Best Shounen Antagonists

A complete monster. Frieza may not be the best villain ever, but he set up standards for how evil one character could get. Even if he didn't change the series's mood, he is still one of Dragon Ball's most vile and sadistic villains.

Watch the show. He doesn't need explaining.

What makes Light stand out is that he is the main protagonist. He may be the primary villain, but he was the protagonist anyway as Death Note centered around him, a villain protagonist. A lot of people (myself included) rooted for Light, but the more he kept using the Death Note, the more villainous he became until he ultimately became irredeemable in the end. That's saying a lot when it comes to character writing.

I miss him as a villain. He's more of an on-and-off villain now, but back in the day, his creepiness and sometimes disgusting characteristics really made him stand out. That's saying a lot considering how diverse Naruto characters are.

There is no anime antagonist that has scared me like Orochimaru in real life. I literally used to feel the fear when he would make an appearance or even when his theme was played, especially in the Chunin arc.

One Piece has a lot of vile villains, but while some were at least able to defeat Luffy, the tone of the manga and anime didn't change much. Akainu transcends that due to his merciless and extremist-like personality, which he never attempts to hide, showcasing how vile and untrustworthy a government could get.

He is also the very first character to destroy Luffy emotionally, completely changing the tone of the series. Even a few antagonists openly hated him. Surprisingly, this makes Akainu all the more an effective villain.

Everyone hates him, and so do I. But Shou Tucker needs to be mentioned considering how he affected Ed and Al for the remainder of Fullmetal Alchemist. He's just hated because of what he does in the plot, and that's totally understandable.

From a critic's viewpoint, Shou Tucker stands out as he changed the tone of the series very early on, showcasing the possibility of a person like Tucker existing in real life. What Arakawa (the author of FMA) does with him in a manga OVA is so satisfying because that's how much of a villain he really was.

Look into his backstory and understand his motives. Though childish it may seem, he understands true human nature and wants to wipe them all out.

To point this out, he is irritated at the Celestial Dragons (GODS), the Government, and "most" pirates in general, so he uses them for his benefit. Another point is that his reason to destroy the world and the "HEAVENS" is because of the Celestial Dragons' actions, which greatly affected his family and took his mother's life. She was the first person he admired.

At his young age, he thought keeping slaves was like playing games, just "like a child." Witnessing the actions people wanted to take on them because of the "HEAVENS" opened his eyes to the truth of the world.

I'm calling it: Zamasu is Dragon Ball's best villain since Frieza. What's surprising about him is that his species are normally good guys who are mostly benevolent and seek peace. But Zamasu is an extremist who thinks that he is the only one who understands true "justice" and seeks to "purify" the world.

He even kills his master and steals Goku's body during his goal. To make matters worse, he kills Goku, Chi-Chi, and Goten after stealing Goku's body, just to be a total jerk about it.

He reminds me of Light. He started out with good intentions and did everything to achieve his goal and what he believes is justice, then gradually turned evil in the process. Really well written.

Deserves to be in the top 5. What I like about him is that he's always one step ahead of everyone. He shows that nobody can rival or equal him. He's so strong that he (spoilers, don't read if you don't want to know) destroyed Bankai Ichigo (who was going toe-to-toe with Bankai Byakuya) with one tap.

He also planned everything: getting Rukia executed, Ichigo and his friends coming to rescue her, and more. Overall, a badass villain who deserves to be in the top 10. - TheDarkOne_221b

Aizen is a genius. He would deserve to be in the top 5. As well as being a genius, he is very strong, honestly one of the most interesting shounen villains I ever saw.

What was once a character you bonded with and liked a lot instantly becomes one of the vilest and most disgusting manga/anime villains. It makes Griffith a lot more complex. Although you can understand why he wanted to do something, in the end, it doesn't change the fact that what he did was downright unforgivable.

A vile man who is disturbing just because you get to know so deep into his life that it's honestly disturbing. His introduction and the death of Shigechi is still heartbreaking.

The fact that he is hated so much and manipulated many events that would lead to much tragedy in the Naruto world makes him a good villain. As much as I'm not a fan of Sasuke, it's still so satisfying to see him stab this excuse of a "well-intentioned" extremist.