10 anime villains who stole the spotlight from the protagonists

Anime villains are among some of the most underrated characters, given how fans mostly cheer on the protagonists. As a result, the formidable yet intriguing personalities of some anime villains sometimes go unexplored.

To understand and love anime villains, fans first need to understand their backstory, the reason behind why they resorted to evil, and how it impacts their stance on certain matters. Once fans understand this concept, they are more likely to see villains in the same light as protagonists and pick their favorites accordingly.

This article takes a look at ten of the most charismatic villains from anime, who outscored the protagonists in the eyes of many fans.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Chainsaw Man manga series and has the author's opinion.

Aizen, Johan, and 8 other anime villains who stole the spotlight from the protagonists

1) Sousuke Aizen (Bleach)

Aizen as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The mastermind who has planned everything that is set to happen in Bleach, Aizen is one of the key antagonists of the series. He was the former captain of the 5th division in the Soul Society, where he quietly and strategically played his cards.

Even though he was outsmarted by Kisuke Urahara and sealed during the Fake Karakura Town arc, fans are still waiting for his arrival in the final arc, the Thousand Year Blood War arc.

This should be enough to indicate that Aizen was one of the anime villains who stole the spotlight from the anime's protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki.

2) Makima (Chainsaw Man)

Makima as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

The stunning beauty with mysterious powers, Makima is shown as one of the minor protagonists of Chainsaw Man anime. As indicated by the anime's plot, the final and central antagonist of the series is the Gun Devil, but this is all a facade established by the Control Devil, who is Makima herself. Her manipulative nature made her outshine the protagonist in every way possible.

She recruits Denji into the Public Safety Devil Hunter organization, but she aims to own the Chainsaw devil, Pochita, by killing the protagonist, Denji. The writer reveals her true identity in the later part of the series after fans have established a close bond with Makima, making her one of the anime villains who stole the spotlight from the protagonist, Denji.

3) Naoka Ueno (A Silent Voice)

Ueno as seen in the anime (Image via KyoAni)

Even though most fans don't remember her, Ueno was the blunt supporting character in A Silent Voice who bullied Shoko Nishimiya, the female protagonist, alongside Ishida, the male protagonist, when they were young. Her rude character however outshines the goodness of the main protagonist, Ishida, who changed in his teenage years.

Her involvement in the plot was minimal, but when she returned to the anime film when everyone became a teenager, fans had their eyes on her to see whether her rude personality would change or not. To no one's surprise, she remained rude till the end of the anime but became one of the most popular anime villains.

4) Ryomen Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Sukuna as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

The King of Curses Ryomen Sukuna is the final antagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen. Introduced in the first chapter/episode, he is the embodiment of evil and has left no chance to add suffering to the life of the protagonist, Itadori Yuji.

Throughout the series, one of the most anticipated moments for the fans was the moment Sukuna took over Yuji and caused destruction, with the biggest example being Sukuna's takeover during the Shibuya arc.

With a character so evil that his malice overshadows the goodness of the protagonist, Sukuna is one such anime villain who stole the spotlight from Itadori.

5) Satella, the Witch of Envy (Re: Zero: Starting Life in Another World)

Satella as seen in the anime (Image via WhiteFox)

The witch teased in the first episode, Satella is the central antagonist of Re: Zero and the witch that has only made one appearance in the series. For fans who don't follow the series, it would surprise them how such an antagonist, who has only appeared once, is loved by its fandom.

She was also the one who gifted Subaru, the protagonist, the Return to Death ability, meaning every time he dies, he is reminded of the witch. With a villain so mysterious and beguiling, the protagonist was bound to get his spotlight stolen by Satella.

6) Johan Liebert (Monster)

Johan as seen in the anime (Image via Madhouse)

The monster of Monster, Johan Liebert is the central antagonist of the series whose life was saved by the protagonist, Dr Tenma. His mentality was ruined by his parents who kept fighting their entire life, which resulted in Johan seeing no meaning in life and resorted to teaching others the same thing.

Throughout the series, the protagonist tries to kill the monster he saved with his own hands in the past, but as the saying goes in the anime, Even If You Forget, You Can't Erase The Past: Tenma faced the same fate as his past kept haunting him as he was never able to ahold of Johan. Johan's sharp-mindedness and manipulative nature made him the star of the show.

7) Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Gendo Ikari as seen in the anime (Image via Gainax & Tatsunoko Production)

The man obsessed with bringing his wife back to life, Gendo Ikari is the central antagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is also the father of his helpless son Shinji Ikari who was forced by his father to drive Unit-01. Ikari was also the Commander of NERV, the organization behind the Human Instrumentality Project.

Ikari used Shinji by making him pilot Unit-01 which Rei couldn't do as the Yui's soul rejected her. The whole plot of the series lies around the success of the Human Instrumentality Project but Ikari had his own plans.

He only wanted to bring back his wife's soul through this project and was willing to sacrifice anything, even his son. Where fans hated the protagonist for his cowardness, they were left in awe of how manipulative Gendo Ikari was in reaching his goals, thus making the villain steal the spotlight of the show,

8) Kibutsuji Muzan (Demon Slayer)

Kibutsuji Muzan as seen in the anime (Image via Ufotable)

Kibutsuji Muzan is the central antagonist of the Demon Slayer and the King of Demons. Even though the anime is a couple of seasons past, it still hasn't showcased any technique this character possesses. His charisma and mysterious powers outshined the protagonist, Tanjiro, and even some Hashira, the strongest characters in the series.

Fans are still waiting for the final fight against him, for which Tanjiro and his team are training under the Hahsira in season 4. This makes him one of the anime villains who stole the spotlight from the protagonist, Tanjiro.

9) Pain (Naruto Shippiden)

Pain as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The central antagonist of the best arc in Naruto Shippuden, Pain is the dead body of Yahiko controlled by Nagato to show the world what pain feels like. After the death of Yahiko, Nagato went into hiding and used Yahiko's body as the leader of Akatsuki.

Since the introduction of Pain, fans anticipated the fight between him and the protagonist. When the fight arrived, it was everything fans had expected as Studio Pierrot delivered in every aspect.

Even after the death of Pain, fans still remember him as one of the strongest anime villains in the media because of the villain's views in life that were different from any character of the series, including the protagonist.

10) Mami Nanami (Rent-a-Girlfriend)

Mami as seen in the anime (Image via TMS Entertainment)

The character who stole the spotlight by becoming the center of everyone's hate, Mami is the former girlfriend of Kazuya, the protagonist, and the one who doesn't want to see the protagonist in a relationship ever again.

Although she went silent after a season or two, she kept witnessing how Kazuya got happy every day with his relationship with Mizuhara, the female protagonist, progressing in the right direction. Her manipulative nature made her stand out as the spotlight character of the series, making her one of the anime villains who easily stole the spotlight from Kazuya.

There are other anime where the villain surpasses the hero despite it not being usual that fans favor the villains more than the protagonists. However, these are some of the anime villains who won the hearts of the fans with their sheer charisma and character depth.

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