When discussing main characters in anime, the conversation may branch across the topic of complex protagonists, all the way to someone straightforward and of pure heart. But seldom will someone bring up main characters in anime who are actually the villains in the series, as it can probably become a daunting task to write or create from the author’s point of view.
Below we listed a bunch of anime which were successful in portraying protagonists who are not traditionally good individuals, but actual main characters who steal the spotlight through their twisted villainy.
The most evil anime protagonists of all time
1) Hellsing
One of the most quintessential vampire anime/manga series from early 2005 has to be Hellsing, way before the Castlevania animated series found a major footing beyond video games. The show follows the story of Alucard, an old vampire who lends his services to the Hellsing organization.
While Alucard may be helping the organization slaughter Nazis, it would be unwise to forget that he is still a vampire with an insatiable hunger for violence and bloodshed. He is certainly not someone who would care to protect individuals, and without the Integra’s orders, Alucard would surely have been an uncontrollable killing machine.
2) Death Note
Readers probably saw this one coming, we could not have missed out on Light Yagami from Death Note when talking about all the evil anime protagonists. Death Note tells the incredible tale of a killer notebook that finds its way into the world of living and changes the fate of humanity as the main character takes justice into his own hands.
Light was a model student living an ordinary life, but it all changed when he got a taste of power within the pages of Death Note. Initially using it to pass his own version of justice to petty criminals and evil-doers, but slowly drowning in the power blinds him into hurting innocent people, even extending to his family.
3) Attack on Titan
Written by the mangaka Hajime Isayama, Attack on Titan was one of the most important dark fantasy shows that grew to immense popularity as soon as it first premiered in 2013. The story is set in post post-apocalyptic world where giant humanoid monsters known as the titans have terrorized humanity and forced them behind massive walls.
The downfall of the show’s protagonist Eren Jaeger from a normal boy to the hero of Eldia and then spiraling into the genocidal villain of the story needs to be studied. Spending the majority of his life in the story trying to find the secrets behind titans for the benefit of humanity, only to end up being the sacrificial figure by the end of the show. Something that Eren himself saw coming, but it still causes debate in the fandom to date.
4) Elfen Lied
If you were like most kids back in the early 2000s exploring the internet for weird anime then you probably have come across some of the anime AMVs that had a clip of Elfen Lied, and the gore probably shocked your bones. Most know the show to be a complete gorefest, but underneath that, it’s just a show about a misunderstood protagonist.
The protagonist, Lucy or Nyu is a Diclonius, a superior lifeform boasting powers such as psychokinesis that may develop tendencies to threaten humanity. Naturally, she was at the center of interest for the government for experimentation which accelerated her hatred for humans fueled by pain.
5) Saga of Tanya the Evil
In the recent few years, we have seen a rise in ‘isekai’ anime genre, and one of the shows contributing to this is Saga of Tanya the Evil. Earlier in the list we read about villains beating up evil military armies in fictional world war scenarios, but this time the tables get turned when an apathetic salary man gets reincarnated as a ten-year-old girl who is a military mastermind.
Tanya Degurechaff may look like any ordinary European girl, but inside she is an individual devoid of empathy. Thrown into an alternate World War history scenario, her only goal in life is to rise in military ranks to the Empire’s Mage Corps, and she will do anything in her power to get there with zero remorse for the fate of others.
6) Overlord
Talking about isekai anime with protagonists that are actually evil, what better way to segway into another pointer than to follow it up with a different isekai anime that has an evil protagonist? Overlord similarly follows an ordinary individual in a different world, but not an alternate world war reality, instead it’s a virtual reality game.
Overlord is about a Virtual reality game named Ygdrasill. Momonga, a regular guy, gets stuck in the game as Ainz Ooal Gown. He accepts his fate as The Overlord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and slowly starts straying away from his human side as he gets more into the identity of his character and starts committing countless acts of villainy throughout the series.
7) Fate/zero
The Fate anime franchise is probably one of the most popular out there spanning multiple media including mobile games and movies. Originally a visual novel franchise, but the one we are focusing on for our topic is Fate/Zero which was a light novel at first before it got adapted into one of the most popular shows in the franchise.
Even though the show boasts a traditional antagonist, the fandom sometimes collectively agrees on the fact that the main protagonist, Emiya Kiritsugu is also a villain beyond the morals of an anti-hero, as does not like playing the game of Holy Grail war by its rules. Kiritsugu can be considered as one of the more complex villains in this list, who can go to the extent of killing his own loved ones to achieve his goal.
