Typically speaking, villains are considered dastardly folks. Their schemes range from diabolical world domination to petty personal revenge, and what makes them so appealing is their dogged determination to get what they want. Some villains, however, don’t exactly seem cut out to be bad guys.
They might have a soft side they're suppressing or maybe a misunderstanding about what they need to do to reach their goals. Sometimes, they simply claim the hero as a rival and stand in their way just so they can come out on top, only to have the hero put them back in their place every time. Regardless of their aims, some villains are just too funny to be taken seriously and instead act as a source of amusement, whether they're aware of that or not.
10 Speed-O'-Sound Sonic: A Cocky Villain Whose Goal Is To Defeat His Rival, Saitama (One-Punch Man)
No matter what approach Sonic takes, he just can't get past Saitama. Sonic's powerful enough to take on other major adversaries and even managed to keep up with the cyborg Genos' superhuman speed. Sonic loves taking on strong opponents, which is why he views Saitama as his ultimate rival. Unfortunately for Sonic, Saitama defeats him effortlessly every time they fight. Saitama's bored, deadpan expressions are too funny when compared to how hard Sonic is trying to win.
9 Isaac & Miria: A Duo Of Clueless Criminals Who Don’t Really Seem Like Bad Guys (Baccano!)
Technically speaking, Isaac and Miria are bad guys. They’ve committed dozens of robberies over the years and are constantly on the run from the law. Isaac even got caught and imprisoned on Alcatraz Island! Despite their propensity for comedic thievery, Isaac and Miria are actually good people. They care for each other immensely and never want to hurt others during their schemes. Isaac and Miria often perform their burglaries while wearing amusing costumes, making them a good source of humor during tense moments.
8 Barry The Chopper: An Animated Suit Of Armor Who Inspires Laughter More Than Fear (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Like Alphonse Elric, Barry is a disembodied soul alchemically bound to a suit of armor. Unlike Alphonse, Barry was a serial murderer who was spared the death sentence in lieu of alchemical experimentation. Barry takes himself seriously and expects his opponents to find him terrifying, especially when he reveals he's actually an empty suit of armor with the soul of a serial killer. When Alphonse shows he's similarly made, Barry's reaction is to comically spout the same questions he expects others to ask about himself.
7 Buggy The Clown: A Humorous Pirate Whose Devil Fruit Powers Provide Some Comedic Transformations (One Piece)
Buggy didn't even mean to swallow the Chop-Chop Fruit that gave him his Devil Fruit abilities. Rather, he accidentally swallowed the fruit after Shanks startled him during their time as crewmates on Gol D. Rogers' ship.
The Chop-Chop Fruit allows Buggy to detach parts of his body for various purposes, such as launching his hand as a projectile while holding knives between his fingers. It's rather dangerous, but it's hard to take him too seriously when the effects of his powers are so cartoonish.
6 Maximillon Pegasus: A Flippant Villain Who Loves Cartoons & Card Games (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Known as Pegasus J. Crawford in Japanese, Pegasus is one of those villains whose aims are purely personal. He wants to resurrect his childhood love, Cecelia, who died from an illness at a young age. Pegasus' love of cartoons extends into the Duel Monsters card game, as his deck is full of Toon monsters, some of which he created for himself. Being an American, his dialogue in the original Japanese is punctuated by improper use of the Japanese language, and he has a penchant for using silly nicknames like "Yugi-boy" and "Kaiba-boy." Luckily, the last bit of humor made it to the English dub.
5 Gentle Criminal & La Brava: A Pair Of Well-Intentioned Villains Looking For Fame (My Hero Academia)
Gentle Criminal's backstory is somewhat tragic in that he originally wanted to use his Quirk, Elasticity, to become a Pro Hero, but lost the opportunity as a result of his own zealousness. When he realized he wasn't going to become famous as a Hero, he decided to become famous as a Villain instead. La Brava is his loyal partner whose Quirk, Love, isn't quite fitting for the villainous type. These two find solace in each other and work as a great comedic team.
4 Etemon: An Elvis Parody Villain Who Wants To Take Over The World With His Music (Digimon Adventure)
Etemon is an Ultimate level Digimon who can't carry a tune in a bucket, much to his henchmen Gazimons' distress. Etemon considers himself the King of Digimon and makes use of the Dark Network to keep tabs on everything happening in his territory.
In the 2021 rendition of Digimon Adventure, Etemon faces off against Volcamon as to who gets to be the King of Digimon. Etemon thinks being entertaining is most important while Volcamon claims fitness is best.
3 King Dedede: A Self-Proclaimed King Who Can't Win The Admiration Of His Subjects (Kirby: Right Back At Ya!)
King Dedede's character is slightly different in the anime than it is in the video games, mostly in the fact that he is more malicious and cruel in his anime form. Regardless, Dedede is still portrayed as a lazy and self-serving character whose rivalry with Kirby amounts to frustration over not being as well-liked as Kirby. Both Dedede's appearance and giant hammer weapon make him seem less imposing and more comedic than the typical bad guy.
2 Emperor Pilaf: A Recurring Villain Throughout The Dragon Ball Series Who Can't Catch A Break (Dragon Ball)
Pilaf and his henchmen, Mai and Shu, are frequently the butt of Dragon Ball's occasional slapstick comedy. Pilaf's ultimate goal is to use the Dragon Balls to wish himself into being the supreme ruler of the world. He's gotten at least a couple of opportunities to make this wish, but each time he was thwarted. In fact, Pilaf's wishes are often executed incorrectly. When the trio wished for their youth with Earth's Dragon Balls, Shenron aged them all down to elementary school age, which was not what they had in mind.
1 Team Rocket Trio: Their Incompetence Keeps Them From Being Effective Villains (Pokémon)
Jessie, James, and Meowth have become infamous for their bumbling antics while trying to steal Ash's Pikachu. They're frequently donning silly disguises and enacting performances that are way more detailed than they need to be. Not only that, but they're concerned with a Pokémon that Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, would consider weak and common—in other words, not worth stealing. Since these three don't cause too much of a problem, Giovanni leaves them on the roster, but they also have a softer side that makes them endearing characters.