When crafting the perfect villain, it has to be written in a mysterious and detailed way. They must captivate the public. Due to the nature of anime, it’s easy for mangaka to take the easy way out and make villains ridiculously powerful and evil without any real justification. Although there are many such villains, they are not memorable.
Memorable villains are the ones with a definite backstory and motivation for their diabolical deeds. They are complex characters and have weak points, despite being relatively powerful. Some anime villains are just the epitome of everything a well-written villain should be.
10 Light Yagami Represents The Scariest Kind Of Villains
Light Yagami’s Death Note represents the scariest types of villains. They are the most realistic villains. In real life, people like Light Yagami become tyrannical dictators who use their intellect and charisma to win over their constituents, only to fail them badly in the end.
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Light Yagami, of course, represents the type of villain that is perhaps the most dangerous of them all. He doesn’t have much physical strength, but he has the IQ of a genius. In the grand scheme of things, no other anime character wields the caliber of power that Light has in the palm of his hands. He was steadfast in his goal to become God of the new world. Although he started out by killing a criminal, Light’s endeavor quickly turned into genocide. He killed anyone who got in his way, even his father.
9 Griffith’s Morality Fades Due To His Overwhelming Jealousy
Although Berserk features a wide cast of antagonists, Griffith is the most memorable. Interestingly, Griffith entered the series as one of Guts’s best allies. However, jealousy began to take hold of Griffith. He felt himself falling behind and eventually lost all morale as he struggled to get the upper hand on Guts.
As the leader of the Midland Regular Army, Griffith is charismatic. His presence turns ordinary civilians into devoted fans of his army. Once he became Femto, he received immense powers. With these powers, Griffith unleashed large-scale chaos upon the world.
8 Gendo Ikari Isn’t Going To Receive Any “Father Of The Year” Awards Any Time Soon
Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion he is an absolutely infuriating villain. Every time he appears on screen, he evokes negative emotions in the viewers. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of his character is that he had numerous opportunities to do the right thing, but he never considered it. Not only is he a despicable villain, but Gendo is also a terrible father.
Gendo only cares about himself. He devoted much of his life to developing a plan to reunite with his late wife, Yui. Instead of raising his son, Gendo decided to use him as a tool for his larger goals.
7 Lelouch Uses His Charisma To Justify His Tyrannical Brutality
Lelouch of Code Geass he initially had noble goals in mind. He wanted retribution for all of Britannia’s atrocities. However, when he came to power, he became a madman. Lelouch committed several atrocities in his quest to get revenge on Britannia. He committed mass murder, treason, and an utter decimation of society.
Although Lelouch’s initial goal was to avenge his mother and the citizens of Britannia, he became the very thing he despised. Lelouch went mad with power, and that made him an even bigger security threat than anything Britannia could ever dream of.
6 Frieza redefined the standards of shonen villains
One of the most influential villains in anime is none other than frieze,dragon ball. He became the strongest villain in the entire series. Due to Frieza’s influence on the plot, the Z Fighters were forced to get stronger if they wanted to be on the same playing field as him. Frieza entered the story shrouded in mystery, and he’s a fascinating villain.
Frieza strayed from many norms of shonen villains of the time. He never had a redemption arc. There was never a great lesson or moral that he learned along the way. Not once did Frieza stop to think about the consequences of his actions. However, fans and other characters found Frieza somewhat honorable.
5 Akaza Is Demon Slayer’s Most Tragic Villain
Akaza is perhaps the best written Demon Slayer villain. Fans who haven’t caught up with the manga believe that he is just a mindless evil demon and mindless servant of Muzan. However, fans who have read the manga understand the complex backstory of it. Akaza is not only the best written villain in the series, but he may also be the most tragic.
Akaza deeply respects the strong who can stand against him and has never forgotten the name of anyone he admires. Despite all the bloodlust from him, Akaza believed that he was weak because he could never protect the ones he loved. His memories of being human influence his decisions, such as his principle of never eating women or children to survive.
4 Meruem Is The King Of The Chimera Ants
Meruem of hunter x hunter He is one of the most dangerous villains in anime. Although his abilities leave more to be desired, the possibilities are endless for him. Additionally, he is far more skilled in combat than any other villain in the series.
As the king of the chimera ants, Meruem is deadly. Not only does he possess immense physical strength and stamina, but he is also devilishly intelligent. He has a plethora of abilities that he can choose from at any time. Perhaps the most intimidating ability of his is the way he uses Nen. Due to how well versed Meruem is in many different aspects, he is incredibly adaptable to any situation.
3 Sukuna Is The King Of Curses
Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen reign as the King of Curses. All the other cursed spirits dare not face him, and no one underestimates his abilities. Sukuna was once a legendary jujutsu sorcerer. Other wizards had to pay the ultimate price to defeat him. In the end, he died. But even after she died, Sukuna didn’t go that easily. He became a cursed spirit, but the curse was too strong for his body to be destroyed by the wizards.
Consequently, twenty of his fingers were preserved in wax to seal it. However, his power only grew in his thousand years of waiting to be awakened. Of course, Yuji ate one of his fingers, so now his soul resides alongside Yuji’s.
2 Tomura Shigaraki’s Path As A Villain Was A Compelling Story
Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia, features one of the most engaging character developments in the entire series. Before changing her name, she was called Tenko Shimura, a descendant of All Might’s mentor Nana. She at first even wanted to be a hero. However, when she developed the weirdness of her, she accidentally disintegrated her entire family. Perhaps her skin condition was a physical manifestation of the destructive nature of this ability bubbling under the surface.
All For One took him in and changed his name to Tomura Shigaraki. For a while he was just a servant to All For One because he lacked conviction. However, Shigaraki became a sinister force once he gained conviction from him. After becoming the great commander of the Paranormal Liberation Front, he became the representative of all the heroes that society rejects.
1 Funny Valentine Is Despicable But Charismatic
Funny Valentine from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run he is the best written villain in the entire franchise. There is a debate as to whether or not Valentine is really a villain. However, the fact that this debate exists shows that Valentine’s charisma knows no bounds. Valentine is a despicable leader. He’s not supposed to be a nice guy, but his charisma makes readers believe otherwise.
Despite Valentin’s many charms, it must not be forgotten that he is a tyrant. As president, he wanted to make sure that the US conquered the world. In his quest to achieve that goal, he killed his citizens without any remorse. Lucy Steel became a victim of Valentine when he assaulted her and forced her to give birth to her child to ensure her dynasty would last.