IMPORTANT: THIS TIME THERE WILL BE NO FIGHTS. YOU WILL SIMPLY VOTE FOR YOUR TOP 4 CHOICES HERE. PLEASE TRY TO USE UP ALL 4 VOTES. THANKS.
THE BRACKET
Griffith – Berserk
VS
Shinobu Sensui – Yu Yu Hakusho
VS
Frieza – Dragon Ball
VS
Chrollo Lucilfer – Hunter x Hunter
VS
Meruem – Hunter x Hunter
VS
Macht – Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
VS
Bondrewd – Made in Abyss
VS
Father – Fullmetal Alchemist
THE BRACKET
Griffith – Berserk
Griffith’s villainy is defined more by betrayal than conquest. He starts as the ultimate aspirational hero—a charismatic leader whose dream of his own kingdom is matched only by his courtly elegance. His rise through Guts’ Band of the Hawk inspires devotion, romance, and legends. That makes his eventual betrayal, aimed at achieving godhood at any cost, gut-wrenchingly potent.
The Eclipse event, where Griffith sacrifices his comrades to ascend into Femto, cements his darkness. His choice sacrifices personal relationships and humanity in pursuit of transcendence. That single, horrifying moment fractures the golden promise he once represented, and forever intoxicates the audience with his cold ambition.
Yet Griffith doesn’t vanish into evil archetype. Even after the eclipse, he remains painfully human—flawed, charming, caught between destiny and horror. Guts’ war with him—love turned vengeance—captures the heartbreak of dreams realized but at grotesque cost. Griffith doesn’t just win or lose—he tears the very world around him apart.
The Eclipse event, where Griffith sacrifices his comrades to ascend into Femto, cements his darkness. His choice sacrifices personal relationships and humanity in pursuit of transcendence. That single, horrifying moment fractures the golden promise he once represented, and forever intoxicates the audience with his cold ambition.
Yet Griffith doesn’t vanish into evil archetype. Even after the eclipse, he remains painfully human—flawed, charming, caught between destiny and horror. Guts’ war with him—love turned vengeance—captures the heartbreak of dreams realized but at grotesque cost. Griffith doesn’t just win or lose—he tears the very world around him apart.
VS
Shinobu Sensui – Yu Yu Hakusho
Shinobu Sensui redefines evil in Yu Yu Hakusho—no longer a simple demon, but a conflicted man broken by trauma. Formerly a noble Spirit Detective, he was driven insane after witnessing a demon commit a grotesque act. He forms the Seven Horrors, aiming to erase the boundary between humans and demons with violent purpose.
His greatest horror is moral collapse: Sensui struggles with the emptiness of justice and the hypocrisy of humanity he once vowed to protect. He believes true peace comes through fearing death, and he’s willing to annihilate humanity to achieve it. His absolutely black heart lies not in carnage, but in unity—forced through blood.
Fighting Sensui isn’t just physical—it’s spiritual warfare. Yusuke confronts not just a villain, but the existential void of hypocritical justice, the fragility of belief, and the danger of blending light with shadow. Sensui ends as a tragic testament to how a hero can become someone’s ultimate nightmare.
His greatest horror is moral collapse: Sensui struggles with the emptiness of justice and the hypocrisy of humanity he once vowed to protect. He believes true peace comes through fearing death, and he’s willing to annihilate humanity to achieve it. His absolutely black heart lies not in carnage, but in unity—forced through blood.
Fighting Sensui isn’t just physical—it’s spiritual warfare. Yusuke confronts not just a villain, but the existential void of hypocritical justice, the fragility of belief, and the danger of blending light with shadow. Sensui ends as a tragic testament to how a hero can become someone’s ultimate nightmare.
VS
Frieza – Dragon Ball
Frieza is the gold standard of galactic villainy. Cold, sadistic, and impossibly arrogant, he’s responsible for some of the most defining tragedies in Dragon Ball, including the annihilation of Planet Vegeta. Unlike later villains, Frieza doesn’t have a redemption arc—he enjoys being cruel and takes pride in his domination.
His power is matched by his ruthlessness. Whether casually exterminating entire races or tormenting Goku and his friends, Frieza embodies absolute tyranny. His condescending demeanor and iconic transformation sequence elevate him into legendary status.
Even after death, Frieza’s influence echoes through the series. He’s not just a threat—he’s the benchmark for evil in Dragon Ball, and his every reappearance reminds viewers just how terrifying pure cruelty can be.
His power is matched by his ruthlessness. Whether casually exterminating entire races or tormenting Goku and his friends, Frieza embodies absolute tyranny. His condescending demeanor and iconic transformation sequence elevate him into legendary status.
Even after death, Frieza’s influence echoes through the series. He’s not just a threat—he’s the benchmark for evil in Dragon Ball, and his every reappearance reminds viewers just how terrifying pure cruelty can be.
VS
Chrollo Lucilfer – Hunter x Hunter
Chrollo Lucilfer is the calm and collected leader of the Phantom Troupe, a group of thieves known for their ruthlessness and bloody reputation. What makes Chrollo so captivating is his unsettling calmness and his almost philosophical approach to life and death. Unlike many villains driven by emotion, Chrollo remains stoic and unemotional, making his decisions with a level of detached reason.
His greatest strength lies in his intelligence and strategic mind, making him a formidable foe even without brute force. His Stand, Skill Hunter, allows him to steal other Nen abilities, which only increases his versatility and danger. Chrollo is an enigma—a man who values freedom above all and will go to any lengths to achieve it.
Chrollo’s blend of intelligence, charm, and ruthlessness makes him a villain who is both calculated and unpredictable. His calm demeanor masks a terrifying potential for violence, and it’s this duality that makes him one of Hunter x Hunter's most intriguing and dangerous figures.
His greatest strength lies in his intelligence and strategic mind, making him a formidable foe even without brute force. His Stand, Skill Hunter, allows him to steal other Nen abilities, which only increases his versatility and danger. Chrollo is an enigma—a man who values freedom above all and will go to any lengths to achieve it.
Chrollo’s blend of intelligence, charm, and ruthlessness makes him a villain who is both calculated and unpredictable. His calm demeanor masks a terrifying potential for violence, and it’s this duality that makes him one of Hunter x Hunter's most intriguing and dangerous figures.
VS
Meruem – Hunter x Hunter
Meruem begins as a monster—born to rule, born to kill. As the Chimera Ant King, he sees humans as cattle, inferior beings to be crushed under his heel. But what makes his arc so unforgettable is the way he changes. Through Komugi, a blind girl who plays a simple game, Meruem discovers something foreign to him: empathy.
His transformation from tyrant to tragic antihero is one of Hunter x Hunter's greatest triumphs. Meruem’s journey forces us to question what makes a being “human.” As he gains wisdom, humility, and love, he becomes painfully aware of the cruelty he inflicted, making his final moments gut-wrenchingly human.
Meruem is not just a villain—he is a mirror held up to mankind. His arc is a masterpiece in storytelling, showing how even a creature born for destruction can learn to live, love, and mourn.
His transformation from tyrant to tragic antihero is one of Hunter x Hunter's greatest triumphs. Meruem’s journey forces us to question what makes a being “human.” As he gains wisdom, humility, and love, he becomes painfully aware of the cruelty he inflicted, making his final moments gut-wrenchingly human.
Meruem is not just a villain—he is a mirror held up to mankind. His arc is a masterpiece in storytelling, showing how even a creature born for destruction can learn to live, love, and mourn.
VS
Macht – Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Macht is a demon unlike the rest in Frieren—not because he’s the strongest, but because he understands humans too well. While other demons rely on cruelty and violence, Macht experiments with emotion, playing with grief, empathy, and hope like instruments. His immortality isn’t just a trait—it’s the reason he can manipulate on a generational scale.
His methodical cruelty is detached, but never random. Macht devastates villages and heroes not out of sadism, but out of curiosity and control. He’s a philosopher of despair, testing whether humans can ever truly resist temptation, or if even the noblest souls are just one push away from giving in.
What makes Macht chilling is his patience. He doesn't rage or scream—he waits, plans, and learns. In a world where most villains are forces to be slain, Macht becomes a reminder that true evil isn’t always loud or chaotic—it’s quiet, elegant, and profoundly familiar.
His methodical cruelty is detached, but never random. Macht devastates villages and heroes not out of sadism, but out of curiosity and control. He’s a philosopher of despair, testing whether humans can ever truly resist temptation, or if even the noblest souls are just one push away from giving in.
What makes Macht chilling is his patience. He doesn't rage or scream—he waits, plans, and learns. In a world where most villains are forces to be slain, Macht becomes a reminder that true evil isn’t always loud or chaotic—it’s quiet, elegant, and profoundly familiar.
VS
Bondrewd – Made in Abyss
Bondrewd is one of the most unsettling villains in anime—not because he’s outwardly cruel, but because of how cheerful he is while committing atrocities. A scientist obsessed with understanding the Abyss, Bondrewd performs inhumane experiments on children, all while smiling and calling them his “beloveds.” His charisma makes his evil even more unbearable.
What makes Bondrewd horrifying is how he justifies his actions. He truly believes he’s pushing humanity forward, sacrificing a few for the greater good. He treats the pain and death of others as necessary footnotes in his pursuit of knowledge.
Bondrewd’s villainy is cold, clinical, and chillingly optimistic. He represents scientific ambition without morality, and his upbeat demeanor in the face of tragedy makes him one of the most disturbing figures in modern anime.
What makes Bondrewd horrifying is how he justifies his actions. He truly believes he’s pushing humanity forward, sacrificing a few for the greater good. He treats the pain and death of others as necessary footnotes in his pursuit of knowledge.
Bondrewd’s villainy is cold, clinical, and chillingly optimistic. He represents scientific ambition without morality, and his upbeat demeanor in the face of tragedy makes him one of the most disturbing figures in modern anime.
VS
Father – Fullmetal Alchemist
Father, the Homunculi’s progenitor, begins life as a droplet of philosopher’s stone hidden beneath a church. As he gains body and purpose, he treats humans as material—tools, resources, fuel. His ambition is divine: to absorb God, reshape reality, and transcend suffering born of the Creator himself.
His power is near absolute: combining alchemy with immortality, building homunculi armies, and manipulating nations. Yet beneath that, his true villainy lies in his ideology. He seeks to erase human imperfection through forced symmetry—even as his own arrogance poisons him. He believes perfection deserves to be mandated.
Father’s fall is profound, a cosmic tragedy reflected in ground-level horror. His obstacle course of genocide and betrayal forces the protagonists—and audience—to confront darker truths: the power entwined with creation, and the limits of seeking divine control.
His power is near absolute: combining alchemy with immortality, building homunculi armies, and manipulating nations. Yet beneath that, his true villainy lies in his ideology. He seeks to erase human imperfection through forced symmetry—even as his own arrogance poisons him. He believes perfection deserves to be mandated.
Father’s fall is profound, a cosmic tragedy reflected in ground-level horror. His obstacle course of genocide and betrayal forces the protagonists—and audience—to confront darker truths: the power entwined with creation, and the limits of seeking divine control.
