Top 20 Most Evil Anime Villains

“Tokyo Revengers” (2021-)
No matter the timeline, this would-be gangster is always an unhinged manipulator determined to uproot everyone’s lives. From orchestrating Hina’s death, worming his way into Toman’s highest ranks, and treating everyone around him like a pawn, there is nobody that Kisaki won’t screw over to get his way. As a result, he’s the cause of all of Takemitchy’s pain and suffering, and on the off-chance things don’t go his way – he won’t hesitate to join another crew and launch a full-on invasion out of spite!

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016)
When someone as capable as Dazai considers someone a demon, then you know they’re to be feared. A member of the fearsome Decay of Angels as well as the leader of the Rats in the House of the Dead, the only thing more dangerous than Fyodor’s insta-kill ability is his terrifying intellect. The man can manipulate, out-think and overcome practically anyone, to the extent that with just a few mind games, he doesn’t even have to get his own hands dirty. Even when locked inside of a prison, his machinations have brought the world to heel!

“Sword Art Online” franchise (2012-2020)
Even the most toxic of gamers have got nothing on this guy. Referred to as PoH AKA Prince of Hell when traversing the virtual space, Casals uses the likes of SAO and Underworld in order to kill off his targets, taking the concept of PVP to ridiculous extremes, and makes no attempt to disguise how much he enjoys his job. As a long running antagonist throughout the series, it was oh so satisfying to his deletion during Underworld’s final conflict!

“Fate” franchise (2006-)
If there’s one constant across the three primary routes for the Fate/stay night series and its prequel – it’s that Kotomine is a merciless killer who will commit every atrocity imaginable just so he can feel something. Starting off as a weapon or the Church, his experiences during the Holy Grail Wars showed him that betraying and breaking people to further your own ends is a whole lot of fun. The only thing deadlier than his skills on the battlefield is his willingness to twist everyone around him towards their darkest impulses, and damn if he doesn’t enjoy watching it play out!

“Yu-Gi-Oh!” (2000-04)
The original Marik wasn’t exactly a sympathetic figure, but he was a ray of sunshine compared to his dark counterpart. Born out of Marik’s suffering and resentment, this alternate persona loves nothing more than sending souls to the shadow realm. Unhinged yet dangerously skilled when it comes to playing Duel Monsters, the Battle City Finals essentially became his hunting ground. The results of which left many a duellist having their souls burned out of them courtesy of the Winged Dragon of Ra. Even for a kid’s show, Yami Marik was next level.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019-)
The man of a million faces, the leader of all demons, and just about the worst boss you could have – there is nobody that Muzan won’t eradicate to ensure his goals are met. Through the creation of the Demon Moons, he instigated the killings of thousands, while those that failed to carry out his will are slain without question. Unless you’re a true sycophant who happens to be really good at taking out Demon Slayers, there’s little chance you’ll live to see the sun when Muzan’s on the warpath.

“Made in Abyss” (2017-22)
For the continued pursuit of science, there is truly no line this man won’t cross. Despite being hailed as one of the four great cave raiders and seemingly having the capacity for affection, results are all that matter to Bondrewd, and to get those results he has done the following – sent orphans to the bottom of the abyss to see how the curse will affect their bodies. Tortured and experimented on Reg, even cutting off his arm. And probably most damning of all, he took his daughter figure…and unmade her until she was a pile of flesh he could use as a battery pack. Dude.

“Monster” (2004-05)
Ah yes, the man so evil, so devastatingly charismatic, and so devoid of empathy that even a group who tried to restart the Third Reich couldn’t withstand his maliciousness. Saved from death by the grace of a kind doctor, Johan decided to spend the rest of his life convincing just about everyone he ran into that they should give into their worst urges, including the taking of their own lives. Given the only man he’ll allow to kill him is the aforementioned doctor, Johan continually proved himself to be borderline unstoppable. All he needs is a moment of your time, and you’re already caught in his trap.

“Code Geass” (2006-08)
An abusive father, a ruthless dictator, and a true believer that only the strong should rule and hold sway over society. Put all that together and you’ve got the man who nearly succeeded in subjugating the entire world. Of course, even that wasn’t enough for him, as his plans to create a world without lies just so happened to involve him using supernatural means to suppress free will. All of this after he kickstarted a global war, whilst happily sacrificing any and all of his children along the way. You can see why Lelouch was all too happy to turn him into Geass dust.

“Devilman Crybaby” (2018)
I mean…this guy is literally Satan. What were you expecting? Even before he knew of his forsaken origins, Ryou was already shady, given his eagerness to stab people in nightclubs unprovoked. However, after discovering his true purpose, he decided to plunge humanity into a perpetual state of paranoia and violence by revealing the existence of demons – resulting in the needless slaughter of countless innocents, including Akira’s one true love. If that wasn’t bad enough, the ensuing battle between the two left the planet a lifeless wasteland. Thanks for ruining everything, Ryou.

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)
You don’t get to be the boss of the League of Villains without being a little ruthless. With an unholy desire to destroy his nemesis All Might, All for One worked behind the scenes as a criminal mastermind seeking to overthrow a society that had embraced costumed crusaders like celebrities. Of course, his greatest achievement in the world of supervillainy was forcing the Symbol of Peace into retirement, all the while haunting him with the fact he managed to take the grandchild of his mentor and turn him to the dark side. That’s cold, man.

“Kaiji” (2007-2011)
Perverse doesn’t even begin to cover it. Turns out old age has soured this millionaire, to the point where the only things that brings him pleasure are seeing desperate souls nearly kill themselves for money. Luckily, there seems to be a never-ending supply of fools just waiting to entertain him with their misery, including our boy Kaiji. It doesn’t matter if they end up drowning in debt, falling to their deaths, losing their limbs or getting their brains literally screwed, it’s all mindless fun as far as the Chairman is concerned.

“One Piece” (1999-)
There are plenty with legit claims to standing tall as the biggest scumbag in the Grand Line, but few have as much power as Kaido to back up their twisted visions. Seemingly unkillable, Kaido decided the only thing left to do was to plunge the world into chaos and war. After all, peace is mundane, and the weak aren’t worthy of consideration, right? With that mentality in mind, along with one of the strongest Devil Fruits at his disposal. Is it any wonder that he was able to subject the land of Wano? Or why he’s proven himself to be a foe that has repeatedly bested Luffy with raw strength alone? To Kaido, everyone is just another enemy waiting to be felled.

“Danganronpa: The Animation” (2013)
She’s all about that sweet, sweet despair. As the creator of the mutual killing games, it’s fair to say that Junko isn’t all that right in the head. After all she was happy to pose as a psychotic teddy bear and force a bunch of teens to try and murder each other in exchange for their freedom and even kill her own twin sister. If that’s not crazy enough, after finally being exposed for the lunatic that she is, Junko decided to go balls to the wall and execute herself in the most insane way imaginable. Why is it always the cute ones?

“Berserk” (1997-98)
Once a charismatic and ambitious leader of a mercenary band, Griffith found himself tumbling into a string of terrible decisions, to the point where he was left as nothing more than a mute cripple. With his dreams seemingly dashed, Griffith was given a chance of reclaiming the glory when the God Hand offered him a chance to join their demonic ranks. All he had to do was sacrifice his humanity…and all of his comrades. As if that wasn’t bad enough, after assuming his new role of Femto, the first thing he did was violate Gut’s beloved right in front him out of pure spite. Wow.

“Overlord” (2015-)
There’s no denying it now; Bone Daddy Ainz has fully embraced his role as the ultimate fantasy villain, and boy oh boy is making the most of it. It might have started with a little deception here and there, but the Ruler of Nazarick has made it pretty clear that he’s not above torture and genocide. Leading hapless adventurers to their doom, subjugating an entire kingdom and making it his personal playground, slaughtering 70,000 soldiers in an instant in order to summon Lovecraftian goat tentacle demons. Sorry guys, looks like Ainz is operating out of the Lawful Evil alignment these days.

“Hellsing Ultimate” (2006-12)
Granted, the fact that this guy is a high-ranking Nazi pretty much guarantees his villain status. However, what separates the Major from your average remnant of the Third Reich is just how much he likes war. Scratch that, he LOVES war. To the point where his single greatest goal in life is to create the greatest conflict in history, even if it means he gets killed in the process. You would have thought such a disturbed individual wouldn’t be able to attract much of a following…that is, at least until you hear him make one of his signature speeches. You will feel part of your soul die, but you won’t be able to stop listening…

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (2012-)
You thought someone else would take this position, but it was actually him – Dio! From the moment this guy arrived on scene, he took every opportunity to display just how much of a bastard he was. Nearly stealing the Joestar fortune, forcing himself on Jonathan’s girl, turning into a vampire, slaughtering hundreds of innocents, killing Jonathan – the list goes on. And all this before he got himself a Stand, resurrected himself, and started the whole cycle of violence again a century later. Honestly, trying to dismiss Dio’s villainous impact is MUDA.

“Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” (2009-10)
Even when he was nothing more than a dwarf in a flash, this insidious being still found a way to wipe out an entire civilization. In search of immortality, what later come to be known as the Father of the Homunculi was willing to sacrifice as many lives as it took to secure its place as the ultimate creation. It may have manifested each of its sins as a way to remain pure, but right up to the end Father remained both petulant and selfish, and as a result nearly managed to throw the entire world into total collapse, purely for its own wants.

“Dragon Ball” franchise (1989-2018)
When you can measure your kill count by the amount of planets you’ve destroyed, then there’s no competition. Well before he was representing Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power, this alien tyrant was only interesting in acquiring immortality, enslaving races, and wiping out anyone who dared get in his way. He’s responsible for wiping out the majority of the Saiyan Race, slaughtered the Namekian population, not to mention killed off quite a number of Goku’s allies. DBZ has seen a multitude of villains, but none can compare to the self-proclaimed ruler of the cosmos.