10 anime characters who'd be perfect Sith Lords in Star Wars

One extremely common trait between several of the most villainous anime characters and Star Wars’ Sith Lords is their belief in absolute power reigning above all. Whether this advantage is gained by brute strength, trickery, or a mix of the two, it’s common to see these two types of characters share similar philosophies and traits.

Likewise, several anime characters would make perfect Sith Lords if transported to the Star Wars universe, by nature of having the above philosophy and additional qualities. While all of the following anime characters have this core philosophy of might making right, how they’d excel as Sith Lords differs slightly from entry to entry.

All For One, Griffith, and more anime characters would make perfect Sith Lords in Star Wars

1) Imu (One Piece)

Without a doubt, One Piece’s Imu has all of the necessary qualifications to be a truly perfect Sith Lord in the Star Wars franchise. For starters, his entire role in Eiichiro Oda’s manga series thus far has been orchestrating events from the shadows, matching how Darth Sidious executes his own plans in the films.

Like Sidious, Imu is also extremely powerful and knowledgeable, having a presumed Yokai form like the Gorosei beneath him and it being recently implied that he was alive during the Void Century. With this in mind, he’s undoubtedly one of many anime characters who’d make perfect Sith Lords.

2) Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)

Whereas Imu embodies the aspect of secrecy which a Sith Lord needs, Bleach’s Sosuke Aizen is one of many anime characters on this list who embody the planning and manipulative aspects. While he is secretive in his plans, he’s always out in the open, in turn helping to shed suspicion on him by nature of how exposed he is. Furthermore, this exposure is always executed in a way which is conducive to his plans, such as his manipulation of Momo Hinamori.

This can be best equated to Darth Sidious’ public identity as Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, with which he earned the trust of the Galactic Republic Senate. Likewise, Aizen was heavily trusted by the other Gotei 13 captains, allowing him to kill the Central 46 without issue and continue pinning these suspicious events on others.

3) Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer)

Demon Slayer’s Muzan Kibutsuji is one of many anime characters who embody both aspects well, but to a lesser degree than Aizen or Imu do in their respective specialities. Muzan does ensure his secrecy but exposes himself to a higher degree than Imu does (although less than Aizen). Meanwhile, he’s shown to be cunning and manipulative but isn’t quite as meticulous a planner and plotter as Aizen is.

Where Muzan would truly shine as one of Star Wars’ Sith Lords is in what would be the equivalent to his “apprentices” by nature of the Twelve Kizuki. The Kizuki play a central role in executing Muzan’s will and bidding and are extremely powerful in their own right. Combining these resources and skills, there’s little doubt he’d make a great Sith Lord.

4) Diavolo (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind’s Diavolo is a unique entry among the anime characters on this list for a few key reasons. For starters, he embraces both the secrecy and planning aspect, which is key for a Sith Lord to have, displaying this throughout the entirety of the Golden Wind anime series.

However, he also displays a deep ruthlessness and willingness to sacrifice, even willing to kill his own daughter in order to ensure there are as few connections to him in the world as possible. While most of Star Wars’ Sith Lords are characterized as cruel, the mercilessness Diavolo displays in this attempt to take his daughter’s own life is unique even among them.

5) Griffith (Berserk)

Griffith is similar to Diavolo in this regard and is likewise unique amongst other anime characters on this list. Early on in Berserk, Griffith sacrifices his closest friends and comrades in order to achieve the dream he’s longed for since childhood. Moreover, he does so with little to no regret, even shown to be unflinching when confronted by what few survivors of this horrific act remain.

Beyond this, Griffith is most similar to Aizen in terms of the type of Sith Lord he’d be in Star Wars. While he does expose himself significantly, it’s all to further his goal of expanding his kingdom of Midland from the capital city of Falconia. He’s also incredibly strong in his own right, able to have a host of loyal and powerful followers while ensuring his position cannot be usurped.

6) Father (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Like many other anime characters on this list, Father’s justification for being a perfect Sith Lord stems from his approach to his plans and presence in the series. Rather than expose himself, he uses his Homunculi allies to control the country of Amestris, lay the groundwork for his own plans, and deter any threats that appear, such as the Elric Brothers.

While Father doesn’t necessarily show as much cruelty as other entrants here, he does show a willingness to emotionally detach himself from his allies or pawns. In turn, this allows him to throw them away without a second thought if it means furthering his own plans, which is certainly characteristic of a Sith Lord.

7) All For One (My Hero Academia)

It’s little to no secret that Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia manga series is heavily influenced by the Star Wars franchise, but All For One likely serves as the best example. Visually, he’s clearly inspired by Darth Vader given his trademark mask, as well as Darth Sidious in that his face is mauled by All Might in their pre-series fight (as Mace Windu scars Sidious’ face).

His role and characterization in the series are also clearly inspired by the pair, being as overwhelming a force as Vader is and as cunning, planning, and secretive as Sidious is. He even has his own “Rule of Two” style apprentice in Tomura Shigaraki, with whom he’s in a constant power struggle as the series enters and throughout its third act. With all of this in mind, he’s arguably the most perfect of these anime characters turned Sith Lords.

8) Madara Uchiha (Naruto)

Like All For One, Naruto’s Madara Uchiha is also a great blend of some of the most distinctive traits of Sith Lords. In terms of power, he’s described as second only to Hashirama Senju, who himself is referred to in the series as the God of Shinobi. Undeniably, he’s as powerful as any Sith Lord would need to be, especially in the context of the Rule of Two approach predominantly used in-universe.

Madara also shows the secrecy, planning, and cunning needed for a Sith Lord, evidenced largely by his orchestration of the events leading up to and including the Fourth Shinobi World War. His plan was almost flawlessly executed as well, with the only major Achilles Heel being the emergence of Kaguya Otsutsuki at the series’ end.

9) Kenjaku (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Kenjaku is one of the few anime characters who are the total package when it comes to their viability as a perfect Sith Lord in Star Wars. He boasts the secrecy and cunning needed to manipulate most any event in his favor, while also having the strength to overcome virtually any enemy or obstacle in his way.

Kenjaku is also characterized as extremely knowledgeable thanks to how long he’s lived, further making him a perfect fit for a role as a Sith Lord. He’s also shown to forego most any and all attachment, willing to use his old friend Tengen as well as his literal children as means to an end meant to be thrown away once their purpose is fulfilled.

10) Lucius Zogratis (Black Clover)

Lucius Zogratis as alias Julius Novachrono (Image via Pierrot)

Last but certainly not least among anime characters who’d be perfect Sith Lords, Black Clover’s Lucius Zogratis is an amalgamation of almost every trait or quality mentioned above. He hides in plain sight, as do Palpatine and other entrants, yet also boasts a sinister altergo which handles all the planning and manipulation needed to achieve his goals.

Lucius is also one of the most powerful characters in the entire series and also has a band of loyal followers of his own in the form of his Paladins. He’s also shown to be relatively indifferent to the ultimate fates of these Paladins, expressing little more than brief annoyance at losing one of them in the form of Lily Aquaria.

Final thoughts

While many other anime characters would make for perfect Sith Lords in Star Wars, the above 10 likely serve as the best embodiments of the qualities that make up a Sith Lord. Common traits among these anime characters include ruthlessness, cunning, intelligence, knowledge, and secrecy, as well as overwhelming strength which can be used to overcome any obstacle in one’s path.