Charismatic villains are a common type of antagonist that go further than Master Manipulators or Master Orators, at times even going further than Liars. With their ability to hold sway over others, they don't only make people believe in their causes, but actually get others to trust or even like them.

Usually, these villains first appear to be good or at least sympathetic to the heroes (and thus the audiences) until their true natures are revealed (e.g. Norvirus Raccoon, Zobek, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, The Beldam, Emeraude, High-T, Riley Hicks, Warp Darkmatter, Alejandro Burromuerto, Ernesto de la Cruz, Dawn Bellwether, Prince Hans, Leslie Meyers and Yokai). In some cases to add suspense, other villains (e.g. Plankton, Chester V, Mother Gothel and Tromus) make audiences know they are obviously lying, but the heroes don't.

They should not be frequently mixed with Sophisticated Villains, who are openly cruel but still have good manners and styles. Charismatic villains are basically wolves in sheep's clothing. They fake friendship and sometimes love to get what they want. They are also well-known for being capable of rounding up a great deal of followers due to their latent charisma. Of course, this can sometimes (if not, rarely) overlap with high-functioning psychopathy as some charismatic villains use other people or even the heroes as tools/manipulate them into getting what they want, go further than lying or even using a facade to blend into society and even faking love or friendship for their own selfish and/or pragmatic needs.

They can be very disturbing characters as their eloquent exterior (both in terms of personality and appearance) definitely do not match with the horrendous crimes they commit against others. This twisted inversion often causes the hero (and the audience) to feel emotionally violated, especially when they have related, empathized or even trusted them for so long prior to the reveal of their true nature. They are such good actors that it is sometimes very hard to figure out how they truly feel about people they lie to, whether they are genuinely friendly or not. A villain can also qualify as having charisma if they are admired by their followers or have fans, regardless of what the protagonists and audience think of them. Examples include the Beldam and generally characters who are serial killers, dictators, etc. due to their desires to continue their crimes yet ironically "survive" in a society they wish to thrive in.