The animated environment consists of various viewing options, but most of the storyline follows a standard hero journey that necessarily ends with (and probably begins with) a villain. Major narrative conflicts are often resolved when the protagonist is actively armed against his adversary. This post has covered some of the best anime villains of all time.
Anime villains can, therefore, be considered the cornerstones of their respective stories, which explains why so many villains have powers beyond the imagination of their heroes (at least until the very end). Some of them are fairly powerful, but others can destroy entire galaxies to level up city blocks. These anime are notorious for having several top villains. Here are some of the most powerful features.
Table of Contents
10 Best Anime Villains of All Time-
1. Shogo Makishima – Psycho-Pass
A lot of people here may not know Makishima. In Psychopath, a futuristic dystopian animation, he alone can make society great again. Makishima is one of the few villains we agree with. The world of psychopaths measures people’s psychopaths, the higher the score, the more likely they are to commit a crime.
And before they do anything, they will be arrested. Everyone is still being watched, and Makishima realizes how wrong this is. Even at the time of committing the crime, Makishima was forgotten by society with a psychological score far below average.
He is sober and philosophical. Because he sees the real fault of the world and tries to change something. Compared to the entire PsychoPass world, Makishima proves that the CIBIL system is completely wrong. PsychoPass is phenomenal thanks to Makishima’s presence. If you haven’t watched PsychoPass you’re missing out on in my opinion the greatest villain in anime.
2. Johan – Monster
The worst villain on this list. John has no good intentions. He just wants chaos. John has an incredibly deep backstory that goes back to monster episodes. He’s constantly present in Monsters even when he’s not appearing in an episode. The main character, Doctor Tenma, pursues Johan, but Johan sees it as a game above all else.
John represents the best nihilism I have ever seen in a novel. They see the world as meaningless and point out good things about how life and death are perceived.
He drives the whole narrative and changes many characters for good or for bad. You’re constantly disturbed by just one mention of John on the show, making him one of the best villains I’ve ever seen.
3. Griffith – Berserk
Berserk’s anime didn’t do it justice compared to manga, but Griffith still came across as one of the best villains in fiction. Griffith formed the Hawk band when he was defending their kingdom solely for Griffith’s strategic genius.
As Griffith decides to change the world, the world of Berserker will soon darken. The dynamics between Griffith and Guts make him a deeper character. Guts and Griffith, and a complete contradiction with each other.
Obsessed with his dream of dominating his kingdom, all the sacrifices people make in his name drive him to his decision. Griffith isn’t allowed to do it, but he’s still successful in making the world a better place. After watching the anime, we recommend reading Berserk or picking up a manga.
4. Meruem- Hunter X Hunter
Born as a chimeric ant king, Merem is responsible for leading the people. He is an evolutionist, much stronger and faster than any other person. Meruem’s stature sets him apart from other villains. We have been with Meruem from birth and have watched his personality develop from birth.
He has a lot of similarities to the main character Gon and sees how imperfect people are. But Meruem meets a blind girl named Kogami who makes people think differently, finds them attractive, and wants to learn more.
Meruem is difficult to explain because it changes his views and beliefs. However, his character brilliantly shows the good and the ugly side of humanity, making you wonder if Mer-M is more human than any other human character.
5. Kira – Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Favorite villain with a fetish hand. Jojo has a lot of great villains, however, Kira is one of the most unique I’ve ever seen. Kira is simply an intelligent psychopath who cannot contain his lust for murder.
However, when you see his mindset of wanting a quiet life with his quirky and polite manners, you end up investing in following him.
While we want our protagonist Josuke to succeed, we’re mostly supportive of Kira despite his severe mental illness. Kira in the second half of Season Four essentially becomes the main character as we see most people from his perspective, which makes him strangely likable. But above all entertainment.
Kira will kill a woman, shoot her, and treat her better than most husbands treat their wives. He will take my hand to a beautiful bakery and let him choose his favorite noodle dish. Kira’s unique, Killer Queen, makes for amazing battles, even challenging Jotaro with her little tricks. Kira wants a quiet life with little trouble, unfortunately being a serial killer leads to a great plot, the opposite of what Kira wants.
6. Utsuro – Gintama
Utsuro is the last villain in Gintama. Utsuro is immortal and he wants his life to end because he has lived so long. As Utsuro put it, “Can you call it a life that never dies?”. His unique situation is thought-provoking and exciting. To achieve his goal, he must destroy the Earth.
Because Atlanta gives him life. Utsuro’s goals are extremely selfish, but I can understand him because he’s suffered so much for at least hundreds of years. Utsuro’s situation is very unique, but he either cannot continue or will ruin his fantastic plot.
7. Lelouch – Code Geass
Lelouch is one of the best protagonists and villains in the anime. It would have been higher in the main character ranking, but it is difficult to distinguish whether Lelouch is an anti-hero or a villain, so I ranked it 7th. However, in the anime, he appears as a villain.
Lelouch gains Geas, giving him the ability to make anyone do whatever he commands. However, this is limited to once per person, and often these commands can work better or even worse than he imagined.
Lelouch tries to liberate Japan from the British dictator, and the only way is to become Zero, the symbol of Japan’s hope. Lelouch’s method, like the light method, is extreme, but understandable in this context. His charisma and fantastic speech put you at war with Lelouch.
Besides, his brilliant strategic mind looks great when he fights against adversity. Code Geass does an amazing job showing how Lelouch can have a positive and negative impact on the world around him.
8. Light – Death Note
Out of curiosity, clever teen Wright finds the Death Note and brings it home. He wants to use it to make sure it’s real, so he uses his force on the shooter and it works. Then Wright starts a crusade to kill all criminals with the Death Note and make the world a better place.
It sounds like an anti-hero, but Light sees him soon starting to turn into a god complex as he considers himself superior to everyone else and is willing to kill innocent people for the sake of his vision.
Light certainly makes his character more interesting on the line between good and evil. Wright’s strongest trait is that his goals are great and viewers will agree with his methods, even if they are radical. I think Death Note is the perfect series for an introduction to animation.
9. Obito – Naruto
Obito’s goal is to create the infinite Tsukuyomi that everyone can dream of. Obito draws gruesomely truthful conclusions when he speaks, revealing the hypocrisy of the ninja world used as a weapon of war. Ironically, Obito himself is being used as a tool for others, but he aspires to the same goal: an endless stoma. So he doesn’t care.
Obito and Naruto’s parallelism is why he resembles Naruto so much when he was young which makes him so important. It shows how easy it is to fall on the side of evil, but his heart is pure and sincere, he wants to change people’s lives for the better.
10. Askeladd – Vinland Saga
To end the list, we have Askeladd. He started as Thorfinn’s arch-nemesis as Thorfinn sought revenge on Askeladd. Thorfinn is part of the Askeladd gang with a dream to finally kill him. Through it all, we get a good look at Askeladd’s personality and depth. Askeladd is much more profound than a pirate looking only for gold and riches.
In season one, Askeladd honestly feels more like the protagonist than Thorfinn. In teaching Throfinn valuable lessons about life and war, he was like a father figure to Thorfinn. Askeladd is quick-witted, stealthy, and ruthless in battle.
Although he is seen as a man of low morals, he works according to his moral compass. Many consider Askeladd to be the loveliest character in the Vinland Saga and for good reason. He doesn’t necessarily feel like the bad guy, but we always have Thorfinn to remind us that he is.
Some big bad guys are missing, so don’t take offense. Some of the best anime villains of all time are mentioned above. If you have a different opinion on this ranking, let us know in the comments section below which villain you like or which villain you are.
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