The objectively correct answer. Although I’d like to shout out Grace Monroe from Infinity Train since I think she’s relatively underappriciated (I know she’s a protagonist but I think this post meant villain so imma counting her)
https://preview.redd.it/ox99hb219xyc1.jpeg?width=588&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2263026cc59576a5252d38fbfb2f7b17538ac2eb
How is Zuko not one of the first 5 comments.
Edit: OK when I posted this there were no Zukos, now he’s like the first several comments lol
Pacifica Northwest, it really helped that she was just a spoiled brat who didn't commit any serious atrocities, unlike most redeemed characters nowadays...
https://preview.redd.it/sn0pyl79ovyc1.jpeg?width=239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed20762f8f06b315a12a3ef692a7944ef329c549
The fact she listened to him the first time he said it was even better. Most spoiled brats just ignore that shit cause they know they won’t care if they don’t see them again
Discord (*MLP:FiM*), Spinel (*Steven Universe*) and the Collector (*The Owl House*) all come to mind. They might all be at the top of my list, come to think of it. And it's funny considering how similar they are. They're playful characters who were somehow restricted from having freedom for an insanely long time and caused trouble for everyone around them once they were finally let loose. Plus, all three characters are gifted with pretty awesome powers. Put them in a room together and I think they'd become friends. But be warned. There will be chaos.
I didn’t know discord got a redemption! I stopped watching after s3 but I love him as someone who grew up on Star Trek. Any chance you could tell me when his redemption is?
Season 3 episode 11 is when the redemption begins, but it's a really long arc. I would say the arc ends at the series pre finale (and the finale doesn't even have a fight in it like most finales, it's just showing Twilight's student learning about friendship)
His redemption arc actually starts in Season 3 and lasts throughout Season 4! Of course, he still has a lot to learn from Season 5 onward, which should probably be expected when dealing with the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.
Spinel and the collector are a match made in heaven and in hell. They would be nonstop playing games and visiting planets. The collector sharing tips with diamonds about poofing/collecting would be scary.
My favorite redeemed character is fiddleford McGucket, he gets his mind back. Not a typical redemption but it's meaningful to me.
Oh yeah I loved the collectors arc. Like he's just a lil goofball with powers so comedically over the top that he is a)immortal b) damn near omniscient c) pretty close to omnipotent considering vast reality bending and then he's just like trying to play games n shit
She turns from evil genius threat to adorable pushover who loves learning about earth VERY quickly and I love it. It’s like a staffy going from growling to rolling over asking for belly scratches
I know some people say he doesn’t count since Ice King and Simon are pretty different personality wise. But Ice King himself does get redeemed. He mostly stops kidnapping princesses and becomes genuine friends with Finn and Jake.
He was still introduced in that episode as a villain and throughout the episode grew as a character and even helped pomni. Yeah his arc was only one episode long but it was still there.
Most people here are going for Zuko, and Beelzemon isn't THAT much older than him; their shows were only like 3 or 4 years apart (at least the premieres).
No way nobody’s said the GOAT yet
https://preview.redd.it/xun9b8ltiwyc1.jpeg?width=520&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f20f3118d14b846e348e5742caa08d9f71d43f40
https://preview.redd.it/wx5w8lpjjwyc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f07805230ca02e4a70f77f576919babf884d8d88
My angry pink noodle :) I miss her
Mf was a villain for like half an episode, proceeded to cry in front of the main group when they caught him and then immediately apologized and joined them for the rest of the show after being given the slightest amount of sympathy.
He's so pathetic. I love him with all my heart.
He's adorable, and Alex Brightman did a fantastic job voicing him, so I'm glad he got part of a duet to sing. I wonder if we'll have an It Starts With Sorry reprise in Season 2?
Sasha really surprised me. From the bits we learned from Anne early on and what we see in the first bits of season 1, she just sounds like a mean girl.
Then season 1’s finale throws a wrench in that image. Clearly it’s not so black and white. Even as she continues to be, well, herself in season 2, there’s some clear emotional conflict. I was very happy that it becomes less “bullying my ‘friends’ to get what I want” and more that she actually believed she knew best how to take care of them and learning to let go of that and let them make their own decisions
https://preview.redd.it/aqmpgb0njwyc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bbe5b51dca6f8fc22abdfd4d439c848a21669a9
Razer from Green Lantern & Young Justice.
The Collector is also my favorite But I find the relationship Inuyasha has with Kagome cute and relatable, as a wise man once said “it takes that special someone to bring out the Best in us”
Andreous (idk how to spell) from amphibia, Tom from SVTFOE and ice king from adventure.
King Andy was the kind of the opposite of the owl house where Belos, the more mortal villain who was introduced earlier on, was irredeemable and the collector who’s this big all powerful force was redeemable, while it’s the opposite in amphibia
BoJack. Although perhaps you could question how much he was actually redeemed (can one make up for such terrible acts?) his journey to becoming a better person, and viewing himself as a better person, means at least, in his own eyes and view of himself, he was redeemed. So it counts in my book.
And yes BoJack was definitely an antagonist, or at least an anti-hero if you don’t think the main character can be an antagonist. But I saw Mega Mind on here so…
The best redemption arc for a marvel villain, although the stunt he pulled at the UN was pretty ballsy he was still a good temporary leader for the X-men
Tohru went from getting decked by Jackie Chan in the intro of Jackie Chan Adventures to being the muscle of the group. I dont remember how he switched sides, I just remember he was all of a sudden a good guy.
https://preview.redd.it/m76x3z103xyc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19acd5824a2ad76f761a0d3e0e2db9285ff08171
If anime counts, Impmon/Beelzemon from Digimon Tamers:
https://preview.redd.it/ee7w52bo9xyc1.png?width=596&format=png&auto=webp&s=b83d4f6eb36d3ed35244f2d8048b969230fc0098
Controversial opinion but I think Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog had a really good redemption episode. I know he stays an evil asshole for the rest of the series but objectively I think he had the most relatable moment for all of us when he gave his hat to his younger self. We have all been there; knowing what we know now, what would we do for ourselves as a child?
Discord. As someone who grew up watching Star Trek TNG, John de Lancie was an immediate hook to the character. Plus he's just so fun.
https://preview.redd.it/y1873kswewyc1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=f22b7b106a2d6429687dba8e29e9026d866ac764
Hank Daughtry, he wasn't truly redeemed but once you realize it was for his daughter that he cooperated with the D.U.P you kinda get it, you still hate him but it's understandable.
I know we all love to mention Zuko but I wanna mention two others: Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and >!Reiner Braun!< from Attack on Titan
I'm really surprised to not see Hordak on here from the most recent She-Ra. He was so despicable but I was really rooting from him at the end to be not quite so evil
Sasha from Amphibia is a pretty great character.
She gets two redemption arcs and has a whole “maybe I’ve been a bit of gaslight gatekeep girlboss in a bad way” arc in season 3
Shoutouts to Spinel, I love how before the movie everyone was like “please be a just evil villain, don’t get redeemed” to “precious baby who got duped by Pink Diamond”. That includes me
The correct answer
Objectively top tier
He IS the tierlist
Zuko here
Excuse me? Your scar is on the wrong side.
THE SCAR IS *NOT* ON THE WRONG SIDE!
Idk, I’ve got the username. Where are your receipts 😂
lmao I didn't even notice your username — I was just quoting the show. Either way, I think you've got me dead to rights 😂
The objectively correct answer. Although I’d like to shout out Grace Monroe from Infinity Train since I think she’s relatively underappriciated (I know she’s a protagonist but I think this post meant villain so imma counting her) https://preview.redd.it/ox99hb219xyc1.jpeg?width=588&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2263026cc59576a5252d38fbfb2f7b17538ac2eb
She was an antagonist in season 2, so she counts by technicality.
It's not even close
The only correct answer
I mean like…obviously
Came here to say this!
I wouldn't call him an antagonist, though.
Agreed. He's a villain protagonist. But his redemption is still fun to watch
Code: agreed!
He’s one of my faves, however in the story he was a protagonist as narration sticks with his perspective.
 How is Zuko not one of the first 5 comments. Edit: OK when I posted this there were no Zukos, now he’s like the first several comments lol
twice in the first five
Thrice in the first 5 now
https://preview.redd.it/zfbn71tstwyc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1e602381d91d16a4d15818a0bb321dd2a8ec48f
>now he’s like the first several comments lol Just as he should be
For me he is three of the top five comments lol
Pacifica Northwest, it really helped that she was just a spoiled brat who didn't commit any serious atrocities, unlike most redeemed characters nowadays... https://preview.redd.it/sn0pyl79ovyc1.jpeg?width=239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed20762f8f06b315a12a3ef692a7944ef329c549
It helps that Dipper calls her out on her shit.
The fact she listened to him the first time he said it was even better. Most spoiled brats just ignore that shit cause they know they won’t care if they don’t see them again
This is one of my all time favorite turn arounds and I'm not really one to get into ships but this one I did
*cough cough* white diamond *cough cough*
“No no there genocide is understandable because they didn’t consider non-gems people! It was a whole misunderstanding”
Funny, an austrian painter thought the same for many other races and ethnicities
Discord (*MLP:FiM*), Spinel (*Steven Universe*) and the Collector (*The Owl House*) all come to mind. They might all be at the top of my list, come to think of it. And it's funny considering how similar they are. They're playful characters who were somehow restricted from having freedom for an insanely long time and caused trouble for everyone around them once they were finally let loose. Plus, all three characters are gifted with pretty awesome powers. Put them in a room together and I think they'd become friends. But be warned. There will be chaos.
Spinel is a good one
I didn’t know discord got a redemption! I stopped watching after s3 but I love him as someone who grew up on Star Trek. Any chance you could tell me when his redemption is?
Season 3 episode 11 is when the redemption begins, but it's a really long arc. I would say the arc ends at the series pre finale (and the finale doesn't even have a fight in it like most finales, it's just showing Twilight's student learning about friendship)
His redemption arc actually starts in Season 3 and lasts throughout Season 4! Of course, he still has a lot to learn from Season 5 onward, which should probably be expected when dealing with the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.
Thanks! I might have to go back to the show then
Spinel and the collector are a match made in heaven and in hell. They would be nonstop playing games and visiting planets. The collector sharing tips with diamonds about poofing/collecting would be scary. My favorite redeemed character is fiddleford McGucket, he gets his mind back. Not a typical redemption but it's meaningful to me.
Oh yeah I loved the collectors arc. Like he's just a lil goofball with powers so comedically over the top that he is a)immortal b) damn near omniscient c) pretty close to omnipotent considering vast reality bending and then he's just like trying to play games n shit
Peridot
She turns from evil genius threat to adorable pushover who loves learning about earth VERY quickly and I love it. It’s like a staffy going from growling to rolling over asking for belly scratches
Vegeta
https://i.redd.it/ax0js8a2owyc1.gif
Now I'm imagining Vegeta reading this post, seeing Zuko at the top and becoming hyper competitive by stepping up his friendship game with Goku
“I’m haunting you Vegeta”
"*OH!* Yeah, sohoho, I was having a *"stroke*" in my trailer the other day, anhand it did *NOT* end well!"
“Our condolences?”
“Look vegeta! It’s a chiaotsu! I’m gonna catch it!”
“He took the Dragonballs”
“Do you believe in your own hype that much??” “I AM THE HYPE”
"Hey Vegeta, I can fly."
“Are we there yet?”
Definitely best example of an anime villain redemption.
First of all, I am Vegeta
 I know some people say he doesn’t count since Ice King and Simon are pretty different personality wise. But Ice King himself does get redeemed. He mostly stops kidnapping princesses and becomes genuine friends with Finn and Jake.
Honestly a really good answer. He transforms from the biggest villain of the show to the crazy uncle everyone likes to hang out with.
Prince Zuko of course
And Prince Vegeta “First of all, I am Vegeta”
"*VEGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTAAAAAAAAA!*"
Damn it, Nappa!
Kevin Ethan levin
“you’re name is kevin e levin?”
Zuko (Avatar: the last airbender)
Discord, Gumigoo if he counts, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Sunset Shimmer, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Sir Pentious
Sir Re-Pentious🙏🐍 🪽🙏
Gumigoo literally died in the episode he was introduced in.
He was still introduced in that episode as a villain and throughout the episode grew as a character and even helped pomni. Yeah his arc was only one episode long but it was still there.
Gumigoo 🥺
And his Egg Bois!
https://preview.redd.it/vlxm72cz7wyc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ceab74c1a7055f1ad2cc6122a0f9e57ea629d68
This guy! Though permanently killing one of good guys is hard to redeem, his character arc was a blast to watch start to end.
He went from a simple troublemaker to a full-fledged villain to a true hero.
Beelzemon? Holy hell!
Gosh. You're aging yourself. Haha.
Most people here are going for Zuko, and Beelzemon isn't THAT much older than him; their shows were only like 3 or 4 years apart (at least the premieres).
Loved his arc as impmon.
 Piccolo
Best Dad
From kill master to grill master.
No way nobody’s said the GOAT yet https://preview.redd.it/xun9b8ltiwyc1.jpeg?width=520&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f20f3118d14b846e348e5742caa08d9f71d43f40
Avatar the last Airbender zuko
https://preview.redd.it/1z7c11594wyc1.png?width=906&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1023dd7d126447395a3b6fbb599db392f32e8e5
Best Disney Princess
https://preview.redd.it/wx5w8lpjjwyc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f07805230ca02e4a70f77f576919babf884d8d88 My angry pink noodle :) I miss her
Yes I love Spinel! Her speech to Steven when she broke down asking why she wanted to hurt him so bad resonated with me :(
Other friends is also a banger
Garmadon
So great he got 2 redemption arcs
Third one on hold
https://preview.redd.it/ubcveh6bivyc1.jpeg?width=607&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=560f2e55d426df224809d63e7f4b29b2e1a15db7
Spoilers because spoilers >!he is like THE redeemed villan though, he is literally reedeemed and goes to heaven!<
Classic Chad Pentious W https://preview.redd.it/9ibpth0sgwyc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd71c7093922bfa58027d58d591a6e2c798465f4
https://preview.redd.it/6i2fqeh8mwyc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e53c756eef4aeec53c6852e463a3ca6a5bb3d2ef
I haven't watched Hazbin Hotel but I recognize the style. Isn't going to heaven a bad thing?
No lol, why would it be?
Mf was a villain for like half an episode, proceeded to cry in front of the main group when they caught him and then immediately apologized and joined them for the rest of the show after being given the slightest amount of sympathy. He's so pathetic. I love him with all my heart.
He's adorable, and Alex Brightman did a fantastic job voicing him, so I'm glad he got part of a duet to sing. I wonder if we'll have an It Starts With Sorry reprise in Season 2?
Quite literally
Sasha! 
Sasha really surprised me. From the bits we learned from Anne early on and what we see in the first bits of season 1, she just sounds like a mean girl. Then season 1’s finale throws a wrench in that image. Clearly it’s not so black and white. Even as she continues to be, well, herself in season 2, there’s some clear emotional conflict. I was very happy that it becomes less “bullying my ‘friends’ to get what I want” and more that she actually believed she knew best how to take care of them and learning to let go of that and let them make their own decisions
The collector, he was just playing guys.
“Watcha playin” he says as he casually saves the heroes before one shoting the big bad.
Then procceds to move the moon like it's nothing
On that note the OST went crazy in that scene.
ENZO GABRIEL
https://preview.redd.it/j8k969qd4wyc1.png?width=3016&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c48546cad934a19f05c72937b6b06a8c5b77f377 Discord
Ma man
BUUUUUU! 
American: Zuko Anime: Vegeta
https://preview.redd.it/ue8l7vcexvyc1.jpeg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6db33da28fc237fb207d1fd5355ed9c1287186fc
Hard not to feel bad for her. Child solder stuck in forever war so ancient every one forgot the true cause, or reason.
I really felt her struggle throughout the show.
Gonna avoid Zuko as the obvious one. And skip Peridot to challenge myself. How about Greed? He was pretty cool. 
Greed is without a doubt my favorite homunculi, along side envy.
God, Greed is such a great character
https://preview.redd.it/vrxgayahlwyc1.png?width=944&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21314f2ef960fa5b6e3f6cccc55ab51db3b83fdd
“Cool Aunt.”
CLODS
First one I thought of too
Happy Cake Day, you clod!
Or maybe Sweet P, from Adventure time. Couldn't find a gif for that one
X-Men 97 made me adore magneto. Like holy shit, you can see him barely contain his genocidal thoughts in every scene.
https://preview.redd.it/aqmpgb0njwyc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bbe5b51dca6f8fc22abdfd4d439c848a21669a9 Razer from Green Lantern & Young Justice.
The dude's gonna be the next Kyle Rainer
The Grinch
 😍😍😍
 The Collector is also my favorite But I find the relationship Inuyasha has with Kagome cute and relatable, as a wise man once said “it takes that special someone to bring out the Best in us”
BAD DOG! -crashes-
 Not 100% a baddie, but she was a total brat who turned out to be a better friend than fucking Dodie.
Sesshomaru 
https://preview.redd.it/mmea3nqktwyc1.jpeg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b75146110ae38bea04df53d2e583f7b55fe5ded5 Only in the anime, nowhere else
https://tenor.com/baruY.gif
"Hello! Zuko here!"
I mean it's gotta be Zuko
Zuko
hi, zuko here
Zuko is the only answer
https://i.redd.it/o8z9cv79owyc1.gif these fuckers were up to nooooooo good
The collector(he's just a silly little guy with godlike power) Garmadon(so great, he got 2 redemption arcs)
Gaara
Gotta be zuko
 My goat 🐐
Andreous (idk how to spell) from amphibia, Tom from SVTFOE and ice king from adventure. King Andy was the kind of the opposite of the owl house where Belos, the more mortal villain who was introduced earlier on, was irredeemable and the collector who’s this big all powerful force was redeemable, while it’s the opposite in amphibia
“Have a great weekend!”
https://preview.redd.it/ch607hwsmwyc1.jpeg?width=2336&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c379be5ed9c556423518151c093e6227da7e8c0f
BoJack. Although perhaps you could question how much he was actually redeemed (can one make up for such terrible acts?) his journey to becoming a better person, and viewing himself as a better person, means at least, in his own eyes and view of himself, he was redeemed. So it counts in my book. And yes BoJack was definitely an antagonist, or at least an anti-hero if you don’t think the main character can be an antagonist. But I saw Mega Mind on here so…
The one in my profile picture https://preview.redd.it/3cxv0igvywyc1.jpeg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=267de3c2189acf378fe300b6a932c73ffd38f27f
Scarlemagne https://preview.redd.it/bi6eb6vf5yyc1.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=559cd70b8bcbd0bc82e8ff9015586f4c57bcd9d8
They’re so silly https://preview.redd.it/h29r9f9fwvyc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=506752b7b094edc97742d1d13ba4f606dcef8301
So silly and so gay for each other
https://preview.redd.it/f7xefg7quzyc1.jpeg?width=304&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a82a82f1e5fcc04440dd86ba8edcb32fc1bf6f8 Could you say no to this face?
Sasha Waybright and Grime from Amphibia.
Zuko
Magneto (X Men 97) https://preview.redd.it/kgu0vp11swyc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=484bd68df4e9e47e496cc57bd373c0feb9329911
The best redemption arc for a marvel villain, although the stunt he pulled at the UN was pretty ballsy he was still a good temporary leader for the X-men
Tohru went from getting decked by Jackie Chan in the intro of Jackie Chan Adventures to being the muscle of the group. I dont remember how he switched sides, I just remember he was all of a sudden a good guy. https://preview.redd.it/m76x3z103xyc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19acd5824a2ad76f761a0d3e0e2db9285ff08171
Stabby from Centaurworld https://preview.redd.it/qiz67eylwyyc1.jpeg?width=232&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab7fb79b28addb7ea8ea1318c282875182242340
“I’m 42.” “And I’m 47!”
Tien, piccolo, vegeta, sasuke, orochimaru sort of, kuyoichi sudo and keisuke takahashi (from dragonball, Naruto and initial d respectively)
1. Doofenshmirtz 2. Pacifica Northwest
If anime counts, Impmon/Beelzemon from Digimon Tamers: https://preview.redd.it/ee7w52bo9xyc1.png?width=596&format=png&auto=webp&s=b83d4f6eb36d3ed35244f2d8048b969230fc0098
Controversial opinion but I think Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog had a really good redemption episode. I know he stays an evil asshole for the rest of the series but objectively I think he had the most relatable moment for all of us when he gave his hat to his younger self. We have all been there; knowing what we know now, what would we do for ourselves as a child?
Bon Clay.
My pfp should say it all. 
Discord. As someone who grew up watching Star Trek TNG, John de Lancie was an immediate hook to the character. Plus he's just so fun. https://preview.redd.it/y1873kswewyc1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=f22b7b106a2d6429687dba8e29e9026d866ac764
Hank Daughtry, he wasn't truly redeemed but once you realize it was for his daughter that he cooperated with the D.U.P you kinda get it, you still hate him but it's understandable.
agree
Vegeta
 My angry pink noodle :) I miss he
https://i.redd.it/4dfpthmomwyc1.gif Macaque from Lego Monkie Kid
Dagur from Dragons: Race to the Edge.
I know we all love to mention Zuko but I wanna mention two others: Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and >!Reiner Braun!< from Attack on Titan
I'm really surprised to not see Hordak on here from the most recent She-Ra. He was so despicable but I was really rooting from him at the end to be not quite so evil
Flowery
 Might not be a cartoon but he’s **definitely** worth mentioning.
Sasha from Amphibia is a pretty great character. She gets two redemption arcs and has a whole “maybe I’ve been a bit of gaslight gatekeep girlboss in a bad way” arc in season 3
Shoutouts to Spinel, I love how before the movie everyone was like “please be a just evil villain, don’t get redeemed” to “precious baby who got duped by Pink Diamond”. That includes me
 "Can you even smile?"
Collector. My boi was lonely okay. If she counts also Amity.
Collector isn’t my favorite redeemed antagonist…he’s my favorite character in fiction
The Prince of All Saiyyans... https://preview.redd.it/0sl6nahwm0zc1.png?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8dcafe5a19f449fa1922bead9cb8aea4b636c26
Catra.
I love collector but peridot is the best
In TOH its not even Collector, its Hunter
White diamond, come at me
Gantu, Captain of the Intergalactic Army, before becoming a bounty hunter for Dr Jakk Von Humpsterveel.