Mr Viral
Villains have always played a vital role in anime, as they keep the main characters motivated to achieve their goals. More times than often, villains keep viewers motivated to watch anime due to sheer rage, or even emotions like admiration at times. Some villains that have etched their names into anime history are Mahito from jujutsu kaisen and Madara Uchiha from Naruto due to their nefarious deeds, most of which no anime fan would ever forgive
So, readers, keep your death note and quill at the ready, as in this article, we will introduce you to the most cold-blooded and wicked characters that will make your blood boil.
10. Akito Soma: Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket: Akito Soma | Source: TMS Entertainment
Akita Soma is the main antagonist of Fruits Basket and the current head of the Soma Family. She used to be a figure shrouded in mystery at the beginning of the anime, but later, most of her secrets were out, including the fact that she was pretending to be a male in front of a huge part of the Soma Family.
Akito served as the figure of god to the zodiac members in the family that she had a “bond” with. She is a short-tempered and abusive woman who mentally and physically tortured several of the zodiacs who were forcibly tied to her by the bond they possessed. Akito, too, was a victim of abuse from her own mother, which caused her to turn into the villain that she was. However, the damage she did to most of the zodiac was permanent, and most of them would never redeem her in their hearts even though Akito mended her ways.
9. Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Bungou Stray Dogs
Bungou Stray Dogs: Fyodor Dostoyevsky | Source: Studio BONES
Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the main antagonists of Bungou Stray Dogs and the founder of the crime organization The Decay of the Angel. Fyodor has a thin place face and sharp purple eyes that are incredibly intimidating. Although Fyodor wasn’t the leader of the Decay of the Angel, he was far more sinister than the leader of the organization, Kamui (Fukuchi).
Fyodor is normally called a monster, as he is really unpredictable, cunning, and bloodthirsty. His plots are almost always foolproof, and he has killed several humans and ability users directly and indirectly. The very fact that he was manipulating Fukuchi, the leader of the Decay of the Angels, throughout their time together itself explains how much of a monster Fyodor actually is.
8. Regulus Corneas: Re:Zero
Re:Zero: Regulus Corneas | Source: White Fox Studios
Re: Zero has always been an abode to the most eccentric of villains, and Regulus Corneas is to exception to that. Regulus is the Archbishop of Greed of the Witches’ cult and serves as one of the biggest antagonists introduced in the series so far. Regulus is one of the oldest Sin Archbishops in the Witch Cult and was responsible for many brutal mass slaughters and annihilations in the anime.
Regulus is an incredibly self-righteous person and often pays no heed to other people. He tends to force his ideals on other people while not always living up to the same ideals himself. Regulus has a habit of kidnapping women that he likes and forcing them to marry him. Of course,e, they were subjected to several kinds of mental torture after marriage, which makes him one of the most despicable characters in the series. Season 3 of Re: Zero now features the fight between Subaru, Reinhard, and Regulus, so we urge you to follow the series if you want to see him pay for his crimes.
7. Imu: One Piece
One Piece: Imu | Source: Toei Animation
Imu is the supreme leader of the World Government, to whom the Five Elders answer. Imu’s existence is completely unknown to the general public, who believe that there is no singular ruler in the world. Not much is known about this character other than the fact that he is one of the main antagonists of the series. Imu’s cruelty became very clear when it was observed that he wiped out several islands without batting an eye for the sake of maintaining their secrets.
The World Government is notorious for its inhumane acts, which cause the general public to suffer, all for the sake of its own secrecy. Since Imu presides over the World government, it could be said that he is responsible for all the acts of terror in One Piece.
6. Shigaraki Tomura: My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia: Shigaraki Tomura | Source: Studio BONES
Shigaraki Tomura is one of the main antagonists of My Hero Academia and the leader of the Villain League. He has greyish-blue hair, pale skin, chapped lips, and an overall sickly appearance. Shigaraki has been notorious since the beginning of the anime and amassed a lot of hate from heroes and fans alike during his evolution.
Shigaraki’s quirk is decay, which allows him to quite literally decay anything he touches. He uses this ability to mercilessly and mindlessly kill humans and heroes with no qualms whatsoever. He even managed to enrage the all-forgiving and kind-hearted Midoriya to the extent that Midoriya briefly wanted to kill him at certain points in the anime. Most of Shigaraki’s actions were irredeemable. However, he was outstanding as the villain of the series and showed incredible growth throughout the series.
5. Kibutsuji Muzan: Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer: Kibutsuji Muzan | Source: Studio Ufotable
Kibutsuji Muzan is the main antagonist of Demon Slayer and the progenitor of all demons in the series. Muzan’s desire to live a life with no fear after his transformation into a demon led him to a path of violence that knew no end, all for the sake of a completely immortal body. While most demons in the series were redeemed at least a little in the moment of their death, Muzan alone was the one demon that died a pitiful death that no one mourned for.
Muzan spawned countless demons for over a thousand years, hoping to find a way to become immortal through his research. As a result of this, the entirety of Japan became vulnerable to attacks from demons at night until the Demon Slayer Corps was formed. It would be no understatement to say that every single death that happened in Demon Slayer was entirely Muzan’s fault, and the fact that he shows no remorse for this is what makes him one of the most irredeemable villains of all time.
4. All For One: My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia: All For One | Source: Studio BONES
All For One is the major antagonist of My Hero Academia and the most powerful villain in the entire series. He used to be All Might’s arch nemesis, as his ultimate aim was to steal One For All from him, but he never managed to do so. Just like how All Might was regarded as the “Symbol of Peace”, All For One wanted to be a symbol of fear and violence, which proved how he was truly evil to the core, unlike Shigaraki, who, despite all his twistedness, had a shred of human heart hidden within him.
All For One is a very manipulative man who considers all humans as his pawns to make his goal a reality. Shigaraki was one such pawn that All For One had invested quite a lot into. He ruined Shigaraki’s life for him, took him under his wing, brainwashed him, and had him commit several irredeemable crimes, all so that he could have One For All. His desire to stomp on everything and assume an evil goal for his futile desires is what makes him one of the most brutal villains in all anime.
3. Mahito: Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen: Mahito | Source: Studio MAPPA
Mahito is a special-grade cursed spirit who served as an antagonist during the first and second seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen. Although Mahito was never one of the main villains of the series, the impact he had on the anime was tremendous, and this was due to his twisted personality and instinct to kill. Mahito genuinely enjoyed killing humans, and he enjoyed killing jujutsu sorcerers even more.
Mahito loved to play with emotional strings, particularly Itadori’s, and we’ve seen Itadori lash out at Mahito for brutally killing fan-favorite characters (he will never be forgiven for this). The fandom developed such immense hate toward Mahito that the scene where he had his final moments delivered the utmost satisfaction to every fan of the anime.
2. Eren Yeager
Attack On Titan: Eren Yeager | Source: Studio MAPPA
For a character that was introduced as the protagonist of the anime, it is quite interesting how Eren found his way into a list of antagonists. Eren’s personality took a turn for the worse during the third season of Attack on Titan, during which he abandoned all his friends to pursue a singular goal: to save Paradis Island.
While his intentions were noble, and one could say that Eren’s acts were a necessary evil, this doesn’t change the fact that he tried to sacrifice 80% of humanity just so that he could “save” Paradis Island. For this, he abandoned his friends, Mikasa’s love, and the possibility of a future and completely turned evil.
1. Ryomen Sukuna: Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen: Sukuna | Source: Studio MAPPA
Sukuna is the King of Curses and the main antagonist in Jujutsu Kaisen. Sukuna used to reside within Itadori until he managed to escape from him during the Culling Game Arc, after which he killed a lot of Itadori’s associates.
Sukuna is an egoistical, psychopathic, and sadistic curse that runs on the instinctive desire to kill and taint. He is immensely arrogant about his own powers and was fully confident that he could kill Gojo Satoru. While he was successful at the feat, he did cheat inorder to get to that outcome, and the death of Gojo is one of the biggest reasons why Sukuna will never be redeemed as a villain.
Top 5 Best and Worst Performing Anime of Winter 2025 (So Far)
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings