Far Cry 6's Anton Castillo is a fantastic villain that continues the series' hot streak of memorable bad guys. The newest Far Cry has gotten generally good reviews upon release, with many saying that the game does the same thing previous titles have done with more polish. Far Cry games usually follow the pattern of dropping players into an open-world setting and asking them to save the place from oppressive forces in bombastic fashion, and Far Cry 6 is no exception, with a memorable villain in Anton Castillo.
Along with the over-the-top action and open-world maps to explore, Far Cry titles typically feature some of the best villains that can be found in video games. Far Cry 3 gave fans disturbed pirate Vaas Montenegro that was a huge thorn in Jason Brody's side, and he remains one of the most popular villains in the franchise today. Far Cry 4 & 5 followed up with the inclusion of both Kyrat warlord Pagan Min and Montana cult leader Joseph Seed, each of whom established their own brands of twisted villainy to help them stand out from other game franchises.
When villain Anton Castillo was announced to be Giancarlo Esposito in Far Cry 6, the excitement for Ubisoft's newest entry in the series skyrocketed. Esposito has established a reputation for playing memorable villains in other forms of media over the years, including the drug boss Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and the Imperial Warlord Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian. Many had high hopes that Esposito would deliver another iconic performance in Far Cry 6, keeping Far Cry's streak of fantastic foes intact.
What Makes Anton Castillo A Great Far Cry Villain
It's safe to say that Anton Castillo maintains the high quality of Far Cry's antagonists and then some, with Esposito embodying the character with ruthlessness and a sense of danger lurking beneath his reserved surface, keeping players on their toes for what the villain could do next. Far Cry 6 goes the route of other games in the series by making Castillo a focal point of the story, with his influence felt throughout the game as the dictator appears in propaganda television & radio broadcasts and on billboards. Anton may only appear in-person sporadically throughout Far Cry 6's lengthy campaign, but he commands the screen every time, and Esposito's performance elevates some great parts of the script to hook players onto every word.
Playing into Anton's effectiveness as a villain is the tragic backstory that Ubisoft bestowed upon the character. Anton watched members of a revolution murder his father (who was El Presidente of Yara at the time) right in front of him as a child, which fostered the viewpoint in his mind that the island and everything his family ruled over had been stolen from them. Anton maintained this belief into adulthood, eventually assuming the role of El Presidente himself, determined to restore the country to what it had once been under his father's rule. It's a motivation that gives Anton added depth of character, without the risk of him being a bad guy just to be bad, as he believes that his tight grip on every corner of Yara's map and the production of Viviro is what's best for his people, no matter how oppressive or destructive he has to be.
Experiencing Anton's relationship with his son Diego gives him another significant layer. The father-son pair don't exactly see eye-to-eye on Anton's actions towards the citizens of Yara, yet despite his son's unease, Anton remains determined to set Diego up as his successor, and the game explores that complex dynamic in interesting ways that allow players to understand how Anton views the world around him - in comparison to his impressionable son. All of these elements combined make Anton Castillo another outstanding villain in the Far Cry series, and Far Cry 6 as a whole is made significantly better by his inclusion.