In the period dramas encouraging the good and punishing the evil, someone, who shows his presence and makes viewers understand easily that he is a villain, is essential in order to emphasize the heroic feature of the main character (or his colleagues).
勧善懲悪型の時代劇においては、主人公（またはその仲間）のヒーロー性を高めるために、存在感があり、かつ視聴者にも分かりやすい悪役が不可欠である。