5 most hated anime villains of all time (& 5 most beloved)

Anime villains stand out for a wide variety of reasons, such as their motivations, actions, casualties, personality, and even their abilities or designs. Furthermore, the best villains in all of fiction usually have most of these elements on a very high level, which is something that determines villains in anime as well.

In fact, a lot of anime villains stand out owing to these elements, alongside being really well written, while others become hated for being a disappointment or poorly written. So, here are the five most hated anime villains of all time and the five who are the most beloved, ranked from the least to the most hated/admired.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for all the series on this list. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author.

5 of the most hated anime villains of all time

5) Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer)

One of the most disappointing anime villains (Image via Ufotable).

Demon Slayer's final arc was disappointing to a lot of people in the manga, and this is something that determined their attitude towards the series' villain, Muzan. His character was steadily built from the very beginning of the series since he was the one responsible for the death of Tanjiro Kamado's family. Further, being the leader and creator of the demons, he was a major threat to the protagonist and his peers.

However, Muzan is also one of those anime villains who never lived up to the expectations, which is something that has hurt his legacy. Muzan's origin was disappointing, going from a regular person who was sick to receiving a cure that made him a demon. The series never showed the other dimensions of this character, and his ending was disappointing since he was simply defeated without exercising much power.

4) All For One (My Hero Academia)

Started well but became one of the most hated anime villains (Image via Bones).

All For One is a very good example when it comes to anime villains who started very well and ended up being some of the most hated in the entire industry. This may seem harsh, considering how influential he is in the My Hero Academia series. However, introducing the entire conflict even before the story starts makes it a part of the problem concerning his character development.

The issue with All For One is that he began as a very compelling villain and a direct contrast to All Might, especially considering their connection as archnemesis. However, after his exploits in Kamino, All For One's influence on the plot started to become frustrating to a lot of people, being connected to most plot points and always having a role to play in most events.

It annoyed several people because Tomura Shigaraki had been built up as his own villain when All For One tried to take over his body. Furthermore, he was later connected to other plot points, such as Dabi's issues with the Todoroki family, and, ultimately, his final battle with Katsuki Bakugo was a major disappointment for the character.

3) Jiren (Dragon Ball Super)

Arguably, Dragon Ball's most controversial antagonist (Image via Toei Animation).

Anime villains can come in all shapes and forms, which include those who are massive symbols of strength that the heroes need to overcome, thus becoming, for instance, a very prominent staple in shonen. However, there is no denying that Dragon Ball Super's Jiren is one of the most hated anime villains because of his role in the Tournament of Power arc and how he was handled.

The fandom perceived Jiren's backstory of his people being murdered as stale and generic, while his personality seemed non-existent for the most part throughout the Tournament of Power. Furthermore, while his strength was very impressive, the nature of Dragon Ball, with the constant power creep, was always going to make him redundant in the story moving forward.

2) Genthru (Hunter X Hunter)

One of those underwhelming anime villains (Image via Madhouse).

Anime villains in Hunter X Hunter are usually some of the best in the genre, which makes Genthru an even greater disappointment. Greed Island as a whole is an arc that usually feels like a downgrade when compared to what happened prior in the series and what is going to happen afterward, with Genthru being an even greater example of how even the best series can have poor moments.

Genthru's main problem as a villain is that he comes across as generic and without strong characterization, which was author Yoshihiro Togashi's strength with this series. He is a character who is forgettable during most of his time on screen and by far the weakest Hunter X Hunter antagonist.

1) Kaguya Otsutsuki (Naruto)

Arguably one of the most controversial anime villains of all time (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Kaguya was widely criticized during her time in the Naruto series because most fans felt that she didn't have a lot of build-up and her character arc felt rushed, which became one of the main reasons why the ending of the manga was so controversial. Even to this day, Kaguya's role in the franchise is heavily criticized, which goes to show how much she affected the series.

As Madara had been built up as the final villain in the story, it was eventually revealed that Black Zetsu had been manipulating shinobi history to get Kaguya, his "mother," resurrected. Removing Madara for Kaguya to step in was a decision that has been widely regarded as a mistake, leading to Naruto having a very poor ending in the minds of a lot of fans.

Five anime villains people love

5) Donquixote Doflamingo (One Piece)

One Piece's highest regarded villain (Image via Toei Animation).

Very few anime villains have the build-up and charisma that Donquixote Doflamingo has in the One Piece series. Author Eiichiro Oda usually likes to have clear-cut good guys and bad guys in his manga, but with Doflamingo, there is this interesting element of him having a tragic backstory and still being rotten to the core, making him a fascinating contrast between two different narrative tropes.

Doflamingo serves as a major driving force in most of the criminal world in One Piece while also manipulating a lot of significant plot points during the New World portion of the story. The character takes a lot of glee in the suffering of others and has been shown to commit a lot of heinous crimes throughout the series, all with the charisma and sadism that have defined him.

4) Dio Brando (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

One of the most evil anime villains (Image via David Production).

Dio is similar to Doflamingo, but he manages to be a lot more significant in the plot of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. He is the main driving force in most plot points in the story and also the main antagonist of the first universe, to the degree that the series wouldn't be the same without his input.

Furthermore, Dio's charisma and arrogant nature have made him a massive fan favorite, to the point that he and Jotaro Kujo have become the faces of the franchise. The character is one of the biggest anime villains of all time and arguably Hirohiko Araki's most famous creation.

3) Madara Uchiha (Naruto)

Naruto's most iconic villain (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Madara was widely regarded as Naruto's most iconic villain because of his personality, his deep lore that was strongly connected to the main plots of the series, and the fact that he was an extremely powerful character who posed a major threat to the shinobi world. Some of Madara's exploits in the final arc have become iconic in the history of shonen manga and anime.

While some fans feel that author Masashi Kishimoto overplayed his hand in regard to Madara's power and abilities, the legendary Uchiha is still highly beloved in the community. That is another reason why Kaguya was such a disappointment in the series.

2) Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)

Bleach's most iconic villain (Image via Studio Pierrot).

There is no denying that Aizen is one of the best antagonists in the history of shonen anime and arguably the most popular character in the entirety of Bleach. Author Tite Kubo crafted a villain who was charismatic, powerful, with an interesting outlook on life, and someone who even managed to grow and evolve as the series went on, particularly during the final arc.

Aizen's popularity speaks for itself and is also a testament to his value to the franchise, to the point that he even had a part to play in Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollow powers as well. Furthermore, his lack of a backstory makes him even more mysterious and engaging to a lot of fans out there.

1) Frieza (Dragon Ball Z)

The best example of anime villains (Image via Toei Animation).

When it comes to anime villains, there are very few who have the legacy and influence that Frieza has had in the medium. He is not only Dragon Ball's most iconic villain but also a very good example of how a purely evil character can work and be extremely compelling.

His return on Super has been divisive, to say the least, but his exploits in the Namek saga have made him one of anime's greatest villains because of his charisma, sadistic nature, and the memorable battles that he had in that arc. All things considered, he is arguably the most loved anime villain.

Final thoughts

There are more anime villains out there, but these are some of the most prominent in the medium when it comes to being either loved or hated. Of course, being loved or hated is a matter of perspective, and readers are free to disagree with the selections on this list.

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