Kamidere are known for having God complexes that delude them into believing everyone else is inferior to them. The Japanese term "kamidere" is used to label arrogant and proud characters who believe they're flawless and infallible. These selfish characters often believe they're above the law and have the right to make all decisions, even in matters of life and death. Here are five of the best anime to watch if you're a fan of this confident and powerful archetype.
Death Note
One of anime's most notorious antiheroes, Light Yagami is both a kamidere and a yandere in Death Note. Light begins the series as a bored and arrogant high school student who believes he has all the answers to fix society. When he obtains a Shinigami's lost Death Note, he also obtains the power to kill anyone he wants as long as he knows their full name and face. While Light quickly goes to work killing off the world's most notorious criminals, believing he's doing society a favor by taking out the trash, Light's morals inevitably become compromised.
When the authorities realize that someone is behind the sudden deaths of jailed criminals throughout the world, Light reveals his Kira identity to the public. Light deludes himself by claiming that Kira is the new God who ultimately decides who gets to live and die, and he begins to kill innocent people who get in his way, even his own family members. Despite his intelligence and arrogance, Light soon finds that he isn't as untouchable as he believes.
Code Geass
A famous anime antihero who could rival Light and win, Lelouch vi Britannia is the kamidere lead of Code Geass. Similar to Light, Lelouch is defined by both the kamidere and yandere archetypes. Lelouch leads a rebellion on behalf of occupied Japan against his own Britannian Empire despite being its prince. Wanting to rid the world of his family's tyranny, Lelouch is ironically willing to kill his own army and people to create a more peaceful world. While Lelouch has an undeniable God complex throughout the series, he exhibits more "dere" than most kamidere as he fights to protect his friends, family and the greater good.
MM!
In MM!, Mio Isurugi is a self-proclaimed goddess who interacts with the series' masochist protagonist, Taro Sado. Given her superiority complex, she often bullies and acts violently toward Taro, who is a member of the school club of which she's in charge. With constant physical and sadistic attacks against Taro, she hopes to cure his secret masochism. However, Mio is shown to genuinely like and care about Taro despite her extreme kamidere and sometimes tsundere behavior toward him. While she may view herself as a deity worthy of worship, her classmates don't always view her in the same light.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya stars the female kamidere protagonist Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi is the leader of her high school club called the SOS Brigade, whose mission is to find time travelers and aliens. Given her unusual fascination with the supernatural, Haruhi has no interest in those she views as ordinary humans. She is often bossy and demanding toward others, as she believes she's superior to her peers. This overbearing personality can drive her classmates away despite her uncanny ability to get what she wants. As a kamidere who can actually back up her god-like claims, Haruhi possesses the powers of a god who can alter or destroy reality.
Sword Art Online
When discussing anime characters who want to be treated like a god, Akihiko Kayaba from Sword Art Online is one of the first to come to mind. As the anime's original antagonist, Akihiko created the virtual world of Sword Art Online with the intention of trapping players within the video game so he could control their lives within a world he himself designed. As game master, he plays alongside those stuck in the video game under an alias that makes him the strongest and most admired player in the game. Akihiko's severe God complex means he has a complete disregard for human life, and he allows thousands to die just to create the world he envisioned and wanted to control.
