I have a problem. Well, several problems, but this specific one involves being magnetically attracted to fictional characters who would absolutely destroy me given the opportunity.
Halloween feels like the perfect time to confess these thoroughly inadvisable fascinations with anime’s most dangerous individuals, the ones who could end civilisation and somehow still have me volunteering to hold their coat.
[Post read time: 9–15 min]
10 Anime Villains I’d Let Ruin My Life
Alucard [Hellsing Ultimate]
Unapologetically at the top. A centuries-old vampire who treats human life as entertainment, kills with theatrical flair, and probably considers romance synonymous with bloodshed. Jouji Nakata’s voice performance sells every second, the way Alucard delivers philosophical monologues about humanity while dismembering armies, that deranged laughter, that red coat and wide-brimmed hat.
He’s not a man. He’s an apocalypse with style. And yes, I’m aware this is a terrible idea. No, I don’t care.
(If you haven’t already, see my post Hellsing vs Hellsing Ultimate to understand why Alucard’s chaos works so perfectly in the OVA.)
Shougo Makishima [Psycho-Pass]
Makishima is intellectual ruin wrapped in calm elegance. A philosopher-anarchist who murders to expose society’s flaws. He quotes literature while dismantling civilisation and makes it sound like enlightenment. Takahiro Sakurai’s measured delivery turns sociopathy into poetry. He’s wrong, gloriously, fatally wrong, but the conviction behind his ideals makes him hypnotic.
It’s not the violence that gets you; it’s how reasonable he sounds while committing it.
Sukuna [Jujutsu Kaisen]
The King of Curses has no redeeming features whatsoever. Cruel, arrogant, sadistic, amused by suffering, he’s destruction given form. And yet. That grin. The confidence. The voice. Junichi Suwabe turns malice into charisma, and somehow that confidence becomes irresistible.
It’s the kind of attraction that should come with an exorcism notice.
Hisoka [Hunter x Hunter]
Predatory obsession personified. Hisoka’s fixation on fighting strong opponents crosses every moral line imaginable. His pleasure in violence is explicitly sexual.
And yet, Daisuke Namikawa’s purring delivery, that languid movement, the self-aware theatrics, he’s designed to be magnetic in the worst possible way.
He’s the embodiment of a red flag wrapped in glitter.
Doma [Demon Slayer]
Doma is empty behind rainbow eyes and a perpetual smile. He’s a demon who can’t feel emotions but perfectly mimics empathy, making him more unsettling than overtly violent villains. Mamoru Miyano’s voice work makes that false warmth sound genuine, which is precisely the horror. He’ll compliment you sincerely whilst deciding which part of you to eat first.
The beauty, the religious aesthetics, the way he makes murder look like mercy, it’s disturbing how compelling emptiness can be when it’s this pretty.
Sesshomaru [InuYasha]
Sesshomaru is ice given form, beautiful, untouchable, and absolutely lethal. Ken Narita’s voice carries aristocratic disdain that somehow makes the rare moments of grudging respect devastating. He’s a demon lord who starts despising humans and slowly, almost against his will, develops something resembling care for specific individuals. The character development from “I’ll kill you for existing” to “I’ll kill anyone who threatens what’s mine” is a journey, and watching that frost crack is magnetic.
Also, the hair. Let’s be honest about the hair.
Ulquiorra Cifer [Bleach]
Ulquiorra is beautiful devastation wrapped in emptiness. Daisuke Namikawa voices him with this hollow calm that makes every philosophical question about the heart more haunting. He’s a being who literally cannot feel but is obsessed with understanding what he lacks. The gothic aesthetic, those green eyes with black sclera, the way he asks “what is a heart?” whilst destroying everything, it’s tragic in the worst way. He’d ruin you emotionally whilst genuinely not understanding why you’re hurt, and that incomprehension is more devastating than malice.
The scene where he finally understands, just as he’s dying, destroys me every time.
Dabi [My Hero Academia]
Dabi is spite and trauma given form, held together by staples and vengeance. Hiro Shimono voices him with this detached amusement that makes everything sound like dark comedy. He’s burning himself alive with his own Quirk and doesn’t care, which is either suicidal or the ultimate commitment to aesthetic – possibly both. The reveal of his identity adds layers of family tragedy that make his villainy uncomfortably understandable.
He’d ruin your life whilst making sarcastic commentary about it, and the self-destructive edge makes him tragic enough to be dangerously appealing.
Itachi Uchiha [Naruto Shippuden]
Itachi is the tragic villain perfected, beautiful, powerful, and carrying secrets that recontextualise everything. Hideo Ishikawa’s voice is devastatingly calm, making every word feel weighted with unspoken pain. He’s the brother who destroyed his family, but the truth behind that choice transforms him from monster to martyr. The Sharingan, the finger poke, the way he loves through cruelty because it’s the only way to keep Sasuke safe – it’s heartbreaking manipulation.
He’d ruin your life whilst believing it’s for your own good, and somehow that misguided protection makes him more compelling than straightforward villainy. Also, those stress lines under his eyes just add to the tortured aesthetic.
Rob Lucci [One Piece]
Lucci is cold efficiency given form. All lethal grace and zero empathy. Tomokazu Seki voices him with chilling detachment, making every word sound like a death sentence. He’s an assassin who genuinely enjoys killing, who views compassion as weakness, and who fights with this predatory elegance that’s mesmerising. The leopard form, the absolute conviction in his twisted justice, the way he nearly kills Luffy through sheer ruthless precision, he’s dangerous specifically because there’s no hesitation, no doubt, just pure murderous professionalism.
He’d destroy you whilst barely registering you as human, and somehow that cold disregard is darkly compelling.
Why I’m drawn to them
I’m not claiming this is healthy. These men are fictional for excellent reasons; they’d be nightmares in reality. But villains who fully commit to their nature, who have conviction in their monstrosity, become hypnotic.
They’re powerful, certain, unrestrained by morality or fear. And in fiction, that certainty reads as freedom.
The voice acting matters too. Jouji Nakata’s booming menace, Takahiro Sakurai’s calm logic, Daisuke Namikawa’s purr, these performances don’t just bring villains to life; they make them unforgettable.
Confess your own villain crushes
Which anime villains would you let ruin your life? Drop your toxic favourites in the comments and let’s be terrible together.
Pst, liked this? Check out it’s ‘sister’ post 10 Villains I’d Let Ruin My Life: Manga, Manhwa & Webtoon Edition
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