Many anime villains are smart, even pushing the boundaries of genius-level intellect. Some may even be too smart for their own good. But, in most anime story arcs, no matter how strong or resourceful, the villains get their due in the end. This frees up the heroes (who are left) to start again and seek out a new foe to vanquish.
Once in a while, there’s a villain who may be clever, have various advantages, or the kind of incredibly good luck that lets them walk away even from confrontations—sometimes, even death itself. These villains are so slippery, they never seem to pay for their evil deeds.
10 Light Yagami Even Got The Best Of L (Death Note)
Light Yagami begins as what seems like a typical student. But, after he starts to wield the power of the Death Note, his true character emerges. Even as the morality of his endeavor to rid the world of crime via murder begins to spiral downward, it’s clear that he’s also a master of manipulation.
He can turn any situation to his advantage. He even gets the better of L, the great detective, and Mello his replacement. Light does die in the end, because you can only outrun a demon for so long.
9 Yazan Gable Gets Away With More AEUG Kills Than Any Other Titan Pilot (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)
Yazan Gable is a successful pilot on Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, who naturally gravitated towards the Titans, where his thirst for battle and blood could be put to good use. With no Newtype potential, all his successes come from skill and the power he's attained on his own.
He killed off more of the AEUG's main characters than any of the Titan's other ace pilots. Somehow, he also manages to survive to fight the next day on every occasion, even after the Gryps Conflict.
8 Satan Naturally Gets Away With Murder (Ao no Exorcist/Blue Exorcist)
It stands to reason that Satan would never get caught. Who, after all, is going to catch the prince of darkness himself? In Blue Exorcist, Satan rules Gehenna, the realm of demons, and he's also father to Rin, Yukio, and the Eight Demon Kings.
He gets away with his demonic ways for years, but his children Rin and Yukio set out to defeat him. In the end, his cloned body begins to rot, and he discovers his love for Yukio, but guilt or atonement is not in the cards.
7 Charoice XVII Gets Away With A Lifetime Of Questionable Morality (Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul)
Charioce XVII is the king of Orleans. He's ruthless and is cruel to demons, even children, in a world where they are supposed to coexist. He orders Jeanne d'Arc to be burned at the stake in a fit of jealous pique. He doesn't even care how many human lives are lost either in his quest for power.
Far from facing justice, everyone from gods to demons and other humans believe he's killed Bahamut (he didn't) and he ends his life as king and hero—although he does end up treating demons better.
6 Frieza Is Virtually Indestructible (Dragon Ball)
Death is no obstacle for Frieza, the maniacal alien who has enslaved too many planets, and of course their inhabitants, to count. He thrives on mass destruction and genocide, and there is seemingly no force in the Dragon Ball universe to keep him down permanently- or bring him to any kind of justice.
He’s been cut in half by tree trunks and blasted into a zillion pieces by Goku. Even after dying and entering Hell, his minions manage to assemble enough Dragon Balls to bring him back to life yet again.
5 Izaya Orihara Evades All Attempts To Kill Him (Durarara!)
Izaya Orihara is a slippery info broker in Durarara! Along with selling information to the highest bidder, he's a cruel sociopath who enjoys manipulating people, even as he claims to love humanity. He tries to incite a gang war and isn't afraid to use murder.
His plans don't always go the way he wants, and he's close to death more than once during his epic battles with Shizuo. But, even near death, he manages to slip away and get help to heal.
4 Mayuri Kurotsuchi Treats Everyone Equally Badly But Keeps His Job (Bleach)
Mayuri Kurotsuchi is a genius (and mad) scientist on Bleach. He’s also Captain of the 12th Division, and the epitome of a cruel and abusive scientist with no regard for the members of the Quincy clan and others who he kidnaps and experiments on, or the soldiers he wants to turn into living bombs.
He enjoys coming up with methods of poisoning and threatens his subordinates. That seems to be no problem at all for the Soul Society, who keep paying him for his sadistic experiments and management style alike.
3 Even Death Can’t Keep Hisoka Morow Down (Hunter X Hunter)
His look may be clownish, but his strategies are genius, and his fighting skill is both powerful and brutal. Hisoka is self-serving to the extreme and loves to kill as well as inflict pain on his enemies in battle. Even after he was legit defeated by Chrollo and died, Hisoka was able to bounce back to life by way of foresight.
He'd already arranged it so his Nen could use Bungee Gum to recharge his heart and lungs. Once revived, he heads out to kill the entire Phantom Troupe.
2 Croix Meridies Made Her Own Choice To End A Life Of Evil Deeds (Little Witch Academia)
In the end, it was Croix Meridies choice, and hers alone, to turn back to the side of good. Torn with jealousy after Chariot du Nord is chosen to receive the Shiny Rod, she became devious and cruel, and ruthlessly ambitious. Her reckless experiments created a magic missile that nearly destroyed the world, she nearly caused a war, and has killed many innocent people in her quest for power.
She never had to pay for any of her crimes and ended up choosing to make up with Chariot and be her ally again.
1 Orochimaru Mellows From His Former Ruthlessness Unpunished (Naruto)
Nothing is really beyond the ruthless ambitions of Orochimaru. One of the legendary Sannin, his goal is to learn all the secrets of the world, including immortality. He invades and tries to destroy Konoha because his unethical experiments were discovered. Orochimaru has even died and come back in a reincarnated form, and despite attempts to quell him, he keeps slipping through the cracks.
Instead of facing any reprisals, he ends up mellowing over the years, continuing his research, but in a humane manner.