Clementine

A great protagonist and story can give shape to a terrific anime, but sometimes an exceptional villain is what steals the show.

A villain's strength is often measured in death. How many people is one willing and able to kill to get what they want? And how do they get there? The characters on this list are killers: assassins, warmongers, serial killers, and would-be gods who paint the world red and give us the creeps.

They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned—but some don't even need a reason to do some scorning of their own. Just in time for Halloween, here are seven of the cruelest women in all of anime!