My Definitive Top 20 Favorite Characters

Number 1. Doctor Doom (Marvel) - I've always respected this man, but I've never been super crazy about him. His animated and game adaptations are good but not perfect, and the movies so far have failed to get his character across in a great way, so that might've been a part of why I wasn't a Doom Superfan. Though after getting back into the absurdity and impactfulslness of superhero comics, it soon hit me... Doctor Doom is a villain made for comics. He's overdramatic, grandiose, terrifying, bombastic, egotistical, pragmatic, powerful, absurd, nuanced, insecure, lonely, the whole package placed within a suit of armor and a green cloak. He's an arrogant, tyrannical, cold hearted technological and magical genius who embodies every inch of supervillainy you could imagine, while remaining a genuinely sophisticated, and honorable figure even with his history of pettiness. Overall Doom is just one big magnificent bastard.

Number 2. Sauron (Lord of The Rings) - The Original Dark Lord. A fallen being of great power, obsessed with order. The enemy army is his army, Mordor is his kingdom, the Nazgul are his servants, the One Ring is his power source fueled by a fragment of his own soul that tempts and corrupts all who bear it, his eye shines its malevolent gaze upon the world with the intent of ravaging and conquering all that it can see, and the entire story is caused by his machinations. Whenever I look back at Sauron as a villain and character, I end up remembering why he is as infamous as he is. A great villain sometimes can just be a genuinely terrifying presence, especially in cinema and literature.

Number 3. Griffith (Berserk) - One of the most influential yet utterly despised villains in fiction for a good reason. Griffith initially started out as a charming, manipulative, selfish bastard leading a band of mercenaries that he wasn't afraid to discard in order to attain his dream of establishing a kingdom. Despite his more negative qualities at the time, he was never an outright villain, and even a friend to the main protagonist, Guts until everything that would go wrong for him went wrong. You can understand bits of his thought process, and when karma and unnecessary brutality hits him for the first time ever... you feel pity for him. Then in his injured state, he sells out his allies to demons in exchange for power and a new body, and after this massive betrayal he proceeded to enter some truly irredeemably monstrous territory. From there, he got the kingdom he always wanted. In short, be it as a multifaceted bastard man or a straight up vile demon hidden behind a mask, Griffith is a selfish creature above all else.

Number 4. Ganon (Legend of Zelda) - Honestly after so many years, Ganon still holds up as a villain. He's had several different outings, multiple designs, multiple bosses, and many different traits though at his core he's remained the same greedy monster that he was introduced as. He remains a King of Thieves, a darwinistic asshole who was forged by his harsh environment, an ambitious man desiring to be a force of nature, a warmonger, an inevitable storm, greed and wrath incarnate, a force of destiny, and a truly demonic King of Evil that worships power above all else. It's this versatility mixed with the consistency of his core traits and ever-looming presence that make Ganon the greatest villain in video game history.

Number 5. The Joker (DC) - The Joker is a crook who fell into a vat of chemicals and got a clownish makeover, who ended up becoming the nemesis of Batman. While the other rouges have their particular danger levels, they all have some type of cause they're fighting for or they're purely out to benefit themselves. Joker just causes chaos, death, and suffering, for the sake of his twisted sense of humor. He is willing to kill and ruin lives in the most creative way possible, so long as he finds it funny. Yet despite how twisted he is, this evil ass clown actually can be funny. Not only that, but he's the most effective contrast to Batman, even more than the other rouges. Batman is a frightening figure with a semi-demonic visage who suffered one bad day in his youth, yet he is a hero dedicated to the cause of justice and protecting the innocent citizens of Gotham City. Joker is a colorful figure with a big 'ol grin on his face and a jovial demeanor, yet he is perfectly okay with causing as much unwarranted harm to others for the sake of artistic chaos. Ultimately, the Clown Prince of Crime is a villain that's managed to last for decades, despite the ever marching clock, for these exact reasons.

Number 6. Sayo Yasuda/Beatrice (When They Cry)- Sayo Yasuda, a.k.a The Golden Witch Beatrice, is a fun, terrifying, smart, kinda relatable, and overall tragic young witch with many names and faces who serves the scapegoat of a much bigger horror.

Number 7. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy) - Sephiroth is one of the most frightening bosses in gaming and a genuine horror villain. He is a tragic monster born from science, and a loyal “son” to his alien mother, Jenova, but he’s still scary as hell thanks to his god complex, unlimited strength, ethereal vibes, years of experience, his ability to live off of pure spite just so he can make the lives of his enemies complete hell. His appearance in of itself is creepy due to how beautiful, yet unsettling it is thanks to his silver hair, green snake-like eyes, and perfect physique which is complimented by a black coat. However the most dangerous things about him are that he’s completely delusional, his strength is unmatched, and just how far he’s willing to go to distort the sense reality of others. Overall Sephiroth a tragic character and a truly phenomenal villain.

Number 8. Bowser (Super Mario Bros) -  Bowser is a genuinely great villain and fun as hell. Sure, there are a crapton of underrated villains in the Mario series, but no matter what you cannot really hate this guy. He’s a giant fire breathing turtle-dragon who’s a evil king, but he’s also a meathead, arrogant as hell, has very cool boss fights, is a surprisingly good father to his kids, and he’s an amazing protagonist and ally. He's also a VERY huge asshole in Mario Party. Though at the end of the day, Bowser is just an entertaining villain and a great character.

Number 9. Messmer The Impaler (Elden Ring) - Messmer was certainly a welcome surprise. He was the firstborn son of Queen Marika, ultimately the one who personally oversaw the genocide of the hornsent in the Land of Shadow, and event so horrific and cruel that its impact could still be felt within the present day. He was afflicted with a curse at his birth, in which a dark and malevolent snake threatened to eat him from the inside, which resulted in Marika plucking out his eye and replacing it with a seal of grace. Sounds like quite the monster, right? Well here's the thing. Messmer's a surprisingly good boss, like he literally preserved his enemies culture inside a storeroom just because one of his knights requested it, and has at least some level of compassion. Sure some of his men defected after finding out about the true nature of his existence, but there were some that even stuck around because they know who he is as a person. So why did this great guy commit literal one of the most horrific events in history? Well you see, Marika basically told him to eliminate the hornsent, and it wasn't just a standard order... it was a secret banishment for him, and Marika's vengeance on the hornsent. That's right, Messmer was exiled so he could be a scapegoat for his mother in the Land of Shadow. While this doesn't absolve him of his crimes, it ultimately makes him extremely pitiable.

Number 10. DIO Brando (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) - I feel like I'm always going have a soft spot for this piece of shit, because his development and influence is something else. In Phantom Blood, he’s still one of the greatest evils the series has ever seen, but we also saw a human element to him in a very negative way. He was bitter, envious, and straight up angry at the world for making him the bottom of the barrel, but after becoming a vampire he’s becomes sick, scary, and slightly pitiable due to his lack of humanity. In Stardust Crusaders, the re-emerged DIO is out to get the Joestars, not for revenge for Jonathan humiliating him, but because he knows they’ll be a threat in the long run. He's still a vain and power-hungry sociopath, but he's less erratic and more paranoid, controlled, and slightly nihilistic from a mortal standpoint. DIO was not really sane, but he did a damn good job of holding himself together, until the final battle. This isn't even mentioning the Stone Ocean flashbacks where we get to see more of this controlled DIO interacting with the man who would carry on his work, showing that around that point in his life that he became aware of his limitations and is willing to leave unfinished business to someone he genuinely trusts. Overall, DIO is a complete monster who is willing to do whatever he can to be at the top because of his nature and because he understands what being at the bottom is like.

Number 11. Count Orlok (Robert Eggers Nosferatu) - Count Orlok was originally made to be a Dracula expy for an unofficial German Dracula movie, but oh my god it is surprising to see how Robert Eggers Nosferatu not only utilizes this vampire to his fullest extent as a bloodsucking parasite and plague bringer disguised as an aristocrat, but also as a predator. He literally spends the entire film in pursuit of his former victim while she spends the film trying to deal with what he did to her. Ultimately they both die, but not without Orlok being brought into the light as the rotten creature that he is.

Number 12. Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (Sonic) - What else is there to say that hasn't been already? Eggman’s just a simply a twisted take on the magnificent bastard trope, with some traditional cackling supervillain elements thrown in for good measure.

Number 13. Xemnas (Kingdom Hearts) - Ah yes... the greatest Disney Villain of all time. This doesn’t require much explanation, but allow me to explain. Xemnas is an amazing villain. Xemnas is the nobody of Apprentice Xehanort, his husk, an entity that can feels nothing and wasn’t meant to exist, yet he’s quite the specimen. He’s a very sinister figure due to his nature, the fact that he’s a special nobody like Roxas, his inability to feel emotion, and his belief that negative emotions are what give the heart power, but at the same time you somehow manage to feel pity for him because of these things. While what he does is his own choice, you can clearly see that while he’s a different entity from his human self, he still chooses to go in that hollow shadow because it’s in his own nature, and it ended up being his downfall. That and his boss was truly a test of your skills. TL;DR: Xemnas is amazing.

Number 14. Ozai (Avatar: The Last Airbender) - If the Fire Nation is supposed to be Nazi Germany mixed with Imperial Japan, then Ozai is the perfect dictator to serve as the leader of this antagonistic force. He's the descendant of darwinistic and prideful royals, he's the one who authorizes a MASSIVE amount of atrocities throughout the series that exceed the work of his ancestors, his cold and cruel approach to parenting is the reason why his son is so angst filled while his daughter is a killing machine who's barely holding on, and his own belief in the "divine right to rule" along with the envy he has towards his brother pushes him into complete and utter megalomania. Though when you remove all of his power he is shown for what he truly is, a truly pathetic man trying to make something bigger and badder out of himself, just like any other darwinistic and genocidal dictator. All of this, combined with a perfect buildup and the undeniable presence he has through his army & children, makes him a truly legendary villain.

Number 15. Ghetsis (Pokemon) - Ah yes, the worst father in Pokemon and the greatest villain the series has ever known. Ghetsis is Team Plasma’s founder, the father of N, and the greatest embodiment of evil this series has seen, so that kinda makes him the perfect foil to N. Ghetsis is cunning, manipulative, abusive, banal, psychotic, self-righteous, and narcissistic, not to mention that his plan was actually put together pretty well. However the best part about this guy are his BREAKDOWNS, like good lord it’s satisfying to kick this rancid old man into the dirt and watch him mentally not take a loss.

Number 16. Scar (The Lion King) - This cat's the best classic Disney Villain for a reason. His self-centered and diva-ish personality, his villain song, the way he's animated, the constant venom in his voice even in his lighter moments, his masterful manipulations, and of course the fact that he actually succeeded in what he set out to do. Scar fckin' earned his reputation.

Number 17. Professor Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes) - Despite being created for the sole purpose of killing off Sherlock, Moriarty is easily one of the best literary villains ever due to how he functions. He barely makes a single appearance in his own case aside from 2 or 3 pages, but his presence is felt everywhere due to the web that he weaves, and its a very convincing web since it gave someone as smart as Sherlock a lot of trouble. Not only that, but as a character he's a very deliberate evil counterpart to Sherlock, which does a very effective job of showing readers that the detective has finally met his match.

Number 18. Edelgard Von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem) - I would repeat several points about why her fans like her, and also explain just how in the wrong she is, but there’s a simpler way to explain why I love Edelgard. She’s the best take on the Rudolf Archetype in the entire series. She’s calculated, arrogant, and self-righteous, yet she’s also very charming, likable, self-aware, and had a good end goal that can resonate with some people, despite the way she intended to go about it. Her character basically mixes parts of what made Rudolf, Arvis, and Walhart good, and places them into a single character, without making her seem unoriginal. Overall, Edelgard is one of the most well done villain the series has ever had. Long Live The Flame Emperor!

Number 19. Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls) - An overarching existential horror that not only takes the form of an illumination triangle with a used car salesman look, but is also meant to be his shows physical manifestation of ego itself? And he's given a tragic explanation as to why he's like this 10 years later while also expanding upon his ver deserving final fate? Oh yeah Bill's definitely as great as he sounds.

Number 20. Cell (Dragon Ball) - Cell is a Perfect villain. He’s got the traits of 3 main villains (Piccolo, Vegeta, & Frieza), along with some Goku elements in the mix, and it makes sense when you remember that he’s an android with the cells of the universes strongest fighters. Also he’s got the ability to absorb people, can perfectly copy techniques that would take years to learn, has quite the suave and charming personality in his perfect form, is extremely funny and snarky sometimes, is terrifying a lot of the time, and overall Cell was designed to be the endgame villain of Z, before Toriyama was asked to write the Buu Saga. Also he’s the SECOND villain from Z to be brought into Super, excluding Buu, only that time he became this Shin Godzilla inspired monstrosity with the appearance of his second form. Yet it did nothing to decrease how frightening he was.He’s on the same level as Frieza, but is held back by the fact that he was basically an endgame type of villain put in a penultimate setting. Still, he was and is the PERFECT, Non-Frieza, Dragon Ball villain from the get so in terms of concept and execution.