The evil witch is a classic trope in storytelling, going back to the days of fairy tales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves or classic books like The Wizard of Oz. Witches have always been considered agents of darkness, and as a result figure frequently in stories as major villains.
Evil witches naturally feature very commonly in anime and manga, and while there are examples of good witches that serve as allies, there are many witches that serve as major villains and antagonists, using their arcane powers to oppose the heroes at every turn. Here are some of the most powerful witches in anime.
10 Tsubaki From Inuyasha
While technically a dark priestess, Tsubaki's appearances in Inuyasha definitely resemble those of a villainous witch. Once a noble priestess, Tsubaki's envy and hatred towards Kikyo turned her to the dark side. Seeking the power of the Shikon Jewel in order to restore her lost beauty and youth, Tsubaki allies with Naraku to kill Inuyasha and Kagome.
Tsubaki uses her curses to control Kagome and force her to fight Inuyasha. When Kagome ultimately breaks free of her curse, Tsubaki unseals a powerful ogre demon and fuses with it in order to defeat them directly. She still loses to Inuyasha, and she crumbles to dust.
9 Madoushi From Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie
While Madoushi plays the role of the antagonist in Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie, she is very much a sympathetic one. Initially, a fortune-teller who was a rival of Clow Reed, she eventually started falling in love with him and pined for him even after her death.
When Madoushi senses Clow's magical energy in Sakura Kinomoto, she manipulates events to have her come to Hong Kong and trap her in her Water Dimension. Believing her to be Clow Reed, Madoushi is upset by Sakura's presence and attempts to kill her. When she finally understands that Clow Reed has died, she apologizes and departs for the afterlife.
8 Karla From Record Of Lodoss War
Although Karla had been killed many years ago during the Fall of Kastuul, she was able to seal her soul and powers into a circlet, allowing her to take control of whoever is wearing it. She survived for centuries by possessing person after person, making her an extremely long-lived witch.
While Karla does indeed serve as one of the main antagonists of Record of Lodoss War, she is not as evil as the other witches on this list. Her main desire is to maintain the balance of good and evil in the world, manipulating events in the shadows to do so. This earned her the moniker of the Grey Witch, though her actions may not be as benevolent as she believes.
7 Yubaba From Spirited Away
The elderly proprietor of the Bathhouse serves as the main antagonist of Hayao Miyazaki's legendary film Spirited Away. A greedy, selfish character who places the value of gold over anything else, Yubaba presses those in the bathhouse into labor.
Yubaba's contracts allow her to steal the names of those who work for her. This forces them into eternal slavery unless they can find some way to remember their true name. She also has other magical abilities, such as the ability to turn into a bird.
6 Medusa From Soul Eater
Initially appearing as a nurse working for the DWMA, Medusa Gorgon was eventually revealed to be a cruel witch and a major antagonist in Soul Eater. A heartless woman with a penchant for brutal experiments, Medusa manipulated events in order to allow for the unsealing of Asura.
As a witch, Medusa is a master of many different kinds of high-level spells. However, her most distinctive power is the ability to free the snakes that inhabit her body in a way similar to her namesake. She can implant her snakes into others and communicate through them, or use them in her signature "Vector Arrow" attack.
5 Arba/Gyokuen Ren From Magi
Initially, Arba was a devoted ally of Solomon, the man who would unite the land of Alma Torran. When Solomon defeated Ill Illah and took its place as God, Arba betrayed him, causing Solomon to banish her to another world. Nevertheless, she uses her powers to possess her descendants, including her current host Gyokuen Ren.
As Gyokuen Ren, she quietly manipulated the Kou Empire from behind the scenes, slowly increasing Al-Thamen's influence in the background. While she does very little fighting, her magical power remains massive.
4 Evangeline A. K. McDowell From Negima: Magister Negi Magi
Despite her child-like appearance, Evangeline A. K. McDowell is not only a 700-year-old vampire but one of the most powerful witches in the world of Negima. Misunderstood and persecuted due to her status as a vampire, she rampaged across the world until she was stopped by Nagi Springfield, who sealed her within Mahora Academy.
In addition to her enhanced abilities as a vampire, Evangeline is also a master spellcaster, specializing in both ice and dark magic. She also has the ability to control dolls, as well as other people, with her vampiric powers.
3 Queen Nehelenia From Sailor Moon
Once, Queen Helenia was a good queen of great beauty. However, her fears over becoming old and ugly warped her into a woman obsessed with her own beauty. She would eventually be trapped inside a mirror, but she would continue to command her Dead Moon Circus from within.
Queen Nehelenia has a myriad of powerful magic abilities. She is able to extract dreams from people to create Lemures, and capture people in spider-like threads. She can also fire blasts of darkness if she is forced into combat.
2 Irene Belserion From Fairy Tail
As one of the strongest members of the Alvarez Empire's Spriggan 12, Irene Belserion served as an extremely dangerous opponent for the Fairy Tail guild. Not only was she the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic, but she had immense magical powers due to having lived for centuries.
Irene's main magical abilities revolve around enchantment, which allows her to change and alter other things. With enchantment, she can make people go berserk, turn inanimate objects into living beings, and even implant her personality into someone else. Her unique spell Universe One allows her to alter the very land itself.
1 Queen Beryl From Sailor Moon
As one of the most iconic Sailor Moon villains, Queen Beryl takes the cake for being the most powerful witch in anime. Having obtained her powers from the formless Queen Metalia, Queen Beryl desires to plunge the world into darkness, using her Dark Kingdom minions to fight the Sailor Scouts.
As the leader of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl possesses many magical abilities. As she prefers to command from the background, she rarely ever fights in the front lines. However, she can fight if she so chooses, fusing with Queen Metalia to obtain a horrifically powerful form.