Spoiler warning, as some characters are not introduced as villains.
With a significant increase in the number ofanimeproduced over the years, it has become even more important to go through the details before starting a new anime. One of the cornerstones of a good anime is well-written villains, who are not just powerful but have philosophies that challenge the protagonists.
The roles of villains can be overlooked since long-running shows typically cycle through many of them, but they’re just as important as the protagonists. There are tons of anime, but not all of them have eye-catching villains. However, there are a handful of baddies that have withstood the test of time and are hailed as the very best to date. Let’s take a look at some of thebest anime villains.
Here are some criteria:
Updated May 23, 2025, by Mark Sammut:This article has been updated with galleries and more information about some of theanime villains. Two new characters have also been added: Kyubey and Shinobu Sensui.
Shigaraki Tomura is the primary villain ofMy Hero Academia. He was a murderous lunatic who had no qualms about sending people to the hereafter. Shigaraki wanted to upend all the hero associations and bring chaos to the whole world. Initially, he had very little patience, but he got better with time.
Shigaraki’s physical abilities were rather incredible. He had enhanced strength and speed, both of which made it difficult to subdue them. His original Quirk, Decay, enabled him to disintegrate anything that he touched with his hand. Shigaraki also inherited All For One, which allowed him to steal the Quirks of other people.
All For One is also a great villain, but Shigaraki is arguably the more complex character.
Dark magical girl animeexisted beforePuella Magi Madoka Magica, but the latter popularized and, arguably, perfected the concept. These types of stories tend to always have cute mascots who, usually, bestow the girls with their powers, dragging them into fights to protect humanity. Initially, Kyubey seems like a relatively traditional take on this archetype, albeit one that is a bit colder than most mascots.
However, as more about this universe is revealed, Kyubey goes from a cute cat who grants girls the opportunity to actualize their wishes to a manipulative monster who specifically seeks to turn his magical girls into the things they are meant to fight. For someone who looks like a plush toy, Kyubey is very unsettling.
Yu Yu Hakushois one of the all-time greatshonen anime, and its villains were arguably ahead of the curve by the demographic’s early ’90s standards. The Dark Tournament Arc’s Toguro siblings are fascinating takes on the typical “OP battle shonen boss” that defined the ’80s, with the younger brother being particularly great.
However, the show’s best villain arrives in the Chapter Black Saga, the subsequent arc. Shinobu Sensui is all about shades of gray, showing how a vicious but somewhat heroic person could have their psyche shattered through a revelation that undermines their entire worldview. Even all these decades later, Sensui is still a refreshing anime villain.
Bondrewd is highly revered by people who want to explore the Abyss. However, his success is built on the corpses of many innocent people. He only cares about being successful, even if it means morally questionable methods. He has sacrificed people in exchange for knowledge, as he believes nothing is more valuable. Bondrewd lured in children and conducted experiments on them.
What separates Bondrewd from other anime villains is that he remembers the names and ambitions of everyone he has experimented on. Furthermore, he seemed to have a lot of affection towards his victims, a rarity even among villains. Overall, Bondrewd is a rather nuanced character who divides opinion.
Boros is the main antagonist of the first season ofOne Punch Man. He was an alien who had accumulated an immense amount of power, and he went from one place to another to find suitable challengers. During his quest, Boros destroyed multiple planets, resulting in the deaths of millions of people.
Ultimately, he landed on Earth, where he fought Saitama. The fight was incredible, and the bald hero had to struggle quite a bit. Boros had a cool character design, which made him stand out from the other villains in the series. Aside from that, Boros was also suffering from the same problem as Saitama, but he went about it the wrong way. Saitama acknowledged his strength, and there was a great deal of respect between the two.
Mahito is among the main antagonists ofJujutsu Kaisen. He is an evil individual through and through. Mahito does not care about the consequences of his actions, and he has used his powers to cause harm to the people around him. If it weren’t for the sorcerers, he would have caused chaos throughout the world.
Mahito may not be the smartest villain, but he is still an impressive fighter. He was able to fight against Nanami without any problems, which is a major testament to his skills. He has a variety of techniques in his arsenal, making him a deadly foe. Mahito brings pure evil to the table, which separates him from the rest of the villains in the anime industry.
Kiryu Setsuna dedicated his entire life to looking for an opportunity to slay Tokita Ohma. Ever since he laid his eyes on the hero, all he wanted to do was end Ohma’s life with his own hands. Kiryu Setsuna was extremely possessive toward Ohma, and oddly, he went to great lengths to ensure that no harm came to him.
He was atalented fighter in his own right, and he would have achieved great things if not for his obsession with Ohma. Kiryu Setsuna’s character perfectly highlighted the struggle of an individual who lost all sense of morality in his pursuit of Ohma.
Takasugi used to be a friend of Gintoki’s inGintama, but after the Amanto invasion, he took a drastically different path from his comrade. He became the leader of an extremist Joui faction with the sole purpose of destroying the world. He was motivated to do so after losing his teacher.
Takasugi was ruthless, and his approach led to many deaths. Despite his malevolent nature, Takasugi was respected by his underlings. His charisma played a key role in his success as the leader of one of the most powerful factions in the series. When it comes to swordsmanship, he is one of the best inGintama. He is capable of taking entire platoons of soldiers with just his blade.
Esdeath is a popular anime villain who hails from theAkame ga Killfranchise. Contrary to how most female characters are portrayed in anime, Esdeath was handled in a much better way. She was a well-written character with a good backstory.
She was extremely manipulative and could easily sway weak-willed individuals with her articulate speeches. Esdeath was also a sadistic individual who would go to great lengths to put her opponent through a world of pain. She was ridiculously good at fighting, and it earned her the reputation of being the best soldier in the entire world.
Isabella is quite different from some of the other great anime villains in that she does not have any supernatural abilities, yet she instills fear in the hearts of viewers. She was an ordinary human being trying to survive in a world full of demons. Isabella worked as the Mama for Grace Field House Plant 3 to ensure that the demons wouldn’t kill her.
She used her guile to keep the kids in check and ensure that they would never find out about their gruesome fate. Isabella’s intelligence also enabled her to foil the children’s escape plans time and time again. Emma, Norman, and Ray had to work hard to outfox Isabella.
