We all know that one character, the one who is always ahead of the game, pulling strings like it is his second nature. They are sharp, a little (or a lot) morally gray, and impossible to ignore.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji from Classroom of the Elite is a perfect example, cold, calculating, and always in control.
But he is not the only one. There are plenty of other characters who fit this manipulative mastermind role, using their brains and tactics to control the world around them.
Kiyotaka is a genius at playing people. He stays under the radar, hiding his true abilities while treating everyone in his school like chess pieces.
His past is a mystery, and it is clear he does not get attached easily. But is that really all there is to him? As the story goes on, we see more of his real emotions. The question is, are those moments genuine or just another part of his plan?
Now, let’s get to the list, of my personal picks for characters who are just as manipulative as Kiyotaka.
4. Orochimaru (Naruto)
Hungry for power and immortality, this snake-like villain has a way of getting under your skin. Orochimaru does not just go around causing destruction, he is more calculated than that.
He finds people who are lost, broken, or desperate and gives them exactly what they think they need. But in the end, it is always for his own gain.
Unlike other villains with huge, flashy plans, Orochimaru plays the long game. He slowly pulls people into his world, manipulating them until they are useful to him.
Over the years, he has taken over different bodies to keep himself alive, always looking for the perfect host. His goal was to take Sasuke’s body, but things did not exactly go as planned despite him playing the longer game
Even though he failed, his methods make him one of the most dangerous and manipulative villains out there.
3. Light Yagami (Death Note)
Light starts off as just a smart but bored student, but everything changes when he gets the Death Note. At first, he really believes he is making the world a better place by murdering criminals using Death Note.
But the more power he gains, the more twisted his mindset becomes, and he starts to murder innocent people to just hide evidence of him being the KIRA.
What makes Light so dangerous is not just his intelligence it is how quickly he starts to see himself as a god. He always thinks he is the smartest person in the room, and for a while, he is right.
He plays mind games, outsmarts his enemies, and always stays one step ahead. But as his ego grows, so does the number of people who get in his way.
He didn’t care who he had to manipulate to win, he even manipulated his own father and the world’s greatest detective as well.
2. Makima (Chainsaw Man)
At first, Makima from Chainsaw Man seems like a calm and caring Public Safety Devil Hunter. But under that act, she’s actually cold, manipulative, and completely in control.
As the Control Devil, her real goals are way darker than they seem. She was the Chief Cabinet Secretary’s personal Devil Hunter, but more importantly, she saw Denji as nothing more than her dog.
She knew exactly how to control Denji, offering him kindness, making him feel wanted, but always reminding him that she could crush him.
She played mind games not just with Denji, but with everyone around her, using both humans and devils to get what she wanted.
Makima acted like she cared about Denji, giving him a job, and a home, and even letting him build relationships with Aki and Power.
But that was all part of her plan. She wanted to make him happy just so she could take everything away and break him completely. Her real goal was to erase Denji and bring back Chainsaw Man. She never actually cared about Denji.
In the end, Makima was not just a villain, she was a master manipulator who played the long game. And for a while, she won. She gave Denji a family and destroyed that family as well.
1. Sosuke Aizen
Sosuke Aizen might seem like a calm and polite captain at first, but do not be fooled, that is just an act. If there is one thing everyone knows about Aizen, it is that he is the ultimate manipulator in anime history.
There are even memes about him, like “It was all part of Sosuke Aizen’s plan.”
Aizen spent years playing the long game, pretending to be a loyal Shinigami while secretly pulling all the strings. His power is not just his strength, it is his ability to create illusions.
With his Zanpakutō, he can completely fool his enemies, making them see and believe whatever he wants. He tricked the entire Soul Society, making them think he was just another captain when in reality, he was running the show from behind the scenes.
Everything that happened to Ichigo, the moment Rukia gave him her powers, him getting stronger, even his arrival in Soul Society to save her, was all part of Aizen’s plan. He was always one step ahead. But his manipulation did not just start there.
Over 100 years ago, Aizen was already experimenting in secret, which led to the Hollowfication of the Visored and the exile of Kisuke Urahara. But his biggest move came when he killed the Central 46, faked his own death, and set up Rukia’s execution just so he could get his hands on Urahara’s Hōgyoku.
Final Words
There is something weirdly satisfying about watching a character pull off the perfect manipulation. It hits that part of us that likes being in control, the one calling the shots. These characters do not just talk, they turn every conversation into a game of chess, always thinking five steps ahead.
And we can’t help but try to figure them out, guess their next move, and see what is really going on in their heads.
But they are not just the typical “evil” villains. The best manipulators have reasons for what they do, even if their choices are messed up.
Sometimes, their logic actually makes sense, it is just twisted in a way that takes them down the wrong path. That is what makes them so interesting.
