Crunchyroll announced last night that villains are "taking over" the service for the next 7 days, kicking off Villain Week as the centerpiece of its "Release the Villains" campaign. Check out the official post down below:
The 30-second teaser cuts between some of anime's most notorious antagonists with bold orange and white text that reads "They're out," "The ones with a power," "And the ones who love to laugh," "7 days" and "No restraints," before the "Release" logo and a final "Join them" card. Askeladd from Vinland Saga, Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia, Rize Kamishiro from Tokyo Ghoul, Zeke Jaeger from Attack on Titan, Shogo Makishima from Psycho-Pass and Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord all get screen time.
The 6 Villains In The Spotlight
Crunchyroll's campaign is built around 6 antagonists from across its catalog, though the company notes that content availability may vary by region:
- Psycho-Pass: Shogo Makishima
- My Hero Academia: Tomura Shigaraki
- Attack on Titan: Zeke Jaeger
- Vinland Saga: Askeladd
- Overlord: Ainz Ooal Gown
- Tokyo Ghoul: Rize Kamishiro
During Villain Week, those characters are taking over Crunchyroll's social channels, along with curated carousels built around anime's biggest antagonists and dedicated villain collections. Crunchyroll's theme for the month is "Love the Ones You Hate," and it describes these characters as people who "challenge heroes, expose uncomfortable truths, and blur the lines between right and wrong."
Crunchyroll Asks Fans To Switch Their Avatars
Crunchyroll is also asking fans to take part. Earlier yesterday, the official account encouraged users to switch their profile pictures to their favorite villain:
The takeover started a little earlier in the day, when Crunchyroll's account opened with a simple warning:
Release the Villains runs from November 2 to November 30. Beyond the social takeover, the plan includes interviews with the voice actors behind the villains and a villain-themed free trial for new subscribers. In Mexico, the campaign includes a lucha libre tie-in at Arena México and outdoor advertising, and in Brazil it is showing up on public transit.
The campaign is also heading offline elsewhere. Throughout November, Crunchyroll is bringing its villains to Berlin, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Toronto, Sao Paulo and Mexico City with out-of-home takeovers, large digital displays and fan experiences.
Zeke Jaeger Gets The First Feature
Crunchyroll News opened its Release the Villains features yesterday with a long look at Zeke, whom it calls Attack on Titan's "ultimate agent of chaos." The feature compares his arrival in the story to "dropping Mentos into a bottle of Coca-Cola," and traces him from his debut as the talking Beast Titan in Season 2 to the reveal that he is Grisha Jaeger's son and Eren's half-brother.
It also digs into his Euthanasia Plan, his throwing arm, which he developed by playing catch with the previous Beast Titan, Tom Ksaver, and his spinal fluid, which can turn Subjects of Ymir into Titans he controls with a scream. "To Zeke, this isn't conquest," the feature argues. "It's mercy through the most extreme ambitions."
Zeke grew up in Marley as the son of Grisha and Dina, 2 Eldian restorationists who treated him like a political project, and he eventually turned his parents in to the Marleyan authorities. Tom Ksaver became a father figure to him, but that bond also pushed him toward the idea that Eldians should simply stop having children. The feature calls his plot to slip his spinal fluid into the wine served to Paradis' military leaders perhaps "his nastiest move."
My Hero Academia's special episode adapting Chapter 431, featuring Shigaraki's story, was covered in MY HERO ACADEMIA Anime Announces Special Episode Adapting Chapter 431.
Which of the 6 Crunchyroll villains is your favorite, and who did Crunchyroll leave off the list?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.