also: あくたま
Refers to a person who is evil or plays the villain role, often in contrast to 善玉 (good guy). Common in stories, dramas, and metaphorical use.
In this movie, he plays the villain.
It's a story where the good guys and bad guys are clearly divided.
scapegoating; turning into a villain
pathogenic bacteria; bad bacteria; harmful bacteria
supervillain; arch-villain
black hat hacker
bad cholesterol; LDL cholesterol
Standard kanji spelling. The reading あくたま is more common than あくだま.
Alternate reading, less common but still used.
Compound of 悪 (aku, 'evil') and 玉 (tama, 'ball' or 'jewel'). The 玉 here is a suffix used for roles or types of people, as in 善玉 (good guy) and 借り玉 (debtor). The reading あくたま is more common, with あくだま as a variant.