The Most Evil Characters In Anime

Over the years, some of the greatest characters in all of fiction, whether they are heroes or villains, have come out of the anime/manga industry. The villains in particular often stand out as exceptionally unique and iconic, with many being considered as some of the greatest written characters of all time.

The calling card of an antagonist is to be evil, which all of these characters are in some capacity or another. However, there are a few who stand above their contemporaries in this regard, as monsters without even a shred of humanity within them. So, in this article, let's go over the most evil anime characters of all time.

Bondrewd Sacrificed Everything For Progress

Anime: Made In Abyss

For a character to be considered evil, they don't necessarily have to be megalomaniac villains who have caused the deaths of thousands, as they often are in Shonen series. Other times, the acts they commit, even with their relatively low count of victims, speak volumes about their nature, as is the case with Bondrewd.

Unlike most villains, Bondrewd isn't malicious or insane. In fact, he's a rather joyous and positive individual who actually cares for the children who are with him in the Abyss. However, the terrifying thing about this character is his sociopathy, as he has committed heinous experiments on children for the sake of 'progress', and he genuinely doesn't understand why those experiments are wrong. Due to his indifference and lack of understanding to others' suffering, he is incredibly evil.

Mahito's Entire Nature Is To Destroy Humanity

Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen

Some would scoff at Mahito's placement on this list instead of Sukuna. While the King of Curses is certainly evil, his brand of villainy mostly has to do with the fact that he just wishes to do whatever he pleases, whereas Mahito's entire deal is to inflict as much pain and misery on humans as he can by transforming them into mindless monsters.

As the Cursed Spirit born from the hatred and fear humans have for one another, Mahito's Cursed technique allows him to manipulate the shape of his target's soul. He was literally born for deforming and killing humans, and revels in doing so, making him the most evil and vile character in all of Jujutsu Kaisen by far.

Imu Has Kept The World Subjugated For Centuries

Anime: One Piece

At first glance, the world of One Piece looks bright, beautiful, and ripe for adventure. However, when going deeper, fans realize that the truth is not what it seems, as prejudice, racism, xenophobia, and every manner of hatred exist in all corners of the world, and it all points back to the man who rules it atop the Red Line; Nerona Imu.

The events of the mysterious Void Century are still a blur, but what is known is that Imu is the one who controlled the world when it ended and created the current order that places the Celestial Dragons at the top and allows them to commit heinous crimes. This status quo has been ongoing for the past 800 years, so Imu himself can be blamed for most things wrong with the world.

Shou Tucker Did The Unspeakable

Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Just as it was with Bondrewd, sometimes, evil doesn't have to be loud and boisterous, nor does it have to consist of killing so many people. Those who commit acts of quiet horror often stick in people's memories the most, and there is perhaps no better example of this than Shou Tucker.

While completely unassuming at first glance, Shou is an insane alchemist who once turned his own wife into a chimera, though this was largely swept under the rug. The true horror came when he did the same to his own 4-year-old daughter by creating an inhuman amalgamation of her and their dog who lived in constant agony. The worst part is that he genuinely didn't see why people were upset about what he deemed progress, which is why it was so cathartic when Scar killed him.

Frieza Cares Only For Power And Control

Anime: Dragon Ball

As the resident world-ending supervillain on this list, Frieza acts as the representation of what most people think about when they hear the term. As an arrogant and selfish tyrant whose incredible strength allows him to massacre millions, he is undoubtedly malicious, but still, Frieza is one of the most beloved characters in all of Dragon Ball.

Despite this, he is still pure evil. His most famous act was the erasure of Planet Vegeta and the entire Saiyan race, which he did purely because of the legend of the mythical Super Saiyan defeating him, as well as fears of a potential uprising. Even in Super, he has come back and has continued his tyranny across the cosmos, though now he is far too powerful to stop.

Johan Liebert Is One Of The Greatest Villains Ever

Anime: Monster

When the conversation of the most evil characters in anime comes up, Johan Liebert is almost always at the very top of the list. The reason for this has to do with his personality and extreme intelligence, both of which have come to make him the most dangerous person in the entire Monster series. Unlike someone like Frieza, Johan's evil is much more personal and real, which is perhaps the most horrifying part about him.

Johan can most easily be defined as a sociopath, though to perhaps the greatest degree possible. Using his looks, intelligence, and expertly crafted fake facade and charm, he is a master manipulator who has committed unspeakable crimes to forward his goals. Due to seeing no inherent value to life, Johan kills with impunity and inflicts all kinds of suffering, with one of the most common methods being to make people witness the worst loss they possibly can, which often leads to them killing themselves.

Griffith Betrayed Everyone For His Dream

Anime: Berserk

Berserk is one of the darkest anime/manga franchises to have ever been put out to the public, and perhaps the biggest reason for its notoriety is the main villain of the series, Griffith. In essence, Griffith takes the worst aspects of every previously mentioned entry in this list and puts them all into a single body.

Since he was young, Griffith's dream had been to obtain his own kingdom, and he knew from the start that he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that. This is when The Eclipse happened, which is remembered as one of the most horrifying moments in the anime industry. Not only did he willingly betray and give up the lives of his entire group who came to see him as a leader and family, he also committed other unspeakable acts to ascend to Godhood, marking Griffith as the most evil character in anime.