Top 10 Anime Where the Hero is EVIL

WatchMojo

They're way too good at being bad. Join Ashley as we count down the anime protagonists who commit heinous acts

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the anime with protagonists

00:09 who regularly perform villainous actions.

00:18 Number 10 – The Saga of Tanya the Evil

00:21 I mean, it's kind of right there in the name, right?

00:25 When a ruthless Japanese businessman is reincarnated into a magical version of World War I, he

00:32 becomes determined to advance through whatever means necessary, even if he's a little girl

00:37 now.

00:40 Tanya's cold-hearted attitude and vicious tactics in battle certainly earn her a vile

00:50 reputation, and her ambitions extend to killing the godlike being that dropped her into her

00:57 war-torn new life.

01:04 The series is full of incredible and brutal aerial fight scenes, plus Tanya's charismatic,

01:11 if devilish personality makes for some effective comedy as well.

01:15 Not only the studio would hurry up with season two.

01:22 Number 9 – Talentless Nana

01:25 This series is set in a school where kids with special abilities, known as "talents",

01:30 hone their powers to battle against the mysterious enemies of humanity.

01:35 Nana Hiragi is a transfer student with the ability to read minds.

01:40 Except, not only is Nana not actually talented, she's been sent to the school to murder

01:46 the real enemies of humanity – her classmates.

01:53 It's a psychological thriller anime with a supernatural twist, as Nana has to eliminate

02:01 her peers, while also avoiding suspicion and grappling with the morality – or lack thereof

02:07 – of her mission.

02:16 Forgive me for saying this, but Talentless Nana is essentially a manga's the anime,

02:22 and Nana's the imposter.

02:27 Number 8 – Bastard!

02:29 Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy

02:31 When evil's knocking at your door, sometimes the only option is to fight with an even greater

02:37 evil.

02:38 The kingdom of Metallicana unseals Dark Schneider, the powerful, immortal wizard sealed inside

02:44 their head priest's adopted teenage son, Lucian Renlin.

02:56 The only problem is that old DS is not only a selfish, womanising jerk, he's also the

03:03 former leader of the villains now threatening the world with their plans.

03:08 Thankfully, Lucian's personality affects Dark Schneider's for the better… sometimes.

03:19 An unabashed power fantasy with a heavy metal twist, Bastard follows Dark Schneider's

03:24 journey to save – and/or conquer – the world again, using his incredible magic and

03:31 even more incredible wits to defeat everyone he faces in battle.

03:41 Number 7 – Black Lagoon

03:44 Salaryman Rokuro "Rock" Okajima's life is turned upside down after he's taken hostage

03:51 by the pirate crew of the eponymous Black Lagoon.

04:03 Rock joins up with the pirates, and while he's undoubtedly one of the less villainous

04:07 crew members at first, he and the rest of the gang are no heroes.

04:12 Out for themselves in an unforgiving world full of crooks, pirates and gangs, the Lagoon

04:18 company don't really care for who gets hit in their quest for profit – especially

04:24 Revy.

04:30 The series is loaded with exciting action and tons of criminal activity, so if a darker,

04:36 more realistic series is your bag, Black Lagoon is a great anime to get mired in.

04:47 Number 6 – Overlord

04:49 When most isekai protagonists go to another world, they're heroes out to save the world.

04:55 Ainz Algon is the other guy.

05:02 After suddenly finding himself in the body of his undead video game avatar, in command

05:07 of legions of loyal – and far more competent – followers, and lacking his previous human

05:13 morality, Ainz sets out to conquer his new world.

05:17 Mostly by accident.

05:26 Overlord features a well-realised fantasy world that's fun to get lost in, as well

05:31 as entertainingly villainous and comedic protagonists.

05:35 It's as much about Ainz's effect on his new world as it is the world's effect on

05:40 him, with plenty of political manoeuvring – as expected of Ainz.

05:54 Number 5 – Fate/Zero

05:57 How far would you go to see your greatest wish come true?

06:01 Well, if you want something as insane as the Fourth Holy Grail War to go your way, then

06:06 you're gonna have to play dirty.

06:13 While we can somewhat understand the motivations behind why Kiritsugu played the game the way

06:18 he did, it's easy to see why Saber was so pissed off at him for how he did so.

06:30 Setting his wife as bait, trying to cheat the rules, assassinating other masters and

06:35 servants with incredibly underhanded means, this so-called "Champion of Justice" cut

06:41 way too many corners while trying to save the world.

06:44 Shame that the price turned out to be a tad too high in the end.

06:54 Number 4 – Hellsing Ultimate

06:57 Sometimes the best way to fight monsters is with another monster.

07:02 That's the philosophy of the Hellsing organisation, which employs the magically-bound vampire Alucard

07:09 as their heavy hitter.

07:22 As an ancient bloodsucker, Alucard has done plenty of evil in his day, and continues to

07:27 do so throughout the series.

07:30 Even if he becomes more of an anti-hero over time.

07:42 But when he's pitted against literal Nazis and homicidal priests, it's not hard to

07:47 root for him instead.

07:49 Hellsing Ultimate delivers bloody thrills and action galore.

07:53 Even after it's over, you'll be hungry for more.

08:01 Number 3 – Code Geass – Lelouch of the Rebellion

08:04 We were on the fence about including this one, but if we're honest with ourselves,

08:10 Lelouch V. Britannia is no typical hero.

08:20 The disgraced Prince in Hiding not only uses cunning strategies and his Geass ability to

08:25 command others in his campaign against his homeland of Britannia, but he also treats

08:30 everyone around him like chess pieces.

08:33 And he's willing to sacrifice most of them.

08:40 Lelouch's goal may be to create a better world for his sister, but the ends don't

08:48 always justify his means.

08:50 Whether you agree with the protagonist or not, Code Geass delivers an addictive combination

08:55 of mecha action, intricate strategy, and character development that makes for a phenomenal show.

09:07 Number 2 – Death Note

09:09 When teenager Light Yagami acquires a notebook that lets him kill anyone anywhere, provided

09:15 he knows their name and face, he was basically fated to become a villain.

09:26 Light may claim to want to create a world without crime, with only the righteous living

09:31 in it, but his petty, vindictive behaviour is fairly evident throughout.

09:36 It's arguably his greatest downfall in his battle of wills against L, the genius detective.

09:45 Death Note remains an endlessly fascinating and gripping thriller, and sure, Light's

09:58 a mass murderer and clearly evil, but we'd be lying if we said that we didn't enjoy

10:03 seeing him outsmart and outmanoeuvre his enemies.

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10:30 Number 1 – Attack on Titan

10:39 Eren Yeager's quest for revenge against the giant beings lurking outside his walled

10:44 homeland puts us firmly in his corner from the start.

10:49 However, over time, Eren's darker impulses develop to the point where he's the unquestioned

10:55 villain of his story.

10:57 Eren aside, Attack on Titan revels in showing that even the most heroic characters have

11:02 shades of grey.

11:06 Packed from beginning to end with epic action scenes, mind-blowing twists and unforgettable

11:12 characters, Attack on Titan is among the most popular villain's journey anime ever made.

11:25 Is there a villain-led anime we're oh-so-bad for forgetting?

11:29 Let us know in the comments below.

11:31 Thanks for watching!

11:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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