Top 20 Most TERRIFYING Anime Villains

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Top 20 Terrifying Anime Villains

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Top 10 Terrifying Anime Villains

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Terrifying Anime Villains.

For this list, we’re looking over the antagonists in anime who filled us with dread every step of the way! Look out for spoilers ahead, and let us know your favorite fearsome anime foe in the comments!

“Ranking of Kings” (2021-22)

Once a chivalrous soul, this Prince of the Underworld soon became its most feared killer after the curse of his immortality drove him insane. Though it did nothing to dull his combat senses. Adorned in grim armor and fascinated with causing others pain, Ouken is a beast in battle who can even bring the likes of the Big Four to heel. Break his sword, take off his head – it won’t matter, Ouken will keep coming back for another helping.

“Rurouni Kenshin” (1996-98)

Now this is what a Manslayer looks like. A ruthless anarchist seeking to bring down those who left him a burned husk, Shishio’s sword skills are beyond the pale, to the extent even Kenshin was barely able to match his strength. He’s also willing to do whatever it takes to win – taking a bite out of his opponents, setting them ablaze, even stabbing through his lover just to get a lucky strike in. The only reason Kenshin was able to walk away the winner in their final duel was that the strain of the fight caused Shishio to combust! The man is nothing if not driven, and that’s what’s so sinister about him.

“The Case Study of Vanitas” (2021-22)

Turns out even vampires have something to fear. Though that’s not surprising when it’s a shadowy entity that can warp their minds and drive them into puppets just by learning their name. Considering humans and vampires alike to be her playthings, Naenia is capable of twisting their natures by abusing and altering their true name, and in turn can mold them into whatever it desires. Bloodsuckers beware.

“Wonder Egg Priority” (2021)

Yes, we are well aware that in the context of the anime itself – Frill can be seen as the sole reason it went off the rails and ruined what was viewed as a masterpiece in the making. However, as an isolated character, Frill is haunting in all the right ways. An artificial human whose jealousy and possessiveness of her father figures leads her to influence young girls all over the world to take their own lives. Oh, and she creates plant people to carry out her will when she wants a guaranteed death. Canonically – terrible. Conceptually – terrifying.

“Bungo Stray Dogs” (2016-)

And you thought that Fyodor was bad. A member of the lunatic brigade known as Decay of the Angel, Nikolai and his cohorts are all about destruction and control, something that he’s frighteningly good at despite being obviously insane. With an ability that allows him to manipulate space, the jester can pull literally anything out of his coat, making him lethal in battle. He’s also excessively difficult to kill. Given how he was able to shrug off getting chainsaw’ed in half. The only thing scarier is his inability to stop laughing and making those crappy jokes!

“Knights of Sidonia” (2014-15)

By themselves, the Gauna are already some of the most disgusting and dangerous creatures to ever grace the cosmos, after all, they did end up breaking the Earth in two. What could be worse than that? How about one that takes on the form of a blood-soaked mecha that frequently uses the voice of deceased lovable character Shizuka. As such, this creature not only is able to fight the rest of the Garde pilots on equal footing but also taunt them with the voice of their fallen comrade.

“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14)

While each of the royal guards are horrifying in their own right, none quite match the primal fear inflicted by this Chimera Ant behemoth. Not only does Youpi possess extraordinary power when it comes to punching the guts out of Hunters, but should he be overcome with rage, you’ll likely see him transform into either a blood-curdling mass of tendrils or a warmongering centaur. Though whichever form he may take, only one thing is certain. Death.

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#13: Mad Pierrot

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“Cowboy Bebop” (1998-99)

A classic one-shot anime villain who is celebrated for their crazy debut even to this day – this bloated assassin may have more than a few screws loose, but he’s a genius when it comes to using a variety of weapons to eliminate his target, to the extent he nearly took out Spike Spiegel during their first encounter. While his deliberating fear of cats ultimately spelled his doom, you have to admire how such an unorthodox character was able to come so close to offering the Space Cowboy. Can you imagine if this
was the last face you saw?

“Re:Zero –Starting life in Another World-” (2016-)

With his freaky appearance and tendency to contort his body during conversations, this Sin Archbishop was unsettling enough as is. However, things got worse when he managed to get his hands-on Subaru and Rem, using his magic to torture them in a truly heinous fashion, loving every second of the process. Sure, Subaru managed to best him after resetting the timeline, but that doesn’t take away all the cruel actions that this Witch’s Cult member inflicted. You can’t expect us to un-see Rem being twisted like a ragdoll anytime soon.

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#11: All For One

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“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Now this is what you call a supervillain. Archenemy of All Might, this criminal mastermind wasn’t only the one responsible for setting up the League of Villains but was also strong enough to effectively undo the Symbol of Peace. While his strength is truly alarming, the scariest part about this faceless fiend is his cunning. Torturing All Might over the death of his predecessor by turning her grandchild to the dark side being a prime example. He may have been bested in the end, but this OG villain’s legacy still lives on.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders” (2014-15)

Out of all the Stands that the Joestars have ever fought against, none have inspired more fear than this endless void. In service to Dio, the vampiric Vanilla Ice might sound like a comedic villain, especially when you find out his Stand is called Cream, but trust us, this guy is no laughing matter. Able to summon a demonic creature that can suck foes into a pocket dimension, Vanilla Ice made short work of both Avdol and Iggy. Yikes, Jotaro is lucky that he didn’t encounter this guy earlier on, as we don’t think he could have survived a surprise attack.

“Fate/Zero” (2011-12)

As far as first impressions go, ripping a child to pieces via demonic tendrils is certainly one way of setting yourself up as the series’ resident monster. While the majority of the Masters and Servants in the Fourth Holy Grail War aren’t exactly saints, Caster is on a whole other level of diabolical. Not only are his mannerisms, hulking size and general guise right out of a Guillermo Del Toro film, but there’s also the fun fact he derives extreme pleasure from giving his victims a moment of hope before purging them. What a delightful chap.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019-)

The master of all demonkind, Muzan is the worst kind of boss – given that not only is he insanely strong, has the shortest of straws, and a tendency to waste his own subordinates if they fail him. He’s just kind of an asshole all round. Not that you’d ever say it to his face - even when disguising himself as a woman or child, Muzan’s control over his brood is so intense that he can bring down something as absurdly strong as an Upper Moon with just a temper tantrum. You can’t help but be on edge when he makes an appearance, as you never know just what will set him off, and subsequently cause yet another bloodbath.

“Parasyte -the maxim-” (2014-15)

In a series filled with body-snatching aliens that can turn their human hosts into walking weapons, it takes a special kind of creature to stand out of the crowd. That’s where Gotou comes in. As a being hosting multiple Parasites within its body, Gotou is not only the apex predator but also the most sadistic among his people. Preying on humans for sport as opposed to sustenance, he managed to rack up quite the body count during his short life, nearly putting protagonist Shinichi in the ground on multiple occasions. Even armed with someone like Migi, we’re not sure how Shinichi had the stomach to stand up to something as imposing as this beast.

“Naruto” series (2002-17)

Before the likes of the Akatsuki, Madara and Kaguya, this serpentine ninja stood at the pinnacle of villainy. Forever seeking new chakra as well as a desire to bring down the Hidden Leaf Village, Orochimaru had no problem using deception, torture and manipulation to achieve his goals. And when all that fails – he’s got an excessive amount of snake-based jutsu he can bust out at a moment’s notice. And yes, all of them are grotesque. He may be chilling as more of a reformed bad guy these days, but during his heyday, Orochimaru had no equal.

“Monster” (2004-05)

Just goes to show that you don’t need to have a supernatural affinity in order to qualify as a horrifying anime villain. Johan is about as human as you can get, which is what makes him so freakin’ scary. He is a master manipulator, completely without morality and devilishly smart, to the point that he was actually recruited as a potential candidate to become Hitler 2.0. Not that it did them much good when he slaughtered them all. Of course, the greatest weapon that he has at his disposal is his persuasiveness. Just one conversation and numerous civilians have found themselves taking their own lives or the lives of those they love. Why? Because Johan asked them to.

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#4: God Hand

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“Berserk” (1997-98)

Turns out that God exists. Unfortunately for humanity, God is actually a set of demonic deities who take great pleasure in screwing over the populace in the worst way possible. As the four strongest Apostles in existence, the God Hand manipulate mankind through temptations as well as sending in their own monstrous forces to cause havoc. We were given a snapshot of their cruelty during the events of the Eclipse, wherein they brought Griffith into their ranks in exchange for him sacrificing the Band of the Hawk. The last thing you want is these guys to answer your prayers.

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#3: Eren Yeager

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“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

That’s right, we’re going there. While his motivations are born from love and desperation, Eren’s choice to unleash the Rumbling upon the world allows him to occupy the roles of both tragic hero and despicable villain at the same time. In order to ensure no one will bring harm to Paradis Island ever again, Eren sets millions upon millions of Colossal Titans to stomp out all life from beyond their borders, leading to the genocide of countless lives, all the while taking the form of the monstrous Founding Titan to oversee his goal to completion. Turns out the price for freedom was astronomical, and Eren was more than willing to pay it.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

The Homunculi are a nasty bunch to begin with, however the one we’d hate to encounter down a dark alley would without a doubt be this blob of flesh. Mainly because he would eat us alive without question. An experiment created by Father in order to replicate the Gate of Truth, Gluttony’s stomach is its own plain of reality, serving as a prison to those that remain undigested. If that wasn’t chilling enough, just wait until you see what he looks like when he goes on the offensive. And if that’s not enough nightmare fuel for you, we kindly refer you to Conqueror of Shamballa.

“One Piece” (1999-)

To date, none have pushed Luffy and his companions to the edge more than the King of the Beasts. Kaido’s strength, list of Devil Fruit abilities, and atrocities to his name are so extensive it’s borderline exhausting. Even with the combined efforts of the Worst Generation taking him to task, Kaido just refuses to back down, decimating everything in sight with his dragon form. The battlefield is where he feels truly at home, and as long as he can continue to thrive there, there’s no one he won’t subjugate or slay to maintain his way of life.