Mothers in anime, as with most other media, are usually loving characters who sacrifice a lot for their children. Such is the case in real life as well. However, some outliers break the mold in a bad way and set a terrible standard for parenting. They can range from being subtle absentees to downright abusive or even violent.
Thankfully, bad mothers in anime are quite a rare breed of characters. But when they do appear, they tend to be memorable and can even cause more damage to the point where they practically create a dramatic origin story for their children. These protagonists, in turn, are typically shy, disturbed, or emotionally fragile characters due to these bad moms.
Updated on June 08, 2025, By Nadia Grace Mullings:It can be an interesting moment in anime to see various characters interacting with their respective families. Whether they have a good relationship with them or not, many important moments in various anime series involve a character’s relationship with their parents. Theseanime mothers, seen across various series and genres, can be quite divisive among their respective fan bases, with some fans feeling they aren’t inherently bad people but simply struggled, to some extent, in raising their children. However, most stand out as downright cruel and abusive, forsaking any sense of their duty as mothers for their own twisted reasons, leaving a lasting impact on their children.
Mitsuki Bakugo is a very divisive character among fans ofMy Hero Academia. Many would agree thatMitsuki must’ve had a role to play in her son Katsuki’s infamous behavior, but the extent of this is a hot topic among the fan base. Mother and son clearly share the same short temper and aggressive antics, with Katsuki himself admitting he was ‘raised with violence’ in Season Four. However, many fans feel Mitsuki had a greater influence on Katsuki as a child. This is made evident in an important moment in Season Three, when All Might and Aizawa visit the UA children’s families to discuss the dormitory arrangements:
Some fans note that the way Mitsuki treats her son,especially when she calls him weak and blames him for being kidnappedby the League of Villains, is very problematic and highlights Katsuki’s biggest insecurity. It implies that she’s always bullied or belittled him if ever he acted “weak”,and that his value, in her eyes, is tied to how strong he is. This led to Katsuki developing an inferiority complex and a fear of being belittled, and thus resenting anyone whom he thought was looking down on him. This explains where his bullying of Izuku stemmed from: the fact he felt “belittled” by him during the river incident as children, and fearing that somehow Izuku was “superior” to him, things he admits to Izuku duringSeason Six’s ‘Dark Deku’ arc. Mitsuki’s hurtful comments are also made worse by the fact Katsuki’s kidnapping led to All Might losing his power for good, something Katsuki feels guilty about.
However, other fans support her type of parenting style, as through her Katsuki acknowledges some level of authority and has learned, to some extent, to listen to her. Mitsuki tells the UA teachers how people gave him too much praise over his Quirk and other abilities in childhood that, in her eyes, this led to his selfish and aggressive behavior as he grew up. She expresses her worry over her son’s kidnapping, and that she trusts them to help him fulfill his dream of becoming the No.1 hero. Even if some believe Mitsuki has failed in raising Katsuki by letting this praise go to his head,she is not an inherently bad person, but like any good mother, wants the best for her son. She’s also the only one who can keep a hold on Katsuki’s behavior and stop him from getting too out of hand. However, fan opinions on Katsuki’s mum depend on how deeply fans read her in this scene and how they analyze Katsuki as a character.
It should also be noted that some outbursts are played for laughs.
Senpai is an Otokonokofollows Makoto, a teenage boy who feels most comfortable dressing in women’s clothes. Spending years struggling with internal turmoil, Makoto finally realizes he is willing to risk ostracization at school to be his true self. When the fact he is a crossdresser becomes common knowledge, he is isolated at school; however, things start to improve when he connects with a childhood friend and a younger student. Before long, Makoto’s world becomes a lot brighter and way less tense.
Unfortunately, Makoto’s home life is a wildly different story. While his father is fairly accepting, the same cannot be said about his mother, who specifically opposes her son’s love of cute things.Makoto’s fear of his mother is palpable, with these moments being by far the most unsettling and terrifying in the entire series. While Mika never gets physical, she guilt-trips and manipulates Makoto, putting her discomfort before her son’s happiness.
InMy Happy Marriage, Kanoko is the mother of Kaya and stepmother of protagonist Miyo, the latter of whom suffered terribly under the hands of this mother-and-daughter duo.Kanoko is a heartless and cruel woman, who influences her daughter Kaya to behave the samehorrible way towards Miyo.In Episode 6, the two even work together in their abuse of her after hearing how Miyo will never give into their plans to prevent her marriage to Lord Kudo.
Kanoko has an infamous track record of unacceptable and cruel behavior, but making her even more unlikeable is the fact her hatred of Miyo is born from the jealousy she has of Miyo’s late mother. Kanoko also acts quite harshly towards Kaya herself at times and constantly drills into her that Miyo is a failure and nothing more.
Erasedisan anime about a manga artistwho discovered that he can go back in time to his younger self. He thus uses this ability to clear himself of a murder accusation that is somehow connected to a former classmate’s disappearance back when he was younger.
Akemi Hinazuki happens to be the mother of that said classmate, while the manga artist who could travel through time eventually finds out why his classmate disappeared.Akemi wasa villain to her daughterand even prevented her from having any social interaction. This leads to her daughter getting kidnapped, something she also doesn’t care too much about.
Perhaps one of the reasons why a lot of people relate toFruits Basketis that some of their characters have looming parental issues. Akito Sohma is one of those and her narcissist of a mother, Ren, hated her before she was even born.Ren believed that her husband might grow to love their daughter more than her.
That’s why shemade her hatred and resentment for her daughter clear enough. Akito eventually grew to hate her and in the process, also became a villain herself. To make matters worse, they’re the only two in their nuclear family left since Akira, the husband, died.
Hayate the Combat Butlerisactually a comedy animethat’s also a peculiar harem since the lead male is also a maid/butler. However, that doesn’t stop the show from tackling a serious subject matter: the fact thatHayate’s parents abandoned and sold him to the Yakuza to pay their debts.
It’s good that they didn’t show the parents' greedy faces or even go into detail about their personalities but selling your one and only child is one of the most deplorable things a parent can do. She also wasn’t just coerced into it by her husband;Hayate’s mother was all in and had no regrets selling her son.
Some mothers are so neglectful and purposely absent that they end up creating monsters. Thus, their loved ones are subjected to even more pain thanks to the choices they couldn’t make for themselves. Asuka fromNeon Genesis Evangelionis one of those kids. While she often behaves like a strong, capable, and independent character, it’s more often than not a coping mechanism for her abandonment issues.
Kyoko, Asuka’s mom, couldn’t recognize the latter as her own daughter. Granted, she was under extreme psychological stress, meaning she wasn’t deliberately a bad parent. The doctors did try to give her some dolls made in Asuka’s likeness, but she ended up ripping their heads in front of her daughter. It’s a miracle Asuka even grew up emotionally strong after seeing such a disheartening spectacle.
Yuno Gasai fromFuture Diaryis one of the boldest Yandere characters in anime. She doesn’t hide her mental issues at all and makes Yuki Amano’s life a living hell disguised as a girlfriend experience. Still, one can’t wholly blame Yuno for the way she acts. It’s her mother that caused it all.
Saika was Yuno’s mother and she was lonely and neglected thanks to a busy husband.Saika then took out all her frustrations on Yuno, usually by locking her up in a cage and starving her while calling her a bad daughter. Afterward, she’d burst into tears and ask for Yuno’s forgiveness. Years of this ultimately spelled a recipe for disaster.
For one of the most competitive “Mothers of the Year” nominees ever in anime, give it up for Charlotte LinLin. She’s fromOne Pieceand has no qualms about designating herself as a villain to hinder Luffy and friends. She was once an innocent girl but her strength and simpleton mind made her arrogant, stubborn, and violent.
This carried over to adulthood andby the time she’s had children, she considered them as tools. At times, sheeven encouraged cruel attitudes among her brood. If they get out of line, then they also get harmed. As a result, all her children are afraid of her and dare not defy her plans and goals.
Higehirois one of the latest anime to be released in 2021 and it’s about a troubled high school girl named Sayu who ran away from home and slept with several men for lodging. One has to wonder what the parents did to cause this. Well,Sayu’s mom hated her so much as to blame her for her friend’s suicide.
Also,she thinks it’s Sayu’s fault that her husband left her, hence her anger and disdain toward her teenage daughter, who had nothing to do with any of her woes. She did order her son, Sayu’s older brother, to look for her but only because she was concerned about the media buzzing around her house regarding her daughter’s involvement in the local school suicide. Anyone would run away from this trainwreck of a mother.
