12 Anime That Make You Root For The Villain

What is a story without a hero?

Heroes are the bread and butter of entertainment, as they are the audience's guide through the world and the driving force behind the narrative. Superman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Aragorn, what would their iconic movies be without them? It's safe to say that heroes are vital. But, let's be honest, villains are 100% cooler.

Even since the days of William Shakespeare, audiences have gravitated towards those with an affinity for villainy. There's something so deliciously alluring about following a baddie as they go on their quest for world domination, vengeance or just pure mayhem. This is something anime grabs by the horns and rides like a bull.

The anime medium is so jam-packed with iconic and awesome villains that there are plenty of people who watch it exclusively for them. Anime tends to marinate its evildoers with bombastic personalities, fascinating backstories, awesome character designs and a slew of desirable traits. That's what leads to viewers rooting for the wrong side of the pond.

These coming shows gave you villains so great that they had you thinking, "hmm, maybe it's not so bad over there on the dark side."

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This list will contain spoilers!

One Punch Man is a series that takes a magnifying glass to the superhero genre. It points at the land of powers and villains and says, "wouldn't it be funny if it actually looked like this?". This character is an embodiment of that, as he got you thinking, would you ever actually feel bad for the monsters?

Garou is a man who was bullied relentlessly at school, and thanks to this, he developed an affinity with monsters. When going up against superheroes, the beasties always lost, making them the unfairly treated underdogs up against the popular kids. This resonated with Garou, as he was an underdog himself, and he made it his mission to become the "Human Monster" and hunt down the heroes so the monsters would finally have a chance to win.

While siding with the bad guys who want to rampage and cause havoc in the world is undoubtedly villainous, it's hard not to sympathise with Garou. Plenty of people know what it's like to be bullied or feel like a loser, which is what makes him so easy to relate to/sympathise with.

Season two may have been a letdown, but this villain's tragic circumstances and convictions got you hoping he'd succeed, despite your better judgement.