10 villainess anime you can't afford to miss

These days, villainess anime seems to be a genre that has been getting quite popular. Most of these have an isekai setting. The fantasy setting lends itself quite well as a medium for villainesses to take the spotlight and drive the narrative.

The overall plot progression might not be as good as some of the seinen or shonen anime series since the characters drive the plot forward. The character interaction and the potential romantic tension between the protagonist and the antagonist leads to interesting exchanges.

7th Time Loop and 9 other popular villainess anime

1) 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

Main characters of 7th Time Loop as seen in the popular villainess anime series (Image via Studio Kai)

The story revolves around Rishe, who constantly has her fiances breaking off their marriage because of her passion for war. She has died and reincarnated six times so far, and is on the brink of another death.

Her family was about to disown her out of shame, which is why she hoped for a reincarnation into a life that is rather peaceful.

It turns out that the seventh reincarnation leads to a life where she is forced to marry the very person who killed her the last time to usurp the throne.

2) Saga of Tanya the Evil

Tanya as seen in the anime series (Image via NUT)

Saga of Tanya the Evil is one of those villainess anime series where the show strays away from the usual tropes followed in this genre. This show has an actual villainess who exhibits utmost ruthlessness on a regular basis.

Tanya, the protagonist, is an officer who is known for her malicious appearance and her tactful approach to things. The reality is that a man challenged someone named Being X, and the loss led to the man being reincarnated as a little girl - Tanya.

Her tactical ability and perseverance leads to her empire becoming one of the strongest forces in the world. She climbs the ranks with the hopes of defying Being X and rebuilding a world filled with peace.

3) My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

A still from the anime series involving the main characters (Image via Silver Link)

This is a villainess anime series that goes against an important trope followed in the isekai genre. Most characters get reincarnated as minor characters who go on to become protagonists and save the world.

In this case, a girl was reincarnated as the antagonist of the game she used to play in real life.

With her memories intact, she attempts to wade through the dangers presented in the game. The character she reincarnated as, is doomed in every ending that the game has to offer.

However,, she will attempt to break away from this unending cycle of misfortune and make the protagonist face the same fate that her character did all this time.

4) Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

A still from the anime series featuring the main characters (Image via Tezuka Productions)

This villainess anime is about a duo that plays an otome game in the hopes of changing the fate of the villainess. The game provides various endings, all of which lead to the villainess’ death.

However, the two of them play the game and give a play-by-play commentary while doing so. The villainess’ fiance hears these words and pretends it to be the word of God.

The villainess is loved by Endo and Kobayashi since they believe that she is a good human being who is just a tsundere. They play the game in a way that avoids the villainess facing the impending doom, as per the game’s design.

5) Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp

A still from Dr. Elise involving the main characters of the series (Image via Kidari Studio)

Doctor Elise is a villainess anime that revolves around Elise who was a temperamental princess that everyone hated. The people protested and it finally led to her execution.

However, she was later reincarnated in the modern world where she studied medicine and became a doctor.

However, she dies in the reincarnated world, and returns to the original world as Elise, except this time, she managed to go back in time.

The story of Elise is about how she was initially a villainess who tries to win people’s hearts by setting up medical reforms in her town.

6) Tearmoon Empire

Main characters of Tearmoon Empire as seen in the popular villainess anime series (Image via Silver Link)

This villainess anime is quite similar to Dr. Elise in that regard. Mia Luna Tearmoon is executed after the empire failed and she was branded as a selfish princess. However, she finds herself back in her 12-year-old body to her surprise.

Her selfish tendencies don’t particularly go away. She decides to rebuild her empire since she wants to live. However, the constant switching between her selfish tendencies and her will to do the right thing can be seen repeatedly in this villainess anime.

She manages to not only charm people around her, but also manage to make her former enemies her new allies.

7) I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss

Claude as seen in the popular villainess anime (Image via Maho Film)

This is one of the most popular villainess anime series on this list. Aileen is a character in an otome game and her engagement with Cedric, the crown prince, fails.

She manages to recollect the memories from her life in the real world and realizes that she has been reincarnated into a game as a character who is fated to die.

The only way to break away from this cycle is for her to woo the final boss in the series - Claude. He is the demon king and Cedric’s half-brother. If she succeeds in doing so, she could avoid both her and Claude’s tragic fate.

8) The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior

A still from the popular villainess anime series featuring Val (Image via OLM)

This villainess anime revolves around a character called Pride Royal Ivy. She is just eight years of age and has been reincarnated into an otome game. However, the character she plays is an antagonist who is extremely rude, cold, and grows up to be the queen that people dislike.

However, Pride understands the character and her fate. Therefore, she attempts to become more benevolent character and alter her own fate in the game. This is another example of a villainess attempting to become a better person through the course of the series.

9) Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord

A still from the anime series featuring the main character (Image via Jumondou)

This anime revolves around a character who too has been reincarnated into an otome game. However, she is a minor antagonist as per the game’s script. However, her activities in the game led to her improving her character stats to the maximum level.

This is because she refuses to focus on the romance aspect of the game and decides to improve her skills in various fields. Instead of becoming a small minor character who could live a quiet life, she now receives unwanted attention and potential threats from various sources, given that she is at level 99 in the game.

10) I’m in Love With the Villainess

A still from the anime series featuring the main characters (Image via Platinum Vision)

This villainess anime revolves around Rae Ohashi who was a corporate slave who died because she was overworked. To her surprise, she found herself reincarnated in one of her favorite otome games. She isn’t the antagonist like most other shows on this list.

Instead, she refuses to go by the game’s script and attempts to woo the antagonist of the series. Rae attempts to give the main antagonist a happy ending by using all the game knowledge she had in the real world.

These are some of the most popular villainess anime titles that fans can watch in their free time if they wish to explore this genre.

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