We all know the drill by now, right? Villains are seriously awesome, and I seriously love them. Let’s look at my ten favorite antagonists from television and anime, shall we?
10) Felix ~ Red vs Blue
Talk about a character that you just LOVE to hate with every single fiber of your being. There’s something to be said for richly complex characters, but there’s also similarly a lot to be said about deliciously evil villains who are just in it for the fun of being evil! Felix is completely and utterly irredeemable, and he’s loving every second of it. His actions are equally disturbing and hilarious, because he’s just so gosh darn charismatic. You can’t help but love him! Villain or no, he’s just living his best (worst) life!
9) Kagura Mikazuchi ~ Fairy Tail
Kagura isn’t introduced as a typical antagonist (though, since she’s introduced in a tournament arc, clearly she’ll be an opponent eventually). However, it isn’t long before its revealed that she harbors an intensely unquenchable hatred for a man named Jellal, who murdered her brother long ago. Jellal has since reformed, and is being sheltered by the main characters. Conflict is all-but-inevitable, a fact which raises the tension and stakes considerably, especially as Kagura effortlessly wins all of her preliminary matches. When she finally does clash with redheaded heroine Erza, it’s an unforgettable bout for the both of them.
8) Princess Azula ~ Avatar The Last Airbender
Coming in hot (get it?) with another villain that you just can’t help but love to hate! Azula ups the ante from her first appearance, and proves to be an almost insurmountable obstacle for our heroes to overcome (anyone else remember the scene where she stared down Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, AND Iroh and still managed to come out on top?) She’s daddy’s evil little fire princess, and loves it. For ostensibly being a kid’s show, Azula is consistently deadly and malicious, up to and including fatally wounding the main character in the season two finale. She’s pretty awesome!
7) Ultear Milkovich ~ Fairy Tail
Ultear is the mastermind behind the curtain of the first three seasons of Fairy Tail, and the way in which she weaves complex webs of manipulation is nothing short of perfection. However, it’s when her backstory and motivation comes into focus that her character really shines. Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, Ultear grew up believing that her mother abandoned her as a sacrifice to an evil cult, and she has since dedicated her life to wiping out existence and starting the universe over again. Only through an ingenious and heartbreaking revelation does Ultear discover the truth that her mother always loved her, and she is able to start atoning.
6) General Esdeath ~ Akame Ga Kill
Ah, General Esdeath! A veritable force of nature if ever there was one, Esdeath is the unstoppable destroyer of the rebellion, and the key factor in the malicious empire’s continued dominance of the continent. She’s one of the most prevalent main antagonists I’ve ever seen, making an active appearance in more episodes than not, and deeply involving herself in all conflicts and multiple character’s story arcs. Her interactions with main hero Tatsumi bring out an intriguing vulnerability, and the deeper motivations behind how she grew up to be the way she is are engaging and excellent commentary on nature vs nurture.
5) Tory Nichols ~ Cobra Kai
The overarching plot of Cobra Kai (though fantastic) is a fairly simmering slow-burn through the first season and a half. Then , Tory strolls onto the scene and ignites the rivalry between the dojos, and the next thing you know there’s an all-out school brawl, after-hours arcade attacks, and a legitimately intimidating home invasion! If Kreese is the evil Emperor mastermind, then Tory is the Darth Vader muscle of the Cobra Kai empire, and her constant escalation of conflict is a thing to behold. There’s always a bit more going on with Tory in the background, however, mostly related to her troubled home life. The way that Season Four brings these issues to the forefront in a genuine display of earnest, attempted redemption is a masterstroke just audacious enough to work!
4) Roman Torchwick ~ RWBY
A villain I loved so much when I first discovered him, it wouldn’t necessarily be incorrect to suggest that I was obsessed with him (and I swear that one day I WILL cosplay as him). Torchwick is everything you want in a charismatic villain, plus some! He’s charming, ever-so-snarky, infinitely quotable, impeccably dressed, intrinsically connected to multiple characters development, and genuinely threatening (evidence very strongly by his brutal beatdown of series heroine Ruby). His theme song is also spectacular, and integrated into the overall soundtrack expertly. He’s just so consistently great!
3) Barriss Offee ~ Star Wars The Clone Wars
This one certainly shouldn’t come as any surprise, considering I’ve already written an entire article dissecting this character. The final arc of Season Five is a masterclass in television storytelling for a variety of reasons, with Barriss’ involvement in the story chief among them. She manages to be both an effective and competent villain while also possessing logical reasoning behind her actions and a deep characterization of reluctance and regret. She goes to great lengths to see her goals through to the end, and those choices visibly weigh heavily on her shoulders.
2) Jinx ~ Arcane
Similar to the above, this shouldn’t be an unexpected character to appear on this list. Admittedly, Jinx spends a solid amount of Arcane‘s runtime as a protagonist (and she is the overall main character), but it’s undeniable that her actions in acts two and three solidify her as an antagonist, at least to her more morally-sound sister, Vi. Jinx, as described in intense detail in my earlier analysis, is an impeccably crafted and masterfully realized character that wholly embodies all the facets of a perfect, three-dimensional character. She’s amazing to watch, darkly humorous, and genuinely terrifying. And wow, what an ending to her arc! Unforgettable!
1) AIDA ~ Agents of SHIELD
Though I do believe that Jinx is the better overall character (by a small margin), I give the top nod on this list to AIDA, purely by notion of her being a better and more prominent villain (as opposed to Jinx’s pseudo-protagonist status). AIDA is the overarching antagonist of Season Four, and the ways in which she dramatically shifts the plot amidst her devious but engrossing machinations has to be seen to be believed. She goes from emotionless A.I. to a traitorous rampant computer program, to a merciless dystopian dictator, to a remorseful and repentant human, to a jaded and sadistic emotional time bomb.
Massive props, by the way, have to go to AIDA’s actress, Mallory Jansen, who portrays no less than five distinct variations of AIDA’s personality. Jansen handles the task with magnetic aplomb, and it’s impossible to look away any time she’s on screen.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 