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
Askeladd – Vinland Saga
VS
Ryofui – Kingdom
VS
Pain (Nagato) – Naruto
VS
Madara Uchiha – Naruto
VS
Pride – Fullmetal Alchemist
VS
King Bradley – Fullmetal Alchemist
VS
Hisoka Morow – Hunter x Hunter
VS
Orochimaru – Naruto
THE BRACKET
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
Ryofui – Kingdom
Ryofui rules with calculus, not charisma. As chief strategist, he meticulously balances alliances, threats, and betrayals to further Qin’s grip. He’s hardly visible on the front lines, yet his decisions sculpt entire campaigns—making him a specter guiding the ebb and flow of war.
He is heartless about casualties—every life is a variable. But his criticism is incisive: he doesn’t cheer at corpses; he grieves alongside calculations. His emotional complexity lies in admitting guilt, yet still pushing forward. Qin’s expansion under him is not golden light, but a bloody inevitability.
What makes Ryofui compelling is that he knows war gives no heroes. He is both catalyst and realist, grieving the cost while pressing on. His arc challenges the romanticism of battle and asks if history is written by gods, kings—or cold logic.
He is heartless about casualties—every life is a variable. But his criticism is incisive: he doesn’t cheer at corpses; he grieves alongside calculations. His emotional complexity lies in admitting guilt, yet still pushing forward. Qin’s expansion under him is not golden light, but a bloody inevitability.
What makes Ryofui compelling is that he knows war gives no heroes. He is both catalyst and realist, grieving the cost while pressing on. His arc challenges the romanticism of battle and asks if history is written by gods, kings—or cold logic.
VS
Pain (Nagato) – Naruto
Pain is a villain born from tragedy. Once an idealistic child dreaming of peace, Nagato becomes the leader of the Akatsuki, using overwhelming force and fear to bring about what he sees as true stability. His doctrine—peace through shared pain—is both haunting and, to an extent, understandable.
What makes Pain compelling is his philosophical weight. He doesn’t revel in destruction; he believes it’s necessary. His devastation of Konoha is not just a show of power, but a twisted lesson. When he says “those who do not understand pain can never understand peace,” he means it—and he forces the world to listen.
Pain is not a madman or a brute. He’s a broken idealist whose fall mirrors Naruto’s potential future. That contrast—between hero and what-hero-could-have-been—makes Pain one of Naruto’s most unforgettable and thought-provoking villains.
What makes Pain compelling is his philosophical weight. He doesn’t revel in destruction; he believes it’s necessary. His devastation of Konoha is not just a show of power, but a twisted lesson. When he says “those who do not understand pain can never understand peace,” he means it—and he forces the world to listen.
Pain is not a madman or a brute. He’s a broken idealist whose fall mirrors Naruto’s potential future. That contrast—between hero and what-hero-could-have-been—makes Pain one of Naruto’s most unforgettable and thought-provoking villains.
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.
VS
Pride – Fullmetal Alchemist
Pride is horror in human form: outwardly polite, elegant, all detective wit—underneath lies remorseless monster. His ability to manipulate shadows, hail from beneath the floorboards, and twist people’s reflections of themselves is outright frightening.
His intellectual arrogance is the perfect foil to Edward and Alphonse Elric. He doesn’t waste time with emotional outbursts. He assesses reality, calculates, and destroys illusions—literal and psychological. Every fight with him becomes a puzzle and a moral trial.
As the last of the Homunculi to fall, Pride’s defeat is not just physical, it’s ideological. He forces the Elrics—and Roy Mustang—to look inward: at ambition, pride, resentment, fear. That thematic mirror fight is what cements him as not just a potent villain, but a moral crucible for the protagonists' growth.
His intellectual arrogance is the perfect foil to Edward and Alphonse Elric. He doesn’t waste time with emotional outbursts. He assesses reality, calculates, and destroys illusions—literal and psychological. Every fight with him becomes a puzzle and a moral trial.
As the last of the Homunculi to fall, Pride’s defeat is not just physical, it’s ideological. He forces the Elrics—and Roy Mustang—to look inward: at ambition, pride, resentment, fear. That thematic mirror fight is what cements him as not just a potent villain, but a moral crucible for the protagonists' growth.
VS
King Bradley – Fullmetal Alchemist
King Bradley, also known as Wrath, is a villain who embodies control, discipline, and sheer lethal precision. As both a national leader and a homunculus, he walks the line between civility and slaughter, presenting a calm face while being capable of unimaginable violence. His role as Führer allows him to orchestrate entire wars while remaining completely in command of every battlefield he personally enters.
Unlike the other homunculi, Bradley ages, bleeds, and fights with the mind of a soldier rather than a monster. He believes in strength and purpose—disregarding weakness, mercy, or ideology. His respect for opponents like Greed or Buccaneer doesn’t stem from empathy but from a deep appreciation of resolve and strength under pressure.
Bradley is not fueled by passion or chaos. He is terrifying because of how measured he is. His presence is a reminder that evil doesn’t always arrive loudly—it can walk quietly in uniform, speak eloquently, and strike with cold finality.
Unlike the other homunculi, Bradley ages, bleeds, and fights with the mind of a soldier rather than a monster. He believes in strength and purpose—disregarding weakness, mercy, or ideology. His respect for opponents like Greed or Buccaneer doesn’t stem from empathy but from a deep appreciation of resolve and strength under pressure.
Bradley is not fueled by passion or chaos. He is terrifying because of how measured he is. His presence is a reminder that evil doesn’t always arrive loudly—it can walk quietly in uniform, speak eloquently, and strike with cold finality.
VS
Hisoka Morow – Hunter x Hunter
Hisoka Morow is a mesmerizing enigma—an assassin-clown who views fighting as an exquisite dance. His razor-sharp instincts are matched by his flamboyant theatrics, blending unpredictability with elegance. Every duel with Gon, Killua, or Chrollo is less a battle and more a performance art piece, in which he seeks the thrill of conflict more than victory itself. Hisoka is driven by one simple, yet potent obsession: pure potential and raw power.
While his outward showmanship masks a savage core, his own code of honor defines his cruelty. Hisoka spares opponents when they’re strong, but punishes weakness with moral intensity. He predicts others' emotions, manipulating his prey into reaching their limits so he can savor the raw energy of their struggle. His unpredictable alliances—helpful one moment, murderous the next—cast him as neither friend nor foe but as a law unto himself.
What makes Hisoka unforgettable is how he crystallizes contradictions: cultured yet savage, mentor and threat, calm and fevered. His presence challenges the protagonists to question their ideals and strength. In Hisoka, we see that a villain can be both a teacher and a predator, a source of inspiration and terror—an immortal blend of elegance, cruelty, and performative grace.
While his outward showmanship masks a savage core, his own code of honor defines his cruelty. Hisoka spares opponents when they’re strong, but punishes weakness with moral intensity. He predicts others' emotions, manipulating his prey into reaching their limits so he can savor the raw energy of their struggle. His unpredictable alliances—helpful one moment, murderous the next—cast him as neither friend nor foe but as a law unto himself.
What makes Hisoka unforgettable is how he crystallizes contradictions: cultured yet savage, mentor and threat, calm and fevered. His presence challenges the protagonists to question their ideals and strength. In Hisoka, we see that a villain can be both a teacher and a predator, a source of inspiration and terror—an immortal blend of elegance, cruelty, and performative grace.
VS
Orochimaru – Naruto
Orochimaru is one of Naruto's most iconic and terrifying villains. A former member of the Legendary Sannin and a once-respected ninja, Orochimaru’s thirst for immortality and forbidden knowledge leads him to betray his village and pursue dark, twisted experiments. His obsession with the unknown and his pursuit of ultimate power, regardless of the cost, is what defines him as a villain.
What makes Orochimaru so chilling isn’t just his power—it’s his intellectual curiosity and disregard for human life. He’s willing to perform grotesque, forbidden jutsu, manipulating and experimenting on humans in the name of personal growth. His ability to shed bodies and live beyond death adds a layer of horror, making him an ever-present and persistent threat.
Orochimaru’s cold, calculating nature and lack of moral boundaries make him a formidable foe. His evil is rooted in his selfish desire for knowledge, immortality, and control. His transformation from a beloved ninja to a twisted villain serves as one of the series' most tragic, yet terrifying, developments.
What makes Orochimaru so chilling isn’t just his power—it’s his intellectual curiosity and disregard for human life. He’s willing to perform grotesque, forbidden jutsu, manipulating and experimenting on humans in the name of personal growth. His ability to shed bodies and live beyond death adds a layer of horror, making him an ever-present and persistent threat.
Orochimaru’s cold, calculating nature and lack of moral boundaries make him a formidable foe. His evil is rooted in his selfish desire for knowledge, immortality, and control. His transformation from a beloved ninja to a twisted villain serves as one of the series' most tragic, yet terrifying, developments.
