30 Scary, Funny, & Inept Anime Villains

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Anime expert Eunice Ibama shares some of the best villains in anime

Co-authored by Eunice Ibama and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: June 30, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Best Villains
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• Funny Villains
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• Inept Villains
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• Expert Q&A

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Let’s face it—our favorite anime series wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without their iconic villains. And a lot of these antagonists are downright terrifying. But what makes them so good at being bad? We interviewed anime experts to compile a list of the best anime villains of all time. Plus, we’ve included some funny and inept villains who never fail to lighten the mood.

Top Anime Villains

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Anime expert Eunice Ibama says some of the best anime villains are Aizen from Bleach, Johan Liebert from Monster, and Griffith from Berserk. Other popular villains include Sakuna from Jujutsu Kaisen, Blackbeard from One Piece, Makima from Chainsaw Man, and Light Yagami from Death Note.

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Section 1 of 3:

The Best Anime Villains

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   Ryomen Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen) “Sukuna is a sorcerer from thousands of years ago, and he’s lauded infamously as the most powerful sorcerer of all time,” explains anime expert Dr. Applesauce. No sorcerer alone is strong enough to stop him, and he takes pleasure in the destruction he causes.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Eunice Ibama is an anime expert who has been watching anime for over 25 years. She is also a founder of Black Girls Anime and shares content about anime culture news.

   Dr. Applesauce is an anime expert who has been watching anime since 2001. He creates anime content and co-hosts the podcast More Than a Cartoon.

   Chris Hill is an anime expert who has been watching anime since childhood and has seen over 800 different series. He shares recommendations and reviews online as @chilly_recs.
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   Makima (Chainsaw Man) Makima may look unassuming, but that makes her even more intimidating. She’s cold and commanding without ever raising her voice. As the Control Devil, she’s able to manipulate and psychologically break Denji. She’s a strong example of a psychological horror villain.

   • Makima may be evil, but she’s also a popular “hear me out” character. And, hey, if you’re into villains, who are we to judge?
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   Meruem (Hunter x Hunter) Meruem has been bad since the beginning of his life, when he ripped himself out of his mother’s womb and immediately killed two of his kind. He’s the strongest of the chimera ants, which are already terrifying to the average person, and has the ability to absorb the powers of others. Did we mention he eats humans?
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   Johan Liebert (Monster) Ibama lists Johan Liebert as one of the best anime villains. Liebert may look like an angel, but he’s anything but. He’s a cold, ruthless serial killer. His goal is to achieve the “perfect suicide” by destroying all of humanity, then dying and leaving no trace of his existence. As the title of the anime suggests, he’s a human monster.
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   Esdeath (Akame Ga Kill!) Esdeath has some pretty cool powers… literally. Her ice powers allow her to freeze time itself. As an intimidating general, she led the Jaegers to defeat 100,000 soldiers in a battle against the Night Raid. We certainly wouldn’t want to get on her bad side!
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   All for One (My Hero Academia) As the big bad in My Hero Academia, fans knew All for One was trouble from the start. He has the unique ability to steal other people’s Quirks (superpowers) and use them for himself. He’s even gotten the best of All Might, the Number One hero.
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   Madara Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden) When Madara is introduced, he is by far the strongest character in Naruto, easily defeating 5 armies and the shinobi leading them. He’s also the mastermind behind the actions of other villains in the series, proving that he’s not only physically strong but also smart and calculating.
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   Father (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) Father is a powerful, God-like figure in Fullmetal Alchemist. He acquired 50 million souls to absorb God/Truth, which theoretically could have allowed him to grow powerful enough to swallow all of humanity. As if that’s not terrifying enough, he can also turn off other people’s alchemy, making it even harder to defeat him.
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   Zeref Dragneel (Fairy Tail) What makes Zeref Dragneel so scary is the fact that he’s essentially immortal thanks to the Curse of Contradiction. His magic is anti-life and can kill everything around him, so it’s almost impossible to defeat him.
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    Griffith (Berserk) Ibama describes Griffith as “demonic” and believes he is the most evil anime villain of all. Though he starts out as a hero, he ultimately betrays his friends and feeds them to demons to become the god-like Femto. He’s extremely charismatic, which makes him even more dangerous because people willingly follow him. He represents the dark side of human desire.
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    Light Yagami (Death Note) Even though Light is the main character in Death Note, many consider him a villain—and a good one at that. He may not be physically tough, but fans watch him develop a God complex as he thinks he gets to decide who lives and who dies… including innocent people. He’s a great example of how power can corrupt people.
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    Naraku (InuYasha) Naraku’s name literally translates to “Hell,” so that should give you an idea of just how evil he is. He’s a half-spider demon who caused Kikyo’s death, as well as pretty much every other bad thing that happened to the characters. He also has a ton of terrifying powers, like the ability to absorb other demons to make himself stronger.
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    Blackbeard (One Piece) Anime expert Chris Hill says Blackbeard is one of the most feared villains in One Piece. He’s named after one of the most infamous pirates in history, so it’s no surprise that Blackbeard is powerful. He possesses the Dark Dark Fruit and the Tremor Tremor Fruit, which allow him to control darkness and create earthquakes, respectively.

    • Which One Piece are you most like? Take our quiz to find out!
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    Aizen (Bleach) According to Ibama, everybody says Aizen from Bleach is one of the best anime villains. What makes Aizen so great is that no one thought he would become a villain. He deceived everyone, making them think he was kind-hearted, when in reality, he was actually controlling things behind the scenes before the series even began.
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Section 2 of 3:

Funny Anime Villains

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   Tonpa (Hunter x Hunter) We couldn’t list our favorite funny anime villains without including the self-proclaimed Rookie Crusher of the Hunter Exam. Tonpa may not be able to pass the Hunter Exam himself, but he sure makes it his mission to make sure no one else does, either. It’s pretty funny to watch him get in over his head, like when he fails to poison Killua.
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   Ryuk (Death Note) Death Note is a pretty dark series, but Ryuk often lightens the mood. He’s a large, sinister-looking death god… who also happens to be addicted to apples and wants to play video games with Light. The juxtaposition is what makes him such a fun character.

   • Ever wonder if Ryuk could be your soulmate? Take our “Which Character from Death Note is My Soulmate?” quiz to find out!
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   Barry the Chopper (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) Barry the Chopper should be terrifying; he’s a literal serial killer whose soul is bound to a suit of armor. Despite this, though, he’s actually pretty friendly. He even gets scared when he finds out Alphonse is also a living armor.
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   Twice (My Hero Academia) Who said bad guys can’t be funny? Twice developed a split personality after using his Quirk too much, so it’s pretty common to see him arguing with himself. He also has a tendency to make jokes at the worst moments, which only makes him funnier.
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   Speed-o’-Sound Sonic (One Punch Man) Speed-o’-Sound Sonic isn’t an intentional comedian, but fans can’t help but laugh at him. He’s determined to defeat One Punch Man after the superhero punched him in the groin during their first meeting. But he just keeps failing in painful and hilarious ways.
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   Dimple (Mob Psycho 100) As a floating green blob with red cheeks, Dimple already looks pretty funny. But beyond that, he’s also snarky and sarcastic, and fans enjoy watching him interact with the other characters.
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   Tobi (Naruto Shippuden) Before revealing himself as the evil mastermind Obito Uchiha, Tobi was a pretty goofy character. He constantly annoyed Deidara with his childish personality, and he created a lot of lighthearted moments. You know, until he revealed his true identity.
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   Dio Brando (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) Dio may be a strong villain, but he’s also just fun to watch. He’s charming, handsome, and has a flair for the dramatic. Sure, he’s selfish and cruel, but he’s also theatrical. Fans love his catchphrases and dramatic poses.
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Section 3 of 3:

Inept Anime Villains

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   Emperor Pilaf (Dragon Ball Z) The Dragon Ball franchise has some pretty tough villains, but Emperor Pilaf simply isn’t one of them. He seeks world domination, but is no match for Goku and the other heroes. Ultimately, he’s just there for comic relief.
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   Team Rocket (Pokémon) Team Rocket is iconic, but it’s not because they’re actually good villains. They want nothing more than to capture Pikachu, but they’re never successful. Ash and his friends never fail to defeat them, and in the end, Team Rocket gets punished for their actions.
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   The Sea Cucumber Devil (Chainsaw Man) In Chainsaw Man, Devils grow stronger when more people fear the thing they’re named after. Not many people are scared of sea cucumbers, so it’s safe to say the Sea Cucumber Devil wasn’t very powerful. It was kind of gross to look at and smelled like blood, but Power easily smashed it with her hammer.
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   The Subterranean People (One Punch Man) At first, the Subterranean People sound pretty terrifying; they come to Saitama in his dreams, attack him, and claim that they’ve killed a ton of humans and want to take over the world. However, when Saitama sees them in person, they’re small and weak. He defeated the Subterranean King with a single kick, and the rest of them retreated.
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   Gentle Criminal (My Hero Academia) Gentle Criminal simply isn’t a good villain. He initially wanted to be a hero, but since he couldn’t, he believed he could “inspire” people with his villainous acts. He even tried uploading videos of his crimes to gain attention, but was ultimately ignored.
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   Kaigaku (Demon Slayer) Kaigaku is the main antagonist in Demon Slayer, but compared to many of the iconic villains we listed above, he’s not that great at his job. He’s pretty cowardly, going so far as to willingly become a demon to avoid being killed. Though he’s arrogant, Zenitsu defeated him pretty quickly, so he’s not that impressive.
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   Queen Beryl (Sailor Moon) Queen Beryl may have been powerful in theory, but in practice? Not so much. She doesn’t really do much, as she usually sends other villains to fight the Sailor Scouts. Even when she did fight Sailor Moon, she lost.
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   Eclair Eklair Eklare (Overlord) Eclair is a penguin, so that alone makes it hard to take him seriously as a villain. He works as a butler, but his ultimate goal is to become the leader of Nazarick. It turns out, his creator programmed him this way as a joke, and no one believes he’ll really follow through.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  What are some good villainess animes?

  

  Eunice Ibama
  Anime Expert

  Eunice Ibama is an anime expert. Eunice has watched anime for nearly 25 years and has over a decade of professional experience in the space. She was one of the first Black judges for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards and has partnered with brands like Viz Media, Sanrio, Crunchyroll, and Netflix. She has worked with Sony Music Japan, interviewing and connecting with various artists. Eunice is also a founder of Black Girls Anime, sharing content online with a community of over 200k about anime culture news. Through Black Girls Anime, Eunice creates a space for Black women and people to connect and showcase their love for anime.

  

  Eunice Ibama

  Anime Expert

  Expert Answer

  One of my favorites, a 10 out of 10 in my books, is 'An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess'. Also, some great ones are: 'My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!', 'The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom', and '7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy'. This list is a mix of isekai or what they call reincarnation anime. If you're into isekais, check out 'An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess!​

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