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Top 30 Best Anime Villains of All Time, Ranked (2022)

Heroes are all well y good, but when it comes to great anime, there’s almost always an iconic villain bringing them to new heights.

That’s why we’re here today to rank the top 30 best anime villains of all time. (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

30. Touichirou Suzuki (Mob Psycho II)

Best Anime Villains

The saying that Power tends to corrupt, y absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men… fits perfectly for Mob Psycho II’s Touichirou Suzuki. Ever since middle school, this powerful Esper succeeded in everything he did, all thanks to his natural magical powers.

These psychic powers only improved as time went on, causing Suzuki to rely on them more y more, giving him confidence along the way. The older he got, the more brash he became, acting the complete opposite of Mob, thinking that this power made him untouchable. This causes him to plot world domination, as he founds Claw for that purpose.

Over the next 20 years, he recruits, manipulates, y kidnaps Espers to form an army to accomplish his goal of world domination at any cost. Suzuki is the first real threat the show presents, as his fight with Mob is one that we aren’t actually sure the lovable young protagonist can actually win for once. There is also plenty of nuance to the character, as the show features plenty of backstory about his family that comes back around for a satisfying payoff in the end.

29. Rachel (Tower of God)

Best Anime Villains

The best antagonists in anime are usually the ones you never seen coming; doubly so when you not only consider them to be the protagonist’s friend but also his reason for living y possible love interest. That is what makes Rachel in Tower of God so deliciously despicable at the end of season one.

Throughout the entire season of Tower of God, we are led to believe that Bam will be able to find the person who saved him, as that is all he’s ever wanted. It doesn’t take long for him to do this, as he finds Rachel just a few episodes in. The weird part is she denies being the girl he is looking for until a bit down the line.

When Bam eventually finds out she is indeed Rachel, he not only forgives her but even puts his life y stake at climbing The Tower on the line for her to make sure she can climb it too. All of this, only to be pushed to his supposed death when they were on the verge of succeeding by Rachel, who was faking being crippled in order to lull Bam into a situation where he was vulnerable.

A flashback shows how unhinged Rachel had become since first meeting Bam, as she became jealous of his natural abilities with the magic of Shinsu y even his talent of making friends. Feeling he would leave her behind, she chooses to try y kill him while also lying about his death for pity. As the prologue ends, she states that she is now the protagonist, not knowing that Bam survived y will surely return looking for answers.

28. Garou (One Punch Man)

Best Anime Villains

Garou is a classic example of what happens when society isn’t kind to children, turning them into monsters as a result. In Garou’s case, that is actually kind of literal.

When he was younger, Garou never ended up getting picked as a hero when he’d play Heroes vs Monsters with the other younger kids. Since the heroes always win in the end, the youngster would always be on the losing side of things. Due to this, he began to sympathize with the monster’s plight of always losing, even routing for them when watching tv shows, hoping they could pull out a win.

When he got older, Garou took this to a new extreme, honing his martial arts skills to the point where he is almost unstoppable y using them to become the ultimate monster. In a few episodes, we see him take down a ridiculous amount of top-tier heroes. He becomes so dangerous that a group of high-ranking heroes from the association band together y attack him while he is injured, yet he still comes out on top.

Like a lot of other villains on this list, Garou isn’t just a clear-cut bad guy, though. He’s shown to care for children, even putting his life on the line for one of them. Also, despite how much he talks about killing his opponents, just about everyone we’ve seen him fight doesn’t die, though he does brutalize them. This depth makes him one of the most interesting characters in all of One Punch Man.

27. Yano (Odd Taxi)

Best Anime Villains

Odd Taxi definitely lives up to its name when it comes to some characters, as the show is filled with eccentric anthropomorphic characters that protagonist Odokawa interacts with throughout the show. No character is more unconventional than the villainous porcupine that is Yano.

While he may only come off as a minor villain at first in Odd Taxi, there is no denying that Yano steals the show by the end of it. This 27-year-old gangster is both clever y ruthless, not caring who he has to hurt to get his way in order to move up the ranks of the Yakuza.

His feats across the first season of the show includes running badger games, kidnapping, y torturing, just to name a few. Oh, y the best part? Pretty much the entire time he is doing all of this, he is making insane hand gestures y rapping about everything that is going on. It seems ridiculous, but it is actually pretty interesting y intimidating, as it shows that Yano cares so little about the pain he is causing that he can casually rap about it.

26. En (Dorohedoro)

Best Anime Villains

On paper, Dorohedoro is a weird concept, as it is a show where a lizard-man, Caiman, is attempting to find out the wizard who cursed him so that he can get back to his old body. To do so, he must shove them in his mouth y have the guy who lives in there get a good look at them to see if they were indeed the one who did it.

Despite this weird premise, the show is still relatable, fun, y hilarious. A lot of this has to do with the characters, as Caimen, Nikaido, y every other resident of The Hole are well written despite being a bunch of weirdos. The true beauty of the show, though, is that even the villainous Wizards have some down-to-earn personalities, especially En.

As the leader of the En Family y a man who can turn people into mushrooms using magic, you wouldn’t expect to actually like the villain of Dorohedoro at first glance. However, as the show goes on, plenty of time is devoted to this villain y his troupe of delinquents, to the point where they are almost as much the main characters as Caimen.

Thanks to this, we get an interesting perspective on En, showing that he has human qualities y traits despite being a monster. We see him care about y take in people like Ebisu y Fujita even though they are useless with magic y life, simply because he likes them.

En is one of those villains that you know you shouldn’t like, but you simply can’t help but enjoy, no matter what terrible things he does.

25. Washijo Tanji (Haikyuu!!)

Best Anime Villains

It is hard to really say that anyone is a villain in Haikyuu, as even the antagonists are really just players that want to win, even if they can be annoying or blunt about it. If anyone fits the role of a villain in the show, though, it would definitely be Washijo Tanji.

Introduced for the first time during the finals, this Shiratorizawa is as ruthless as they come in volleyball, valuing height over anything. Now, that isn’t to say he doesn’t use his players that have skills to his advantage, but when it comes down to it, the tallest players will always get the most attention.

Best This mindset doesn’t even change when he sees how well Shoyo Hinata, who is considerably short for a volleyball player, does against them, choosing not to invite him to the All-Japan Youth Camp when it was clear he was deserving. When the eager Karasuno middle blocker sneaks into the camp, the coach doesn’t let him play, making him be ball boy to players he had already beaten.

24. Crocodile (One Piece)

Best Anime Villains

Crocodile is such a fun One Piece villain. He’s got style y intelligence, y is actually pretty intimidating when he wants to be.

Unlike a lot of villains on this list, though, Crocodile actually gets points because he isn’t the worst guy on the planet. He is always laughing, isn’t entirely sadistic, y even saves Luffy y Ace from certain death during the Marineford arc.

Don’t get me wrong, he is definitely evil, always opposing Luffy y friends, but he isn’t the worst cliche villain that just wants to rule the world. That complexity has continued throughout his impressive run, as he’s managed to stay relevant throughout almost the entire series, making him an excellent choice for the best villains list.

23. Walter C. Dornez

(Hellsing)

Best Anime Villains

Throughout the entirety of the Hellsing series, fans came to love Walter Dornez, as the butler’s banter with Alucard y his loyalty to Integra made for an excellent character. As the show goes on though, we see that jealousy toward the vampire has grown too great, driving him to millennium y a path toward villainy.

Eventually, Walter ends up fighting against Alucard y Integra, doing his best to kill the vampire in a 1 on 1 fight with his new powers. At one point during the fight, he reveals that he foresaw Richard’s attempted coup y assassination attempt y did nothing to stop it.

This was just one of the many dastardly deeds Walter ended up committing, making him a villain in secret almost all along. His betrayal is still one of the hardest ones to stomach in all of anime, as he really was a likable character that just let a thirst for power consume him, turning him from an anime hero to a villain.

22. Bryan Hawk (Hajime no Ippo: Rising)

Best Anime Villains

Belligerent, lazy, y disrespectful, Bryan Hawk is everything Hajime no Ippo fans learned to tolerate about series regular Takamura cranked up to 11.

Presented as Takamura’s barrier of entry to the world championship, Hawk revels in disrespecting his opponent y the sport at every turn. He slacks off on his training, attacks civilians at his leisure, y takes pride in offending everyone around him.

Worse yet is that he has the talent to back it up. As soon as someone is provoked by his antics, he quickly strikes them down with his natural strength y skills, laughing like a madman all the while.

It’s all strikingly similar to Takamura’s own bad behavior but taken that last step toward too far. As a result, it’s hard not to be wrapped with anticipation episode to episode as Takamura slugs it out with the smug bastard.

At the same time though, his tenure is short-lived. Yes, it was almost a given Takamura would have to beat him for the story to continue, but in the grand scheme of things, he becomes a footnote.

It’s a bit of a bummer, but he still manages to make a sizable impact in the time he has.

21. Ryô Asuka (Devilman Crybaby)

Best Anime Villains

The sociopathic yin to Akira Devilman Fudo’s empathetic yang, Ryô Asuka is everything his friend is not. Caring only for Akira y driven by his own self-interests, Ryô revels in manipulating, killing, y otherwise hurting others because it’s what he wants y thinks is right.

For most of the series, this means dragging Akira y the rest of humanity into his unexplainable desire to reveal the existence of demons. This, in turn, sparks paranoia y carnage on an untold scale when he succeeds, all of which he barely bats an eye at.

Shortly thereafter, the reason behind this is revealed: Unbeknownst to Akira or even himself, Ryô is Satan y wished for nothing more than humanity’s extinction. Upon realizing this, he confronts his friend, believing it’s what he wants more than anything.

It’s downright evil, but also a little sad given the outcome. It’s not until after he succeeds that Ryô realizes Akira meant more to him than this goal.

Not only that but he is punished by God to relive the mistake for eternity, constantly revived, y set to repeat the same mistake.

It’s tragic, to say the least, y even if it makes him appear a bit hopeless in his endeavors, it certainly cements him as a symbol of evil that’s hard to forget.

20. Gendo Ikari (Evangelion Series)

Best Anime Villains

A frequent contender y even winner of Worst Anime Dad of All Time, Gendo Ikari symbolizes everything someone shouldn’t aim to be as a father or person.

After abandoning his son Shinji following the loss of his wife, Gendo gets back in touch with him once he realizes Shinji is the key to piloting the EVA Unit 01 y fighting off giant alien monsters known as Angels.

Despite Shinji’s opposition to the idea y the danger he would be put in by piloting it, Gendo pressures him until he agrees. From there, he keeps up this emotional abuse to keep Shinji in the cockpit, slowly wearing away at the boy’s psyche.

Worse yet, it’s revealed he didn’t even care about saving the world. Instead, he wished to sabotage an evil plan by his superiors y reshape the world in his own image, sacrificing Shinji in the process.

Or at least, that’s the best idea most viewers have of his ambitions. Like the series he’s in, his plans can be a bit vague, y his final plot comes almost out of nowhere only to fail just as fast.

As a result, he’s easily one of the most self-serving anime villains around, with his poor parenting skills only worsening his image with time.

19. Kyubey (Madoka Magica)

Best Anime Villains

On the surface, this small 2-foot-long cat-like creature seems like an adorable little plush toy that you just want to squeeze. Anyone who has seen Madoka Magica knows that Kyubey is anything but cute, though, y that it is really a manipulative, selfish being.

His race, the incubators, essentially treat humans like farm animals, using their souls as the source of their magic. Sure, his intentions may simply be to ensure that the universe doesn’t entropy, which obviously isn’t evil in theory.

The problem is that Kyubey prioritizes the continuation of the universe at the sacrifice of the individuals that live in it. He also seems to be a bit of a sadist, torturing Sayaka to show why would gems are necessary for no other reason than that she was treating him with contempt.

18. All for One (My Hero Academia)

Best Anime Villains

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, or at least it did for My Hero Academia‘s big bad All for One.

Blessed with the quirk to steal any person’s superpower y use it as his own, All for One used his abilities to take over the world y establish a near-insurmountable regime.

He then maintained it with his sharp intellect, outwitting his opponents with devious plans. Innocents were killed or left to live in fear, all while the world sunk into chaos most thought inescapable. They would have stayed that way too, if not for All Might y his mentors’ efforts to topple him.

Even after being defeated though, his plans remained in motion. Now, however, they centered around torturing those who defeated him.

So far, this has taken the form of raising the grandchild of All Might’s mentor into a villain y helping him form a league of Villains to disrupt the peace made in his absence.

Really, all that holds him back from ranking higher is the fact that he still has room to improve. With the series ongoing y his life still unextinguished, there’s no telling what else he has in store for the world of heroes.

17. Mahito (JuJutsu Kaisen)

Best Anime Villains

While it is completely understandable that, like humans, cursed spirits want to live a full y free life in accordance with their own beliefs, that doesn’t justify the terrible actions of Mahito in JuJutsu Kaisen. Ever since this blue-haired, stitched-up spirit arrives on the scene in the show, nothing but bad things occur.

In a few short episodes, he places the Sukuna finger at Junpei’s house, getting her killed by an evil spirit. As soon as he finds her body, the young boy is then manipulated by Mahito into fighting Yuji y causing havoc throughout the school.

As soon as Mahito accomplishes his goal of luring Yuji y Sukuna to the school, he then transforms Junpei into a spirit right in front of his friend, effectively killing him. All of this y the villain has only appeared in like a quarter of the episodes of the series so far.

With more seasons sure to flesh him out even more, Mahito is going to be one scary anime villain. He shows little to no remorse for his actions, thinking of them more as a game, y it seems like he is only sure to get stronger the older he gets.

16. Johan Liebert (Monster)

Best Anime Villains

Monster is the kind of series that lulls viewers into comfort before dropping the hammer, so it’s little surprise its villain Johan Liebert does the same.

Unassuming in almost every regard, Johan is typically ignored or forgotten by almost everyone he meets. Sure, some may have a passing memory of seeing him here or there, but he’s otherwise able to blend in y disappear at his leisure.

This is exactly what he prefers though. A psychopath raised as a secret government operative since birth, he escaped his captive life y sought to use his skills on the world’s populace in secret.

Sometimes, this means manipulating others into helping him commit murders. Other times, it means toying with their weaknesses y emotions until they’re pushed to the brink, going mad or killing themselves.

He does this all from the shadows, y almost as soon as his twisted games are over he vanishes again to avoid detection.

He may not have any grand ambitions or overarching evil plot for the world, but that only serves to make his behavior all the more twisted y off-putting.

15. Frieza (Dragon Ball Z)

Best Anime Villains

A space tyrant that embodies the concept of Shonen Power Creep, Frieza has made his mark as the de facto villain of the Dragon Ball universe time y time again.

Armed with legions of soldiers y a nearly unparalleled potential to become more powerful, this cruel alien emperor revels in proving his might. He crushes the strongest warriors of a planet for leisure y destroys civilizations on a regular basis.

This includes the powerful Saiyans, who after cowering into submission were annihilated in an instant on the off chance one of them could have stood up to him.

Worse yet is that this brutal strategy proved effective. Blessed with natural strength y talent for growth, he easily mops the floor with almost any enemy he comes across, transforming y becoming more powerful at his leisure.

As a result, no one has a hope of defeating him… Until he meets the Z Warriors. After that, he’s killed time y again, caught in a constant struggle against them to regain his superiority.

It does diminish his terrifying ambitions a little, but given that he continues to spread his terrible influence across galaxies while this happens, it’s little wonder he remains the series’ worst threat y an iconic anime villain.

14. Sōsuke Aizen (Bleach)

Best Anime Villains

Cunning, calculated, y always privy to a backup plan, Sōsuke Aizen is the definition of a scheming mastermind.

Initially portraying himself as one of Bleach‘s more pacifistic Soul Reapers, this evil genius hid his ambitions of overthrowing the order of the Soul Society y escalating his own powers for nigh on decades.

All the while, he planned y plotted meticulously for every outcome y possibility. Even the birth y arrival of Ichigo Kurosaki comes as little surprise to him, with his plans factoring in his arrival to use the wild card to his advantage.

This admittedly escalates to the point of being convoluted y a stretch at times, but more often than not it distinguishes him as a true threat to the protagonists’ strategy of making it up as they go along.

In the end, it’s only through the entire cast of characters coming together against him that he’s taken down. Even then he’s only detained, with his powers too great to fully extinguish.

This leaves him to sit in solitude for eternity, watching the Soul Society continue to march on y plotting his next great vie for power.

13. Char Aznable (Gundam)

Best Anime Villains

Char Aznable encapsulates a lot of what an anime villain is y should be, y has for basically the entirety of the Gundam series’ decades-long existence.

A master mech pilot with near-superhuman abilities, Char commands those around him with an almost supernatural presence. Those below him are rapt in deep awe y respect, while those he faces are overwhelmed by his confidence y skill.

He puts this to good use too. In the short time he serves as a pilot for the Principality of Zeon, he skyrockets to the top of the ranks, gaining prestige y power in abundance.

This is all done toward the completion of his own goals y ambitions, most of which end in the double-crossing of those who wronged him y his family years before.

It’s all a little stock y straightforward by today’s standards, but for its time – y especially for the Gundam series – it works wonderfully. Amid all of the war-time drama, Char emerges as a rogue player who controls y uses the conflict as he pleases.

It’s no surprise, then, that almost every villain in the series has sought to imitate him. He remains iconic y retains his reputation as an unforgettable antagonist.

12. Younger Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Best Anime Villains

For the Younger Toguro, all that ever mattered was power. An unmatchable martial artist y demon hunter in his youth, Toguro was consumed by his fear of growing old y feeble the longer he lived.

This fueled his decision to betray humanity y wish for immortality y eternal youth from demons, joining the ranks of that which he once despised y hunted.

What followed were years of terror y torment at his hands, his strength unmatchable by all that he encountered. Humans y demons alike fell by his hands, all as he reveled in his eternal strength.

To be sure, his motivations are a little lackluster compared to other villains. Where others seek to destroy the world, he settles for worthwhile opponents, oftentimes sparing those he beats in the hopes that they’ll become stronger.

y yet, this makes him all the more enthralling as a villain. His motivations are clear, his goals are understandable y his threat is undeniable.

He’s a near-perfect enemy for the series’ protagonists, an obstacle to their progress, a foreboding specter of their own weaknesses y insecurities, y a warning of what could befall anyone if they were ever consumed by their fears.

11. Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer)

Best Anime Villains

Anytime a character refers to themselves as the Demon King, there is a good chance that they’ll probably be an anime villain. Simply being a villain doesn’t even begin to describe Demon Slayer antagonist Muzan Kibutsuji, though.

Before we are ever even introduced to this character, his villainous acts pile up, as we learn that he is responsible for the death of Tanjiro’s entire family y for turning Nezuko into a demon.

When we do actually see Tanjiro meet the man who murdered his family, he simply turns a man into a demon to keep the demon slayer from getting in his way. He doesn’t care who he has to sacrifice or kill, as long as he stays on top.

His fearmongering y murderous rage isn’t simply limited to humans, though, as he is known to kill y curse demons simply for even uttering his name. You need to look no further than his meeting with the Lower Ranks in the first season to see this, as he slaughters all but one for not being bloodthirsty enough.

10. Zeke Yeager (Attack on Titan)

Best Anime Villains

When Attack on Titan first started airing, it was hard to detest anyone more than Annie, Bertholdt, y Reiner, the three members of the 104th Survey Corp regiment that were the Titans responsible for all the carnage. That is until Zeke Yeager, the Beast Titan comes around.

On top of the fact that he just has a smug design, this cocky y smart young man is responsible for so much of what transpires throughout the show. Not only does he turn his father y mother in as restorationists, but he also comes up with the majority of the plans that kill the characters we care about in Paradis.

The rocks he through alone during the climax of the third season decimated almost the entire Survey Corps, killing supporting characters like Klaus, Marlene, y Marlo. His most unforgivable act is being the one responsible for killing fan-favorite character y leader of the regiment, Erwin Smith.

While we may have gotten a bit more of an understanding of why he is the way he is in the final season, it still doesn’t forgive what he has done y the way he has done it. Evil in the name of the greater good is still evil.

9. Dio Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Best Anime Villains

Given how over the top Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure can be, it’s little surprise that it gave birth to one of the most over-the-top y bombastic anime villains of all time.

Originally the son of a shameless criminal, Dio Brando was raised under one core belief: Do whatever ensures your own survival. Abiding by this creed, he lives only for himself, stealing, killing, y doing whatever it takes to get ahead.

These aren’t generalities either. In the first few episodes of the show alone, he throws a dog into a furnace, poisons his adoptive father for his inheritance y nearly unleashes a vampire horde onto 19th century England to advance his own ambitions.

y that’s only at the start of the series. Using his vampiric powers, he survives for generations y kicks off a new threat to the world over a century later; y, while he’s at it, unleashes the power of stands upon the world.

Really, his only downfall is that he’s always overconfident. Instead of dealing with the Joestars y their allies immediately, he always gets caught up in the theatrics of his plots y pays dearly for it every time.

Still though, when he takes center stage as the series’ villain, it’s hard not to be enraptured by his antics y absurd sense of ambition.

8. King Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Best Anime Villains

Though he may have only been the pawn in his Father’s plot, King Bradley proved the better anime villain of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood y beyond.

Raised from birth by the Homunculus Father for the position of Amestria’s ruler, Bradley’s abilities were enhanced past the point of being super-human by injecting him with the Philosopher’s Stone.

This boon granted him with the all-seeing eye, allowing him to see each y every detail around him whether he was negotiating with political opponents or dodging bullets on the battlefield.

However, this came at a cost. Gone were every other emotion in him except wrath, which he utilized to rule the country y expand its influence.

Ishvala y so many other nations were trampled y stamped with ruthless efficiency, all for the sake of his Father’s greater ambitions.

y yet, beneath this baleful demeanor, an unnervingly human personality resided. Where the other Homunculi looked down on humanity, the remnants of it left within him respected y envied what he once was y never could be again.

As a result, his eventual defeat is both vindicating y somber. For all of his evil deeds, he managed to hold onto some humanity to the end, souring the victory of the series’ protagonists ever so slightly.

7. Madara Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden)

Best Anime Villains

The epitome of a shinobi warrior, Madara Uchiha embodies the spirit of his age as well as the defiance of outdated mindsets refusing to fade away.

Raised in an age of war y conflict, Madara embodied everything he needed to be to survive the world around him. Fast, cunning, y privy to god-like ninjutsu, he crushed almost all who came up against him.

This served him well enough during times of war, but when the world turned to peace, he found himself at odds with others on how to achieve it.

Where they sought to let people strive for it themselves, he sought to use his power to force them into submitting to his views on how peace should be achieved.

This led to his falling out with his allies, his defeat by their hands, y his eventual plot to rule the world through an endless jutsu, all while he manipulated y crushed any who opposed him.

Needless to say, he served as a great enemy for Naruto y his allies; or at least, he did while he served as the main antagonist.

Once he was outdone by the series’ true big bad, his ambitions y presence were diminished a bit, if only because his plans fell apart because of the trope of a bigger y badder anime villain being in the shadows.

For the time he was in control though, Madara proved himself an anime villain on par with the best of them y established the highest bar for Naruto’s long list of enemies.

6. Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter)

Best Anime Villains

Everyone in Hunter X Hunter is searching for something, y though his pursuits may be twisted, Hisoka is no different.

A devious killer y master Nen user, Hisoka is driven by his desire to find y kill strong opponents. Be they young children or master criminals, he’ll pursue them to the ends of the Earth with a bloodlust on par with a wild predator’s.

Likewise, he doesn’t care what happens to himself or others in this pursuit. Mass civilian casualties, the loss of his allies, or even the loss of his own limbs barely phases him, so long as he gets to fight with someone that tests his limits.

As a result, he more often than not embodies chaos incarnate, wreaking havoc in his pursuit of battle y leaving a mountain of corpses behind him.

Needless to say, this puts him at odds with the series’ protagonists at regular intervals. Not only do Gon y his friends fit the bill for what he seeks, but they often take on enemies that prove to be exactly what Hisoka is looking for.

y yet, this also serves to make him all the more interesting.

Where other villains might strike out at the protagonists y heroes immediately, Hisoka schemes, allies himself with y double-crosses people regularly, always finding the best angle to work in order to reach his goals.

He may not be a world-ending anime villain with seismic ambitions, but he’s undeniably interesting to see at work.

5. Gilgamesh (Fate Series)

Best Anime Villains

While the Holy Grail wars are meant to be fought by heroes of legend, Gilgamesh certainly makes the case for legendary villains being in the mix as well.

An ancient king who desired to own everything he could get his hands on, Gilgamesh is driven by greed y his own interests at any given moment.

This includes when he is summoned to fight in the Holy Grail War, with his master only able to control him by the barest definition of the word.

Worse yet, he’s vastly more powerful than most any other contender in the war. Able to summon weapons from his vault of possessions, he can rain down death in an instantaneous, bloody storm of destruction.

As a result, the life or death struggle everyone else sees themselves in is little more than a passing distraction for him. Instead, he bides his time y amuses himself with battle, confident he’ll come out on top.

This leads to his eventual downfall, but right up to that point it’s hard not to believe he’ll get away with his arrogance. He’s an anime villain that embodies overpowered adversaries y remains a near indomitable force to his dying breath.

4. Bondrewd (Made in Abyss)

Best Anime Villains

Made in Abyss may be filled with Lovecraftian horrors out for flesh y blood, but they’ve got nothing on this sociopathic monster.

Acclaimed as one of the Abyss’ most renowned explorers, Bondrewd embodies the deepest depths one can go to in order to survive the Abyss. No option is too inhumane, no length is too drastic to take y no boundary is to be left uncrossed.

Case in point: He uses humans as test subjects for his research on the Abyss’ curse y effects, turning even children into pain-ridden lumps of flesh in the pursuit of ways to uncover the pit’s secrets.

As a result, he’s spoken of in hushed whispers y dire warnings to the protagonists, his influence felt even hundreds of thousands of feet above the facilities he commands.

On one hand, it’s easy to hate such a self-interested monster. Several dozen, if not hundreds of people, have suffered by his hands, y more still will continue to suffer as time goes on.

On the other hand, he simply found a way to do what every character in the show wishes to do. By whatever means necessary, he survived the Abyss’ horrors y struggles to continue to do so.

It’s a tough line to walk, but Bondrewd does it with a horrifying beauty, y with more to be seen of him in the series’ future there’s no telling how much higher he could rise – or lower he could sink as an all-time great anime villain.

3. Shogo Makishima (Psycho-Pass)

Best Anime Villains

In a dystopian future where crimes are determined before they’re even committed, Shogo Makishima poses the ultimate threat.

An anomaly that the system can’t detect, Makishima is able to commit crimes without detection. This includes theft, conspiring to attack someone, y even cold-blooded murder.

He’s not shy about using this to his advantage either. Inquisitive as to why he is this way y determined to bring down the Sybil System, he tests the limits of his gift by orchestrating events that throw the world around him into chaos.

It’s for this reason that he temporarily brings down the digital law enforcement programs, driving all of Japan into a state of frenzy y panic as crimes are committed by anyone y everyone with little to no consequence.

It’s devious, to say the least, but it becomes unnerving when the core drive of his actions – freeing people up to make their own decisions again, without surveillance – becomes clear y, most terrifyingly, logical.

He’s the type of anime villain who found the worst way possible to try y improve the world, y for all of the pain y chaos he causes, there’s a horrible, lingering question left behind: Was there some good y truth to what he believed?

2. Light Yagami (Death Note)

Best Anime Villains

When someone’s goal is to become a god through murder y deception, chances are they’re a pretty insidious anime villain, y Light Yagami is no exception.

A young man with a genius intellect, Light stumbles upon the Death Note at a young age y quickly realizes its power to kill anyone is no joke.

Instead of getting rid of it though, he hatches a plan. He’ll kill everyone he deems a criminal, becoming the ruler y god of the new world he creates.

It’s a fine idea on paper – at least in terms of ridding the world of crime y suffering – but in execution, this ambition quickly corrupts him worse than he already was.

In addition to criminals, Light also manipulates y kills almost everyone around him he deems a threat. Policemen, investigators, y even his own family fall victim to his plotting, all while he continues to advance his plans.

The worst part is, even after he’s brought down for his crimes, he gets his wish. Some in the world idolize him for his actions, making him a person of worship long after his death.

1. Griffith (Berserk)

Best Anime Villains

Griffith did nothing wrong; at least, not by his own drives y ambitions.

A peasant who grew to become the leader of his own mercenary band, Griffith was a self-driven man who pursued his desires with unparalleled efficiency.

No matter the situation or obstacle, he found a way to overcome them, whether that meant facing down an army of thousands or assassinating a country’s leaders.

All the while, he amassed a legion of friends y followers who would follow him to hell y back, caring for him as much or more than he cared for them.

As a result, they were dragged down with him when his ambitions saw him imprisoned, tortured, y maimed. They cared little though, risking life y limb to save him y help him salvage a life with what he had left.

That wasn’t enough for Griffith though. When given the option to become a demon y continue the pursuit of his dreams, he whole-heartedly accepted it; even though it came at the cost of sacrificing the lives of each y every one of his friends y allies.

So yes, Griffith did nothing wrong by himself. By everyone else though, he did them the worst of injustices, y continues to do so with each breath he takes as arguably the worst anime villain of all time.

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