Shonen anime typically do a great job characterizing their villains. With such a laser-tight focus on flashbacks and historical lore, it is no surprise that shonen is the best place to look for dynamic villains. Iconic villains like Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise, Aizen from Bleach, and Greed from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood cannot be forgiven for their evil deeds, but they can be understood.
Thanks to staple shonen tropes like flashbacks, a majority of anime villains are directed by reason and logic that can be explained with historical precedent, but that doesn't mean they don't occasionally benefit from luck.
10 Gin Ichimaru Was Lucky To Have Sosuke Aizen's Support (Bleach)
Bleach's Gin Ichimaru is the perfect example of a character who's lucky to have been placed next to powerful villainous allies. This unsettling underling is a respected villain in his own right, but his success largely hangs on the shoulders of Sosuke Aizen.
If Aizen weren't such a stoic and calculated character, Gin would have easily been picked out as a traitor before defecting. Luckily, Gin was powerful, meaning Aizen was willing to put up with his creepy smile and mischievous habits.
9 Greed's Luck Changed The Moment He Bonded With Prince Ling (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
When first introduced in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Greed is nothing more than the physical embodiment of greed who was quickly defeated by a child in combat. After forming a physical bond with Prince Ling, the greedy homunculus' luck changed for the better.
After bonding with Ling, Greed continued to reign over his body but slowly lost control of himself while learning to coexist with the Prince. Thanks to Ling's input, Greed managed to jump into the heart of anime fans and compete with Wrath in one-on-one combat.
8 Light Yagami Was Lucky To Have A Father In The Police Force (Death Note)
Fans still debate whether Light Yagami is an antagonist, but his behavior throughout Death Note definitely makes him closer to a villain than a hero. While using the Death Note to take thousands of lives, Light was lucky enough to evade capture, largely thanks to his father's position in the National Police Agency. Having a father in the police force allowed Light to infiltrate the police and corrupt the majority of evidence that was being used to track down Kira.
7 Shinsuke Takasugi Isn't The Luckiest, But He Does Have A Few Things Going For Him (Gintama)
Gintama's Shinsuke Takasugi isn't the luckiest villain in shonen anime, but he does have two things going for him. First, he suffers from the same trauma that Gintoki Sakata himself suffers from. This makes Takasugi relatable and lovable despite his villainous acts.
Second, Gintoki is extremely lazy, which makes Shinsuke's job as a villain pretty easy. If Ginotoki were even just slightly more proactive, he would have stopped Shinsuke soon after he encountered him at the festival.
6 Franken Stein Was Lucky To Have Been Recruited (Soul Eater)
In a world where evil is quelled by children with sentient weapons that grow stronger with every evil soul they consume, Soul Eater's Dr. Franken Stein should be considered extremely lucky. The brilliant scientist-turned-teacher has given in to his madness and qualifies as a villain both onscreen and off. The fact that Death decided to recruit Stein instead of letting one of his students consume him is a genuine stroke of luck.
5 While Beerus Sat On The Sidelines, Goku & Friends Saved Universe 7 (Dragon Ball Super)
The God of Destruction who's destined to do battle with a legendary Saiyan warrior has had plenty of luck since his introduction to the world of Dragon Ball Super. Fans often overlook Beerus' luck because of Goku's irreverent behavior, but Universe 7's God of Destruction should consider himself extremely fortunate to have met Goku in the first place.
Without Goku, Universe 7's team for the Tournament of Power would have been a weak copy of what it turned out to be in canon. On top of this, Beerus has been lucky enough to shirk his responsibilities and enjoy Bulma's home cooking for the majority of Dragon Ball Super.
4 Angels Are Lucky Enough To Be Helped By Their Foes (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
The giant anthropomorphic angels who torment the world in Neon Genesis Evangelion are some of the luckiest shonen anime villains. During humanity's war with the Angels, it's discovered that the only thing capable of stopping them are the EVA units.
Furthermore, only children are able to pilot the EVAs. With children serving as their main antagonists, the Angels managed to find successes that more mature pilots wouldn't have allowed. The Remake of Evangelion films even shows Shinji helping the Angels bring about the Third impact.
3 Eren Yeager Still Has Fans Convinced He's A Hero (Attack On Titan)
Attack on Titan's Eren Jaeger has ostensibly taken the role of a villain by the end of the series, which makes him pretty lucky. Thanks to the strength of Armin, Mikasa, and the rest of the Survey Corps, Eren managed to make it to the end of the series with his life.
The number of times that Eren's been saved by his allies is incredible. After initially being saved by Hange during the siege of Shiganshina, Eren was also saved by Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Captain Levi, Historia, and Mikasa again.
2 Vegeta Went From Planet-Destroying Ape To Husband God (Dragon Ball Franchise)
The Prince of Saiyans has been so lucky during the Dragon Ball franchise that many fans forget that he entered the show as a villain. During Vegeta's debut, the Saiyan threatened to destroy Earth because Frieza had ordered him to.
Considering the way Goku dealt with Raditz for trying to do the same thing, Vegeta should consider himself lucky to be alive. Furthermore, he should find himself extremely lucky for having found happiness on Earth after years of working as Frieza's servant.
1 Dio Brando Accidentally Broke JoJo's Power Scale (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Dio Brando is as lucky as Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is bizarre. After murdering his own father, Dio was welcomed into the Joestar family and given a chance to inherit a fortune. All Dio had to do was betray his new family and the money would be his.
Dio never managed to inherit the Joestar fortune his plot to assassinate Jonathan failed. Luckily, instead of killing him, the stone mask turned Dio into a vampire with supernatural strength. Dio's newfound strength allowed him to survive a burning building, take over London with an army of zombies, and get fished out of the ocean just in time to gain his own Stand.