While some anime villains prefer to attack heroes directly, many others take a non-confrontational approach whenever possible. This can be for a number of reasons, whether due to insecurity about their own power, an attempt to hide their true identity, or even because they deem the protagonist unworthy of their direct attention.
These foes prefer to keep their hands clean of violence, often using whatever other means available to them in order to avoid a fight. By identifying the characters who fall under such a category, we can better appreciate their cunning and elusiveness.
10 Yoshikage Kira Prefers A Quiet Life Without Combat (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Yoshikage Kira explicitly stated to Shigechi that he preferred a quiet life and avoided fights whenever possible. This was a statement that held up throughout Diamond Is Unbreakable, as the villain did whatever he could in order to avoid suspicion.
He even postponed his wanton murders in hopes of shaking off Jotaro Kujo's investigation. Meanwhile, his father sent legions of Stand users at Kira's enemies in hopes of killing them before they discovered his new identity with certainty.
9 Light Yagami Used His Enemies' Trust To Protect Himself (Death Note)
Throughout the entire Death Note series, Light only threw a single punch. His delicate approach was understandable, considering the notebook allowed him to kill as many people as he wanted without much of a struggle.
In order to shake off suspicion, Light joined the same Japanese task force assigned to investigate his murders. Since he won their trust, however, he was often able to blame Kira's killings on various scapegoats such as Misa Amane, the Yotsuba organization, and Teru Mikami. However, the latter's exposure and downfall shortly preceded his own.
8 The Demon King Waged War On Britannia By Using The Ten Commandments (Seven Deadly Sins)
The Demon King was the father of Meliodas and arch-nemesis of the Supreme Deity. After Fraudrin paved the way, he was responsible for the Ten Commandments' invasion of Britannia and the unprecedented amount of death that followed. Zeldris and Estarossa were intended to make the villain's ambitions a reality.
Despite his enormous strength, the Demon King preferred not to directly involve himself in combat. Even during his climactic fight with the Sins, he possessed Meliodas' body and used it to fight instead of his own.
7 Aizen Preferred Using Manipulation & Underlings Instead Of Fighting Directly (Bleach)
Despite being one of the strongest characters in Bleach, Aizen was surprisingly not the type to involve himself in battle. Instead, he preferred to watch his minions fight on his behalf, as proven through his confrontation with the Soul Society in the skies of fake Karakura Town.
During his time as a Gotei Captain, he was similarly disinterested in direct confrontation. Aizen used Rukia as a scapegoat for his crimes and only revealed his intentions shortly before he was prepared to leave for Hueco Mundo. Nonetheless, the villain was perfectly capable of protecting himself when necessary, as proven through how he dominated Renji and Ichigo during their first fight.
6 The Evangelist Has Not Fought Yet & Leaves Her Duties To The White-Clad Cultists (Fire Force)
The Evangelist is a godlike figure who dwells in a realm beyond human comprehension. Although she is vastly more powerful than all of the series' heroes, she leaves her responsibilities to collect Adolla links and the Amaterasu blueprints to her White-Clad cultist underlings.
In spite of the Evangelist's ethereal qualities, she is capable of impacting the physical world. Shinra was able to momentarily increase his strength by connecting with her.
5 Father Used His Children To Conquer Amestris (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Despite Father's immense personal strength, he knew that he couldn't conquer Amestris alone. Accordingly, he divided manifestations of his sins into different bodies and gave them unique roles.
Sloth would create a massive transmutation circle using his endless stamina and physical strength, Envy would infiltrate the state alchemists when appropriate by using his shapeshifting abilities, and Bradley would formally lead the country, ensuring that it never gets close to uncovering his dark agenda. Father only became directly involved in the conflict with Edward Elric after many of his children were already dead.
4 All For One Had Shigaraki Conduct Attacks For Him (My Hero Academia)
Before his capture, All For One disliked fighting Japan's pros and avoided doing so whenever possible. This was for a multitude of reasons. Not only did he prefer to hide his identity and minimize risk, but his body was also badly mangled from a previous fight with All Might.
He only joined the conflict at Kamino because Shigaraki was in serious danger. Without his disciple, the League of Villains wouldn't have had someone to conduct their missions and might've quickly fallen apart.
3 Charloss Counted On The Marine Admirals To Protect Him (One Piece)
Although Charloss often participated in violence and savagery, he didn't actually like to get his hands dirty in a fair fight. Instead, he banked on the fact that no one would stand up to him since the Marine Admirals were under oath to protect the Celestial Dragons.
Consequently, when Luffy punched him in the face for shooting Hatchi and attempting to enslave Camie, the entire world was shocked. The Straw Hat captain would soon realize the price of his overconfidence when Kuma scattered his crew.
2 Naraku Relied On Demonic Servants To Fight Inuyasha & His Allies (Inuyasha)
While the Shikon Jewel and a countless number of demons inside his body both made Naraku powerful, Inuyasha's Tessaiga was enhanced multiple times and explicitly designed to counter him.
As a result, the villain relied mostly on servants to harass the heroes, with Kanna and Kagura as his finest lieutenants. Naraku would even try to turn the heroes against each other, as seen when offering Sango her brother in exchange for Inuyasha's legendary sword. Predictably, he wasn't willing to keep his end of the bargain.
1 Black Zetsu Loved Turning People Against Each Other But Never Actually Fought (Naruto)
Instead of fighting, Black Zetsu preferred to manipulate his enemies into mutual destruction. He turned the Senju and Uchiha clans against each other for generations in an attempt to release Kaguya and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Although he has sometimes possessed the bodies of others and attempted to control them, Black Zetsu has never actually had a full fight on his own. After his machinations were revealed, he cowered in Kaguya's cloak and expected her to defeat Team Seven for him.
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