History ArcVillain / AnimeAndManga

** Big Cleanup Arc: A BigBadEnsemble between StudentCouncilPresident [[KnightTemplar Shinji Kamuro]] and [[BrokenAce Ritsu Kageyama]], Mob's own brother.

* ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' features a different villain during almost every arc, with some exceptions if certain arc decides to focus on things that don't need a established antagonist.

** 7th Division Arc: [[StandardEvilOrganizationSquad The Scars]] from [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Claw]], with [[GravityMaster Ishiguro]] as their leader [[spoiler:and Touichiro Suzuki as TheManBehindTheMan]].

** Separate Ways Arc: While the main conflict between Mob and Reigen was caused by the latter, is [[EvilOldFolks Kirin Jodo]] who sets up as the antagonist during the second half of the arc, trying to ruin Reige's life and reputation as a revenge [[DisproportionateRetribution for kicking him in the stomach]].
** World Domination Arc: [[AGodAmI Touichiro Suzuki]]

** ''Manga/PhantomBlood'' has [[VampireMonarch Dio Brando]].
** ''Manga/BattleTendency'' has the [[HumanoidAbomination Pillar Men]], led by [[UltimateLifeForm Kars]].
** ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' has... [[TheBusCameBack Dio again]].
** ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'' has [[SerialKiller Yoshikage Kira]], who's more of an interesting example in that he's completely unrelated to the events of the first half of the storyline (where Keicho Nijimura and Akira Otoishi would be closer to the main villains).
** ''Manga/VentoAureo'' has [[TheDon Diavolo]].
** ''Manga/StoneOcean'' has [[SinisterMinister Enrico Pucci]].
** ''Manga/SteelBallRun'' has [[PresidentEvil Funny Valentine]].

** Reverse Mountain Arc: [[DarkChick Miss Wednesday]] and Mr. 9, Although they are both [[HarmlessVillain Harmless Villains]], and [[spoiler: [[ReverseMole Miss Wednesday]] is a subversion, being revelaed to be GoodAllAlong in the following arc.]]

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'''s {{Overarching Villain}}s are [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils The God Hand]], in particular [[ArchEnemy Griffith/Femto]], but each arc also has its own main villain:
** Black Swordsman arc: [[AdiposeRex The Slug Count]], with the Godhand as the GreaterScopeVillain.
** Golden Age arc: Initially the [[TheEmpire Chuder Empire]], represented especially by [[DepravedBisexual Lord Gennon]], then [[TheCaligula the King of Midland]] (with [[RapePillageAndBurn Wyald]] as DragonInChief), and finally the Godhand.

** Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc: [[TheAntiChrist Emperor Ganishka]] and [[DarkMessiah Griffith]], [[EvilVersusEvil opposed to one another]].

** In the anime, Medusa is the villain of the first arc, seeking to awaken Asura, the Kishin. Arachne becomes the villain of the second arc who gets Asura on her side in an attempt to rule the world, though Medusa continues to have a presence. After both witches are killed, Asura becomes the final antagonist, though he is constantly mentioned thoughout the series as the ultimate enemy.

*** Namek Arc: Freeza, a GalacticConqueror space pirate who raids Namek to obtain its Dragon Balls in hopes of gaining immortality to allow him to rule forever. Vegeta acts as a secondary antagonist and third faction in his own right, but every other villain in this arc reports to him. After this, he appears in two more arcs and two more movies.
%%*** Android Arc: Initially Android 19 and 20, before being replaced by 16, 17, and 18 thanks to ExecutiveMeddling.
%%*** Cell Arc: After some more ExecutiveMeddling, Cell replaces 16, 17, and 18 and initiates this arc. Is a threat on an intergalactic level, but fortunately died before he left Earth.
%%*** Buu Arc: Initially has none until Babidi shows up, who is then usurped by Buu, [[ItMakesSenseInContext who is then usurped by his evil, pure form]]. Neither have connections to previous villains, but Buu serves as the final villain of both the ''Z'' anime/movies and the original manga run.

** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'': Cherubimon for the first, longer arc, then Lucemon for the second and final arc.
** ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'': First Merukimon, then Kurata, then King Drasil. Though Kurata could be considered the BigBad of the entire series since his actions led to both Merukimon and King Drasil becoming a threat.

*** Devimon in the Black Gears/File Island Arc. He is the one who infects good Digimon with Black Gears, corrupts Leomon, and gets Ogremon to work for him.

*** Myotismon in the Eight Child Arc. All the evil Digimon in this arc either work for him or made a deal with his servant [=DemiDevimon=], as he seeks to find and kill the eighth child and rule both worlds.

*** Myotismon in the Eight Child Arc. All the evil Digimon in this arc either work for him or made a deal with his servant DemiDevimon, as he seeks to find and kill the eighth child and rule both worlds.

%%* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' loves this trope.
%%** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'':
%%*** Devimon in the Black Gears/File Island Arc.
%%*** Etemon in the Dark Network Arc.
%%*** Myotismon in the Eight Child Arc.
%%*** The Dark Masters in the Spiral Mountain Arc, with Apocalymon serving as the TrueFinalBoss of the last two episodes.
%%** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'':
%%*** The Digimon Emperor/Ken Ichijouji in the Digimon Emperor Arc
%%*** Arukenimon and Mummymon, with Blackwargreymon serving as a WildCard, in the Control Spire Digimon/Destiny Stones Arc.
%%*** Yukio Oikawa, with Daemon serving as a temporary [[BigBadEnsemble competition]] and [[spoiler:Myotismon]] as TheManBehindTheMan, in the Real World Arc.

*** Yamaki in the Wild Ones arc
*** Zhuqiaomon in the Deva arc
*** D-Reaper in the D-Reaper arc

%%* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':

%%* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'''s {{Overarching Villain}}s are [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils the Godhand]], in particular [[ArchEnemy Griffith/Femto]], but each arc also has its own main villain:
%%** Black Swordsman arc: [[AdiposeRex The Slug Count]], with the Godhand as the GreaterScopeVillain.
%%** Golden Age arc: Initially the [[TheEmpire Chuder Empire]], represented especially by [[DepravedBisexual Lord Gennon]], then [[TheCaligula the King of Midland]] (with [[RapePillageAndBurn Wyald]] as DragonInChief), and finally the Godhand.
%%** Lost Children arc: [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Rosine]].
%%** Conviction arc: A BigBadDuumvirate of [[ChurchMilitant Bishop Mozgus]] and [[TragicMonster the Egg Apostle]], with the Godhand as GreaterScopeVillain once again.
%%** Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc: [[TheAntichrist Emperor Ganishka]] and [[DarkMessiah Griffith]], [[EvilVersusEvil opposed to one another]].
%%** Fantasia arc: [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Griffith]] overall, with other villains such as [[SeaMonster the Sea God]] taking center stage in various mini-arcs.

** ''Manga/BattleTendency'' has the [[HumanoidAbomination Pillar Men]], led by [[AGodAmI Kars]].

** Guzma, the previously unseen boss of the [[RecurringBoss recurring]] QuirkyMinibossSquad Team Skull, serves as the main antagonist of the Alola League TournamentArc.

* ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'' lacked one during the early {{Story Arc}}s, though [[AcademicAlphaBitch Erina Nakiri]] came the closest, fitting TheRival role to the eponymous protagonist Soma Yukihira. Certain members of the [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil Council of Ten Masters]] would sprinkle in some antagonism for Soma and his classmates in later arcs, but weren't truly villains themselves, at least not until the TyrantTakesTheHelm by recruiting certain members of the Ten Masters and oust the BigGood from power, forming a "Central" organization and eliminating all dissent against their rule. From this point on, Central's leader becomes the established antagonist for the "Central saga".

%%* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
%%** Canon examples: Tsukishima in the Lost Agent Arc [[spoiler: with Ginjo as TheManBehindTheMan]] and Yhwach of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, though flashbacks have shown how he was involved with past events (i.e. [[spoiler:being responsible for Masaki's death, Katagiri's death (Uryu's mother), Old Man Zangetsu is actually a manifestation of him in his younger days]], etc.) and he has since been cemented as the new and [[FinalBoss Final]] BigBad.
%%** FillerVillain examples: Jin Kariya, [[spoiler:Shusuke Amagai]], Muramasa, and Kageroza Inaba. [[spoiler: Ouko Yushima is TheManBehindTheMan for Kageroza.]]

** ''Manga/PhantomBlood'' has [[AmbitionIsEvil Dio Brando]].

** ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' has... [[RecurringBoss Dio again]].

* This trope is very common in the fighting genre, with most entries featuring a major villain for each arc.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'''s {{Overarching Villain}}s are [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils the Godhand]], in particular [[ArchEnemy Griffith/Femto]], but each arc also has its own main villain:
** Black Swordsman arc: [[AdiposeRex The Slug Count]], with the Godhand as the GreaterScopeVillain.
** Golden Age arc: Initially the [[TheEmpire Chuder Empire]], represented especially by [[DepravedBisexual Lord Gennon]], then [[TheCaligula the King of Midland]] (with [[RapePillageAndBurn Wyald]] as DragonInChief), and finally the Godhand.
** Lost Children arc: [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Rosine]].
** Conviction arc: A BigBadDuumvirate of [[ChurchMilitant Bishop Mozgus]] and [[TragicMonster the Egg Apostle]], with the Godhand as GreaterScopeVillain once again.
** Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc: [[TheAntichrist Emperor Ganishka]] and [[DarkMessiah Griffith]], [[EvilVersusEvil opposed to one another]].
** Fantasia arc: [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Griffith]] overall, with other villains such as [[SeaMonster the Sea God]] taking center stage in various mini-arcs.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Canon examples: Tsukishima in the Lost Agent Arc [[spoiler: with Ginjo as TheManBehindTheMan]] and Yhwach of the Thousand Year Blood War Arc, though flashbacks have shown how he was involved with past events (i.e. [[spoiler:being responsible for Masaki's death, Katagiri's death (Uryu's mother), Old Man Zangetsu is actually a manifestation of him in his younger days]], etc.) and he has since been cemented as the new and [[FinalBoss Final]] BigBad.
** FillerVillain examples: Jin Kariya, [[spoiler:Shusuke Amagai]], Muramasa, and Kageroza Inaba. [[spoiler: Ouko Yushima is TheManBehindTheMan for Kageroza.]]
* ''Manga/BlueExorcist:''
** The True Cross Academy Arc: While it was an episodic arc, Amaimon was the closest it had to one.
** The Resurrection of the Impure King Arc: The titular Impure King was mostly TheHeavy while Saburota Touto was the most active villain.
** The Terror of the Kraken Arc: The Kraken.
** The True Cross Festival Arc: [[spoiler: Renzo Shima]].
** The Illuminati Arc: Dr. Michael Gedouin, with Lucifer as the GreaterScopeVillain.
** The Amori Arc: Hachirotaro Okami.
* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' has [[spoiler: The Red Dragon as the villain of the first arc. After its death, the Lunatic Magician takes over as the BigBad of the series.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':
** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'':
*** Devimon in the Black Gears/File Island Arc.
*** Etemon in the Dark Network Arc.
*** Myotismon in the Eight Child Arc.
*** The Dark Masters in the Spiral Mountain Arc, with Apocalymon serving as the TrueFinalBoss of the last two episodes.
** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'':
*** The Digimon Emperor/Ken Ichijouji in the Digimon Emperor Arc
*** Arukenimon and Mummymon, with Blackwargreymon serving as a WildCard, in the Control Spire Digimon/Destiny Stones Arc.
*** Yukio Oikawa, with Daemon serving as a temporary [[BigBadEnsemble competition]] and [[spoiler:Myotismon]] as TheManBehindTheMan, in the Real World Arc.

*** Namek Arc: Freeza, a GalacticConqueror space pirate who raids Namek to obtain its Dragon Balls in hopes of gaining immortality to allow him to rule forever. Vegeta acts as a secondary antagonist and third faction in his own right, but every other villain in this arc reports to him. After this, he appears in two more arcs and two more movies, and so moves closer to being a BigBad overall.
*** Android Arc: Initially Android 19 and 20, before being replaced by 16, 17, and 18 thanks to ExecutiveMeddling.
*** Cell Arc: After some more ExecutiveMeddling, Cell replaces 16, 17, and 18 and initiates this arc. Is a threat on an intergalactic level, but fortunately died before he left Earth.
*** Buu Arc: Initially has none until Babidi shows up, who is then usurped by Buu, [[ItMakesSenseInContext who is then usurped by his evil, pure form]]. Neither have connections to previous villains, but Buu serves as the final villain of both the ''Z'' anime/movies and the original manga run.

*** ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection of 'F']]'' Saga: Frieza (again).
*** Champa Saga: Champa, [[TheUnfought though rather than fighting directly]] he instigates a tournament that would see Earth being transported to Universe 6 if the heroes lose.

*** 22nd Tournament Arc: the Crane Hermit, being the one who is attempting to lead Tenshinhan and Chaozu down the path of evil and who himself tries to cheat and murder his rivals, going a but beyond the OpposingSportsTeam of the 21st tournament. Tenshinhan is the strongest antagonist, but he's not really villainous (beyond being a huge jerk) undergoes a de facto HeelFaceTurn before the arc is even over.

*** Pilaf Arc: Emperor Pilaf and his two cronies, [[AdaptationExpansion but only in the anime]]. In the manga they're the FinalBoss and only appear at the very end of the arc, which until then [[MonsterOfTheWeek had no villain for more than a few Chapters]].
*** 21st Tournament Arc: None, but Master Roshi serves as an effective rival for his students.
*** Red Ribbon Army Arc: The Red Ribbon Army, with their various commanders serving as the villains for their respective arc portions[[note]]Colonel Silver for the Red Ribbon Arc, General White for the Muscle Tower arc, and General Blue and Commander Red for their titular arcs[[/note]].
*** Fortuneteller Baba Arc: Similar to the Tournament Arc it has no direct villain, however Baba is the cause for them having to risk their lives against her supernatural fighters, and is less than forthcoming about just giving them what they're there for.
*** 22nd Tournament Arc: Tenshinhan, with Tsuru Sen'nin serving as the GreaterScopeVillain.
*** Piccolo Daimao Arc: Piccolo Daimao, who is indirectly why Tsuru Sen'nin is evil. He is also the first villain to be thoroughly evil and damned serious about it.

*** Saiyan Arc: Raditz serves as a DiscOneFinalBoss before being replaced by Nappa and Vegeta. Vegeta ultimately shows that he plays the part for this arc as he's far stronger [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness and more ruthless]] than Nappa is.
*** Namek Arc: Frieza is a GreaterScopeVillain for this arc, with his lackies serving as the up-front opposition while Frieza hangs in the background.
*** Frieza Arc: With his forces defeated, Frieza takes center stage as the villain. After this, he appears in two more arcs and two more movies, and so moves closer to being a BigBad overall.

*** Buu Arc: Initially has none until Babidi shows up, who is then usurped by Buu, [[ItMakesSenseInContext who is then usurped by his evil, pure form]]. Neither have connections to previous villains, but Buu serves as the final villain of ''Z'', and the original manga run.

*** Future Trunks Saga: Goku Black. [[spoiler:Though it's later revealed that he and Future Zamasu are a BigBadDuumvirate (and Black is another version of Zamasu) and the two [[FusionDance Potara fuse]] to become the FinalBoss]].
*** Universe Survival Saga: As of this writing, Jiren the Grey is the closest to this trope since he's the single most powerful character in the tournament (and potentially the most powerful character in ''Manga/DragonBall'' canon) and he stands in the way of Universe 7's survival. However, he's not villainous at all and doesn't have any specific grudge against Goku or his friends, he's just fighting because the alternative is his universe and everyone from it being erased from existence.
*** Also for Universe Survival Saga: [[TopGod Zeno]], similar to Baba, can also be considered this as he's the cause for the conflict in the first place and is feared by almost everyone for his [[RealityWarper universe-altering]] abilities when displeased.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' [[Franchise/{{Naruto}} and others]]:

* Gato from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is great example. He is the central antagonist of the Land of Waves arc, but he is of no importance to the overarching story and is just there to be the first villain. After his death heroes quickly forget about him and continue their adventures to the next arc.