As I intended for some time, I shall be leading this celebration of new opportunities with my revised list of Top 13 Favorite Anime Villains for 2017! So, let's count 'em down and see who's bad!
A couple ground rules, like with the last list: 1. Regardless of whether or not a villain is adapting a character from a manga or other medium, they will be eligible. 2. That said, no two villains from the same series will be on the list; though if a series has more than one version, they will be considered as separate entries. So let's get started.
13. Revy (Black Lagoon)
To lead off this list, I thought I would definitely include a villain protagonist of sorts; and they will show up on this list again. In an age where Western TV shows such as Breaking Bad and The Wire often garner considerable critical and viewer acclaim for depicting stories and characters with greater moral ambiguity than in the past, I found Black Lagoon to be an ideal fit for the new Toonami. Revy is a good example of that, since the character type of the villain protagonist itself can often challenge the usual perceptions one might have of what someone has to do to survive. Even as a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, gun-toting smuggler, Revy managed to get me into all the intense action that running jobs in the South Pacific would entail. While I don't think the software worker she and the rest of the Lagoon Company end up kidnapping and taking along for the ride is a bad character, Revy is definitely the real star of Black Lagoon for me. Even when engaging in a sea of gunplay and profanity that would make the likes of Quentin Tarantino and David Mamet blush, it's not hard to see why she's in this lifestyle after learning her tragic backstory. I won't spoil it, but I definitely recommend Black Lagoon in both the anime and manga forms to see why. It's also a series that definitely earns its audience here, since it's not for kids in the slightest (even in Japan, it's classified as a "seinen," or "adult male" series, with the manga collections by Viz even lampshading this fact in the liner notes).
12. Dartz (Yu-Gi-Oh)
As a series that's had no shortage of memorable villains in its numerous incarnations (with The Dark Side of the Dimensions movie and a planned sixth anime series being sure to have more); it was tough deciding who to include in this spot. After some thought, however, I decided I would give the spot to the villain of Dartz. While many of the prior Yu-Gi-Oh villains had some degree of sympathetic qualities to endear them to the audience, Dartz had none. He and his followers are more than willing to use the Seal of Orichalcos cards to imprison the souls of those who stand in their way, making him quite the force to be dealt with. Even with Little Kuriboh turning him into a meme, how he's been depicted in YGOTAS actually isn't that far off from how I remember him (still in the process of catching up, though). Of all the villains of the original Yu-Gi-Oh, this was the one I had the least sympathy for.
11. Myotismon (Digimon Adventure)
If you've been reading my Digimon recaps prior to this list, you should probably know by now that while the earlier stories were by no means bad; they really picked up after the initial dozen or so episodes after it was revealed that Devimon was just a pawn. When Myotismon took his place, the conflict intensified for the rest of Adventure. Not only was he willing to take the battle outside the Digital World, he had absolutely no objections to harming people or Digimon alike for the sake of his conquest. He was truly compounded as a sadistic bastard near the end of the series, where he openly killed Wizardmon in front of Kari when he wanted to join the Digidestined. As the first of many incarnations of the character, he definitely made his mark on me as a young man for years to come.
10. Scanty and Kneesocks (Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt)
As the we enter the top 10 of my list, it was only right I included these delightfully devilish ladies here. When they were introduced halfway through Panty and Stocking, these two brought an ideal antithesis to the title characters. Even though the episodes before that weren't bad in the slightest, Scanty and Kneesocks have to be two of my favorite characters of the lawful evil characterization. Following the example of their father, they want do something as simple as impose their will on everyone in Daten City just because they feel that a society of rules will mean that the people will abide by them. To say that Panty and Stocking don't share their brand of governing is an understatement. The result is the two end up generating some of the best material from Gainax's raunchy and hilarious anime skewering of other animations and pop culture (still looking into getting the complete series in the near future, Amazon has been slashing prices left and right lately).
9. Shou Tucker (Full Metal Alchemist)
Whether it's the manga, the 2003 version or Brotherhood (I can only wonder how the live-action remake will handle him); Shou Tucker is every bit as nasty in my eyes as the homonculi that end up being much more frequent on these kind of lists (which I understand given how they're personifications of the seven deadly sins). However, I'm going with Tucker on the grounds that while the homonculi have supernatural powers and malicious personalities; Tucker was willing to transmute his own daughter with their family dog simply to advance the cause of science. To say that the Elrics were outraged at this action would be a huge understatement. Even though Scar came close to taking this spot for his actions, I ultimately decided to give the spot to Tucker because of how cold he was toward his own child and pet in favor of such an atrocity. Yeah, buddy, Martin Skrheli called; he thinks you're out of your mind.
8. Mercenary Tao (Dragon Ball)
As I pointed out in the handful of Dragon Ball recaps I've done, in the early episodes of the series; the villains of Pilaf, Mai and Shu are mostly comedic in nature. When the Red Ribbon army enters the space; they take a more serious slant in their quest to find the Dragon Balls. Each operative also had an increasing amount of malice and power at their disposal, but Goku always found a way to rise to the occasion. That changed when the army hired Mercenary Tao, who personified the notion that the faction was done playing games with their enemies. They didn't care who they harmed in their goals for conquest, and Tao was able to exploit Goku's idealism and naiveté by killing the father of a native child he befriended. He is also notable for lacking any of the comedic traits many prior operatives had. At best, he was annoyed at General Blue trying to use his special move on him; to no avail. At worst, he had no problem with murdering anyone that crossed him; be it someone tailoring his outfit or a young man playing in the street. While many villains after him had all manner of grotesque designs and supernatural powers; I can honestly say that as a human adversary, he was easily my choice for one of my earliest shonen series to occupy this spot on my list.
7. Medusa Gorgon (Soul Eater)
As a series that had all manner of gothic supernatural elements; it was only natural that they would have a villain that could fit that world. Caring very little for those around her, least of all her child Crona (a large part of that character's gender confusion stems from the fact that Medusa apparently doesn't even consider Crona human at all!); she would willingly bring disaster to the world if it meant she could get a laugh or two out of it. Even though the anime did take some liberties with the manga as it went on (talk persists of a remake in the vein of FMA Brotherhood, not counting the slice-of-life spinoff Soul Eater NOT!), Medusa remained a vile character through and through (even though I'm still working on the series, I will admit the memetic "baby bloomers" scene is very cathartic when she's given the body of a child and undergarments to match, much to the glee of Mr. Albarn and Death).
6. Yubaba (Spirited Away)
As the first of many films I saw from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, Yubaba is among the many reasons it's probably my favorite one as well as one of my all-time favorite movies. While her twin sister Zeniba is more benevolent; she has little concern about turning those that stumble upon the spirit world into pigs for slaughter, least of all Chihiro and her parents. She also has another trait that makes certain villains stand out at me: thoroughly misgauging what a hero is willing to do to protect the ones they love. Case in point: when she grudgingly agrees to hire Chihiro to work at the bathhouse, her hope is by taking her name to control her; she will be demoralized and Yubaba will be able to turn her into a pig with her parents. Instead, Sen gains the work ethic and grace of a young woman that helps her leave her more selfish traits of her as a little girl behind her. This surprises her immensely by the time the film ends. As a result, she even changes a bit herself! Even though her spot on the list places her just outside the top 5 spots, I can easily be confident in my inclusion of her on the list.
5. Light Yagami (Death Note)
As another villain protagonist on my list, I knew that I had to include Light in my top 5. No matter the medium he's portrayed in (including the upcoming Netflix adaptation), he is definitely someone that challenged my perceptions about morality as well as what might happen if someone had the power of life and death in their hands. His journey was quite the experience as it went, and I'm keeping a relatively open mind about how the Netflix series will handle both him and the material (based on the fact that Marvel's shows on the site and Stranger Things have been huge hits and the fact that it might work on that release pattern if Warner Bros. is now going whole hog on Lego, the Wizarding World and the DC Extended Universe as their primary tentpole franchises). At the very least, I can't imagine the whole thing being as big a mess as the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake looks. As long as they get someone who was as good as Brad Swaile or Mamoru Miyano, I'm game. It's quite the role to play, and an ideal character to lead off my top 5.
4. "Saw-Tooth" Arlong (One Piece)
5. Light Yagami (Death Note)
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| Image Credit: Anime News Network |
As another villain protagonist on my list, I knew that I had to include Light in my top 5. No matter the medium he's portrayed in (including the upcoming Netflix adaptation), he is definitely someone that challenged my perceptions about morality as well as what might happen if someone had the power of life and death in their hands. His journey was quite the experience as it went, and I'm keeping a relatively open mind about how the Netflix series will handle both him and the material (based on the fact that Marvel's shows on the site and Stranger Things have been huge hits and the fact that it might work on that release pattern if Warner Bros. is now going whole hog on Lego, the Wizarding World and the DC Extended Universe as their primary tentpole franchises). At the very least, I can't imagine the whole thing being as big a mess as the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake looks. As long as they get someone who was as good as Brad Swaile or Mamoru Miyano, I'm game. It's quite the role to play, and an ideal character to lead off my top 5.
4. "Saw-Tooth" Arlong (One Piece)
Even fairly early on in One Piece, the series quickly built a unique array of villains. While the art style of the series allowed for comical villains like Captain Buggy the Clown to establish themselves, the series definitely found its footing when Arlong entered the space. Not only did he murder Nami's adoptive mother Bellemere in front of her, he spent years physically and emotionally abusing Nami before she became the navigator of the Straw Hats. Worse than that, he and his crew not only kept her hometown in poverty in exchange for their lives; he never intended to honor his agreement with Nami about letting her buy their freedom! He's a powerful fighter and a truly heartless individual, making it very satisfying when the Arlong arc's climax has Luffy destroy the cartography room to bring and end to his rule over her village and provide closure for the years he spent abusing Nami. As one of many villains belonging to the race of "fishmen" in the series, Arlong was easily the point where my fandom of One Piece was cemented. That definitely makes him worthy of the 4th spot on this list.
3. Spiral King Lordgenome (Gurren Lagann)
I know what a lot of you might be thinking. "One of the villains of your favorite anime just barely makes the top 3? What's going on, Steven?" As I said in the last list, it gets harder for me to rank everyone as it goes on. I will also be including some honorable mentions at the end for that reason, but the fact that a villain that stands out at me as much as Lordgenome is able to rank that high with me definitely says something about how many villains this medium has that can earn that honor. While his generals are indeed memorable, and I may not share many fans' disdain for the Anti-Spirals after the time skip; Lordgenome is so dedicated to preserving what remains of humanity that he will go to any lengths to prevent Team Gurren from rising up. Not even Simon ramming his Core Drill into his chest will stop him from his goals, though his disembodied head is at least willing to help everyone after the Time Skip stop the Anti-Sprials. Still, as one of many characters in a series that personifies masculinity at its core; his attitude is fitting a tyrant that wants to control humanity so much that he won't even let them on the surface (his appearance coincides with tossing aside his daughter Nia by his own admission, like an old doll that nobody wanted). Most of all, Jamieson Price's dub performance helps sell the role even more, having been blessed with one of the deepest voices in the entire cast. When a villain with all this going for him only makes the top 3, you know he definitely has left his mark on me as a viewer.
2. Ragyo Kiryuin (Kill la Kill)
Trigger's highly acclaimed and successful series proved to be an ideal spiritual successor to Gurren Lagann, applying many similar elements to the magical girl genre after they proved successful for the mecha genre. Ragyo Kiryuin is a great example of that. In addition to not being above conquest and genocide to accomplish her goals, she is a horrible boss to her workers at REVOCS industries and an abusive mother to all her children. Not only did she imprison Satsuki when she found out her real motives, any real love she had for (spoiler alert!) Ryuko can be displayed by the scene where she quite literally tears her heart out in a display worthy of the likes of Kano and Mola Ram. Before THAT, she even abandoned her as an infant and made her think she was dead for most of her life; and created Nui as a means of finishing what she started. Even SHE was little more than a living weapon to her; and there are numerous atrocities she commits with each succeeding appearance she makes. It's not often when a supervillain takes everything she made in her company and uses it to try to kill everyone. Yep, pettier than Abercrombie and Fitch. All joking aside, however; it was a very tough call between her and my top choice; but here we go.
1. Tetsuo Shima (Akira)
In the many years I've been wanting to do this list, it underwent many revisions as I kept viewing more anime; to the point where by the time I wanted to do this list a year ago, the documents I had went missing (and this was before I eventually had to have my hard drive replaced). That said, I'm glad I took the chance to finally revise the list; because I think my top choice is someone that definitely deserves it. Katsuhiro Otomo's classic vision of the future is still the gold standard in my eyes for the big-budget anime epic almost 30 years since it was first released, and Tetsuo is definitely the ideal villain for that story. As part of a motorcycle gang known as the "Capsules," he often butted heads with his friend Shotaro Kaneda; not helped by his background as an orphaned outcast. When he crosses paths with a young man named Takashi one night on patrol, he begins to exhibit strange and otherworldly powers. As a result of a combination of factors ranging from teenage angst to being a student in a dilapidated vocational school, he decides to wield such powers; as Dr. Ian Malcolm put it, "like a kid who found his father's gun." Not even the military is able to stop his destructive use of Neo-Tokyo as his playground, even when he gets his arm shot off from an orbital strike beacon. Most of all, he turns against the one man who became his friend as a child when he starts his path to oblivion; which has a different end for him depending on the anime or the manga version of the story. Still, Tetsuo's influence has been felt not only among many other anime villains like him, but also played a part in influencing western media characters such as the Joker in the Batman Beyond movie and Andrew Detmer in the film "Chronicle." Every time I watch the film, he is among many reasons why it's my favorite anime film and one of my all-time favorite movies.
Before I help out with my grandfather as he gets ready to move into a new hospice home, here are some honorable mentions in no particular order: Beelzemon (Digimon Tamers), Beerus (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods), Emperor Charles vi Britannia (Code Geass R1), Yami Marik (Yu-Gi-Oh), and the Witch of the Waste (Howl's Moving Castle). These are just a handful of villains who may be considered for a potential follow-up list later on down the line.
As I try to fend off a potential head cold and watch Akira again as a marathon of movies about the future/apocalypse to help ring in the new year (along with Blade Runner and Terminator 2, among others); I will probably get you my first recap of the new year after my 25th birthday next week. It probably will be something relatively easy, since I'm going back to school a week from Monday. Still, some of my plans for this year include starting up the Pokémon movie marathon again and looking at some of the Sun and Moon series when it comes stateside officially (not counting the preview with the Volcanion movie I talked about a bit ago). Among other anime, I will definitely finish what I started with Code Geass R2 and Yo-Kai Watch; as well as recap some more Transformers anime to help get ready for The Last Knight in June (in addition to $260 million worth of explosive action and effects-driven "Bayhem", here's hoping I can finally find a Western Star Optimus Prime in Voyager scale). I am also aware that I'm getting close to my 300th post, probably going to see what I can do for that (I'm cultivating several options in my mind as I type this, even I don't know what I want to do yet). I leave you with these words on what lies ahead: you cannot stop the future, for it has already begun.
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