I have a soft spot for villain protagonist anime—the kind where I catch myself rooting for the worst person in the room.
Sometimes the “villain” is genuinely evil. Sometimes they’re a tragic antihero who keeps making questionable choices. Either way, these stories are addictive because they force me to sit with an uncomfortable question: what if the bad guy is the one driving the plot?
If you love darker vibes in general, you’ll probably want to bookmark these too:
anime with dark powers and
dark and manipulative anime girls.
21 Anime Where the Villain Is the Favorite Character (or the Lead)
Quick note: A few of these are “villain-adjacent” (antiheroes, criminals, terrorists, assassins). I kept them in because they hit the same itch: you’re watching someone do the wrong thing… and you can’t look away.
1. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
🧨 Villain Meter: Revolutionary… with a body count.
Why it counts: Lelouch lies, manipulates, and sacrifices people to reach his “greater good.”
My Take: This is one of the best “ends justify the means” anime ever made.
Lelouch is exactly why people search for anime where the main character is the villain. He’s intelligent, charismatic, and absolutely willing to ruin lives if it gets him closer to his goal. The show never pretends he’s purely heroic—and that honesty is why it works.
2. Dororo
🧨 Villain Meter: More “morally messy” than evil.
Why it counts: Theft, survival instincts, and brutal consequences.
My Take: The emotional whiplash is the whole point—and it hits.
Dororo isn’t a traditional “villain lead,” but the show lives in the gray. Between survival, betrayal, and what it costs to get your humanity back, it scratches the same itch as darker villain stories.
3. Akame ga Kill!
🧨 Villain Meter: Assassin squad = villain-coded heroes.
Why it counts: The protagonists solve problems with targeted killing.
My Take: If you like brutal “no one is safe” anime, this is your meal.
Night Raid are technically “the good guys,” but they operate like villains in any other story. If you want something similar in tone, here’s another list I keep nearby: anime with dark powers.
4. Assassination Classroom
🧨 Villain Meter: The “villain” is oddly lovable.
Why it counts: The premise treats the lead like a world-ending threat.
My Take: I came for the chaos, stayed for the emotional damage.
Koro-sensei is a villain on paper (moon destruction, end-of-world deadline)… but the show’s charm is how complicated that label becomes.
5. Death Note
🧨 Villain Meter: Full villain arc—no ambiguity by the end.
Why it counts: Light starts “righteous,” then becomes a tyrant.
My Take: Watching the ego take over is the real horror.
If someone searches villainous protagonists, this is usually what they mean. Light’s story is a slow-motion collapse: he convinces himself he’s justice, then starts eliminating anyone who threatens his god-complex.
6. Overlord
🧨 Villain Meter: Undead overlord doing overlord things.
Why it counts: The lead’s “morality” drifts further from humanity over time.
My Take: The fun is watching the world react to a protagonist who feels like the final boss.
Ainz is the definition of “villain main character,” even when he has moments of restraint. The story is basically: what if the big bad won… and you’re stuck living in his new world?
7. Hellsing Ultimate
🧨 Villain Meter: Monster doing monster work.
Why it counts: Alucard is “on the good side,” but his joy in violence is villain-coded.
My Take: If you like stylish cruelty, this one commits.
Alucard doesn’t hunt because he’s noble. He hunts because he loves it. That’s what makes him such a compelling “favorite villain” lead.
8. Great Pretender
🧨 Villain Meter: Criminals you end up liking.
Why it counts: Everyone’s running a con. Nobody’s clean.
My Take: It’s one of my favorite “crime crew” anime—slick and unpredictable.
Not an evil-villain story, but definitely a “bad guys are the protagonists” show. If you like charming scumbags, this is a great pick.
9. Angels of Death
🧨 Villain Meter: Serial killer lead energy.
Why it counts: Your “team” would be the villains in most stories.
My Take: This one is uncomfortable in a way that feels intentional.
Angels of Death is built around a partnership that shouldn’t work… and somehow does. It’s horror-y, tense, and constantly morally wrong.
10. 91 Days
🧨 Villain Meter: Revenge turns the lead into a monster.
Why it counts: Angelo doesn’t want justice—he wants suffering.
My Take: If you want cold-blooded revenge, this is one of the cleanest examples.
This is one of the best “how far can revenge go before you’re the villain?” anime. Spoiler: very far.
11. Blast of Tempest
🧨 Villain Meter: Complicated motivations and questionable choices.
Why it counts: The leads are driven by grief and obsession.
My Take: This one feels like a slow, tense moral unraveling.
This is less “evil mastermind” and more “watch people justify the wrong decisions because they’re desperate.”
12. Lupin III
🧨 Villain Meter: Lovable criminal.
Why it counts: Lupin is literally a thief—he just has charm.
My Take: Classic “bad guy protagonist” comfort watch.
He’s the world’s most wanted thief… and he still feels like the hero. That’s the magic.
13. Nanbaka
🧨 Villain Meter: Criminals… but make it comedy.
Why it counts: Your “main cast” are inmates.
My Take: This is a palette cleanser after the darker entries.
Not evil, but the protagonists are still on the wrong side of the law.
14. Terror in Resonance
🧨 Villain Meter: Protagonists are literally terrorists.
Why it counts: The story makes you empathize with people causing public fear.
My Take: Haunting, and way more emotional than I expected.
This is one of those shows where “villain” is the headline, but the backstory is the gut punch.
15. Talentless Nana
🧨 Villain Meter: Deception-first protagonist.
Why it counts: The lead’s mission puts her in the villain role fast.
My Take: If you like psychological cat-and-mouse, this one delivers.
This is one of my favorite examples of “the protagonist is the danger,” especially early on.
16. Elfen Lied
🧨 Villain Meter: Tragic villain arc with extreme violence.
Why it counts: The lead becomes monstrous after relentless cruelty from others.
My Take: Brutal and upsetting—watch only if you’re in the mood for dark.
This one pairs well with my “dark vibes” rabbit holes like anime with dark powers. Also: if you like villains with iconic expressions, here’s a fun one: evil anime smiles.
17. Vinland Saga
🧨 Villain Meter: Revenge turns a kid into something scary.
Why it counts: The lead’s morality changes as violence becomes normal.
My Take: One of the best character-evolution anime out there.
Not “cartoon villain,” but absolutely “watch a person become morally warped by violence.”
18. The Saga of Tanya the Evil
🧨 Villain Meter: Ruthless and proud of it.
Why it counts: The lead treats morality like an inconvenience.
My Take: Cold, strategic, and weirdly satisfying if you like “competent evil.”
If you want a true “villain protagonist anime” where the lead never pretends to be kind, Tanya is a top-tier pick.
19. Psycho-Pass
🧨 Villain Meter: The system is the villain… and the lead works inside it.
Why it counts: “Justice” is legally cruel, even when the lead is trying to do right.
My Take: One of the best “ethical nightmare” anime.
This is the kind of story where you realize the hero’s job is basically enforcing a dystopia. That tension is why it sticks.
20. Squid Girl
🧨 Villain Meter: “Adorable villain.”
Why it counts: Her goal is literally world conquest.
My Take: This one’s here to keep the list from being 100% bleak.
She’s trying to take over the world… she’s just not very good at it.
21. World Conquest Zvezda Plot
🧨 Villain Meter: Bond-villain energy, but comedic.
Why it counts: The lead is openly building a villain organization.
My Take: If you like “evil speeches” and goofy conquest plans, this is a fun ride.
If you want a lighter “villain is the main character” anime, this is an easy pick.
FAQ: Anime Where the Main Character Is the Villain
What is a “villain protagonist” anime?
A villain protagonist anime is a story where the main character drives the plot while doing objectively wrong things—crime, manipulation, violence, conquest, or “justice” that turns into tyranny.
Are these all truly villains?
No. Some are full villains (like Death Note and Overlord), while others are antiheroes or criminals you end up rooting for. I kept them together because readers usually want the same feeling: morally gray leads with real consequences.
If I like darker villain stories, what should I watch next?
If you want more dark energy, I’d go next to anime with dark powers, and if you’re collecting villain moments, sad anime villain deaths is a surprisingly good follow-up list.
1 comment
This list pretty much explains my entire watch history, because I have the exact same weakness for villain protagonist anime. There is something addictive about realizing halfway through a series that I am no longer rooting for the “right” outcome, I am rooting for my outcome, even if it is objectively awful. The moment a story lets the worst person in the room drive the plot, I am locked in.
What really works for me is when the anime never pretends the lead is secretly heroic. That is why Code Geass still sits at the top for me. Lelouch is brilliant, theatrical, and ruthless, and the show forces you to live with the consequences of his choices. Every victory costs something, and the body count keeps climbing. It scratches that exact “ends justify the means” itch people search for when they look up anime where the main character is the villain.
On the other end of the spectrum, Death Note is fascinating because you can actually feel the moment Light stops being a misguided idealist and starts being a tyrant. Watching his ego rot the original premise is uncomfortable in the best way. That slow moral collapse is why I think villain-led anime often hits harder than traditional hero stories. There is no safety net.