If there is anyone who deserves the title for the best anime villain of all time, it is Sosuke Aizen from Bleach. Originally serving in the Gotei 13 as the former captain of its 5th Division, Aizen’s role as a villain was so profound that he became a pedestal that other manga creators wanted to reach with their own antagonistic characters.
His cruelty and selfishness don’t have a reason behind them, and all he ever wants is to replace the Soul King. He went to great lengths for it, and no matter what circumstances came his way, he always had a plan for it. His deceptiveness and brilliance as a villain are what made him different and better than any other villain the anime or manga world has ever seen.
However, the only shortcoming that Bleach fans believed Aizen had was that there was no explanation as to why he wanted the power for himself. Every villain has a demonic past behind them that forces their actions in a negative way. But Aizen is the only villain who doesn’t have a backstory, but he certainly deserved one.
Aizen’s Brilliance as a Villain Knows No Bounds
The biggest twist and the most heinous villain that Bleach has ever observed is Sosuke Aizen. Posing as one of the captains of Gotei 13, Aizen not only manipulated the Soul Society but also proved that none of the captains or the authorities were capable of outsmarting him. He, along with his Zanpakuto, were a force to be reckoned with.
Aizen was already at the peak with his indigenous plan, but he decided to one-up the main characters of Bleach by fusing with the Hogyoku, which granted him the strongest power in the history of Bleach. Aizen’s impact on Bleach was so epic that even after his imprisonment, he continued to manipulate the scenes from the background.
Not only that, he was also able to foreshadow Yhwach, who is the final villain of Bleach featuring in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. Tite Kubo truly put all of his efforts into creating a menace that no other villain could rival.
The Only Flaw in Sosuke Aizen’s Character
While Aizen was deemed perfect in terms of an antagonistic character, many Bleach fans believed that the only thing his character lacked was a backstory. A backstory is important to explain the motivation behind the villain’s actions, and although Aizen was appreciated a lot as a villain, he could not form a bond with the fans as a character.
Every major villain in anime history, be it Pain from Naruto or Kaido from One Piece, has had a stimulus that justified their steps as an antagonistic character.
Comment
byu/Bigbaby22 from discussion
inbleach
While it doesn’t create sympathy for these characters in the minds of the fans, it does help them to understand why they are acting in the ways that they are.
Thus, Aizen’s role might have saved Bleach; it raised a few questions in the minds of Bleach fans, and these questions have never been answered. His thirst for power and his terrifying intellect have no motivation behind them, and that raises complexity for his character in Bleach.
You can watch Bleach on Hulu.
