In anime, villains are typically supposed to be serious threats for protagonists to deal with. Whether physically or intellectually superior, they seldom leave the heroes unscathed by the end of the journey. Such profound influence makes sense, as the more danger they pose, the more cathartic it is when they are finally brought crashing down.
However, there are many villains who are much more silly than scary, sometimes even in spite of the preconceptions surrounding them. Fans have called these villains' credibility into question, distinguishing the serious villains from silly ones and appreciating each of them for their own merits.
10 Bonz Was Bandit Keith's Zombie-Loving Henchman (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Bonz was Bandit Keith's sidekick and the user of a powerful zombie deck. After Keith trapped the heroes in a tunnel, Bonz faced off against Joey in what he thought would be a surefire victory. However, not only was Bonz defeated by a subpar duelist, Keith himself viewed Bonz to be expendable.
In a later battle with Yami Bakura during the Battle City arc, he lost and was banished to the Shadow Realm. To this day, his ultimate fate remains unknown. As a result, he cannot be perceived as one of Duelist Kingdom's more credible antagonists like Kaiba, Weevil, and Pegasus.
9 Twice Was The League Of Villains' Comic Relief (My Hero Academia)
Twice was arguably one of the League's most powerful members. He can create copies of literally anyone, including himself. This allowed him to smother a battlefield in weak, albeit bothersome, doubles that could quickly turn the tide.
However, Twice himself is incredibly zany and silly. He lacks Shigaraki and Toga's bloodlust or ambitions, which makes him relatively more approachable. Tragically, Twice is only a member of the League of Villains as he did not feel as though companionship was possible anywhere else. As a result, he remains one of the series' most amiable antagonists.
8 Gecko Moria Was The Weakest Of The Seven Warlords (One Piece)
Gecko Moria was so weak that the World Government stripped him of his rank of warlord after the Marineford conflict. This is a serious credit against him, as not even Buggy had been kicked out of the program before its dissolution.
However, Moria's shortcomings don't stop there. In addition to spending most of Thriller Bark fleeing from Luffy, his devil fruit is severely limited. As powerful as Moria's animated minions might be, they only work if the shadows controlling them have living hosts. In other words, he could not kill the Straw Hats even when given the chance.
7 Jericho's Efforts To Stop The Sins Were Comical (Seven Deadly Sins)
When debuting, Jericho was a zealous member of the Holy Knights who sought nothing more than to kill the Sins. However, she was defeated time and again, with Ban and Meliodas humiliating her further with each subsequent victory.
Infuriated and embarrassed, Jericho drank demon blood in order to increase her strength. However, when Hendrickson revealed his true identity as Fraudrin's vessel, she transformed into a monster that she could not control and ironically needed the Sins to save her.
6 White Zetsu Was A Silly & Conversational Spy For The Akatsuki (Naruto)
As a whole, Zetsu was a diabolical being that caused disaster for the shinobi world. However, he was split into two separate personalities. His black half was sinister and competent, whereas his albino counterpart proved much more conversational.
White Zetsu constantly quipped in the midst of danger, confident in his ability to survive through replicating. However, he was still incredibly weak and got killed by low-ranking shinobi.
5 Ken's Power Was A Joke, Even When Taken Seriously (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
In theory, Ken had the potential to be a strong villain. His Stand could absorb any number of enemy abilities, meaning that he could effectively become the JoJo's equivalent of All For One. However, there was a catch.
Ken can only take enemy Stands by beating them in Rock, Paper, and Scissors. Moreover, he needs to win three consecutive games in order to completely take their power. As a result, the safest way one could overcome Ken is by simply ignoring his needy protests to be played with.
4 Majtani Was Much Weaker Than He Looked (Hunter X Hunter)
Majtani deliberately altered his body so that he'd look much stronger than he was. For example, he had a fake Phantom Troupe tattoo and put iron bars in his knuckles. Though the bars increased his strength, it made every punch excruciating for him.
Leorio quickly learned that Majtani was a fraud, using his weakness in order to overcome him in their duel. Should Majtani have actually accomplished anything he claimed, it would have been an impossible battle for Leorio to win.
3 Zeo Pretends That He Controls The Battle At All Times (One Piece)
Technically, there's much to fear about Zeo. He can turn invisible and decapitate enemies with a single use of his chains, making for a deadly combination. However, Zeo is so easy to anticipate that Brook managed to keep up with him throughout their entire fight.
Moreover, Zeo's bluff that everything Brook has done plays into his hands makes him look completely ridiculous and does not help him save face. In the end, Zeo lost with far less dignity than any of Hody Jones' other officers.
2 Seryu Ubiquitous Is Surprisingly Chipper For A Savage Killer (Akame Ga Kill!)
Seryu Ubiquitous was one of the goofiest Jaegers. She wholeheartedly believed that the empire did nothing wrong and committed her life to hunt down its enemies no matter the cost. Her imperial arms was an adorable little dog that could transform upon request.
After failing to kill Myne, Seryu attempted to bring the woman down with her by converting her body into a bomb. Although Myne survived the initial blast, she succumbed to her wounds from the battle and passed away shortly after. Regardless, Seryu's comically chipper disposition in spite of her savagery makes her difficult to take seriously.
1 Assault's Lust Was Played For Laughs (Fire Force)
Assault was allegedly one of the White-Clad's most deadly and efficient assassins. Sent to dismantle Company EIght, he first targeted Tamaki with his deadly Ignition Ability. There was only one problem. Assault was so enamored with Tamaki that he couldn't kill her.
He tried to desensitize himself by indulging in a number of vices. However, he failed every time he made another attempt on Tamaki's life. In the end, Assault remains a novelty villain forgotten in the grand scheme of the series.