Let’s be real—anime wouldn’t even be half as fun without those characters we love to hate. Whether they’re manipulating everyone within their grasp, disrupting sweet moments, or perpetrating downright atrocities, these notorious characters have an uncanny ability to get under our skin. They’re evil geniuses, chaotic pests—or whatever—they’ve guaranteed themselves forever places on our anime hate list.
So, grab your snacks (and maybe a stress ball), because we’re counting down 10 anime characters fans just can’t forgive, no matter how many redemption arcs or flashy powers they might have.
10. Chika Fujiwara – Chaos in a Cute Package
Not every hated character is a villain. Some, like Kaguya-sama: Love is War’s Chika, just drive people insane with their antics. She’s chatty, funny, and the star of an internet-viral dance—but if you were hoping for a romance between Kaguya and Shirogane, Chika probably seemed more like an adversary than an ally. Her constant interruptions and excessive energy tended to have fans screaming at their TV screens. Love her or dislike her, Chika can command the spotlight—whether you’d prefer it otherwise or not.
9. Akito Sohma – Master of Manipulation
In Fruits Basket, Akito doesn’t require magical abilities to be scary—only an iron-fisted hold on her family and a perverted conception of love. She gaslights, isolates, and even physically harms those around her. Her cruelty is low-key, but it bites hard. She’s the sort of character who makes you remember that the most heinous villains are often the ones nearest to home.
8. Makima – The Ultimate Power Trip
On first impression, Chainsaw Man’s Makima would appear to be the stoic, collected sort—but there lies a cold, manipulative devil (literally) beneath. She speaks down to Denji like he’s a pet and not human, yet maintains a veneer of niceness. As the layers are stripped away, her sociopathic traits reveal themselves, and viewers were soon from curious to appalled. She’s chillingly calculating—and that’s precisely why she’s so memorable.
7. Overhaul – Monster in a Suit
My Hero Academia’s Overhaul didn’t simply push a boundary—he jumped over it, torched it, and danced upon the embers. His abhorrent mistreatment of young Eri, using her to create quirk-erasing bullets, left viewers seething. No sad origin story could ever excuse what he did to her, and to many fans, he’s one of anime’s all-time most despicable villains.
6. Dabi – A Walking Wound with a Body Count
Yes, Dabi’s backstory is sad. Yes, he was abused. But that doesn’t justify the wholesale slaughter, family betrayal, and overall mayhem he introduces in My Hero Academia. With each blue flame he hurls, he burrows further into villainy. Sympathy only takes one so far—sooner or later, you must account for the bodies.
5. Shou Tucker – The Father of Hell
If anyone can bring boiling anger to Fullmetal Alchemist fans, it’s Shou Tucker. Not only did he betray his daughter, but he also used her and the family pet in a grotesque experiment to try to save his career. No one has ever been able to make themselves as widely hated as a villain. In the anime universe, he’s nearly the personification of outright unforgivable horrors.
4. Frieza – Evil with No Apologies
Villains are often complex. Frieza isn’t. He’s merciless with no regrets, brutally formidable, and possesses a chuckle that sends shivers down your spine. His destruction of Planet Vegeta and constant bullying of the Z Fighters in Dragon Ball Z cemented his place within the villain hall of fame. Frieza doesn’t even try to be anything more than what he is: a malevolent space tyrant who takes pride in destruction.
3. Griffith – The Betrayer of All Betrayers
You don’t just see Griffith’s betrayal in Berserk—you feel it in your very soul. Once a leader and friend, Griffith now betrays his entire squad for power, laying waste to the lives of Guts and Casca in the process. His resurrection as Femto is one of the most ominous plot turns in the history of anime. No redemption arc, no matter how grand, can undo that much damage.
2. All For One – The Evil That Keeps on Giving
If we were evil, a company, then My Hero Academia’s All For One would be the head honcho. He bears responsibility for the suffering and anguish of numerous characters, pulling strings in the background and destroying lives without any effort. He’s less a character and more of a force of devastation who refuses to stop.
1. Griffith – Yes, Again. It’s That Bad
Yes, he is worth two places. Because no other anime character has ever driven so many people collectively angry as Griffith. His betrayal was not only shocking—it was soul-destroying. Fans are still recovering from The Eclipse decades on. Griffith didn’t just betray his friends from behind his back—he burned the entire Band of the Hawk to ashes and raped the one person Guts loved. If there is any character more universally reviled in anime history, we haven’t met them.
These characters may be fictional, but the emotions they stir up are very real. From sinister masterminds to emotionally destructive nuisances, they’ve all left their mark on the anime world—and our hearts (usually with scars). So here’s to the characters we’ll never forgive. But who made anime unforgettable?