Top 10 Scariest Anime Villains: What good is a villain if he cannot scare the viewers or even the protagonist? For the longest time, mainstream cinema has been delving more and more into the trope of humanizing its antagonists. However, many fans complain that due to this new evolution in films, shows, and animes, the horror of meeting the villain is fading away.
Earlier, villains used to be evil without reason. Though it was quite meaningless to see enemies blindly trying to kill the protagonist, it is also something that the fans miss. Nevertheless, there are still many villains that retain the scary quality within themselves. So, if you miss the old villains, then these are some of the characters you can count on. Thus, here is a list of the Top 10 Scariest Anime villains of all time.
Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist)
In the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, fans have seen many sorts of Alchemists come and go. But Shou was the craziest of them all. The state alchemist was not afraid to go to long lengths to finish his experiments. The villain was not only driven by passion, but he was also devoid of any sort of empathy for human life. The best example of this would be when he fused a dog with his daughter to prove his supremacy as an alchemist.
Yagami Light (Death Note)
Even though Yagami Light was the protagonist of Death Note, was still remains the villain of the story. The young high schooler began his journey as a grey character. However, as time passed by, the lines between justice and slaughter blurred in his view. He lost all touch with reality and considered human life to be a figment of Kira’s justice. By the final episode, Light was almost unrecognizable from the boy that he used to be.
Kuro Mado (Tokyo Ghoul)
Much like Yagami Light, Kureo Mado also worked for the authorities to fight the ghouls. However, his lack of regard for human life was something that nudged all his peers. The plans and strategies that he came up with always included some bizarre and creepy murder ideas. While his wits did prove to be helpful to the police authorities, he was still considered an eccentric man. Thus, Kureo is easily one of the most creepy and scary anime villains of all time.
Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)
Tomura Shigaraki is easily one of the scariest characters of My Hero Academia. In the beginning, many fans considered the hero killer Stain to be the scariest of the lot. However, as the story progressed, the brutality and heinousness of Shigaraki began to come out. In one of the fight sequences, Shigaraki disintegrated the entire face of Overhaul into ash. This incident stamped him as one of the Scariest villains of all time.
Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)
Attack on Titan’s protagonist follows almost a similar arc to Yagami Light. Both the boys began their journey young. And as time passed by, they both chose the other road to provide justice to the world. Much like the other villains, Eren is also a tough young boy in terms of brutality. He never flinched at the sight of Titan devouring living humans. When he himself became a Titan, he continued to devour and destroy humans the way Titans was always done.
Thorkell (Vinland Saga)
Usually, the characters of Kings and Lords are not associated with the emotion of horror. However, in this case, Thorkell is one man who could be considered one of the Scariest anime villains of all time. Winning a battle was never enough for Thorkell. In every battle, he would crush his opponent to death and see him wither with pain. Without seeing his enemies shrivel to death, he does not consider a battle won.
Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer)
The less one knows about a villain, the scarier he becomes. This is exactly the case with Demon Slayer’s Muzan Kibutsuji. The main villain of the show has only appeared in the episodes twice or thrice. But the horror he has been able to create with his presence is unmatched. The moment when Tanjiro encountered Muzan in Tokyo street, he injected a family man with his blood and watched his turmoil with a smile.
Freeza (Dragon Ball)
Freeza is considered one of the most brutal anime villains of all time. From his first appearance in Dragon Ball Z, it was clear that this villain was here to stay. Multiple series have gone by, and Freeza’s terror is still unmatched in the DBZ universe. Freeza has often proved that he does not flinch from killing an opponent with the span of a finger. Killing Goku was one of his most glorious moments.
Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)
Another My Hero Academia character that can be counted in this list is Himiko Toga. A villain whose literal quirk is devouring human blood to turn into their clone is scary in itself. Even as a character, Himiko is extremely creepy. Her lust for Deku has always turned out to be a subject of horror for the fans. Hence, she joins the list of some of the Scariest Anime Villains.
Orochimaru (Naruto)
One look at Orochimaru would tell the fans that he is the scariest villain in the anime world. His passion for ninjutsu has lead him to do many horrifying things to other people. Ever since the beginning, Orochimaru has not been scared of killing people. In fact, it almost became like a hobby for him to make a kill list of all his enemies.
This concludes the list of the Top 10 Scariest anime villains. Do tell us in the comment section which of these characters scares you the most. For more such exciting listicles, keep coming back to The Anime Daily.