Submitted 2 days ago by mo_lave@reddthat.com to anime@ani.social
What characters look well-adjusted on the surface but have issues behind closed doors? This is an actually understatement, they’re crazy. Examples for me include Light Yagami (Death Note) and Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 day ago I wouldn’t count Light. He was normal at the beginning. He became insane over the course of the show, as he became corrupted by the power he had.
I kind of get it - Light was definitely getting more insane throughout the show, but even in episode one his first words were muttering about how humanity was lost and the world was rotten to the core. Everything that happened afterwards was simply because of Light getting the ability to act on those thoughts.
The best example of this I can think of is Ashikaga Takauji from The Elusive Samurai. Dude is completely insane, and IIRC is canonically possessed by a demon. He himself doesn’t even realize this, nor do most of his men. Apart from his brother, who realizes something is up, he just seems like a really skilled and charismatic military leader to them.
Most of the characters from Golden Kamuy are insane on the surface and also insane behind closed doors, but a few of them manage to put on normal faces when it suits them. The taxidermist comes to mind.
It’s been a long time, but I seem to remember that some of the characters in Mirai Nikki appear superficially sane until you get a better look at them. (The others are nuts from the get-go.) In general, any deadly-game type anime has a decent chance of containing a character who seems sane until they turn on the protagonist.
A lot of yandere types would also qualify.
MiRRoRMaN@ani.social 1 day ago 
Endmaker@ani.social 2 days ago
Once again, Aqua (and plenty other characters) from Oshi no Ko.
But that’s probably the point of the story - that the entertainment industry drives one kookoo.