The 30 Most Evil Anime Villains Ever, Ranked

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In Japanese anime , a villain's depravity is often apparent to make the hero appear more admirable in comparison. Although sometimes portrayed with sympathetic qualities, these antagonists intentionally represent forces fundamentally opposed to the hero's and audience's beliefs. In this regard, a villain is almost as responsible for making a protagonist likable as the hero themselves.

However, only a few anime villains could claim their place among the most sinister and unapologetically malevolent characters in anime. Many anime antagonists demonstrated the depths of their evil and what they would have accomplished without the hero's epic intervention, making them some of the most evil anime characters in both the medium and the rest of fiction.

Updated on June 5, 2025, by Ajay Aravind: Several anime villains have become so popular that they outshine the heroes. Although their evil nature is just one aspect of their personality, some of them are so wicked that it completely takes over their character arc. As such, this article was updated with additional examples of the most hyperbolic anime villainy and to reflect Single Sparkle’s current publication standards.

Akito Sohma Abused Her Family Verbally and Emotionally

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Akito Sohma was incapable of the many brutal crimes that define the worst anime villains ever, and she was never interested in slaughter or torture anyway. Instead, Akito Sohma is evil for more realistic reasons, being the verbally abusive head of the Sohma family in Fruits Basket 's story. She is the "god" of the Chinese zodiac, and will say or do anything to keep the Sohmas loyal to her above all else.

Akito even robbed the other Sohmas of their memories, scratched their faces, threw them out of windows, and pitted them against each other to secure her position as the universally beloved head of the clan, so it's no wonder she earned a place among the worst anime villains. However, her misdeeds were limited to her own family and a few outsiders, not entire nations or worlds, so Akito ranks last among the evilest anime characters out there.

Makima Has Already Shown Her Machiavellian Side

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Chainsaw Man has made recent waves in the anime community, primarily due to its striking art style and dynamic animation. However, the series also has its fair share of character development, including the villainous Makima. Anime-only viewers may not know what Makima does in later arcs, but Season 1 is enough to designate her as an evil villain. What fans dislike most about Makima currently is her abuse of Denji, who naively follows her lead whenever she treats him like a pet dog.

The signs of Makima's Machiavellian nature are becoming increasingly clear, underscoring her manipulative tactics and apathetic behavior. There are few characters in Chainsaw Man more ruthless than Makima, even if she prefers calling herself a "necessary evil." Regardless of their intentions, malevolent characters like Makima have consistently proven themselves to be inherently evil.

Uragami Was Eviler Than Any Parasite in the Series

Parasyte: The Maxim Is Streaming on Crunchyroll

In Parasyte: The Maxim , the Parasites were monsters who took control of people's bodies to hide in plain sight and indulge in cruelty. It says a lot that Uragami, an evil but otherwise ordinary human serial killer, was even more monstrous than the literal monsters. Uragami was so twisted that he overshadowed the most evil Parasites . He literally gained pleasure from committing savage murders while still claiming to be the only true human.

Even without a Parasite controlling him, Uragami enjoyed killing, torturing, and cannibalizing his victims. Uragami was so monstrous that he could even spot his fellow monsters, the Parasites, when they were in disguise. Uragami wasn't Parasyte: The Maxim's overall villain, but he was still one of the most evil anime characters. At least he has the decency to display fear on some occasions.

Sosuke Aizen Was Willing to Destroy Soul Society

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Aizen was not Bleach 's final villain, but he was still one of Bleach's strongest characters. When he debuted, Sosuke Aizen looked like the nicest and most loyal Captain in Soul Society during the Soul Society story arc, but it was all an act. He wanted to become the new Soul King, and he was willing to do terrible things to accomplish this goal.

Thanks to his zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen had the power of complete hypnosis. This allowed him to manipulate everyone—especially Momo Hinamori, who loved him, and who he left for dead twice. Aizen killed the entirety of Central 46 to orchestrate Rukia's execution, and he killed countless more innocent souls for the sake of his research. He even abandoned and mocked his own Espada minions, getting frustrated with their repeated failures on the battlefield.

Junko Enoshima Threw Everyone into a Survival Horror Scenario

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Junko Enoshima was the overarching villain of Danganronpa: The Animation , a murder mystery anime in which over a dozen students were trapped in a survival game. Junko orchestrated the entire ordeal, and she did so because she is a malicious and selfish individual who fed on other people's misery and despair. Junko habitually organized survival games because she wanted to see innocent people turn into monsters.

She was so sadistic that she even told her sister and love interest that she never really cared for either of them. She did this just before their deaths in order to get the maximum amount of grief and pain from them. This is all because of Junko's obsession with despair: she enjoys hurting others, but she also loves feeling the same hurt just as much.

Gendo Ikari Cared About Nothing but His Desires

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Gendo Ikari's primary role centered on leading NERV against the relentless arrival of Angels on Earth. To bring about his vision, however, Gendo was willing to do whatever it took. Although he rarely interacts with others, fans saw the evil in Gendo through his frequent mistreatment of Shinji, his only son. Gendo's refusal to show positive emotions is also a deeply villainous trait, but it highlights his dangerous mystique.

Ironically enough, Gendo failed to fulfill the most important promise to his dead wife, Yui, who wanted nothing more than a safe and happy future for their child, Shinji. On the contrary, Gendo forced his son to go through endless trauma, even mocking Shinji when the latter failed to live up to his father's unfair expectations. Deep down, there are signs that Gendo cares for his son, which is reflected in his ranking at #25 on this list.

Griffith/Femto Sacrificed His Loyal Soldiers to Become Powerful

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Unlike the nobles in Berserk , Griffith was well-mannered, and he fought in many battles as the commander of the Midland Regular Army. Thanks to his leadership, he was viewed as the savior of the entire continent. The Band of the Hawk were a band of mercenaries, and they held Griffith in high regard as a comrade.

Unfortunately, Griffith craved power, and when given the opportunity, he sacrificed his comrades to become Femto, a powerful demon. His comrades saved his life at great risk, but he killed them so he could obtain a kingdom of his own. Worst of all, Griffith assaulted Casca right in front of Guts . All that made Griffith both the antihero and the ultimate villain of the famed Golden Age story arc in Berserk , and it was fascinating and horrifying to see his villainy unfold firsthand.

Tamaki Tsunenaga Built a Vicious Prison Just for Fun

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In Deadman Wonderland , a massive earthquake struck Japan, and Tamaki Tsunenaga was more interested in saving his video games than helping his injured mother. He helped to create the eponymous Deadman Wonderland Prison, where he forced the inmates to participate in death games for his own amusement.

Tamaki made inmates fight each other in horrific matches, and he got very upset whenever someone ruined his fun or threatened his ownership of the games. For example, he made a prisoner fight his pregnant wife. When the prisoner threw the match, Tamaki ripped the baby out and turned it into a research subject. He certainly did some terrible things, but Tamaki's crimes are somewhat tame compared to what the nastiest villains of all have done.

Kazundo Gouda Created a Crisis for Selfish Reasons

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Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex was set in a post-war Japan filled with criminals and terrorists. However, the true villains were cold-hearted bureaucrats like Kazundo Gouda. As the Cabinet Intelligence Service's head, Gouda orchestrated a refugee crisis and a virus outbreak to drive Japan to the brink of war for nationalism's sake.

Although he wrapped his cruelty in patriotic fervor and elegant etiquette, Gouda was really driven by his desperate need for more power at all costs. The most terrifying thing about Gouda was how his plans and motives were disturbingly true to life. Gouda wasn't just one of the most evil anime characters of all time, but arguably one of the most realistic as well. And it came as no surprise when fans watched Gouda's sophistication give way to insecurity.

Vicious Never Stops Being an Awful Person

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As his name suggests, Vicious is one of the most hateful characters in anime, let alone Cowboy Bebop . Powered entirely by the negative aspects of his personality, Vicious combines his wartime skills with manipulation to rise to the top of the Red Dragon Syndicate. Spike's arch-nemesis terrifies even the Red Dragon's higher-ups, as Vicious' nonstop successes make him even more evilly confident.

Vicious has no qualms, on or off the battlefield, and he gleefully allows his own men to die if he can use the sacrifice as a transformational stepping stone. Fans have considered Spike and Vicious to be mirror images of each other, with the hero representing the light and the villain symbolizing the darkest recesses of the human soul. As the "Venomous Snake," Vicious commits many horrible crimes in Cowboy Bebop , but fans despise him most for killing Spike.