World domination is one of the most popular villainous motivations in fiction, but very few actually accomplish it. The same goes for anime, where the number of successful self-proclaimed world rulers is very limited.
While some of the following villains’ reigns were shorter than others, they still accomplished their goal of global rule. In a medium famous for eternally determined heroes, even the most fleeting of world dominations is worth a mention.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead.
10 Code Geass R2 — Emperor Lelouch’s World Domination Was His Long Game’s Conclusion
After ending the Holy Britannian Empire and freeing all of its colonies, Lelouch assumed his father’s position as emperor and decreed that peace can only be achieved by bringing the world under the rule of one man. Specifically, himself. As such, Lelouch and his armies brought the world’s armies and the Order of the Black Knights to their knees.
This was all a ruse, as Lelouch never had any intention of actually being emperor of the world. This was a part of his final master plan, Zero Requiem, where Lelouch would unite the world by acting as its worst nemesis. Lelouch’s gambit worked after his childhood best friend Suzaku (now assuming Zero’s identity) ended his deliberately short-lived reign by killing him.
9 Overlord — Ainz Ooal Gown Accidentally Convinced His Legions To Conquer New World
The irony of Ainz is that while he is arguably one of the most powerful isekai protagonists around, his infamy and villainy are mostly the product of accident and coincidence. For example, his world domination was inspired not by dreams of conquest but by a stray side comment that Demiurge took too seriously.
One day, Ainz humored that world domination sounded kind of neat. Demiurge, ever loyal to his king, took this off-handed suggestion to heart and convinced Ainz’s subjects and armies to carry out this will. The plan worked so well that it caught Ainz by surprise, and he decided to go along with it to maintain his reputation and his forces’ morale.
8 Afro Samurai — Justice Became The Number One Killer In The Anime’s Start
In Afro Samurai’s world, might makes right. Whoever holds the Number One Headband becomes a god, as it grants amazing miracles like cosmic knowledge and immortality. However, anyone can become the next Number One if they kill the current wearer. That, and they have to defeat the other numbered headband wearers.
Afro’s father, Rokutaro, was the reigning Number One until the gun-slinging Justice killed him, starting Afro’s bloody path of revenge. Justice did become a god among men, but he first needed to collect the rest of the headbands to gain total control of the world. As Number One, Justice let chaos reign as he waited for Afro to challenge him.
7 Death Note — Kira Imposed His Justice From Within The Shadows
With the Death Note in hand, Light Yagami became judge, jury, and executioner, but even his godlike powers and intellect could only go so far. If Light truly wanted to change the world as Kira, the God of the New World, he had to basically take over the world. After successfully outwitting and killing L, this is exactly what Light did.
While hiding behind Kira, Light executed almost 5,000 people he deemed unjust and terrified the world’s governments into subservience. For five years, Light killed with impunity, effectively ruling the world without ever showing his face. Kira’s rule was so absolute that, in the manga, religions dedicated to him cropped up after his (and almost every other Death Note character’s) death.
6 Dragon Ball — King Piccolo Easily Conquered The Earth & Let Evil Reign
King Piccolo is also known as “The Great Demon King,” and rightfully so. After spending almost a century trapped in a rice cooker under the sea, the irredeemably evil King Piccolo exacted vengeance by violently turning the Earth into his domain. While his villainous goals aren’t exactly original, King Piccolo deserves credit for his terrifying speed and efficiency.
Upon revival, King Piccolo wasted no time and sent his minions to murder the world’s strongest martial artists and heroes. Afterward, he wiped out any semblance of law and order while letting evil run rampant. Though Goku eventually defeated King Piccolo, he did rule over a very chaotic world and enjoyed every second of it.
5 Kill La Kill — Ragyo Kiryuin Sold Humanity Out To The Alien Life Fibers
It’s only halfway through Kill La Kill that Ragyo, the mother of estranged sisters Ryuko and Satsuki, revealed herself to be one of the anime’s major villains. Years ago, Ragyo discovered the Life Fibers and their assimilation goals. Instead of stopping them, though, Ragyo promised to hand them humanity as long as she got to rule the world before that point.
To help the Life Fiber’s conquest, Ragyo used her business empire to spread Life Fiber-infested clothes around the world, broadening its grasp and reach around the globe. Satsuki’s rebellion only delayed Ragyo by a bit, and Ragyo quickly became queen of the world when the Primordial Life Fiber decided it was time to reveal itself.
4 Bleach — Sosuke Aizen Conquered Hueco Mundo Offscreen
Acquiring the Hogyoku and throwing Soul Society into chaos were just the beginning of Aizen’s very one-sided war and quest for godhood. After leaving Soul Society without a scratch, Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tosen made their way to Hueco Mundo to raise the ultimate army. Aizen made quick work of the Hollows’ domain, but most of it happened offscreen.
Aizen’s conquest of Hueco Mundo was mostly shown through flashbacks, but what little was seen showed more than enough. Not even a year after leaving the Shinigami in disarray, Aizen created his own kingdom in Hueco Mundo, where he was its king and the Shinigamis’ sworn enemy were his subjects and/or slaves.
3 Devilman Crybaby — Satan’s Demons Wiped Out The Devilmen & Humanity
The big twist of Devilman Crybaby is that Ryo Asuka is actually the fallen angel Satan, and his human life without any recollection of his original self is part of God’s punishment for his rebellion. Furious at this and even more hateful of mankind than before, Ryo unleashed an army of demons to exact vengeance.
Ryo succeeded in taking over the world for demonkind while eradicating all of humanity, but at a steep cost. Literally, everybody died by the anime’s end, with Ryo being the only being left alive. Worse, it was only in these last moments that Ryo realized his love for a now-dead Akira and that he was cursed to repeat this hellish cycle for eternity.
2 One Piece — Imu Had The World Government Enable A Lie For Centuries
When it comes to anime villains and world domination, Imu stands out because they already won long before the anime even began. In One Piece, the world has been under the rule of the World Government for centuries. All of this is just a cover-up for Imu, the world’s actual ruler whose existence is hidden from almost everyone – including the very privileged World Nobles.
Despite the World Government supposedly being founded on the principle of the Empty Throne, Imu is the world’s unquestioned ruler. By hiding behind the World Government, Imu forced their ideas of absolute justice on everyone, branded all forms of dissent as crime, and ruled the world from the shadows’ safety.
1 Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion — Homura Akemi Rewrote Reality In Her Image
Aside from starting out as an anti-hero, what makes Homura unique is that she didn’t just take over the world but reality itself. After embracing the curses within her instead of allowing Madoka to purify her in the name of love, Homura became the living embodiment of evil and she recreated reality into something of her liking.
In Homura’s new world, magic didn’t exist and girls were now free from the Incubators’ manipulations and evils. Homura’s control of reality was so absolute that not only did she rewrite everybody’s memories to align with her idyllic dream world, but she also sealed Madoka’s godlike magical side away.
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