Many anime characters present themselves as awesome and infallible people. Their hubris is well known within their respective series, sometimes even serving as their defining characteristic. This facade may be fairly convincing to those within their own universe, but more critical fans know the truth based on their many shortcomings.
In actuality, these characters’ dangerous combinations of unwarranted pride and abundance of deficiencies makes them too easy to roast. By identifying such individuals and what about them is so contemptible, it becomes easier to call out their worst behavior and cut their egos down to size.
This article contains spoilers from the Attack on Titan manga.
10/10 Asuka Isn’t Half As Talented As She Acts
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Asuka made no secret of her ego in Neon Genesis Evangelion. She constantly berated those around her, acting as if she was somehow better than them. This was particularly ironic since out of the three main pilots, she was the most likely to plunge into an emotional breakdown that compromised her work.
Asuka’s need for attention is mostly due to her abandonment issues, which is poetic given how much she denigrates others for showing vulnerability. Ultimately, her character is summarized as one massive contradiction.
9/10 Inosuke Is Weaker Than The People He Bullys
Demon Slayer
For someone who constantly obsesses about his strength, Demon Slayer‘s Inosuke isn’t in a great position to judge. Of the three main heroes, he is handily the weakest. Despite the ways he torments Zenitsu, the (literally) pig-headed young man wouldn’t stand a chance against his unconscious state.
When encountering Rui’s Spider-Demon father, Inosuke promptly got humiliated and hospitalized. While it was the first sign that he had a way to go, Inosuke unfortunately failed to realize that his mouth signed checks his weapons couldn’t cash.
8/10 Everyone Knows Sanji Is A Hypocrite
One Piece
Despite constantly denigrating Zoro for being too harsh on women, Sanji is One Piece’s most notorious hypocrite. While he might not attack them – to the detriment of the women in his own crew – the Straw Hat chef makes their lives more difficult in worse ways.
Sanji constantly makes explicit remarks toward women, repeatedly expressing his unrequited interest much to the chagrin of the other crew members. He also made an outstandingly creepy comment to a pre-adult Nami, citing how eager he was to watch her “blossom.”
7/10 Yoshikage Kira Was A Novelty Villain
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Yoshikage Kira was by far the most pathetic main villain in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. In addition to being defeated almost entirely by Josuke, he evolved his Stand into a weapon that could conceal his murders perfectly, only to be exposed anyway.
Further, Kira didn’t even have his own minions. Instead, his father simply went around town converting random strangers into Stand users and hoping that they would protect him. As a result, there were a greater number of redemption arcs in Diamond Is Unbreakable than any other act before or since.
6/10 Kaiba Made A Joke Of Himself Constantly
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Despite being Yu-Gi-Oh‘s most recurring villain, Kaiba can’t help but take hits to his credibility. In addition to losing in the first act, his subsequent attempts to overcome Yugi at Duel Monsters have resulted in greater humiliations of varying degrees.
Given his accessibility to virtually every card ever made, this speaks to how incompetent he is at the game.
One of the few times Kaiba actually defeated Yugi was when he threatened to take his own life if he lost. However, this conveys him more as a temperamental man-child than a cunning strategist.
5/10 Shigaraki Is A Short-Tempered, Incompetent Brat
My Hero Academia
Despite being one of My Hero Academia‘s main antagonists, Shigaraki made a horrible first impression. He led his first attack at U.A so poorly that an army of hardened criminals lost to a class of untested teens. The villain himself didn’t contribute much to the battle, having been shut down by Eraserhead with a single glance.
From failing to convert Bakugo to losing All For One, most of Shigaraki’s endeavors have been a failure ever since. A more competent villain like Re-Destro or Overhaul could have used his resources for much more devastating results.
4/10 Lelouch Was Nothing Without His Geass
Code Geass
Code Geass‘ Lelouch would like others to believe that he was a tactical mastermind. However, he barely managed to keep up with Schneizel in spite of his overpowered ability and the vast Britannian resources at his disposal.
Lelouch cannot even call himself a talented fighter, as he had low endurance and didn’t perform remarkably well in a nightmare. The only thing he accomplished was killing his own father and uniting the entire world in mutual hatred of what he was doing.
3/10 Eren Destroyed Everything He Touched
Attack On Titan
Attack On Titan‘s Eren Yeager cannot ultimately be considered a compelling hero or even a tragic villain. His “plan” to endear Eldians to the world by massacring 80% of the population had the worst possible outcome. Not only did the outside world loathe Paradis for the Rumbling, he died a monster to his friends.
By using the Paths, Eren even arranged for the death of his own mother to set him down his misguided journey in the first place. Considering that Path users are supposed to see the future, Eren’s plan was horrendously myopic and unintelligible.
2/10 Madara Was Ultimately A Useful Pawn For Greater Villains
Naruto
Naruto‘s Madara is considered one of the most interesting villains ever written. Despite viewing himself as a legend, the shinobi has almost nothing to show for his strength.
He failed to dissuade the Uchiha from leaving the Leaf, lost against Hashirama when trying to take over, and didn’t manage to kill a single named character by his own hand after getting resurrected. To make matters worse, Madara got betrayed by two of the only people who sided with him, which shows how overconfident he was.
1/10 Mineta Is Class 1-A’s Most Despised Character
My Hero Academia
Mineta is one of the few Class 1-A members who is even less likable than Shigaraki. Despite masquerading as a hero, he constantly makes predatory advances on the school’s girls, such as drilling a hole in their bathroom wall.
Further, Mineta carries himself haughtily, often flaunting his average grades to the class’ lower performers. This is in spite of the fact that he has a terrible Quirk that his poor physiology does little to compliment. Unlike Midoriya, who would approach danger even without a power, Mineta will hide at the first sign of trouble, using others as a distraction if necessary.