Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the biggest titles in shonen anime right now and arguably part of an unofficial new "big three" alongside My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer. This anime features some incredible animation, a slick fantasy combat system based on curses, and great protagonists such as the kind Yuji Itadori and the tough Nobara Kugisaki.
Meanwhile, Jujutsu Kaisen has some serviceable but otherwise unremarkable villains. So far, these villains are a proper challenge for Yuji and the other heroes, but their designs fall short of legendary villain designs from other anime series, past and present.
10 My Hero Academia's Villains Are Commentary On Society Itself
The bad guys of My Hero Academia aren't just knockoff X-Men villains - they are a serious commentary on the woes of modern society and some of its harsh double standards or stressful norms. Many of these villains are the product of a strict society that adheres strongly to heroic beliefs, and some people fall through the cracks.
This doesn't mean the villains are blameless for their actions - far from it. But even so, cool villains such as Himiko Toga, Tomura Shigaraki, Spinner, and Dabi might have turned out differently if society had been more accepting of them and their Quirks.
9 Naruto's Villains Embody Heartfelt & Worldly Themes
The hit shonen series Naruto has forgettable villains such as the businessman Gato and the bully Zaku Abumi, but it also features some of shonen's most memorable and exciting antagonists of all time, including the members of the Akatsuki gang and for a time, Gaara of the Sand.
Gaara was in agony due to his isolation for being a jinchuriki, but he saw the light when Naruto reached out to him as a friend. Then, the mighty Pain embodies timeless themes of the cycle of hatred and violence, and he proves that achieving world peace is anything but easy.
8 One Piece's Villains Are Powerful & Imaginative
The numerous villains in One Piece vary greatly in their costumes, their abilities, their goals, and far more, and some work in teams while others are tyrants or loners. Captain Blackbeard, for example, runs an entire crew and has emerged as one of Luffy's greatest villains of all. He even stole Whitebreard's powers somehow.
But that's not all. One Piece features the villain turned antihero Sir Crocodile, who sought the blueprints for ancient weapons in Alabasta. Then, Luffy took on the terrifying tyrant Doflamingo in the Dressrosa arc and narrowly defeated him in a clash of the ages. But Doflamingo wasn't just a final boss - he was also a fascinating character in his own right.
7 Bleach's Villains Have Wonderfully Off-Beat Designs
The villains of Bleach can be grouped into several organizations, factions, or even species, ranging from individual Hollows to the ten mighty Espadas and the Sternritter, or elite Quincy. Some of them are one-off antagonists while others are truly memorable, such as the nihilistic Ulquiorra Schiffer, who finally learned to understand "the heart."
Bleach also features the arrogant fallen king Barragan, who tried in vain to rule all of creation, and most of all, the scheming Sosuke Aizen who sought to claim the heavenly throne for himself. Other villains such as Coyote Starrk, Grimmjow, and Giselle Gewelle captured the imagination of fans as well.
6 Demon Slayer's Villains Are Somehow Sympathetic
By now, the hit shonen anime Demon Slayer is notorious for its many sympathetic and heartfelt villains, even if they look like grotesque beasts on the outside, such as the oversized hand demon. These demons shouldn't be spared just because they have sad backstories, but even so, Tanjiro often empathizes with them and might even cry for them.
It takes some real creative talent to make viewers cry for a man-killing monster, but somehow, Demon Slayer does it, and more than once. Even the arrogant princess-like Daki and her twisted brother Gyutaro tugged at the heartstrings when their tragic backstory was shown shortly before their demise.
5 Hunter X Hunter's Villains Have Creative Designs
The popular shonen series Hunter x Hunter has a reputation for its constant hiatuses, but even if the story is still not finished, fans got to meet more than a few cool villains along the way. One notable example is the rogue Hisoka Morrow, who wants to fight Gon at his very best as a fellow Nen user.
Then there's the Phantom Troupe, one of the most powerful and colorfully designed villain teams in all of anime. Its members range from Bonolenov, a man whose body is like a living flute, to Shizuka, whose Nen technique is based on a vacuum cleaner.
4 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Is All About Homunculi & Alchemists
Most of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's villains are homunculi, supernatural creatures born from the power of the Philosopher's Stone. It all started when the "dwarf in the flask" tricked Hohenheim and the Xerxian king into performing a huge alchemy ritual to give him immense power. Now he has shed his seven sins as "children," ranging from Pride to Wrath.
These cool homunculi not only have fascinating combat powers, but they are also sometimes sympathetic, and they all died in symbolic ways, too. Pride died being humbled by Ed, for example, while Sloth died from overexertion and Gluttony was devoured by Pride.
3 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Villains Are Unforgettable
Even if most of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's villains are a "monster of the week," they never fail to have bizarre powers and cool designs. One example is Prosciutto, who can rapidly age everyone around him, or Daniel J. D'Arby, who can steal the souls of anyone who loses to him in games of chance.
And, of course, JoJo's main villains are downright legendary, from the arrogant blond vampire DIO to the insidious serious killer Yoshikage Kira and, of course, the mighty Pillar Men. Their bodybuilder physiques and cool theme song will always be remembered fondly by anime fans.
2 Attack On Titan's Villains Are So Human
In the grim and chaotic world of Attack on Titan, it's not always clear who is a friend and who is a foe, and the boundary is a fuzzy one that tends to shift around. But that makes the story compelling rather than confusing, and whether temporary or permanent, these villains are exciting to watch.
Characters such as Reiner Braun, his younger cousin Gabi, the baseball-loving Zeke Yeager, and others have served as antagonists, but that's not all they are. They are real, living people with their own emotions and goals, and not all of them will be villains forever.
1 Tokyo Revengers' Villains Are Realistic & Chilling
The time-travel delinquent shonen series Tokyo Revengers features villains who are perfectly human - no Quirks, no Nen, no Titan shifting. But that makes them more exciting and gripping, not less, since people like this really do exist. Punks, delinquents, and gangsters are very much a reality.
These villains, such as the scheming Kisaki Tetta, captured anime fans' imaginations with their clever schemes, their chilling personalities, and most of all, how grounded they are as antagonistic people. Sometimes, less is more, and Tokyo Revengers proves that with its delinquent villains.