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
Vicious – Cowboy Bebop
VS
Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti – Re:ZERO
VS
Ulquiorra Cifer – Bleach
VS
Cell – Dragon Ball Z
VS
Makoto Shishio – Rurouni Kenshin
VS
Askeladd – Vinland Saga
VS
Frieza – Dragon Ball
VS
Madara Uchiha – Naruto
THE BRACKET
Vicious – Cowboy Bebop
Vicious is the dark opposite of Spike—stoic, ruthless, and unrelenting. He radiates danger and detachment, always vigilant, always waiting. His betrayal of the Red Dragon syndicate and uprising are unexpected strikes: quick, efficient, final.
He lives by instinct: power is won through silence and speed. His motivations are seldom explained verbally—his face, a bullet‑furnished stare, reveals more than speeches. In each bullet‑riddled apartment and empty alley, Vicious is final—turning loyalties into corpses.
He stands as an unstoppable force of inevitability. Vicious doesn’t want chaos—he wants clarity through control. What makes him chilling is how unremarkable his ambition becomes. He reminds us that the professional villain isn’t theatrical, just lethal.
He lives by instinct: power is won through silence and speed. His motivations are seldom explained verbally—his face, a bullet‑furnished stare, reveals more than speeches. In each bullet‑riddled apartment and empty alley, Vicious is final—turning loyalties into corpses.
He stands as an unstoppable force of inevitability. Vicious doesn’t want chaos—he wants clarity through control. What makes him chilling is how unremarkable his ambition becomes. He reminds us that the professional villain isn’t theatrical, just lethal.
VS
Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti – Re:ZERO
Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, the Sloth Archbishop, embodies fanatic devotion and warped self-destruction. His psyche has collapsed, inverted by his worship of the Witch’s cult. He constantly shifts from bellowing rage to sullen introspection, wrapping Subaru in cycles of emotional torture. Each resurrection brings new decay—his insanity fueled further by each failure in service to the Witch.
But Petelgeuse isn’t senseless. He respects power, and recognizes Subaru as a sacrificial vessel that refreshed his divine purpose. He manipulates time loops and human despair, weaving suffering into a tapestry of worship. His worship is sincere, unhinged—and terrifyingly beautiful in its fervor. His violent outbursts are not madness alone—they are prayers in blood and pain.
This fanaticism underscores his tragedy. He’s not evil, but broken. His devotions are no longer tethered to reality, yet they retain a chilling logic. In him, themes of pain, devotion, and mental collapse merge. He isn’t broken humanity—he is devotion’s highest, darkest expression.
But Petelgeuse isn’t senseless. He respects power, and recognizes Subaru as a sacrificial vessel that refreshed his divine purpose. He manipulates time loops and human despair, weaving suffering into a tapestry of worship. His worship is sincere, unhinged—and terrifyingly beautiful in its fervor. His violent outbursts are not madness alone—they are prayers in blood and pain.
This fanaticism underscores his tragedy. He’s not evil, but broken. His devotions are no longer tethered to reality, yet they retain a chilling logic. In him, themes of pain, devotion, and mental collapse merge. He isn’t broken humanity—he is devotion’s highest, darkest expression.
VS
Ulquiorra Cifer – Bleach
Ulquiorra is defined by his icy void—his mask fragment, green eyes, and detached voice reflect a soul untouched by warmth. He acts as Aizen’s perfect soldier: analytical, efficient, seeming to lack any drive beyond logic. That stoicism makes every flicker of emotion—a shout, an anguished scream—all the more haunting.
His final battle with Ichigo is the emotional core of his arc’s tragic power. Though he scoffs at the concept of the heart, Ichigo’s desperate plea and grief-broken scream gesture at a possibility of feeling. In losing to that humanity, Ulquiorra allows himself to feel, if only for an instant. It shows that even the most chilling villain can long for connection.
His death—alone, on a broken ledge, whispering his closing line about love—not only humanizes him, but redefines defeat. He didn’t fall because he was out-fought; he falls because he felt. Ulquiorra’s tragedy lingers long after the credits roll, leaving a void shaped as much by emotion as by power.
His final battle with Ichigo is the emotional core of his arc’s tragic power. Though he scoffs at the concept of the heart, Ichigo’s desperate plea and grief-broken scream gesture at a possibility of feeling. In losing to that humanity, Ulquiorra allows himself to feel, if only for an instant. It shows that even the most chilling villain can long for connection.
His death—alone, on a broken ledge, whispering his closing line about love—not only humanizes him, but redefines defeat. He didn’t fall because he was out-fought; he falls because he felt. Ulquiorra’s tragedy lingers long after the credits roll, leaving a void shaped as much by emotion as by power.
VS
Cell – Dragon Ball Z
Cell is a villain who’s both terrifying and fascinating. A bio-engineered being with the DNA of the greatest fighters in the Dragon Ball universe, Cell is the epitome of evolution, constantly striving to improve and reach perfection. His desire to challenge the strongest warriors, particularly Goku, makes him more than just a threat—he’s a reflection of the Saiyan obsession with strength and self-improvement. The Cell Games are not just a test of strength but a way for him to prove that he is the ultimate being.
What makes Cell particularly frightening is his intelligence and calculated nature. He’s not just a brute force villain; he’s a cunning strategist who manipulates events and people to achieve his goals. His ability to change forms and grow stronger with each defeat makes him an unpredictable, ever-evolving threat.
Cell’s calm, almost theatrical demeanor contrasts sharply with his brutal actions, and his philosophical approach to fighting and evolution makes him a truly complex villain. His desire for perfection and validation as the ultimate lifeform makes him one of Dragon Ball Z’s most dangerous foes.
What makes Cell particularly frightening is his intelligence and calculated nature. He’s not just a brute force villain; he’s a cunning strategist who manipulates events and people to achieve his goals. His ability to change forms and grow stronger with each defeat makes him an unpredictable, ever-evolving threat.
Cell’s calm, almost theatrical demeanor contrasts sharply with his brutal actions, and his philosophical approach to fighting and evolution makes him a truly complex villain. His desire for perfection and validation as the ultimate lifeform makes him one of Dragon Ball Z’s most dangerous foes.
VS
Makoto Shishio – Rurouni Kenshin
Makoto Shishio is a product of betrayal and fire—literally burned alive by the government he served, only to rise as a symbol of vengeance and survival. His ideology is built on brutal natural law: the strong survive, the weak perish. Every action he takes, every army he builds, serves to raze the system that discarded him.
Shishio’s charisma is terrifying. He is ruthless but calculating, able to unify criminals and mercenaries under one vision of social collapse. His physical condition, constantly in pain and near death, doesn’t weaken his ambition—it intensifies it. He moves forward even when every heartbeat threatens to kill him.
More than just a swordsman, Shishio is a revolutionary born in flame. He mirrors the protagonist, Kenshin, but with no belief in redemption. Shishio teaches that when society burns its loyal men, it breeds its greatest enemies.
Shishio’s charisma is terrifying. He is ruthless but calculating, able to unify criminals and mercenaries under one vision of social collapse. His physical condition, constantly in pain and near death, doesn’t weaken his ambition—it intensifies it. He moves forward even when every heartbeat threatens to kill him.
More than just a swordsman, Shishio is a revolutionary born in flame. He mirrors the protagonist, Kenshin, but with no belief in redemption. Shishio teaches that when society burns its loyal men, it breeds its greatest enemies.
VS
Askeladd – Vinland Saga
Askeladd is blood, brains, and buried regret. A Viking commander weaving allegiance and betrayal like weapons. Protector and assassin, father and killer, his identity is conflict incarnate. He trains Thorfinn not to lead—but to kill him. He rescues Canute not to follow—but to elevate. In every choice, his legacy mutates.
His greatest act isn’t war—it’s engineering. He orchestrates his death so Canute can rule, shaping a kinder world beyond vengeance. His plot is not destruction, but renaissance. His death is the seed of an ideal he never lives to see.
In Askeladd we see villainy that transcends itself—carrying history’s blood forward, seeking redemption through ruin. His final gambit is not defeat, but transcendence—village wiped, mission done, future born.
His greatest act isn’t war—it’s engineering. He orchestrates his death so Canute can rule, shaping a kinder world beyond vengeance. His plot is not destruction, but renaissance. His death is the seed of an ideal he never lives to see.
In Askeladd we see villainy that transcends itself—carrying history’s blood forward, seeking redemption through ruin. His final gambit is not defeat, but transcendence—village wiped, mission done, future born.
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
Madara Uchiha – Naruto
Madara Uchiha is a myth given flesh. A founder of Konoha, he becomes its most dangerous enemy—turning his vision of peace into a world of illusions under the Infinite Tsukuyomi. His ideology stems from deep disillusionment with mankind, believing that true harmony can only exist when people are no longer free to hurt each other.
Madara is more than powerful—he is transcendent. He manipulates generations, controls gods, and rewrites fate to suit his image of a perfect world. His resurrection brings the shinobi world to its knees, not just physically but philosophically. Every battle against him is a battle against the idea that free will is more painful than it's worth.
He is both a tragedy and a titan—a man who loved too much, lost too deeply, and concluded that peace without choice was the only path forward. Madara is what happens when the dream of peace is twisted by despair.
Madara is more than powerful—he is transcendent. He manipulates generations, controls gods, and rewrites fate to suit his image of a perfect world. His resurrection brings the shinobi world to its knees, not just physically but philosophically. Every battle against him is a battle against the idea that free will is more painful than it's worth.
He is both a tragedy and a titan—a man who loved too much, lost too deeply, and concluded that peace without choice was the only path forward. Madara is what happens when the dream of peace is twisted by despair.
