Anime is a medium that is filled with nuance and complex character motivations that are tough to read. Heroes are often motivated by revenge or a💜 desire to do good, maybe be the best in the world at something. But villains in anime are a different bree🌠d of evil.

Anime v🌄illains are motivated by their own twisted philosophies that they sometimes believe is right. They are so nuanced that you can’t help but appreciate the character for making you question your own beliefs. Characters like Light Yagami from Death Note, for example, fully believe that they’re the hero of their own story, and that is what differentiates a good villain from a great villain.

10 Eren Yeager - Attac♚k On Titan

Destroying The World To Protect His Friends Is A Noble Sacrifice

Eren Yeager is the protagon𝕴ist of the Attack on Titan anime who starte💮d off as a hero but gradually turned into the main villain. Eren swore revenge on the titans after watching hi🐻s mother die at the hands ofဣ one, but as the story was slowly revealed, Eren’s motivations changed.

After learning the truth about the Eldians and Ymir, including the origins of the titans, Eren was forced into changing his philosophy. He went beyond just the titans and made the world his enemy to pr𒊎otect the island of Paradis. He did this for his friends, and partially because he had n🐠o choice.

9 🎀 Hero𝔍 Killer Stain - My Hero Academia

An Unparalleled Dedication To Exposing Those With Power

Hero Killer Stain is sort of like a representation of The Boys in the My Hero Academia anime. The world is full of heroes in My Hero Academia, and heroi🍌sm is more tied down to fame, than it is🐈 to actual heroism.

This system had become corrupt, and Hero Killer Stain brought it to light, bringing about a vengeance on herꦍoes who acted out of selfishness. Stain values true heroes, and not actors/influencers who merely capitalize on their powers, showing his noble side despite being a villain.

8 🃏 Izaya Ori꧃hara - Durarara!

A Love Of Humanity Born Out Of Manipulation

Izaya from Durarara! is a truly unique character. The main villain of Durarara! believes that human nature is inherently meaningless, and we sear✅ch for our true meaning in ways that can🌞 blur the lines of reality sometimes.

Essentially, his love for humanity comes from the never-ending search for meaning, an♛d he aims to give them meaܫning by manipulating them to serve his end. His philosophy is deeply rooted in existentialism, and it fits for a character like him, someone who has grand ambitions.

7 Enrico Pucci - JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure ❀

Only A True Reset Can Right The Wrongs Of Everyone Is Pucci's Thought Process

As the main antagonisꦜt of JoJ🎶o’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Pucci’s motivations seem simple at first, seeking ven💞geance against Jotaro Kujo for killing Dio. But as the season progresses, we find out that he aims to bring about a new world where everyone is at peace, free from the suffering of their past livওes.

He plan🔴s to reset the universe through the power of a Stand, Made in Heaven, that Dio h🍸ad discovered, and by carefully moving the pieces of the grand narrative, he achieves his ultimate goal. His philosophy challenges fate itself, and he insists that true peace and happiness can only be attained through a complete reset.

6 ꩲ 💮 Pain - Naruto

The World Will Know Pain Before It Knows Peace

Pain, o🐟r Nagato, from Naruto, represent🌸s a philosophy born out of intense suffering that he had to endure, but he desires to never let anyone suffer like that again. After experiencing the horrors of war a🅷nd losing his loved ones, Pain wants the world to be rid of war, 🧔by using the power of the Rinnegan to establish his regime.

His philosophy involves using his power to impose a🍬 world order where conflict is eradicated through his power. Pain’s approach is a bit ironic though, considering ♛that he must dish out pain to control pain itself, but his philosophy is sound and understandable when you consider his upbringing.

5 ꦛZeke Yeager - Attack On 💃Titan

Cutting Out The Poison At Its Source

Zeke Yeager's philosophy as a villain is also one that the viewer can sympathize with 🦩and was revealed in a heartfelt episode about his childhood. A🌱fter being a victim of his father’s expectations, Zeke starts to hate his Eldian heritage, but he also realizes that there is a cycle of hatred th🍷at must end in some way.

As the Beast Titan, Zeke advocates ❀for the euthanization of the Eldian people to end their suffering and the cycle of oppression, inspired by his teacher, Tom Ksaver. His belief that elim𝕴inating Eldians is a necessary sacrifice to prevent future conflicts shows just how badly Eldians are treated and the threat they pose to the world.

4 Griffith - Be🌞rserk

Sacrifice Everything For Your Ambition Is Griffith's Questionable Motivation

Griifith is perhaps one of the most polarizing characters in anime. His actions are completely𒅌 unjustified and his monstrous sacrifice of his friends including 'that’ scene, makes Griffith a man who is irredeemable.

His philosophy is something we can all relate to as it represents being driven by ambition. Griffith's mindset is rooted in a belief that you must transcend your morality in or🐬der to become something truly great. To form a perfect world, you must be ready to sacrifice everything which Griffith ultimately did in his pur🌺suit.

3 Lelouch Lamperouge - Code Geass ꦬ

Making Yourself The Enemy For The Greater Good

Lelouch Lamperouge's philosophy in Code Geass revolves around the concept of creating a better world through a genius plan that involves the strategic manipulation of the masses. Lelouch isn’t really a villain in the grand scheme of things, 💃but he paints 𓂃himself to be one in order to achieve his plan.

Lelouch uses his Geass power to orchestrate a global rebellion. His belief is that sacrificing his morality for the greater good is justified in achieving peace and happiness. Where Griffith approached this philosop🐼hy in a much eviler way, Lelouch managed to succeed without completely losing himself.

2 🐓 ღ Light Yagami - Death Note

Light's New World Will Be A Surveillance State With Him As The All-Powerful God

Light Yagami's philosophy revolves around the concept of justice and his twisted meaning of how criminals should be handled. He believes that by wielding the Death Note, he can rid the world of evil and create a utopia where hꦐe reigns as a god-like figure.

His conviction that he alone can determine right from wrong leads him down a dark path, where he is fine w🌜ith killing innocents if they stand in his way. The anime revolves around his complex plans and the nature of his overall character, but there’s no denying the allure his idea has for the world we live in.

1 ꦯ Johan Liebert - Monster

An Incredibly Entertaining Psychopath

Perhaps one of the most evil antagonists in anime, Johan Lieber from Monster is the best portrayal of a psychopath in media. Johan Liebert from Monster is a ಞcharacter who is beyond just traditional nihilism. His actions are driven by a belief that life is inherently meaningless, and he seeks to create chaos and destruction as a way to kill time.

With no care for anyon🧸e, he regularly kills and manipulates people for his entertainment, and when you consider the circumstances of his childhood, you’ll see why Monster is such an iconic anime.