10 Most Underrated Anime Movie Villains, Ranked

Without villains, stories wouldn’t be as entertaining, and over the years, fans have witnessed some of the greatest villains ever. Anime, in particular, is known for its villains, who excel in style, coolness, evilness, and intelligence and act as a significant threat and significance to the story. From popular villains on TV like Madara or DIO to movie villains like Broly and Yubaba, anime is home to iconic villains.

However, with so many villains in anime movies, some fly under the radar and are underappreciated. Sometimes, these villains aren’t in a popular movie and don’t get recognition, or other parts of the film outweigh the villain, leading to fans not focusing on them. These villains deserve more praise because of their crucial role in the movie, which forces the heroes to overcome their hardships.

10 Gasback

Movie Appearance: ‘Trigun: Badlands Rumble’ (2010)

A non-canon movie based on the 90s sci-fi anime Trigun, Trigun: Badlands Rumble takes the titular protagonist, Vash, to Mecca City, where he and hundreds of other bounty hunters are after the head of Gasback, a notorious gunslinger worth $300 million. After receiving a new adaptation, Trigun hopes to reach a younger audience, follow the source material a bit closer, and provide phenomenal action in a Western sci-fi setting.

In a series filled with great villains, the movie had some heavy lifting to do since this villain would be the main focus. Many overlook him, but Gasback is a severely underrated villain. From his rambunctious personality to his intriguing backstory, he is a worthy foe for Vash. His design is incredible and is incredibly fun to watch as he steals from anyone. Despite not being part of the actual timeline, Gasback is a great villain, and it’s a shame he’s only in the movie.

Watch on Hulu

9 Dramaturgy

Movie Appearance: ‘Kizumonogatari Part 2’ (2016)

The first chronological entry into the Monogatari series centers around Araragi, an average student who, against better judgment, helps save a vampire and, in turn, becomes one himself. Split into three movies, Kizumonogatari follows Araragi trying to get the vampire that made him a vampire back to full strength by defeating the Vampire Hunters who took her limbs. Dramaturgy appears as one of the Vampire Hunters in the second movie, which is partly why the Monogatari series is a great vampire anime.

Heart Under Blade is a fantastic villain, but she is not underrated. Instead, Dramaturgy, the side villain with minimal screen time, is truly worthy of the words underrated. His design is incredibly intimidating, and he possesses raw strength and skill that make him so imposing. However, he gets defeated at the first sign of retaliation by Araragi, surrendering himself without shame and cooperating with a friendly demeanor. As some fans would say, this weakness and the fact that he was the first hunter to be defeated mean that many overlook him. However, his striking differences in personality, appearance, and willingness to help the protagonist make him a great villain deserving of a return.

Rent on Amazon

8 Go Dougan

Movie Appearance: ‘Saiyuki Reqiuem’ (2001)

Saiyuki Requiem is a sequel to the Saiyuki anime in which a priest and a group of demons must stop other demons from resurrecting Gyumao. The movie has the gang face their past and fears after being led into Dougan’s house, and they must fight treacherous monsters and evil doppelgängers. Go Dougan was the butler for the protagonist, Sanzo, before the film’s events.

Dougan built up his hatred for the main cast because they didn’t take him on their mission to stop Gyumao, leaving him alone to wallow in sadness and hate. This hate turned into drive, where he would get strong just for the purpose of defeating him. What makes him a great villain is his tragic ending and motivation. Even when he was evil, all he ever wanted was to be part of the fun, but he was met with a cold response and promptly defeated. The movie and series aren’t well known, so Dougan isn’t talked about as much, but he has a relatable backstory and typical evil mannerisms to make him stand out.

Watch on Crunchyroll

7 Snake

Movie Appearance: ‘Tekkonkinkreet’ (2006)

Making its name as one of the best anime movies, Tekkonkinkreet tells an avant-garde story about growing up and letting go of control. It’s about Black and White, two orphan boys who run the city of Treasure Town as the strongest until the Yakuza come in, threatening that power, planning, and construction. The two fight against this change but shatter their bond when they realize life won’t be the same.

Snake, the main villain and Yakuza leader, seems like the typical slimy evil businessman, and while that does apply, his impact on the story and motives make him underrated. He masterfully controls a city that used to be under the rule of mighty kids and is able to break their previously unbreakable trust in each other. His motivation is also pretty funny; he wants to build a new Kiddie Kastle that would bring joy to many children, but he uses assassins and forced means to get rid of obstacles. Slimy and scheming villains usually get less recognition than all-powerful threats or manipulating geniuses. Still, this sleazeball helps drive the story, hopefully getting him more recognition.

Buy on Amazon

6 Janemba

Movie Appearance: ‘Dragon Ball Z Fusion Reborn’ (1995)

The Dragon Ball franchise is known and regarded as one of the biggest in anime and is home to many great action-packed movies. Dragon Ball Z Fusion Reborn tells a story where the dead come back to life after being resurrected by a new evil spawned by the least likely scenarios. While everyone holds off the dead, Goku and Vegeta fight Janemba, an all-around irredeemable evil focused on causing chaos.

Because Fusion Reborn isn’t one of the best Dragon Ball movies, it often gets overlooked, and many don’t remember it. It is unfortunate because Janemba is a worthy villain for the franchise. Like Buu, all Janemba wants to do is cause chaos and have fun, a villain trope that unfortunately seems to be dying but adds excellent entertainment value. His origins aren’t anything special, but sometimes you need pure evil with a fantastic design to make a great villain.

Watch on Crunchyroll

5 Roboworld

Movie Appearance: ‘Redline’ (2009)

Set in a fictional sci-fi world, Redline is a movie about JP and his dreams to race in Redline, an event that occurs every five years. However, the governing planet doesn’t want the race on their planet because of the potential to expose their misdoings. Roboworld is the planet with the leading villain group trying to get in the way of the race.

Despite being depicted as brutal, ugly, and evil fascists, that applies to most people in the film. Roboworld acts as the opposing force in the movie. Behind closed doors, Roboworld is holding onto many illegal and biological weapons and using forced labor, establishing itself as evil. Planet Supergrass forced them into hosting this illegal race despite not wanting to do it, and meanwhile, they are getting attacked by terrorists and other planets in the middle of a war. This villain group is so underrated because they are irredeemably evil but aren’t trying to cause harm. Instead, other people are just putting them in tough spots. This unique take on a group of villains makes them a perfect antagonist in a bizarre movie that is also underrated.

Rent on Amazon

4 Miki

Movie Appearance: ‘Initial D Third Stage’ (2001)

The uber-popular eurobeat phenom Initial D left its imprint on the world with its famous “Deja Vu” meme. The series was so popular that a sequel, MF Ghost, was released in Fall 2023 and will receive more seasons. The movie, Initial D Third Stage, is the third part of the series and has Takumi facing his past trauma and trouble with his girlfriend. Miki, the main antagonist,

Miki can be considered one of the few actual villains in Initial D. Most people only act as rivals or opponents; it is rare for them to be evil. He is part of the most interesting subplot, where Takumi’s girlfriend is exposed for cheating. This exposes Takumi to many emotions that fly out the window when Miki kidnaps Natsuki and puts her in danger. This real threat in an otherwise laid-back anime about drifting adds incredible tension to the show. Miki is the character punched early on and is the primary source of conflict within Takumi and the driving factor for his anger. The contrast between the villain and the type of show it is and the personal connection make him severely underrated and not talked about enough as a villain.

Watch on Crunchyroll

3 Vincent Volaju

Movie Appearance: ‘Cowboy Bebop The Movie’ (2001)

As one of the best and most influential anime, Cowboy Bebop didn’t need a movie but definitely deserved one, and it lived up to the series. The film has the crew of the Bebop track down and stop a biological terrorist, Vincent, before he releases a virus on Halloween. With so many great episodes, Cowboy Bebop is home to great content and menacing villains.

Surprisingly, Vincent Volaju isn’t held in higher regard, as the series has many fans and critical acclaim. His tragic backstory defines who he is, and he poses a genuine and imminent threat to Mars and Spike. Vincent is one of the few characters who has fought on equal terms with Spike, making him even more terrifying and separating him from other villains in the show. The movie is also highly rated and among the best anime movies, making Vincent severely underrated, considering the film’s popularity.

Buy on Amazon

2 Love Machine

Movie Appearance: ‘Summer Wars’ (2009)

For what is essentially the metaverse, Oz is a highly advanced, impenetrable virtual reality that society has become dependent on, letting it have personal information. The government and other establishments even use it. The protagonist and part-time Oz moderator, Kenji Koiso, is invited by his crush to her house but is forced to play the role of her fiancé. While there, he receives an anonymous message with a coded riddle. Loving a challenge, he solves it, unknowingly hacks the system, and creates the AI Love Machine, which slowly destroys the virtual reality the world has relied on.

Summer Wars is already an underrated anime movie, which makes fans overlook Love Machine. Not only does the AI have a fantastic design, but it was ahead of the curve as an AI villain, with not many series doing that around this time. Love Machine is also a breath of fresh air regarding AI; instead of malfunctioning or wiping out humanity so it can rule, it simply loves competition and chaos. There are no ulterior motives; it merely wants to enjoy itself with its newfound sentience. It uses its immense hacking power just to win some games, and this love for competition and winning escalates to threatening the world. The unique motivation and phenomenal design make it an underrated anime movie villain and one of the best in general.

Buy on Amazon

1 Gild Tesoro

Movie Appearance: ‘One Piece Film Gold’ (2016)

One Piece has taken over the world and become one of the most recognizable anime. It achieved this feat through quality and quantity, with over 30 arcs spanning 1000+ episodes. The story follows Luffy, a boy made of rubber, who dreams of finding the One Piece, the greatest treasure in the world, and becoming the Pirate King. In this non-canon movie, the Strawhats travel to a golden amusement park where they get caught up in the dealings of mob boss Gild Tesoro.

One Piece has since made a resurgence in the movie scene with One Piece Film: Strong World, and since then, they have delivered incredible films taking on new adventures. Unfortunately, One Piece Film: Gold is widely considered the weakest entry of the movie, which is disappointing because it has such a great villain. Most fans think of Zephyr or Shiki as the best One Piece movie villains, but Gild Tesoro is just as threatening as cool. He wields the power of the gold-gold fruit in unique ways and embodies the gangster-type villain One Piece has been missing. However, what makes him so underrated is his backstory. Born into poverty, he only dreamed of making himself and his childhood friend rich and dedicated himself to nothing but work. He embodies the central theme of One Piece, dreams, and even achieves it, but loses the meaning of what he was actually striving for, making him badass and sympathetic. Tesoro is a character who needs to return to the world of One Piece, maybe as a good guy instead.

NEXT: The 10 Worst Animated Movies of the ’90s, According to Letterboxd