In the world of anime, villains play a crucial role in driving the plot forward and challenging the heroes. While male villains tend to dominate the genre, many memorable female villains have left a lasting impression on fans. From seductive temptresses to ruthless masterminds, female anime villains come in all shapes and sizes.
The Best Anime Villains Of All Time
Great antagonists are what make a story interesting, and these anime villains are undoubtedly among the best of all time.
These characters are often complex and multidimensional, with motivations that go beyond simple evil for the sake of being evil. The best female anime villains have their own unique personalities, motivations, and impacts on their respective series. Whether fans love to hate them or simply admire their cunning, these female villains are sure to leave a lasting impression.
Updated on November 21, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Female anime villains might not be overly abundant, but they are not in short supply either. This article has been updated with a few more characters, along with galleries for all of them.
21 Roberta (Black Lagoon)
Well, Black Lagoon Has Solely Awesome Female Characters, And Roberta Is Only Second To Revy
Black Lagoon
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2006 - 2006
- Directors
- Sunao Katabuchi
- Writers
- Sunao Katabuchi
- Creator
- Rei Hiroe
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Based On
- Manga
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
As Black Lagoon needed a villain who could match one of the greatest female characters ever in Revy, the anime introduced Roberta, a deadly killer who wears a maid outfit and uses an umbrella gun. Roberta is so incredible and a threat to pretty much everyone that she even gets her own 4-part OVA series, which not only highlights her skill with a gun but also adds a bit of depth to her backstory.
She is, ultimately, a tragic figure, but she is also a relentless killer who shows almost no mercy. While she has more layers than might initially seem apparent, Roberta's iconic status mostly comes down to her look and action sequences, as both of them are among the greatest in anime history.
20 Katarina Claes (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!)
The Ultimate Isekai Villainess Anime Protagonist...Who Is Not Really A Baddie
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
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- 2020 - 2021
WHERE TO WATCH
- Japanese Title
- Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta
- Studio
- Silver Link
- Creator
- Satoru Yamaguchi
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Katarina Claes is the protagonist of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, but she is a full-on villainess. Initially, she was an unpleasant individual who showed no concern for the well-being of those around her. She was self-conceited and so selfish that she did not hesitate to use underhanded means to get what she wanted. This involved her manipulating and abusing her family members so that they would do what she liked.
If harassing her mother and brother wasn't enough, Katarina Claes upped the ante and went to bully Maria. She would even recruit people, and together they would make Maria's life difficult. If she were left unchecked, Katarina Claes would have wreaked havoc on everyone around her.
Now, all of the above refers to the video game version of Katarina, but her personality changes entirely when she regains her memories of a past life and learns that she is in an otome game that will lead to her ruin. After that, Katarina becomes a pretty darn good person.
19 Moeka Kiryu (Steins;Gate)
A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Steins;Gate
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2011 - 2015-00-00
- Network
- Sun TV, Teletama
- Directors
- Kazuhiro Ozawa, Kanji Wakabayashi, Tomoki Kobayashi, Koji Kobayashi, Tomoko Hiramuki, Hisato Shimoda, Shigetaka Ikeda, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Yuzuru Tachikawa
- Studio
- White Fox
- Based On
- Visual Novel
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Steins;Gate has a notoriously slow half that gradually builds towards a chaotic explosion, and Moeka lights the fuse that causes that mayhem. Before that point, she is mostly an unassuming presence who barely looks away from her phone, and she is largely overshadowed by the anime's other big personalities.
Although she is actually hiding her affiliation with SERN and her true motive, Moeka's personality is not a facade, which makes her come across as surprisingly genuine. Her desire to find a place to belong leads to her commitment to SERN, and she is by no means fully evil. That said, Moeka is never all that likable, so her transition into a tragic villain is easy to buy into.
18 Ragyo (Kill La Kill)
The Worst Anime Mother...Or At Least One Of Them
Kill la Kill
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2013 - 2014
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Trigger
- Creator(s)
- Kazuki Nakashima
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Ragyo is the main villain of Kill la Kill. She was a woman who had a great deal of authority. Unsurprisingly, the power got to her head, and she would often remind the people around her that she was superior to them. Ragyo was sadistic, petty, and cunning, and she would go to extremes just to make a point.
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Ragyo's lack of moral fiber meant that she didn't find her actions questionable. This is evident from the fact that she conducted brutal experiments on kids. A sensible person would never commit such acts of savagery and not feel bad about them. Ragyo's only good quality is her unshakable will. She was dedicated to her goal, and she did not care how many people died for her to achieve it.
17 Quinella (SAO)
The Best Villain In Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2012 - 2020-00-00
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Creator
- Reki Kawahara
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Quinella was the main villain who played a crucial role in the Alicization arc. She ruled the Human Empire in the Underworld, and she valued her position so much that she considered others her pawns. On the outside, she might look like a kind person, but on the inside, she was filled with hatred.
Quinella was obsessed with the Underworld and feared that someday she might lose her power. For this reason, she did not tolerate anyone challenging her authority. If they did, Quinella would make sure that they would be exterminated without fail. Her reign was so horrible that many people acknowledged that it would be better to destroy the Underworld instead of letting Quinella run free.
16 Sonozaki Shion (Higurashi When They Cry)
A Complex Female Villain Who Is Also One Of The Most Famous
Higurashi When They Cry
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 5, 2006
- Japanese Title
- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
- Studio
- Studio Deen, Passione
- Based On
- Visual Novel
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Sonozaki Shion appeared as a villain in one of the major arcs of the series. She was cunning and self-conceited. Shion would manipulate people in the school by starting fake rumors, leaving them no choice but to obey her. She does not show her manipulative personality all the time; instead, she tries to appear friendly to fool people.
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As she does not have any special physical abilities, Shion makes up for it with her mental skills. Shion had great control over her emotions, as she could even think clearly even if someone close to her was in danger. When she loses control of her mind, Shion poses a danger to everyone around her.
15 Shiro (Deadman Wonderland)
An Anti-Hero With Villainous Tendencies
Deadman Wonderland
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2011 - 2011
- Studio
- Manglobe
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Jinsei Kataoka, Kazuma Kondou
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Shiro is an interesting character who has another personality called the Wretched Egg. This personality is the polar opposite of the kind and loving Shiro. The Wretched Egg is sadistic and violent. She does not hesitate to carry out punishment against those who deserve it.
When this personality takes over, Shiro becomes extremely fearsome and deadly. She possesses high regeneration and the ability to float through the air. Shiro also gains the ability to manipulate her blood freely, causing widespread destruction.
14 Echidna (Re:Zero)
A Terrifying Female Anime Witch
Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
- Creator
- Tappei Nagatsuki
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Studio
- White Fox
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Echidna is one of the most well-known anime female villains, and she is also among the most enigmatic. Originally, she was a supporting antagonist in Re:Zero, but she eventually became the secondary antagonist. Echidna was more than willing to employ underhanded tactics to acquire information about a matter that interested her.
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When it comes to power, Echidna was able to use six forms of magic, and she had mastered all of them. What truly made her a frightening individual was her immense knowledge. Echidna knew about almost all the major events that had ever taken place in the world, and she was so confident in her prowess that she claimed that there was nothing that she didn't know about.
13 Eida (Boruto)
An Incredibly Powerful Shonen Villain
Boruto
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 5, 2017
- Network
- TV Tokyo
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Eida is one of the new characters introduced in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. She was created by Amado in hopes of destroying Isshiki Otsutsuki, but the latter was aware of her threat. So, he ordered Boro to destroy her. Unfortunately, Boro was already mesmerized by her beauty and decided to keep her locked away.
Eida possesses the ability to enchant any person who looks at her. The only people who are unaffected by this power are the Otsutsuki, or those who have their powers. Eida also possesses the Senrigan, a Dojutsu that allows her to see anything that is going on in the world, making it impossible to catch her off guard. It is safe to say that Eida will have a key role to play in the future arcs.
12 Konan (Naruto)
A Great And Powerful Anime Villain
Naruto: Shippuden
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2007 - 2017-00-00
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Based On
- Manga
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Konan was one of the three Amegakure orphans trained by Jiraiya, and when they grew up, the trio ended up founding the Akatsuki. Nagato and Yahiko took center stage most of the time, but Konan acted as their rock. After Yahiko's death, she took care of Nagato and protected him.
Konan was a powerful ninja in her own right, and she was able to use two types of nature transformations. However, the true source of her power was her Dance of the Shikigami.
Using this technique, Konan could create millions of paper sheets. Her ultimate move, Paper Person of God, enabled her to fill a lake with paper bombs that could blow up a person into oblivion. With this technique, she was nearly successful in killing Obito Uchiha, bringing his rule to an end. Konan's nuanced character and power make her one of the best female anime villains.