Top 10 Worst Anime Filler Villains (Ft. Todd Haberkorn)
For this list, we'll be looking at the antagonists in anime who not only had nothing to do with a series' canonical content but who were also just terrible characters in their own right. Get ready for immense disappointment and a whole bunch of wasted time.
#10: Shiranami
“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17) There’s generic, and then there’s this guy. It’s honestly hard to choose which is more disappointing; this ninja’s motivations or the fact his arc stalled Naruto’s upcoming battle with Pain. Wanting to take control of a forbidden jutsu purely for profit, Shiranami’s apathetic attitude came across more annoying than sinister. Just another ninja roadblock for Naruto to eventually overcome, all the while the Six Tails user Utakata just casually sat in the background. The franchise may have seen worse villains (ahem) which we’ll get to later (ahem) but for boring us to tears, this generic dude still deserves to be shamed.
#9: Alois Trancy
“Black Butler II” (2010) Considering this entire sequel season is compiled of filler, this brat of a character is more than fair game. Yes, we do feel bad that he was abused in the past, and it is nice to see his personality radically contrast with Ciel’s, apart for their tendency to cross-dress of course, but for all his sadism, this rich kid just came across as rather…melodramatic? The fact his whole character boiled down to wanting to make sweet vice with his own demonic butler made him feel like nothing than a yaoi fanboy as opposed to Ciel’s intellectual equal.
#8: Baron Maximilian
“Ultimate Muscle” (2002-04) On paper, the idea of Kid Muscle and his wrestling buddies taking on a group of vengeful and dangerous criminals in the ring sounds pretty sweet. Unfortunately, the final boss failed to live up to his potential, at least when compared to other top notch challengers like Mars and Kevin Mask. With weak motivations and a rather lacklustre fight, not even the Baron’s multiple transformations could save him from mediocrity. Maybe if he had stuck with the whole magician schtick he would have made for a more interesting opponent, but as it stands, he made for one of the shallower obstacles that Kid has left busted on the mat.
#7: Eric
“One Piece” (1999-) In any other show, this guy might have had a chance at standing out of the crowd. After all, he’s a shades-wearing Devil Fruit user that can create wind sickles to decapitate any pirate he comes across. Alas, when compared to the rest of One Piece’s phenomenal cast of villains, Eric falls woefully short. Not only did he barely pose a threat to Luffy, but he was so paper thin that he’s pretty much the least interesting thing about the whole Warship Island arc. Admit it, you remember the dragons and totally forgot about the Aerosmith reject.
#6: The Traitor Arrancar
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“Bleach” (2004-12) The idea of a civil war taking place in Las Noches between the Arrancar loyal to Aizen and those that seek independence from his rule sounds epic. A pity they screwed it all up by focusing on three of the weakest excuses for Hollows we have ever seen. Let’s be honest here people; Patros, Menis and Aldegor were a sorry lot that were never going to amount to anything. Their bland personalities combined with their uninspired battles with the Gotei 13 made us somehow long for the days of the Bounts. Talk about a waste.
#5: Burami
"Naruto: Shippuden" (2007-17) The Chuunin exams made up for some of the most investing and downright thrilling moments of the original series. Just a shame that its pseudo-spiritual successor was such a let down. By all means show us how the rest of the cast went up in rank, but at the very least make it an interesting watch! Instead all we got was Kiba going up against this plump ninja who uses sweat-based jutsu in order to snatch victory. Yes, it's as gross as it sounds. The gimmick wears thin, Burami himself is devoid of any development save for his over-used sweat glands, and the fact we're watching Kiba of all people bring him down just makes this plus-size a truly forgettable shinobi.
#4: Daphne
“Fairy Tail” (2009-) Oh no. Oh no no no. We aren’t going to down this route again. Are you really going to make me revisit the time where I had to beat the seven bells out of Gray in order to knock some sense to him after he joined forces with a crazy magic saleswoman? What do you mean I’m remembering it wrong? What do you mean Gray nearly bested me? What do you mean she was trying to create an artificial dragon? What do you mean it was all a ruse and Gray ended up outwitting me? That’s it! I’m burning this entire arc! FIRE DRAGON’S ROAR!
#3: Aritomi Haruki
"A Certain Scientific Railgun S" (2013) It says a lot when one manages to take the tired old trope of crazed scientist with esteem issues and make it even duller. Annoyed over the fact that robotics have been pushed aside in an esper-filled society, the good doctor here decides to show Academy City what he's made of by sending out random mechs to blow shit up, all the while contemplating how misunderstood he is, blah, blah blah. You've heard it all before. Naturally his plans crumble when Misaka comes a calling and gives his robot friends a taste of her railgun. This guy sucks so hard at life that he even failed at taking his own. Way to give mad scientists everywhere a bad name!
#2: The Big Five
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“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04) Because that’s exactly what this show was missing; disgruntled former company executives! After trapping Yugi and the gang in cyberspace, its revealed that the masterminds behind this literal lifehack were none other than five old guys that Kaiba once fired. The idea of having them use monster cards as digital avatars was neat, but things quickly went south when one is revealed to be obsessed with penguins. Not to mention the time they all of the took over Tristan’s body for their own wicked ways. On second thought maybe HR should have been contacted…
#1: Tiger Mizuki
“Naruto” (2002-07) Quite possibly the lowest point in Naruto’s long history of filler, what could have been an opportunity for creative freedom just ended up serving as the pinnacle of laziness when they reintroduced this guy. That’s right, they brought back the villain from the very first episode and…turned him into a tiger hybrid. Because…it worked out well for One Piece? Unfortunately, despite getting a new fluffy wardrobe, Mizuki’s second coming turned out to be even more forgettable and underwhelming than his debut. An achievement unto itself when you look like you just came off the Lion King musical.