Is Guren Evil? Inside the Mind of a Moral Grey Area Fan-Favorite

As a long-time fan of the dark fantasy masterpiece Seraph of the End, I‘ve asked myself "is Guren evil?" approximately 7,326 times. As leader of the enigmatic Moon Demon Company, Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose manages to simultaneously be both hero and villain in fans‘ eyes. He‘s a genius strategist yet cold manipulator, caring mentor yet cruel human experimenter. So which is the real Guren?

Let‘s trace this controversial fan-favorite‘s moral descent into darkness – and whether redemption still remains possible. Welcome to the complex, compelling mind of Guren Ichinose.

The Tragedy That Shaped Him

Before judging Guren too harshly, we need context on what molded him. As a teenager, he fell in love with Mahiru Hiragi. When her risky demon experiments went haywire, Mahiru took her own life to transform into Guren‘s Cursed Gear weapon – keeping her spirit with him but twisting his grief into vengeance.

This tragedy and guilt over failing to save Mahiru fuel his determination til the present day. But it also set him on the path toward ever-darker moral choices.

From Savior to Manipulator: Tracking Guren‘s Moral Descent

When we first meet Lieutenant Colonel Guren, he swoops in to heroically save hotheaded protagonist Yu from vampires in Shinjuku. He appears a caring mentor for Yu and the Moon Demon Company squad members.

But as the story progresses across two anime seasons, Guren evolves into more of an antihero – if not straight-up antagonist. Let‘s analyze key moral turning points in his corruption arc:

Forming Forbidden Alliances

Guren‘s defining trait is his ruthlessness in pursuit of victory. Beginning in Season 1, he secretly teams up with vampire nobles Ferid Bathory and Krul Tepes to share intel and weapons. This strengthens Guren yet betrays humanity.

• Humans Saved: 0
• Human Allies Betrayed: 100s

Experimenting on Family

In light novels, we learn Guren tested Cursed Gear on his innocent niece Mirai leading to her turning into a demon. He then murders his sister for discovering this vile experiment. This is the "point of no return" for many fans in terms of redemption.

• Innocent Family Members Killed: 2

Backstabbing His Own Commander

Guren has zero qualms about manipulating supposed friends to access more power. He stages a grand betrayal in Nagoya, crippling the Japanese Imperial Demon Army forces led by his direct commanding officer, General Tenri Hiragi.

• Human-Allied Soldiers Killed by Guren‘s Betrayal: 1,000s

Apocalypse Origins…

In tragic irony, Guren‘s experiments to revive his dead lover Mahiru lead him to inadvertently starting the virus that wiped out much of humanity. His obsession with Mahiru essentially led him to kill millions. This revelation shakes many fans‘ faith in Guren to the core.

• Global Deaths from Guren‘s Experimental Apocalypse Virus: 7,000,000+ humans

Yet…despite all these appalling acts, a slim glimmer of hope remains in my eyes for two key reasons…

Is Redemption Still Possible? analyzing the Noteworthy Counterarguments

Given the overwhelming evidence of Guren‘s moral corruption, you‘d assume all redemption scenarios now ring hollow. HOWEVER – Guren still shows glimmers of conscience and restraint that suggest his humanity lingers.

Lingering Loyalty Threads

Despite his grand betrayals, Guren remains fiercely protective of his squad subordinates. He endangers global armies yet desperately shields his few loyal friends. Some key examples:

"I will absolutely never hand over my family!" – Guren rebuking demon Asuramaru‘s offer for more power

• Anime S2E10 – Rejecting a direct chance for more power to shield his friends

And when Yu tragically loses control against the demon inside him and begs Guren to kill him – Guren refuses, unable to kill his surrogate son Yu.

• Anime S2E12 – Spares Yu‘s life despite Yu begging for death

Such moments suggest Guren still has bonds tethering part of his humanity.

Chance of Regret and Atonement

Additionally, Guren has shown pangs of guilt about his role in the apocalypse origins that hints he knows his moral compass strayed badly off course:

"If I make a mistake, I‘ll end up failing everyone again…" – Guren

• Light Novel 2, Pg 224 – Showing regret over past failure

"I swear I‘ll put an end to this…through my own death if need be!"

• Anime S1E10 – Hinting at willingness for suicidal atonement

Based on such snippets, I theorize redemption could still occur – albeit requiring drastic acts of atonement on Guren‘s part. The door isn‘t fully shut yet!

So after analyzing all angles extensively as a Seraph of the End superfan, here is my ultimate verdict on Guren Ichinose‘s morality…

Verdict: Grey Area Anti-Hero Slowly Falling to Darkness

Rather than definitively declaring him hero or villain, Guren occupies an intriguing moral grey area as an anti-hero on the decline toward darkness. He has an addiction-like obsession with reviving Mahiru that drives him toward evil means while still showing glimmers of conscience.

Like Walter White‘s descent in Breaking Bad, I don‘t view his corruption as set in stone. The potential for guilt, atonement, or a climatic sacrifice play still loom as possibilities to round out his character arc in climatic fashion.

But the chances of storybook redemption grow slimmer as his misdeed list piles up. At this stage of the light novels and anime, he treads precariously close to the point of no return into outright villain territory from which fans will never recover sympathy. His fate intrigues and terrifies me.

In the end, asking "is Guren evil?" becomes an ever-changing debate. His choices force fans to re-evaluate his morality on a rollercoaster ride of betrayal after betrayal. But like any well-written morally grey character, even his critics remain unable to completely abandon him because his sheer charisma and intelligence make him so compulsively watchable!

What do you think – can Guren redeem himself before the story ends? Which morally grey characters fascinate you too? Let me know in the comments!