Everyone praises the heroes in an Anime series and they certainly do make the series a pretty great one. However, villains are quite underappreciated and in reality, are the ones who make the show compelling as well as iconic.
There are many bad guys out there in the Anime world like Naruto and Dragon Ball Z, which have their own huge fan bases.
Traditional-style Anime is always based on the battles of good and evil. Therefore, such an Anime series is no stranger to villains.
There are many such iconic villains which have sympathetic, complex stories and deeper motivations. It’s their character that helps drive the plot forward.
While there’s a huge number of villains out there, there are a few that truly stand out. If you’re curious to know who these are, then you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I’ll be discussing the top 10 best Anime villains, which have helped change the Anime world.
Before we dive in deeper, here’s the list of the top 10 best villains and the Anime that they belong to:
| Villains | Anime |
| Cell | Dragon Ball Z |
| King Bradley | Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood |
| Frieza | Dragon Ball Z |
| Touichirou Suzuki | Mob Psycho 100 II |
| Muzan | Demon Slayer |
| Donquixote Doflamingo | One Piece |
| Garou | One Punch Man |
| Hisoka | Hunter x Hunter |
| Dio Brando | JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure |
| Madara Uchiha | Naruto |
So let’s get right into the details of each character!
Cell
In a show that ran as long as Dragon Ball Z, it’s expected that they’ll have a bunch of amazing and iconic villains. One such villain from the show is Cell, who is a biological Android created by Dr. Gero.
As Cell was created using the DNA of friends and enemies, this meant that he possessed techniques that were used by those who he was created from.
Moreover, he also had another horrifying strength, which was that he was able to devour his other Android siblings in order to upgrade his forms.
When Cell reached his full upgraded form, that’s when the fans started loving him and enjoyed his best moments.
However, as he’s made using others’ DNA, he doesn’t have any unique characteristics of his own.
King Bradley
King Bradley is the antagonist from the Anime series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. What makes his character so great is the fact that he was extremely hateful but deceptive about it.
King Bradley was a kind ruler of Amestris, but in reality, was actually the bad guy. The most surprising factor about his character was the fact that he was extremely hateful and hid behind his kind facade.
He’s a human who has been modified into a homunculus, an artificial being. He hates human life and uses his sword to fight.
The homunculus in the Anime series is based on deadly sins. King Bradley is also based on one and in the 2003 show, he represented Pride. Whereas, in the Manga, he represented Wrath.
King Bradley uses his ultimate eye for attacks. It gives him clairvoyance and he has given the show some of its best scenes.
Frieza
As mentioned earlier, Dragon Ball Z has a long list of villains that contributed to the show in one way or another. Frieza is one of those iconic villains that is remembered by fans for giving the best moments.
Frieza is the main villain in the Dragon Ball series and was definitely the evilest one. He’s the nemesis of Goku and has given him a tough time.
He had a whole army that was known for being absolutely ruthless and brutal. Frieza is believed to be one of the best villains because of how manipulative he was.
He has a dark sense of humor, which he uses to mock his opponents. However, Frieza is a very eloquent speaker and that’s what helps him get to the minds of his opponents. It also helps him hide his sadistic side.
Touichirou Suzuki
Touichirou Suzuki is the antagonist of the Anime series, Mob Psycho 100 II. Suzuki has natural magical powers which help him succeed in whatever he does since childhood.
As he grew up, the powers improved even more and Suzuki started to rely on them more as well. However, he wasn’t a villain since his childhood.
He gradually became one as his power kept increasing and improving and this made him believe that he was untouchable. The saying that power absolutely corrupts is definitely true!
As he started believing that he is invincible, he also started to plot for world domination. He spent many years recruiting and manipulating an army to help achieve his dream.
Suzuki is regarded as the best villain because of the incredible power he holds, which is even hard to defeat by the loveable protagonist. This makes the series compelling.
Plus, his character has a complex and intricate backstory, which intrigues the audience as it gives an insight into why he is the way he is.
Muzan
Demon Slayer is quite a popular Anime series that took the whole world by storm. Muzan is the main antagonist of this series and has contributed to making the show a great one.
Muzan is quite a strong character and along with his army of demons, he’s responsible for countless deaths.
He can even beat the most powerful Hashira without any hesitation or problem. Muzan also has the power to turn humans into demons using his blood. They then go on to bid for him.
He’s a great villain and a very heartless one indeed. He has no regard for human life or even his own subordinates. He believes that they’re disposable and many times, he murdered his own people to show his power.
Donquixote Doflamingo
As confusing as his name sounds, Donquixote Doflamingo’s character is even more complex. Although he’s not the main antagonist of the Anime series One Piece, he’s definitely an unforgettable one.
He’s regarded as the most dangerous villain throughout the series. He’s one of the seven warlords of the sea and has multiple names.
Doflamingo has a lot of power and he creates artificial devil fruits. For instance, his string fruit helps him manipulate environments by just using strings.
Moreover, his appearance is also very intriguing, such as his eye-catching outfit. Doflamingo’s fights and plans are amazing as well.
However, he’s memorable because of the way his character was built up for so long until he got his spotlight arc. The suspense helped his character become a greater one.
Garou
Garou is also another iconic villain from the Anime series, One Punch Man. He’s the classic example of children who turn into monsters because of the way society treats them.
It’s his backstory and childhood trauma that helps his character, as a villain, become a great one. In his childhood, Garou never got picked as a hero in the game Heros vs. Monsters.
The heroes always win and therefore, Garou lost every time. This made him sympathize with the monsters as he wanted this side to win as well.
As he grew older, his obsession with monsters also became more powerful and extreme. He trained in martial art skills to the point where he became unstoppable and then used them to become the ultimate monster.
During the series, he’s shown as the most powerful because he was able to defeat a lot of top-tier heroes. He then became so dangerous that a group of high-ranked heroes had to come together to attack him while he was injured.
However, he still won that battle and defeated the band of high-ranked heroes. However, what makes him so great is that in the series the audience is also able to see his caring side.
He cares for children and even puts his life in danger for them. Additionally, whoever he fights never completely dies, even though he constantly talks about killing.
His in-depth and interesting character has contributed a lot towards making the series a great one!
Hisoka
In almost every shonen Anime series, there’s a rival who keeps appearing and helps the hero in getting stronger through fights. Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter is one of those types of villains.
His fights with Gon give him a lot of genuine pleasure and he also helps build Gon’s character up throughout the series.
He’s unique as he’s an independent antagonist, which means that he doesn’t come with an army of villains to help him fight.
Although he associates with other villains, his aim is to fight powerful opponents. Hisoka is a magician from the heart and his complex powers include sticky gum and texture-changing abilities.
Dio Brando
Dio Brando is the antagonist in the popular Anime series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. He’s a classic villain who invades the Joestar family.
He completely threw away his humanity to gain power. He succeeded in his goal of killing Jonathan and is regarded as the pettiest villain.
Dio Brando is responsible for countless deaths in the future and is one of the most ruthless villains in the Anime series.
In part 3 of this series, he returns as the main villain and in a new form, known as DIO. He also has many minions and children who go on to become major players in the series. However, no one yet has been able to become as powerful as Dio Brando is.
Madara Uchiha
For a show that ran as long as Naruto, it’s expected that they’ll have a number of amazing villains throughout the series. Madara Uchiha is one of those outstanding villains from this Anime series.
Madara is a true representation of the fact that villainy’s roots go way back. He was one of the founding fathers of Konoha but ended up becoming a villain as he became ostracized immediately.
He then made a plan for vengeance to eliminate conflict and deceit. He wanted to achieve this through illusions.
Madara faked his own death and then created events that would lead to his eventual return. He also set up agents in the form of villains, such as Nagato and Obito.
He makes his return at the end of the series and he becomes the most powerful. It’s his suspenseful story and returns that make him an iconic villain.
Madara temporarily was able to trap the world and therefore, also succeeded in his initial goal. This shows that he’s a great villain.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the main points from this article are:
- A villain is what helps make the plot of the Anime series a great one. Without any villains, we’d have no compelling stories or challenges that the protagonist might face.
- Without a villain, even the most loveable protagonist might be a boring and lame one. Therefore, villains are crucial to the entire series as they help drive them forward.
- There are many villains out there in the Anime world, but there are a few which completely stand out.
- Some of the best Anime villains are Madara Uchiha, Cell, King Bradley, and Dio Brando.
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