It’s tough to have a good anime hero without a good anime villain, and luckily, the medium has plenty of the latter. Throughout anime’s history, various television series, movies, and everything in between have introduced scores of villains who vary in their levels of evil. In putting together this list, we wanted to break down the most evil villains in terms of the actions that they performed in their respective franchises, while also confirming why they should never become heroes. Sometimes, based on the horrific acts they performed, there are simply some antagonists who should never be redeemed.
8.) Naruto’s Orochimaru
This list isn’t ranked, but if it were, you’d see Orochimaru much higher on this list. We figured that it would be worthwhile to start with one of the worst of the worst, especially considering that the snake ninja has been redeemed within the Naruto franchise. To this day, it’s still unbelievable that in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue VortexOrochimaru has been welcomed with open arms within the Hidden Leaf Village. The sheer number of bodies that the evil ninja has lying at his feet makes him an irredeemable nightmare within the anime realm.
Throughout Orochimaru’s history, the shonen villain has spent years murdering, stealing, and maiming his way to perfect his dark ninjutsu. What makes his actions all the more deplorable in the Naruto franchise is the fact that he’s never truly apologized for anything that he’s done. Now granted, he did give Konoha one of its strongest new ninjas in Mitsuki, the cloned offspring of the snake ninja, but this fact hardly makes up for the sins of Orochimaru’s past.
7.) Jujutsu Kaisen’s Fair
While Suguru Geto surely proved that he is the stronger of the nefarious duo responsible for Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shibuya Incident Arc, Mahito beats out his partner in the malevolence department. Geto sets his plan in action to create a world that will only be inhabited by cursed energy wielders, but Mahito is in the villain business simply for the “love of the game.” The flesh-manipulating antagonist was responsible for heroes like Nanami and Noburo being taken out of the game, and ultimately paid a heavy price for doing so thanks to Yuji Itadori.
What makes Mahito so repellent isn’t just the casualties he caused, but his unrepentant streak of murders and maiming throughout the supernatural shonen series. Even in death, as was confirmed in Jujutsu Kaisen’s grand finale, Mahito never sought forgiveness, and thus, it’s an easy choice to add him to this list. There was rarely a more satisfying death than Mahito’s in the Shibuya Incident Arc, and we have to imagine few anime fans are mourning the loss of the villain.
6.) Dragon Ball’s Frieza
Dragon Ball has created its fair share of reprehensible villains during its long history, with the likes of Cell, Majin Buu, King Piccolo, Zamatsu, and Moro to name a few. Fortunately, it was an easy decision when it came to picking which antagonist should make this list. The alien despot Frieza is irredeemable in countless ways and we’re more than happy to list a few of them here.
To start, Frieza not only destroyed Planet Vegeta, nearly wiping out the Saiyan race, but he has also taken countless lives, including those who follow him. What makes Frieza’s inclusion on this list all the more ironic is that Dragon Ball Super has skirted around the idea of making the shonen villain an ally to the Z-Fighters. Throughout the Tournament of Power, the antagonist’s goals aligned with the other members of Universe 7, but in future storylines focusing on Broly and Granolah, Frieza would return to his more villainous stance toward Goku and company. Frieza works best as a villain, and considering his villainous track record, we hope he stays that way.
Boy oh boy, if this list were a ranking of the most hated anime villains, Fullmetal Alchemist’s Shou Tucker would easily be at the top. The alchemist might not have as high a body count as the likes of Frieza and Orochimaru, but the antagonist will long be remembered for performing some of the most nefarious acts. Specifically, when it came to his daughter, Nina, and the experiments, he was more than happy to put her through.
Nina was fused with her beloved canine companion, completely breaking Edward Elric’s brain for a short period of time in the process. What made this act from Shou Tucker all the more insidious was his delight in having his daughter become a part of his furthering of alchemy. While there is certainly an argument to be made that would create an insanity defense for the villain, we doubt many anime fans would be willing to see Tucker become a hero.
4.) One Piece’s Saint Charlos
It would be cheating for us to simply place all of One Piece’s Celestial Dragons on this list, so we thought that picking one of the most vile representatives of the Grand Line’s oligarchy would work instead. The elite of the World Government have proven time and time again that they are more than willing to kill anyone who gets in their way, with this being perhaps best represented most recently in the tragic telling of Kuma’s backstory. The Celestial Dragons still remain a major threat to the Straw Hat Pirates to this day, even in the final saga, and shonen fans are still hoping that they get what’s coming to them in the shonen’s grand finale.
As for Saint Charlos himself, he makes for the perfect representation of the Celestial Dragons as a whole, willing to gleefully kill anyone who causes him the slightest bit of discomfort or annoyance. To this day, Monkey D. Luffy punching Charlos remains one of the most cathartic moments in anime history, for example. Even though Charlos doesn’t exactly have the strength to be a physical threat, he and the Celestial Dragons are effectively responsible for everything wrong that the Straw Hats are fighting against. It goes without saying, don’t expect Charlos or any of the Celestial Dragons to be redeemed before the series’ end.
3.) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s Dio Brando
On this list, Dio Brando is easily one of the biggest examples of an unrepentant antagonist. The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure villain first got his start in Phantom Bloodand even when the vampire was killed in Stardust Crusadershis legacy remained. In the story of Jolyne Cujoh, Stone OceanBrando’s legacy influenced the arc’s villain, Pucci, in attempting to make the villainous Stand user’s dream of attaining heaven come true. Of course, of the many nefarious deeds that Dio performed in the anime franchise, it was in the first storyline that his villainy shone at its brightest.
In Phantom Blood, Dio became a terror in the life of Jonathan Joestar, going so far as to burn his dog to death and even forcing himself on Jonathan’s girlfriend to become the first man to kiss her. Dio is a character that should never be redeemed, but more importantly, he is a villain that would absolutely never seek redemption in the first place. With the Steel Ball Run looking to introduce a new character of the Brando line, Diego, Dio’s shadow looms large even in alternate realities.
2.) Monster’s Johan Liebert
Monster is routinely thought of as one of the greatest anime series ever created, and villain Johan Liebert makes for a big part of that. The villain was often thought of as the epitome of evil, cerebrally pulling off acts of violence and manipulation that easily helped him make this list. Ultimately, the antagonist caused some serious headaches for the heroic Dr. Tenma, and while he never went so far as to destroy worlds, we have to imagine that the villain would if he could.
Considering Johan is thought of as a top-tier villain, reveling in his evil, it would be nigh impossible to think that the monster of Monster could be redeemed. There’s a malevolence to Liebert that is so apparent throughout the anime that it almost jumps off the screen, creeping into the minds of viewers throughout the television series. Truly, Johan earns his place on this list.
1.) Berserk’s Griffith
Berserk’s Griffith can almost act as a litmus test for anime fans, with many joking that the Kentaro Miura villain “did nothing wrong.” Of course, those who followed the Berserk franchise know that the villain sometimes known as Femto or the White Hawk performed acts so evil that it still shakes the core of anime to this day. While some might believe that Griffith sacrificed his friends for a better world, the selfishness of the act and the fact that said act made Griffith a ruler shouldn’t be forgotten.
Ever since the Eclipse took place, Griffith has never felt an ounce of sympathy for those former comrades he sacrificed. While he might not have as big a body count as the likes of Frieza or One Piece’s Celestial Dragons, the White Hawk never appears as someone who is seeking redemption and/or should be redeemed. Following the tragic passing of creator Kentaro Miura, Berserk has continued with a new creative team, and rest assured, anime fans are waiting for Griffith to finally get his just desserts.
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