CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

I've seen threads on favourite character/series/quote and even one for most annoying character, but (unless I missed it) not much on the villains. I feel that without a "good" bad guy, the heroes' efforts in the story (manga or anime or anything else really) seem less significant. Obviously i'm not condoning their actions or beliefs, but I'm sure it takes just as much work to create a loath-able villain as it does a lovable hero! So here's to our favourite villains and why we love to hate them!

So far I think Gin Ichimaru and Maestro Delphine Eraclea from Bleach and Last Exile respectively are very "good". Gin is one of those "drawn to be evil" characters, he just looks like the villain and Delphine in really delightfully evil and quite probably insane. A certain other villain from Bleach tops my list, but I'm not mentioning any names since that would be concidered a major spoiler if you haven't watched that far. Very cunning villain!

"A villain must be a thing of power, handled with delicacy and grace. He must be wicked enough to excite our aversion, strong enough to arouse our fear, human enough to awaken some transient gleam of sympathy. We must triumph in his downfall, yet not barbarously nor with contempt, and the close of his career must be in harmony with all its previous development." - Agnes Repplier

So, who's your best bad guy?

Definetly Shadow the Hedgehog, though he so often crosses the line between hero and villan that I'm not sure if he'd count...

The Mad Major from the Hellsing Manga. The dude wants to cover the entire earth in war. Annnd he has his own lapdog catboy.

I think Gin is just an overall cool character, so naturally he's also a very cool villain. I also think Johan from Monster is one of the best villains ever created.

Of course, the best villain ever would be Tomodachi. Just cause he's that stinkin' awesome.

Probably Johan Liebert. This guy is a real piece of work.

Naraku from Inuyasha.

For anime, that's a hard one...Emperor Pilaf from Dragonball makes me laugh...would Light from Death Note qualify as a villain? Or is he just the antagonist? Is there a difference b/w those words?

For manga, it would have to be Wrath from FMA. He's awesome with swords and he's pretty ruthless and scary. But (even though he's not really human), he's human-like and you can sympathize a little bit when you know his story.

if light does qualify he would be mine right up would also be the crazy brothers from Hellsing

Two come to mind immediately, but there are probably some other notable ones.

The main villain (Watchmen): Revealing their identity would be a spoiler. This individual is devious, very effective, and negatively communicates what I believe is a good message.

Aji Tae (Shin Angyo Onshi): He's a subdued and subtle villain who still manages to be immensely creepy.

uc pseudonym wrote:The main villain (Watchmen): Revealing their identity would be a spoiler. This individual is devious, very effective, and negatively communicates what I believe is a good message.

Oh yes! He was indeed a great villain.

Mr. SmartyPants wrote:I think Gin is just an overall cool character, so naturally he's also a very cool villain. I also think Johan from Monster is one of the best villains ever created.

i agree with MSP regarding both of these amazingly awesome characters. i might also add Dr. Jackal from Getbackers because of his never-ending coolness and unpredictability.

I'm gonna say Kyoji Mujo from s-CRY-ed. He's one cool customer.

Ooh, I love that quote from Agnes Repplier. That completely sums up my idea of a "good" bad guy. Let's see now....

I haven't seen the Monster anime, but from what I've read of the manga, I'd have to agree that Johan is an incredible villain.

Scar from FMA. Not only does he look pretty cool with that tattooed arm and X-shaped scar on his forehead, he is also incredibly dangerous, posing a great threat to the main characters. And as if that wasn't enough, he's the villain you can sympathize with the most. I cried when I learned about his past.

Barry the Chopper from FMA. (I just couldn't resist ) Demented, bloodthirsty, and hilarious, it's a wonder he could hurt Alphonse in such a deep place. He's even cooler in the manga ^_^

Dilandau from Vision of Escaflowne. I can't help liking him/her; he/she's just all-around crazy

Gankutsuou from Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. There is no enemy more frightening than yourself.

GeneD wrote:A certain other villain from Bleach tops my list, but I'm not mentioning any names since that would be concidered a major spoiler if you haven't watched that far. Very cunning villain!

Would he be considered a spoiler? That happened quite a while ago in the series. Regardless, both he and Gin are a couple of my favorite villains. I can't even pinpoint the reason I find them so intriguing, I just can't help but love them.

Also:

Aion from Chrno Crusade: Have to give him props, because you love to hate the guy for all the absolutely horrendous things he does, but at the same time his backstory makes you feel a little sympathetic for him in regards to his past relationship with Chrno and Mary Magdalene. Interesting guy, at any rate, but dang, do I hate him.

The Noah Family from D.Gray-man: I love them to pieces, mainly because I find them to be infinitely more interesting than the main good guys of the series. They're not like other some groups of villains you see, who seemingly have no qualms about turning on one another. The Noahs treat one another like a real, albeit dysfunctional family, and I'd even venture to say that while they recognize the things that they do are cruel (Tyki does moreso than the other Noahs), they've been taught to believe that it's for the greater good. And actually, judging from some of the things that have happened very recently in the series, I think it'd be a great shaker to find out that they're right.

Debitt wrote:Would he be considered a spoiler? That happened quite a while ago in the series. Regardless, both he and Gin are a couple of my favorite villains. I can't even pinpoint the reason I find them so intriguing, I just can't help but love them.

I call him a spoiler, yes. That plot twist was what made me truly like Bleach and don't want it to get spoiled for anyone who might start the series.

He is still one of my favorite villains (I considered adding him to my last post but didn't want two nameless guys). Like my other choices, he's calm and very effective. Though he's pretty arrogant, it doesn't seem like that's overconfidence.

"Tomodachi" from 20th Century Boys in terms of effectiveness, though I've always been a fan of Wrath from the FullMetal Alchemist Manga.

Hmm...probably Ender from .hack//roots and that one space-pirate guy from Tenchi Muyo with the spectacles and yellow eyes (he plays the organ)--oh, and Raven from Zoids Chaotic Century.

some of my faves:
Naraku (Inu Yasha)
Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)
Delphine (Last Exile)
Light (Death Note)
Prince Lothor (Voltron)
Orochimaru (Naruto)
Joker (ROD the TV)
the unseen villain in .hack//sign (you only hear her voice)

"Thank you, thank you. The villain has arrived."

Though I wouldn't call Ladd Russo of Baccano! my FAVORITE villain, he's certainly fun to watch. XD

Anyways, for villains that actually creeped me out, definitely Friend/Tomodachi from 20th Century Boys.

i take it, from the continuous mentions of Tomadachi, that this thread isn't solely for favorite ANIME villains then.

rocklobster wrote:some of my faves:
Naraku (Inu Yasha)
Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)
Delphine (Last Exile)
Light (Death Note)
Prince Lothor (Voltron)
Orochimaru (Naruto)
Joker (ROD the TV)
the unseen villain in .hack//sign (you only hear her voice)

How did i not think of vicious he was an amazing villian

jon_jinn wrote:i take it, from the continuous mentions of Tomadachi, that this thread isn't solely for favorite ANIME villains then.

We are travelers from the future. The Anime adaption is the best thing ever.

jon_jinn wrote:i take it, from the continuous mentions of Tomadachi, that this thread isn't solely for favorite ANIME villains then.

|D Don't be hatin' on the black and white, yo.

Debitt wrote:|D Don't be hatin' on the black and white, yo.

i'm not hating. i was just noting that since this thread was started in the Anime Section, i wasn't sure if it would include villains from mangas, as well...

"Tomodachi" from 20th Century Boys

The Main villain from "Watchmen"

Chief Giant Brain from Futurama: Pathetic human race. Arranging their knowledge by category just made it easier to absorb. Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands! Ha ha ha ha!

jon_jinn wrote:i'm not hating. i was just noting that since this thread was started in the Anime Section, i wasn't sure if it would include villains from mangas, as well...

Hey, you can totally include villains from manga I just haven't read any manga and I'm still new here so this seemed the most appropriate section to place the thread in. Sorry for any confusion but feel free to mention any and all villains you like from manga or anime!

Does this thread ever specify anime? I listed a manga-only series, an American comic, and I'd have done books if any had occurred to me at the time.

Debitt wrote:|D Don't be hatin' on the black and white, yo.

Also excellent advice for race relations.

Oh, okay. Well, if we're also talking manga here, then I have some additions to my list. Um...they're both basically spoilers for the FMA manga, but to put it briefly:

The major antagonist of Full Metal Alchemist MANGA

Also from FMA, the seventh Homunculus to be revealed

Katsuhiko Jinnai from El Hazard (the character featured in my avatar).

A very dynamic, driven, clever, and calculating character with a great laugh and who accomplishes a lot in spite of his almost complete lack of super-powers (his only such power is the ability to communicate with an insectoid race called bugrom).

To me, he's like a fusion of Lex Luthor with the Joker with a great military leader - he's really fun to watch!


After him, my favourite anime antagonists are Aizen (Bleach), Naraku, Dr. Tomoe, and Jail Scaglietti (Nanoha Striker S).

Honourable mention to Tatewaki Kuno from Ranma 1/2, who is sometimes a villain, and is great fun in that role.

My absolutely favorite is Lady Abelia, the real bad guy of Now and Then, Here and There. [SPOILER]If you don't watch the series carefully, you come off with the idea she's a victim of circumstance, and King Hamdo is the bad guy. Look deeper, however, and you discover that King Hamdo is just a madman, and without the enabling of Abelia and her misguided loyalty, he can't do anything evil to anyone. She is constantly, always in a position to put things right, and chooses loyalty over justice every time. It's a surpisingly good study of politics in the real world, hidden away in an anime.[/SPOILER]

Another good example is from Witchblade (the Japanese version), whose identity itself would be a spoiler:
[SPOILER]'Father' is a great example of evil hiding within the supposedly beneficial, and in the end you couldn't feel bad at all over his demise.[/SPOILER]