What makes a good villain: Makishima Shogo

 

Makishima is the perfect villain for psycho pass because he asks the question of what makes someone evil? Their actions or intent? This is a concept highly discussed in psycho pass along with the idea of free will. Sibyl gives people their bubbles of joy on the condition that they never try to achieve something greater. Is sibyl evil then for suppressing human’s base desire to want more? Or is it good since wanting more can also be seen as greed?

Sibyl also preaches an acceptance of one’s position, considering it fate or holy judgement, as if humans were nothing more than cogs in a wheel and it is this belief that Makishima rejects. He believes in ‘the splendor of human souls’ and mankind’s ability to become something greater by exercising their own free will and rejecting any and all authority that considers itself supreme.

Also, if a system is perfect and can judge all humans then it’s inability to judge someone is a rejection of that person’s humanity. And that is why Makishima rejects Sibyl, because it rejects him. It is not he who is unnatural but the world created by Sibyl. 

Makishima likes seeing what people are capable of and longs for a world where people make their own choices, good or bad, and aren’t told what to do. 

Part of this could be because makishima is a rebel by nature. He likes chaos and challenging authorities, especially those who deem themselves unchallengeable. He does some pretty terrible things but he doesn't kill meaninglessly. He is sympathetic but not to the point that his actions could just be forgiven. He understands that his actions have had terrible consequences and is willing to accept judgement. But only if the person judges him using his own will. 

And that’s why he finds a rival in Kogami. Kogami is willing to go against Sibyl and all his friends to pass his own personal judgement on Makishima by killing him. We can’t say for sure if Kogami’s decision is right or wrong but we can say for sure that it is his own decision. And that’s why Makishima respects that decision so much.

He’s an intellectual but also shows some signs of psychopathy. And that could be the reason behind Sibyl’s inability to judge him but the purpose of this article is not an analysis of Sibyl’s judgement methods so more on that later. 

I also find it interesting that Makishima’s view of death is almost the same Lelouch’s from code geass; one who kills must be willing to be killed. He abhors those who mercilessly kill others but will beg and cry when at death's door. During kougami’s fight with senguji (the cyborg guy) I got the distinct impression that Makishima respected him due to his willingness to die.

Another thing I find very interesting about Makishima, and I think contributes to him being such a great villain, is his character design. He has white hair, is very pale, and is often seen wearing white, a color strongly associated with purity, innocence, and cleanliness. And I think he was designed this way to reflect Sibyls judgement of him. The white also gives him an ethereal quality, as if he doesn’t belong, and makes his amber eyes really stand out and look almost predatory. He oozes class and charisma and appears almost noble, even in the midst of a fight. 

Makishima is, without a doubt, an excellent villain and the reason for that is that he’s not exactly evil. His actions aren’t black and white and he is rather morally ambiguous. He is someone who the audience can understand and agree with yet not forgive. And that’s something seen in other great villains too, like Griffith and Yohan liebert.