In the world of anime, the mighty hero must be equaled by a compelling villain or two, and some of anime's most memorable characters are the most wicked of villains. The likes of Frieza, Captain Sosuke Aizen, Madara Uchiha, Zeref Dragneel, and Marshall D. Teach/Blackbeard come to mind, but what about some lesser villains?
Many anime series will have a handful of minor villains who really only exist to provide extra fight scenes, but some of these minor antagonists had solid character design, and deserved to be more than a one-off challenge for the heroes. Some villains should have stuck around a little longer in their respective series, all things considered.
10 Aaroniero Arurruerie, The 9th Espada (Bleach), never got a chance to show what he could really do before Rukia Kuchiki slew him
Given his unique powers and intense personality, the villainous Aaroniero Arurruerie, the 9th Espada, should have had a longer tenure in the series. He is one of the ten Espadas, and he gained power through sheer gluttony. As a Hollow, and later an Arrancar, he ate an astonishing total of 33,650 Hollows.
All this makes Aaroniero a one-man army, able to manifest the form and powers of any of those Hollows. He also assumed the form and powers of Kaien Shiba, but that was practically all he did. Aaroniero never got a chance to show what he could really do before Rukia Kuchiki slew him.
9 it's all over now for Overhaul, The Mob Boss (My Hero Academia)
Although the My Hero Academia anime isn't over yet, it feels safe to say that the supervillain Overhaul has made his last meaningful appearance. After all, once he was defeated at the hands of Izuku Midoriya, he had both of his arms rotted off, courtesy of Tomura Shigaraki.
True, Overhaul did cram a lot of action and drama into the first half of Season 4, but some fans may be clamoring for more Overhaul action, and see what else this brilliant villain and his incredible Quirk are capable of. But it's all over now.
8 Lust, The Assassin Homunculus (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), could have done more before getting vaporized
Lust was one of the seven homunculi "children" of the supervillain named Father, and she met a fiery end at the hands of Colonel Roy Mustang about a third into the series. Until then, Lust was a sort of squad leader among the homunculi.
Lust did her job during that time frame, but given her remarkable wits and cool on-screen presence, she could have and should have done more before getting vaporized. Imagine if she seduced and killed a few more heroes first to truly establish herself as a powerhouse villain.
7 Lara Tybur, War Hammer Titan's Wielder (Attack On Titan), was capable of so much more
The Nine Titans are split between the Marley Empire and the forces of Paradis Island, and when Eren Yeager launched his reckless assault on the Marley Empire, he clashed with Lara Tybur, the woman who had inherited the War Hammer Titan.
Lara did her best, but she couldn't handle Eren and the Scouts at the same time. Her character received little development before Eren devoured her to steal her powers. What else could Lara have done, given the chance? What was she truly capable of?
6 August, The Powerhouse Wizard (Fairy Tail), could have been explored in greater detail
August was a member of the Spriggan 12, the elite minions of Zeref Dragneel and his Alvarez Empire. However, this empire and its 12 Spriggan champions were all introduced rather late in the story and were practically rushed into the plot.
August was the son of Mavis Vermillion and Zeref Dragneel, and while his personal story was a tragic one, its role in the story was brief and crammed into the anime's final leg. If August appeared sooner and more often, he could have been explored in greater detail, including more action scenes (he's fun to watch).
5 Imagine if the show gave Kureo Mado, The Obsessive Ghoul Hunter (Tokyo Ghoul), time to show off his full collection
Kureo Mado was a minor antagonist in the original series, since he was a CCG investigator with a cruel streak. Strictly speaking, Kureo was only doing his job, but he was brutal and merciless, even to ghouls who were actually innocent (such as the young Hinami).
Kureo liked to collect kagune to make quinques, but little of this fascinating hobby was ever seen, since he was swiftly killed off by Ken Kaneki's party. Imagine if the show gave Kureo time to show off his full collection, and not just a sample of it.
4 it wouldn't hurt to know a bit more of what Mother Spider Demon's (Demon Slayer) life had been like
The powerful demon named Rui was a member of the Lower Moons, and he once assembled an entire "family" of demons, modifying them to fit his spider theme. The "mother" of the family had considerable powers, but she was a tragic character. She suffered some physical and verbal abuse from her "son."
The mother demon was freed from her fear and suffering when Tanjiro Kamado slew her out of duty. Still, it wouldn't hurt to know a bit more of what her life had been like before then and explore her own views of the world.
3 Too bad Goshinki, The Mind-Reading Brute (InuYasha), only lasted for 1 episode
Many creative demons appeared in this fantasy anime, and one of them was a horned, purple-skinned demon named Goshinki. He was one of Naraku's best minions at the time, boasting not only speed and strength, but also telepathy.
Goshinki didn't actually control people's actions through telepathy or modify memories, but he could perfectly read the intentions of his enemies, and that alone was a huge advantage. It was also he who crushed the Tetsusaiga with his fangs, an impressive feat. Too bad he barely lasted for one episode.
2 Sasori Of The Red Sand (Naruto) should've had more chances to show off his remarkable puppet collection
Sasori was a runaway Sand Village ninja who joined the dreaded Akatsuki organization, and he earned his keep by performing powerful puppetry jutsu. His collection easily put Kankuro's to shame, especially since Sasori had turned himself into a puppet, too.
This villain had a good fight against Sakura Haruno and Chiyo early into Naruto Shippuden, but he went down, and he barely appeared in the shinobi war, either. If only he got more chances to show off his remarkable puppet collection, and claim another victim or two.
1 Lord Boros, The Alien Overlord (One-Punch Man), could have returned to challenge Saitama again
Saitama, the great Caped Baldy, lamented the lack of worthy opponents... until he went up against Boros, an alien commander with strength that almost rivaled his own. Saitama and Boros both enjoyed their world-shaking duel.
It's a shame that Saitama's alien equal went down after one good fight, though. If he had miraculously survived, then he could have returned to challenge Saitama again, and become the Vegeta of this series. But it was not to be.
0 Comments