Arthur may have been a favourite but he wasn't really a strong villain either. I think with both him and Seymour it comes down to the design of the game's branching narrative, these games try to do both corruption and anti-corruption themes and when you mix that with role-playing elements it becomes hard to write a villain that's actually forceful while still respecting player agency to not feel forced to play certain routes.
In both games you can elect to ignore the villain almost entirely. They still pop up here and there, but Ash doesn't have to entertain Arthur's feigned sorrow nor does Lena have to indulge Seymour's schemes. They can both gain tangible rewards from exploring these characters, but if you care little for the monetary rewards the game presents on these routes, you have little reason to suffer through their content if you dislike the themes.
So either you want that money without cheating, in which case you'd be the kind of player this content was actually intended to challenge, or you enjoy the corruption elements and willfully steer your FMC down this path. In neither case are they strong villains really because one choice actually favors them while the other is a personal compromise.
I would argue otherwise.
There are no villains in GGGB at all. And not because there are no villainous characters, but because nothing is at stake within the VN. You can refuse the offer to join the gang, reject Ethan and not repay your loans, help Arthur drug Iris, cheat (with rare exceptions), etc. without any consequences. And what do we lose if Ash has no money? Nothing, except the inability to buy tattoos, piercings, a car, or breast implants, which isn't that important. The only truly bad endings are related to thugs: death, prison, or addiction. Otherwise, everything is not so bad. And these are the only truly villainous characters, but even they can be avoided.
In ORS, even though you don't have to dance to Seymour's tune, he still influences the narrative and Lena's situation, and potentially Ian's as well. Yes, for now you can manoeuvre around it with the help of the café, Kent, and now Billy, but it still puts Lina in a precarious position that could turn out badly. Yes, Seymour is a poorly written villain, but he is still a villain, because when confronted, something is at stake.
