplexing character hides a dark side. Allelujah is one of the main characters of the series as well as a member of the Celestial Being. His story began when an orphan child like him ended up being a test subject at Super Human Research Institute. He ended up being a modified human designed to fight in battles. In this way, he was able to exhibit his other identity named Hallelujah. Allelujah is a pacifist by heart. He displays a more reserved side who is caring and gentle. Meanwhile, Hallelujah is a survivalist with no qualms about killing anyone who would threaten his life. They both have different morals to adhere to but once their goals collide, they do no hesitate to rely on one another.



5. Fukawa, Touko from Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei the Animation (Danganronpa: The Animation)

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: Jul. 2013-Sept. 2013

Based on the game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, tells the story of students who enrolled to gain their respective titles based on their talents and skills. However, there is a catch, students must murder their way to the top while not being noticed that they are the killers. Let the death match begin!

This Megane girl doesn’t only suffer from dissociative identity disorder, she also has a persecution complex to boot. She is a victim of bullying which may have caused her to adopt a more cautious exterior. Touko is a shy fidgety girl who usually assumes the worst in everything resulting to people pulling away from her. Despite this, she has great talent when it comes to writing earning her the title of the ultimate writing prodigy. Her dark alternative self comes with the name Genocide Jack, who is quite a wild character. Genocide Jack is more outspoken and very quite outrageous. Contrasting they may be, both hold their crush intact towards Byakuya, Togami with Genocide Jack being more aggressively obsessive than Touko.


4. Akashi, Seijuurou from Kuroko no Basket (Kuroko’s Basketball)

  • Episodes: 25
  • Aired: Apr. 2012-Sept. 2012

Kuroko, now a 1st-year high school student in Seirin High, joins the basketball club. Not much is expected of him, until he shows what he's capable of, making him the partner of the hot-headed boy Kagami, Taiga. Together they strive to be Japan’s number one as they face one by one the former teammates of Kuroko that is the Generation of Miracles.

Akashi was the former captain of the Generation of Miracles and the current captain of Rakuzan High. Since childhood, he has been taught to be the best in everything. This is why Akashi is so focused on becoming a winner and will not take defeat by all means. Akashi’s primary personality is that of a person who cares and respects his teammates. He may come out strict in the eyes of other people, but for the generation of miracles, he is more like a nagging mother.

All this changed when Akashi was about to lose on a one on one match with Murasakibara. His character became more intense and desires to be in control of everything. He views himself as always right, being aggressive when one disobeys him. After a couple of episodes, it shows that the feeling of being left behind is the catalyst of having his alter ego. Akashi is one of the characters who has this disorder that confronted and emerged stronger than his former self.


3. Wanijima, Agito from Air Gear

  • Episodes: 25
  • Aired: Apr. 2006-Sept. 2006

If you have been reading the manga, Agito has three primary identities. Since the anime introduced us two personalities only, we will stick to that. There are 3 identities that make up the Fang King of the Bloody Road and all of them are now part of the team Kogarasumaru. With Kogarasumaru new to the world of Air trecks, Agito is considered the most powerful out of the group which makes him a valuable asset.

Agito is the third and the last personality that was made as well as the current dominant identity. He was created solely to protect his other identity that is Akito. Agito is a foul-mouthed boy who is aggressive, irritable and quite distant. Akito, on the other hand, presents a more feminine side out of the three. He is more mellow, sweet, and gentle. The funny thing about Akito is how he shows his affection towards Ikki. Before he became attached Ikki, it was shown that he was abused frequently by his brother Wanijima, Kaito. In order to cope up with the pain he was receiving, he created Agito. In spite of his innocent childlike attitude, Agito has stated that Akito is much more fearsome when he fights seriously. But since Akito is a pacifist, Agito generally takes over to avoid Akito being hurt.


2. Iwakura, Lain from Serial Experiments Lain

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: Jul. 1998-Sept. 1998

Now let’s go back again to one of the classics that also contributed to the world of cyberpunk. Lain suddenly receives a message from her classmate Yomoda, Chisa who just recently committed suicide. She was suddenly pulled into the virtual world of “wired” which basically like a social media of today. Lain now embarks on a journey of knowing more about herself through vague enigmatic mysteries.

Lain is supposed to be your typical shy, quiet girl. Of course, she would be on our list as she as a ton of multiple personalities. She can be bashful, then bold, then playful and the list goes so on and on and on. Her personality is too many to count it with your fingers. What is interesting in this show is the way it tackles such sensitive topics in an intriguing way. As we watch along, we definitely start to know Lain as she searches her true identity. If you would like something that will make you think so hard with a dark setting, then this show is for you!


1. Shiro from Deadman Wonderland

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: Apr. 2011-Jul. 2011

Ganta was supposedly having a normal life when his life suddenly turned upside down when he was convicted of the murder of his classmates which was really done by the deadman, Red Man. Now in Deadman Wonderland, he struggles to survive despite the brutal realities that the place entails.

Being among the rare characters who is an albino, Shiro’s dominant personality shows that of an innocent child. While she is a quirky character that is full of surprises and likes sweets, Shiro has experienced cruel experiments that resulted in her being the first deadman to be made hence making a new alternate self which is the Wretched Egg. The Wretched Egg, or as Ganta calls her the Red Man, is more brutal of a character than Shiro. Since the Wretched Egg remembers the suffering she has undergone, she views the world as hateful and therefore she, in turn, would inflict pain in everything. The two share the same affection towards Ganta but with the Wretched Egg showing it in a more twisted fashion.


Final Thoughts

With Shiro ending the list, we will now finish this lesson. Hopefully, you didn’t get confused who’s who with our selections. Split personality is already quite common in anime, but with characters who have this, we can’t help but be intrigued and be fascinated by them. After all, they are incomprehensible and peculiar to us. If want more characters who have this condition, then check out Lucy of Elfen Lied, Seragaki, Aoba from DRAMAtical Murder, Shinomiya, Natsuki from Uta no Prince-sama, and Yogi from Karneval.

As for your quiz, give us more examples of characters who fall into this category and why? If you do manage to give us the right answer, we can ask Honey-chan & Bombon to give you home made cookies~ If not then go stand in the hallway! Well, joking aside, What do you think of our list? Is your favorite in it? Write all that you think regarding this topic in the comment section below.

Now Signing off! Class Dismissed!

kuroko-no-basket-seijuurou-akashi-wallpaper-2-20160727014519-636x500 Top 10 Characters with Split Personalities

Writer

Author: Jopz "Yuuema"

I'm an anime and manga enthusiast who is also sinking deeper and deeper into the world of video games. I’m also a traveler by heart who goes out a lot in seek of adventures by studying/learning other histories and cultures of different places and people. Besides the above mentioned, my other interests include reading, writing, cooking/baking, listening to music, observing people, and imagining/appreciating all kinds of things. Oh, by the way, I don’t bite! :3

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