Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight(#99A): Top Five Webtoon Antagonists Part 1

A commonly outdated phrase is that a great woman is behind every great man. However, a better spin in the realm of stories would be that every good protagonist gets made through a fantastic antagonist. Whether they be sympathetic, irredeemable, rule breakers, or status quo makers, these beautifully awful people are the ones that take the spotlight from their adversaries.

So let's not even bother putting up a fight and let them have it today. I intend to give you all my Top 5 Webtoon Antagonists in this chapter. Before we get this massive show rolling, though, let's get into some basic rules and regulations.

Note

Antagonist is a word that gets thrown around in fiction to the extent that the term can get misused. So as a quick recap, antagonists aren't inherently evil, just people in the protagonist's way. Hell, it doesn't even need to be a person, the Roomba that sucked up your last paycheck to complete the rent for the month can be an antagonist. Meaning that, in particular, villain protagonists aren't viable for this list, but hero antagonists are and vice versa (though the latter won't get seen here).

Also, to spice things up, "redeemed" antagonists won't be here by proxy of changing sides. However, those who have done the reverse and stay that way are viable (Ex: close ally betraying the main character and staying a villain till defeat). Antagonistic deuteragonists will not count by proxy of usually being on the protagonist's side. Despite some series often having multiple antagonists, I will only be featuring one from each series.

As a final note, this list is not in any particular order, I love everyone here almost equally, and this is, of course, my own opinion. I hope to make this far less Wikipedia-like previous countdowns but expect massive spoilers for True Blood, God of Highschool, Weak Hero, Nano list, and Tower of God. Now to a spoiler-free honorable mention, with the next chapter having the main five.

Olly Wang/Jiho Park: Lookism

Starting with the two of some of the biggest baddies in Lookism, they were just shy of making the list. Mainly since they both embody the themes of Lookism for me, those are the prejudices from appearances and the unfairness that come with it. Jiho and Olly were envious of their "friends" circumstances, good looks, and natural talent. However, both found their respective answers to this divide in different ways.

For Olly, it was to find freedom through emulating the version of the man he wanted to see and transforming from a kid who felt trapped by his parents to someone who would take freedom from others. Jiho, on the other hand, had a completely different method. For he thought that catching up would include taking the legs of those ahead of him.

Through various encounters, Olly deepened Lookism's overall themes while forcing our characters to level up in strength and resolve. And while Jiho has played the largest of roles in the story, his negative character arc is one of the best I've seen on Webtoon. However, Olly isn't my favorite villain, and Jiho, at least where I'm at, hasn't done much in the story—leaving them here for now.

Minthe/Apollo: Lore Olympus

If this list got based on pure hatred, then these two would be at the top. If only because they are the most realistic pair on the list. Many people have met someone like these two in their lives, and I hope I never do. Hades and Persephone both prey on their biggest respective insecurities, revealing their absolute worst traits. However, much like the previous two, they would have to do more before commenting.

Ayu: Blood Ink

Ayu is the queen of the honorable mentions in terms of overall charisma. However, when she first got revealed, I thought that she would be a throwaway character. With Blood Ink having a big focus on political corruption, fake agendas, and flawed justice, I thought Ayu was going to be someone who had viewed her husband like a meal ticket.

So when tragedy allowed us to get inside her head, I realized that was farther from the truth. For in actuality, Ayu could, in some cases, be as much of a victim of Terragu's horrible government. Others constantly see her as nothing more than a mindless sidepiece who has never loved anyone. However, in keeping with her reputation, Ayu could never fully comment, instead behind the mask of makeup.

However, when she can finally unleash her true feelings, we get treated to one of the most gruesome kills in the series. Season 2 has so far put Ayu in this little cocoon of sorts, so we'll have to see where Season 3 puts her. For now, she easily has some of the best potential on this list. In the meantime, let's start the list correctly in part 2.