Best Isekai Villainess Anime

Summary

• Isekai villainess anime offer a unique twist from the typical hero reincarnation narrative, focusing on transmigrated villainesses in otome game settings.
• Winter 2025’s From Bureaucrat to Villainess breaks norms with a politician protagonist and a heavy focus on politics, drama, and intrigue.
• These newer isekai villainess anime subvert clichés deliver compelling narratives with a focus on kingdom-building, politics, and character development.

Leaving one’s mundane existence behind for a new life of adventure is the tried-and-tested premise of isekai anime, yet some deviate from this narrative and offer an entirely new concept. Not all isekai protagonists are lucky enough to be reincarnated as heroes in their next lives as some get the short end of the stick as they find themselves as villains in the new world.

Isekai villainess anime are an emerging subgenre within the isekai landscape as viewers are enticed by the interesting dynamics between the newly transmigrated villainess in an entirely new world. These anime series tend to take place in otome game settings, which leaves these characters with no other choice but to take on the role enforced on them. These isekai anime have a charm of their own as they follow the main character’s journey of avoiding the grim, predestined fate of an otome villainess.

Updated February 26, 2025, by Ahmed Rehan Nasir: The notion of being reincarnated to a new world as a hero has become quite overused within the isekai landscape, leading to a new niche to take center stage — isekai villainess anime. With a transmigrated villainess at the helm, these narratives pin the protagonist against a doom-laden fate, along with a roster of potential love interests, all vying for the protagonist’s affection. However, newer isekai villainess narratives have further deviated from this tried-and-tested notion, and Winter 2025’s newest entry, From Bureaucrat to Villainess, is proof of these changing trends. For those who have exhausted their libraries, this list has been updated with a few more exciting isekai villainess anime.

Winter 2025: From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated!

From Bureaucrat to Villainess is the latest anime to be added to the Isekai Villainess landscape. The series is the first of its kind, as it features a 52-year-old bureaucrat being transmigrated to the body of a teenager, a notion that defies the usual transmigration theme. With a politician at the helm, it’s no surprise that the anime has a heavy focus on politics, drama, and political intrigue.

The anime further double-downs on these mature themes with its lack of romance in the initial episodes, though it makes sense considering it would certainly be a bit hard to digest for a 52-year-old to be taking part in romantic relationships with a much younger roster of characters. However, Kenzaburou ends up forming a reverse harem for himself, which adds to the show’s whimsical moments. With only a few episodes under its belt, From Bureaucrat to Villainess is off to an exciting start, possibly becoming one of the frontrunners of Winter 2025’s anime lineup.

9

Game World Reincarnation

Saving the World With a Spicy Affair

Following the usual narrative in this genre, Game World Reincarnation follows the story of an office lady reincarnated in an otome game as the villainess Diana. Aware of the destruction that is about to ensue in the game world, Diana tries to seduce the game’s hero in a bid to alter the timeline. Diana initially believes that the prince would dislike her due to her impurity, yet her seduction works, and the prince falls in love with her, leaving behind the game’s own heroine. While Diana is successful in saving the world, her feelings become entangled with the prince as she proceeds with a raunchy affair.

As an ONA (original net animation), Game World Reincarnation is a short series with a total of eight episodes. Since the series was directly released on the web, the anime isn’t restricted by TV censorship laws, leading to a few rather explicit scenes making their way into the animation. Nevertheless, the anime stays true to the isekai villainess theme, albeit with a somewhat suggestive storyline.

8

I’ll Become A Villainess That Will Go Down In History

Political Intrigue, Kingdom-Building, and Royal Drama

Isekai Villainess anime have deviated considerably from the original premise of a transmigrated villainess desperate to fight off her unfortunate fate. I’ll Become A Villainess That Will Go Down In History is no different, as it presents a transmigrated villainess who has vowed to become the greatest villainess of all time.

After realizing that she is in the body of her favorite otome game character, Alicia sets off on an intriguing endeavor to become the greatest villainess known to mankind. The series takes a different path from its otome counterparts in several ways, whether it’s the heavy focus on kingdom-building and politics, or the lack of romantic interest early on in the series. Moreover, Alicia is a determined character whose sole focus lies on being the perfect villainess, though this aspect of her persona also leads to a number of amusing moments.

7

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess To Savior

A Desperate Attempt At Altering a Doom-Laden Fate

In an otome game, Pride is a heinous ruler with several crimes against her very own people. After she is slain, however, a Japanese high school girl is reincarnated to take her place, forcing her to become the new villainess in this world. Knowing how the game plays out, the new Pride now tries to right her wrongs by altering the game’s timeline, though her efforts are mostly in vain as the game corrects itself every single time. Each time she corrects her actions, the game forces other characters to carry out the goal, forcefully correcting the original timeline.

However, Pride is dedicated to mending things in her new kingdom, becoming a benevolent leader in the world of The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen. Unlike its isekai counterparts, the series spends a considerable time fleshing out its characters and focusing on worldbuilding. Romance and harem antics also take the backseat in this villainess narrative, presenting a storyline that does the theme justice without relying on the usual clichés of the isekai genre.

6

Villainess Level 99: I May Be The Hidden Boss, But I’m Not The Demon Lord

The Most Powerful Villainess Of All Time

Yumiella Dolkness is the villainess of an otome RPG, with a doom-ridden fate awaiting her as she must eventually face off against the game’s protagonist. However, at the age of 5, Yumiella regains her memories, realizing she has been transmigrated to an otome RPG. Yumiella initially resigns herself to a quiet life in the countryside, but her attempts at lying low fail stupendously after her Level 99 is discovered at the Royal Academy’s entrance.

With everyone suspecting her to be the Demon Lord, Yumiella is forced to navigate through the game’s storyline and prove her worth. Villainess Level 99 has been at the forefront of Winter 2024’s lineup, garnering a sizable fanbase with its intriguing premise. While the series starts similar to any other isekai otome anime, the storyline takes a turn and subverts expectations in all the right ways. Yumiella also differs from the archetype usually enforced upon the transmigrated character through her stoic personality, allowing her persona to stand out among the many otome villainesses out there.

5

Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady With The Lamp

A Double Reincarnation With a Villainess Subtext

Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp presents a premise that is certainly a first within the isekai genre. Dr. Aoi Takamoto is a famed surgeon devoted to helping others, yet her previous existence as villainess Elise de Clorance was quite the contrary. Her selfish antics led to her family’s demise, including herself, though she realized the error in her ways after being reincarnated as Dr. Aoi.

However, her second go at life is cut short after a tragic plane crash, but she miraculously opens her eyes once more in her original body as Elise. With the memories of two past lives intact, Elise vows to right her wrongs and relinquish her previous villainess existence. Being a case of reverse isekai and double reincarnation, Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady With The Lamp doubles down on its isekai elements. The series is one of the few manhwa-adapted anime out there, and its success showcases the potential for manhwa within the anime industry.

4

I’m The Villainess, So I’m Taming The Final Boss

Avoiding a Grim Fate By Seducing the Endgame Boss

Reincarnated in an otome game as the villainess, Aileen Lauren d’Autriche regains her past-life memories and realizes her grim fate thanks to her knowledge of the game. Knowing that Claude, a former heir to the throne and the lord of demons, is eventually going to slay her, Aileen begins to take appropriate countermeasures to mitigate this. Instead of staying away from her eventual killer, Aileen tries to get closer to Claude to tame him through her charms.

With time running out and the imminent destruction getting closer, Aileen must convince Claude that she means no harm. I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss is a classic Isekai Otome series with a premise that is bound to keep viewers enticed. The most promising aspect of the series is Aileen herself, as she subverts the frail, doomed villainess trope by taking on a fierce, headstrong persona.

3

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

A Mix Of Isekai, Fantasy, and Villainess Themes

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte features a truly unique narrative in the Isekai genre. Instead of the main characters being transported to another world, Aoto Endo and Shihono Kobayashi unknowingly have their voices transmitted to characters inside an otome game. The game features Fiene as the protagonist who fights off the villainess named Lieselotte. Knowing the game’s content, Aoto disagrees with the game’s premise and believes that Lieselotte is simply a misunderstood character.

Little do they know that their voices are being heard by the game’s characters, who believe them to be the voices of the gods. Lieselotte’s fiancé, Prince Siegwald Fitzenhagen, hears these voices and realizes that she might be misunderstood and takes action to save her from her impending demise. Despite not being an Isekai villainess anime in its traditional sense, the anime still keeps the isekai concept intact with a unique twist. The primary characters aren’t exactly isekai’d to another world either, with only their voices making it to this fantasy realm. Nevertheless, the anime checks all the boxes for a compelling villainess narrative, but with a slightly distorted isekai premise.

2

I’m In Love With The Villainess

An Isekai Villainess Series With a GL Twist

After passing away due to severe exhaustion, Rei Oohashi finds herself transmigrated to her favorite otome game, ‘Revolution’ as Ray Tylor. Instead of indulging in the game’s preset love interest routes, Ray has her eyes set on the game’s misunderstood villainess, Claire Francois.

On the surface, I’m in Love with the Villainess is a whimsical isekai villainess anime that focuses on Ray’s attempts to win Claire’s heart despite her incessant bullying. However, the anime has several profound subtexts embedded in the narrative that question sexuality and attraction. The anime also stands out as the only LGBTQ+ isekai villainess series out there, which is a step towards bringing same-sex narratives to mainstream anime.

1

My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!

The Quintessential Isekai Villainess Anime

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is the quintessential Isekai villainess anime as it embodies all that this subgenre has to offer. The series follows the story of a young noble named Catarina Claes, who accidentally bumps her head one day and regains her memories of a past life. Turns out, she is stuck in an otome game as the villainess, and all routes lead to her either being killed or exiled. Knowing her predefined fate, Catarina is now in a race against time to escape the grim outcome.

However, she must remain cautious as setting off any of the game’s death flags will speed up the imminent destruction. The series doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it perfect for anyone looking for a light watch as the new dynamics between the game’s characters turn into a chaotic adventure. Catarina might be an airhead character, yet her endearing disposition has led to fans dubbing her “Bakarina,” a term that reflects her naive yet lovable personality.