Summary
Isekai stories wouldn’t be the same without worthy opponents to antagonize the summoned heroes. And though in recent years, isekai villains have turned quite dumb and satirical, the genre holdssome of the most heinous and evil charactersthat have ever tried to destroy a fantasy world.
From a creature born out of dark human desires that took shape into one of the most evil destroyers of the Digital World to a reincarnated psycho that decided to wage war and cause bloodshed out of pure lust for violence. These examples are some of the best isekai anime and manga villains, who are capable of destroying everything just to pursue their obsessions.
Every good villain must have three things to be considered a true antagonist: Planning, timing, and constituting a real threat to the main characters. Myotismon fromDigimon Adventureshas all that in spades. He is extremely intelligent, to the point of being able to remain a threat in the shadows for a long time, while also hindering the Chosen Children’s advance through the Digital World in every possible way. His strategies almost caused the death of the children on many occasions and have gone as far as to cause a notable rift among them, which almost led him to victory.
Ultimately, when he digi-evolved into Venom-Myotismon, he became a walking disaster andone of the biggest threats to ever invade Japanfrom the Digital World. Fortunately, Tai and Matt (Yamato in the Japanese version) were able to team up and summon the powerful Omnimon to stop him in his tracks. Thinking back, since Myotismon was considered a mega-level powerhouse even before evolving into his final form, and ultimately came back as MaloMyotismon (Belial-Vandemon) which was considerably more powerful, and returned the initial intelligence of the villain that was lost during his evolution process.
7Fenrir (Eminence In Shadow)
Seeking Eternal Youth, He Sacrificed Countless Students
Eminence In Shadowis filled to the brim with a lot of incredible characters, most of which are villains or anti-heroes, but among the myriad of soulscomposing the casting of this isekai anime, Fenrir, the 5th seat of the Round Table of the Diabolos Cult might the one of the best. This character’s past is deeply intertwined with the events surrounding the creation of Shadow Garden, and the plans of the cult to resurrect the Demon Lord, which is actually the Witch Aurora (currently reincarnated in Cid Kagenou’s sister).
Fenrir is not only a powerful swordsman, but also an evil mind, with centuries-old worth of battle experience, and a tremendous obsession for remaining young forever, and that’s a significant motivator for an isekai villain. Sadly, his participation in the plot was cut off by Shadow’s intervention during the Academy Hostage takeover arc. But if not for the edgy main character’s timely intervention, this evil genius would have destroyed all the students, including Princess Alexa and Claire Kagenou, who were powerless before his superior skills.
Fans ofOverlordare well aware of Ainz Ooal Gown’s true nature as a reincarnator and former player of the New World online RPG game, but this doesn’t mean this main character isn’t the true villain of the story. Most of the time summoned heroes from another world are brought for a purpose, but as the story progresses, it is clear as day that Ainz’s goal isworld domination under the rule of the Sorcerer Kingdom. His many subordinates have various grades of sociopathy and are even more ruthless than him. But Ainz knows that he has the power to stop them, so, why not do it?
Sure, he has shown mercy and restriction to a point, but seeing the whole picture, Ainz might be one of the greatest villains in the history of isekai anime, and that’s all right. No matter how the story develops, he will surely lose more and more of his remaining humanity, and one day he will become the ultimate evil in New World and its absolute Overlord.
5Dilandau Albatou (The Vision Of Escaflowne)
The Most Emotionally Scarred And Disturbed Villain From The 90’s
Dilandau remains one of the scariest and most bloodthirsty villains from the 90’s isekai anime, and up to today, one of the most mentally disturbed of them all. Some have even compared his behavior to Dio Brando’s fromJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.During the events ofThe Vision Of Escaflowne, Dilandau shows no mercy and relentlessly pursues Van across the continent, unleashing chaos wherever he goes. As one of the most skilled Guymelef (the giant mechas in the anime) pilots, Dilandau has proven a notorious threat even for Van and his faithful Escaflowne.
His past has left him psychologically scarred, to the point that loneliness breaks him apart and causes him severe agoraphobia and a crippling fear that paralyzes him when cornered. These episodes are often followed by sudden rushes of unbridled rage, and a necessity to burn everything in his wake. Truly a fearsome opponent, and with a background and development that have been masterfully written by the author of the series.
If power corrupts, love offers salvation, or so goes the saying. But in the case of another 90’s isekai villain named Zagato, he might be the exception to the rule. Written even before Anakin Skywalker’s fall into the Dark Side was even a plan in George Lucas' mind, the story of Zagato and Emeraude, his beloved priestess, has a pretty similar structure. Zagato was the High Priest of Cephiro and right-hand man to Empress Emeraude. A powerful magician and student of the Sage Clef, Zagato was destined for greatness, but his passionate love for the Empress always blindsided him, impeding this villain from seeing the bigger picture.
Bound to the Pillar System of the World, Emeraude was condemned to a life of devotion and to give up happiness for the sake of the planet, and this made Zagato’s heart break into a million pieces. Knowing that his beloved High Priest would try to stop her, she imprisoned herself in a watery tomb, while also summoning the Three Magic Warriors from another world to stop him. Zagato’s true intentions were always to protect Emeraude, and the anime and manga differ quite a lot in their portrayal of his goals.
While in reality, the manga shows that Emeraude exiled herself into the Water Temple Dungeon, while Zagato purposely took on the blame for love (even going as far as taking the secret to his grave), the anime showcasesa much darker version of the character, where the events occur in a much different path. Zagato from the animated series kidnaps the Empress and is much more ruthless and powerful than the one depicted in the manga. Nevertheless, both versions of the character are great, and he deserves a place on the list.
3Emperor Dornkirk (The Vision Of Escaflowne)
A Man So Obsessed With Fate That He Would Even Sacrifice His Children
What is the true meaning of fate? What is the purpose of life? These questions tormented Emperor Dornkirk (Lord Dornkirk in the light novels) to the point of breaking his mind. He was an Earthling scientist named Isaac, who discovered the force of gravity. Yes, that’s right, Dornkirk’s true identity is Sir Isaac Newton, who wastransported to the world of Gaea upon his death, and continued his quest in pursuit of the knowledge of the force that attracted people together. Obsessed with seeking the answer to his inquiries, he devoted his life to the study of the magic that empowered this world and ultimately founded the Zaibach Empire, granting his past life knowledge to the inhabitants of Gaea, and greatly modernizing its society.
His pursuit of the secret of Fate turned his attention to the lost civilization of Atlantis, killing Leon Schezar, his partner researcher who refused to tell him about the location of this place upon discovering his true goal. This was the turning point that sparked the main conflict in the anime. Dornkirk built the Fate Alteration Machine, a contraption that enabled him to see a glimpse of the future. But to empower his invention and to perpetuate his eternal life, he seeks the Heart of Escaflowne, which is in reality a lost artifact from the Atlantean Civilization that would eventually guide him to the lost Mystic Valley. To accomplish his goals, he repairs at no expense, and he is ruthlessly determined to finish what he started: even if it means the death of his adoptive son, Folken.
Born as Oliveira von Schtradius, a duke of the Bluesphere Empire and the best candidate to inherit the throne. Oliveira was a noble who cared about his people, selfless and truthful to his goal to improve the livelihood of his subjects. He fell in love with Aria, a daughter of a count, and together they ruled as merciful and wise rulers of their dukedom, which prospered thanks to their humanitarian policies and social justice. This caused hundreds of migrants from other fiefdoms to flock toward Schradius’s dukedom and sparked the jealousy and disdain of other nobles.
Ultimately, this led them to conspire and accuse him of horrible crimes, spreading rumors and controlling public opinion until a rebellion was sparked, and the same subjects that Oliveira and Aria loved and cared for ended up betraying them. Trapped in their manor by a riot, Oliveira saw how the peasants burned down his home, alongside Aria and his unborn child. This destroyed the duke’s mind, which sparked his transformation into a devil. His tragic background alongside his powerful magic abilities makes him an absolute threat to the world, ashe seeks to punish all selfish humansand turn all those treated unfairly into demons like him. Oliver Schtrom is the ultimate antagonist of Shin Wolford and seeks to prove a point: even the noblest of humans will turn into a demon if others betray him.
Tanya Degurechaff is the second incarnation of a man who defied God in a battle of wits and won. Turned into a young girl in a world of magic riddled with war, the doll-like face of this small lady hides her inner shadowy and psychopathic nature, capable of the most heinous of war crimes. An absolutely disgusting character, though well written, Tanya sparks both rejection and fascination among the fans of this isekai, and she is cataloged as one of the most infamously evil characters in the history of anime.
Wearing the visage of a perfect soldier, she hides a corrupted nature, with a total lack of empathy and with the sole purpose of proving her value to her superiors. This, of course, makes her prone to the most cunning and evil acts of violence in the “pursuit of the ultimate goal.” Prone to long speeches and megalomania, she defines herself as a free thinker, unbound by the rules of the world. But at the same time, presents herself as a religious leader, who frantically praises God and seeks to share a common thinking with her fellow soldiers. This naturally draws the attention of his colleagues, and she passes as passionate and charming, instead of a total zealot who will do everything to reach her goals. Perhaps is this contradictory nature that makes her such a great isekai anime villain, the perfect candidate to hold the highest spot.
