Shonen villains are at their best when facing off with the hero, forcing them to reach new levels of power just to stand in their presence. Villains who redefine the series and make fans root for them (One Piece's captivating antagonists do this well) are the ones who become true icons.

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The formidable Goku could never have reached the level of Super Saiyan if Freiza hadn't pushed him to his absolute limits. Midoriya didn't fully grasp his responsibility until he watched All Might face off against All For One. While fans love watching the villains clash with the forces of good, many wonder who would win if the villains faced off against one another.

10 Light Yagami (Death Note): Wields Power Over Death Itself

Light-Yagami Death Note

Light Yagami is the high school genius who gains a phenomenal, terrifying power when he picks up the Death Note dropped by Ryuk. With the combination of this deadly tool and his own intelligence and foresight, Light is a formidable foe. Ruthlessly using it against those who stand in his way, he nearly succeeds in his plan to become a god of his supposed new world. Light uses the Death Note to anonymously kill criminals all over the world.

By only targeting criminals, he briefly succeeds in creating a more peaceful society. However, Light becomes too comfortable with the wanton murders he's committing and is eventually overcome by police forces. Separated from his notebook, Light has little power, and ultimately falls victim to it himself.

9 Annie Leonhart (Attack On Titan): Tears Through The Survey Corps

Annie Leonhart (Attack On Titan)

Attack On Titan's Annie Leonhart is the owner of the female Titan, and one of the most intimidating forces in the series. Annie is the first Titan shown to be controlled by a human, making her an enigmatic and terrifying character in the series.

Beyond instilling fear through the idea that Titans are controlled by people, Annie is astoundingly powerful in her own right. Her iconic fighting style is unlike anything fans have seen before in the show. Her callous disposition is shown as she ravages the Survey Corps. Annie even goes so far as to nearly wipe out Levi Ackerman's team, a squad considered to be the most elite in the entire Survey Corps, although this results in her capture. In the end, she, too, is unable to overcome the forces that oppose her.

8 Konan (Naruto Shippuden): Forced Obito To Use His Last Resort

Konan (Naruto Shippuden)

Naruto's Konan is a founding member of the legendary Akatsuki. Her unique jutsu (these being a staple of the series) involves using chakra-infused paper to create shurikens, clones, and even massive explosions. She was trained by Jiraiya himself and becomes one of the most powerful ninjas in the entire series. Her showdown with Obito is legendary.

Obito's power to become intangible for up to five minutes seems impossible to overcome, but Konan hides an astounding six hundred billion paper bombs on the battlefield. She creates over ten minutes of explosions, forcing Obito to invoke the forbidden Izanagi at the cost of his left eye. Although she pushes him to his limit, it ends in her defeat.

7 Frieza (Dragon Ball Z): Destroyer Of Planet Vegeta

Dragon Ball Z - Frieza with Goku

Frieza had his forces destroy planet Vegeta because he feared the legends of the Super Saiyan. Even though he had enough influence to rule over an entire universe, Frieza sought immortality. That search is what ironically caused him to create the first Super Saiyan in Goku himself.

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Goku and Vegeta were no match for Frieza at first. His immense energy and strength proved to be too much even for those elite fighters. If Goku hadn't been able to unlock his legendary potential, Frieza would have succeeded in his quest. Frieza is an iconic Dragon Ball villain, but as his powers increase, so too do Goku's.

6 Zeke Jaeger (Attack On Titan): The Beastly Beast Titan

Zeke Jaeger (Attack On Titan): The Beastly Beast Titan

Attack On Titan's Zeke Jaeger, also known as the Beast Titan and as Warchief of Marley's warrior unit, is the half-brother of Eren Jaeger and one of the strongest forces in the entire series. He is described as the most powerful Beast Titan in history by his peers. Thanks to his royal blood, Zeke can utilize Beast Titan's abilities. His spinal fluid turns Eldians into Titans under his command, and he can unleash devastation at long range with his throwing technique.

Although he loses to Levi, Zeke wipes out the entirety of the Survey Corps in the process. Zeke's mastery of his Titan combined with his cunning nature make him an extremely dangerous villain, though perhaps not quite among the very strongest.

5 Ryomen Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen): The King Of Cursed Energy

Ryomen Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen): The King Of Cursed Energy

Jujutsu Kaisen's Sukuna is known as the undisputed King of Curses. Despite being beaten over 1,000 years ago, Sukuna's cursed energy is so great that he could not be destroyed entirely.

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Sukuna currently resides in his vessel, Itadori Yuji. When given autonomy over their shared body, Sukuna has shown his ability to unleash devastating Jujutsu that easily overpowers even other special-grade curses. Sukuna's power is legendary, but since his energy is currently scattered throughout the world, fans have yet to see his full potential.

4 Father (Fullmetal Alchemist): Sacrifices Entire Nations To Enhance His Abilities

Father (Fullmetal Alchemist): Sacrifices Entire Nations To Enhance His Abilities

Father is the ultimate Homunculus, created from the energy of over 100,000 souls being sacrificed in ancient Xerxes. He is the creator of the seven antagonist Homunculi in the series and the source of all alchemy in Amestris. Father wields the energy of thousands upon thousands of human souls.

When his plan to turn Amestris into a massive transmutation circle works, he succeeds in gaining the power of God. While his power is short-lived, during that time he is able to transmute a Sun in the palm of his hand. If Father had managed to hold onto that power, he would have been truly terrifying.

3 The Demon King (The Seven Deadly Sins): Terrifying Even When His Power Is Fractured

The Demon King (The Seven Deadly Sins): Terrifying Even When His Power Is Fractured

The Demon King is the absolute ruler of the demon race and the father of Meliodas. Despite being locked away in Purgatory, the Demon King still exudes a tremendous amount of influence over the course of the series. In creating the Ten Commandments, the Demon King bestowed each member an individual commandment equaling one-twentieth of his own power.

Even a single commandment proves to be devastating to face in battle. While the Demon King's true might has yet to be shown in The Seven Deadly Sins, knowing that his power level is equal to twenty of the Commandments is awe-inspiring.

2 All For One (My Hero Academia): Pushes All Might To His Absolute Limit

All For One (My Hero Academia): Pushes All Might To His Absolute Limit

All For One is the arch-nemesis of All Might and the brother of One For All's original owner in My Hero Academia. He has the ability to steal quirks from their users. With this power, he has succeeded in living long past a normal life span and possesses an absurd arsenal of abilities. Without All Might's influence, he would probably have already succeeded in taking over the world. Injured in his last battle with All Might, he is currently recovering.

Although he lost the battle, One For All succeeded in draining All Might of the last of his power. While young Itadori is still far from reaching All Might's level, the threat of All For One is looming on the horizon.

1 Madara Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden): Wipes Out The Allied Ninja Forces

Madara Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden): Wipes Out The Allied Ninja Forces

Madara is one of the best-known villains in all of anime for a reason. Not only does he possess limitless techniques and jutsu, but he is also a cunning tactician who knows how to plan. Madara works from the shadows for most of Naruto, only emerging when the stage is set. When he first enters the Great Ninja War, meteors rain from the sky, and blood soaks into the sand as he tears through thousands of soldiers with ease.

Madara's Infinite Tsukoyumi plan succeeds and he brings the entire world to its knees. If it hadn't been for Zetsu's betrayal at the eleventh hour, Madara would have been successful in keeping the entire world under his Genjutsu for eternity. Madara is one of the few villains whose master plan succeeds, solidifying his status.

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