Many anime villains either find themselves in a position of power or have powers that make them stronger than other people. Either of these types of power often goes to the villains’ heads, leading to them using them solely for their benefit. Some may go so far as to manipulate or torment people who are weaker than them solely because they believe that they can get away with it.
Other villains may feel burdened by their powers, which have led to tragic consequences that put them on the road to villainy. Regardless of whether anime villains have been cursed with powers or just misuse their powers, their worlds would be much better off if they never had powers at all.
10/10 Shrieker Was A Terrible Person In Life & In The Afterlife
Bleach
As a human, Bleach’s Shrieker was a serial killer who reveled in the infamy he obtained. After dying, he went after a child that he had failed to kill. He placed Yuichi’s soul in a parakeet, giving him false promises that he would revive Yuichi’s mother if he survived for a few months.
As a Hollow, Shrieker controlled creatures that spit out leeches, which he could explode by making a certain sound. He even had the enhanced strength and speed of a Hollow, which only grew stronger after he spent time in Hell.
9/10 Being X Is Only Concerned About Being Worshiped
Saga Of Tanya The Evil
In Saga Of Tanya The Evil, Being X’s main concern is to convince people to worship it. This is extremely petty, and after hearing a businessman’s opinion about what it would take to gain a person’s faith, Being X reincarnated him as a young girl in another world.
Being X uses his powers to possess people and to stop time in order to talk to Tanya, powers that are used in multiple attempts to force her to worship him. Tormenting a singular person like this in order to gain their respect seems like a poor use of Being X’s power.
8/10 All For One Used His Quirk To Gain Ultimate Power
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia’s All For One likes to pretend that he does some genuine good: he takes unwanted quirks from people and gives them to people who want them. In reality, he’s creating loyal followers who will do anything for him. Anyone he considers in his debt is required to bend to his will, or they will suffer unspeakably horrid consequences.
All For One considers himself a god and gladly steals whatever quirk he considers powerful. He has become so detached from the rest of humanity that he sees other people as tools to use or things to collect. His quirk could be used to do something good, but having so much power went to his head.
7/10 Frieza Is Tyrannical & Cruel
Dragon Ball Z
Frieza from Dragon Ball Z is a powerful but frightening tyrant who once had the Saiyan race at his mercy. He forced them to work for him, and they could do nothing against him since he was too powerful for any of them to even dream of fighting.
After hearing tales of a legendary “Super Saiyan,” Frieza decided to blow up Planet Vegeta with a single blast. Throughout Dragon Ball Z, Frieza is a recurring and deadly villain who would do almost anything to defeat Son Goku and Vegeta and shows no signs of redeeming himself.
6/10 Muzan Kibutsuji Has No Qualms With Getting His Hands Dirty
Demon Slayer
Muzan Kibutsuji from Demon Slayer never had any problems killing people for nourishment after becaming a demon. Unlike demons like Tamayo, he never searched for a way to exist without consuming humans, nor had he felt any pity for his victims. He never wanted to create more demons; he only did so in order to find a cure for his weakness to the sun.
As a demon, Muzan had incredible regeneration, never aged, and was easily the most powerful demon to ever exist. If not for his own lack of empathy, he might have been able to help people with his demon blood.
5/10 Envy’s Ability To Transform Sparked A Civil War
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Envy is an incredibly cruel Homunculus. He disguised himself as an Amestrian soldier and started the Ishval Civil War, something he was very proud of. As the embodiment of jealousy, Envy envies humans for their tenacity and bonds, which is why he delights in making them suffer.
Envy doesn’t age and rapidly heals from his injuries, but Envy’s most powerful skill is his ability to shape-shift into anyone. This allowed him to pose as powerful figures in society, as he disguised himself as Father Cornello and manipulated his followers.
4/10 Megumi Shimizu Has Killed A Fair Number Of People
Shiki
Megumi Shimizu from Shiki thought little of the people in her small town, as she was ridiculed for wanting the excitement of city life. When she was reanimated as a Shiki, she seemed to quickly accept her new life. She killed her crush’s best friend because she was jealous that Natsuno Koide spent more time with Tohru Mutou than her.
Megumi delighted in the misery of the townsfolk as she continued to kill more and more people. As reanimated corpses, Shiki heal quickly, are powerful, can float, and are able to hypnotize people with a single bite. Unless they are killed, they are capable of living forever.
3/10 The Emperor Wasn’t Mature Enough To Be Emperor
Akame Ga Kill!
In Akame Ga Kill!, the Emperor was the ruler of the Empire. He was too young and impressionable for his role, making him an ill fit for his position of power. He was constantly manipulated by his most trusted advisor, Prime Minister Honest. He struggled to make decisions on his own, constantly looking to Honest for his approval.
Towards the end of Akame Ga Kill!, the Emperor had access to Shikoutazer, a giant mech that could only be used by the royal bloodline. He refused to see the destruction and suffering he caused with the weapon, believing that anyone who opposed him was the true villain.
2/10 Dio Brando Was A Terrible Human & An Even Worse Vampire
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Dio from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was born into poverty and spent most of his childhood struggling to get by. This made him crave wealth and power, and he was willing to extreme lengths to gain it. Taking advantage of George Joestar’s debt to Dio’s father, Dio was adopted into the family.
Dio posed as the perfect gentleman while simultaneously attempting to break Jonathan’s spirit, all with the goal of gaining the Joestar fortune. His actions remained cruel after he transformed into a vampire, as his enhanced strength allowed him to get away with so much more, such as transforming dozens of people into monstrous followers.
1/10 Zeref’s Curse Punished The People Around Him
Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail’s Zeref lost his family. After, he poured himself into researching ways to bring his brother, Natsu Dragneel, back to life. He succeeded, but as a result, the god Ankhseram gave him the Curse of Contradiction. Zeref was given immortality, and anything that came near him was doomed to die.
The only way to temporarily halt the deaths was if Zeref forgot the value of human life. His desire to save his brother made Zeref suffer a terrible fate, and he would spend centuries looking for ways to die.