Gintama may thrive on comedy, but Shinsuke Takasugi’s story gives it real weight. Once Gintoki’s comrade in the Joui War, he turns his anger toward the corrupt world that destroyed their teacher’s ideals. His revenge feels personal and painful, making him less a villain and more a man who never stopped bleeding from the same wound as the hero. | © Sentai Filmworks
Jujutsu Kaisen gives its villain, Suguru Geto, a tragic edge that makes him hard to hate. Once Gojo’s closest friend, he turns against the Jujutsu world after losing faith in humanity’s worth. Even after his death, his ideals, and the body that carries them, continue to shape the story, proving that in this world, curses aren’t born evil – they’re made. | © Crunchyroll
My Hero Academia turns Tomura Shigaraki from a chaotic villain into a tragic mirror of the hero society that failed him. Once a frightened child named Tenko Shimura, he becomes the ruthless leader of the League of Villains, driven by pain and disillusionment. His rise forces you to wonder if he’s the monster or simply what that world created. | © Funimation
Dr. Stone turns the fall of civilization into a battle of ideals. Senku rebuilds the world through science, while Tsukasa dreams of starting over by erasing the corrupt past, even if it means wiping out progress itself. He’s calm, powerful, and convinced he’s right, making it hard not to admire him even as he becomes the story’s enemy. | © Crunchyroll
Overlord turns the idea of a power fantasy into something dark and fascinating. Trapped in a game world as Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga rules with absolute authority, commanding loyal followers who see him as a god. His calm, calculated control makes him both terrifying and oddly admirable, a villain who builds his own empire one ruthless decision at a time. | © Crunchyroll
Fate/Zero turns the Holy Grail War into a clash of ideals as much as power. Among its many masters and servants, it’s hard not to sympathize with villains like Kiritsugu or Kirei, whose twisted logic feels painfully human. Every fight becomes a test of belief and ambition, revealing that in this war, even the cruellest motives can carry a strange kind of truth. | © Madman Entertainment
Berserk builds one of anime’s most haunting betrayals through Griffith’s rise and fall. As the leader of the Band of the Hawk, his ambition feels noble until he sacrifices everything, including his friends, to become a godlike monster. The tragedy is that even after his transformation, part of you still understands him, because Berserk makes ambition look as human as it is horrifying. | © Madman Entertainment
Psycho-Pass makes it almost too easy to side with Shogo Makishima, the man trying to tear down a world ruled by algorithms. He exposes the cracks in the Sibyl System, a society where justice is automated and freedom is an illusion. Brilliant, calm, and terrifyingly persuasive, Makishima forces you to wonder whether the real villain is him or the system he’s fighting. | © Funimation
Vinland Saga makes it hard not to respect its so-called villains. Askeladd may be a mercenary and a manipulator, but every move he makes is guided by wit, loyalty, and a quiet dream of protecting his homeland. His choices blur the line between hero and monster, showing that in a world built on conquest, survival often looks like betrayal. | © Netflix
Monster builds one of anime’s most chilling villains in Johan Liebert, a man so calm and intelligent that evil feels almost logical in his hands. After being saved by Dr. Tenma, he becomes the center of a web of murders, manipulation, and moral questions. The more you learn about Johan’s past, the harder it is to look away, even as you realize you’re rooting for the monster himself. | © VIZ Media
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure makes its villains so bold and stylish you can’t help but admire them. From Dio’s ruthless charisma to Kira’s eerie obsession with perfection, each antagonist feels as larger-than-life as the heroes they face. Their power, confidence, and flair turn every battle into more than a fight – it’s a clash of personalities where evil can be just as magnetic as good. | © Viz Media
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood gives its villains layers that make them hard to hate. Scar seeks revenge for the slaughter of his people, and Greed just wants freedom in a world built on control. Even Father, driven by his hunger for godhood, mirrors humanity’s worst flaws, making every fight feel like a struggle between broken ideals, not pure good and evil. | © Manga Entertainment
Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc changes how we see villains. Meruem starts as a ruthless king determined to rule over humans, but meeting the quiet girl Komugi slowly changes him. By the end, he’s no longer just a monster: you want him to live, even if you know he can’t. | © Viz Media
Attack on Titan starts as a story about survival and ends as a meditation on revenge, freedom, and moral collapse. Eren Yeager’s transformation from hero to destroyer feels both inevitable and heartbreaking, as he turns his rage against the entire world. By the time the Rumbling begins, it’s impossible not to understand him, even as he becomes the monster. | © Crunchyroll
Death Note makes it disturbingly easy to side with the villain. Light Yagami starts with a sense of justice, using the Death Note to punish criminals, but his obsession with control quickly turns him into something far darker. As he outsmarts police, rivals, and even gods of death, the line between righteousness and tyranny disappears, and somehow, you still catch yourself rooting for him. | © Viz Media
Some villains aren’t just evil – they’re fascinating, wounded, or even right in their own way. These anime blur the line between hero and antagonist, making it hard not to cheer for the so-called bad guys. They’re not the usual picks, but each one shows how compelling evil can be when it feels human.
