Happy Halloween to all the readers. Hopefully everyone will have a great time either getting candy or dressing up for parties. Though things have been slow here, we are aware of the times. And for such an occasion, I have decided to do a TOP LIST of seinen manga villains based on all the manga titles I have read. The villains we love to hate or makes the protagonist’s life a complete Hell, we will acknowledge them and all their efforts (but only for today). I know I may be missing a few good villains from the manga titles I haven’t read, but that shouldn’t stop me from posting my thoughts now should it?

6. The Red Man (Deadman Wonderland)

Though this manga title is being picked up by Tokyopop, and won’t be released until 2010, that shouldn’t stop us from posting it on the list. If anything, it’s an honor for it to be on the list (again, I haven’t read much seinen). Not much is known about this “thing,” but the havoc, chaos, and stains of blood it leaves behind is a clear sign not to mess with it. It doesn’t help that this character also has some type of power making its slicing of human heads much easier. In relation to the main character, this mystery being is worth the killings. The main character of the manga is framed for the murder of his entire classmates and is sent to a Disneylandish prison park that is really a murderous take on gaming aspect of Battle Royal. The main character continues to search for the Red Man even within his prison walls. And this is all because of some misunderstanding. Interesting…

5. Alexander Anderson (Hellsing)

This follower of God is more like God’s Right Hand Man. He will do pretty much anything according to the Pope’s orders, all in the name of God. Anderson proves to be a great complete opposite to the devilish insane vampire Alucard. Honestly, the battle between the two as well as the church is worth the price tag. The two contrasting characters are like that of God and the Devil, but it is the Devil’s (Alucard and the Hellsing organization) view point we side with. Though Anderson is “good” (his actions and killings are an act of “cleansing”), we do not take his view point in Hellsing. He is the villain of the manga, and his appearance time and time again hinders Hellsing’s objective. We love it.

4. Kazuo Kiriyama (Battle Royal)

When the Japanese government must deal with the spiral of chaos occurring in Japan, one of their solutions is to send a random class to an island and tell them to kill each other until one survives. This is Battle Royal. Boy number 6, Kazuo Kiriyama is another character no one should mess with. This boy is a genius that has no emotions… literally. He lost the ability to feel from a car accident which makes his presence in the manga a terrifying factor. He does not show mercy when he kills his fellow classmates, shooting them without changing his facial expression. He plays the game quite well letting him grab the title of most killed students. The reader continues to think of Kiriyama as a psychopath throughout the manga until the end. Though the title is an adaptation of the novel, I’ll let it slide until someone better can show up Kiriyama.

3. Yakushiji Tenzen (Basilisk)

This is one sick man… really. As a sadistic, ruthless man, Tenzen will do pretty much anything to be the leader of his clan. He lusts for the title of lord, so much so that he’ll rape the “princess” of the clan in order to do so (which he tries on a couple occasions). He eventually leads the clan against their opponents after the princess is rendered unable to do so once the war is declared. Lucky for him, many of the members share the same hatred of the opponent making them an easy antagonistic group of the manga title. But Tenzen leads as if he was an untouchable god whose cruelty is justified based on his livelihood. Think of it this way: if Wolverine was a bad guy, this would be him (except for the hair, origin, and metal claws). He is gifted with regeneration, one he gained from “merging” with his twin brother while still in his mother’s womb. But this power has gone to his head. Tenzen is one hell of a guy, one the Devil would welcome with open arms.

2. Johan Liebert (Monster)

It must be great having a title based on the main villain of the manga. That must mean Liebert is doing something right. As a child, Liebert was hospitalized and saved by the main character of the title. Unknown to the main character, his actions of saving Liebert has lead to a series of unfortunate events from then on. This character has been called everything: the Devil, Hitler, and a monster. Hitler because he is incredibly charismatic and uses it to corrupt and manipulate people. The Devil because he leaves a trail of destruction and suffering where ever he goes. A monster because… well he is just scary. If anything, this character could be compared to numerous actual serial killers with similar complexes. Scary…

1. Griffith (Berserk)

THIS GUY, man, this guy is seriously messed up. Much like Liebert, he uses his charisma and beauty to get what he wants. But it doesn’t stop there. He gets others to do the dirty work, like killing royalty and government officials, to speed up the process. There is at one point in the manga where the main character assassinates two people, but one by accident. Yet from the look of Griffith’s reaction, it was all according to plan (even the accident kill). And when all that is done, and a few other events occur, he would gladly sacrifice his loyal followers for his ultimate goal (even have sex with one of them in front of their lover). The man is selfish, deceiving, cunning, deadly, and a genius villain. He uses everything around him to achieve his desires, even if it means no friends in the end.

Since this is a limited view on villains in seinen manga, I would like to hear others’ opinion on whom I left out. That way I’ll know what manga titles to look out for.