There’s no doubt that anime has become one of the most popular genres in the entertainment industry, with its unique and engaging stories. However, there are also some villains that manage to stand out from the rest. Here are 22 of the most notorious female villains in anime!
They’re somehow always so well-written and oddly hot for mass-murderers.
Well here we’re looking into the female side of evildoers and ranking the best female villains in all of anime. Take a look!
22. Tanya Degurechaff
Anime: The Saga of Tanya the Evil
I’m going to start off with Tanya as she’s just a soldier at the end of the day, while most of the other people on here are just kind of evil.
However, with a title like “The Demon of the Rhine” you really can’t say that your hands are all that clean.
Even among her comrades she’s a person to be feared, as she’s not above beating the ever-living hell out of anyone that dares to slack off.
Of course, we as the audience grow to like her as we learn her story. But man, does everyone in her universe wish that train had just finished her.
21. Kurome
Anime: Akame ga Kill
To be honest, if Kurome had been the main character of Akame ga Kill I would have definitely been alright with that.
Initially she has that double trouble vibe as she can look incredibly adorable in one moment, and then like a complete badass in the next.
Her skills are no joke, so when she’s slicing and dicing, she gets some cool points.
But then we saw her go into rage mode and that was a whole different level of hype.
Plus, if she was the main character I could imagine what magic they could do with that rage boost. Take notes White Fox!
20. Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade
Anime: Kizumonogatari
In the Monogatari series we get used to Kiss-shot as the protagonist… pardon, we get used to Shinobu as the protagonist, but it’s important to remember where she came from.
Okay, she did also enslave humanity that one time out of loneliness. But I want to focus on Kizumonogatari specifically.
When Kiss-shot was at full power she was one of the most terrifying and frankly overpowered villains ever.
Her battle with Araragi has somehow the funniest heavy R-rating I had ever seen. And she had such a strong presence in every scene. So definitely top tier.
19. Nana Hiiragi
Anime: Talentless Nana
Nana might be a bit of a pocket pick, as the show isn’t that popular. But she is definitely worth looking into.
To spoil the concept of the series, it’s a huge Among Us game and Nana is the impostor. With the added twist that everyone besides Nana has superpowers.
And yet she manages to just off people, one after the other, like it’s nothing.
Sure, sometimes you like seeing an overpowered character. But other times it’s so nice to look at the weakest character in the show absolutely owning everyone else.
18. Shiro
Anime: Deadman Wonderland
Sorry if you had to find out this way, but Shiro is really not as harmless as she looks. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Turns out she’s the main villain, or to be more precise her other personality is. You know, the person that massacred Ganta’s entire class, giving him PTSD and also framing him for murder?
Yep, that was Shiro’s other personality.
And honestly who could have seen it coming? Her “calm” form is such a lovable little goof who just follows Ganta around and wants some head-pats.
Man, that identity reveal really had me conflicted.
17. Rem
Anime: Death Note
I bet you all though I was going to put Misa on here, but no beans.
In my opinion Rem really carried that dynamic female murder duo, as she was never as easy to read as Misa.
She was a literal god of death, and yet she cared for Misa so sincerely. It’s because she cares so much that she had some pretty badass moments, like straight out telling Light that if he lays a finger on Misa she will end his life right then and there.
And just like Ryuk, her visual design is just top-notch. She always looks so ominous and cool.
16. Android 18
Anime: Dragon Ball Z
In a sea of Bulma’s and Chi Chi’s, the world really needed an Android 18.
She was just this badass, sassy little lady who travelled around and did whatever she wanted with her pals.
And when it was time to fight, the gloves came off. And even Saiyans had to catch these hands.
In relationships too she was confident and straight to the point. You see a little bald man who you fancy, give him a little kiss while he cowers for his life, why not?
Even though she does appear less frequently once she goes over to the good guys, she still maintains her badass nature. Also, never forget that she, alongside her brother, basically did genocide in the second timeline, so definitely a villain.
15. Ruri Hijiribe
Anime: Durarara!!
Sometimes you want an idol character, and other times you want serial killers.
But there comes a time when you just want both.
This is where Ruri comes into the picture, as despite her small frame and adorable face, she has quite the corpse pile in her closet.
And surprise, surprise, she has super-human strength and empathizes with monsters, as they can do what they want.
I can already see the Ruri x Garou fanfictions coming.
It’s not like she’s a complete nutjob. She just has a very creative and illegal way of venting out her frustrations.
14. Lucy
Anime: Elfen Lied
With most of the characters on this list, the formula is kinda like “she’s really cute and nice but also murders people”.
But with Lucy it’s a bit different.
Lucy can be completely cold-blooded, genocide cold-blooded, mutilation of all your limbs cold-blooded… however you can kind of see where she’s coming from.
She was experimented on for years and simply doesn’t hold any empathy towards human beings.
She doesn’t kill for pleasure or anything. She will even give you a chance to just leave most of the time. But if you provoke her, you’ll face a very gruesome death.
13. Nonon Jakuzure
Anime: Kill la Kill
Among the Elite Four Jakazure is by far the most entertaining. Why?
Because she makes every fight an absolute spectacle.
I don’t know which I liked more: when she pulled a Chrollo Requiem moment at the school, or when she summoned a Transformers speaker and tried to off Ryuuko through the power of base.
She’s also quite snarky. So whenever the Elite Four is having some banter, you already know that she’s going to bring all the zingers.
Bonus points for that uniform, especially the 10-inch hat. You can’t underestimate the kawaii factor.
12. Shion Sonozaki
Anime: When They Cry
Shion is the only character on this list that I included not because I found her interesting and memorable, but rather because she gave me nightmares.
Like seriously, Shion is far from the only character to snap and have a mental breakdown in anime. And yet she’s the only one that made me feel uneasy.
Was it the amount of gore?
The terrifyingly amazing voice acting?
Who knows.
What I do know is that she makes for an amazing villain. And I am beyond hyped to see what they do with her character in the new reboot.
11. Konan
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden
The Pain arc in Naruto is arguably a masterpiece among shounen.
And although Nagato steals the show for the most part, Konan is still a close second.
Her aesthetic was so scarily beautiful, like this angel of death that looms through the darkness.
Paper bombs somehow remained relevant in the show for quite some time. So the fact that Konan could set up an entire sea of these things was just so cool.
She still got beat by Uchiha hacks, but she took the W in all of our hearts at least.
10. Shalltear Bloodfallen
Anime: Overlord
If I were to just judge appearance, then Albedo would have probably taken this spot.
However, Shalltear just has so much more on-screen badass moments, along with some nightmare fuel, that I think she deserves a mention.
This is because Shalltear felt like a genuine monster. Like someone who would eat your face and jump rope with your bowels.
We’ve also seen that her power is near the very top, as even Ainz had to meta-game their fight in order to win.
9. Krul Tepes
Anime: Seraph of the End
Who doesn’t love a good old vampire princess from time to time?
She’s little, she’s cute, she has led a genocide campaign. Like what is there not to love?
She just served as this looming threat in the show, as every time someone dares to confront her, she just breaks a bone or two and calls them her little pet.
So you have to sit there and think “that was one of the more powerful characters she just backhanded and humiliated, who the hell is going to beat her?”
So all hail princess Krul!
8. Yuno Gasai
Anime: Future Diaries
Yuno has been a staple in the female villain discussion for quite some time.
Heck, she single-handedly brought the yandere hype-train into the community.
And that’s because the girl simply has a few screws loose. On introduction, Yuno plays off like a horror movie antagonist. Whenever she’s on screen I feel the need to cover my eyes or look at the corner of the screen to avoid her gaze.
She gets a bit more tame later on, but even “tame” Yuno is just a psychotic killer who won’t bat an eye at the goriest of scenes.
7. Altair
Anime: Re: Creators
I’m fascinated how prevalent and popular this character is, taking into account that she has almost no voice-lines whatsoever.
And yet it just kind of works.
Her presence is always so noticeable and her power so overwhelming that we get a picture of her in our head, all without her needing to tell us anything.
And her fights are spectacles for sure, as she literally has hacks as a cannon ability, meaning that nothing is ever off the table.
Maybe I just liked her so much because of the uniform, that’s definitely a possibility as well.
6. Himiko Toga
Anime: My Hero Academia
Initially, Toga’s likability was very plain and simple: she was a psychopath, and we all have had weird taste ever since Yuno became popular.
However in the later seasons, and even more so in the manga, she gets fleshed out quite a bit.
Her relationship with Twice was honestly one of the highlights for me and her spars with Uraraka were absolute nail-biters.
I mean, she’s still insane. But now we can understand that insanity. And she has way more to offer, so A+ in my books.
5. Ougi Oshino
Anime: Owarimonogatari
Ougi is gender fluid, but I want to focus on her appearance in Owarimonogatari, where she’s a female.
Ougi’s words had so much power that it was like a horror film whenever she opened her mouth.
Right off the bat, the audience can tell that something is off about her. But to think that she was playing the entire main cast like a clarinet and almost leading a few of them to certain death, that is some god-tier trickery.
A villain doesn’t always have to have the power of a god to be an absolute powerhouse.
4. Esdeath
Anime: Akame ga Kill
Esdeath was an instant hit in the anime community. Who doesn’t love a woman in uniform?
Especially because the contrast between her evil deeds and her demeanor when she’s at home are so night and day that it gives her an odd sense of depth.
Like on the one hand, she literally murdered an entire army single-handedly, and then had the leader lick her boots while on a chain leash.
And on the other hand she goes full “shy high school girl” mode when she’s alone with Tatsumi.
You rarely see a character with two sides as different as with Esdeath. Plus, to contrast her ice, she’s smoking hot.
3. Neferpitou
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011)
I love Neferpitou because she scares me to death.
The anime just lost no time in presenting how terrifying she was, and how far her power went above everything we had seen before.
Not only did she absolutely flex on us with her thigh muscle, but she also one-shotted a major character off screen.
There’s no doubt in my mind that she was the best out of the Royal Guards and honestly, her fight with Gon is probably on my top 5 anime fights of all time.
She’s terrifying, cool, interesting, and a cat person. Top tier-nya.
2. Echidna
Anime: Re: Zero
I’ve decided to die on the “Echidna is best girl” hill, so come at me!
Like everyone else on this list, Echidna is to be feared.
But she is a lot more subtle than the rest.
She doesn’t really break any bones or feast on human flesh. But she just manipulates people into pulling a Doctor Faustus and ruining their life.
I mean, she’s a witch after all. Why they had to make her so adorable and likable, that I cannot answer. But I’m not against it.
If Echidna Tea Time came out as a spinoff, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t watch it.
1. Isabella
Anime: The Promised Neverland
An intelligent villain, when written correctly, is probably the best hook a show can have.
And Isabella delivers on that concept many times over.
When she’s on screen she doesn’t even have to do anything. She can just shoot a sharp look, a smile, or go into a certain room. The main characters (along with the audience) will shake in their boots.
Don’t get me started on that one time when she actually did get physical, that was a jaw-dropper!
She’s a golden example in character writing as she’s believable and yet so extraordinary, A++ with three golden stars.
