Every once in awhile a villain comes along that really sticks with the reader or viewer.  They find a way to worm their way into your hearts, and you find yourself  sympathizing with them or understanding why they do the things they do.  For me, I find myself analyzing these characters the most, and that is what makes them so intriguing.  They really get my mind working by contemplating human nature in its glorious and ugliest form.  This is my top five villains that I love to hate (but secretly love) in literature and television.

5.) Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George RR Martin

Everybody who has seen the show Game of Thrones knows Jaime Lannister as the man who has sex with his sister and fathered children with her.  He pushed Bran out the window, and paralyzed him from the waist down, and his family is responsible for the death of Ned and Robb Stark, which leads to hate by association.  Everything I have said above is true about Jaime Lannister and his family.  Yet there was an interesting transformation of his character in both the show and the books.  I will be focusing more on the books version of the character.  For all you people who only watch the show, fair warning, there may be spoilers or at least differences mentioned.

I remembered when I encountered the first Jaime point of view chapter in the series.  As those who have read the books know, the chapters don’t have names or numbers, but are named after the character whose point of view is being shown in that chapter.  We get to see the story through the different characters very skewed perspectives.  When this chapter appeared (I believe it was in book three Storm of Swords), I remember mentally rolling my eyes. I was really determined to hate his character, but little by little I began to understand his character even if I still hated him.

As the story progressed, Jaime is taken in shackles back to the capital by Brienne of Tarth on the request of Catelyn in hopes of making an exchange for Sansa and Arya.  At first, Jaime is the same typical, arrogant character he has been portrayed as, but as he continues to journey with Brienne, a different side of Jaime starts to come out.  He starts to become a little less awful, and we get to see a side of him that he rarely gets to show other people.

We learn the truth about what really happened at King’s Landing when he killed Aerys Targaryen, which led to him gaining the nickname of King Slayer.  This special insight into what had actually happened put his character in stark perspective as we now start to understand and even sympathize with his actions.  The greatest event that really marked a significant change for his character was when his sword hand is cut off by the Brave Companions.

And how could I forget the special bond he had with his, oftentimes, mentally and verbally abused younger brother, Tyrion.  I do think he did some unredeemable things towards his brother like his dealings with Tysha, Tyrion’s first wife, but I also think that Jaime loved Tyrion unconditionally, and never gave into the hatred his father and his sister aimed at Tyrion.

Do I think that Jaime is a completely misunderstood character and someone who, deep down, is a good guy?  No, and that’s why he is on this list, and so interesting.  I think there are things he really needs to atone for like what he did to Bran, and what he did to Tyrion’s first wife.  Has his character, in the books at least, started to turn towards becoming a redeeming character?  Definitely.  Everyone fixates on the fact that he had a relationship with his sister, and, while this is completely reprehensible, I think there are other things he has done that are good, and other things that make him interesting.

I also have to say that I love the dynamic between Brienne of Tarth, and Jaime.  I actually think that she has a good influence on him, especially when he comes and saves her at Harrenhal when she is being forced to fight the bear.

Overall, I think Jaime has become a character, for me, that I want to know what will happen to him.  He actually started to become a decent person, and that is why he is the villain that you really want to hate, but find you can’t.

4.)  Six from Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica (2004) is on the top of my list of favorite television shows of all time.  There are so many dynamic character arcs to choose from for this article, but I decided to go with Number 6 played by Tricia Helfer.  The viewers are introduced to Number 6 quite early in the series (as in the opening scene), and she comes across as quite the femme fatale all dressed in red.  She’s manipulative, and she played a critical role in the destruction of the human race by seducing Gaius into giving her access into the defense mainframe.

Despite the fact that she had a heavy hand in the destruction of the colonies, number six stays with Gaius and saves his life. Even early on in the show, we see that, even though she is a cylon (albeit she looks human), she has the capacity for intricate and delicate human emotions.  It’s to the point that most fans of the series don’t even really consider her a villain.

Number six grows from the femme fatale dressed in red into so much more as we meet more and more of her different incarnations like the broken Gina who was brutalized by the crew of the Pegasus.

Tricia Helfer did an amazing job in bringing such an intriguing character to life, and all the different incarnations of her.  I thought her dynamic with Gaius Baltar (James Callis) was always interesting; it was never a straightforward love story, but a complicated and sometimes twisted relationship.  And she had a way of portraying such complex human emotions.

Overall, I would say that this character is dynamic and wonderfully portrayed in the series that I consider to be one of the best television shows that I have ever seen.  If you haven’t seen this show, I would definitely recommend checking it out, but be warned it is not for the faint of heart as it is extraordinarily dark.  Check out the fanmade trailer for the show below:

3.) Ulqiuorra Cifer from Bleach

When I was first introduced to Ulquiorra, I thought he was an arrogant and cold hearted villain, and the next great obstacle that the main character, Ichigo, would have to defeat.  Ulquiorra definitely became that antagonist when he took Orihime, Ichigo’s friend and possible love interest, with him back to Hueco Mundo.  Even though his method of getting Orihime to come with him is deplorable (threatening to hurt the ones she loves), he still gave her a 24 hour period to say goodbye to one person.  This tactic was actually orchestrated by Aizen as a psychological trap, but there was something about the way Ulquiorra carried out that part of the plan that made me think that maybe this tin man may actually have a heart.

As the story progressed, and the viewer got to see more and more of Orihime and Ulquiorra’s interaction, we also got to see how his cold exterior began to melt little by little. Ulquiorra begins to grow curious about Orihime and Ichigo’s actions. At first, it seemed completely unfathomable to him as to why Ichigo would go to the lengths he goes to to save her, and why Orihime can be so kind to those who would not do the same for her.  His curiosity about the nature of the human heart is what started making me more and more interested in his character.

In the final fight between Ichigo and Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra is ultimately defeated and killed by an overpowered, out of control hollow Ichigo.  In his last dying moments, as he is slowly turning to dust, he reaches out to Orihime, and she reaches out to him.  Their fingertips touch, and his last thoughts are “this is what it must be like to have a heart in my hand.”  I will admit that I cried at this point.  To have the character reach a point that made him so much more interesting and then die was heartbreaking.

Bleach fans love to ship Orihime and Ulquiorra because of this scene, and I too wondered what he really felt for Orihime and vice versa at that last moment.  I can totally understand why fans would ship them together because so little is shown of the time that Orihime had with Ulquiorra in Hueco Mundo.  His character and his death really touched me, and I have that moment etched into my mind because I thought it was a tragic and yet really beautiful moment.

2.) Severus Snape from Harry Potter series

Severus Snape is one of the most well known and controversial characters in the Harry Potter series.  His motivations and actions have been heatedly debated by Harry Potter fans for years.  He always found fault with Harry, and, being as Harry was the main character and the protagonist that we are rooting for, Severus quickly became noted in readers and viewers minds as being a villain.  Harry was also not the only character that Severus bullied as his time as a teacher as Neville and Ron would attest, but the bespectacled hero took the brunt of the abuse.

Now most people find these actions done by a teacher to be reprehensible, but as the series progressed, we saw that Severus was doing a lot of things behind the scenes to help and protect his students as well.  In the first book, Harry’s broom goes berserk in a Quidditch match, and everyone assumes it is Severus when in reality it was Professor Quirrell who jinxed the broom, and Severus who used the Anti-jinx to save Harry.

The sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, is where a lot of Severus’s story is brought to light and where the most of his most debated actions take place.  In this book, it is revealed that Severus was the Half-blood Prince, and that he had been in love with Harry’s mother since they were young kids.  It is also revealed how Harry’s father and his gang of friends  bullied Snape to a degree he shouldn’t have been bullied.  This quickly explained why Harry, who looked like his father except for his mother’s eyes, really irked Severus.  Later in the book, Severus went on to kill Dumbledore.

When the sixth book came out, Harry Potter fans around the world were heartbroken with the death of Dumbledore at the hands of Severus, and in their minds there was no excuse or reason that could ever redeem Severus’s character.  Several fans still held out hope that Severus was still a good character after being introduced to his horrid childhood, and unrequited love for Harry’s mother.

When the seventh and final Harry Potter book came out, many fans’ were vindicated when the truth behind Severus’s actions come out.  It was discovered that Severus killed Dumbledore at Dumbledore’s request; Dumbledore was already dying, and wanted to spare Draco from having to  kill him as Voldemort wanted.  In this instance, Severus killed Dumbledore to save one of his students from such an awful task, and later he was instrumental in taking Voldemort down by getting the sword of Gryffindor to Harry, and so much more.

The scene in the movie where he is holding a dead Lily is utterly devastating to watch.

Some fans remind everyone that it was Severus who told Voldemort about the prophecy which led Voldemort to believe that it was Harry and eventually led to Harry’s parents death.  I think this just adds to his tragic story because he must feel guilt in leading Voldemort to his beloved Lily.

Overall, I love Severus’s dynamic character, and I am one who believes he was a hero in the end.

1.) Itachi Uchiha from Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series

Itachi is by far one of my favorite characters in television or literature.  When he was first introduced in the series, I was under the impression, as most if not all Naruto fans, that he was going to be an unredeemable villain.  I thought there was no possible reason to explain away his actions.

For those who do not know the Naruto series, Itachi Uchiha came from a well respected and strong ninja clan from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and he was considered a genius amongst his family.  His younger brother, Sasuke, idolized him, and wanted to be just like him.

One night Sasuke comes home to find that his entire clan, his family, was killed by his older brother. He found his brother standing over their parents’s dead bodies with a bloody sword.

When asked who killed everyone, Itachi doesn’t even deny that it was him. In fact, he tells Sasuke that he is too weak to kill and if he wants to get revenge, he has to get strong enough to take him on.  Itachi then escapes from the Hidden Leaf, leaving Sasuke to face the devastation alone, and joins the ranks of a rogue ninja organization called Akatsuki.

You see and hear very little of Itachi in the Naruto series.  All you know about him is that really tragic story, and the dark effect it has on Sasuke.  Sasuke goes down this path of vengeance trying to get stronger at any cost, and is willing to follow the devil himself if it means he can get strong enough to kill his brother.  It is the effect on Sasuke that we start to really judge Itachi for.  Sasuke decides to join ranks with an outlaw ninja, Orochimaru, in order to learn forbidden techniques he could use against his brother.

Naruto Shippuden really brought out the true story and nature of Itachi.  Sasuke gets strong enough to take on his brother, and he tracks Itachi down.  As a viewer, this is a fight you have been waiting to see for hundreds of episodes, and when it does finally go down, it is epic.

All along you’re rooting for Sasuke to finally avenge his family and kill his brother, which he does.

And that is when the bombshell is dropped on both Sasuke and the viewers: Itachi was a double agent.  Itachi had actually been a member of Anbu Black Ops of the Hidden Leaf, and had sworn to protect the village.  His family was orchestrating a Coup de etat against the government that majority of the Hidden Leaf supported. When the negotiations between the two sides failed, Itachi was given a brutal choice: side with his family or protect the Hidden Leaf.

Since Itachi was apart of Anbu, and had sworn to protect the Hidden Leaf at any cost or any sacrifice, he found himself in a rock and a hard place so to speak.  If he had sided with his family and participated in the Coup, it would have led to a civil war in the Hidden Leaf, and a possible resurgence of a Great Ninja war between the nations as the other ninja villages would have attacked the Hidden Leaf when it was weak.  A lot of people would have died and, more than likely, the Uchiha family, including his innocent little brother, would have been exiled and shamed or executed for treason.  Itachi liked and agreed with the peaceful methods of the current government and didn’t want his brother being caught up in a fatal civil war that would have ripped the Hidden Leaf apart. Itachi  weighed the amount of lives at stake, and made the grim choice to put an end to the Uchiha family and the uprising.

When Sasuke finds this all out, he is devastated by the news as are the viewers (and readers of the Manga series), and he goes on another quest to get revenge on the people who put Itachi in such an awful position.  Itachi had even asked the Third Hokage never to tell Sasuke as he was willing to take the name of traitor of the Hidden Leaf even though his actions secretly saved the Hidden Leaf from utter destruction.  He was willing to take the awful reputation and discredit to his name if it meant that his brother would live on safely in the Hidden Leaf.

I have to say that I have never had my emotions so twisted up and confused as they were at this point.  I had spent several hundred episodes hating Itachi and rooting for Sasuke to kill his brother.  When I found out that he had actually been a double agent all along, and everything he had done was to ultimately save the Hidden Leaf and his brother, I have to say that I was heartbroken, and even more so by the way it devastated Sasuke.  It was such a reversal of what I expected to feel for Itachi.  Now, he is one of my favorite characters of all time.

For many fans, both Sasuke and Itachi polarize people.  Most people either hate or love them.  I know someone who could never see Itachi as a hero because he slaughtered his family, and others who see what he did as the ultimate sacrifice to save hundreds if not thousands of lives.  Some people feel that how he treated Sasuke, and how his actions warped his younger brother are also something that can not be forgiven.  This character is so complex that he is worthy of a lengthy debate on his nature and the nature of his actions.  This is why I love his character because there is such a depth, and that will always be interesting to me.

And that wraps up my top five villains I love to hate, but love.  What are your thoughts, and do you have a character that has really intrigued you? Let us know in the comments below!