13. Yami Bakura (Yu-Gi-Oh)
Of all the Yu-Gi-Oh antagonists that I could include my final list; I knew it would be the dark alter ego of Ryo Bakura, contained within the spirit of the Millennium Ring. While not as dark as he is in the manga, this character posed a threat through generations, since the spirit within the ring belonged to a vengeful thief king that bears his namesake. This is definitely the trickiest of the three lists I've done, and this is just the opening entry.
12. Frieza (Dragon Ball franchise)
While the Dragon Ball saga has had many memorable villains over the past 30-odd years, trying to decide which one I would include on this final list was definitely the trickiest. As I thought about it, however; I eventually concluded that out of all the ones that's had the greatest overall impact on my and others' fandom, that it was Frieza that would be making the list. Not even death itself could stop this character from making recurring appearances throughout the later installments in the series. I still need to finish the Resurrection of F movie so I can get properly caught up on Super; but the fact that Frieza has managed to endure for so long since the initial DBZ craze of the late '90s/early 2000s is a testament to the impact his character has had on the franchise.
11. Mad Pierrot (Cowboy Bebop)
Of all the one-shot villains Cowboy Bebop had, this was the one that stood out at me the most for how terrifying he was. In the episode "Pierrot le Fou", Spike crossed paths with this title character; and it wasn't the fun goofball that was always with Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (both animated and live-action): it was a hitman that had malice that was akin to a child not knowing right from wrong. While the proposed live-action film is now going to be on Netflix instead (I will address this further in a follow-up to a piece I wrote on the matter last year), I just hope whoever they cast can pull off this kind of nightmarish presence. (Short pitch for me: all they would have to do is just make Firefly, Serenity and/or Solo; to name a few.)
10. Edward "Blackbeard" Teach (One Piece)
Though I could never work out how to do a character showcase for One Piece, I am quite pleased to know that it will still be going after I retire from this blog. I was wondering which villain I would include for this last one, but I eventually knew it would go to the series' rendition of the most famous/infamous pirate ever. Especially amusing as how when he was first introduced, the seven warlords said he had no reputation and would never be respected as a pirate. Guess who's the new big bad of the series, some hundreds of chapters later? I still have some catching up to do, but I'm glad that the story has contributed to so much of my fandom over the years.
9. Misa Amane/Rem (Death Note) (Tie)
This character gets a lot of heat, but I personally found her to be the ideal distaff counterpart to Light; complete with her own shingami companion and compliment to his idea of a "new world." She's personally my favorite "yandere" character as a goth idol; and despite Margaret Qualley's best efforts; she came nowhere near the gleeful, Harley Quinn-level insanity of the original (still doubt that sequel is getting made, since not a lot has been said since then; and Wingard quit Twitter over the angered feedback from fans. Reboot would probably be more feasible.). As you can tell from my previous lists, choosing entries is one thing, ranking them is another.
8. Toguro (YuYu Hakusho)
As I've pointed out before, YuYu Hakusho has had some great villains for Yusuke Urameshi and his companions to fight; and Toguro was personally my favorite. Much like Frieza, he left the biggest impression on me and many other fans of the series. Whenever he showed up in the series, he posed a very large threat to the spirit detective and his friends. Also, that power extended to the tie-in fighting games; as he's on the list of some of the toughest opponents I've faced.
7. Schwarzwald (The Big O)
I know I talked quite a bit about him in my recap of "Leviathan," but I must say that Schwarzwald is still my favorite recurring villain in The Big O. With his motivation of being a scarred former reporter named Michael Seebach, his fearsome appearance is the outward display of a complex ideology and a totally understandable motivation; especially given recent events. He's one that made the show so memorable back in the day, and is a key reason why I still see the show as one of my favorites.
6. Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
As the first of many villains to exist in the long-running Gundam franchise, Char Aznable became the standard for all future antagonists to follow. He is every bit as important to the Gundam lore as Darth Vader is to Star Wars or the Master is to the Doctor Who franchise, and he has the ideal blend of both class and cruelty in his very presence. While I may have my reservations towards the planned live-action remake (ironically, seeing the mech in Ready Player One made me LESS excited about it finally happening, talk more soon); it's clear that as the original Mobile Suit Gundam nears its 40th anniversary next year; that Char has definitely left his mark on the mecha genre with Yoshiyuki Tomino's classic vision.
5. Queen Kushana (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)
While the character in the original manga wasn't too cruel, the film adaptation that is one of Miyazaki's best early films made her into a merciless, yet complex villain figure that fit the post-apocalyptic fantasy world perfectly. While not the darkest use of the concepts that Ghibli has employed, the queen definitely made a great villain when the uncut version was finally released. Yeah, the infamous "Warriors of the Wind" never happened; I'm lucky enough to have never seen that version.
4. Kuze (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex)
Despite Michael Pitt's best efforts in the 2017 film, he never did reach the same level of complexity and tragedy that the version of Kuze in this anime did. Without spoiling anything about his past (go watch the show yourself, you'll know what I'm talking about), the motivations for what Kuze does are not only understandable; the parables for real-world events are arguably more relevant now than when the series originally aired.
3. D-Reaper (Digimon Tamers)
To this day, Digimon Tamers is still my favorite incarnation of the franchise for how dark it was; and the final villain, the D-reaper is sheer proof of that. Rather than just a malicious Digimon, this is the manifestation of every dark impulse in the digital world or human world; and is easily the most powerful threat the Digidestined face in the series' final story arc. As the last series to air in the original run; it was a great season and villain to go out on.
2. Akaguro "Stain" Chizome (My Hero Academia)
Any superhero series, no matter who makes it truly isn't complete without memorable villains; and My Hero Academia is no exception. It's often common to raise the stakes as a series goes on, and Stain is the embodiment of the risk "Pro Heroes" face every day. This "Hero Killer" not only has a one-man vendetta against superheroes, his "Quirk" also allows him to use their very blood against them. If it weren't for the fact that he isn't immune to his own powers, he'd be almost unbeatable. His personality is also as cruel as his actions, as he attacked Tenya Ilda's brother "Ingenium" simply to coerce Tenya into a fight with him. I am very eager to see what lies ahead for the series, and whatever threats are out there; that "Deku" and the others can rise to the occasion.
1. Anti-Spiral (Gurren Lagann)
As this remains my favorite anime to this day, I knew the last list would have to include the last threat Team Dai-Gurren faced on top. Though many bemoan that this entity isn't as unique as Lordgenome or the Beastman Generals, I submit it was the perfect threat for the final arc of the series. A cold and calculating alien body that is the antithesis of the hot-blooded heroes; whose whole modus operandi was to "kick logic to the curb and do the impossible." Sure enough, the way they defeated the Anti-Spiral was to weaponize the planets themselves through sheer will. Though not what many were expecting, I new this would be my top choice ever since I started drafting this list.
Now, I shall continue my remaining posts, including my last Top 13 list of Pokémon villains. Later.
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