#route

Hello guys! Posting my final ranking of all the routes from Ikemen Villains, because yes—I’ve read them all (including Victor and Jude’s routes through Japanese translations, no regrets). This is entirely based on my personal experience and opinion, so feel free to agree or argue with me in the comments.

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT: I will talk about major plot points in each route, including trauma backstories, twists, and relationships. If you haven’t played some of these yet and want to go in blind, stop reading now!

-------------------

William – 6/10

Curse: Based on the Queen of Hearts, William can control people completely just by making eye contact and giving a command—essentially erasing their free will. Psych Theme: Obsession with control, fear of vulnerability, ideological dominance

Everyone starts with William, right? He’s the face of the game and incredibly visually appealing—so of course I picked him first. I was shocked by how early he and Kate get together, especially compared to other routes. He’s charming and kind, but honestly... he felt too safe. For a game about villains, he doesn’t exactly bring that morally gray energy. His personality ended up feeling a little vanilla.

What really brought my score down was how shallow his backstory feels—especially after reading the other routes where we get deep dives into childhood trauma. We never really get to know him beyond the surface, and that lack of emotional depth made his story feel flatter in comparison. Maybe the side stories develop him more, but I believe the main route should’ve done that. Also, his reaction when Kate gets stabbed?? Way too calm. I wanted some angst, some emotional breakdown—anything! And we didn’t get that.

---------------

Elbert – 6/10

Curse: Modeled after the Evil Queen, he can make people relive their worst memories by stepping on their shadow. Psych Theme: Self-hatred, trauma from abuse, obsessive tendencies

I felt so bad for Elbert. He’s arguably the only one truly cursed in a way he despises—and he hates his own power. His route is one of the darkest, especially when we get into his childhood and the way he was abused by his caretakers. That broke me. But... his personality just didn’t work for me. He comes off really creepy around Kate, and there were moments where I genuinely didn’t understand why she stuck around. He’s quiet, withdrawn, and doesn’t offer much in terms of emotional connection early on.

Ironically, reading his route made me way more interested in Alfons—who plays a supporting role here—and I found myself wanting to know more about him than Elbert. Still, I respect the heavy themes, even if I didn’t love the execution.

---------------

Alfons – 7/10

Curse: Snow White’s Mirror—he can create illusions and manipulate perception. Psych Theme: Hedonism, guilt, identity suppression, emotional repression

Okay. Please don’t judge me. I know Alfons is a terrible person—but his route got the most raw emotional reaction out of me. It’s messed up. There’s a lot of non-consensual stuff, and he assaults Kate repeatedly. I hated that the writers leaned so hard into making him irredeemable when he had so much potential.

But underneath all that, he’s a deeply conflicted, broken character who’s obsessed with control and terrified of vulnerability. The duality of him falling for Kate but trying to hide it at all costs? I ate that up. It’s just a shame that they tried to generate angst through repeated abuse instead of developing his emotional complexity. His route could’ve been a 10/10 with better handling. Still, I liked how much they built on his childhood and trauma—he’s not just evil for fun.

------------

Ellis – 9/10

Curse: Briar Rose. He can bind people’s bodie parts together. Psych Theme: Obsession with happiness, denial, dependency

Ellis is the surprise winner for me. I genuinely didn’t expect to love his route as much as I did, but it has everything I like: slow-burn, psychological depth, and a protagonist who’s both lovable and terrifying. His fixation on eternal happiness is creepy in theory but ends up being deeply tragic when you understand where it comes from.

His trauma is explored in such a meaningful way, and the pacing of his romance with Kate is perfect. I loved how long it took for him to realize he was in love—it felt earned. Out of all the routes, his relationship felt the most layered and emotionally satisfying. A well-written villain romance done right.

----------

Jude – 7/10

Curse: Inspired by the 13th Fairy from Sleeping Beauty—he can make people fall asleep by touching their forehead. Psych Theme: Suppression of emotions, guilt, and fatalism

Jude was one I expected to love more than I did. His whole persona is based on apathy, and he keeps pushing Kate away for her own safety. That would’ve worked better if it didn’t drag out so long. It took over 20 chapters for him to even admit he liked her.

His backstory is tragic—losing his sister, promising never to break his word—and that added emotional weight to his stoicism. But for me, the chemistry wasn’t there. Also... his accent in the English translation?? I get that they wanted to show he's from the slums, but it just made the route harder to read as a non-native speaker. It slowed the pacing a lot.

--------------

Liam – 5/10

Curse: Based on the Cheshire Cat—he can turn invisible. Psych Theme: Mental instability, fragmentation, isolation

Honestly, I only read his route because I ran out of characters. Liam’s just not for me. He’s mentally unstable in a way that’s more unsettling than sympathetic, and his curse is probably the most forgettable. The fact that he burned his family alive is just casually mentioned, and the story doesn’t dive into that nearly enough.

There’s emotional potential, but the route doesn't develop it. He doesn’t stand out visually or narratively. I finished his route and felt... nothing. Maybe if they’d written him with a little more nuance, I’d care, but as it stands—he's forgettable.

-------------

Harry – 8/10

Curse: Inspired by the lying fox - he can tell when someone is lying. Psych Theme: Truth vs. deception, grief, identity

Harry ended up surprising me in a good way. His curse is simple but really well-used, especially with the reveal that he’s acting as a spy within the Crown to find out who killed his father. That twist added so much to his character. He’s the only one in the cast who had a genuinely loving relationship with his family, and that was a refreshing change.

His route has great balance—romance, mystery, plot twists—and you feel the stakes. Plus, he’s charming in a very grounded way. I ended up liking him a lot more than I expected to.

-------------

Victor – 7/10

Curse: ?? -he emits an aura that makes people long for death simply by being near him. Psych Theme: Existential dread, duality, repression, denial

I was mostly curious about Victor’s curse going in, and yeah—it’s as intense as it sounds. But personality-wise, he’s a bit too bubbly for me. I usually love duality in characters, but it didn’t totally land here. That said—major props for the plot twists in his route. But it was kinda disappointing how they don't really explain the origin of his curse... since that was the mystery about him.

The reveal that he’s actually Queen Victoria (yes, the monarch herself in disguise) was so satisfying and recontextualized everything about him. His whole act makes way more sense once you realize he’s basically been hiding in plain sight the entire game. That alone bumped up the score for me.

Also—what really got me emotionally was the fact that he and Kate had met as children. He never forgot her, and when that gets revealed late in the route, it’s honestly one of the most romantic moments in the game. He’s been carrying the memory of her all this time while trying to suppress his feelings and identity. That hit hard. Their connection is way more fated than it initially seems, and it gave a lot more weight to his feelings.

Still not my favorite, but the emotional payoff is strong and I respect how different his story feels from the others.

-----------

Roger – Unranked

I’m really sorry to all the Roger fans out there, but I just couldn’t get into his route. Honestly, I was more curious about the voguel’s appearance than Roger himself. I skimmed a few chapters but never got far enough to form a solid opinion or rank him. Maybe someday, but not right now!

-----------

About Kate (The Main Character)

One thing I really need to get off my chest is how disappointed I was with Kate’s character overall. She feels like she has zero consistent personality. In every route, she completely changes to fit the love interest’s vibe, which made her feel very shallow to me.

It was frustrating to see how little effort the game put into developing her as an individual—there’s almost no backstory or exploration of her life before she got involved with the Crown. It’s like she only exists as a blank slate for each villain’s story rather than a full character on her own.

I get that it’s an otome game and the focus is on romance, but I’ve played other otome titles with much stronger, more memorable heroines who have clear personalities and agency. It just felt like a missed opportunity here.

Upcoming Routes

As soon as Ring’s route drops, I’ll definitely be making a post all about him! I’m so excited—I can barely wait. If I don’t find a good translation online, I’m thinking about trying to translate it myself with some help from AI.

From what I’ve heard, Ring’s route might be a classic love-at-first-sight story, which is totally my vibe. I’m really curious to find out more about the Voguel’s curse and what kind of twist they’ll bring to the game.

The otome games is known that the villainess/antagonist haven't route.

It's impossible that Rejet make a Cordelia route