The 7 Most Villainous Nations in Anime, Ranked

Some fictional nations, empires, and kingdoms in anime have committed sins so heinous that redemption is simply out of the question. More often than not, these regimes serve as the greatest obstacle in the MC’s journey, with bringing them down becoming the central objective of the story. However, among the many villainous powers across anime, a select few stand out for taking evil to unimaginable extremes.

So if you wonder which ones they are, here we’ve ranked the 7 most villainous organisations/nations in anime that turned their worlds into living nightmares. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

7 The Spade Kingdom – Black Clover

Though the entirety hasn’t been adapted in the anime yet, we already know how the Spade Kingdom from Black Clover committed some of the most horrible acts in fiction, earning it the 7th spot on the list. The kingdom overthrew the legitimate royal family and abducted mages from other kingdoms to experiment. It essentially became a feared nation among neighbouring regions, as it even invaded other nations solely to test its growing powers. Hence, going up against this kingdom becomes the anime’s end goal.

6 The Giadian Empire – 86

86 tells a brutal tale of countries plunged into a never-ending war due to internal conflicts. So naturally, one of the opposing nations comes out as absolutely despicable: the Giadian Empire. It unleashed an autonomous war machine that indiscriminately slaughtered civilians. This further raised the stakes of the main storyline, and the sheer scale of its destruction earns it the 6th place on the list. What makes the empire most evil, though, is that they still tried to justify their actions in the most unacceptable ways.

5 The Goa Kingdom – One Piece

In terms of One Piece‘s scale, the Goa Kingdom may not possess world-conquering ambitions, but its systemic cruelty has been off the charts. The disparity shown within its social hierarchy is sickening. It’s the most extreme representation of nobility living in luxury while the poor are forced into abject misery in Grey Terminal. Its rulers even attempted to burn the entire slum to the ground simply to preserve their nation’s image. Therefore, it easily deserves a place in the top 5 on the list, no questions asked.

4 The Marleyan Empire – Attack on Titan

The OG Eldian king may have committed grave sins for his personal gain, but the way Marley was portrayed in the Attack on Titan anime is simply unforgivable. It used Eldian children as soldiers and trained them as Titan Shifters, exploiting the entire bloodline for its military triumph over other nations. It even institutionalised racism on a national scale! No matter how much the narrative tried to justify its actions by showing the past, Marley remains evil enough to secure the 4th place on the list.

3 The Galactic Empire – Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Now let’s raise the scale of evil to a universal level, shall we? Legend of the Galactic Heroes presents one of the most evil empires of all time, the Galactic Empire, one that thrived on privilege and oppression. Corrupt nobles routinely exploited civilians, crushed whoever stood in their way, and prolonged wars for personal gain. Although in the main storyline, the Empire eventually undergoes significant changes, the atrocities it committed over centuries still help it earn a place in the top 3 of the list.

2 The Amestrian State – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

In terms of the narrative, what the Amestrian State from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood did is quite unmatched on the scale of evil. Like, can you imagine, the whole nation was secretly engineered as a giant nationwide Transmutation Circle, to sacrifice the entire population of Amestris! The sole purpose of this heinous act was simply to create a Philosophers’ Stone that would help Father rival The Truth. And viewers didn’t have the faintest idea about it at the start. Even the nation’s military performed heinous acts solely to serve this grand plan. The Ishvalan extermination campaign alone stands as one of anime’s darkest atrocities, helping Amestris earn the 2nd place on the list.

1 The Holy Britannian Empire – Code Geass

No nation in anime embodies imperialistic evil quite like the Holy Britannian Empire from Code Geass! Not only did they conquer countries across the globe, but they also stripped people of their identities and treated entire populations as second-class citizens, reducing entire nations to just numbers. The way all of this is shown with extreme brutality through the series protagonist’s perspective even makes his own atrocious acts seem virtuous. Bringing this nation down became the anime’s sole purpose, which is why it deserves to be #1 on the list.

NATION	ANIME	IMDb RATING (as of June 23, 2026)
The Holy Britannian Empire	Code Geass	8.7/10
The Amestrian State	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood	9.1/10
The Galactic Empire	Legend of the Galactic Heroes	9.0/10
The Marleyan Empire	Attack on Titan	9.1/10
The Goa Kingdom	One Piece	9.0/10
The Giadian Empire	86	8.3/10
The Spade Kingdom	Black Clover	8.2/10

What are your thoughts on the entries, though? And do you have any other villainous nation in mind who you think should’ve made the list? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.