Who's the best villain in anime, and why? [spoilers]

Kolosix said:
Scar from Fml Brotherhood was great. He just felt real and even though he was a villain you could understand him. He looks cool as shit as well.

Adnash93 said:
The best villain ever? I say Frieza from Dragon Ball.

Dhaarok said:
L from death note. He is written as a pretty interesting guy even though his moral system is retarded.

Wharf said:
Pain- his philosophy, his goals and his speech really can and does resonate with the viewers. It's not some cartoony goal of him wanting to rule the universe or anything like that but a realistic worldview that was borne out of the circumstances he was put in. He truly does want Naruto and the rest of us to understand that it's really stupid to expect only one party to dictate peace and order while villages like Pain's suffer which is pretty rational. Perhaps if the Leaf went through the same ordeals his home village did, maybe they would be more cautious and patient in the future before starting wars elsewhere. Pain's amazing

Funny Valentine-honestly this guy is just insane. Not as in he's mentally ill or anything but because he's soooo well-written. Many including myself don't even consider him a villain due to his selfless motives. Araki had to literally force an uncharacteristic situation involving him and a minor for everyone else to understand that he WAS a villain. Otherwise, he unironically did nothing wrong. Wanting the best for your country isn't a bad thing. The people sacrificed would all be worth it as the Corpse would benefit an entire country.

I'm not gonna do explanations for all of them but here are some other villains/villainesses that are really great

-Kira Yoshikage (JoJo)
-DIO (JoJo)
-Madara Uchiha (Naruto)
-Orochimaru (Naruto)
-Crocodile (One Piece)
-Shogo Makishima (Psycho Pass)
-Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)
-Kaiki Deshuu (Monogatari Series)
-Askeladd (Vinland Saga)
-Zabuza (Naruto)
-Blackbeard (One Piece)
-Viral (Gurren Lagann)
-Johan Liebert (Monster)

....And that's basically my entire list lol I think I've covered everyone

Schwarznight said:


Frieza is one genocidal maniac. His final form looks sick.

Adnash93 said:

And what's cool about him is that he is not a generic villain who wants to destroy everything for the sake of destruction or conquer everything to feel better. He is smart and knows how to organize an empire, keep everyone disciplined in it, and simply wants to conquer new worlds to enlarge his sphere of influence.

pitoy said:
Madara Uchiha...

very cool bro.. haha
the best villain for me...

EndlessMaria said:
Kyuubey from Madoka Magica, since he is physically incapable of understanding human emotions and morals and finds them irrational; comparing compassion to mental illness. He's such an interesting character since all he wants is to extend the lifespan of the universe, and views humans as expendable livestock and tools to counter entropy.

Bfolls said:
by far the best character on the show imo. Definitely the most sympathetic

McKenzie666 said:
When you find yourself rooting for the villain, then you've got a great villain, here's a list of villains I rooted for in their respective animes;
Madara (Naruto)
Pain (Naruto)
Aizen (Bleach)
Light (Death Note)
DIO (JoJo)
Kira (JoJo)
Meruem (HxH)
Askelad (Vinland Saga)
Hisoka (HxH)
Griffith (Berserk)
Esdeath (Akame ga Kill)

SwiftFizz said:
megumi from nhk is the most evil villain in anime

Adnash93 said:
The best villain ever? I say Frieza from Dragon Ball.

AbsurdTurk said:
Askeladd from Vinland Saga: because he is a character who's complex in a way where you're never entirely sure about what he's thinking. For example, how does he feel about Thorfinn? Does he care for him? Does he only look after him out of respect to his father? Also, despite being a killer, he has this carefree attitude about him that makes him fun to watch.



The manga has better art, is far more ahead, but the anime has a few extra anime original scenes that I thought added slightly more depth to the characters. Also, the anime starts right at the beginning of the story, rather than in the middle for a bit, than the beginning, like the manga.
I recommend reading the manga, then once you're caught up to a certain point, watch the anime.

phantom346 said:
Meruem is EASILY the best anime villain of all time. No other antagonist develops as much as Meruem does due to his unique birth circumstances and supremem intelligence. He grows and develops from a selfish and arrogant piece of shit into someone who understands that there's more to life and living than just conquering and oppressing. One of my favorite moments in the whole show is when he tells Wlefin (right after he openly betrays the Ants), "I hope you find him and if possible... I hope u live as a human" and then Pouf just crumples to the floor and bawls his eyes out as he realizes that the King he knew and wanted was so far beyond him. HxH overall is just beautifully written. :)

Illyricus said:
I don't know if those are the best villains, but I'm going to mention a few that haven't got listed yet (or haven't got mentioned much). I got:

-Bondrewd (Made in Abyss): A depraved yet polite scientist, able to commit lot of depraved acts for the sake of science and with no regards with life (even his own one). The best thing is that he does care and love the people he experiments upon and tortures, it's just he's too far gone to feel any kind of empathy. An example of how a place where no moral codes exists can corrupt people and turn them into an extension of that very same place. It helps he has a great design, is very badass and has some great memes (which is always a plus).

-King Bradley (FMA): Imposing, ruthless, knows well his place in the world, got great lines, wonderful fight scenes, has sympathethic qualities despite his many crimes and is probably the most badass character of the whole franchise. Probably the best villain of FMA as a whole. I'm only referring to the manga/Brotherhood version, of course.

-Isley (Claymore): Gotta love me a villain that can be cruel, ruthless, manipulative and badass, while also truly caring about those he considers his family. Also left an impression so strong that, even after his death, he was still fondly remembered by the characters of the setting and even played a role in the final battle in his own way. His awakened design is probably my favorite of the manga. Sadly, the anime never adapted any of his key scenes, so he was left as a random villain rather than the likeable and awesome antagonist he was in the manga.

-The Millenniun Earl (D.Gray-man): Like Bondrewd, a villain that manages to be polite and monstrous at the same time. He combines this trait with also being a good leader to his (non-Akuma) subordinates and showing true care and love for them in spite of his most depraved actions. Love his cartoonish yet creepy design, which enhances his gentlemanly behaviour. Though I haven't been a fan of some of his development in the most recent arc, the author was good enough to turn him into a genuinely sympathetic and pitiable character despite being a faustian-like entity who broughs back dead people so they can kill their loved ones and become monsters that will destroy mankind. Not many people can do that and get a satisfying result.

-Najimi Ajimu (AKA Anshinin) (Medaka Box): This "girl" (since she's actually a being that has been living for million of years) doesn't just breaks the fourth wall, she literally shits on it. A villain who knows all the tropes that play on shounen mangas and decides to take a different approach other than brute force to defeat the Mary Suish, unbeatable main character, and she actually suceeds in her own way, even. She's also incredibly OP (in a fun way), is sassy, beautiful, hot and steals the scene anytime she appears. I know most Medaka Box fans prefer Kumagawa (who I also like), but Ajimu takes the cake for me. Sucks that, like Isley, we will never see her animated in all her glory (she only appeared in a single episode in the anime).

-Tgurneu (Rokka no Yuusha): Another villain who combines politeness with being a complete bastard, also a great schemer and manipulator, thing which is always welcomed. Basically Aizen if he would be a lizard/monkey/crocodile hybrid. Unfortunately, also another case where, although he appears in the anime, he truly gets to shine in the source material, that will probably never receive a sequel.

animebeatoflove said:
Isabella "Mama" from Promised Neverland

She was just so twisted, but then you're like she was just trying to survive. I don't know she the best villain I have known.