The Naruto franchise gave shonen readers some of their favorite villains of all time, from Orochimaru the snake master to Itachi Uchiha (who later become more of a hero), the six Pains and the terrifying Akatsuki members. Early in Shippuden, two new Akatsuki thugs appeared: Deidara, and Sasori. Together, they could defeat almost any foe who crossed them.
Eventually, Sasori and Deidara found themselves overshadowed by later villains, but Sasori is still an opponent many should fear. He is a prodigy of the puppet jutsu, wielding just under 300 deadly combat dolls with all sorts of weapons stuck in them. He even has the puppet body of the mighty Third Kazekage, who wielded the infamous Iron Sand jutsu. Now, who are 10 anime heroes whom Sasori could destroy with his puppet armada?
10 Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
What's this? How can All Might's fearless successor and the wielder of One For All lose to one of the lesser Akatsuki members? Bear in mind that Sasori is a one-man army with those puppets, and they brought enough weapons to match their numbers.
Izuku can smash his way through a variety of puppets, but he tends to start battle slowly so he can assess his enemy. Sasori can keep Izuku busy with some disposable puppets, then catch he with some poisoned blades or gas. Izuku can't do a thing about that.
9 Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Edward Elric is in a fairly similar position as Izuku. He's a shonen hero with great skill and courage, and his alchemy allows him to break down and rearrange just about anything. He doesn't even need transmutation circles to do it.
He can destroy puppets that get too close, and his martial arts skills will help him survive a variety of puppet attacks. But that poison gas is a serious factor, and Edward will soon fall if he's hit with a poisoned blade or inhales that gas.
8 Jean-Pierre Polnareff (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Meet Polnareff, a stand user from Stardust Crusaders. He's not the strongest member of Jotaro's team, but his stand, Silver Chariot, is a fearsome swordsman. It is blindingly fast and can even slice fire and stone with its rapier.
Sasori can't destroy Silver Chariot since he lacks a JoJo stand of his own, but his puppets are close enough. They can keep Silver Chariot busy long enough for a few puppets to flank Polnareff himself and deliver a poison attack. That, or just take his head off if they can get close enough.
7 Chad (Bleach)
Yasutora "Chad" Sado is not unlike Izuku. He's a seemingly ordinary kid (a big one) who has a terrific punch. He has some hollow-like powers in his arms, with one acting as his shield and another as a sword of sorts. His main attack, El Directo, is devastating.
With that power, Chad can blast apart a variety of Sasori's puppets in their duel. But once again, Sasori fan flank with a few other puppets and strike from behind. Sasori doesn't even need poison; he can just use a blade to pierce Chad's heart or take his head off.
6 Lupin (Lupin III)
Lupin III is a master thief who's a real thorn in the side of Inspector Zenigata. Lupin has incredible aim with a pistol, quick reflexes, a variety of gadgets and a car for quick getaways. In an ordinary setting, he's nearly impossible to catch or dupe. He's one step ahead at all times.
But he's never met anyone like Sasori. Lupin is a crack shot, and he may have a few hand grenades on him, but that's not going to stop Sasori's puppet army. There's no real trick to this; Sasori can just swarm a hundred puppets on Lupin and crush him.
5 Filo (The Rising of the Shield Hero)
Don't be fooled by that face; Filo is one of the toughest fighters in The Rising of the Shield Hero. Her real form is that of a great bird, and her master, Naofumi, equipped her bird claws with steely blades to enhance her melee prowess.
Filo can take on the monsters of the Waves, but alone, she cannot handle the likes of Sasori. If Naofumi's shields aren't there to block the worst of Sasori's attacks, then Filo will soon fall. She can tear apart a handful of puppets, but if a flanking attack poisons her, and she's finished.
4 Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
In her own world, Mikasa ranks among the best of the best. She is a scout who can use ODM gear to outmaneuver any Titan and deliver a fatal blow, and she has considerable martial arts prowess, too. She even learned a bit from the melee master Annie Leonhart.
Sasori can handle her, though. He can send any number of disposable puppets to keep Mikasa busy, and even if she uses her ODM gear to get close to Sasori's real body, he can use his own weapons to take her by surprise. A single blade through the chest should finish it.
3 Zenitsu Agatsuma (Demon Slayer)
Like Filo, Zenitsu is stronger than he first appears. He seems timid at first, but he has earned his Demon Slayer uniform, and he can use lightning powers in the thick of combat. He's actually stronger while asleep or unconscious.
His powers will allow him to destroy many of Sasori's puppets, and his electricity will be strong against the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand jutsu. Sasori will have to envelop the battlefield in poison gas and hold out until Zenitsu collapses.
2 Lisanna Strauss (Fairy Tail)
Lisanna is the youngest of three siblings. Her big sister Mirajane is an S-Class wizard, though the three of them all use the same Take Over Magic. They can partially or totally morph their bodies into various animals or even (in Mirajane's case) a demon.
Lisanna is quick and agile in her cat form, though she's better off fighting rank-and-file soldiers rather than an elite ninja like Sasori. The Third Kazekage's dreaded jutsu should be enough to surround and capture Lisanna, and then Sasori could finish her in any number of ways.
1 Arthur Boyle (Fire Force)
Arthur fancies himself a knight and leader of men, and his third generation pyromancy allows him to create intense blue fire on a hilt to form a sword. He has undergone some extensive training with Benimaru to become even stronger.
But can this fire knight handle attacks from many directions at once? Arthur can certainly destroy a number of Sasori's puppets with his flames and sword, but just one flanking attack can bring him dow. Arthur is well trained, but he's not especially fast; Sasori will catch him sooner or later.