Poison comes in various forms. Whether inhaled through gas, consumed through bad food, or injected directly, the noxious toxin can have devastating effects on its victim. It is even responsible for toppling some of the most powerful people, especially at the hand of treacherous underlings.
Many anime characters have mastered poisons in order to give themselves an advantage over their opposition. Though physically weaker than their opponents, they smother them with concoctions so vile that they cannot continue the fight. By identifying these individuals and their preferred methods, it becomes easier to comprehend their underhanded victories.
10 Orochimaru Uses Poisonous Snakes (Naruto)
It comes as little surprise that the fallen sannin Orochimaru uses poison to win his fights. Usually, he will transform a limb into serpents, then have their fangs inject an opponent. The poison only requires a split second before taking full effect, paralyzing his adversary for the killing stroke.
Orochimaru is even able to infect fully armored targets. This was seen when injecting a tiny snake through Log's armor in order to freeze him in place. When able to access the full extent of his jutsu, little stands in Orochimaru's way.
9 Fugo's Stand Endangers Allies & Enemies Alike (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Fugo's "Purple Haze" Stand is able to secrete a thick fog of poisonous smoke. When interacting with a victim, it rapidly creates blisters that proliferate across their body. In the end, his foes are incapacitated in a matter of seconds.
Although Fugo is immune to the Stand's effects, his comrades are not. As a result, he can only use his ability sparingly, as not to place his own allies in harm's way. Given the fickle nature of his ability, it's a good thing Fugo left Team Bucciarati.
8 Mustard's Quirk Can Choke An Area With Poisonous Gas (My Hero Academia)
Mustard's Quirk allows him to produce and spread poisonous gas at an alarming rate. It induces drowsiness in his victims, allowing him to finish them off with a sidearm once they are vulnerable.
However, given Mustard's gas mask and respirator, it's unlikely that he is immune to his own ability. Additionally, he has low durability and cannot withstand melee attacks well. As a result, Class 1-B managed to subdue him before his poisons could take effect.
7 Magellan Was The Stalwart Warden Of Impel Down (One Piece)
Magellan's Devil Fruit allowed him to excrete copious amounts of poison from his body. They were so devastating that a single drop could hospitalize or even kill the average person. When Luffy was consumed by his venom dragon, it was unlikely that he'd survive it.
Luckily, Ivankov managed to heal Luffy's body with extensive hormone treatment. However, the procedure shaved years off Luffy's life. Magellan proved so deadly that even Blackbeard's entire crew struggled to defeat him. In the end, he was demoted to vice warden for the greatest jailbreak of the series' history.
6 Naraku Could Summon Poisonous Bees On A Whim (Inuyasha)
A master of all things demonic, Naraku was able to create huge swathes of miasma at any given location. The fog was sufficient enough to choke entire forests and required supernatural weapons in order to disperse.
The villain could also summon poisonous hornets to attack his enemies, incapacitating them with a single sting. They were especially useful against Miroku since his "Wind Tunnel" ability countered most other demons. With the shikon jewel in Naraku's possession, his abilities were amplified even further than before.
5 Dana Was A Medical Practitioner Coerced By The Holy Knights (Seven Deadly Sins)
After Meliodas was hospitalized, Dana saw to his wounds. Unbeknownst to the heroes, their physician had actually been coerced into poisoning him by Holy Knight Golgius.
Fortunately, the ruse did not have a substantial impact on Meliodas and his enhanced demonic body. After Golgius' defeat, Dana apologized for his treachery and was promptly forgiven for it. In the end, he was an ideal example of how the Holy Knights terrorized the innocent under Fraudrin's corrupt rule.
4 Yanagi Brought Underhanded Fighting To An Entirely New Low (Baki)
"Poison Hand" Yanagi was one of the six inmates who escaped prison to threaten the city. Though physically smaller than most of his constituents, Yanagi earned his nickname for weaving venom into his attacks.
As a result, he'd only need a single strike in order to break skin and infect an opponent. The poison itself was remarkably effective, easily managing to subdue Baki in his first encounter with the villain. Yanagi may not have Spec's resourcefulness or Dorian's creativity, though his toxin's results speak for themselves.
3 Netero's Understanding Of Radiation Led To Meruem's Defeat (Hunter X Hunter)
Isaac Netero may not have used poison in everyday fighting, though he understood how it worked intimately. Before confronting Meruem, he laced his body with a small nuclear bomb known as the Poor Man's Rose. The second his heart stopped beating, it was rigged to detonate.
Although Meruem survived the initial explosion, his body had been completely soaked in nuclear radiation. The king's royal guards sustained him for a time, though with how badly he was infected, he only had a few hours to live.
2 Mayuri's Zanpakuto Produced Paralyzing Gas (Bleach)
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the Soul Society's head of research and development. Obsessed with science and apathetic toward ethics, his zanpakuto breathed paralyzing gas over a wide radius and affected everyone it touched.
Although useful in the battle against Szayel Aporro Granz, Mayuri could not control the extent of his own gas. As a result, he ended up paralyzing the three shinigami that were supposed to help him fight. Fortunately, the scientist did not need their assistance when defeating his opponent and delivering a poignant message about the meaning of perfection.
1 Sasori's Poisons Had No Cure (Naruto)
Sasori was a monstrous puppet master who created his own poisons. They were so elaborate that no cure existed to treat them, and any target he struck slowly died over a period of three excruciating days. Though he injected Kankuro and left him for dead, Sasori's plan backfired.
Since Sakura had a sample of his venom, she was able to create a cure that saved the young man's life. She brought her antidote when confronting the Akatsuki member and used it to defeat him. In the end, Sasori's hubris was his downfall.