Anime series have evolved a lot over the years and most of them now feature much richer stories with an impressive cast of characters. While the main protagonist group is quite important in the anime, so are the antagonistic groups, most of which drive the story in interesting ways and mostly give the main characters motivation to continue on their own paths of justice. In this regard, Masashi Kishimoto's Akatsuki Naruto the series is one of the best groups of villains in all of anime. That said, the Akatsuki don't stand alone as a well-written group of villains. There are several others that rival it for importance and narrative impact in their respective series.
7 Anime Characters That Can Destroy Naruto Uzumaki in Battle
Naruto Uzumaki is powerful but can be defeated by many other anime characters.
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12 Kizuki
12 Kizuki is the main group of villains Demon Slayer series and they are all under the command of Muzan, the Demon King. 12 Kizuki have various demonic abilities that allow them to terrorize most individuals that exist in the Demon Slayer world.
Among the ranks of the 12 Kizuki, the most powerful group is known as the Six Upper Moons, and they are especially important when it comes to driving the story. In Infinity Castle, some of the most powerful members of the Upper Moon Six show off their abilities, such as Doma and Kokushibo, and it must be said that they are incredibly impressive. 12 Kizuki definitely stand on par with Akatsuki in their own series and remain relevant until the very end, with characters having very diverse and moving backstories.
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Shichibukai
Shichibukai z One piece is a group of pirates whose rewards have been frozen by the world government in exchange for an alliance with them. Basically, the Shichibukai are pirates that the government uses against pirates to deter them. Over the years, some of the most exciting villains in One piece have emerged from among the Shichibukai and include Crocodile, Doflamingo, Gekko Moria and even Blackbeard among others.
This means that not all members of the Shichibukai are evil and they also don't work as a group. Still, they existed as one of the three powers in the One Piece world until recently before they were finally disbanded on the recent Reverie.
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Royal Guards
Hunter x Hunter features more than just one iconic group of villains, and alongside the Phantom Troupe, there are also the Chimera Ants. Even within the ranks of the Chimera Ants, the three Royal Guards are specifically known to be monstrously powerful. In fact, the strength of the royal guard was such that even the strongest hunter like Isaac Netero fought against them in battle.
The Royal Guards consisted of Neferpitou, Menthuthuyoupi, and Shaiapouf, and all of them had extremely powerful Nen abilities as well as fighting skills that were hard for anyone to compete with. What's more, they served as some of the most important characters in the Chimera Ant arc Hunter x Hunter.
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Homunculi
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Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist
Homunculi are the main antagonist group in the beloved shonen series All Metal Alchemist. They all represent one form of sin that exists in the world. Together they fall under the control of the Father, who aims to be the ultimate being in the world and rise above humanity itself.
The narrative impact of the Homunculi in the plot of Fullmetal Alchemist is absolutely huge. Through them, Hiromu Arakawa was able to portray some of the most incredible characters of any Shonen series.
Naruto: 32 strongest characters in the series
These Naruto characters are the strongest individuals in the series.
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Espada
Bleach has a pretty exciting cast of compelling villains. The creator, Tite Kubo, has never missed the mark when it comes to designing the most interesting characters and providing interesting stories. There are quite a few exciting groups of villains like the Quincy in the world of Bleach, but the Espada is definitely the best out there.
The Espada are the 10 strongest Arrancar under Aizen's command. Primarily serving as enemies of the Gotei 13, they play a significant role in the Soul Society arc of the series, as well as some other arcs moving forward. The Espada is incredibly powerful and is one of Akatsuki's most popular Shonen Anime counterparts, especially since Bleach is from the same generation as Naruto.
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The Otsutsuki Clan
Akatsuki of Naruto isn't the only exciting group of villains that Masashi Kishimoto has developed. He also created the Otsutsuki clan, which began to form towards the end of the Naruto series. The Otsutsuki were introduced as parasitic aliens that feast on the energy of planets by harvesting chakra fruits on them. This clan has given fans some of the most powerful villains such as Kaguya Otsutsuki, Momoshiki Otsutsuki, Kinshiki Otsutsuki, and recently even Ishiki Otsutsuki.
More information about the Otsutsuki clan has been expanded on in the Boruto series, but they are primarily a creation of Naruto and there is still much more information about them that remains unknown to this day.
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League of Villains
League of Villains from My Hero Academia is one of the best villain groups of any modern anime. This group is led by Shigaraki Tomura, and under him are a bunch of unlucky castaways from society. In League of Villains, different individuals have found their home for different reasons, and together they take one step closer to throwing the world that rejected them into a state of utter chaos and confusion.
The most interesting part of League of Villains is that each character has their own compelling story, making them one of the most exciting villain roles in modern anime series.
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Yonko
Like the Shichibukai, the Yonko have been a villainous group in One Piece for quite some time. The Yonko consists of four of the strongest pirates on the seas and until recently consisted of Kaido, Big Mom, Blackbeard and Shanks. Two of the Yonks were defeated in the Wano Country Arc and with that Luffy and Buggy now took their place. This means that the vast majority of Yonka existed for Luffy and the other next generation pirates to destroy.
As seen in Wano, a Yonko has tremendous power that pushes the main character to their limits and forces them to evolve in the midst of battle. Their terror knows no bounds and their power is unprecedented, making them a threat even to the World Government itself.
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Phantom Troupe
Hunter x Hunter features one of the most incredible villain groups of all anime series in the form of The Phantom Troupe. The Phantom Troupe is led by Chrollo, who is also known as Spider-Head, and under him is a group of incredibly talented Hunters who have committed various atrocities.
The vast majority of the Phantom Troupe hail from Meteor City, though not all of them share the same background. The ranks of the Phantom Troupe include some of the most narratively compelling characters, such as leader Chrollo, Hisoka, Feitan, Machi, Nobunaga, and Pakunoda, among others. As the plot moves forward towards the Dark Continent, it stands to reason that they will only become more relevant from here.
