In general, anime villains are written for heroes to defeat them. It gives a satisfying catharsis for the audience and conveys that in the end, evil will never meaningfully triumph. However, there are instances where one anime antagonist defeats or even kills another.
Whether forcing them into their organization or eliminating them as competition, such instances are as rare as they are important. Two villains clashing are especially interesting since neither party is particularly keen on sparing their opponent. As a result, any engagement is inherently high stakes and may permanently change the story.
This article contains spoilers from the Attack on Titan manga.
10 Orochimaru Tried To Steal Itachi's Body
Naruto
Itachi and Orochimaru were two of the most notorious villains in Naruto. After the latter joined the Akatsuki, he sought the former's body for similar reasons he was interested in Sasuke. However, this proved one of the greatest disasters in Orochimaru's career.
Itachi used his genjutsu to turn the tables almost instantly and bring Orochimaru to his knees. Were it not for Kabuto's unexpected intervention, he would have likely even killed him. Regardless, Orochimau's actions got him removed from the Akatsuki without anything to show for his efforts.
9 Blackbeard Obliterated Moria In The New World
One Piece
When Moria sought Absalom in One Piece's New World, he ended up on Blackbeard's island. Unleashing the zombies of Thriller Bark, he terrorized his opponents' weaker henchmen and drew him out personally. However, Devon deceived Moria into thinking she was Absalom, which made him lower his guard.
By the time he knew otherwise, Blackbeard's forces had already surrounded him. Rather than killing Moria, he was conscripted into the villain's crew for a much more clandestine purpose. Moria was indignant about this arrangement since he was forced to collaborate with his friend's murderers.
8 Diavolo Was Ultimately Responsible For Risotto's Death
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
La Squadra was an enigmatic group of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure antagonists who sought to take down Diavolo just as much as Team Bucciarati. When their members fell one by one, Risotto confronted Doppio personally in hopes of defeating him while he was weakest.
To Risotto's credit, he performed remarkably well. By calcifying the iron in his foe's body, he significantly weakened him near the point of death. However, since Narancia didn't realize who Doppio was, he unwittingly assisted him in killing Risotto with his "Little Bomber" Stand.
7 Eren Defeated Reiner In Marley's Invasion Of Paradis
Attack On Titan
During Marley's invasion of Paradis in Attack On Titan, neither party could be considered the hero. On one hand, Marley had attempted to conquer the island and has long since controlled or killed its inhabitants. On the other, Eren intended to eradicate all non-Eldian life the moment he had such an opportunity.
This meant the deaths of several billion innocent people unaffiliated with Paradis' suffering. In the end, Eren and Zeke worked together to defeat the Warriors and unlock the titans from within the walls. It began a worldwide extinction event that claimed 80% of the global population.
6 Ty Lee & Mai Stopped Azula At The Boiling Rock
Avatar: The Last Airbender
When the heroes of Avatar: The Last Airbender escaped from the Boiling Rock, Azula wasn't far behind. She was willing to cut their cart's escape line, sending them to their blistering doom. However, Mai stood in Azula's way since she cared about Zuko.
Just as they prepared to fight, Ty Lee struck from behind, paralyzing Azula and making her collapse. Although victorious over the Fire Princess and successful in their objective, both girls were promptly captured by the remaining guards.
5 Zeldris Teamed Up With Meliodas Against The Demon King
Seven Deadly Sins
The Demon King first attempted to take over Meliodas when waging war on Britannia. When that failed, he possessed Zeldris, Seven Deadly Sins' second most prominent villain. However, the Demon King's ploy was against his son's wishes and a flagrant betrayal of his trust.
Meliodas knew that Zeldris' ultimate goal was to be with his betrothed, so he urged him to fight as the heroes held the Demon King at bay. Between Zeldris' resistance and the Sins' strength, the Demon King quickly found himself in need of a new vessel.
4 Pegasus Defeated Kaiba At Duelist Island
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Kaiba diligently persevered through Yu-Gi-Oh's Duelist Island arc for Mokuba's sake and his own reputation. Before long, he faced off against Pegasus in a fateful game of Duel Monsters.
Despite Kaiba's overpowered cards and flagrant usage of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, his opponent always found a way to turn his strategies against him. Toon World made a novelty of his strongest monsters, much to Kaiba's horror and befuddlement. Given that Pegasus could read Kaiba's mind using the Millennium Eye, his victory was guaranteed from the start.
3 Gin Failed To Betray Aizen
Bleach
Ever since learning about Aizen's plan, Gin understood him to be one of the most powerful characters in Bleach. Rather than challenging him directly, he agreed to serve Aizen with the intention of betraying him when the time was right.
Just as Aizen prepared to face off against Ichigo, Gin stabbed the Hogyoku and fractured it. He touched Aizen's Zanpakuto to negate its hypnotic effects. Unfortunately, Aizen survived, killed Gin for his betrayal, and pressed on against Ichigo with minimal inhibition.
2 Overhaul Killed Magne & Maimed Compress
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia's villain meeting between Overhaul and Shigaraki went poorly. After Overhaul and Shigaraki refused to be yeld to one another, Magne attacked in hopes of honoring her employer's reputation. In an instant, Overhaul reduced Magne to a bloody paste.
Compress attempted to avenge his comrade, only to lose his arm and be neutralized just as quickly. Although Overhaul suffered his own casualties, he could afford more losses than the League Of Villains given that he had henchmen to spare. Nonetheless, Shigaraki took revenge when attacking Overhaul's prison caravan by decaying his hands before cutting them off.
1 Sasuke Avenged The Uchiha When Fighting Danzo
Naruto
When Obito revealed the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke was livid. He attacked the Five Kage summit and pursued Danzo when he inevitably fled. Ultimately, the two villains had a showdown on a bridge, with Sasuke putting his overpowered jutsu against Danzo's nigh immortality.
Regardless, Sasuke ultimately struck the killing blow by deceiving Danzo into miscalculating his sharingan with a minor genjutsu. With the last of his strength, Danzo attempted to take Sasuke with him in a brutal explosion. However, his final act of desperation didn't end up killing anyone except himself.