Top 10 Evil Anime Protagonists

“Excel Saga” (1999-2000) Bubbly, enthusiastic, and willing to do whatever it takes to please her commanding officer, even if it means causing no end of death and destruction. Yes, Excel is primarily a comedic figure, but even as she’s parodying all manner of genres, her antics always end up with everyone in the immediate vicinity meeting a sticky end. Doesn’t stop us from loving her any less, even when she does make frequent assassinations attempts or whatever else her darling Il Palazzo demands of her.

“Future Diary” (2011-12) She’s the yandere face of the entire franchise, hacking and slashing her way through anybody who gets in the way of her happiness. While we will never know why she would be obsessed with someone as beta as Yuki, this pink-haired killing machine is willing to do whatever it takes to guarantee their love. This includes slaughtering her way through the survival game and decapitating anyone who makes bedroom eyes at her wannabe hubby. Not even Yuki is safe from her rage, though to her credit, he does kind of ask for it…

“M.D Geist” (1986) They don’t call this guy the most dangerous soldier for nothing. As an experimental warrior kept in suspended animation after the rest of his kind go berserk, Geist finds himself enrolled into a new conflict when he crashes on Jerra, immediately having to battle his way up the food chain. Now, this might paint him as a grizzled lone hero of sorts, but he kind of loses that title by the end when he unleashes an army of machines deadset on consuming all like on the planet. Naughty, naughty.

“School Days” (2007) While he might look like your run of the mill, bland as bread rom-com lead, Makoto is an evil unto himself. How so? Well unlike all those other characters that suddenly find themselves at the centre of a high school romance, this callous and uncaring douche decides that just one girl isn’t enough. Cheating on one after the next, Makoto’s despicable attitude towards women not only mentally breaks his first girlfriend, but also leads to his best friend stabbing him to death in revenge for how he cheated on her as well. Nice boat tho.

#6: Alucard

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“Hellsing Ultimate” (2006-12) While this vampire gets some serious brownie points for gunning down Nazis, he’s still quite the monster. In service to the Hellsing Organisation, the former count loves nothing more than being let loose and tearing apart whatever enemy he gets his hands on. As long as he gets the go ahead from Sir Integra, there’s nobody he wouldn’t reduce to bloody chunks, even average humans. Unless you’re an ally or enemy that has earned his respect, then you’re basically spare blood.

“Himouto! Umaru-chan” (2015; 2017) Don’t try to tell us that this little hellspawn isn’t a villain. Acting like the perfect student, only to turn into a demon in an orange hoodie when no one is around, her obsession with junk food and video games only matched by the ferocity of her tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. She ticks so many boxes when it comes to your classic anime villain that it’s almost scary. While you’re bound to tear out your own hair after the umpteenth outburst, she’ll still try to win you back with that innocent façade a second later. Damn you, Umaru!

“Fate/Zero” (2011-12) If you want something as grotesque as the Fourth Holy Grail War to go your way, then you’re going to have to play dirty. While we can certainly understand the motivations behind why Kiritsugu played the game the way he did, it’s easy to see why Saber was so pissed at him for how he did so. Setting his wife as bait, trying to cheat the rules, assassinating the other Masters and Servants with underhanded means, this so-called Champion of Justice cut way too many corners while trying to save the world. Shame that the price turned out to be a tad too high in the end.

“Saga of Tanya the Evil” (2017) The title kind of gives it a way. After finding himself being sent to a parallel world in the body of a young girl, Tanya is given a new lease on life, one that involves killing a lot of enemy soldiers with magic and the most terrifying murder face you will have ever see. Needless to say, she’s not happy about her reincarnation, despite how much she obviously enjoys the killing part, and so sets her sights on taking out the one person who put her in this position to begin with; God.

“Overlord” (2015-2018) Sorry to all of you who thought that deep down Bone Daddy was still traversing the anti-hero route. However, if his most recent antics are anything to go by, there’s no doubt he’s truly embraced his role as that of a villain. In order to bring the Great Tomb of Nazarick to glory, Ainz has not only committed unspeakable atrocities but also great deceptions over those who would view him as a selfless ally. Killing 70,000 soldiers, leading a group of adventurers to their doom, tricking an entire kingdom’s populace into submission – the Sorcerer King has got it made!

“Death Note” (2006-07) We won’t deny watching this genius student think his way out of impossible situations was what made the anime such a gem, but let’s be honest here… Light is a villain through and through. Using the Death Note in order to become the God of the New World, the man known as Kira dropped countless bodies in the name of his personal crusade, including plenty of innocents. Consumed by hubris and pride of divine proportions, Light talks a big game about justice, but his desires are that of a bright lad whose messiah complex got way out of control…