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The world of Japanese animation is home to a wide variety of classic supervillains and antagonists of all sorts, many of whom are found in beloved shonen stories or seinen series. These villains come in all types, from schemers and master manipulators to brute-force berserkers or even demons and robots. They also have different perspectives on their own power and status.
Some villains love to abuse their power and recklessly use it to get whatever they want, and they might be downright irresponsible or juvenile about it. Other villains are actually quite responsible with their powers and refuse to abuse them or use those powers for frivolous reasons. Despite being villains, these characters agree with Spider-Man‘s Uncle Ben that “with great power comes great responsibility.”
10 Wrath Only Fights When Necessary (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Paradoxically, the villainous homunculus Wrath is both brutally bloodthirsty and highly responsible in battle. True to his name, he shows no mercy in battle and never takes pity on anyone, and he scorns humanity despite once being human himself. But he’s careful about how he uses those sabers.
Wrath may be a strong fighter and the leader of Amestris, but he does keep the country running smoothly and won’t fight unless he has a good reason to. Even then, he tries to end the battle quickly and move on. He’s a soldier’s soldier.
9 Kaname Tosen Believes In Justice (Bleach)
Ex-Captain Kaname Tosen has been in cahoots with Sosuke Aizen for decades, but he didn’t tip his hand until the last moment, during the climax of the Soul Society story arc. He believes in a lofty but somewhat abstract concept of true justice, and he claims to hate bloodshed.
Tosen captured Uryu Ishida the Quincy without capturing him, and he later scolded Grimmjow Jaegerjaques for acting up and invading Karakura Town without permission, showing him responsible he is. The exception is when he gained Hollow powers and acted recklessly with them, which led to his downfall.
8 Askeladd Is A Careful Planner (Vinland Saga)
Askeladd is somewhat a noble who is almost like an antihero, though Thorfinn Karsefni never forgave him for killing his beloved father, Thors. Askeladd may be vicious and unforgiving, but he is also a smart leader who is willing to make tough decisions to keep his band of raiders together.
Askeladd also decided to unofficially adopt Thorfinn and teach the boy how to fight and survive as a Viking raider across Europe. Askeladd also wished to protect all Welsh people from the Vikings, and protect Wales from all invasions. He feels responsibility toward his maternal ancestry.
7 Amon Wanted To Make A Better World For Non-Benders (The Legend Of Korra)
Avatar Korra’s first great challenge was Amon the revolutionary, a Waterbender who sought to topple the supposed tyranny of benders in Republic City with his Equalist movement. He wasn’t doing this for his own sake, though – Amon really wanted what was best for others.
Amon’s methods were extreme, and he was rightfully viewed as a villain and terrorist. But he felt a sense of responsibility toward Republic City’s non-benders and working-class, proving that he is a more refined villain than Fire Lord Ozai or Princess Azula before him.
6 Stain Fought To Weed Out Unworthy Heroes (My Hero Academia)
Stain the hero killer, like Askeladd and Amon, uses extreme methods to achieve a somewhat noble goal, making him more than just a villain for villainy’s sake. Stain can’t be forgiven for killing so many pro heroes, but then again, he’s not killing pro heroes for fun or for money. He’s got an ideal to uphold.
Stain believes that modern heroes are too corrupt and fight for money and glory rather than true justice. So, Stain targets the “unworthy” pros and will spare the truly righteous ones such as All Might and Izuku. Stain won’t use his assassin skills for his own sake.
5 Kotaro Amon Fights For Humanity (Tokyo Ghoul)
From a storytelling point of view, Kotaro Amon the CCG investigator is an antagonist, and he is a villain since he wants to destroy Ken Kaneki, who seeks to bring peace between humans and ghouls. Kotaro may be an antagonist, but he’s fighting for noble reasons, and he won’t ever abuse his authority.
Kotaro is a model CCG investigator, protecting innocent people from flesh-hungry ghouls of all shapes and sizes. He also upholds the CCG’s laws and ideals to the letter, and he could serve as inspiration for recruits who need a role model to emulate.
4 Tsukasa Shishio Wanted To Protect People From Greedy Adults (Dr. Stone)
Tsukasa Shishio was a bitter person in the 21st century, lamenting how much the strong exploited the weak all over the world. Politicians, military generals, lawyers, and other parties preyed upon the masses and made them suffer, so Tsukasa aimed to change that in the new stone age.
Tsukasa and Senku can control who gets revived and when, so Tsukasa aimed to take this opportunity to remake the world. Instead of bringing back the old world order, he wanted to revive pure-hearted youths and destroy the corrupt adults’ statues, so people can live in peace. But Senku can’t accept that.
3 Reiner Braun Puts The Mission First (Attack On Titan)
Reiner Braun is a Marleyan warrior and the wielder of the Armored Titan, and he took that role seriously. In fact, he might not have made it as a warrior at all, but fate had different plans for him. He humbly accepted the Armored Titan, and he tried his best to fight for what’s right.
Reiner is torn between his Marleyan affiliation and his Eldian heritage, and he refuses to abuse his massive power for personal gain or for fun. He’s not always sure what the right thing to do might be, but he’ll always seek it out.
2 Akito Sohma Thinks She’s Running A Proper Household (Fruits Basket)
Some anime villains merely believe they’re being responsible with their powers while they’re actually abusing them, but at least these characters intend to do the right thing. Akito Sohma is like that too, and she feels highly responsible for all the Sohmas as their “god.”
Unfortunately, Akito’s methods and behavior are making the Sohmas miserable and pushing them away, and she can’t understand why. Akito just wants to keep them all close and give all of them, and herself, a sense of belonging and purpose together. But the execution is all wrong.
1 Isabella Looked After The Children At The Grace Field House (The Promised Neverland)
There are all sorts of things anime fans can say about Isabella, the “Mom” who was in charge of all the children at the Grace Field House. She is partially a villain and partially a hero, but early on, she was definitely an antagonist, and Emma, Ray, and Norman all feared her.
Whether hero or villain, Isabella always had a strong sense of responsibility, both to the children and to the monsters who ruled the world. She would never dream of exploiting her position – instead, she merely acts out of duty and compassion, even if her compassion can be strict and terrifying at times.
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