Which antagonist character is most impressive to you in all feature-length story films?
Without a doubt, it's Lilulu (リルル) from "Nobita and the Steel Troops".
Honestly, before watching this movie, I thought the antagonists in Doraemon were similar to those in other cartoons—either power-hungry conquerors or greedy villains. But Lilulu completely overturned my understanding of what a "villain" could be.
She Isn't a "Pure Villain"
Most villains appear with an aura of evil, their destructive intentions clear from the start. Lilulu was different. She first appeared as a spy from Mekatopia (Mechanical Utopia), tasked with preparing for the Earth invasion by the Steel Troops.
She was cold, efficient, and emotionless—like a precise machine. Yet her "villainy" didn't stem from greed or a love of destruction, but from absolute loyalty to her race and mission. In her programmed worldview, enslaving humans was "correct" and natural. This "programmed" evil felt more tragic than the malice of pure villains.
Growth and Redemption: The Awakening of a "Heart"
What impressed me most about Lilulu was her transformation and growth.
After being injured and rescued by Shizuka, the tone of the story shifted entirely. Shizuka cared for her meticulously, treating her like a true friend. This allowed Lilulu to experience "kindness" and "care" for the first time. Within her cold, programmed core, the seed of "emotion" began to sprout.
She became conflicted and torn. On one side was the mission for her planet; on the other was the warmth offered by her friends on Earth. This inner struggle transformed her from a cold "robot" into a flesh-and-blood "person" capable of pain and hesitation. She ceased to be a symbolic villain and became a three-dimensional, deeply relatable character.
The Tear-Jerking Conclusion
If the preceding buildup was brilliant, Lilulu's final choice elevated the character to an unparalleled height.
To save Earth and fundamentally correct her race's mistake, she chose to travel back in time with the robot Zord (ピッポ, Pippo in the original, Zord in the remake). Their goal was to tell their "God" (creator) to program "love" and "compassion" into their robotic ancestors during creation.
What did this mean?
It meant she would personally erase the history of her own existence and that of the entire Steel Troops. She, her friends, and her world would vanish as if they had never existed. This was the ultimate self-sacrifice—not simply dying in battle, but choosing to "return to zero" completely for the sake of a better future.
The scene where Nobita and the others defeat the Steel Troops, only to see Lilulu and Zord slowly fade away as history changed, was truly heart-wrenching.
In summary, other antagonists might be powerful, like Demon King Daimaou, or imposing, like Poseidon from the Devil's Sea Fortress. But they were merely competent "enemies."
Lilulu, however, is a tragic hero with a complete growth arc, capable of evoking deep empathy from the audience, who ultimately achieves self-redemption. She made me understand that so-called "villains" can have their own stories and struggles. So, in my heart, Lilulu long ceased to be a villain. She is a genuine, deeply respectable character.