The world of anime is packed with memorable and powerful villains of all shapes and sizes, and these villains show as much rich diversity as the heroes do. Most villains are brutal, self-centered, and cruel, but some of them take this to an extreme while others do not. Villains have a small spectrum where mercy and compassion are concerned.
No anime villain is more merciful or compassionate than the anime heroes they fight, but there is still some variety. Some anime villains are truly merciless and ruthless, giving their victims and opponents zero chances to escape or fight back. Other anime villains might give their opponents and victims a chance to escape or fight back fairly, showing the noble side to these villains.
10 MERCIFUL ANIME VILLAIN: Wamuu Gave Joseph A Chance To Train (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
The four Pillar Men were the major villains of the Battle Tendency story arc, famed for their Aztec theme, bodybuilder physiques, and cool theme song. They are all ancient vampire overlords with a sense of warrior honor, and they showed mercy to the plucky Joseph Joestar.
Wamuu, in particular, was impressed with Joseph and gave the hero a chance to train some more and fight them on equal terms, warrior to warrior. But there was a catch: Joseph would have deadly wedding rings placed inside his body, and only victory would spare him from a certain death later.
9 MERCILESS ANIME VILLAIN: Wrath Doesn't Seem To Know What Mercy Is (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
True to his name, the homunculus Wrath is a brutal and merciless villain who feels no need to give his opponents a chance to fight him fairly. He's not a sporting villain like Wamuu. He would rather go for the kill and end the fight right away, and he shows no pity to anyone.
To Wrath, each fight is an opportunity to quickly eliminate Father's enemies, and the battlefield is no place for mercy, honor, or fun. Wrath is the last person to drag out a fight to enjoy it and let the opponent fight back fairly.
8 MERCIFUL ANIME VILLAIN: Dordoni Gave Ichigo A Chance To Power Up (Bleach)
Dordoni was a fairly minor villain in Bleach, but he is memorable not only for his devilish good looks but also his sense of honor and mercy. He wanted to prove himself worthy of re-entering the ranks of the ten Espadas, and to do that, he needed to fight and defeat Ichigo while the latter is going all out.
Ichigo held back at first, and Dordoni held back too, keeping the fight fair so Ichigo would have a chance to use his bankai and other powers. Dordoni actually urged Ichigo to power up, warning him that shikai alone wouldn't win this fight. How merciful of him.
7 MERCILESS ANIME VILLAIN: L Would Do Anything To Capture Kira (Death Note)
From a philosophical standpoint, Death Note blurs the line between good and evil in fascinating ways, though it's still safe to categorize the super-detective L as a villain since he opposes Light, the protagonist. And he broke every rule in the book to hunt down Kira.
L was happy to break the law over and over and use people to hunt down Kira, and he even illegally placed cameras and bugs in the Yagami and Kitamura households. He also had Soichiro Yagami pretend to shoot his own son to try and smoke out Kira. That's just merciless of him.
6 MERCIFUL ANIME VILLAIN: Stain Won't Kill Worthy Heroes (My Hero Academia)
Stain the hero killer had a merciful side that rarely showed itself, but when Stain did show mercy, it was for good reason. Nothing was personal to him, and he fought entirely on principle, seeking to weed out "unworthy" heroes who fight for money and fame. He'll spare anyone who's a true hero at heart.
Stain announced out loud that he would actually allow All Might to kill him out of duty, and he also recognized Izuku Midoriya as a true hero at heart. But this mercy wasn't enough to redeem him, and Izuku, Shoto, and Tenya kept fighting him until he was finally captured.
5 MERCILESS ANIME VILLAIN: Sasori Will Poison Anybody (Naruto)
It's true that Sasori of the Akatsuki gave Sakura Haruno and Chiyo vital intel on Orochimaru as a parting gift after his defeat, but in actual battles, Sasori was a stone-cold puppetmaster. He happily poisoned anyone with his vicious elixirs and taunted them about their impending death. Kankuro was only saved when Sakura arrived to cure him.
Later, Sasori went all out fighting Sakura and Chiyo, using every dirty trick and tool he could think of to overwhelm his two opponents, from poison gas to magnetic sand and beyond. He can easily spot the weaknesses of his enemy's strategy and exploit them without hesitation.
4 MERCIFUL ANIME VILLAIN: Kuvira Forgives People Who Can Help Her (The Legend Of Korra)
For the most part, Kuvira the metalbender was a ruthless tyrant and empire-builder, but she was still capable of mercy. For example, she gave the people of Zaofu a fair chance to escape her wrath, by challenging Avatar Korra to a duel. Kuvira didn't attack with her army until the other side broke the agreement's terms.
Kuvira also gave Republic City's defenders a chance to surrender before being invaded to spare the city and its people from immense carnage. Korra and her allies refused, so the fight was on. There was also a scene where she forgave the seemingly apologetic Zhu Li and accepted her as an ally while sending Varrick and Bolin to a reduction camp elsewhere.
3 MERCILESS ANIME VILLAIN: Kisho Arima Has No Time For Games (Tokyo Ghoul)
From a certain point of view, Kisho Arima is a hero, since he fights to defend humans from ghouls. But the narrative of Tokyo Ghoul makes him a villain since he opposes Ken Kaneki, who aims to reconcile all humans and ghouls to create a peaceful and understanding world. And Arima is totally merciless.
Kisho Arima is a model CCG investigator: smart, agile, disciplined, and highly talented in battle. He speaks few words and gives ghouls no chance to fight back. Instead, he ruthlessly crushes them with his fancy quinque tools, including Ken. Not even Ken could stand up to Arima for long.
2 MERCIFUL ANIME VILLAIN: Tsukasa Shishio Gives People A Chance To See Things His Way (Dr. Stone)
Tsukasa Shishio hated the unfair 21st-century world, and in this new stone age, he wants to return humanity to the laws of nature as an anarchist of sorts, and this put him at odds with Senku Ishigami the scientist. But Tsukasa is still capable of diplomacy and mercy.
Early on, Tsukasa gave Senku one fair chance to side with him and abandon science, an offer that Senku turned down. Later, when Chrome was captured, Tsukasa gave him a chance to abandon Senku and live comfortably and safely in the Empire of Might, and once again, he was turned down. But Tsukasa did give him a fair shot, at least.
1 MERCILESS ANIME VILLAIN: Demon Lord Clayman Uses & Exploits Everyone (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
Rimuru Tempest has been converting enemies into allies ever since he arrived in this isekai world, but there's one villain he won't forgive: Demon Lord Clayman. Clayman is a manipulator and schemer who hates Rimuru and his nation, and Clayman regularly exploits and uses anyone he can find.
Clayman will even force his loyal minions to become monsters, such as Yamza, and he also enslaved Demon Lord Milim Nava with a mind-control necklace. It was also Clayman who sent the Falmuth army after the innocent Tempest nation, though it should be noted that Yuuki also has a role in all this.