The Most Evil Female Anime Characters

Summary

• Female anime antagonists are powerful, feared, and drive plots with nefarious schemes.
• Villains like Medusa, Lust, and Echidna showcase varying levels of cruelty and manipulation.
• Characters like Rize, Esdeath, and Isabella are ruthless, sadistic, and immensely powerful.

Female characters have a prominent position in anime, and they don’t always appear as heroes. Some of the most feared and dangerous female anime antagonists are truly sinister. They drive the plot with their nefarious schemes and find pleasure in torturing and murdering people.

Like any intimidating villain, these terrifying female characters are absolute powerhouses. Fans often admire them as much as they hate them, and there are some with character arcs and sympathetic backstories, while a few are just angry, broken people who live to hurt others.

Updated on January 28, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose: Anime’s popularity is due to the variety of female characters that dominate the casting of almost every show and movie in the genre. Many of these characters went on to become some of the most iconic anime badguys of all time. The greatness of a hero shines through when they defeat the villain, and these are some characters that are so nasty they always make the protagonist earn their victories and entertain the viewer in the process.

14

Medusa Gorgon

Conducted Brutal Experiments On Her Own Child

Soul Eater follows the adventures of a group of students who attended a special Academy and trained to become demon hunters. Medusa Gorgon is an evil witch who successfully defeats some of the strongest demon weapons in the story. However, Medusa was not only good when it came to combat. Thanks to her magical powers, she could also brainwash people and make them do her bidding.

Medusa was fueled by hatred and would be extremely hostile towards anyone who tried to stand up to her or stand in her way. She would gladly use cruel physical torture too, and because of her astounding magical abilities, she quickly became one of the most formidable villains in the series.

13

Princess Kushana

Brought Poison To The Valley And Woke The Old Gods

• Appears In: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Her official title is the Imperial Princess of Torumekia, and she leans in pretty hard. Kushana’s family history includes an overbearing stepfather and a strict upbringing in a militaristic society, which explains some of her own aggressive nature. She also lost her arm in an Ohmu attack, and she wants revenge so badly that she’s willing to resurrect a God Warrior to get it.

Kushana invaded the Valley of the Wind with the Torumekian Third Army, which she had personally trained. Not only did her ship bring the bugs and spores from the Wasteland into the Valley, but they destroyed several buildings and killed many innocent civilians in doing so. She also took Nausicaa hostage in an attempt to placate her people, but this failed and eventually led to her defeat.

12

Misa

A Fanatical Follower Of Kirah

Also known by her pop star nickname, Misa Misa, this villain is much more dangerous and resourceful than her adorable outer demeanor reveals. Some of Light’s most deadly and elaborate plans were only able to succeed with her help, and he used her total obedience and slavish devotion to murder hundreds.

When she appears at Light’s house one day as a demonstration of loyalty, her cultish love for him is no less than chilling, and she reveals that she’s already traded half of her life span for the demon eyes that reveal a target’s real name and their pre-destined death day. She even gives up part of her memory to protect Kirah’s real identity, and in an ironic twist, she’s one of the last survivors of his rampage in the end.

11

Isabella

Sells Out The Innocents To Save Herself

• Appears In: The Promised Neverland

In The Promised Neverland, viewers follow the devastating adventures of a group of kids who are trying to find a way to escape their orphanage after they find out about its dark secret. There are a few key differences between The Promised Neverland manga and anime, but Isabella is one of the most despicable characters in both versions of this heartbreaking story.

Even though Isabella didn’t torture or kill anyone, many anime fans still consider her one of the most evil female anime characters of all time. While Isabella might seem like a kind and caring person, she is a selfish and evil woman. She decided to save her own life by becoming a Mama and ended up sending many children to their deaths.

10

Sailor Galaxia

The Embodiment of Evil

All the villains of every season of Sailor Moon could go on this list, but the antagonist of the fourth and last season, Sailor Galaxia, is one of the most violent and dangerous of all. She also has one of the most interesting backstories and character arcs of any villain in the series, which makes her as interesting as she is intimidating.

She made the spirit of Chaos, the essence of all evil in the galaxy, a part of her own body in a heroic attempt to contain its power. The plan backfired, however, and didn’t have the strength to keep the darkness from taking control of her. She travels to Earth, one of the last safe places in the Galaxy, not only to face Sailor Moon but also in hot pursuit of the Sailor Stars and their princess, who have yet to be conquered and subdued by her forces.

9

Lust

A Homunculus Of Devastating Power

• Appears In: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

The Fullmetal Alchemist franchise is the story of the Elric brothers’ adventures as they embark on a journey to find a philosopher’s stone and try to get back their original bodies. Lust is one of the antagonists that stands in their way, and she’s one of the deadliest shonen anime villains of all time.

Lust hated all humans and thought of them as lesser beings who were weak both mentally and physically, compared to homunculi such as herself. She blindly follows all of Father’s orders in Brotherhood, and even ends up dying just to help him achieve his ultimate plan although she is depicted as questioning Dante’s orders in the original anime adaptation. While Lust always tried to show how confident and powerful she was, she revealed her manic side during difficult battles.

8

Daki

A Highly Skilled Demon Of Upper Rank Six

Demon Slayer is a popular anime because of the creative variety of demonic villains that drive the plot, and one of the worst is Daki. Formerly a human called Ume, Daki was turned by Doma, a highly-ranked demon, and for the last hundred years, she’s disguised herself as an upper-class courtesan, or an Oiran, to hide from hunters and lure her victims.

Daki isn’t just evil, she’s extremely powerful. She’s a secondary holder of Upper Rank Six and has killed and eaten seven Hashiri, or Demon Slayer Masters. This is a villain who is sadistic, bloodthirsty, and proud of it, so don’t misjudge her based on childish tantrums or crying fits.

7

Junko Enoshima

The Evil Genius Behind It All

In Danganronpa, one of the darkest anime like Squid Game, a group of high school kids gets locked inside a mysterious Academy. Ruled by a maniacal talking teddy bear, they are offered one way to get out: if they kill another student and get away with their crime in a trial, they may leave.

Junko Enoshima turns out to be the one behind it all. She is, without a doubt, one of the cruelest female anime characters. She easily manipulates and tortures others just to amuse herself. She is an extremely violent character who uses her cunning mind to drive the other students into killing each other. She was completely obsessed with causing despair and torturing others both physically and mentally.

6

Esdeath

A Powerful And Sadistic Warrior

• Appears In: Akame ga Kill!

Akame Ga Kill is about the life of a young boy named Tatsumi after he decides to visit The Capitol, and meets the infamous Night Raid assassin group. There are quite a few differences between the manga and anime, but Esdeath is one of the most terrifying characters in both.

Esdeath is one of the most powerful and ruthless warriors in the world and has a highly sadistic personality. She enjoys causing suffering and pain and will murder anyone without feeling an ounce of remorse. She is also a devious leader who can easily control and manipulate others. Her immense and unique martial arts skills allowed her to manipulate and control ice, and she used them to keep everyone afraid of her at all times.

5

Akito Sohma

The Powerful And Merciless God

• Appears In: Fruits Basket

Although physically frail and often ill, Akito Sohma is one of the most abusive and terrifying villains in anime. Fruits Basket is a show about a family of characters that embody the Chinese zodiac, which means each family member is one of the animals that symbolizes the year, but Akito is the interesting exception and her identity is connected to her cruelty.

There is one character in the Chinese zodiac which is never assigned to a person, the Jade Emporer, and Akito was raised and introduced as a male but later in the series is revealed as female. The Jae Emperor is a central part of the lore and rules of the universe, and the other “Somas” believe that they are bound to Akito because of their spiritual and family connections, which is similar to the enmeshment issues in dysfunctional family relationships.

4

Dante

An Expert In Forbidden Alchemy

• Appears In: Fullmetal Alchemist

Some villains are loud and bombastic, but Dante works in the shadows, which is part of her secret power. The first wife of Hohenheim, Dante is also a talented alchemist and it was she who discovered and developed both human transmutation and how to prolong life indefinitely using the Philosopher’s Stone. Her last victim in this regard was Lyra, a young alchemist who was fooled into thinking Dante was a reliable teacher and mentor.

Hohenheim’s marriage to Trish was an attempt to escape Dante and her ever-growing power, which included minions of Homunculi to respond to her every whim. The most powerful of her human transmutations were Greed, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony. She was not directly responsible for Sloth but picked up where the Elric brothers left off and recruited the resurrected human into her ranks. While her motivations may seem petty in comparison to the likes of Father in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, she was still a dangerous foe.

3

Rize Kamishiro

Ravenous And Deeply Self-Absorbed

Tokyo Ghoul follows the journey of a young man named Ken after he is attacked and accidentally turned into a half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Even though there were plenty of sadistic characters in Tokyo Ghoul, none were as purely evil as Rize, who didn’t care about anyone else but herself.

Tokyo Ghoul‘s beautiful but highly dangerous binge eater, Rize Kamishiro, is one of the most terrifying ghouls in the series. She’s one of the most narcissistic female anime characters of all time. She enjoys causing pain, brutally murdering people, and snacking on them. Thanks to her self-absorbed and barbarous behavior, both ghouls and humans wanted her dead.

2

Kirari Momobami

A Mafia Princess And A Shark With Cards

Kirari is the ultimate mean girl. She’s easily one of the most sadistic and malevolent characters in all of anime without so much as a single supernatural power. Her social clout as Student Council President and a member of a powerful family is truly intimidating, along with her gambling prowess.

As it is with the plot of Kakegurui, students aren’t rewarded for academic skills, but for how well they gamble. Kirari has her position as president because she’s the best of them all. She’s a strong proponent of the humiliating housepet system, which allows students to serve as slaves to pay off their gambling debts. And she doesn’t hesitate to turn to aggression or insults when someone tells her no.

1

Echidna

A Heartless Collector Of Knowledge

• Appears In: Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-

In Re: Zero, a boy named Subaru is transported into a magical world where the day mysteriously repeats itself. There are many mysterious characters to meet here, but Echidna is one of the most menacing, and fans have already had a taste of her true capabilities.

Echidna, aka the Witch of Greed, is one of the most intelligent characters in Re: Zero. She cares about nothing but gaining more knowledge and experience. Since she’s a calculating and cold sociopath, she could easily outsmart others and would abuse her power without a second thought.