The "damsel in distress" trope has always been a popular one in fiction, where the hero must save an innocent captive from the villains. As time went on and more stories were made, the trope started to become a little less limited, allowing for just about any type of character to be captured and in need of rescue, even the protagonist in some cases.
Anime is no different in this regard, showcasing many characters who don't just get captured once or twice, but pretty much once a week - so many times that getting kidnapped for these characters is practically their superpower.
10 Ciel Relies On Sebastian A Bit Too Much (Black Butler)
Black Butler's Ciel Phantomhive made a pact with the demon, Sebastian Michaelis, to take revenge on those who killed his family, as well as having him become his trusted butler and bodyguard. Ciel might be just a kid, but he's wise beyond his years. Sadly, this doesn't quite translate to defending himself.
Ciel is captured multiple times throughout the series, usually prompting Sebastian to come to his rescue. Ciel relies on Sebastian and his other servants to defend him so much that he never really needed to learn to fight himself, but with how often he's kidnapped, maybe he should.
9 Tsukune Always Gets Rescued By His Admirers (Rosario + Vampire)
In all fairness to Tsukune Aono from Rosario + Vampire, he's the only human in a school for monsters, so the power gap between him and his fellow students was always there. That being said, it's also because he's human that so many in Yokai Academy come after him and, of course, capture him.
Any time Tsukune's in over his head, Moka Akashiya and his other admirers come to save him and put the smackdown on the ones responsible. While in the manga, Tsukune eventually gets stronger and learns to fight for himself, in the anime he stays wimpy and basically needs rescue 24/7.
8 Lucy Has A Bad Luck Streak (Fairy Tail)
If there's one thing to say about Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail, it's that she's simultaneously extremely lucky and extremely unlucky. On the one hand, she managed to join Fairy Tail and become part of one of the guild's strongest teams, along with making strong friendships with its members. On the other hand, she has a real knack for finding herself in trouble and that includes being captured a lot.
Despite being a strong wizard in her own right with all her Celestial Spirits to back her up, Lucy has been held captive multiple times throughout the series, and she often has to wait around for someone to save her, usually Natsu.
7 Polnareff's Always In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Jean Pierre Polnareff was introduced in part three of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure when he joined his fellow Stand Users to defeat Dio and save Jotaro's mother. While he and his Stand Silver Chariot are tough in a fight, Polnareff is constantly stumbling onto a fine mess that he can't always get himself out of.
Often wandering off and into the deadly sights of Dio's henchmen, Polnareff seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time or getting in way over his head. If Jotaro or the others can't save him, he has to think outside the box to save himself.
6 Elizabeth, A Princess In Constant Need Of Rescue (The Seven Deadly Sins)
Elizabeth is the princess of Liones and a reincarnated goddess in The Seven Deadly Sins. Originally meeting Meliodas in order to save her kingdom, Elizabeth goes on to become a steadfast ally of the Seven Deadly Sins and awakens to her own powers in time. That being said, she was never much of a fighter and often gets captured.
With her status as a princess, goddess, and the love of Meliodas' life, Elizabeth is a person of interest to the bad guys that often use her to get at the Sins or Meliodas himself. While she has freed herself on occasion, it's usually not long before she's captured again.
5 Subaru Gets Captured Almost As Much As He Gets Killed (Re:Zero)
Suddenly transported to another world, Re:Zero's Subaru quickly finds out his isekai adventure isn't quite what he would've envisioned. With the power to die and be revived in a new timeline, Subaru strives to create a better outcome for himself and the people he cares about. However, he's not the most capable at times and gets captured almost as much as he's killed.
Subaru's weakness makes him easily captured by enemies, forcing Emilia, Rem, or some of his other friends to come to rescue him. While he can kill himself to get out of these tight spots, this plan doesn't always work, causing him to live long enough to suffer and to see everything go wrong first.
4 Ryuko Is Often Having To Save Mako (Kill La Kill)
Honnōji Academy's student body in Kill la Kill has tried to get at Ryuko in various ways, though one of the most popular seems to be holding her best friend Mako hostage in order to challenge her to a fight.
Mako's not always the brightest, which has made her easy to capture at times. She was almost lured into an old-school basket trap once by a trail of cheese. While Ryuko is able to save her before any of the school's weirder students do anything to her, Mako's almost never too bothered by how much she's captured - it's just an average day for her.
3 Mokuba Is Kidnapped Almost Every Other Week (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Yu-Gi-Oh!'s Seto Kaiba can be a cold person at his best of times, caring for basically no one other than his little brother Mokuba. With that in mind, Mokuba basically has a target on his back at all times, as many have kidnapped him in order to threaten or motivate Kaiba for one reason or another.
Whether it's Pegasus, Marik, or the digital Noah, Mokuba's been captured so many times that it's amazing Kaiba has never used all his wealth or technology to put more security around him. At this point, fans have treated Mokuba's repeat hostage status as a running gag.
2 Eren Is Apparently A Magnet For Kidnappers (Attack On Titan)
Attack on Titan's Eren Yeager may be the protagonist of the series with the ability to change into a Titan, but he's surprisingly kidnapped often despite that. As an inheritor of the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan, Eren quickly became a target for Marley's forces, particularly the warriors who have taken him as a hostage multiple times, forcing the Survey Corps to go after him.
Considering that the Marleyan warriors had more time to perfect their Titan abilities, while Eren was just figuring most of his out as he went along, Eren really didn't have a chance at first. Eventually, as time passed, Eren learned to use his knack for being captured as a strength when he attacked Marley itself.
1 Team Rocket Has Trapped Pikachu Too Many Times (Pokémon)
Pikachu is Pokémon's cute, cuddly, and instantly recognizable mascot who's always "super effective" in a battle. Pikachu has traveled with Ash for years now, and while they've traveled to so many different regions, they're always being hounded by the relentless Team Rocket, who always have a new trap to capture the electric mouse.
Despite how often Ash runs into Team Rocket, he's never prepared for their tricks and often ends up having to rescue his partner after they catch him. And no matter how many times Ash and Pikachu send this trio of baddies packing, they always come back to do it again pretty much week after week.
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