Every hero needs a sidekick! Well, not all of them do, as a percentage of them are anti-heroes that prefer to work alone. When it comes to villains however, just about all of them have a few henchmen to help take some of the villainous load off. Anime is no exception to this rule; as many of us fans have seen our fare share of what we like to call ‘Ani-Minions’, execute whatever orders their boss commands them to. Some of them have a ‘Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain Sidekick’ complex, while others can be just as ruthless as their boss. (If you want to go even deeper, sometimes the main henchman or woman turns out to be the primary antagonist the whole time!)

As with the main villains of the story, we’ve come to love some of the many second-in-command (or bottom of the barrel) henchmen that stay loyal to the cause; to be a pain in the butt for the protagonist. Tonight we bring you our Top 5 Ani-Minions that are loyal to the game of evil.

Number 5: Team Rocket (Original Members: Jesse, James, and Meowth)

Speaking of Saturday Morning Cartoons, who could forget this trio sent by Giovanni in an effort to capture Ash’s Pikachu – for the umteenth time! Much like a certain mustachioed evil scientist, Team Rocket is loyal to the cause and will do whatever it takes to get that Pikachuuuuu!!!!! XP

Number 4: Mukuro Ikusaba

Although she doesn’t get as much screen time (except when around her sister), Mukuro is one of the Despair Sisters who assisted Junko with her plans to cause despair throughout Hope’s Peak Academy. She admired her sibling and stayed loyal to her, even though Junko tried to kill her by stabbing her with an ice pick – which she blocked. She didn’t last long however; as she ended up portraying her sister two years after trapping the 78th class inside the school, only to die two episodes in on Danganronpa: The Animation.

Number 3: Hokuto (The True Leader of the Seven Stars)

Hokuto is a powerful Shikabane who was created as a living human sacrifice; born to be killed as a child. Because of this she has no regrets, no obsessions, or even nature within her; making her one of the most powerful Shikabane yet! She’s a henchwoman who is really the primary antagonist of Makina and Ouri, as well as the true leader of the Seven Stars.

Number 2: Kabuto Yakushi

There’s not a single Naruto fan who doesn’t recognize this face. The last time he was heard from was 2017, but for those who remember this medical Sound ninja, Kabuto is Orochimaru’s right-hand man who works for hims as a spy for various villages and people (including the Akatsuki). Naruto’s had a few run-ins with this grey-haired foe, as he can hold his own in battle with his Chakra Scalpel Technique. He was so loyal to Orochimaru he literally infused some of his cells into his own body – of course we all know how that story turned out…

Number 1: Captain Ginyu and the Ginyu Force

You can’t talk about the Frieza Saga without talking about one of the most loyal forces this side of the cosmos. They are the G-I-N-YU Force! Bound by loyalty to Frieza, Ginyu and his gang make their way to Planet Namek to assist in finding the Namekian dragon balls, all while dishing out their own brand of pain against the Z-Warriors. In spite of the fact that they all fell to mostly Vegeta (with Ginyu becoming a frog and dying later), the Ginyu Force stayed committed to the cause and were one of the most enthusiastic, confident, and loyal henchmen around!

That’s it for our Top 5! More posts to come so keep it locked n’ loaded next time on D&A Anime Blog; where anime is a part of you! 🙂