Top 20 Best Digimon Villains

Top 20 Digimon Villains

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Top 10 Digimon Villains

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most iconic or impactful antagonists in the “Digimon” franchise.

There’s nothing inherently wrong about wanting Digidestined to remain with their digital partners forever. Although, kidnapping people across the globe and reverting them back to children is a bit excessive. To Menoa, however, it’s worth it. She knows the pain of losing your Digimon, and if she had her way, no one else would ever experience it, again. You can’t help but relate to her plight, especially since this movie isn’t called the “Last Evolution” for nothing. Tai and Matt stop her plan in the end, but that doesn’t make the message any less affecting. If anything, Menoa’s stint as a villain proved exactly why it was time for “Digimon” to grow up.

While it may look warm and cuddly, you really don’t want to catch Meiko’s partner on a bad day. Due to a virus in its data, Meicoomon has a nasty habit of going berserk and attacking anything around her, even Meiko herself. The Digidestined try to stop her, but that only triggers a dark digivolution into Meicrackmon, and later, Ordinemon. It’s one thing to beat up a bad guy, and another to destroy a former friend. Then again, when the entire human world is at stake, there isn’t much of a choice. The tragic circumstances turn Meicoomon into a one-of-a-kind adversary that’s more pitiable than sinister.

Digidestined, beware. No matter what medium, Cherubimon is a force to be reckoned with. In “The Digimon Movie,” he’s a corrupt digital partner who tries to capture his former tamer, Wallace, by whatever means necessary. Even if it means destroying the Digidestined. If that sounds bad, wait until you hear what the “Frontier” gang deals with. There, Cherubimon is a fallen archangel trying to conquer the entire Digital World. In both appearances, Cherubimon is sadistic, all-powerful, and extremely difficult to take down. Hey, on the bright side, Cherubimon does have a purified form that uses his power for good - it’s just buried really, really deep.

Following up the impossibly creepy Devimon, “Digimon Adventure” opted for a villain with a bit more “personality.” Introducing Etemon, master of the Dark Network and… Elvis impressions? Odd English dub quirks aside, Etemon’s charming villainy forced the team to reevaluate their strategy, leading to some downright legendary moments. By the time MetalGreymon rockets Etemon into oblivion, it’s almost sad to see him and his Elvis impression go. Luckily, the fiend later returns for an encore as MetalEtemon. His second act isn’t as long as the first. He basically shows up, cracks a few jokes, and promptly goes blasting off again. Like any good musician, Etemon always leaves you wanting more.

Seeing is believing. Unless, of course, you're Yukio Oikawa. Led by a promise to a deceased friend, the disgruntled crook sought to weaken the barrier between the human and digital words, regardless of the consequences. In doing so, Oikawa nearly destroyed everything. And yet, it’s hard to judge him too harshly. Beneath the slimy veneer, he’s just a kid who wants a Digimon. Plus, Oikawa’s story isn’t all doom and gloom.We’d be remiss not to mention his lackeys, Arukenimon and Mummymon, who take the buddy-cop grunt trope to new, hilarious heights (xref). Whether through compelling character work or dimwitted hijinks, these three made sure “02’s” villains were some to remember.

Meet Gammamon. He’s a young, well-meaning Digimon with four different champion forms. The first three are friendly. The last one, though? Not so much. Still, GulusGammamon is so much more than your average evil transformation. For one, the mystery behind his insidious motives are the driving force of “Ghost Game’s” entire narrative. Can you blame them? GulusGammamon is cool, intriguing, vicious, and above all, deadly. And that’s before he digivolves into Regulusmon. Afterwards, it took the might of three Megas just to keep him at bay. Based on that, there’s a good reason “Ghost Game” never had to introduce another main antagonist. GulusGamammon was all it needed.

Most recurring villains show up, cause some mischief, and quickly get sent packing. But, in a refreshing change of pace, Ogremon actually gets a fully fleshed-out character arc. While it clashed horns with Greymon on more than a few occasions, the troll Digimon eventually learned to respect his own strength above that of his evil boss, Devimon. Then, as atonement, Ogremon points Tai towards Devimon’s base, and sacrifices himself. It’s a surprisingly empowering end to what could’ve been a one-note villain. Or, it would’ve been, if this was actually Ogremon’s end. Later, he shows up again as the newly-evolved Rebellimon, giving this former villain the happy ending he deserves.

Born from the corrupt spirit of darkness, it’s really no wonder Duskmon was such a thorn in the Digidestined’s side. Actually, scratch that. He’s a problem for anyone who gets in his way, full-stop. Just ask Arbormon. He’s even less merciful to the “Frontier” team. Not even their Beast Spirits were enough to compete with Duskmon’s menacing bloodlust. Then, just when it seems it can’t get any worse, the other shoe drops. Duskmon is actually Koichi, fellow Digidestined Koji’s twin brother. Talk about an awkward family reunion. From unstoppable adversary to mind-controlled ally, Duskmon runs the gamut of entertaining villainy. Despite what Koichi says, that’s a good thing in our book.

The Bagra Army isn’t something to take lightly; especially with generals like Lilithmon. She’s a cunning strategist who conquered entire zones of the Digital World on nothing more than a whim. The worst part? She barely had to lift a finger. Lilithmon’s signature gameplan is getting others to fight for her. Sometimes, even creating new fusions in the process. But, don’t worry, Lilithmon can still fight when the need arises. While her Phantom Pain attacks do plenty of damage, once she merges with Blastmon, the appropriately named Evilbeast Lilithmon is a threat to the whole Digital World. Whoever said you can’t have beauty and brawn has clearly never met Lilithmon.

When it comes to nefarious schemes, attempting to blow all of Tokyo off the face of the Earth is pretty high on the list. But, that’s just Diaboromon for you. As a living internet virus, it wreaked havoc on the world by shutting down banks, disconnecting phone lines, and, oh yeah, launching the aforementioned nukes. Did we mention it can multiply, too? It took the debut of fan-favorite Omnimon to defeat it for good, and even then, they only scraped by with a few seconds to spare. We have to give credit where it’s due. There may never be another “Digimon” villain that comes so close to literally destroying the world.

#10: The D-Reaper

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Talk about apocalyptic. While originally designed by humans as a program in order to keep the Digital World in check, it soon ended up mutating to the point where it became a threat to both humans and Digimon alike, taking the form of a sentient blob-like creature that even managed to put multiple Mega Digimon through their paces. If that wasn’t scary enough, it goes on to use the traumatic memories of Jeri as a way to learn more about humans, bringing up some creepy imagery.

#9: Black WarGreymon

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By far one of the most morally complex characters in the franchise, despite being born from the corrupt nature of one hundred control spires, this Digimon was above all else a warrior trying to forge his own path. He managed to cripple the Digidestined on multiple occasions, brought about all kinds of calamity, and yet through it all became intrigued about the nature of the heart. He may look like a darker version of WarGreymon, but this character was well and truly his own.

The first true villain of Digimon, this malicious being more than lives up to his demonic appearance. Whether he’s infecting innocent Digimon with the Black Gears or by administering the appropriately named Touch of Evil, Devimon’s presence is felt all throughout File Island. Of course he’s not above getting his hands dirty either, and nearly managed to kill off Tai and company during their final confrontation, only to be defeated after getting a fistful of Angemon. He may not be the most complicated of individuals, but he certainly set a solid foundation for all antagonists that followed.

Regardless of any initial impressions you might have, trust us, this guy is anything but heavenly. The being responsible for the chaotic state of the Digital World, this tyrant loves nothing more than to play mind games with both the Legendary Warriors as well as his own subordinates. As if his cruelty and god complex weren’t bad enough, he’s also got some serious power under that toga. With both his Chaos and Shadowlord forms, he was but a breath away from bringing about the end of the human world. Luckily it’s nothing a Celestial Blade to the side can’t fix.

What’s worse than a scary clown? How about a scary clown armed with four swords, a psychotic mindset and desire to slaughter everything he comes across. As the leader of the Dark Masters, Piedmon wasn’t only more terrifying than Puppetmon, but was even stronger than titans like Machindramon and MetalSeadramon. His strength was astounding, his clownish attributes were unnerving, and in many ways stood as the last true antagonist for the original Digidestined to fight against. Nothing against his follow-up, Apocalymon, but the psycho-jester was in a different league altogether.

The simplicity in this guy is almost admirable, he has one mission and one mission alone; destroy everything! As the leader of the Bagra army, this antagonist proved to be quite the obstacle for the Fusion Fighters, to the point where the only way to beat him involved our hero literally absorbing every single Digimon in existence. Though what would you expect from someone known around the Digital World as the Sage of Death? The guy was even willing to kill and absorb his own brother!

For the majority of the series, Impmon was nothing more than an annoyance that the Tamers and their partners had to deal with on repeated occasions. He could be loud and crass but he certainly wasn’t any kind of threat. That is until he digivolved into his Mega form, got himself a motorcycle as well as a brand new murderous attitude - then he became very threatening. While he would ultimately go on to redeem himself, there’s no denying Beelzemon made quite the impact as a villain. Killing Leomon with his bare hands? We’re still not over that.

#3: Dr Kurata & Belphemon

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One is a legendary being known for its unparalleled thirst for destruction, and the other is a cowardly human researcher with delusions of grandeur. Put them together and what do you get? Enough brain and brawn to bring ruin to both worlds. Due to his megalomaniac tendencies and utter fear for Digimon in general, Dr. Kurata decides to use Belphemon’s untold power to try and make his twisted dreams a reality…even if he ends up as nothing more than a face inside the belly of the beast.

#2: The Digimon Emperor

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As always, you can count on humanity to make things a million times worse. A child prodigy who saw himself as the rightful ruler of the Digital World, Ken Ichijouji kept up the persona of a perfect student as a cover for his villainous activities as the self-proclaimed Digimon Emperor, loving nothing more than turning Digimon into his slaves thanks to the mind-control effect of the Dark Rings. While he would eventually abandon his evil ways and join the Digidestined, as far as human antagonists go, Ken remains the king.

If Dracula were a Digimon, had an unbelievable amount of swag and a stubborn refusal to stay dead, then you’d probably get this guy. Not only did he nearly manage to defeat the Digidestined multiple times, bring war to the human world, pull off one hell of a wardrobe, Myotismon is also damn hard to get rid of. Blown to pieces by an Angewomon? Just come back as the petrifying VenomMyotismon. Get your demon crotch torn open by WarGreymon? Make a dramatic return in the sequel series as MaloMyotismon. Possessing style, substance and all manner of delicious evilness, they don’t make them like this guy anymore. Who’s your favorite Digimon villain? Let us know if it made our rank in the comments below!