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6 Isekai Anime Where Villainess Gets a Fresh Start

Best isekai villainess anime where antagonist gets a second chance.

by Staff Writer
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Looking for isekai villainess anime where the villainess gets a fresh start? We have you covered. The isekai anime market is seeing a shift from action-based adventures to those focused on comedy, cooking, or where the antagonist has a redemption arc.

And here we are with the perfect anime list where the villainess transforms their fate and finds redemption by completely ignoring her previous hazardous fate. From comic and ambitious to romantic and wholesome, here are a few isekai anime that we liked.

6. I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss

I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss | Credits: Crunchyroll
  • MAL Rating: 7.21
  • IMDB Rating: 6.8
  • Episodes: 13
  • Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Aileen Lauren d’Autriche, on the verge of being dumped by her fiancé, regains memories of her past life. She realizes she’s reincarnated into an otome game as the villainess destined for a bad ending. Determined to avoid this fate, she decides to take a different approach. Instead of antagonizing the heroine, she aims to win over the powerful demon lord Claude, the game’s final boss. This unexpected move sets off a chain of events that alters the original storyline, forging a unique bond between Aileen and Claude.

The isekai element in I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss is the driving force of the narrative. Aileen’s past life memories provide her with meta-knowledge of the game’s plot, character relationships, and potential outcomes. This foreknowledge allows her to make informed decisions and actively change the course of the story, turning her from a doomed villainess into a proactive agent of change. Her understanding of the game’s mechanics becomes her tool for survival and romance.

5. Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke Mansion | Credits: Typhoon Graphics
  • MAL Rating: 8.19
  • IMDB Rating: 7.4
  • Episodes: 13
  • Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Park Eunha was pushed off a roof and dies. But she then wakes up as Raeliana McMillan, a minor character in a novel she once read. Raeliana is fated to be poisoned by her fiance. In order to avoid her deadly destiny, she makes a deal with a powerful Duke Noah Wynknight. A six-month engagement in exchange for his protection. This contract, however, draws her into the duke’s complex world of political intrigue and hidden agendas. The plot unfolds as she is forced to navigate dangerous situations while unraveling the mysteries surrounding her new life.

The isekai element in Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion isn’t a traditional reincarnation into a video game. Instead, Raeliana transmigrates into a novel she had read in her previous life. This gives her foreknowledge of the story’s events, including her own impending death. However, unlike some villainess isekai, Raeliana isn’t the primary antagonist of the original story. She’s a minor character whose death serves as a catalyst for the main plot. This unique setup allows the narrative to explore how even small changes to a pre-written narrative can have significant consequences, as Raeliana’s actions ripple through the lives of the main characters and alter the original story’s trajectory.

4. I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History

I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History | Credits: Maho Film
I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History | Credits: Maho Film
  • MAL Rating: 7.33
  • IMDB Rating: 6.8
  • Episodes: 13
  • Where to watch: Crunchyroll

Alicia has never been able to stand the typical goody-two-shoes heroines. So once she is reincarnated as the villainess in an otome game, she is determined to train herself to become the greatest villainess ever. In fact, the king himself hires her to bully the protagonist, Liz. to push herself out of her naive self and comfort zone.

Liz, on the other hand, has blind followers who will bully anyone who doesn’t like their idol. This makes Alicia even more motivated to be the antagonist. Unfortunately for her, the harder she tries to be evil, the more people seem to like her. Alicia swears to betray everyone and become the greatest villainess the world has ever known.

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3. I’m in Love With the Villainess

I'm in Love With the Villainess | Credits: Platinum Vision
I’m in Love With the Villainess | Credits: Platinum Vision
  • MAL Rating: 7.34
  • IMDB Rating: 7
  • Episodes: 12
  • Where to watch: Crunchyroll

This is another oddball in the isekai villainess genre. Rei Oohashi does not get reincarnated as the villainess but as the protagonist. This should make her life easier, right? No! Instead of pursuing the pre-set love interests in the game, she chooses to go after the main antagonist, Claire.

Rei is determined to have a romantic relationship with Claire and will do everything in her power to persuade her, despite Claire’s frequent attempts at bullying. She openly displays her love despite the disapproval she gets. This anime is also one of the few LGBTQ representations in the genre.

2. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! | Credits: Silver Link
Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! | Credits: Silver Link
  • MAL Rating: 7.43
  • IMDB Rating: 7.2
  • Episodes: 24 +OVA
  • Where to watch: Crunchyroll

This is the anime that began the isekai villainess craze. A bonafide otaku is reborn into the world of an otome game, but unfortunately, in the body of its villainess, Catarina Claes. Catarina is the daughter of a noble family and is a haughty bully and everything a spoiler brat is supposed to be. But after regaining her last life memories, she realizes that if she continues with her ways, she is doomed to die.

Thus, Catarina takes every measure possible to avoid the routes that will lead to her doom. Little does she know that these new decisions will cause unexpected consequences, and her relationships with the other characters will change quite a bit.

1. From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated

From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated | Credits: Ajia-do
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated | Credits: Ajia-do
  • MAL Rating: 7.5
  • IMDB Rating: 6.8
  • Episodes: 12
  • Where to watch: HIDIVE

Most isekai villainess anime focuses on a female character getting reincarnated into a villainess. However, From Bureaucrat to Villainess breaks the mold. A 52-year-old civil servant, Kenzaburo, finds himself reborn as the villainess in his daughter’s favorite otome game. He suddenly wakes up in the body of the haughty girl, Grace, the daughter of a duke.

It is a refreshing and funny anime that is also extremely wholesome. Despite being reborn as a woman, Kenzaburo can’t help but maintain his ways as an old man. He was already fond of the otome genre due to his daughter. So from the get-go, he becomes an affectionate villainess (… err, father figure?) to the game’s protagonist, Anna Doll. From Bureaucrat to Villainess is also one of the best comfort anime watches of the Winter 2025 anime season.

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