Not every villain is out to prove their superiority. While fans enjoy a villain who's eager to prove just how strong they are, there are plenty that don’t like drawing attention to themselves. Unlike a Cell or a Toguro, these villains avoid fighting unless they absolutely have to.
Some rely on avoiding being noticed by anyone who would want to face them. They have people who do the fighting for them, and try to stay under the radar. At least, they stay under the radar until they’ve accomplished their goals, and it’s then too late for anyone to stop them.
10 Naraku Kept Creating Clones To Avoid Fighting Anyone (Inuyasha)
Naraku could fight in Inuyasha, but that he never seemed interested in fighting for very long. No matter what he did, he was always close to running away. Every time someone fought him, it was always a clone of his that he’d set up while he was doing something else. On some level, it was admirable to have that level of dedication to not wanting to battle. Most villains would have lost their cool, fighting seriously to finish their enemies off.
9 Rustal Elion Took Down The Protagonists Without Ever Piloting A Mecha (Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans)
Rustal Elion might not even have been capable of piloting a mobile suit, but it wasn’t his goal. His goal was to keep his power and keep Gjallarhorn on top. He was the leader of the Arianrhod Fleet, and his talents off the field were what few Gundam antagonists could do. By the end of Gundam: Iron Blood Orphans, Rustal destroys Tekkadan without touching a mobile suit or mobile armor. His political manuevering allows him to completely wipe out the group, while maintaining control over Gjallarhorn. It granted the organization more power than they had before Tekkadan challenged them.
8 Muzan Sends His Minions Rather Than Ever Fighting Himself (Demon Slayer)
If Muzan was interested in fighting, he would have killed Tanjiro in the first few episodes of Demon Slayer. Tanjiro was able to hunt him down using just his scent, and Muzan simply ignored him and distracted everyone by creating a new demon. Muzan’s goals aren’t about direct conflict, and he never attacks the Demon Slayers himself. Muzan always sends someone else to do the job, no matter how enraged a person has made him.
7 Light Yagami's Goal Is To Rule Through Fear (Death Note)
Light Yagami doesn’t have any interest in fighting in Death Note. His entire goal is utilizing the Death Note to avoid having someone come near him. Death Note is about people not even knowing who he is, with him having a different identity that’s responsible for taking out enemies.
Unlike most shonen, Death Note's battles are more about which side is the smartest. They have a psychological edge to them, instead of focusing on who’s the strongest or fastest person.
6 Sakyo Funds Team Toguro And The Dark Tournament (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Sakyo was behind the formation of the Dark Tournament, funding a lot and betting on the matches. He made millions, but he couldn’t fight and he didn’t try. Making himself as the fifth member of Team Toguro of Yu Yu Hakusho, he risked it all by saying that if they could beat Toguro, he would forfeit - and make Team Toguro the losing team. Sakyo was a man of his word, accepting defeat once Yusuke proved he was able to beat Toguro for good. He didn’t even try to hire someone to fight in his place.
5 Schneizel Leads From The Background (Code Geass)
In Code Geass, how the commanders led their troops was just as important as having talented pilots and a superior military. While Lelouch believed he needed to be on the field to lead, that strategy didn’t line up with how Schneizel ran things. Schneizel didn’t want to fight at all, instead believing that a true leader was able to command without being on the battlefield.
While this might not be entirely true, he was a threat to Lelouch for quite some time. Even when Schneizel took to the battlefield, it was in a weapon meant to completely end conflict.
4 Yoshikage Kira Doesn't Want Anyone To Know He Exists (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part IV: Diamond Is Unbreakable)
Yoshikage Kira was the main villain of Diamond Is Unbreakable, but it was hard for fans to tell. He wasn’t a flashy person, the last thing he wanted was for anyone to notice him at all.
He wanted to be a salaryman who didn’t stand out. If not for his habits as a serial killer, Yoshikage just may have gotten that. He went through great lengths to try to avoid being noticed, even going so far as having his face completely re-designed so that the heroes wouldn’t be able to recognize him.
3 Aizen Tried To Avoid Ever Being Noticed (Bleach)
It can be easy to assume that Aizen loves fighting because he wound up in conflict so frequently in Bleach. But, Aizen didn’t plan on anyone discovering what he was up to until he had already done it. Even the power of his Zanpakuto is based on forcing people to see what he wants them to see, leaving them unable to do anything about him until it’s too late. Aizen managed to orchestrate the murder of the Central 46 without anyone realizing it was him. Without the presence of Ichigo, Aizen would likely have succeeded in his goals without fighting anyone.
2 Father Sent His Homunculi While Putting His Plans Together (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Father’s goal was to take over the place of the Truth, and he spent ages manipulating this behind the scenes. He wiped out the continent of Xerxes, effectively responsible for the creation of Amestris. Father never thought of fighting anyone, particularly when he had so many people willing to do his fighting for him. The homunculi he created were often willing to do whatever he asked, meaning most people didn’t even know Father existed. By the time anyone had any idea who he was, his plan was not only in motion but nearly complete.
1 Emperor Pilaf Gave Up Chasing The Dragon Balls As More Violent Villains Appeared (Dragon Ball)
Dragon Ball’s first villain wasn’t so much about conflict as the series was still focused on comedy. Emperor Pilaf didn’t want to fight, and he couldn’t fight. His skill was in giving orders to other people, like his assistants Mai and Shu. Their goals weren’t to fight, but to steal all the Dragon Balls, making a wish where he could become ruler of the world. It’s a smart wish that would keep fighting to a minimum. Unfortunately, the people looking for the Dragon Balls weren’t as nice as Pilaf and his crew were.