Not all women are nice - actually, some of them are straight up evil. The best female anime villains are great for the same reasons that villains of other genders are: they have nefarious plans, interesting backstories, and are either so evil that seeing them get defeated is a joy, or so fascinating that you're almost kind of rooting for them despite their alignment.
Among the best are Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist, Annie Leonhardt of Attack On Titan, Himiko Toga of My Hero Academia, Balalaika of Black Lagoon and more. Which villainous lady do you love to hate?
As a high-ranking general of the Empire, Esdeath takes her job seriously. If you're unlucky enough to be one of her enemies, prepare for utter sadism - but if you're one of her subordinates, she'll treat you very, very well.
Lust is one of the homunculi who dedicates their lives to serving Father. Unlike the other homunculi, who exhibit the sin that they're named for, Lust prefers inspiring lust in others and using it to her advantage.
Isabella is the seemingly kindly caretaker of Gracefield House, but she's secretly selling the orphans to demons to use as meat.
It's hard to blame her, since this was one of the only ways she could avoid the same fate herself, but nevertheless she still caused some serious damage.
Medusa Gorgon is so blisteringly evil that she even uses her own child as fodder to suit her goals. Initially acting as a kindly school nurse, she eventually reveals her evil intent and revives the Kishin Asura.
