10 Greatest Ever Anime Villains

10. Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)

Starting off with a classic, we have the original angry sword boy himself, Vicious from Cowboy Bebop.

Vicious isn't exactly the most interesting villain out there, his characterization kinda ends after episode 5. But his presence and the atmosphere surrounding him more than pick up the slack. You just look at this guy and get this sense of dread. Almost like looking at Anton from No Country For Old Men, Vicious is just this thoroughly uncomfortable and uneasy presence.

A lot of that comes from both his stellar character design as well as the voice work by both Norio Wakamoto and Alex Hassell. But he also pulls off some insanely evil sh*t too. From forcing Spike and his lady love Julia apart for several years, to performing a violent coup on the criminal syndicate both he and Spike worked for for years, there is a trail of bodies behind Vicious that eventually includes Spike as well. But at least our favorite bounty hunter/responsible Afro owner manages to bring Vicious down with him.

But despite his short tenure at the top of the triad, the galaxy is unlikely to forget this cruel, cunning, and Machiavellian bastard anytime soon. Vicious definitely lives up to the name.