10 Greatest Ever Anime Villains

Getting out in front of the obvious question first: why not Aizen? While Aizen was an incredibly effective villain when he first started, after a while the whole "this was my plan all along!" routine just gets kinda old.

Ulquiorra, meanwhile, was around exactly as long as he needed to be. An unflappably calm and cold member of the Espada, while he is one of the most powerful members of Aizen's little murder posse, Ulquirorra prefers subterfuge and careful manipulation to get the job done.

Mostly because he sees Ichigo and his friends as being beneath him (and given how they interact the first time he meets the gang, who can blame him?) but also because he just likes seeing how humans react to the horrific puzzle boxes he puts them through.

Sure much of the fandom prefers to see him as this misunderstood puppy dog - mostly because of his interactions with Orihime - but there's no doubt that this hollow meant business. Manipulative, calculating, and overwhelmingly powerful, Ulquiorra may have been the 4th Espada, but none stood taller.