Ask John: Who Are the Best Female Villains?

Question:
Who are the best female villains of anime? Off the top of my own noggin, I’d have to say Medusa of Soul Eater and Cassa from Black Blood Brothers. But I’d like to hear an expert’s opinion.

Answer:
Discussion of gender roles and the prominence of women seems to arise frequently in discussions on the subject of anime, but critical discourse seems to usually center on positive and heroine roles. As observers and critics, we seem to often forget or disregard the fact that anime is filled with a great number of interesting female antagonists. In fact, there are so many of them that for the purpose of this discussion I’ll need to distinguish an exclusionary difference between antagonists and villains. Beyond that distinction, I’ll also need to clarify my personal scope of reference. And finally, before beginning into earnest discussion, I’ll need to more precisely define the qualifications for “best” female villain.

Due to their prevalence and prominence, it’s probably easier to immediately think of female antagonists than villains. Antagonists are opponents, enemies, sometimes enemies who become allies, and assistants. We can place characters like Grandis from Secret of Blue Water, Rue from Princess Tutu, Ryoko from Suzumiya Haruhi, Koyori from Nurse Witch Komugi-chan, Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist, Iczer-Two from Iczer-One, Misty Honey from Cutey Honey F, Freesia from Jubei-chan, Marller from Ah! My Goddess, and Evangeline from Negima into this category and thereby separate them from dominant, self-determined, and ultimate villains. I am familiar with a lot of anime, but I haven’t seen everything. And even some shows which I’ve sampled, I haven’t watched enough of to be expert on. I haven’t watched enough of Black Blood Brothers, Casshern Sins, or Witchblade to qualify the attributes of female villains including Cassa, Luna, and Reina. So I’ll have to further limit my discussion.

What remains is still a large variety of characters worth consideration. Since “best” is a quite vague qualification in this context, I’ll narrow the field to female villains that are most intriguing or interesting. By that qualification the female villains from anime including Sailor Moon, Angel Cop, Alexander Senki, Galaxy Express 999, Last Exile, Cutey Honey, and Kakugo no Susume can be excluded because despite being powerful, the villains of these anime aren’t especially memorable or don’t have a great depth of unique, individual personality. Soul Eater nearly falls into this former category because despite having a memorable design and unique characteristics, Arachne from Soul Eater is ultimately an unfulfilling villainess. However, her shortcomings are compensated for by the devious Medusa. Medusa’s independence and eagerness to employ vile and ruthless tactics to achieve her goals definitely make her one of anime’s most striking female villains.

Dakki from the Houshin Engi anime is an unforgettable villainess because I can’t think of another female villain who is more immediately and thoroughly unlikeable. She’s purely evil, and the deft way she manipulates her own appearance and the actions of the people around her make her intensely infuriating – exactly the way a great villain should be.

Hayao Miyazaki, best known for bringing the world iconic heroines, is also the father of two of anime’s best female villains. (And I thought I wasn’t going to use the adjective “best.”) Princess Kushana from the Nausicaa movie is iconic because she’s sympathetic. Her desire for domination is ruthless, yet her grudge against the ohmu seems justified. The visually memorable Yubaba from Spirited Away is fascinating because she’s ruthless but fair. Despite being overbearing, it’s evident that she does have some considerate compassion, and she strictly honors her promises.

Sympathetic villains are often interesting because viewers can understand their motivations and empathize with, although not always agree with, their goals. Perhaps two of the best examples of the sympathetic villainess in anime are Kanoe from X and Haydée from Gankutsuou. Both of these women pursue destructive goals for personal satisfaction, yet both of them seem to be indentured to their roles partly against their will. Their compulsion to pursue vengeance conflicting with their compassion make these women complex and fascinating.

Although she doesn’t appear in very much of the Devilman anime, Siren is undeniably one of anime’s most iconic female villains. She’s rooted in ancient Greek myth, which automatically gives her more literary weight than many other villains. The fact that she’s evenly matched or possibly stronger than the hero, Devilman, also gives her more significance than a typical antagonist. Her independence, and the intriguing implication that her relationship with Devilman is as much intimate as it is antagonistic add further layers of complexity to her mystique.

At last, I’ll nominate Beatrice from Umineko no Naku Koro ni as one of anime’s great female villains because she’s such a wildly uninhibited psychotic. Beatrice is regal, petty, manipulative and susceptible to manipulation, ruthless, haughty, infantile, immortal, beautiful, and ugly all at once. Like the entire story she resides in, she’s a mass of contradictions that somehow manages to congeal. The sheer absurdity and extremes of her character make her unquestionably one of anime’s most distinctive villains.