8 anime antagonists who look innocent but are evil

An anime antagonist is a character against the protagonist, who is generally evil. The portrayal of an anime antagonist is assumed to be one of a bad guy with a sinister look to them.

They are supposed to strike fear in other characters and the audience. Though a strong anime antagonist is important for any show, it is not always necessary for the anime antagonist to look scary. Several anime antagonists look innocent but are evil.

Many bad guys are the most scary-looking characters, yet fail to deliver in terms of their impact in the anime. The writing is a more important aspect when creating a character, instead of only looks.

Though some anime antagonists may look innocent and sweet, they are some of the worst. Their not-so-evil looks give them an advantage of easily deceiving their opponents. We will be discussing the most deceiving anime antagonists in this article.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the anime. These characters are not ranked.

8 anime antagonists like Malty Melromarc and Himiko Toga who look innocent but are evil

1) Gaku Yashiro (Erased)

Gaku Yashiro is the main antagonist of the suspense drama anime, Erased. Gaku Yashiro was a nice, gentle, and lovable teacher at the beginning of the anime, who never came across as criminal or evil. However, the homeroom teacher of Satoru turns out to be a serial killer, who particularly targets children.

After Satoru learns about his teacher's truth, Gaku attempts to drown him in the frozen lake, putting him into a coma. Satoru successfully manages to apprehend the criminal after he wakes up. Gaku's reveal as the killer was the most shocking and best twist in anime.

2) Malty Melromarc (The Rising of the Shield Hero)

Malty Melromarc (Image via Kinema Citrus)

Malty S Melromarc is the primary antagonist in The Rising of The Shield Hero. At the beginning of the anime, she acts as a sweet princess who willingly agrees to help Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero. However, the princess betrays the Hero and frames him on counts of some serious false accusations.

Malty was reprimanded for her actions and disowned by the Royal Family. Even after the punishment, the disowned princess wouldn't learn and continue to fool other Heroes for her benefit. Malty is one of the most hated characters in anime.

3) Isabella (The Promised Neverland)

Isabella, the mama from The Promised Neverland, was the main antagonist in the introduction and jailbreak arcs. The children in Grace Field House Plant 3 never expected their loving and caring mama to be a criminal mother, who cared little about the children being shipped to their deaths.

Later in the series, Isabella does redeem herself by helping Emma, Ray, and other orphans escape the facility. Isabella suffered the same as the orphans at her plant did, which might be what made her change her mind and help the kids escape.

4) Seryu Ubiquitous (Akame Ga Kill)

Seryu Ubiquitous is one of the main antagonists in Akame Ga Kill. Seryu was a member of the imperial police and later became a part of the Jaegers squad. Initially, the character comes around as calm, compassionate, and caring and fans begin to ship the protagonist with her.

However, as the anime progresses, Seryu's real nature is exposed as a ruthless and psychotic individual with a twisted sense of justice. She believes in eradicating evil and finds pleasure in doing so. However, her sense of judging evil is not right. Unlike other characters in this list, Seryu's character is not much sympathized with by fans.

5) Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)

Himiko Toga was a member of the League of Villains and one of the main antagonists in My Hero Academia. She is also one of the nine Lieutenants of the Paranormal Liberation Front. Himiko Toga's character is quite popular among fans, especially among cosplayers.

Himiko looks like a cheerful teen with rather sadistic tendencies. The psychotic character has a weird sense of love and affection and tries to harm the people that she wants to befriend. Unlike some of the characters in this list, Himiko was always introduced as an anime antagonist.

6) Bertolt (Attack On Titan)

Bertolt Hoover (Image via MAPPA Studios)

Bertolt Hoover is one of the main antagonists of the first three season seasons of Attack On Titan. Alongside Reiner Braun and Annie Lienhart, he was a warrior who came from Marley to capture the founder and kill off the population on Paradis Island.

Bertolt was a titan shifter, who could transform into the Colossal Titan. The Colossal Titan was the one who helped the Titans break through the walls in the first episode. Bertolt's quiet nature, and him and Reiner being the biggest supporters of Eren, besides Mikasa and Armin, made the reveal even more shocking. Bertolt and his friends were not pure evils but mere situational villains.

7) Johan Liebert (Monster)

Johan Liebert (Image via Madhouse Studios)

Johan Liebert is often regarded as the best-written antagonist in a seinen anime. He is the antagonist of the psychological thriller anime, Monster. Johan was the subject of a series of experiments in his childhood. He was brainwashed at a young age and was influenced by the Nameless Monster story.

Johan was always the villain the audience knew about. Unlike other characters in the list, Johan's antagonism was no shock, but the extent to which Johan went to achieve what he wanted was shocking. He is often sympathized with by anime watchers.

8) Selim Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

Selim Bradley is a 10-year-old son of King Bradley in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Within the body of Selim, lives a Homunculus called Pride, one of the strongest Humonculi in the 2009 anime.

Due to being a little kid, Selim was never suspected to be a villain. Selim was so strong that he would keep his eyes on the entire city while sitting in his room. His abilities lie in creating shadows and manipulating them to kill his enemies. Pride's identity reveal was a shocking twist for the non-manga readers.

In conclusion

An anime antagonist is equally responsible as the protagonist for the success of any anime. Anime antagonists are characteristically portrayed as the ones with sadistic looks, scars on their faces, weirdly long hair, and other twisted and unattractive features.

However, many anime antagonists are the opposite of these traditional traits and yet deliver effectively or even better at times, as the characters in this list did.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay