J1-Con 2018: How to be a Villain 101 Panel
I attended the How to be a Villain 101 Panel at J1-Con because the title alone grabbed my interest. I wanted to understand the underline of what it took to be a villain, step by step and its process. Being a villain is not easy, there are many things you must do to become a villain and I learned about this in the panel; like having a good name, henchman, entrance music, entering a room, a catchphrase, and finally grabbing the attention of your audience. Every villain is unique in their own way.
There are many types of villains you could be and for many different reasons. Popular reasons for being a villain are Lust (Love/Yandere), Greed (money), Pride (power), Envy (rival), Gluttony (want everything), Wrath (revenge), Sloth (just because). Others may want to be an anti-hero like Deadpool.
Full Metal Alchemist is a very good example of different types of villains. Each of the villains in the anime all has their own unique objective but they must follow “Father” the creator. Every villain Al and Edward Elric had to fight had their own objectives. They all wanted the philosopher stone for many reasons. I personally do not agree with their style of villainy but, it is a type. There are many steps involved in being a villain.
In every anime, I’ve ever seen the villains always make it known their a villain, not only by their presence, appearance but also their actions. A good example is Sosuke Aizen from Bleach, a villain who at first hide his true agenda and no one knew what he was plotting until he revealed it. When Aizen ascended to Hueco Mundo he completely changed his look. He pushed his hair back, took off his glasses and showed his true dark intentions in his eyes, he changed his outfit to his Arrancar clothes over his Shihakusho. Aizen’s style changed giving himself a more villain appearance and he even had a villainous strut when he walked. He had his own set of henchmen and dominated over Hueco Mondo controlling the Hollows. Aizen played his role as a villain very well, he was very smart, calculating and he waited for the right time to reveal his true intentions.
If I had to choose to be a villain, I would want to be like Tanya Von Degurechaff from Saga of Tanya the Evil 幼女戦記 which I wrote a review about previously. Tanya is a pure genius, strategic, and very intuitive. Tanya is also a cold-hearted atheist, I would not describe myself as an atheist but her tactical ability is amazing. She became a Major at a very young age and had her own squad she commanded. Her ability to adapt to any situation is genius, Tanya’s presence is very domineering. There are many who fear her for her unique abilities. Even though she is very young many people are terrified of what she can do. She follows all the steps to be being a villain, she has a henchman, an evil strut, and dominating looks. She does not care about anyone or anything other than climbing to the highest rank, she would destroy anyone who gets in her way. So I would want to be a villain similar to Tanya, very strategic and calculated with my moves.
I would also be okay with being a henchman, being a henchman is also not easy this involves tons of planning and plotting. There are many steps you must take, if I had to choose a theme song, I would say Infected by Nightcore I’m really am addicted to that song. I would like to follow Tanya and have a strong walk with a strong presence as she has and I would want an organization like Aizen did in Hueco Mundo.
I really enjoyed the panel, it made me think about what type of villain I would want to be.
To this day, however many times I rewatch Saga of Tanya the Evil, I see her not as the villain, but as the hero standing against an unjust and insane deity.
Maybe I’m just nuts!