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Top 10 Anime Villains

Spine-chilling laugh, dangerous ideology, and power that seems to bring the universe itself to its knees. An anime is only as good as its villain, and lucky for us there is no short supply of great villains. Weather its world domination, money, or simply to cause chaos the best anime villains can easily have us rooting for the dark side. So what exactly makes a great antagonist? How do you compare across different genres? We’ve compared all the most popular evil-doers, looked at intelligence, raw power, and pure-evil factor. This is the result. So sit back. laugh maniacally, and enjoy our list of Top 10 Anime Villains.

10. Toguro (Yu-Yu-Hakusho)

I’ll start this article at 80% power. A lot of our readers are probably too young to have watched Yu-Yu-Hakusho so we’ll take it easy, and give some background info. Toguro is the quintessential 90s anime villain, with a haircut to match. Formally a human, Toguro lost his dojo and students at the hands of the demon Kairen. Seeking revenge he participated in the Dark Tournament. Upon defeating Kairen and winning the tournament however, Toguro’s loss had twisted his mind and for his prize he chose to become a demon himself. With his demon state attained Toguro’s only resolve was to be defeated in combat while at 100%. But just being a demon with a death wish isn’t enough to make it into the top 10 anime villains of all time. Heck Toguro wasn’t even the strongest demon in the series. He ranked as an average B-class demon. It’s Toguro’s personality and what he did for the series protagonist Yusuke.   

Anime Villain Toguro

Toguro can best be describe to what we refer to in the industry as a “stone cold motherfucker”. Sure he’s a demon, but he has no special powers like others in the series. No spirit weapons, no psychic abilities, just raw strength.  While other villains might try to cheapshot the hero or runaway Toguro doesn’t even flinch, choosing to face any attack head on. But above all his traits, it’s what he does for Yusuke that earns him a spot on our list.  You see for Toguro to be defeated in battle at 100% he knew he had to make Yusuke’s realize his true potential. Sure his reasons for making Yusuke a better fighter were selfish, he wanted his own honorable death, but he was also the only opponent that could get Yusuke to break through that psychological barrier.  In many respects Toguro was just as much of a teacher to Yusuke than Genkai ever way.

9. Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)

When first introduced into the series Aizen was the typical soft-spoken scholarly mentor, something of a nerdy Uncle. So, needless to say that when he finally reveals himself as an evil mastermind, who planned his secret operation to become the new Soul King over a hundred years ago, people were a tad surprised. I’m kidding this was probably one of the great plot twist in the history of anime. Seriously, with the simply act of taking off his glasses and running his hand through his hair the lovable scholar turned into the unbelievably charismatic villain. Who could have seen that one coming?

Aizen without glasses

But, it takes more than being able to plan ahead and devilish good looks to be one of the top anime villains, so let’s get into some of his feats. Begin captain of Squad 5, Aizen was already a formidable opponent. Upon going rogue and he fused his Hogyoku with Kisuke’s and then absorbed it into his body. This granted him the ability to heal all injuries instantaneously, and granting him immortality. His sword also granted him “Perfect Hypnosis” allowing him to perfectly control someone’s five senses, as the name suggest this hypnosis is completely flawless, even if the target is aware of being under the hypnosis, they cannot resist its influence. Along with enhanced speed and strength this allowed Aizen to easily take on multiple high level opponents at once with ease. These abilities combined have led many people to declare Aizen as one of the most overpowered villains. 

8. Cell (Dragon Ball Z)

I can think of only few things more terrifying than a giant cicada, and they all involve a slightly bigger cicada. So needless to say the first time I saw Imperfect Cell on screen it invoked a somewhat visceral primal fear. With good reason too, Cell is the type of villain to come out of nightmares. Designed by Dr. Gero Cell was made up from the DNA of all the great fighters in the galaxy at the time. The Saiyan’s fighting spirit and ability to grow in strength after every defeat, Namekian’s regenerative abilities, Frieza’s physiology that allows him to survive extreme damage and adapt in the harshest environments. Add the fact that he figuratively ate people to absorb their energy and you have the perfect monster story to scare children. Cell really was the…Perfect…villain. 

Aside from being an actual monster, Cell was also the last villain all the Z fighters got a shot at. Even Tien kept him down a bit with a series of impressive display of the Tri-Beam Cannon. Okay maybe Yamcha didn’t, but does Yamcha still count at this point? A saibamen beat him. And of course we can’t talk about Cell without talking about Gohan and how important Cell was for his character development. We all knew Gohan had incredible hidden powers, but it wasn’t until he saw Cell kill Android 16 that he finally stopped trying to depress them. Cell had finally taught Gohan that it was okay to fight and kill as long as it was to protect the innocent. It’s for these reasons Cell makes it to a solid 8 on our list. 

7. Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Anime Villain Shou Tucker

For those of you who have already seen Fullmetal Alchemist, you know full well why Shou Tucker makes our Top Anime Villains list. For those of you who haven’t, I’d advise you to get ready for a gut-wrenching story. A mild manner researcher who created the first talking chimera.  This leads to huge grant money from the government to fund his research. However after years of experiments with no results the government comes a knocking to collect. 

At first you can’t feel but have sympathy for the guy. He’s a loving single father who appears to be having a hard time. With pressure at work it’s difficult to provide for this young daughter. So what happens next is what earns Mr. Tucker a spot on our list. 

Shou Tucker does the unthinkable. He takes his loving daughter and combines her with the loyal family dog to create a new chimera. The result was a create whose very existence was pain. Quite arguably one of the saddest moments in the series, as fans looked onto this new creature, all we could see was an animal who couldn’t understand what it had done to deserve what had happened to it. Part child and part dog, all it knew was betrayal and confusion. 

6. Diva (Blood+)

Anime Villain Diva

If Diva teaches us anything, it’s that we need more female anime villains. Just a shame that writers portray most of them as sociopaths. And boy is Diva a sociopath. To be fair, spending the first fifty years of your life locked in a cage will do that to anybody. Right, I’m gonna need to give a little bit of background about this anime universe or else none of this is gonna make sense. Diva and her twin sister Saya are both Chiropterans. Think vampire queens. When a Chiropteran directly injects her blood into a victim it turns the victim into a Chevalier. The Chevalier develops an extremely strong bond with the Chiropteran that created them; serving and protecting them. These Chevaliers have superhuman abilities, and are the only one’s who can impregnate the opposite queen. 

Now that we got the backstory out of the way, here’s why Diva makes it on to our Top Anime Villains list. Upon being reawoken Diva begins to sing luring Saya’s adoptive brother Riku. Diva being understandably hungry after a decades long nap begins to feast on Riku. Saya in a last ditch effort to save Riku turns him into her Chevalier. See where this is going? The whole only Chevaliers can impregnate the opposite queen? That’s right, after Diva hunts down Riku again she then proceeds to violently rape her sister’s adoptive brother. The rape of a 14 year old boy not being enough she then proceeds to kill Riku after she’s had her fill. How’s that for family reunions. 

5. Frieza (Dragon Ball Z)

What Top Anime Villains list would be complete without Frieza? You probably guessed he would make it on here before you even clicked the link. Even so Frieza’s popularity isn’t unearned, and there’s a reason he is consistently brought back into the series. Frieza is the epitome of the classical villain. Incredible powerful, ruthless, and evil to the core, yet somehow eloquently refined. In other words, he’d just as soon invite you over for a bottle of vintage red wine as he would cause the genocide of your entire race. In some cases he’ll do both at the same time. 

Anime Villain Frieza

A natural born prodigy he is able to go toe to toe with a Super Saiyan with a lifetime of martial arts experience without having trained a single day of his life. When Frieza’s subjects bring him back to life and he actually devoted himself to training, he was able to overtake the huge gap the Saiyans had with decades of training and experience in a mere four months. With his new Gold Form, Frieza was able to overpower the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, albeit only for a short time. On top of that his unique physiology allowed him to survive the vacuum of space, and take extreme damage. Not many other super villains are able to keep fighting after being sawed in half.

Golden Frieza vs Super Saiyan Blue Goku

But, above all these Frieza serves as a critical point in the Dragonball series. He’s the bigger bad behind the first big bad (Vegeta). He’s the first Villain in the series that isn’t just stronger than the main characters, he’s hundreds of times stronger. Frieza drives the whole franchise forward, unlocking the Super Saiyan transformation not only for Goku, but the rest of the Saiyans. Would Vegeta have trained as hard if Goku hadn’t transformed? Before the Namek Saga the Super Saiyan transformation was just assumed as legend. It also opens up to a whole new level of villains. Without Frieza there would have been no Cell, no Cooler or King Cold, and there would have never been powerful enough fighters on Earth to release Buu. Heck without Frieza Goku would have never been sent to conquer Earth in the name of the Galactic Frieza Force to begin with. It’s for these reasons, not just brute strength or pure evil that fans consider Frieza one of the great anime villains of all time.

4. Griffith (Beserker)

Anime Villain Griffith

Word of warning this villain contains some extremely graphic and mature themes. While I feel Griffith definitely deserves to be on any Top Anime Villains List, I felt that describing his actions didn’t really have a place on this website. Needless to say I think censorship should stand in the way of the truth, no matter how gruesome. Instead I’ll opt to placing this warning. Griffith’s actions are diabolical and sexual in nature. If that isn’t something you want to read please go ahead feel free to skip this description.

The charismatic leader of the mercenary group, Band of the Falcon, Griffith recruits our main protagonist, Guts after defeating him in battle. The two lead the mercenary band to triumph after triumph, in hopes of realizing Griffith’s dreams and ambitions. After three years however Guts decides to leave the band and Griffith again challenges him to a duel to keep him in his services. This time Guts emerges victories and a grief stricken Griffith in a moment of weakness beds the princess of the King who employs him. The king arrest Griffith and orders his torture for over a year. 

Up until now Griffith isn’t necessarily a bad guy. Sure he’s killed hundreds at this point, but such is war and Griffith is a mercenary. He’s ambitious and the time and circumstances he lives in calls for a certain degree of ruthlessness. A year of torture however can change a person. After hearing of Griffith’s capture and the troubles befalling the Band of the Falcon, Guts joins up with Casca, a romantic interest of both Guts and Griffith as well as an veteran of the Band of the Falcon, to rescue Griffith. Here is where the Top Anime Villains material comes into play. 

A broken Griffith realizing he’s lost everything dear to him and unable to even commit suicide is transported, with the help of an ancient demonic relic, to the Eclipse. There realizing that it was Guts who caused his fall from grace sacrifices his comrades and himself in order to transform into a Demon. As his first act Griffith, then proceeds to violently rape Casca in front of Guts, forcing Guts to watch. So violent and horrific is this rape that it deforms and taints Casca’s unborn child. I’m sorry did I forget to mention that Casca was pregnant with Gut’s offspring? Yeah, the series goes there. Oh, and after being saved at the last second Casca then prematurely gives birth to a twisted demonic baby. Griffith goes on to do some more demon stuff, but at this point everything else pales in comparison.

3. Johan Liebert (Monster)

Anime Villain Johan Liebert

Johan Liebert is the “Monster” of the series, although we don’t really know his real name as Johan is just one of the many alias he uses. Born as a result of a eugenics experiment conducted by Dr. Bonaparta. Bonaparta designed him by be exceptionally intelligent and have a flawless appearance, in other words the perfect human being who would lead the human race. Instead however he uses these gifts to cruely manipulate and corrupt others. Probably one of the only anime characters comparable to Light Yagami, but able to operate at Light’s level without the use of a Death Note. However Johan seems to cause destruction and suffering for no reason reason at all. He truly is the living embodiment of a Monster. 

Of all the villains on this list Johan is the only one who makes it on here on the purpose of being truly evil.  Easily able to manipulate other into becoming serial killers or to commit suicide.  While others on here chose the dark side for greed, for the sake of power, or merely wanting to create a better world and felt the ends justified there means, Johan doesn’t really have a reason. He merely enjoys the suffering of others and as he puts it “wants to be the last one standing at the end of the world”. The scariest thing is that he has no superpowers, while other animes play out a fantasy, everything about Monster could happen. Johan Liebert is a monster, but in the end he is merely human.

2. Madara Uchiha (Naruto)

Anime Villain Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha, a name so infamous that even the mere thought of having to face him in battle united the world against him. With good reason too, as he boast some of the most overpowered feats in the series. From being able to summon meteors, to slicing entire mountains with a single sword swipe Madara is possible the strongest character in the franchise at his peak. He is also the only human in the series to fully evolve both of his sharingans, opening the door to a range of God-like abilities.

Madara vs Shinobi Alliance

Not even death could keep this shinobi down. Rewriting his first death at the hands of Hashirama, the “God of Shinobi”, and then laying down an incredibly meticulous plan for his resurrection once old age got to him. This is a man hell bent on achieving his ambitions. A gifted prodigy, experienced tactician, and a curse of hatred, it took a Deus Ex Machina to finally bring him down. Tired of the endless cycle of violence in the ninja world, and certain of mankind’s inability to achieve peace on their own Madara set out to achieve his own vision of peace. Unfortunately that peace meant robbing everyone of their free world and putting them in a dreamlike state for all eternity. But hey, as long as the ends justify the means right? Madara holds down the #2 spot on this list just from being a sheer badass.

Top Anime Villain: Light Yagami (Death Note)

Anime Villain Light Yagami

Genius level intellect, charismatic, and driven. It’s not often that the protagonist is also the villain of the series. Yet, Light accomplishes this role flawlessly. Armed with a supernatural Death Note that kills anyone who’s name is written in it, Light Yagami sets out to create a better world in his own image. Executing hundreds of dangerous criminals doesn’t go unnoticed however, and soon Light finds himself pitted against the world’s greatest detective only known as L. Cue one of greatest psychological thrillers of our generation.  Without spoiling too much of this epic masterpiece it’s easy to see why Death Note consistently ranks as one of the best animes of all time. It abandons all the silly power ups, or emotional tropes most anime’s rely on, instead focusing solely on the battle of wits at hand. Light is so successful at eradicating crime that so many people actually end up rooting for him, myself included.  And that’s what makes Light Yagami the greatest anime villain, because even with all the mass murder, manipulation, and extortion people still flock to his standard. After all, who wouldn’t like to live in a crime free world? Long live Kira.

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