25 Best Anime Supervillains Of All Time

25. Lelouch Lamperouge - Code Geass

Code Geass’ main character, Lelouch Lamperouge, transforms drastically over the course of the series, and the initially charming lead gives way to a much more divisive figure by the show's end.

But here’s the thing: If you have the power to make anyone obey your word just by making eye contact, and you do both really evil and good things, it kind of still makes you evil. After all, saving one million lives by ending one million lives is equal, one could say - but you still killed one million people.

Lelouch is painted as a protagonist who sacrifices his own image to put the world in what he envisions as a better place, but just because he's given that power and believes he's acting virtuously doesn't automatically make it so.

It comes back to that age-old debate over the judge, jury and executioner, and Lelouch's evil deeds performed in the main role function as a stellar example of the villain protagonist—the bad guy for whom you just can't help but root.