Some villains in anime are so unbelievably evil, that no matter what they do in the future, there’s no way to forgive them for their past. This isn’t always the case, as some of the best heroes in anime were once villains before they changed their ways. The same can’t be said for truly evil villains. These characters are evil to their core, and nothing they do can change that.
These characters are so evil they’re almost hard to understand. They’re at their happiest when they’re hurting someone else, showing how twisted they are to their core. If they’re good for something, it’s that they make for great characters to root against, giving the protagonist someone to fight against with all their might. The most evil villains in anime aredeceitful, cruel, and ambitious to a fault, as they’re willing to sacrifice anything (or anyone) to inch closer towards their goal.
Tower of Godhas one of thebest-animated seasons of animeever. While the second season had a measurable drop-off in quality, the first brought the story of Bam and the titular Tower to life with amazing colors, a unique design, and one of the most evil villains around.
Rachel wasn’t always a villain inTower of God.While almost nothing is known about her past, she started the series as Bam’s one and only friend and the person who taught him everything he knows. She ends the season with a huge twist, pushing Bam to his death and tricking everyone into thinking it was an accident.
Demon Slayer
There are plenty of evil characters inDemon Slayer,but there isn’t anyone who enjoys being evil more than Akaza. He’s one ofthe strongest characters in the series, and he loves taking his strength out on whoever happens to be in front of him.
All the demons inDemon Slayer,especially the Upper Moons, are evil, but none of them relish breaking their opponents down like Akaza. His fight against Rengoku showedjust how much he loved breaking his opponent’s spirit;tearing them down verbally before beating them physically.
The Deep Sea King is a hilarious villain inOne-Punch Man. One-Punch Manis already one ofthe funniest anime series ever made, and it’s even better when villains like The Deep Sea King are on-screen. While The Deep Sea King’s design is laughable, his character isn’t.
He’s a terrifying villain who wants to take over the land, crushing everything in his way. Before Saitama defeated him,The Deep Sea King tore through some of the strongest characters inOne-Punch Manwith almost no effort. He destroyed Genos, Mumen Rider, and more with a vicious smile on his face.
My Hero Academia
A lot of villains in anime are somewhat understandable. These characters have had brutal backstories that have pushed them towards a life of evil. While this doesn’t justify their actions, it can make viewers empathize with them and wish that they hadn’t made the wrong choices in life. All For One is not one of these characters.
My Hero Academiahas some of the most well-written villains in anime with sad lives that make them feel forced into becoming evil. Dabi, Shigaraki, and Toga are great examples, but All For One isn’t. He read a comic one time and hated how it depicted the hero and the villain, so he chose to reinvent what being a villain was all about.
All For One loves being the most evil person in the world. He tears down cities, terrorizes populations, and even manipulates his own allies into doing his bidding. He’s a terribly evil character, and no matter what he does in the future,he’ll always be one of the worst people around.
Hunter X Hunter
Neferpitou doesn’t always seem like a brutally evil villain. She was created with the sole purpose of defending her King, Mereum, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t get involved in other activities. Pitou is one of the strongest villains inHunter x Hunter,and her strength was most plainly seen when she killed Kite.
Neferpitou is the only Chimera Ant Royal Guard killed in battle.
Pitou not only killed Kite but played around with his dead body. She kept his decapitated head as a trophy, andreanimated his body to use as a punching bag well after his death.It’s a sadistic way to treat a great hero, and a clear indication of the kind of character that Neferpitou is.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Mahito is one of the most sadistic villains in anime.He wants to kill all humans and let Cursed Spirits live in their place, seeing his fellow Curses as the true inhabitants of the world. He’s willing to do anything to achieve his goal, and he’s killed scores of people trying to make it happen.
Mahito made it his personal goal to break Itadori Yuji’s spirit, and for a while, he succeeded. He killed one of Yuji’s closest friends right in front of him and his mentor in quick succession. If it wasn’t for Aoi Todo, one ofthe greatest friends in anime, Mahito would’ve single-handedly defeated one of the strongest characters in the series without ever touching him.
Berserk
Griffith’s fall from grace is biblical. He was once the leader of the Band of the Falcon, a group of heroic mercenaries. After Guts left the group to become a person Griffith would respect more, Griffith fell into a depression. He then impulsively beds Princess Charlotte, gets thrown in jail, and watches as his life deteriorates before him.
After being freed,Griffith sacrifices nearly his entire Band of the Falcon.He then becomes Femto, the fifth member of the God Hand. It’s a massive change in his character, as he was once someone who would do anything for his Band. After sacrificing them, he becomes unrecognizable in the worst way possible.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Dio Brando is quite literally a generational villain. He’s been the arch nemesis of the Joestar family for hundreds of years, finding new ways to come back to life and terrorize their lineage time and time again. Dio started the series as a friend to Jonathan before his true intentions were revealed.
Dio isn’t just evil: he’s beyond cruel. He forced himself on Jonathan’s girlfriend, burned Jonathan’s dog alive, and poisoned Jonathan’s father. Those are just some of his evilest actions in the first part of theJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureseries, andDio somehow only gets crueler the longer the series runs.
2Ryomen Sukuna
Ryomen Sukuna is as evil as he is powerful. He’s known as the Disgraced One, the King of Curses, and the Strongest in History. He’sthe strongest villain inJujutsu Kaisenby some margin as well, taking on several of the strongest characters in the series without much effort.
Sukuna lives inside Itadori Yuji’s body for the time being. While he doesn’t like his new home,he relishes every chance that he gets to take control of Yuji’s body and wreak havoc.During the Shibuya Incident, Sukuna uses Yuji’s body to kill scores of people, and he loves making Yuji look at the destruction that was caused using his body.
Dragon Ball
Out of every villain in anime, none are quite as (deservedly) famous as Frieza. He’s arguablythe greatest villain of all time, and he’s certainly an antagonist who loves playing his role.Frieza is always smiling when someone else is in pain, and he doesn’t care if they’re on his side or not.
He’s been a thorn in the side of the Z Fighters for some time, even beating death itself to come back and bother them more. He’s killed several of the strongest Z Fighters, destroyed the Earth, and even figured out a way to manipulate another universe’s version of himself.
