We all know that one moment when a normal character turns bad ass, their circumstances having pushed them too far. Their eyes, normally filled with warmth, turn cold, and they turn and slaughter everyone that has forced them to become what they never wished to be. A total bad ass. It gives me chills just thinking about it!

Anyway, that's what I want. A regular ol' person (or they can be not so regular, and have magic or something, but just not be a bad-ass at the start of the book/movie/tv-show/manga/anime), that turns into a bad ass murderer. Now, they can be a general sort of serial killer, without rhyme nor reason, simply enjoying the act or needing the money (Ares, Vinland Saga), they can be a coldhearted killer of monsters that appear to be human, and occasionally kill humans as well (Parasyte, Claymore, Berserk), or they can be a person that only kills when it's a last resort, but when the time comes won't hesitate and eventually grow very used to the act (Merlin, The Wise Man's Fear).

Now, I would like the character to be regular at the start of whatever medium it is, but it's alright if they start out bad ass, as long as there is a very LENGTHY section of flash backs where it shows what made them how they are (Vinland Saga, Berserk). Also, the character can either enjoy to the act of killing or only do it because they feel like they must, but I DO NOT want them to be racked by guilt. There is nothing more annoying then a character that spends half of their time whining. A little bit is alright, but more then a couple of pages and I'm done.

Anyway, this is not limited to anime/manga, but also includes books, tv-shows, movies, etc. Heck, you can even suggest poems if you think they're applicable.

Please and thank you!

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?

Try Hellsing manga and anime ova (Hellsing Ultimate) and Jack Frost manga

Here's some I read (which isn't a lot)
-Ichi
-Kuroshitsuji
-Black Cat
-Rurouni Kenshin

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
-Lao Tzu

Sun-ken Rock

From artwork to main character, I found it "badass".

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I'd suggest Red Eyes. There are flashback chapters that show where his badassery began and how he more or less got his name "Genocide".

Night anygel triology from Brent Week
Ledt hand of god from Paul Hoffman
Demonata from Darren Shan or The Spooks series (these two are actually for younger readers but they are Interesting anyway)
Prince of Thorn
They're all books.

Man is more ape than many of the apes.

Eclipse Hunter (Novel) for sure. ^^ He's a very sweet little kid who happens to be hated by his father. The father finally decides to send him off to get experimented on til near death and turned into an emotionless cyborg. After that, he has somewhat of a split personality - he's a sweet kid normally, and he's a ruthless killer when he wants to be.

SaiKano is, I think, a perfect example.

shingetsutan tsukihime don't get your hopes up on the reason for it, and he has a bit of guilt about it in the start(for good reason tbh >_>). Towards the end tho he gets rly bamf.

And that's it..... I thought of like 15 before this that fit to larger and lesser degrees but they were either already recced or in your list.... so I'm stopping at one rec which is only here cuz I was kinda mad I couldn't find one so I couldn't stop looking ><....... and its in your reading list instead of completed....... #$=&%$=%=%$ -- TO THE DRAWING BOARD!!

Thakfully that didn't take long sanctuary follows a man in a semi-realistic mob operation manga.... people are a lot better than people in rl and everything works out too well.... but its still interesting and fits your topic(he even has a f'ed up flashback).

Few favs
Comedy:
Kyou kara ore wa!!, Mx0, Angel Densetsu, Skip Beat, Ai Kora, The Devil King is Bored

Romance:
Hana to Akuma, No bra, Shinigami Trilogy, kindan no koi de ikou, Usagi Drop, Threads of Time, Girl Friends

Most under rated:
Kindan no koi de ikou, kyou kara ore wa!.
m0r l83r... maybe >_>

I recommend The Legend of the Legendary Heroes the anime. Its about a guy that is nice and lazy but if push to his limits mentally, another personality arises that wants to destroy everything. You will like it if you don't mind fantasy and magic. 😀

I would also second The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Action packed fun read with assassins (wetboys...)~Kylar is picked up from the slums and trained to become an elite assassin.
His new book, The Black Prism is also entertaining if you don't mind the idea of turning light into playdough 🤣

Other Novels/series I would recommend:
Monster Hunter series by Larry Correia was pure fun and mahem.
It starts off with Monster Hunter International in which the accountant Owen Zastava Pitt gets his life turned around when he kills his boss (werewolf) by throwing him out the window 14 stories above the ground. You will never see Owen racked with guilt as he kills monsters left and right 🤣

Child of Fire by Harry Connolly was also pretty good. Ex-convict, Ray Lily, gets recruited by the Twenty Palaces society to be a wooden man (bait, expendable shield) for one of their sorceresses Annalise.

Mistborn is another wonderfully action packed series. Brandon Sanderson is pretty creative with his magic system and his action scenes are magnificent eye candy 😉 Vin was a kid living on the streets until she is discovered by Kelsier who recruits her (for his revolution) and trains her become to one of the most powerful people in the land, Mistborn.

Anime/manga:
Black Lagoon? Great show, but if you do not want to watch the anime there is always the manga it is based on. No guilt trip there. Just mass shooting mahem~
EDIT: oops nevermind! you are already reading black lagoon

In light of the recommendation of Shingetsutan Tsukihime, I would recommend the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Uses some of the same ideas from Shingetsutan Tsukihime with seemingly cold-hearted action badass-ery from Shiki who kills her opponents unmercifully.

Movies?...My bro says Zombieland 🤢 Tallahassee-no guilt about anything...actually not much at all.

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The first thing that comes to mind is Code Geass. I have never read the manga but the anime was fantastic. There are two seasons and the first season starts out where Lelouch is an innocent student and then he discovers geass and basically turns into a freakin' badass.

"I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am" ~Toph

until death do us part badass from the start but blind u my like 😃

Quote from DSS20

I'd suggest Red Eyes. There are flashback chapters that show where his badassery began and how he more or less got his name "Genocide".

seconded

Quote from DSS20

I'd suggest Red Eyes. There are flashback chapters that show where his badassery began and how he more or less got his name "Genocide".

Dude I just read the whole thing because of your suggestion and all I can say is: Mills just went HAM in that flashback!

Things I enjoy:

1. Badassery. I love being, doing, and living it. I also enjoy seeing it as it usually makes me cry man tears.
2. Badassness.
3. Badasses.
4. Badass mofos.
5. Manly badasses.

Things that I hate:

1. Wimpy protagonists.
2. Girly protagonists (if they're men).
3. Douchie protagonists.
4. Idiotic protagonists.
5. Over-the-line rude protagonists.