Top 20 Anime Villains of the Century (So Far)

“Psycho-Pass” (2012)

Often the villains that stick in the mind are those who have an almost admirable goal, even if only on a surface level. Makishima was born into a dystopian future where Japan is directed by the Sibyl System, which measures a person’s crime coefficient to determine whether they are a threat to society. A rare example of someone Sibyl cannot read, this elusive anarchist aims to take down the system that stripped people of any personal agency. It would be a noble cause if not for his unabashed love for murder and mayhem. Makishima is not only a great critique of the Sibyl System, but serves as a fantastic parallel to hard-boiled lead Kogami.

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#19: The Major

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“Hellsing Ultimate” (2006-12)

With a fondness of giving passionate speeches about how much he adores war, the Major is both a straightforward madman who wants to cause nothing but wanton destruction, as well as a complex personality who redefines the idea of what defines human and monster. A former Nazi SS lieutenant who has been working on the Millenium project to launch a neverending conflict, more than anything else, the Major is incredibly entertaining. He seeks a worthy death and sparks a gloriously bloody conflict with Alucard and the Hellsing organization to accomplish just that.

“Danganronpa: The Animation” (2013-17)

Some villains have lofty goals of world domination or social reform, while others are just bored and want to inject a fresh dose of horror into the public consciousness. Beautiful, intelligent and an idol, Junko Enoshima seems to have a perfect life. There is only one problem – she’s thoroughly disinterested by everything and seeks wicked ways to destroy the predictability of her existence. Driven to spread or experience despair, Junko traps the students of Hope's Peak Academy in a death game filled with pain, nightmarish talking bears, and intense trials. All the death and chaos that ensues is the result of Junko wanting to add some excitement to her life.

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#17: All For One

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“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

As the antithesis to One for All, All for One represents the idea that absolute power corrupts. Blessed with the ability to steal other Quirks, this OG supervillain is the closest personification of evil in "My Hero Academia” thus far, serving as the nemesis to the symbol of peace that is All Might. He formed the League of Villains to undermine society's trust in heroes, with his every goal driven by a malicious ego. While unrepentant, All for One has a surprisingly good rapport with his subordinates, especially Tomura Shigaraki, which goes to show how deep his talent for manipulation goes.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

For well over a season, Reiner and Bertolt were two of the most likable members of the Survey Corps, then the truth came out. In a superbly executed reveal, Reiner just blurts out that he is the Armored Titan and Bertolt is the Colossus Titan. Two key players in bringing down Wall Maria and causing the deaths of so many, Reiner and Bertolt betrayed not only their comrades but the audience who grew attached to them. Both characters, but especially Reiner, became immediately more compelling as a result, with the mental burden of their triatious actions slowly showing to be eating away at their sanity.

“Inuyasha” (2000-10)

This classic shounen perfected the art of crafting truly detestable villains. As the ultimate bad, Naraku manipulates and plots to ruin the lives of everyone remotely happy, specifically Inuyasha, Kikyō, and Kagome. As a half-demon, half-human, Naraku is not incapable of feeling positive emotions. This makes all of his actions that much worse, as he is not simply a monster who can’t relate to happiness, but chooses to discard it all the same. Petty and narcissistic, Naraku relishes any opportunity to spread suffering and remains a constant threat for his doggo archenemy to overcome.

“One-Punch Man” (2015-19)

Known as the "Human Monster," Garou is an almost self-aware villain. As a child, he was enraged by the hypocrisy he saw amongst those who considered themselves heroes and yet still preyed upon the weak. Disillusioned and embittered, he sought to destroy this new society by taking down its champions, even if he had to live up to the villain moniker to do so. In some ways, Garou is an underdog, with his violent tendencies restricted to those of the Hero Association, as he will not attack innocent bystanders. He even saves them at one point! Out of every villain to emerge this past century, Garou is by far the most humanised.

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04)

The dark side of Marik Ishtar, Yami Marik is the living embodiment of hatred, hostility, and absolute evil. Driven by no goals aside from injecting as much pain and grief into the world as possible, Marik's deck is designed to torture his opponents and send them to the Shadow Realm. Putting aside the whole split-personality angle, this is one character who wholeheartedly embraces wickedness. Some villains believe they are the heroes of their own stories, but Yami Marik is unabashedly sinister, to the point that it is difficult to not find him delightful.

“Gintama” (2006-18)

After multiple lifetimes worth of misery, this swordsman eventually split into multiple personalities, many of which sought revenge against humanity. While the immortal being temporarily found peace through his time as the teacher Shouyou, his true self eventually reawakened and decided that the only way to experience death was to spark a huge war that could kill all suffering. Although Utsuro debuts quite late into "Gintama's" massive run, he leaves quite an impression due to his connection to Gintoki's past, sympathetic backstory, and chillingly vacant smile. The fact he can take on the entire cast at once doesn’t hurt either.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

A solid villain in 2003's "Fullmetal Alchemist" and a brilliant one in 2009's "Brotherhood," King Bradley presents a warm and upbeat facade to the public as the ruler of Amestris. In reality, the Führer is a Homunculus puppet installed by Father. Having no other emotions besides Wrath, Bradley commits countless atrocities without feeling a thing, although he does find some joy in humanity's capacity to be unpredictable. Once Bradley's true identity is exposed in a fantastic twist, it recontextualizes many of his earlier scenes, greatly enhancing "Brotherhood's" rewatchability. As a bonus, Bradley’s fight scenes are also consistently awesome. The man sliced apart a tank!

“Monster” (2004-05)

Naoki Urasawa is the master of psychological thrillers, and "Monster" is at least a contender for his best work. The anime adaptation captures the true-to-life horror that defines Johan Liebert; a killer with seemingly no conscience and who sees no value in human life. Johan is charismatic, manipulative, and also shrouded in mystery, as he could be both a product of nature or nurture. Johan's ideology and goal to experience the perfect suicide test Dr. Tenma's belief in doing what's right, while the former strives to break the best humanity has to offer, one horrifying act at a time.

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#9: The Anti-Spiral

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“Gurren Lagann” (2007)

While the likes of Kamina represent an unflinching will to constantly drive forward, the Anti-Spiral exists as a direct opposing force against untapped evolution. The abstract manifestation of a race's fear that endless expansion would trigger a Spiral Nemesis and annihilate everything, in its mind, the Anti-Spiral is the universe's protector. It just happens to go about suppressing Spiral Power through despair and out of a lack of belief in the morality of other beings. The Anti-Spiral has effectively given up, exerting all of its energy to enforce an apathetic status quo, even if it means a galaxy-sized round of fisticuffs.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

Be it King Piccolo, Frieza, or Cell, "Dragon Ball" is responsible for some of anime's most iconic villains. "Super" had a somewhat rocky start, but business picked up with the "Future Trunks Arc," mainly because Zamasu was a breath of fresh air. As a Kai, Zamasu struggled to understand the reason for mortals, seeing them as deeply flawed beings destined to endlessly repeat the same mistakes. Although the villain's goal did generally involve killing everyone, Zamasu believed it was a just course of action to protect the universe. "Dragon Ball's" villains tend to be of the tyrannical or chaotic variety, but Zamasu represented a shift to the more complex side of things.

“Fate” series (2006-20)

The Holy Grail War summons heroes from history to duke it out in a battle royale over a grand wish-fulfilling prize. In a conflict marked with bloodshed and grueling ideological battles, Gilgamesh stands aloof as the King of Heroes, a being who treats the Holy Grail War as a mild distraction at best. Gilgamesh is governed by his hubris and believes all the world's treasures belong to him. While not the most morally evil Servant in "Fate/Zero," the Archer-class’' self-serving neutrality changes in “Unlimited Blade Works,” where he decides humanity is in desperate need of a culling.

“JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable” (2016)

Nobody can say that "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" lacks memorable villains. Dio is an iconic shounen antagonist who was easily the best part of "Phantom Blood" and a masterful final boss in "Stardust Crusaders.” Alas, he also appeared in the 90s OVA, so he’s out. In comparison, Kira is considerably more understated. Putting aside his Killer Queen, Kira is a hauntingly grounded serial killer, one who echoes Part 4’s shift towards more character-driven adventures. Kira combines a high intellect with his Stand ability to craft perfect murders that allow the villain to live a quiet life while occasionally indulging in his passion for female body parts.

“Baki” (2001-)

The Strongest Creature on Earth, Yujiro is a terrifying beast of a warrior with seemingly insurmountable power and the willingness to exert it. As Baki's violent and cruel father, Yujiro's existence drives the protagonist to grow stronger, a role the Ogre enjoys. Not satisfied with just defeating his opponents, Yujiro crushes them beyond salvation, especially if they do not have the potential to eventually give him a worthy fight. The man is simply intimidating, and whenever this unstoppable entity appears, he is accompanied by a feeling that anything can happen, and it is rarely good.

“Naruto Shippuden” (2007-17)

A shinobi with a ninjutsu technique for every occasion, Madara is not just a ridiculously overpowered villain but also a remarkable one. Born during a period of endless conflict, Madara grew comfortable within the battlefield and would continuously seek out worthy opponents as he aged. While he spoke of peace, Madara believed the only viable future was one governed by him, leaving everyone else to be subjugated to his might. Madara has precious few redeemable traits and barely any weaknesses, making him the perfect villain to hate and fear.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

The King of the Chimera Ants, Meruem is introduced as the perfect being. Born to rule everything, his nature makes him dismissive of life, be it human or Chimera. Starting off as a blank slate, he first appeared to be a character born to be the quintessential shounen bad guy. At least until he proceeded to break each and every preconception. Due to his experiences and the endearing relationship he shared with Komugi, Meruem outgrew his pre-determined role, becoming a monster that learned the value of life, even though he could just as easily snatch it away from even the hardiest of Hunters.

“One Piece” (1999-)

Villains come by the dozen in Oda's epic story, but Blackbeard stands as the ultimate terror on the high seas. With a career that parallels Luffy's in many ways, Teach shares the Straw Hat’s faith in dreams, fondness of adventure, and drive to become the next Pirate King, although he’s far more ruthless in pursuing his goals. While excessively powerful due to possessing two Devil Fruits, he’s not infallible; in fact, Teach has come close to death multiple times, and it’s in these moments we see just how dark his soul really is.

“Bleach” (2004-12)

Introduced as a mild-mannered Captain of Soul Society, only to be revealed as a traitor with a god complex, Aizen has a magnetic personality and the power to back up his boundless arrogance and ambition. With a backstory and motives shrouded in mystery, he gradually became more than just a man in the eyes of his followers and foes; more of an unholy entity bound to bring calamity. Usually the smartest and strongest person in any given room, Aizen loves to play with his prey before slicing them apart with minimal effort. While beyond irredeemable and unapologetically evil, Aizen's cool factor makes it tough to truly detest him.