Establishing anime villain motivations can sometimes be difficult. The goal is usually to create a motivation that is coherent while simultaneously not being so relatable that the character in question receives more sympathy than the hero. As a result, writing them is a meticulous balancing act that must be done well.
Although some villains are incredibly nuanced and sympathetic, others have missed the mark so wildly that what drives them barely even makes sense, allowing fans to discern between sympathetic evildoers and poorly written ones.
10 Binolt Was A Barber-Themed Serial Killer Obsessed With Hair (Hunter X Hunter)
Binolt was a villain Gon and Killua faced while training with Biscuit. Although a horrifying serial killer, the motives behind his actions were jarring and strange. He took hair from the victims he killed, most of them young women.
After the boys defeated him, Binolt seemed to undergo a change of heart. This further illustrates the character's lack of conviction. To Binolt's credit, however, he killed with a specific goal in mind regardless of its silliness.
9 Yoshikage Kira Couldn't Get Over His Obsession With Hands (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Yoshikage Kira was handily the most underwhelming main villain of the series. Unlike the other antagonists who sought vengeance, ultimate power, or some combination of the two, his main drive was a fervent obsession with female hands.
Even after narrowly escaping Josuke and Jotaro, Kira ruined his chance to get away with his crimes by continuing his spree of murder. To make matters worse, he was relatively easy to defeat once Bites The Dust's power had been disabled. While Kira is entertaining, his shallowness leaves much to be desired.
8 Ragyo Wanted To Sacrifice Humanity To Clothing (Kill La Kill)
Ragyo's motivation is extremely bizarre when examining it from outside the context of the series. She sought to eradicate all life on Earth by making them wear life-fiber-infused clothing, hoping that the planet's destruction would infuse the threads with even greater strength.
It's not clear if she cared for her daughters since she bestowed Satsuki Kiryuin with the responsibility of looking after Honnoji Academy and trusted her with a powerful uniform. Ragyo's endgame also seems counterproductive since the life fibers perform adequately without human sacrifice or the heat death of the planet.
7 Dorian Wanted To Taste Defeat Though Constantly Fought Underhandedly (Baki)
Dorian was the most enigmatic of the five escaped convicts for his paradoxical nature. On one hand, he claimed to seek defeat since he'd constantly won throughout his entire life. On the contrary, he used whatever underhanded tactics he could to win, whether gouging an opponent's eyes, ambushing them, or simply lighting them on fire.
In the end, Dorian had a breakdown when forced to confront himself. Since he was so strong that no one could defeat him, his mission to lose ended in failure, by extension serving as a defeat in and of itself.
6 Kaiba Put An Enormous Amount Of Resources Toward Satisfying A Grudge (Yu-Gi-Oh)
After being defeated by Yugi, Kaiba's dignity quickly declined. He became so obsessed with his self-proclaimed rival that he captured Yugi's grandfather and forced him to participate in a number of perilous games, such as a shootout with trained combat veterans and a death match with a serial killer.
He didn't get much better after his second loss. Kaiba was so determined to beat Yugi that he even threatened to take his own life at Pegasus' castle if the boy didn't let him win.
5 Toga Was The Least Coherent Of Stain's Followers (My Hero Academia)
In theory, Stain's followers were dedicated to reinventing what it means to be a hero. Though Spinner and Dabi reflected this well, Toga never appeared to have an interest in his mission or even All For One's.
Instead, she justifies her depraved attacks on innocent people with the discrimination she faced as a child for the nature of her Quirk. Although the League of Villains accepts her, Toga's instability does not make her a dependable ally.
4 Rod Reiss Reinforced Karl Fritz's Will Without The Founding Titan (Attack On Titan)
The inheritor of the Founding Titan is immediately possessed by Karl Fritz's will. As a result, they are forced to contain Eldians within the walls through military and political might, intent to enforce "penance" by any means necessary.
Although Rod Reiss has never used the Founding Titan, he is oddly attached to his family's mission. Rod became so obsessed with Historia eating Eren that he even became a titan himself in order to see his task through.
3 Deidara Became A Villain Due To His Obsession With Explosions (Naruto)
Deidara is perhaps the least complex or sympathetic villain of the Naruto series. Instead of suffering some grand betrayal or trauma, he was simply fixated on causing explosions. His proclamation that art was a temporary masterpiece drove him to the Akatsuki, where he could practice his craft without limitations.
Deidara is inconsistent when considering that his philosophy never specifically included killing people. In spite of this, he isn't content with his explosions unless there's a victim to receive them.
2 Barragan Joined Aizen Due To His Boredom (Bleach)
Barragan was the original ruler of Las Noches before Aizen's arrival. Having dwelled in the hollow realm for a baffling amount of time, he eventually grew so bored that he intended to make his followers fight each other for fun.
After Aizen took over, he joined the Espada as its second most powerful member for a similar reason. Boredom is an incredibly underwhelming way to justify their actions, especially factoring in the number of people Barragan killed in service of his new master.
1 Orochi Wanted Vengeance Against People Who Didn't Wrong Him (One Piece)
Wano's Kurozumi clan was harshly persecuted since they once attempted to assassinate Daimyo. As a child, Orochi was hunted for his ancestors' sins, which developed him into a bitter and resentful person.
After becoming shogun, Orochi did not handle his plans for vengeance properly. Instead of simply targeting those that hunted him, who were very much alive at the time, he took revenge on the entire country as a whole. At one point, the villain even told Oden that he wanted to destroy Wano through his rule. Orochi made a compatible partner with Kaido, who built noxious factories in order to create weapons.