In anime, villains are usually made out to be reprehensible. Their evil is in stark contrast with the protagonist, with both characters polarized in such dramatic ways that there can be little discussion about who is in the right. Nonetheless, there are dozens of antagonists that are significantly cooler than their heroic counterparts.
From hordes of devoted servants to obscenely powerful abilities that might not be ethical to use, these titans have distinguished themselves as some of the most awesome threats in fiction. By identifying them, it becomes easier to comprehend what they've done right and why they're memorable.
Updated on April 23, 2023, by Tom Steel: The best characters in any medium elicit a major reaction from an audience. This isn't limited to heroes with good personality traits, as in anime especially, plenty of popular villains are out there. The best anime villains may have done plenty of unspeakable things to justify their antagonistic positions, but the very best leave a lasting impression. These villains either ooze coolness and charisma, have interesting perspectives on interesting topics or are written well enough to be considered the best. We've updated this list to include even more of the best anime villains.
20 Bertholdt Hoover (Attack On Titan)
The Colossal Titan was the first main antagonist in Attack On Titan and was originally believed to be its final villain. As its user, Bertholdt Hoover conducted his campaign against Paradis from within the Scouts' own ranks as a loyal Marleyan Warrior operating far behind enemy lines.
Considering his memorable fights and numerous escapes, Bertholdt is one of the coolest villains in AoT. It is also easier to qualify him as an antagonist than someone like Reiner or Eren, both of whom have spent time as a hero at some point in the story.
19 Shogo Makishima (Psycho-Pass)
No matter how evil they may be, charismatic anime villains will always have their own fans and admirers. In the case of Psycho-Pass' Shogo Makishima, however, his charm and manipulative tendencies have lured many victims to an early grave.
Makishima is actively opposed to the Sibyl System, believing that it harms how humanity should be living. He is an example of a humanist on the dark side, and he fully commits to his crueler tendencies to get what he wants. For all his preaching, Shogo Makishima is not a good role model, but he can easily convince others he is. Regardless, he is certainly a villain not to be messed with.
18 Gilgamesh (Fate)
Gilgamesh is about as powerful as a villain can be, and he knows it. His arrogance is a defining feature that actively gives him a cool and captivating aura. Gilgamesh is known as the King of Heroes, not through being a heroic king, but rather for being better and higher up than heroes.
Gilgamesh's strong personality and his desire to use the Holy Grail to wipe out most of humanity are hard to ignore. He is certainly one of the more memorable characters and villains to come out of the Fate franchise.
17 Meruem (Hunter X Hunter)
Hunter x Hunter stands out above most other anime in many departments, but it truly thrives with the portrayal of its villains. Hisoka and Chrollo are intriguing in their own ways, but the introduction of Meruem during the Chimera Ant arc was on a whole other level.
Meruem showed off his cruel nature and capabilities almost as soon as he was born as the Chimera Ant King. While he never really let up in terms of his ruthless acts, meeting a human girl called Komugi helped to bring out a pleasant and curious side of him. Seeing multiple facets of Meruem helped to cement him as one of the best anime villains, especially as his character arc was well-written and satisfying.
16 Garou (One-Punch Man)
One-Punch Man is all about heroes versus villains, but when it comes to the main villain, Garou, it isn't as clear as the bad guy wants to kill all the good guys. Garou may come across as a sinister monster who revels in pummeling anyone and anything, but his motivations ultimately come down to his hatred of popularity and what heroes often stand for.
Garou sympathizes with villains, and, in turn, fans naturally feel a level of admiration for him. Ironically, Garou is one of the most popular anime villains, from his charisma and values to his fighting prowess, even being able to keep up with and, to an extent, test Saitama.
15 Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)
Cruel and intelligent, Vicious was an excellent foil for Spike in Cowboy Bebop. Considering that he was competent enough to overthrow the syndicate and claim it for himself, he proved a formidable villain despite his relatively minimal overall presence.
Perhaps Vicious' most impressive feat is that he fights battles with a sword. During his final duel, he fought Spike at a disadvantage since his opponent was considerably better armed. Nonetheless, Vicious' commitment to melee combat in a futuristic world makes him incredibly cool when considering how far it took him.
14 Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)
As a former Gotei captain in Bleach, Aizen's betrayal was painful to the members of the Soul Society. He made efficient use of his time shortly after retreating. It wasn't long before he formed the Espada and became the official leader of Las Noches. The coolest aspect of Aizen's character is his abilities.
In addition to being able to hypnotize virtually anyone, Aizen can kill average humans with his presence alone. The Hogyoku also allowed him a variety of monstrous forms to remain a threat when Ichigo converted his spiritual pressure into physical strength.
13 Marik (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Marik Ishtar was a man possessed by the malevolent spirit within the Millennium Rod. In this regard, he became a dark reflection of what Yugi stood for in Yu-Gi-Oh!, as well as a character enhanced by a cursed Egyptian item.
Sinister and bloodthirsty, Marik enjoyed torturing his victims. For example, he trapped Mai Valentine in a prison that was slowly filled with insects while she was forced to watch her friends enjoy life without her. Marik is cool since he depicts the dark potential behind a millennium item.
12 Father (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Father was the progenitor of the Homunculus and an extremely intelligent being. Considering that Bradley ran the Amestris government, he effectively had a stranglehold on the nation he intended to sacrifice. He is a cooler villain than most due to his power and depth throughout Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
In addition to nearly devouring God himself, Father also sought to imitate humanity through the creation of his children. In this regard, he paradoxically thought himself better than humans while trying to be exactly like them. Such nuance helps to render him an awesomely complex character and one of the best anime villains of all.
11 Captain Blackbeard (One Piece)
At Wano's conclusion, both Big Mom and Kaido have lost their titles as emperors. However, the world's most lethal pirate, Captain Blackbeard, is still roaming free and is only getting stronger as he goes. Cunning, ambitious, and skilled in battle, Blackbeard epitomizes the traditional sense of what it means to be a pirate in One Piece and beyond.
Captain Blackbeard has committed more atrocities than most of One Piece's other villains and has yet to answer for any of them, such as his assault on Impel Down. Now, Captain Blackbeard is set to become the new pirate king, meaning he and Luffy are bound to clash for real in the near future over that title.
10 All For One (My Hero Academia)
All For One is the perfect final villain for My Hero Academia. Ruthlessly self-interested and older than any other living character, he was able to destabilize Japan even from the confines of Tartarus. He is especially cool when considering his role in the overall story.
Just like Nana and Toshinori, Deku must face All For One as the successor of One For All. Similarly, Izuku must overcome his predecessors by ensuring that the villain never endangers the generations to come. However, All For One has his own advantages in this battle, including his usage of Tomura's younger, stronger body and his bottomless supply of stolen quirks.
9 Dio (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Dio's character was tailored with coolness in mind ever since JoJo's Bizarre Adventure began. He was an immortal vampire that could shoot lasers from his eyes, summon zombies, and even stop time itself. Arrogant and prideful, he almost deserves his god complex when considering how many heroes he killed.
Even other JoJo characters think Dio is one of the coolest and best anime villains of all. His devoted followers were in awe of him, and years after his death, Father Pucci aimed to bring Dio back. Only the best and most darkly inspiring anime villains could inspire someone to go that far.
8 Orochimaru (Naruto)
Orochimaru is easily the coolest villain in Naruto. He's never been meaningfully defeated, and he did not grovel for redemption like Obito and Nagato to get in Naruto's graces. This was particularly impressive when considering his numerous atrocities.
In addition to abducting and experimenting on innocent people, Orochimaru nearly destroyed the Hidden Leaf Village and successfully assassinated Hiruzen Sarutobi. Also, he personally corrupted Sasuke, which nearly resulted in the enslavement of the entire planet.
7 Ulquiorra Schiffer (Bleach)
In Bleach, Sosuke Aizen was one of the coolest and best anime villains because of his schemes and smug confidence. Meanwhile, his most loyal Arrancar agent, Ulquiorra Schiffer, is one of the most badass anime villains because of his thematic depth and ruthless attitude.
Ulquiorra represents the emptiness and despair of nihilism, a theme that all Arrancars and Hollows share to some degree. This created an ideological clash between him, Orihime and Ichigo, and in his final moments, Ulquiorra finally recognized the "heart" and longed to see it for himself.
6 Hisoka Morrow (Hunter X Hunter)
Hisoka embodied the darkest aspects of what it meant to be a hunter. Like Netero, he sought an opponent that could push him past his limits and provide a good fight. However, he lacked any compassion toward this end and was particularly creepy to Gon many times in Hunter x Hunter.
Nonetheless, there are dozens of qualities rendering Hisoka a cool character. Not only did he defeat Gon numerous times, but he also allied with the Zoldycks and had a versatile "Bungee Gum" nen ability. As a result, his fights were reliably entertaining.
5 Griffith (Berserk)
Berserk's ultimate villain, the charismatic Griffith, is one of anime's most popular antagonists of all. He presents himself as a noble savior and defender of peace and justice, and in a twisted way, he really was those things when fighting off the Kushan Empire.
Griffith looks really cool with his calmly confident appearance, his shiny knight armor, and his commanding dialogue. However, he is still a monster despite his princely persona because he betrayed the entire Band of the Hawk to the God Hand and is a purely selfish being, no matter how much he defended Midland from its enemies.
4 L (Death Note)
The legendary crime thriller anime Death Note greatly blurs the line between hero and villain to the point that it's really just protagonist vs. antagonist, with everything else being highly subjective. The villain L is a hero in his own mind, and Soichiro and the other cops see him that way, too.
L may be Light's enemy, but Death Note fans still love him as one of the best anime villains who feels more like a hero at times. He has serious thematic depth when facing off against Light as justice vs. justice, and fans also adore L's incredible intelligence and quirky personality.
3 Johan Liebert (Monster)
Johan Liebert is nothing like other anime villains, yet he deserves to be considered among the best. This acclaim doesn't come from the coolness or arrogance that other villains have in abundance but from his charisma and intelligence to help him stand out as formidable and evil.
Liebert doesn't have superpowers or anything of the sort but still conducts his business as a manipulative villain, as he leaves chaos in his wake. Liebert is emotionless and ruthless, acting on his wishes to be the last human alive, and is a terrifying presence throughout Monster.
2 Akaza (Demon Slayer)
Demon Slayer fans simply despise the well-dressed Muzan Kibutsuji for being an irredeemable monster, but they might feel differently about the Upper Moon 3, Akaza. He may be the villain who killed Kyojuro Rengoku the flame Hashira, but at least he genuinely loves what he does, which is admirable in a way.
Akaza is one of the coolest and overall best anime villains because of his devastating combat techniques, distinct appearance, and infectious enthusiasm for deadly rivalries and combat. Already, Demon Slayer fans are looking forward to seeing him again, where he will probably fight Tanjiro in person.
1 Askeladd (Vinland Saga)
Vinland Saga is a medieval seinen anime where good and evil are merely a matter of war and survival. Even so, Thorfinn Karlsenfi is convinced that Askeladd is evil, and it's easy to see why. Askeladd cornered Thors' crew in the Faroe Islands, then played dirty to kill Thors for Floki's benefit.
Askeladd has done many terrible and violent things, but he's still pretty cool and highly compelling because of his wisdom about the world and Welsh prophecies about the fabled land, Avalon. Askeladd is also a highly competent swordsman and commander, and he also served as Thorfinn's mentor and foster father.