15 Jaden/Judai Yuki (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)
Jaden isn’t exactly evil, but he was possessed by an evil spirit that caused a lot of trouble. When he turned into the Supreme King, he killed most of his friends. The Supreme King slaughtered villages of dual spirits and oppressed others that survived. For the short time that he was around, the Supreme King did not only a lot of physical damage but lasting mental damage.
After getting his body back, Jaden is very distant from his friends because he fears bringing danger to them. By the end of the series, he gets back to his old self, but it takes a while for him to recover.
14 Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
He’s a good guy now, but Sasuke spent a good chunk of his time on Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden as the bad guy. He betrayed his friends and the Konoha village just so he could get more power. All because he wanted to get revenge against his brother Itachi. Even when he learned the truth, he sought to destroy the village that Itachi secretly protected.
Sasuke has committed countless crimes and has tried to kill Naruto and the others. Thankfully, he’s on the side of good now, but it was after Naruto beat some sense into him.
13 Annie Leonhart (Attack On Titan)
Annie doesn’t ask for anyone’s pity or for them to understand her motives. All she wanted was to see her father again and didn’t care who got hurt or killed to do so. She was part of the 104th Cadet Corps along with Eren, Mikasa, and the others. She and Mikasa had a rather tense rivalry, but it seemed like Annie was a strong female character.
That all changed when it was revealed she’s the Female Titan. In this form, she killed many soldiers, including the First Special Operations Squad, all to complete her mission to capture Eren. After she was defeated, she sealed herself up in a crystal and stayed like this for four years. When she was free, she was unapologetic and knows all that she’s done is irreparable, but is willing to help Mikasa and the others stop Eren.
12 Isabella (The Promised Neverland)
While it’s a little understandable why Isabella did what she did, it’s just hard to forgive her. She willingly took kids away to be devoured by demons all the while being a mother figure to them. While she did genuinely care about the kids under her care (in her own twisted way), she wasn’t afraid to hurt them for trying to escape or learning the truth. She willingly broke Emma’s leg then comforted her in a motherly fashion.
She became a Mama to save herself after learning the truth about the demons. Isabella was an orphan herself and saw many of her friends get sacrificed and made her only think about her own survival. However, she’s not completely evil and showed that she truly wishes the best for Emma and the others who escaped, gracefully accepting defeat.
11 Shiro (Deadman Wonderland)
She may seem sweet, but Shiro is the reason why Ganta is in Deadman Wonderland and why he’s accused of murdering his classmates. At first, she seems a little odd, childlike, but sweet overall. However, she has a dark secret. It turns out that Shiro was the one responsible for the murders. Her other personality, the Wretched Egg, is a vicious and sadistic persona. Shiro is aware of the Wretched Egg’s existence and they live in relative peace with each other.
Shiro was experimented on throughout her childhood that caused her to develop the Wretched Egg to cope with her pain and suffering. Both personalities wanted Ganta to become a Deadman in hopes that he would kill them.
10 Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)
Fans of Attack on Titan watched Eren go from wanting to exterminate all titans in the world to protect humanity to being one of its greatest threats. As the series went on, Eren was willing to kill innocent civilians, manipulate others, and use other unethical means to complete his goals.
Deep down, Eren is still a good guy, but it’s clear that everything that’s happened has taken its toll on him. Getting to the point that he’s unable to tell past, present, and future from each other because of his abilities, Eren could only focus on the end goal no matter the cost: kill all titans.
9 Straizo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Straizo was a supporting character in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood and helped Jonathan Joestar during the series. After Jonathan’s death, Erina gave the female baby she and Jonathan saved, and he raised the baby girl, known as Lisa Lisa, as his own daughter. However, during the events of Phantom Blood, fans saw that he was intrigued by the powers of vampires which foreshadowed what was to come.
In Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency, Straizo becomes a vampire and becomes an enemy to Joseph Joestar. He knew the Joestar family would be a great threat and targeted them. His reasons for doing all this was to keep his youth and power. After his defeat, he was happy to die in his prime rather than die of old age and weakness.
8 Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Kyubey proves that being a cute sidekick doesn’t necessarily mean being good. This deceptive character makes contracts with normal girls to turn them into magical girls. However, Kyubey fails to mention this power comes in exchange for their souls.
There’s also the devastating fact that they’re more or less fated to become witches; the beings that magical girls fight. It also doesn’t help that Kyubey doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong and impassive towards the girls.
7 Lelouch vi Britannia/Lamperouge (Code Geass)
Lelouch pledged to create a better world for everyone. He started off with the right intentions, but his moral compass switches real quick. He’s cold in battle and willing to sacrifice civilians and soldiers if it means achieving his goals. Lelouch sees most casualties as just consequences of his actions and that the end justifies the means.
Despite this, Lelouch is a very kind and loving brother to Nunally. Plus, he’s still loyal to Suzaku even though they’re usually on opposite sides.
6 SÅsuke Aizen (Bleach)
Aizen seemed like a soft-spoken, calm, and collected man who dedicated his life to the Soul Society. Many looked up to him, and he was a well-respected captain among his subordinates. He was known to be polite and usually would make small-talk with anyone he conversed with.
Little did anyone know, he was secretly planning to overthrow the king. His true nature is that of a cold, cruel, and selfish man, the complete opposite of what he presented at first. He purposely makes small talk with his enemies to get them riled up, so they can make mistakes. He’s manipulated others and doesn’t care for any of his subordinates, considering them pawns.
5 Gaku Yashiro (Erased)
Seeing Gaku become a villainous figure was something to look at because it was a bit surprising. As a teacher, it seemed like he genuinely cared about his students and would help them in every way he can. When his true nature was revealed, it was especially shocking for Satoru because he looked up to him as a father-figure.
Gaku was revealed to be a child murderer and the one Satorou was looking for when he went back in time. He enjoyed killing and did it for a long time. The only one who seemed semi-safe from his murderous tendencies was Satorou, but their relationship is a very complicated one. Their relationship is more like a rivalry, but it’s something that gave Gaku purpose.
4 Ryo Asuka/Satan (Devilman Crybaby)
Considering he’s actually Satan, it’s no surprise about Ryo being a villain. He’s the reason why Akira has a demon inside him. At first, he seemed like a good friend and support to Akira, but this was because he had his own motives.
He has an aversion for demons, but he was willing to use Akira as a means to an end. Ryo/Satan may love Akira in his own twisted way, but he doesn’t take Akira’s feelings over everything into consideration and is oblivious to the pain he’s put him through.
3 Tetsuo Shima (Akira)
Tetsuo is a prime example of what happens when power is given to the wrong person. He seemed like a decent guy at the beginning of the movie and a good friend to Kaneda. However, it was obvious that he had an inferiority complex and hid his insecurities behind his temper and aggression. After getting his psychic powers, Tetsuo set off to find Akira and didn’t care who got in his way.
He killed Yamagata, a member of The Capsules, showing he doesn’t care much for the gang or its members. Tetsuo also used his powers against the military and civilians, harming if not killing a lot of them. When he and Kaneda confronted each other, he tried to attack him too. Perhaps it was poetic justice that the powers he carelessly used would be his downfall as using them grotesquely mutated his body to epic proportions.
2 Light Yagami (Death Note)
Light started off using the Death Note to take out criminals and had a strong sense of justice. However, once L entered the scene, he began his journey into becoming the villain of Death Note. Fearing that he would lose his power and get caught, Light began to meticulously and slowly pick anyone who was a threat to him off. Manipulating Misa and Rem, killing Raye Penber and Naomi Misora, and killing his biggest threat: L.
He started off with the right intentions and wasn’t a completely heartless person. After temporarily losing his memories, Light showed reluctance to use others and not wanting to kill. It’s clear that having the Death Note changed him for the worse.
1 Griffith (Berserk)
A man that committed one of the biggest and most memorable betrayals in anime history. Fans of Berserk knew Griffith was ambitious in his goals, but no one was ready for what he did. He sacrificed most of the Band of the Hawk to become part of the God Hand and become Femto. Then, he branded and tortured Guts and Casca, who were the only surviving members of the event. This betrayal led Guts on his dark path of revenge, swearing to kill Griffith.
His betrayal led to Casca becoming catatonic and a shell of her former self. It led Guts to travel alone and be wary of trusting others. When he returns to Earth, Griffith feels absolutely no remorse for sacrificing his former comrades, even telling Guts that he should’ve known he was like this all along. To think, all of this happened because Griffith’s pride was hurt when Guts’ defeated him.
More: Anime Where The Villain Wins
