RAAAAGHHHH!! Twelve (Very) Angry Men (or Women)

[Brother Oni]

After watching some recent typical hot blooded shonen stuff recently, I've been thinking about the angriest people in fiction.

To avoid numberless mentions of your typical shonen hero, I'm limiting it to characters where rage is their defining characteristic and to those who can actually make use of their rage.
This also disqualifies the Saint of Killers from Preacher (his defining emotion is hate) and Mr Furious from Mystery Men who can get very very angry, but not do anything with it.

Women aren't deliberately excluded, but this sort of red hot rage tends to be a male thing (at least, I can't think of any female examples aside from The Furies of Greek mythology and I'm not sure they count).

Starting off with my suggestions:

The Incredible Hulk: The poster child for this topic. He gets stronger as he gets angrier and his rage is unlimited.

Asura (Asura's Wrath): demigod, almost as angry as The Hulk and while not as strong, is just as powerful. His rage was enough to make him climb out of hell twice.

Slaine (Slaine): celtic berseker from Tir na Og (mythological Ireland), known for his warp spasms where he would cleave through his foes and walk neck deep through a lake of their blood (he did not think it too many).

Guts (Berserk): Not as high powered as the previous examples, but no less angry. Mercenary in a medieval crapsack world, betrayed by his best friend who ascended to demonhood and is now dedicated to killing demons in all forms. Plenty of videos demonstrating this, none of them linkable here for violence contained.

[DigoDragon]

The only character that comes to mind is Lemongrab from Adventure Time, but he doesn't do anything with that rage... other than rip off his clothes and be really REALLY creepy. So I guess it doesn't really count.

[Metahuman1]

Doesn't this more or less cover everyone in the Red Lantern Core from the DCU?

[Brother Oni]

Doesn't this more or less cover everyone in the Red Lantern Core from the DCU?

I haven't read much of DC outside of certain Batman series and Hellblazer, so I'll have to take your word for it.

[Metahuman1]

There like the Green Lantern Corps, except instead of using rings that run off the Emerald Energy of Will, they use rings that run off the Ruby Energy of Rage. The more filled with absolute Rage they are, the stronger.

[Socratov]

There like the Green Lantern Corps, except instead of using rings that run off the Emerald Energy of Will, they use rings that run off the Ruby Energy of Rage. The more filled with absolute Rage they are, the stronger.

It's like an army of hulks, coloured conveniently red to avoid copyright

[Metahuman1]

If there weren't 7 other none unique ring types floating around that verse along with a death entity that gives dead people black rings to raise them as intelligent, malevolent zombies with more or less the same powers as a green lanterns and keeps them loyal to the dead entity that makes the rings, and allows them all there memories/knowledge and powers and skills form when they were alive, and another guy with a white ring that runs on all 7 emotions the other normal rings run on, you might have a point.

[Morph Bark]

Zaraki Kenpachi and Yammy Llargo from Bleach both qualify, as do the various Berserkers from the various Fate series (Lancelot and Hercules).

Sargeras from [World of] Warcraft might qualify as well, though in his case it's more someone very powerful who got very angry, rather than someone angry who got very powerful.

Saiyans in general, but especially Broly.

[Socratov]

If there weren't 7 other none unique ring types floating around that verse along with a death entity that gives dead people black rings to raise them as intelligent, malevolent zombies with more or less the same powers as a green lanterns and keeps them loyal to the dead entity that makes the rings, and allows them all there memories/knowledge and powers and skills form when they were alive, and another guy with a white ring that runs on all 7 emotions the other normal rings run on, you might have a point.

So they ripped off Tolkien as well, go figure, so do the Fantasy Literature writers...

[Traab]

Naruto pre world war nin. He gets enraged, and he winds up hopped up kyuubi juice and becomes insanely powerful. Sure he becomes more and more vicious and unable to tell friend from foe, but he certainly puts that anger to use.

[Aotrs Commander]

Wolverine probably qualifies, with his berserker rages, thought they are generally much more under control these days; and Sabretooth ought to count if he doesn't.



An unusual option might well be Galvatron, circa Marvel UK comics. (One of 'em anyway, there were several Galvatrons running around, though they never crossed paths.) The particular one I'm thinking of was...a liiiittle bit unstable¹ and tended to go kinda berserk.

Actually, the Dinobot Slag also suffered from rage issues... In the same continuity, his emotional dampners were never fully operational, meaning he spent his entire life angry (twenty-five years before Movie Banner).

Come to think of it, Rampage and Tantrum of the Predacons (G1) were also pretty much berserk ragers...

Okay, let's be honest, there were quite a few mentally unstable Transformers, which I guess is what happens with millions of years of warfare...



¹I mean, the actual kind of genuinely insane, actually psychologically ill sort of crazy.

[Zevox]

Doesn't this more or less cover everyone in the Red Lantern Core from the DCU?

This is essentially their schtick, yeah. Atrocitus in particular, whose whole reason for existing for untold centuries was revenge against the Guardians of the Universe. They are specifically selected due to rage from an injustice suffered though - for Atrocitus it was the massacre of his entire space sector by the Manhunters, for Bleez her captivity and abuse at the hands of the Sinestro Corps, for Laira the massacre of a planet by a member of the Sinestro Corps, so on and so forth. There's even a member who is a cat, Dex-Starr, who was chosen by a red ring after his owner was killed by a man who broke into her home.

For another obvious one, there's Kratos, from God of War. The man is basically a walking revenge machine, first against Ares, then against Zeus - and he literally doesn't care if he destroys the world in the process. I dare say he has no other noteworthy character traits, in fact.

[Kitten Champion]

Shizuo Heiwajima, from Durarara!!!

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For women...

B'Elanna Torres springs to mind. Her incessant rage was a fundamental part of her character and using it to strengthen her resolve rather than blind her was a big part of her character arc such as it was.

Alanna from the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. The daughter of a border noble who posed as her twin brother in order to become a knight, and to say she's aggressive would be a good beginning. Again, we have a character arc about channelling rage towards a focused and worthy goal.

Oh, and speaking of channelling, I couldn't forget Nynaeve al'Meara from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. A character who spent most of the series being blocked from her vast magical potential unless enraged, which fortunately for her comes naturally enough.

[Forum Explorer]

Alanna from the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. The daughter of a border noble who posed as her twin brother in order to become a knight, and to say she's aggressive would be a good beginning. Again, we have a character arc about channelling rage towards a focused and worthy goal.

I wouldn't say Alanna counts. She seems to have a normal human amount of anger in her, and eventually learns to control it.


I'll put Trisiphone the Fury and her sister from the Spellcode series. It's hard to tell if her anger is a by-product of her powers or needed to fuel her powers but she's plenty angry nonetheless.

Also the badgers from Redwall series. So many of them suffer from Bloodwrath (as the series calls it) that it's practically a species wide trait.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Darn, you've covered the good ones, like Shizuo and the badgers.

Does Simon from Gurren Lagann count? I can't tell if that's rage exactly.

[Arbane]

Does Simon from Gurren Lagann count? I can't tell if that's rage exactly.

More like pure determination, not so much rage.

Ryuko Matoi from Kill La Kill? Anger is her primary motivation for fighting an entire high-school full of superpowered nutcases, after all.

[Socratov]

You know, everything is all fun and games in the Dresden Files. You can go to great lengths being bad. It all stops being fun when you get Harry Dresden mad. If he is just regular angry a building goes up in flames (or explodes) and some supernatural non-human creatures die. No biggie. Kidnap his daughter and you will ignite his rage in such a fashion that he (along with a couple of friends) will go all genocidal on a complete species of immortals (not so immortal after all, eh?), destroying a couple of Ancient Mayan ruins in the process. Oh, and he is not above taking a baseballbat to the knees if you annoy him enough.

[Brother Oni]

Naruto pre world war nin. He gets enraged, and he winds up hopped up kyuubi juice and becomes insanely powerful. Sure he becomes more and more vicious and unable to tell friend from foe, but he certainly puts that anger to use.

Having watched most of Naruto and half a season of Shippuden, I'd say he doesn't count because that rage is a one off event and not a critical part of his character.

It all stops being fun when you get Harry Dresden mad.

I've not read The Dresden Files yet, but again it sounds like a one off event rather than a core part of Harry's character.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I've not read The Dresden Files yet, but again it sounds like a one off event rather than a core part of Harry's character.

Harry sorta specializes in having one-off events, if that's a possibility.

[Eldan]

Actually, Harry flies into righteous Wrath pretty regularly. About every second book finale, at least. Buildings tend to get blown up. He started a global war by essentially killing a noble of an enemy nation, including all her retainers and destroying her mansion, while they had what is basically diplomatic immunity, when provoked.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

It's really a pity that he (canonically) hasn't seen Firefly. He'd get along well with good Captain Reynolds.

"Do you know what your sin is?"
"I'm a fan of all seven...but right now, I'm thinking Wrath!"

[Eldan]

Wrath definitely is the sin for him. Though he has occasionally indulged in Lust (and at other times withstood it really well) and maybe a bit of Sloth, Pride and Acedia. Definitely no Greed, he never had that.

[comicshorse]

Wrath definitely is the sin for him. Though he has occasionally indulged in Lust (and at other times withstood it really well) and maybe a bit of Sloth, Pride and Acedia. Definitely no Greed, he never had that.

Acedia ? Is that a typo ?

[Morph Bark]

Wrath definitely is the sin for him. Though he has occasionally indulged in Lust (and at other times withstood it really well) and maybe a bit of Sloth, Pride and Acedia. Definitely no Greed, he never had that.

Isn't Acedia basically the same as Sloth, at least as defined for the list of Seven Sins in official Church fanon?

[Eldan]

Acedia ? Is that a typo ?

Acedia is one of the older deadly sins that isn't added to modern lists. There's no good English translation. It's a bit like Sloth, a bit like boredom, and a bit like Depression. Unwillingness to work, basically, or to improve oneself spiritually. Sorrow that is not constructive.

[comicshorse]

Acedia is one of the older deadly sins that isn't added to modern lists. There's no good English translation. It's a bit like Sloth, a bit like boredom, and a bit like Depression. Unwillingness to work, basically, or to improve oneself spiritually. Sorrow that is not constructive.

And I've learned something new today

[Traab]

Sounds like apathy.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

As with most language, it's all in the nuance. The notion of acedia covers some similar ground, but it doesn't quite map to the same space that the concept of apathy does. It's in "horseshoes and hand grenades" territory.

[Socratov]

I've not read The Dresden Files yet, but again it sounds like a one off event rather than a core part of Harry's character.

Well...

Harry sorta specializes in having one-off events, if that's a possibility.

This, and...

Actually, Harry flies into righteous Wrath pretty regularly. About every second book finale, at least. Buildings tend to get blown up. He started a global war by essentially killing a noble of an enemy nation, including all her retainers and destroying her mansion, while they had what is basically diplomatic immunity, when provoked.

this, actually make that every other book at the beginning of the series and once or even multiple times per book later in the series. With his latest upgrade it's actually a dangerous thing as well... While his latest upgrade makes it more powerful, before that he was able to put the raw emotion into that slight bit more power to ensure his victory (or the other's crushing defeat).

Acedia is one of the older deadly sins that isn't added to modern lists. There's no good English translation. It's a bit like Sloth, a bit like boredom, and a bit like Depression. Unwillingness to work, basically, or to improve oneself spiritually. Sorrow that is not constructive.

Isn't it a bit like ennui? It's not so much as boredom from having nothing to do, but having boredom form having no responsibilities or passions. A bit of not caring enough for anything to actually do something.

[Eldan]

The impression I got is a bit the opposite... you would have things to do, but don't do them. Harry has at least one major spell of depression around the beginning of Summer Knight.