The world of anime encompasses a great variety of villains, from small-town baddies to larger-than-life fiends. There are some who are weird, and perhaps even cliché to some extent.
Then there is the darker breed of villains that are downright cruel, incredibly ruthless, and whose mere name strikes fear into the hearts of individuals everywhere. These villains leave trails of destruction and death wherever they go.
10 The Devil Is In The Details (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
The High Priest Biscas T. Balmus of the Church of the Three Heroes in The Rising of the Shield Hero plays a major role in framing the shield hero, Naofumi, and casting him as a devil to the church. He used his religious power as well as his influence to manipulate the royal family, the three heroes, and Melromarc's people knowing no one would dare question God's will out of fear of the consequences.
When the actions of the church are finally called into question, he tries to kill the heroes with a massive attack. He then begins absorbing the mana from his followers with no concern if they die. He even tries to proclaim himself as God.
9 The Dragon Of Destruction (Fairy Tail)
Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse in the series Fairy Tail, is a widely feared dragon slayer with the ability to transform into a dragon and is immune to all forms of magic. He was once a normal human who was led astray by his thirst for revenge for the betrayal of a dragon that swore to protect his village.
His hatred leads him to kill every dragon he can find and then turns his bloodthirst toward Dragon Slayers in an effort to wipe out all dragons. He takes joy in the destruction he causes and feels no remorse for the human lives lost from it, which is why humans fear him too.
8 The Demon Of The Beginning (Demon Slayer)
The great and powerful Lord of Demons known as Muzan Kibutsuji in the series Demon Slayer became the first demon in existence and he began to create multitudes of demons shortly after his transformation. The rise of demons led to an uprise in countless deaths, from individuals to whole families.
Muzan is narcissistic, manipulative, and downright heartless to humans as well as his fellow demons. He will kill either of them at even the slightest hint of mockery or failure. He is feared even among the most powerful of demon slayers.
7 Reaping The Seeds Of Fire (Rurouni Kenshin)
The cold-blooded bandaged villain Sishio Makoto in the series Rurouni Kenshin has a mind as sharp as his blade. He proves to be a worthy and dangerous adversary who strongly believes that the weak are meant to be used by the strong in any way they deem necessary. He is shown mostly lacking any kind of emotion except towards his lover, Yumi.
Sishio Makoto is extremely calculating and good at exploiting his opponents' mental state. The Meiji government that originally hired him became fearful of him and his sociopathic ways that they tried to kill him with fire. However, their fears are heightened when it's discovered that he survived and aims to take them down.
6 The Puppet Master Of Dressrosa (One Piece)
Don Quixote Doflamingo is one of the Seven Warlords in One Piece whose strength is matched by his world noble arrogance. He isn't afraid to dispose of useless people, even his own family. He normally holds an air of confidence when things go his way, but is quick to anger when they don't.
Doflamingo finds joy in playing cruel games and using his String-String powers to control others. This is seen clearly during his takeover of Dressrosa when he manipulated the former King to attack his own people. Those who knew the truth of what had happened lived in fear of Doflamingo and never fought back out of worry of becoming the next puppet in his act.
5 A Demon Among Demons (Inuyasha)
The half-demon Naraku from the series Inuyasha came into being when the human Onigumo allowed various demons to devour his body to make it whole once more. He proceeded to search for the Shikon Jewel to rid him of his human side and become invincible. He took great delight in using others to further his own goals and destroying the special bonds between others.
Most of the characters' pain and suffering in the series were caused by Naraku. There were also demons who fell victim to Naraku's wickedness, causing many to fear his name. The demons under Naraku's command also fear him due to him holding their physical hearts captive and threatening to crush them if they don't listen.
4 The Destroyer Of Worlds (Dragon Ball Z)
The ego-driven Frieza from Dragon Ball Z, with the hunger for power to match, is feared throughout the galaxy. He is King Cold's younger son and was given command of his own army at a young age. He is a strong fighter full of maliciousness and is known to be merciless.
Frieza is feared throughout the universe due to his reputation for destroying multiple planets, including Planet Vegeta after its inhabitants attempted an uprising against him. His thirst for power grows as he seeks the power of the dragon balls to grant him the wish of immortality on the Namek planet. Frieza destroys every village he comes across to obtain them.
3 The Pen Of Twisted Justice (Death Note)
Death Note's protagonist villain Light Yagami's life is changed after gaining the ability to write off a person's life with the flick of a pen inside a book known as the Death Note. Light decides to take justice into his own hands by taking on the persona of Kira and using the Death Note to rid the world of evil.
However, as the number of killings racks up, spreading fear throughout the world via the media, his sense of justice becomes more twisted. He eventually gains the desire to rule over the world as its God. Light becomes skilled at manipulating supposed allies and writes them off quickly once they've worn out their usage.
2 The God Of The Zodiac (Fruits Basket)
The head of the cursed Sohma family, Akito Sohma is from the series Fruits Basket. The idea of the endless banquet and unchanging bonds of the Zodiac was instilled into Akito at a young age. This eventually led to a dangerous mental state of believing the Zodiac family members belonged to her. This caused her to become possessive, manipulative, and abusive to all of them.
From locking Yuki in a room during childhood and pushing Rin out a window due to jealousy to convincing many of the members that they are worthless is only scratching the surface of the cruelty she's inflicted. Akito knows they fear her and takes advantage of that often to keep them by her side.
1 The Aura Of Hate (My Hero Academia)
The hero killer Stain, also known as Chizome Akaguro, in My Hero Academia has an aura that is full of malice and hatred that it alone has been seen to conjure a fear that is paralyzing to those in close proximity. His strong belief is to purge the world of heroes that he considers to be false heroes because of their want of fame and money.
Stain believes All MIght is the only true hero. This belief leaves him to murder multiple heroes in cold blood without even questioning whether the heroes he is killing are truly false heroes. His actions and presence send waves of fear throughout the hero community.