It is a common precedent for anime villains to have massive advantages over the heroes since being the underdog makes for a more compelling narrative and keeps audiences engaged. Additionally, it makes the protagonist's success satisfying on account of their struggles to achieve it and the uncertainty of their circumstances.
However, there have been many instances where the series' antagonists are the ones hopelessly outclassed and struggling to remain in the fight. By identifying the best examples of underdog evildoers, we can better appreciate the power of perseverance even when it is applied with sinister intentions.
10 Hol Horse Knew He Stood No Chance Against The Crusaders On His Own (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Hol Horse's "Emperor" Stand was charmingly straightforward; it allowed its user to shoot dozens of heatsinking bullets with rapid succession. As formidable as this ability might seem, however, he knew with certainty that it wasn't sufficient in defeating Jotaro's group - especially since he could catch projects by using Star Platinum's unparalleled precision.
Consequently, the cowboy mercenary sought out other Stand user accomplices to help him bring the heroes down. However, none of them succeeded, and Hol Horse was hospitalized by his own attacks.
9 Guila Was No Match For The Sins (Seven Deadly Sins)
Though Guila would eventually become a hero, she debuted as an adversary to the Sins, her wrath directed under a demon-possessed Hendrickson. Despite the fact that the heroes did not have their Sacred Treasures and that Meliodas' power was already fractioned, she was utterly humiliated by them regardless.
Unwilling to disgrace herself again, she drank demon blood in hopes of augmenting her performance. While she was more formidable during her second encounter with the heroes, the battle's result nonetheless concluded with failure.
8 Buggy The Clown Lost Most Of His Body (One Piece)
After his defeat at Orange Town, Buggy the Clown lost most of his mass and size. Separated from the group and marooned on a strange island, he was forced to fight for his survival, swearing revenge against Luffy for his actions.
Despite the insurmountable adversity he faced, the pirate would have his chance during the events of Loguetown. Having successfully captured the Straw Hat captain, he nearly executed him at the same place Gol D. Roger was killed before being interrupted by a violent storm. Luffy and his crew took the opportunity to make a narrow escape.
7 Tonpa Was A Liar With No Nen Abilities Or Prowess (Hunter X Hunter)
Tonpa was a man whose only purpose in the Hunter Exam was to ensure as many candidates failed as possible. He wasn't commissioned by a more malevolent force or even the association itself - instead, he simply reveled in the failure of others.
Since he had no Nen abilities or even basic physical prowess to speak of, he would be forced to rely on deception and lies in order to tear teams apart and disqualify participants. Leorio was the first to identify his intentions and stridently accuse him of them.
6 Light Yagami Had The Entire World Looking For Him (Death Note)
With the necessary distinction that Light is Death Note's protagonist and not its hero, the youth's steadily increasing actions of barbarism were not met without severe resistance. The most competent intelligence agencies from across the world aggressively sought to identify him, including a specialized Japanese task force and even foreign agents from America.
Further, L Lawliet - the greatest detective who had ever lived - already knew who Kira was and was actively searching for concrete evidence to expose him with.
5 Isaac McDougal Stood Against The Wrath Of The State (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Isaac McDougal was a retired alchemist who had formerly served in the Ishvallan Civil War. Unlike many of his peers in Amestris' military, he had a premonition of the state's corruption and Bradley's ultimate goal to herald the demise of his own people.
When the homunculus cornered him in a dark alley, he relished the opportunity to end the tyrant before his influence could spread further. Unfortunately, the Fuhrer cut him down in the blink of an eye and well before he had the chance to fight back.
4 Kariya's Friends Slowly Turned On Him As He Faced The Soul Society (Bleach)
Kariya was a villain who sought revenge against the Soul Society for what they had done to him and his people. They treated the same life forms they created (known as the Bounts) to be subhuman and nearly hunted them into extinction.
Later, the man would return to the place of his birth, hoping to destroy it with a superweapon. At this point, however, most of his comrades had either been defeated or turned away from his cause, and he now faced the unmitigated wrath of the shinigami alone.
3 Reiner Has Fallen Behind Eren & The Advancements Of Technology (Attack On Titan)
Though Reiner's armor initially made him an indomitable threat, he has fallen behind Eren and even many non-titan foes. After learning how to fight from Annie, familiarizing himself with hardening through Hange's instruction, and assuming the power of the War Hammer, Eren Yeager was able to defeat Reiner in seconds at the battle for Marley.
Once thunder spears were invented, Reiner began to struggle even against unremarkable scouts such as Connie and Jean. The once-powerful armored titan now grasps for relevancy since many of his foes have found a way to defeat him.
2 Shigaraki Was Forced To Survive Without His Master & Was Hunted By All Of Hero Society (My Hero Academia)
After All For One was captured by All Might, Shigaraki no longer benefited from his instruction and was forced to fend for himself. His small band of evildoers had to contend with the institution of hero society itself, vastly outnumbered and with comparatively lackluster resources.
To make matters worse, Overhaul attempted to assimilate his people into the Yakuza and fulfill his own agenda. Fortunately for Tomura, both of his enemies would weaken each other during the events of the Chisaki arc.
1 Sasuke Uchiha Was Hunted By The Entire World (Naruto)
Sasuke was already a fugitive from the Leaf since he agreed to join Orochimaru and attacked those sent to retrieve him. However, he achieved worldwide infamy after attacking Killer Bee at the request of the Akatsuki since they desired his Tailed Beast for their machinations.
This earned his reputation of infamy, one that would only grow after his attack on the Five Kage summit. Before long, even his former Konoha 11 allies clamored for his death since they viewed his actions and character as irredeemable.
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