T5W#197-Top 5 Best Slayers Villains (Season 1-3)

Every hero needs a good villain to stand against, to battle to the bitter end, to triumph over to show that good always wins.  And Lina Inverse knows how to attract the best of the best (or worst of the worst, it’s all the same really).  We’ve reached the halfway mark of Slayers Try (almost the halfway mark of Year of the Slayers) and across 2.5 seasons of adventures, we’ve gotten an incredible rogues gallery of walking time bombs and hilarious evildoers.  This week we’re highlighting some of Lina Inverse’s Rogues Gallery with the Top 5 Best Slayers Villains (Season 1-3).  Goes without saying but in order to qualify, these big or recurring baddies have to have appeared in either The Slayers, Slayers Next or Slayers Try.  Might do a “redux” list later this year when we get to Slayers Revolution and Evolution R but we’ll see.

#5-Red Priest Rezo (The Slayers)

Looking back on my reviews of The Slayers, I thought pretty ill of the Red Priest during his first couple of appearances.  But for all his overblown plans to restore his sight, even if it meant ending the world (like I said, overblown), Rezo and his clone successor stands at the first true big bad of The Slayers franchise.  He also has a personal connection to many side characters and Zelgadis, bringing out some of the more dramatic moments of the series.  Plus he pushed Lina to the brink in their final battle, even nearly killing her.  Flaws or not, Rezo isn’t a guy anyone should ever take lightly.

#4-Zangelus (The Slayers, Slayers Next)

The Anti Gourry.  Zangelus was a perfect rival for Lina’s swordsman bodyguard.  Possibly more capable with a sword, Zangelus matched Gourry’s dimwittedness with his own flair for the dramatic that made him so damn fun to watch whenever he showed up on screen.  He does go through a bit of a redemptive arc and even ends up with another character on this list.  Short lived his tenure as villain might be, I’ll always think of Zangelus as Gourry’s rival and a guy who brought out some of the best fights in Slayers.

#3-Martina (Slayers Next)

Martina doesn’t exactly have the best track record as a villain in Slayers Next.  She actually feels like she’s cut from the same vein as Team Rocket from Pokemon with dozens of schemes that fail in spectacular fashion.  However, Martina is persistent and that makes her so endearing.  Cute character design, perfect comedic timing, a never shakable belief in a “God” she made up (ALL HAIL THE GREAT ZOAMELGUSTA!!!), and her always hilariously golden encounters with Lina made Martina one of the main highlights of Slayers best season to date.  As a reward for all of her misadventures, Martina even got to marry Zangelus and ill admit, I hope we see how theyre doing later down the line in the franchise.

#2-Jillas (Slayers Try)

He may look like Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog with a pirate eyepatch and an Australian accent, but Jilias might just be viable for the MVP award in Slayers Try.  He may be a secondary villain but Jillas has been able to hold off Lina and the Slayers using his mind and his mastery of explosives and firearms.  In a world where magic is the dominant deterent in any battle, Jillas has changed the game with his own man (or Fox?) made creations.  His never questioned loyalty to Valgaav adds further love for this adorable rival of The Slayers, one you always wanna root for when he appears on screen.

#1-Valgaav (Slayers Try)



Besides rocking one of the coolest monster designs (he looks like something out of classic Devilman) and a twin beamed Darkstar Weapon, Valgaav is the first big bad of Slayers with an interesting backstory and motivations for wanting to go after Lina Inverse herself.  Sparred from death by Slayers Next villain Gaav, Valgaav got a second lease on life and extended the courtesy to other down on their luck baddies like Jillas.  When Lina defeated Gaav (though techinally Phibrizzo finished him off in one blow), my favorite Sorcoress took away the one person Valgaav owed everything too.  Plus he’s got a major bone to pick with Filia’s order.  Valgaav has way more depth than Gaav or Rezo and continues to shine in an otherwise so-so (so far) season of Slayers.