Style is subjective, but there's no denying that plenty of bad guys know how to turn a look. Though corrupt motives and a lack of empathy define most antagonists, dressing sharp goes a long way toward rendering an anime villain truly unforgettable.
Anime villains aren't afraid to get colorful when it comes to fashion, and often, being suave is another means of disarming the heroes and even the audience. Creating nemeses that are as compelling to look at as they are to fight against is an anime forte. Hats off to the creators who know that malevolence need not be stereotypically ugly to leave an impact.
10 Overhaul's Cool Factor Is Hard To Deny (My Hero Academia)
Overhaul is just one of dozens of appealing villains that populate the ever-expanding My Hero Academia canon. But while the series' character designs are always playful and rarely bland, Overhaul's look begs to be remembered, in part due to its more subdued elements.
Few characters could pair a fur-lined hooded coat with a leather plague mask and hope to look anything but ridiculous, but the more mundane pieces of Overhaul's outfit, such as his black jeans and white tennis shoes, help subdue the overall look into something that feels yakuza-adjacent.
9 Juuzou Suzuya Is The Prince Of Creepy-Cute (Tokyo Ghoul)
Fans may debate whether the ghouls or the investigators are the true villains in Tokyo Ghoul, but there's no debate that Juuzou Suzuya won admiration from fans from the word go. Though that may have something to do with his self-destructive, whimsical personality, his true appeal has to do with how his peculiar personality is reflected in his garments.
Suzuya wears patterned suspenders, red hairpins, and capri pants paired with scarlet slippers. No aspect of this look would feel coordinated, were it not for Suzuya's habit of stitching red thread through his skin, sewing the whole ensemble together. The look is Harajuku decora made visceral, a rare blend of creepy and cute that lives up to the reputation of modern Japan's ever-evolving thriving street fashion scene.
8 Griffith Is A Demonic Angel (Berserk)
There is a myriad of reasons to dislike and even loathe Griffith, the primary antagonist of Berserk. He has committed acts of cruelty that horrify even the biggest fans of grimdark stories. But it's harder to hate Griffith's appearance when he looks so ethereal. Griffith exudes an angelic aura reminiscent of high renaissance paintings.
He is otherworldly, the only pure-looking aspect of a bleak show made up of rough and tumble warrior types. It's rather ironic and remarkable that Griffith is among the darkest-hearted characters in modern anime history, his angelic exterior harboring a deeply corrupted soul that's long past saving.
7 Doflamingo Is Twice As Bold As His Outfit (One Piece)
Doflamingo is a rotten guy, no bones about it. He owned slaves in his youth and enjoys little more than inflicting pain on others as an adult. He is among the most evil of One Piece's extensive crew of villains. His outfit is patently ridiculous, loud in a way that only One Piece routinely pulls off, a mess of pink feathers and a Vegas-style leisure suit.
But Doflamingo is at least as bold as his outfit, and his flamboyant appearance is perfectly representative of his penchant for cruelty. Doflamingo is all the scarier because he dresses like a fool but remains intimidating.
6 It's Hard To Look Away From Ragyo (Kill La Kill)
There aren't enough female villains in anime, or at least, there are few that leave an impression like Ragyo of Kill la Kill. As an abusive parent and vicious opponent, Ragyo was always going to be hard to forget.
But Ragyo puts more care into her appearance than she ever did into her children. She is as gloriously prismatic as she is demonic, clad in high fashion furs with luminescent hair. Ragyo is ready for the red carpet and to spill red blood, too, a bizarre embodiment of what a fixation on outer appearances can do to one's insides.
5 Dio's Dresses In A Way That Cannot Be Ignored (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is stylized to a fault. And it is unlikely that its brand of style is to all tastes. Hirohiko Araki's impact on character design is profound and has earned him collaborations with luxury brands ranging from Converse to Gucci. Given all of this, any one of the cast members could be highlighted for their bold fashion choices.
But ignoring Dio would be a grave mistake, as always. His reputation precedes him, and as a vampire with a knack for not-dying, his look is nothing if not fluid. Of course, Dio can pull off a mullet. Clad initially in Victorian cravats and breeches, a reincarnated Dio rocks a distinctly 80s bejeweled headband and parachute pants with aplomb. Clothes of any stripe would be fair game. No matter his outfit, Dio is a brand of his own.
4 Edogai Is Horrible But A Visionary, Too (Golden Kamuy)
Murderers are bad. This isn't a controversial statement, and serial killer Ed Gein is a landmark despicable figure in true crime history. The idea that Edogai, an anime character heavily inspired by Ed Gein, makes for a twisted fashion icon should feel repulsive. But then again, Golden Kamuy is a series that delights in being unexpected.
Edogai wears garments made of leathered human skin, including one dress that cups his pecks with severed hands and another that features the open-mouthed human face around the torso area. His aesthetic is disgusting in that classic Silence of the Lambs kind of way, but somehow, his monstrosities are played for laughs. Edogai may be a visionary, but his vision is not one that anyone would indulge in outside the safe realm of fiction.
3 The Port Mafia Is Serving Edges All Around (Bungou Stray Dogs)
The character designs of Bungou Stray Dogs have proven especially popular with female audiences, and it's not hard to understand why. These characters have all been blessed with not only good looks but strong period costumes. That includes the entire cast of villains, the collective known as the Port Mafia.
The wide range of characters and personalities also ensures there's something for everyone. Ranging from Akutagawa's sweeping duster jacket to Kouyou Ozaki's stylized traditional garb to Yumeno Kyusaku's Edwardian boy style look, there are few bases on the fashion playing field left untouched by this charming, devious motley crew.
2 Shogo Mashima Is An Understated Terror (Psycho-Pass)
Shogo Mashima fully believes in his vision, and he might even be right about the world. He is confident, and perhaps that's why he carries himself with such understated grace. A villain with a brain is a terrifying thing, and without a typical conscience, even more so.
As if in reflection of this, Shogo wears primarily white, a slender blank slate who often appears disheveled but never careless. When the first season of Psycho-Pass reaches its climax, Shogo is clad in a simple button-down. It doesn't matter, because he has other priorities, and this disregard is the essence of his style.
1 No One But Hisoka Makes Clowns Alluring (Hunter x Hunter)
Many people harbor a fear of clowns, but others harbor a quirky love for the clown aesthetic. Outside of horror circles, devotees of the Joker character, or one very specific music fandom, however, few would describe clowns as "cool." But the clown motif features frequently in shonen anime, and nowhere is it more attractive than when pulled off by Hisoka of Hunter x Hunter fame.
Hisoka's bizarre outfit and face paint, which should look ludicrous, contrast powerfully with his aura of nonchalance. And when Hisoka lets his hair down, the fandom loses its collective mind. Hisoka would look cool in anything but chooses to dress like a clown because he can. It's a joke at everyone else's expense, and maybe that's one reason he's always smirking.