Anime has many smart and tricky characters who know how to control others. Some use their skills to win battles, while others play mind games to get what they want. These manipulators are always thinking ahead, making careful plans, and fooling people around them. Some do it for power, others for survival, and a few just enjoy the game. No matter their reason, they always keep us guessing. In this list, we will look at the top 20 manipulative anime characters and see what makes them so clever. Get ready to meet the smartest minds in anime!
19. Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)
Yuno Gasai from Future Diary is a manipulator driven by obsessive love and a desire to win at any cost. She is incredibly smart and knows how to play with people’s emotions to get what she wants, especially when it comes to her relationship with Yukiteru. Yuno manipulates situations, often using her charm and cunning to influence others or get them to do her bidding. She doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice others to secure her victory in the deadly survival game. Despite her love for Yukiteru, she’s willing to manipulate him and everyone else around her to ensure she gets her way.
18. Orochimaru (Naruto)
Orochimaru from Naruto is a skilled manipulator, always driven by his desire for knowledge and immortality. He knows how to take advantage of people’s wants, fears, and weaknesses to further his experiments and goals. Orochimaru manipulates characters like Sasuke, offering power and revenge to pull them into his plans, while using others as pawns for his own benefit. He even infiltrates organizations like Akatsuki and Konoha, playing both sides to get what he wants. His cleverness, patience, and ability to deceive people with false promises and mind games make him one of the most dangerous villains in the series.
17. Esdeath (Akame ga Kill!)
Esdeath from Akame ga Kill! is a powerful and calculating manipulator who uses her intelligence, charm, and ruthless beliefs to control others. As a high-ranking military general, she earns loyalty by mixing fear, respect, and rewards. Esdeath is great at using people’s emotions and weaknesses, whether they’re her subordinates or enemies, to get what she wants. Her belief in “strong rule over the weak” pushes her to dominate others, often using psychological tactics or just plain force. Even though she’s brutal, her strategic mind and ability to inspire fear make her a scary and effective manipulator in the series.
16. Reinhard von Lohengramm (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
Reinhard von Lohengramm from Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a smart and ambitious leader who knows how to use his charm, strategic thinking, and understanding of people to get what he wants. He’s not really about lying or tricking others, but he’s great at using politics, alliances, and rivalries to gain power. Reinhard inspires loyalty from his followers, but he also knows how to take advantage of his enemies’ weaknesses to outsmart them. He mixes big ideals with practical decisions, and his skill in tactics lets him change the whole system while still keeping up the image of a noble leader.
15. Medusa Gorgon (Soul Eater)
Medusa Gorgon from Soul Eater is a clever and ruthless manipulator who thrives on chaos. She knows how to take advantage of people’s weaknesses, emotions, and desires to get what she wants. Medusa hides behind a calm and calculated exterior, but she’s always scheming. She uses people like Crona, pretending to care for them while mentally controlling them to be her weapon. Medusa plays both sides in any conflict, always staying one step ahead. Her intelligence, patience, and willingness to hurt anyone, even herself, make her a scary and effective manipulator in the series.
14. Griffith (Berserk)
Griffith from Berserk is a master manipulator because of his charm, brains, and strong drive to achieve his dreams. He acts like a selfless leader, gaining people’s trust and loyalty, but deep down, he’s only focused on his own goals. He knows how to use people’s feelings and the bonds they share with him to get what he wants, like with the Band of the Hawk. When he sacrifices his friends during the Eclipse, his true, ruthless nature comes out. Griffith hides his real intentions well, using others to get what he wants, making him a perfect manipulator.
13. Hisoka Morow (Hunter x Hunter)
Hisoka Morow from Hunter x Hunter is a manipulator who loves toying with people for his own amusement. He’s unpredictable, and you never really know what he’s thinking. Hisoka enjoys playing mind games, using others to set up situations where he can test his own strength and watch people struggle. He’s not really interested in ruling or gaining power; he just wants to have fun and see how far he can push others. Hisoka uses his charm, intelligence, and fighting skills to manipulate those around him, all while staying one step ahead and keeping his true intentions hidden.
12. Shogo Makishima (Psycho-Pass)
Shogo Makishima from Psycho-Pass is a guy who loves messing with the system. He doesn’t care about personal power; instead, he wants to break down the rules of society. Makishima uses his smarts to make people question their beliefs and push them to act out against the law. He plays on their desire for freedom and tricks them into doing what he wants. It’s not about gaining power for himself—he just wants to expose how messed up everything is by making people challenge the system in his own way.
11. Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a tricky manipulator. He looks like a cute, harmless creature, offering young girls magical powers if they make a wish. But he’s actually using them for his own needs. Kyubey doesn’t care about the girls’ lives or feelings; he just wants to collect the energy from their struggles. He makes them think they’re doing something good, while secretly using their emotions to get what he wants. His true intentions are hidden, and he’s always working behind the scenes to use the girls for his own benefit.
10. Donquixote Doflamingo (One Piece)
Donquixote Doflamingo from One Piece is a master manipulator. He knows exactly how to control people, not just with his power, but by messing with their emotions and fears. Doflamingo doesn’t just force people to do what he wants—he makes them feel weak or like they owe him something, and uses that to keep them under his control. He’s good at making people think they’re on his side, when really, they’re just tools for his own plans. With his connections, powers, and sharp mind, he always finds a way to make people do what he wants.
9. Naraku (Inuyasha)
Naraku from Inuyasha is a classic manipulator who uses lies, deceit, and manipulation to get what he wants. He’s always plotting behind the scenes, playing both sides to his advantage. Naraku tricks people into working for him or turning against each other, all while hiding his true intentions. He creates conflicts and feeds off others’ pain and distrust. What makes him so dangerous is his ability to stay hidden, using his powers to control others and make them believe he’s their ally, all while secretly working toward his own dark goal
8. Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!)
Izaya Orihara from Durarara! is a guy who loves causing trouble by messing with people. He’s really smart and knows how to use others to get what he wants. Instead of fighting, he gets inside people’s heads and makes them act based on their emotions. Izaya enjoys creating chaos and making people turn against each other. He doesn’t need to do much, because he’s always watching and controlling things from the background, enjoying the mess he causes. He’s one of those characters who thrives on making everyone else’s life harder for his own fun.
7. Kiyotaka ayanokoji (Classroom fo the Elite)
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji from Classroom of the Elite is a brilliant manipulator who hides his true abilities behind a quiet and reserved personality. He stays in the background while secretly controlling situations and people around him. Ayanokoji uses his intelligence to study and understand others, then manipulates their actions to fit his own goals. He doesn’t show his hand easily, making people think he’s just another student, but he’s always planning and pulling the strings to get what he wants. His cold and calculating nature makes him one of the most skilled manipulators in the series.
6. Makima (Chainsaw Man)
Makima from Chainsaw Man is a skilled manipulator who controls others with her strength and charm. People feel safe around her because of her trustworthy and friendly demeanor. In actuality, though, she manipulates their feelings and desires to get what she wants. Even people who trust her, like Denji, are merely instruments in her schemes. Makima excels at manipulating others without their knowledge and concealing her genuine motivations. She is one of the most deadly characters in the series because of her capacity to trick and control everyone around her.
5. Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)
Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass is a master of manipulation because of his sharp mind and the power of Geass, which lets him give commands that people must follow. He uses his intelligence to guess what will happen, find weaknesses, and control emotions. Lelouch treats people like chess pieces, turning enemies into tools and chaos into victory. He makes hard choices and sacrifices to reach his goals, always staying ahead of others. His skill in shaping situations and controlling people makes him one of the greatest manipulators in anime.
4. Black Zetsu (Naruto)
Black Zetsu from Naruto is a clever manipulator who works in the shadows to cause trouble and get what he wants. He hides his true intentions, using trickery to control things from behind the scenes. As part of Kaguya Otsutsuki’s will, he tricks powerful people like Obito and Madara into helping him without them realizing. He knows how to use their weaknesses against them, pretending to be their ally while secretly pushing his own plans. His manipulations go on for years, making him one of the most dangerous figures in the series.
3. Sosuke Aizen (Bleach)
One of anime’s best manipulators is Sosuke Aizen from Bleach. He makes others trust him by projecting a cool, collected exterior that conceals his genuine intentions. Aizen is an expert in psychological manipulation, controlling both allies and adversaries with his cunning and charisma. He meticulously plans events from behind the scenes, misleading everyone around him in order to achieve his ultimate objective of changing the world to suit his wishes. He is an extraordinary and dangerous manipulator because of his ability to use people as puppets and persuade them of his ulterior motives.
2. Johan Liebert (Monster)
Johan Liebert is a master manipulator because he understands human psychology deeply. Without supernatural powers, he uses his words, charm, and presence to control others. He preys on people’s fears, insecurities, and desires, making them do his bidding without them even realizing it. Johan’s ability to blend in, gain trust, and then twist situations to his advantage is terrifying. He manipulates not just individuals but entire systems, leaving chaos in his wake. His calm demeanor and intelligence make him unpredictable, and his lack of empathy allows him to exploit anyone. Johan is the ultimate psychological manipulator, leaving a lasting impact on everyone he encounters.
1. Light Yagami (Death Note)
Light Yagami is a master manipulator who uses his smarts to control people. He pretends to be a good guy, but secretly uses the Death Note to kill anyone who gets in his way. He knows how to read people and use their emotions to his advantage. By acting innocent and hiding his true plans, he tricks others into doing what he wants. Light is great at making himself seem like the hero, while he’s actually controlling everything from behind the scenes.
