So, you know what's cool? Villains. I love heroes more than any other character types in fiction, but without an evil to fight, heroes would just hang out and live their normal lives. Heroes are inherently reactionary and typically virtuous to some extent, which is why some people would label them as boring. While I do not feel this way at all, as I find heroic characters to be the most inspiring and likable to me, I still love villains as well, and want to celebrate the best of the best of their field.
Before we begin, as always, we need to set a few ground rules for this upcoming list. First and foremost, this list is entirely based on my own opinions and knowledge. Only characters from anime that I have watched are eligible and they are primarily ranked based on how much they appeal to me personally. The villain's actions, motivation, and personality are the main factors with which I judge any given villain. If a franchise has multiple villainous characters, then only one character will be considered for this list. Also, in order to effectively discuss a villain's plan, spoilers will be present. Just like everything else on this blog. Finally, the best hero list will be released soon.
Number Five: Marshall D. Teach
It was so incredibly difficult to pick a single One Piece villain for this list, as they include some fantastic characters, many of whom serve as a commentary on the themes of freedom and exploration or as a dark reflection of Luffy's personality and ideals. Sir Crocodile and Gecko Moriah both serve as cautionary tales of what failure can do to a dreamer like Luffy, Rob Lucci, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Akainu further reinforce the themes of freedom vs security that I have discussed previously, and characters like Buggy the Clown and Charlotte Katakuri are just fun characters who are excellent additions to the cast. But Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard, is the perfect counterbalance to Luffy's idealistic quest to become the Pirate King. Both Luffy and Teach are charismatic dreamers who attract followers easily and have actions that challenge the established political landscape of the world. Both challenge authority and put their shared goal of becoming Pirate King above all else, consequences be damned.
But Teach is different from Luffy in every other possible way. Luffy is a courageous and straight-forward adventurer who values freedom and friendship more than anything else. Teach is a cowardly schemer who plans very far ahead and treats the lives of everyone other than himself as disposable. From his first appearance in the background of the Drum Island arc, everything about his place in the narrative serves as a reminder of what Luffy could be like if he were ever to value the finish line of Pirate King over the adventure that he has along the way. Just as Luffy shakes the control the World Government has over its member nations by fighting against oppression, Teach's opportunistic nature throws the entire balance of power between the Government, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Emperors into disarray in his mad quest for power. Both are two sides of the same coin, and it makes the scenes where Teach actually encourages Luffy to pursue his dreams and ambition that much more interesting. No matter how scummy Teach is, he still has his own ideals: people should pursue their ambitions no matter what sacrifices they should make along the way. And that's just neat.
But Teach is different from Luffy in every other possible way. Luffy is a courageous and straight-forward adventurer who values freedom and friendship more than anything else. Teach is a cowardly schemer who plans very far ahead and treats the lives of everyone other than himself as disposable. From his first appearance in the background of the Drum Island arc, everything about his place in the narrative serves as a reminder of what Luffy could be like if he were ever to value the finish line of Pirate King over the adventure that he has along the way. Just as Luffy shakes the control the World Government has over its member nations by fighting against oppression, Teach's opportunistic nature throws the entire balance of power between the Government, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Emperors into disarray in his mad quest for power. Both are two sides of the same coin, and it makes the scenes where Teach actually encourages Luffy to pursue his dreams and ambition that much more interesting. No matter how scummy Teach is, he still has his own ideals: people should pursue their ambitions no matter what sacrifices they should make along the way. And that's just neat.
Number Four: Lieutenant Tsurumi
There are three kinds of villains in the world. There are the irredeemable monsters, the misunderstood revolutionaries, and the ones who are in the middle. Tsurumi from Golden Kamuy one of those in the middle. As the leader of the 7th division of the Japanese army, he has been forced to commit several atrocities in a war that he cannot understand the purpose of (as it was mostly about wealthy aristocrats wanting to make more money and political gains) and now has nothing to show for it. Neither he nor his men have been paid for literally putting their lives and humanity on the line for the sake of a cause they didn't even understand, and they are pissed. Tsurumi even suffers from brain damage after the fighting and doesn't know what to do with himself anymore. Much like Sugimoto and Hijikata's factions, the quest for the lost Ainu gold is partially motivated from a desire to continue fighting because the war was the last time life made sense to him.
But even more than this, as crazy and unhinged as he is, Tsurumi's ultimate goal with the gold is understandable and even sympathetic. The men in the 7th division deserve to be paid for the time they fought for their country. Their livelihoods are put on hold for a cause they don't benefit from and they don't even get compensated for it. It's literally the same initial motivation that Sugimoto had when he decided to go after the treasure. The world threw used Tsurumi and his men and then threw them to the side, and damned if he isn't going to get revenge for that and get them their due. It's too bad that he, you know, has lost his marbles, and will literally murder anyone and everyone who stands in his way. I initially hesitated before including Tsurumi on this list, since he and Hijikata are both morally ambiguous leaders of factions that have both worked with and against Sugimoto at various moments, but I feel that he is the most villainous of the cast and he stands head and shoulders over so much of the competition.
Number Three: Younger Toguro
Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the best shonen action anime of all time, but it didn't start out that way. Originally, the show was just an above average series as it spent its first 21 episodes laying the groundwork and establishing its amazing cast of heroes. But it still didn't have a great villain to latch onto and use to push itself to become something truly special. Enter, the Toguro brothers.
The Toguro brothers originally act as enigmatic demonic minions of the corrupt human businessman Gonzo Tarukane. Tarukane had kidnapped the ice apparition Yukina, planning to use her ability to cry precious gemstones to augment his already vast fortune. The Toguros are famous mercenaries, who were hired to torture Yukina in order to create more gemstones. And while the elder Toguro (we never learn their first names) relishes in the torture, the younger Toguro hates it and tries to make things as easy for Yukina as possible, encouraging her to just do whatever Tarukane says. Being a noble demon who is still fighting against Yusuke is already a good way to make the younger Toguro a memorable villain, but he isn't content with just being memorable. The Toguro brothers want to be definitive, and so they return in the next arc, graduating from minions and becoming the main antagonists for a 40 episode season known only as the Dark Tournament Saga.
See, the Toguros were only posing as Tarukane's minions, as they were actually hired to sabotage his plans by a rival businessman. And while their true employer Sakyo is another fantastic villain with evil plans of his own, Younger Toguro's fascination with Yusuke becomes the driving force of the next arc, where he forces our heroes to fight in a fighting tournament against a stadium full of demons who all want them dead if they want their loved ones to survive. And as the tournament drags on, you learn about who Toguro is as a person and how he came to sell his humanity and now only wants a worthy opponent who can punish him for the crimes he feels cannot be forgiven. To fully explain Toguro's character would take too long for this week's post, but to put it simply, he is a fallen hero who is haunted by his past and sees no other way to continue than by hijacking the tournament and using it as a trial by combat with Yusuke as the prosecutor. Toguro's introduction marks a turning point for Yu Yu Hakusho, turning it from a standard action series to a character piece that happens to involve a lot of punching.
Number Two: Freeza
I love Dragon Ball, if my previous posts on the subject did not make that clear. And since Dragon Ball is a show that builds its entire narrative structure around larger than life villains, it's obvious that one of them would make the list. And there was a LOT of competition among Goku's rogues gallery. Cell and King Piccolo were both strong contenders, with huge ties to the lore of Dragon Ball and interesting motivations, and Vegeta almost took this slot as well, and if it wasn't for his current role as hero, he may well have. But without question, no other character has had a greater impact on the story of Dragon Ball as Freeza.
On one hand, it's arguable that Freeza is not actually a deep character. His character basically begins and ends with the words "pompous, genocidal space emperor". But, as I will argue until my dying days, nothing in Dragon Ball is truly simple or one dimensional. Villains don't need complex motivations or sympathetic aspects to be great. Freeza is the personified antithesis to Goku's nature with a strong presence in the backstory of the series, probably the strongest personality in the entire cast, and some INCREDIBLE fight scenes. And ever since his death, no other villain that followed has managed to have the same amount of presence that he has (with the possible exception of Beerus, though I consider him more of a neutral character than a full villain), which is probably why he's been resurrected and basically promoted to full cast member at this point. And, hey, he's even got a modicum of character development in Super while still being true to his pompous and hammy old self.
We're almost at number one, but before I get there, let's pad this post out with some honorable mentions:
- Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)
- Orochimaru (Naruto)
- Ragyo Kiryuin (Kill la Kill)
- Azami Nakamura (Food Wars)
- Griffith (Berserk)
- Dio Brando (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
- Akane Shinjo (SSSS.Gridman)
- Light Yagami (Death Note)
- Hisoka (Hunter x Hunter)
- Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)
- King Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist)
- Shogo Makishima (Psycho-Pass)
- Mewtwo (Pokemon)
- Mao (Code Geass)
Number One: The Anti Spiral
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is one of those shows that gets a lot of praise from a lot of anime fans for a lot of good reasons. Even though it is technically a Gainax production, so much of its staff have gone on to work at Studio Trigger that it's basically the grandfather of all Trigger shows, and its mission statement of being a celebration of its genre and a strong story in its own right have has carried over to future Trigger greats like Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, and SSSS.Gridman. And as much as I love Gurren Lagann, it was never one of the shows I would mention right away as one of my all time favorites, since it is just so different from anything else I typically watch, it's a show I always come back to. And no villain in any anime has ever stuck with me more than the Anti Spiral.
The Anti Spiral is the physical manifestation of the hive mind of those in the universe who have rejected the use of Spiral energy. Spiral energy, to keep things simple, is passion. In the world of Gurren Lagann, being in touch with your emotions and following your passions gives you super powers. So, screaming really loudly like an anime character actually has a purpose in this universe. It's genius! Anyway, the Anti Spiral rejected this power because if Spiral energy was left unchecked, it would destroy the universe. Just like how unfiltered real world emotions can lead to tragedy in the real world, so too will Spiral energy destroy the universe. And so the Anti Spiral emotionally castrates itself, giving up the concept of individuality and identity in exchange for guaranteed safety. Now, where have I heard that before?
All kidding aside, Gurren Lagann has a lot of similar themes about freedom and security as One Piece does, but it's more about the emotional side of things and truly being passionate about things that you care about. With the Beastmen being representative of pure id and the Anti Spiral being the embodiments of cold logic, the humans falling in the middle of the spectrum between both all consuming passion and cold, cynical detachment. It comes together as a statement on what it means to be alive.
Also, I just love the thing's design. It just looks so cool!
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