Top 10 Most Hated Anime Villains of All Time

Top 10 Most Hated Anime Villains of All Time

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Top 20 Universally Despised Anime

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most despicable antagonists in an anime.

“Akame ga Kill!” (2014) The only thing worse than a bloodthirsty radical is one with guns for hands. And that’s just one of her upgrades. Using her endless assortment of bodily enhancements, Seryu set out to exterminate anyone she deemed evil. AKA, anyone who doesn’t immediately bend to her warped view of justice. That put the Night Raid in her line of fire, and unfortunately, she does quite the number on their ranks. Still, she isn’t satisfied. Even when the Night Raid puts her down for good, Seryu decides to go out with an actual bang. You’ve gotta give Seryu credit for one thing: she was heartless until the very end.

“Tower of God” (2020-) In a world where friends are hard to come by, Bam always had Rachel. He helped her climb the tower, protected her from monsters, and even nursed her back to health when she lost feeling in her legs. So, after all that, how did Rachel repay him? By shoving him to his doom, that’s how. Not only did she betray her one friend, but she had the gall to laugh about it after the fact, too. Even if she is being manipulated, there’s simply no way to forgive Rachel for what she’s done. After all, Bam’s injuries may heal, but his heartbreak is here to stay.

“One Piece” (1999-) To this admiral, “absolute justice” looks a lot like “absolute power” - and you know what they say about that. Akainu was corrupted long before he ever met Luffy and the Straw Hats, and these days, no one is safe from his wrath. Not Whitebeard, not Luffy, and not even a boat of innocent refugees. And yet, beyond all that, Akainu’s biggest sin is that he’s the one who killed Ace. By murdering the person Luffy sacrificed everything to save, Akainu went from an evil villain into an outright irredeemable one. Whitebeard evens the score with a furious punch to the face, but someone like Akainu deserved much, much worse.

“Jujutsu Kaisen” (2020-) Cursed spirits aren’t exactly known for their friendliness. But, this special grade takes it to a whole other level. See, Mahito doesn’t just kill people. He does it with a smile. As if plotting the downfall of humanity isn’t bad enough on its own, it feels extra malicious coming from that same, sadistic smirk. To make matters worse, Mahito’s methods lean toward the cruel and unusual. With one look at what he did to the downtrodden Junpei, it's very obvious how little Mahito cares about human life. Itadori had the right idea: someone like Mahito doesn’t just need to be defeated. They need to be killed.

“Dragon Ball” Franchise Most villains don’t spend their past-time blowing up planets. Then again, Lord Frieza isn’t like “most villains.” He enslaved the Saiyans, blew up their world, and then made them do the same to other races in the galaxy. And that was before the series even started! When Goku and the others caught up to him on Namek, he introduced himself by blasting most of them to pieces. First Vegeta, and then Krillin, and then the entirety of the planet. Frieza's selfishness knows no bounds, and neither does his lust for revenge. In fact, if there’s one thing this space tyrant has taught us, it’s that, even in death, Frieza knows how to hold a grudge.

“Berserk” (1997-98) Some leader this guy is. When Griffith was captured by enemies, Guts and his team gave it their all to get him back. And, in return, he led them all to the slaughter. At the behest of the apostles, Griffith branded the entire Band of the Hawk as blood sacrifices. Then, he sat back and watched as his former allies were eaten alive right in front of him. Although, being devoured by monsters might be getting off easy compared to the unspeakable things Griffith does to Casca. Especially since he makes Guts watch. His pained screams say it all: former friend or not, there’s no coming back from this.

“Sword Art Online” (2012-20) In Alfheim Online, he’s a Fairy King. In the real world, he’s a businessman. But, in both, Oberon is still a Grade-A creep. Without getting into the specifics, let’s just say he subjects Asuna to behavior so reprehensible, it earns him a one-way trip behind bars. Pathetic as always, though, Oberon doesn’t go down without a fit. After Kirito saves Asuna in the game, Oberon tries getting his revenge IRL - and it goes about as well as you’d expect. If there’s a light at the end of this very, very dark tunnel, it’s the look on Oberon’s face when he realizes he’s finally going to pay for everything he’s done.

“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17) The Hidden Leaf village is tainted with generations of pain, hate, and violence. Most of them lead back to one person: Danzo Shimura. Back in the day, it was his manipulation that forced Itachi to slaughter his clan. From there, Danzo tried to kill, cheat, and mind-control his way to the very top of the shinobi world. He claims it’s all for the good of the village. But, it’s obvious from here that Konoha would’ve been much better off without him. The Uchiha certainly would’ve. Considering what he did to their clan, it’s only fitting that Sasuke got the honor of putting Danzo in his place.

“The Rising of the Shield Hero” (2019-) Don’t be fooled by her bubbly exterior. As Naofumi learned the hard way, Princess Malty is all sour, no sweet. Forget about her lavish spending or two-faced personality. Malty went as far as accusing Naofumi of extremely indecent behavior - and for no other reason than to steal his belongings. Keep in mind, she’s a princess. She doesn’t need his money; she just wants to watch him suffer. At the very least, Matly gets exactly what she deserves. That being a new name, courtesy of Naofumi himself. Malty doesn’t love the ring of it, though, and immediately turns around and tries to poison everyone. Some people just never learn.

“Fullmetal Alchemist” (2003-04) There’s not a redemption arc in all of fiction capable of rehabilitating someone like Shou Tucker. He was a horrible man, a horrible scientist, and above all, a horrible father. Despite the threat of the law, Shou conducted grossly inhumane transfiguration experiments using unwilling participants. Including his oblivious daughter, Nina. She was a sweet, innocent girl whose only crime was trusting her own father. Knowing the suffering she endured in the name of Shou’s so-called “science” is almost too much to stomach. In the end, the only solace is that, thanks to Scar, this sick man can never hurt anyone ever again. Which of these villains most deserve a punch to the face? Let us know in the comments below!