The tragedy of those who fall to the dark side is compelling enough to show up in stories over and over without anyone getting sick of them. When righteous or good-hearted characters are forever changed by a fateful event and turn to the ways of evil, it’s always a shocking twist. On pixiv, you’ll find plenty of illustrations depicting these canon dark turns, as well as imaginary “what if?” versions of characters succumbing to darkness.

Step into the shadows with this collection of illustrations featuring characters who turned to the dark side.

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They say everyone has a dark side and some characters have had the misfortune of having it dragged to the surface. This trope often allows fans to see a previously unheard-of side to their favorite characters and fleshes out their personalities a bit. This change also normally comes with a new look that can also awaken new feelings toward the character.

Corrupted against their will, Mistress 9 and Black Lady (from Sailor Moon) took on quite different looks, which were a shock for both fellow characters and fans alike. And Rengoku (from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) looks practically unrecognizable as a demon…

Have any of the illustrations below tempted you into tapping into your dark side? 

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