The animated villain may be one of the most iconic characters in fiction. They pose a great threat to the world and must be stopped at all costs. Sometimes the story may follow a hero, and sometimes it may follow a villain's quest for world domination.
However, there are always secondary villains who provide an additional challenge to those on the side of good. Sometimes they may be going through personal struggles that complicate them, and sometimes they may be there to observe the chaos as a mere being that creates a destructive aura. Here are 8 of the best secondary villains in anime.
8 Ryuk
A villain who watches chaos for fun
Death Note puts a twist on the viewing experience by focusing on the story's villain. Light Yagami controls the investigation from within, pretending to be a hero working hard to take down Kira. However, Ryuk is also a villain, despite doing little to aid Light in his actions.
Ryuk may have a friendly relationship with Light, but all of Ryuk's actions are selfish. He allows Light to retain the Death Note's power and is willing to write fake rules to hinder the investigation, but he never does so out of love. He is the force that makes all the events of Death Note happen, even though he is not the main villain to be defeated.
7 wow
The most honorable Jojo villain
The second set of villains in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure featured the powerful Pillarmen. These beings come from the ancient past and have plans to conquer the sun. Kars is the final villain Joseph faces, but his right-hand man presents a bit more complexity.
Wammu may be an adversary for Joseph to fight, but he does so with honor. He gives Joseph time to train to do his best to beat him. He also acknowledges Caesar's strength and courage by not interfering with his final effort to secure the ring containing the antidote. This act prevented Caesar from dying in vain and gave him an honorable death. Joseph also acknowledged this.
6 Team Rocket
From major villains to annoying nuisances.
When the Team Rocket trio was first introduced, they served as the main antagonists that Ash Ketchum would face on his journey. In fact, they still had a good reputation and were even wanted for posters throughout the Kanto region. As Ash's adventures continue, he slowly becomes a secondary villain, although he faces him in almost every single episode.
There's always a significant threat, from Team Flare almost destroying civilization, Ultra Beasts invading Alola, and even Giovanni trying to distract the trio from a really important mission. In movies, they mostly serve as antagonists or temporary allies in the B plot. Still, you can't help but love it.
5 avarice
Finding Satisfaction in Relationships
Greed is a fascinating secondary villain in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. True to his name, he is charismatic and rebellious. Greed starts off as a villain, but his nature doesn't make him as good a subordinate as other Homunculi.
After merging with Ling, Greed becomes an essential anti-hero who slowly accepts that there is more to his character than his pursuit of power and immortality. He is also one of the few homunculi to receive a proper sendoff, as his actions cause him to become more connected to those around him. He dies satisfied that he got what he truly wanted deep down.
4 Vegeta
When villains reluctantly team up with heroes
Vegeta may have been the main villain of the Saiyan arc, but when Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan travel to Namek, Vegeta becomes a secondary villain who becomes a villain. He battles Frieza's elite warriors to steal his former boss' chance at immortality.
He reluctantly teams up with Gohan and Krillin to secure the Namekian Dragon Balls, but does so with the intention of getting his wish and rematching Goku. Vegeta also wastes a Namekian village to prevent Freeza from gathering the entire set. This rogue action will result in certain villages not being able to return for the specific reasons of their revival wish.
3 Kagura
A heart-stopping villain
Inuyasha goes through many complex situations, from lost love to unstable family relationships to villains who have deeper motivations for what they do. Kagura is a fan-favorite character who serves as a secondary villain due to her status as one of Naraku's incarnations.
What she really wants is free will, but Naraku has captured her heart. It sounds romantic, but it's not. Because he threatens to literally squeeze her heart until she dies. Her defiance finally won her freedom, but at a terrible price. However, the results of these struggles and battles have made her one of the best secondary villains of all time.
2 robe
product of society
Toga is an attractive villain who appears in the My Hero Academia universe. She has an unusual ability to manipulate blood, but that trait manifests itself in unsavory ways. However, it is later explored how she can use her quirk heroically if society allows her to.
All the villains in My Hero Academia have their own reasons for acting the way they do. Some people truly want to rule the world, while others are vicious because of the ways society pushes them off nobler paths. It is this pressure that makes Toga who she is, and she finds solace in people who can understand her.
1 aura
After only two episodes, it became an instant hit.
The Frieren anime takes the time to explore the complexities of a long life, as the biggest villain of this story has already been defeated long before the story begins. But that doesn't mean that remnants don't exist. After the original's defeat, Aura goes to war against humans again as one of the Seven Sages of Destruction.
At this point, Frieren showed up and said a few words that got her banned from the server, and the problem resolved itself. Aura doesn't stay in the series for long, but her continued presence in the fandom and the way Frieren treats her elevates her status in pop culture.