Anime villains are some of the most truly evil characters of all time, and these ones in particular take their ruthlessness to the next level.
When it comes to media like anime, with a flair for impressive aesthetics and compelling storytelling, villains grab as much attention as heroes. After all, the villains in these anime stories motivate protagonists to become better versions of themselves. While they almost always fail in their grand designs, some are ruthless enough to earn a spot among the most horrifying characters in their respective franchises, or in anime as a whole.
Fans looking for merciless villains in anime stories may find it tough to filter through all the alternatives to find their “ideal” fit. Which villains wind up being ideal fits for the “ruthless” label due to their brutality, mercilessness, and perverted philosophies?
With a blockbuster game like Genshin Impact making the rounds among otaku due to recent reports that it’s slated to become an anime, animation enthusiasts would undoubtedly want to go back in time to discover what kind of honorable heroes and terrible villains a Genshin Impact anime has to offer.
While there’s always the enigmatic Fatui Harbingers serving as the game’s version of villains, some anime fans may want the video game’s anime adaptation to feature far more ruthless anime villains. Examples of these include comedic-but-sadistic prison owners, someone obsessed with research and immortality, and even a being from another dimension hell-bent on bringing humanity to its knees.
15/15
Tamaki Tsunenaga (Deadman Wonderland)
In Deadman Wonderland, an earthquake has devastated Tokyo and Japan. While protagonist Ganta Igarashi seems average, a class massacre points to an innocent Ganta. Cornered and framed, Ganta was taken to the prison-themed attraction Deadman Wonderland as a death sentence.
Tamaki’s position as warden makes him a target for most Deadman Wonderland characters, but it’s his connection with them that makes him a threat. He posed as Ganta’s lawyer and manipulated evidence against him. His stupid, dumb, always-smiling appearance hides a vicious nature that enjoys killing inmates.
14/15
Orochimaru (Naruto)
Orochimaru is one of Naruto’s fiercest foes despite being a scientist in Boruto. In the original Naruto anime, Orochimaru becomes famous by studying Forbidden Jutsu and pursuing immortality. He experimented on unwitting individuals and on himself to “transfer” to other bodies.
As a dangerous character, he engineered the Konoha Crush, which nearly destroyed Hidden Leaf Village. He trained Sasuke Uchiha to be a vicious shinobi. The only reason he hasn’t become a villain in Boruto is his determination on observing Sasuke’s “alternative” route, contrary to his predictions that the Uchiha survivor would destroy Konoha.
13/15
Bondrewd (Made In Abyss)
The little village of Orth rose to prominence for its proximity to the namesake setting of Made In Abyss, a massive hole known simply as the Abyss. The Abyss is claimed to hold vestiges of ancient civilizations and deadly artifacts, attracting a variety of adventurers known only as Cave Raiders. When protagonist Riko discovers that her mother, White Whistle Lyza, may still be alive deep under the Abyss, she sets out with the robotic Reg. Throughout their quest, they learn about Bondrewd, the Lord of Dawn, one of the most legendary White Whistle Delvers of all time.
Bondrewd, unbeknownst to Riko, is hiding a horrible secret. He has made it his life’s purpose to conduct research on the Abyss’s netizens, employing various techniques to obtain the data he need. Bondrewd conducts horrific experiments in his base, the Ido Front, with little remorse.
12/15
The Major (Hellsing)
In Hellsing’s other world, Abraham Van Hellsing and his Royal Order of Protestant Knights were the United Kingdom’s lone defense against the forces of the undead and the paranormal. A threat in the form of a Nazi party named the Millennium caused Integra to awaken the vampire Alucard, who was defeated by Abraham and put into servitude.
Despite the relentless excitement provided by Hellsing, fans may find The Major to be the most confusing figure in the series. As the head of the Millennium and a former first lieutenant of Adolf Hitler himself, the Major is hell-bent on securing the implementation of the Fuhrer’s Order 666, which is a scheme to artificially induce vampirism in the general population. He’s only one of many evil villains in anime. What makes the Major particularly heinous is his crazy love of war, which he goes to great lengths to ensure is spread throughout the series.
11/15
Father (Fullmetal Alchemist)
In Fullmetal Alchemist, Amestris is home to Alchemy, a science that transforms objects. Edward and Alphonse Elric have become trustworthy State Alchemists in Fullmetal Alchemist, but they have a closer relationship with their father Van Hohenheim. Van Hohenheim has lived for hundreds of years as “Number 23,” an alchemist serving Xerxes.
Van Hohenheim “extracted” a bit of the Gate, the source of all knowledge, in antiquity. This entity (called a homunculus) taught Alchemy to the region. After purifying himself of sin, he’s become a sadistic, megalomaniacal Father. In this incarnation, he wanted to turn Amestris into a large enough transformation circle to achieve godhood, which Father had done briefly. In his most powerful form, he could make palm-sized suns. Edward Elric and his allies finally defeated Father.
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10/15
Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
A person who is entirely focused on their aims, whether right or evil, might be more terrifying than a megalomaniacal monster. This is the case with Gendo Ikari, who goes on to become the ultimate adversary in Neon Genesis Evangelion. After losing his wife, Gendo would go to any length to reunite with her, even if it meant throwing away the entire universe in the process.
Through this mission, Gendo purposefully endangers the earth with a near-cataclysmic event in order to awaken mighty Angels, who will subsequently consider his Evangelion project crucial to preserve the world. To attain his ambitions, Gendo cruelly neglects his own child, emotionally manipulates his assistants, and even performs human experiments.
9/15
Majin Buu (Dragon Ball Z)
In the later episodes of Dragon Ball Z, Majin Buu first appeared as a happy but unpredictable pink monster. He then evolved into the greatest and most deadly foe in the series. Although he takes many many forms, the small Kid Buu is his genuine form since he lacks boundaries and reason. The most challenging form for Goku and his comrades to defeat was this one because of its capacity to absorb energy, constant regeneration, and seemingly indestructible physique.
Majin Buu is cruel and dangerous because of his personality—or lack thereof. He exhibits neither remorse or pity and seems unable to comprehend humanity. Majin Buu loves to destroy things and finds it funny to wipe out entire universes.
8/15
Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is more than just an adorable cat-like mascot, despite how it appears. A member of an advanced civilisation determined to halt entropy from destroying the universe, Kyubey is an Incubator. Kyubey and his species learn that emotions, especially those of adolescent girls, can slow the growth of entropy. Kyubey meets these girls and offers to give their wishes in exchange for helping to combat witches without telling them that after using up all of their emotional energy, they would turn into witches themselves.
Kyubey’s acts are even more horrifying because of their utter lack of humanity. These magical girls’ lives are worth giving up for their race if it means preventing the universe’s impending demise. And Kyubey won’t think twice about throwing away a magical female it deems useless. It’s feasible that Kyubey will just discover another species capable of producing such emotions and resume the cycle after the human race is empty of magical girls.
7/15
Light Yagami (Death Note)
When Light Yagami receives the Death Note, he quickly discovers that writing anyone’s name in it will kill that person. Thus begins Death Note and Light’s mission to execute criminals himself, ushering in the emergence of a flawless and lawless world as Kira. However, Light’s path to godhood is constantly hampered by the authorities, particularly L, who quickly proves to be his enemy. Light will soon stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.
Despite being Death Note’s “protagonist,” Light is the series’ major antagonist. Being Kira and utilizing the Death Note to slaughter criminals has become an everyday occurrence for Light. He manipulates others into becoming his pals or disciples, then discards them when they are no longer useful. He is one of many anime villains.
6/15
Frieza (Dragon Ball Z)
Majin Buu was the most powerful enemy in Dragon Ball, but no one could surpass Frieza in terms of sheer wickedness. His charm and mercilessness keep him popular among fans, and he is the most reoccurring villain in the Dragon Ball franchise. Frieza destroyed the whole Saiyan race during his reign as galactic king. Frieza freely toyed with his friends and colleagues prior to his fate at the hands of Goku.
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Frieza, who possesses the power of transformation, keeps his opponents on their toes by tormenting and torturing them for his enjoyment. His intelligence heightens the horror of his psychopathic nature. In his pursuit of the Dragon Balls, he is famed for causing Krillin to burst and destroying Namekian communities.
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5/15
Shinobu Sensui (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Fans of Yu Yu Hakusho will recall the arrogant yet honorable Yusuke Urameshi and his famous Spirit Gun, while fans of villains will recall Shinobu Sensui. Shinobu, Koenma’s spirit detective before Yusuke, resigned his position and went into hiding before resurfacing with a plan to destroy the world. This was unfortunate, given Shinobu’s deep spiritual sense. To him, people are purer than demons, and it is his responsibility to eliminate demons so that they do not threaten humanity.
Shinobu, on the other hand, watched an incident in which humans lavishly tormented demons for his own delight. He evolved numerous personalities unknowingly to preserve what was left of his mental condition after his moral compass was destroyed. Shinobu will stop at nothing to see the two species annihilate each other, considering demons to be vermin and humans to be worthless of rescuing.
4/15
Griffith (Berserk)
Sometimes the most terrible villains are those who appear to be the most humble and innocent. Griffith from Berserk is an example of this. No one would predict Griffith’s mind’s strange operations based on his lowly upbringing and well-mannered attitude. People are drawn to him because of his charm, conviction, and ambition. Unfortunately, it is Griffith’s ambition that converts him into Berserk’s most famed villain.
Griffith becomes even more terrible when he drowns himself in ambition and is reincarnated as Femto. Griffith/Femto, now an instrument of the Idea of Evil, gladly puts up his humanity in service of his ideas. To pursue his ambition, he lies, betrays, and murders his own teammates. Even more horrifying, he appears to be capable of applying callous reasoning to everything he does.
3/15
Makishima Shogo (Psycho-Pass)
The enigmatic Sybil System in Psycho-Pass’s future Japan can instantly quantify and assess a person’s mental state, using that information to decide someone’s “ideal” place in society. The Sybil System, on the other hand, needs people to have a low “Psycho-Pass,” or proclivity for violence. Individuals with a high Psycho-Pass are pursued by the police.
Makishima Shogo, the principal antagonist of the first season, commits mass murder with a low Psycho-Pass. Despite his violent aim, he maintains a low Psycho-Pass since he considers his crimes to be sound and acceptable. One could suppose he kills merely to ridicule the system, which makes Makishima all the more terrifying.
2/15
Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Despite only appearing in a few episodes, Shou Tucker of Fullmetal Alchemist left an indelible impression on viewers, demonstrating what can happen when unrestrained ambition and enticing curiosity collide. Shou Tucker, the world’s top chimera expert, now lives with his daughter Nina after his wife abandoned them. Shou obtained his State Alchemist License on the promise of creating a talking chimera.
Unfortunately, he produces no results until he devises a heinous solution: combining Nina and their family dog, Alexander. When questioned, Shou tries to defend his wickedness by claiming that all scientific advances come at a cost. Shou’s mercilessness in sacrificing his daughter in the service of science is what makes him so despised by fans.
1/15
Lil’ Slugger (Paranoia Agent)
It’s one thing for a country to be terrified of a serial attacker, and quite another to be terrified of an entity that may or may not exist. This is the predicament of Lil’ Slugger, the main adversary in Paranoia Agent. In the anime, Tsukiko Sagi is attacked by a boy with a bat, whom she dubs “Lil’ Slugger.” From then on, Lil’ Slugger appears to various people, attacking them under various conditions.
Lil’ Slugger is soon revealed to be nothing more than a fabrication of Tsukiko’s imagination. The rumor of Lil’ Slugger became a meme, a cultural phenomena that appears to permeate the minds of people with varied degrees of psychological problems. Lil’ Slugger is merciless not because of its acts, but because of the ease with which it might form in the mind.
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