History SmugSnake / AnimeAndManga

* Job Trunicht from ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is particularly notorious for throwing an ''interstellar nation'' under the bus for personal gain, multiple times. In an unusual example, he's actually aware of what a slimy scumbag he is:

[[spoiler:Nagi from the ''Mai-Otome'' manga partially subverts the trope by being the only version of Nagi in the mangas or animes to make a HeelFaceTurn and actually reveal himself to be a semi-decent human being. He actually dies in a HeroicSacrifice defending the main hero! It is, however, only a partial subversion, because for ''most'' of the series, he ''was'' a complete ass.]]

** Much, ''much'' later on, Kurt Godel, Governor General of Ostia seems to be like this. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as he's actually [[MagnificentBastard powerful enough to take on Negi]], and [[WildCard might actually be (or not)]] an ally of the BigBad.]] It turns out Kurt ''thinks'' he's a lot better at manipulation than he actually is, sending him right back into this trope, if only because he underestimated the Nakama's surveillance capabilities and didn't account for their [[spoiler: informant from the future]], although to be fair, he really [[DidntSeeThatComing had no possible way of knowing]] about that last one. [[spoiler: As such, he pulls a HeelFaceTurn and joins Negi's group, and ''then'' he re-joins Ala Rubra.]]
* [[http://static.zerochan.net/Nyantenshi.full.653101.jpg Nyatenshi from]] [[Anime/NyanpireTheAnimation The Gothic World of Nyanpire]] loves making this expression around [[BadassAdorable Masamunya.]] [[HoYay Usually to make him jealous around Nyanpire.]]

** Eis Shenron of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' also fits. While undeniably powerful, he only manages to inflict any real damage to Goku by using [[CombatPragmatist dirty tactics]], and he snivels and begs for his life the minute Goku has him at his mercy. Even after blinding Goku and, in his words, cutting his power in half, Eis is easily killed by Goku, who remarks his other senses are just as keen as his sight.

* Kazamatsuri Hayato from ''Anime/{{Gilgamesh}}'', perhaps portrayed as a complete asshole in an attempt to make EvilMatriarch Kageyama Hiroko look more sympathetic in comparison.

** Eighth Espada Szayelaporro Granz is also a Smug Snake; he considers himself an infallible genius and the "perfect being" despite the fact he only managed to get the advantage he had over Renji and Ishida by studying both of them and setting things up in advance to put the odds drastically in his favor when they fought. His arrogance takes a major blow when Mayuri Kurotsuchi reveals he completely outmaneuvered him scientifically, and Szayelaporro to [[VillainousBreakdown swearing, stomping, and screaming like a spoiled child]] when nothing is working. When he tries crossing his final and most heinous MoralEventHorizon ([[spoiler: forcibly impregnating Mayuri's "daughter" and liutenant, Nemu, with himself so he can come back to life, which kills her]]), he winds p suffering a horrific KarmicDeath because he underestimated the depth of Mayuri's own preparations ([[spoiler: he gave Nemu a strange poison that took effect when Szayelsporro used her to revive himself]]). Rather tellingly, despite Mayuri's own rampant sociopathy, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Szayelaporro disgusts him.]]

** [[spoiler:Dante]] from the first anime is no better, being an egotistical, [[BodySurf bodysnatching]] bitch who while quite intelligent, fails to earn the audience's respect or admiration, due to her [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], [[EvilIsPetty pettiness]], willingness to destroy countries just [[spoiler:so she can live a little longer]], and attempts at taking over one of TheHero's two {{Love Interest}}s (who [[BreakThecutie had already gone through]] lots of crap [[spoiler:with her baby]]).

* Orochimaru from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a high-functioning example and, as a snake-themed villain, a literal one. He is a genuine badass ninja and a war hero [[NinjaZombiePirateRobot who also happens to be]] a MadScientist, EvilSorceror, cult leader and terrorist, but he is far too arrogant and sadistic for his own good and he has been guilty of BondVillainStupidity since as far back as the Chuunin Exam arc, which ultimately [[AnArmAndALeg cost him his arms]]. Furthermore, he's prone to doing things that are counter-productive to his goals purely because [[ForTheEvulz he can]]; this is best shown when he kills the Kazekage... ''after'' the Kazekage had agreed to help him attack Konoha. So Orochimaru killed off a powerful ally, pretty much just because he could. [[SubvertedTrope On the other hand]], once he eventually TookALevelInKindness and becomes less evil ([[ALighterShadeOfBlack though not exactly "good"]], he becomes ''much'' more effective and the heroes even allow him to live in peace once the manga is over!
** His assistant Kabuto is not different. He becomes legitimately powerful (even stronger than Orochimaru himself even!) and can overpower an undead Itachi who possesses unlimited chakra, but considers himself an InvincibleVillain and during his fight against the Uchiha brothers he constantly [[EvilGloating gloats about how far he has evolved and is supposedly undefeatable]]. Also, loudly declaring that "Edo Tensei has no risks" when in fact there are quite a few ways for the reanimated soul to break free.
** [[spoiler:Madara Uchiha also can be classified. He considers himself the greatest [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] and ManipulativeBastard in the series when in fact a large part of his plan, relied on [[DragonInChief Obito]] who ultimately took control of his plan for himself once Madara died. If not for [[TheManBehindtheMan Black Zetsu]], Madara would never have even appeared in the war at all. But even his appearance at the war does not change the situation since his back-up plan was OutGambitted by Obito, who became the Jinchuuriki of the Ten-Tails instead of him. And even then, Madara claims that he has everything under control when all he can do is wait for the Alliance to do everything for him.]]

* ''Franchise/OnePiece'' both plays it straight and subverts it. There are plenty of Smug Snakes who rather satisfyingly get their asses handed to them by the Straw Hats, which makes them lose everything. The subversion comes from the fact that said snakes end up better off from said asskicking. Look no further than Wapol, who, after he was defeated by the Straw Hats and blown away from Drum island, ended up starting a toy company, became a multi-millionaire, and married a model.
** Some end up better off, but many do not. Kuro ended up forced to be a pirate again, the last thing in the world he wanted to be. Arlong lost his empire and was caught by the Marines. On the other hand, Eneru got exactly what he wanted (his own moon kingdom, meaning he's the only major ''One Piece'' villain who actually ''won''), and then there's the ones who win a little and lose a little, like Moria, who lost his ship and his zombies but got to keep his position and had his defeat covered-up by the government ([[spoiler:at least until he got told "YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness" by Doflamingo]]. It seems that the ultimate fate of a ''One Piece'' villain is left up to fate (and the whim of Oda), and being evil is no guarantee of comeuppance.

*** It also helps that he wasn't actually evil, just spoiled. It's shown that while he had no issues killing adults who defied him, he himself drew a line at killing children. That's probably why he got a HeelFaceTurn, and became Coby's most loyal friend and trusted partner in the Marines, eventually rising to a rank that's just below his father's, at Marine Headquarters (meaning that he is now stronger than his father, as officers stationed at Marine HQ (or the Grand Line in general) are stated to have strength three ranks ahead compared to those stationed at the Blue seas). Quite a bit of CharacterDevelopment for a former SmugSnake.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Seto Kaiba was a classic example during his time as the BigBad. After his HeelFaceTurn he becomes a better person, but his {{Jerkass}} behaviours and unbelievable arrogance keep him as an {{Antihero}}ic take on this trope. His stepbrother, Noah Kaiba, stepfather Gozaburo Kaiba, and former business associates, The Big Five play the trope to the hilt, as do Bandit Keith Howard, Weevil Underwood, Siegfried von Schroeder, and Marik Ishtar. The latter's SuperpoweredEvilSide averts the trope, as he's far too [[AxCrazy psychopathic]] to really have an opinion of himself
** Arguably the bigger Smug Snake during Kaiba's time as the BigBad wasn't even himself--it was ''Mokuba.'' He challenges Yugi three times, each time ''extremely'' smug, despite him being nowhere near Yugi or Kaiba's skills, and prone to freaking out any time things seemed to go wrong for him. [[spoiler: Then again, considering it's implied that he acted like that so his brother would like him again, he might be considered a sympathetic {{Deconstruction}}.]]

** All of the [[VillainOfTheWeek one-shot villains]] from the beginning of the manga are this trope, being arrogant bullies who inconceivably overestimate their ability and lose the minute their mistakes come back to bite them. The only variation in their personalities is how far they are willing to go to satisfy their cruelty. This makes the Penalty Games they experience [[CatharsisFactor cathartic]] instead of KarmicOverkill.

** In a much minor degree, the Gundam-homage successor to Maxwell, M'Quve.

* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': [[SmallNameBigEgo Prussia]] is a more humourous version of this trope. He dreams of conquering and enslaving the world, but if he comes close he's often cut back down to size. [[DracoInLeatherPants The fans tend to love him for it, though.]]

* Amanuma from ''Manga/MekkoRarekko'' is a total {{Jerkass}} and he doesn't care if he is. To name just a few things, he's the leader of a gang of bullies and he tortures Taishou a lot in first grade and when he transfers to his school and class again he bullies and tortures him again.

*** [[spoiler:[[BigBad Diavolo]] seems to believe he's a lot smarter than he actually is, seemingly not realizing that most of the time, [[BornLucky he's just lucky]]]].

* Akihiko Kurata, the MadScientist from ''Anime/DigimonSavers'', is incredibly manipulative, condescending, and selfish, and his habit of situating himself well out of harm's way until he's absolutely sure of success makes him even more infuriating. This is somewhat made up for by his [[DirtyCoward extreme cowardice]], which makes the times when things actually go against him very satisfying indeed.
** Every season of Digimon has at least one Smug Snake. [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Adventure]] has [[TheImp Picodevimon]], [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 02]] has [[EvilGenius the Digimon Kaiser]], [[Anime/DigimonTamers Tamers]] has [[ManiacMonkeys Makuramon]], [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Frontier]] has ''two'': [[TheStarscream Mercurymon]] and [[BigBad Lucemon]], and ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' had [[YouDirtyRat Chuchumon.]]

** Every season of Digimon has at least one Smug Snake. [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Adventure]] has [[TheImp Picodevimon]], [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 02]] has [[EvilGenius the Digimon Kaiser]], [[Anime/DigimonTamers Tamers]] has [[ManiacMonkeys Makuramon]], [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Frontier]] has ''two'': [[TheStarscream Mercurymon]] and [[BigBad Lucemon]], and [[Anime/DigimonXrosWars Xros Wars]] had [[YouDirtyRat Chuchumon.]]

** ''Manga/VentoAureo'':

--->'''Goose''': (''To Mrs. Beriam'') Our plan is to get Master Huey out of jail. The police would be stupid to try and stop the train and arrest us. Once we reach the city border we're going to [[spoiler: kill your daughter and leave her body on the side of the tracks]]. Don't be stupid enough to [[spoiler: offer yourself as a sacrifice]]. This way, Senator Beriam will have no choice but to give in to our demands. [[EvilIsPetty I know this isn't going to be much comfort]] but [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog I'll shoot her]] myself]]

** Luppi, the replacement sixth Espada, was a Smug Snake in a big way; convinced of his indisputable superiority to his predecessor (Grimmjow), overestimating his skills in his fight with Hitsugaya, [[MemeticMolester leering on Matsumoto]] as they fight and threatening to kill Orihime because he was injured in a diversion to cover for her abduction. Eventually, he gets killed in one shot by Grimmjow.
** Eighth Espada Szayel Aporro Granz is also a Smug Snake; he considers himself an infallible genius and the "perfect being" despite the fact he only managed to get the advantage he had over Renji and Ishida by studying both of them and setting things up in advance to put the odds drastically in his favor when they fought. His arrogance takes a major blow when Mayuri Kurotsuchi reveals he completely outmaneuvered him scientifically, and Szayel to [[VillainousBreakdown swearing, stomping, and screaming like a spoiled child]] when nothing is working. When he tries crossing his final and most heinous MoralEventHorizon ([[spoiler: forcibly impregnating Mayuri's "daughter" and liutenant, Nemu, with himself so he can come back to life, which kills her]]), he winds up suffering a horrific KarmicDeath because he underestimated the depth of Mayuri's own preparations ([[spoiler: he gave Nemu a strange poison that took effect when Szayel Aporro used her to revive himself]]). Rather tellingly, despite Mayuri's own rampant sociopathy, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Szayel disgusts him.]]

* Orochimaru from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a high-functioning example and, as a snake-themed villain, a literal one. He is genuine badass ninja and war hero [[NinjaZombiePirateRobot who also happens to be]] a MadScientist, EvilSorceror, cult leader and terrorist, but he is far too arrogant and sadistic for his own good and he has been guilty of BondVillainStupidity since as far back as the Chuunin Exam arc, which ultimately [[AnArmAndALeg cost him his arms]]. Furthermore, he's prone to doing things that are counter-productive to his goals purely because [[ForTheEvulz he can]]; this is best shown when he kills the Kazekage... ''after'' the Kazekage had agreed to help him attack Konoha. So Orochimaru killed off a powerful ally, pretty much just because he could. [[SubvertedTrope On the other hand]], once he eventually TookALevelInKindness and becomes less evil ([[ALighterShadeOfBlack though not exactly "good"]], he becomes ''much'' more effective and the heroes even allow him to live in peace once the manga is over!

** [[spoiler:Madara Uchiha also can be classified. He considers himself the greatest [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] and ManipulativeBastard in the series when in fact a large part of his plan, relied on [[DragonInChief Obito]] who ultimately took control of his plan for himself once Madara died. If not for [[TheManBehindtheMan Black Zetsu]], Madara would never have even appeared in the war at all. But even his appearance at the war does not change the situation since his back-up plan was OutGambitted by Obito who became the Jinchuuriki of the Ten-Tails instead of him. And even then Madara claims that he has everything under control when all he can do is wait for the Alliance to do everything for him.]]
** [[spoiler:Despite being very smart and cunning, Black Zetsu firmly falls under this trope at the moment of Kaguya's revival. Due to its tendency [[UnderestimatingBadassery towards underestimating his opponents]], [[EvilGloating constant gloating]] even in the moments when it is more logical to keep silent and his [[{{Pride}} arrogance]], Kaguya gets re-sealed about ten chapters after she is released only this time he is sealed together with her in order to make sure that he never revives her again.]]

* ''Franchise/OnePiece'' both plays it straight and subverts it. There are plenty of Smug Snakes who rather satisfyingly get their asses handed to them by the Straw Hats, which makes them lose everything. The subversion comes from the fact that said snakes end up better off from said asskicking. Look no further than Wapol who after he was defeated by the Straw Hats and blown away from Drum island ended up starting a toy company, became a multi-millionaire, and married a model.
** Some end up better off, but many do not. Kuro ended up forced to be a pirate again, the last thing in the world he wanted to be. Arlong lost his empire and was caught by the Marines. On the other hand, Eneru got exactly what he wanted (his own moon kingdom, meaning he's the only major ''One Piece'' villain who actually ''won'',) and then there's the ones who win a little and lose a little, like Moria who lost his ship and his zombies but got to keep his position and had his defeat covered-up by the government ([[spoiler:at least until he got told "YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness" by Doflamingo]]. It seems that the ultimate fate of a ''One Piece'' villain is left up to fate (and the whim of Oda), and being evil is no guarantee of comeuppance.
*** Eneru also wanted to annihilate Skypeia, which he only managed to do partially before he got beaten down. So...3/4 victory?

*** It's evident in the [=BW049/BW050=] two-parter, where the best plan they'd built to ''date'' might have succeeded if Meowth hadn't arrogantly assumed Pikachu and Axew could do nothing while caged. Otherwise, Dr. Zager would probably have picked up the train carriage with none of the Poké Ball-bound Pokémon any wiser until it was too late. And if Meowth had just taken care of the Pokémon when they escaped rather than gloating to Pikachu's face and disconnecting their car from the train, Zager wouldn't have needed to even involve himself the way he did (having to pick up a car with uncontained Pokémon on it) which wouldn't have given the heroes time to catch up with them!]

** Unsui of the Juppon Gatana. During his time in the series, Usui always seemed to have the one-up on his fellow Juppon Gatana members, and most definitely fit the smug part of the Smug Snake, more than willing to mock and belittle his foes by pointing out how he could see through them with his "Mind's Eye". His apparent reason for joining the Juppon Gatana was to be able to kill Shishio if he ever had the chance. [[spoiler: But in his fight with Saito, he was faced with the fact that his true reason was to put up the appearance of still trying to defeat Shishio, and hiding his dishonor. Usui became even angrier when Saito pointed out that Shishio knew this and was playing him like an instrument. And then, when Usui tried to hold on to the shred of dignity he had left, Saito mopped the floor with him.]]
** Sameo Ichigase from the ''To Rule Flame'' prequel is an AffablyEvil BloodKnight who's also very prone to killing people [[DisproportionateRetribution for mere details]] (like [[spoiler: Yumi's best friend Hanabi]]), very fond of using others for his plans ([[spoiler: like Yumi's other friends Akari and Kogari, whom he wants to sell into slavery]]) and, despite being a genuinely strong fighter, in the end he has an overinflated sense of his own might. [[spoiler: And Shishio is more than happy to slay him down when Yumi's PleaseIWillDoAnything gives him the chance.]]

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':

** Eis Shenron of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' also fits. While undeniably powerful, he constantly stoops to dirty tricks while fighting Goku, such as using Pan as a HumanShield. The minute Goku has him at his mercy, Eis is left pathetically begging for his life.

* Ren Sohma from ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. She's beautiful, [[ManipulativeBitch sly, manipulative]]...and not just despicable, but in the end, very ''incompetent''.[[spoiler: She has to manipulate Rin to get her late husband Akira's box (and Rin then fails and is horrifyingly punished by its owner, Ren's much hated and abused daughter Akito). In her pursuit in making Akito miserable Ren sleeps with Akito's boyfriend but is humiliated by Shigure when he tells her he only had sex with her because she looks like an older Akito. Ren's realization she destroyed the eternal bond she gloats only exists between her and Akira, with a knife, Ren stumbles deliriously towards Akito's room to demand the box. Akito all to willingly relinquishes it, only to discover that not only is it empty but it wasn't truly her husband's to begin with, it was prepared as a consolation by the head maid. Once her plans crumble, she's left as an EmptyShell of her former self.]]

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': This seems to be a key reason why [[HarmlessVillain the Team Rocket trio]] always loses; they never once consider the possibility that their plans might fail or their inventions might be destroyed, and they're ''way'' too prone to EvilGloating. It's evident in the BW049/BW050 two-parter, where the best plan they'd built to ''date'' might have succeeded if [[spoiler: Meowth hadn't arrogantly assumed Pikachu and Axew could do nothing while caged. Otherwise, Dr. Zager would probably have picked up the train carriage with none of the Poké Ball-bound Pokémon any wiser until it was too late. And if Meowth had just taken care of the Pokémon when they escaped rather than gloating to Pikachu's face and disconnecting their car from the train, Zager wouldn't have needed to even involve himself the way he did (having to pick up a car with uncontained Pokémon on it) which wouldn't have given the heroes time to catch up with them!]]
** It's even more evident in the Kami Trio two-parter, in which they showed that they hadn't learned from their past defeat and failed to capture the legendary Pokémon because their getaway vehicle still wasn't secure enough. Thankfully, they seem to be learning better as they go on.
* As a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent somewhat-literal]] example, Ash's Snivy from the ''{{Anime/Pokemon}} Black and White'' anime treats the teammates she's on good terms with and the jerks (like Emolga early on) with the same snooty abandon. Snivy, as a species, was presumed to have a personality like this before the series even started, hence the nickname "Smugleaf."

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'':

* Ren Sohma from ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. She's beautiful, [[ManipulativeBitch sly, manipulative]]...and not just despicable, but in the end, very ''incompetent''. [[spoiler:She has to manipulate Rin to get her late husband Akira's box (and Rin then fails and is horrifyingly "punished" by its owner, Ren's much hated and abused daughter Akito), is humiliated by Shigure when he tells her he only had sex with her because she looks like an older Akito, and once her plans crumble, she's left as an EmptyShell of her former self.]]

** His "boss", Huey, isn't exactly innocent of this either.

* The manga incarnations of Nagi in both ''Manga/MyHime'' and ''Manga/MaiOtome'' are far less AffablyEvil and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] than his anime counterparts, though he is much more proactive in opposing the heroines, rather than plotting from the background. In both cases, he gets beaten pretty badly (twice in the former).\\\
[[spoiler:Nagi from the ''Mai-Otome'' manga partially subverts the trope by being the only version of Nagi in the mangas or animes to make a HeelFaceTurn and actually reveal himself to be a semi-decent human being. He actually dies in a HeroicSacrifice defending the main hero! It is, however, only a partial subversion, because for ''most'' of the series, he ''was'' a complete ass.]]
* Tomoe Marguerite from the anime version of ''Manga/MaiOtome'' spends a lot of her time plotting against Arika and her friends (and eventually the whole of Garderobe Academy), attempting to bump them ''all'' off [[PsychoLesbian in an effort to get Shizuru to notice her]]. Her inability to control her pride and keep her hatred for Arika in check prevent her from succeeding with anything bigger than small-time crimes, though she still winds up as a KarmaHoudini in the end, mainly due to her accomplice taking full responsibility for everything Tomoe did in the first half of the series (and nobody keeping close tabs on either of them).

** Jose Porla, the leader of rival guild Phantom Lord. Sneeringly arrogant, condescending, [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] and, above all, incredibly [[EvilIsPetty petty]], thinks himself a lot smarter than he actually is and is utterly unable to keep his massive ego in check - the whole reason for his attacks on Fairy Tail and the whole mess that ensued was simply the fact that he was jealous of Fairy Tail's popularity. Despite trying to keep up an AffablyEvil facade when things go his way, he quickly loses his cool and throws childish temper tantrums as soon as his plans get even slightly derailed. It is telling that, while he's obviously the strongest member of Phantom Lord, his badass [[TheDragon Dragon]] Gajeel comes across as a much more credible threat. Since Jose is such a lowlife, his VillainousBreakdown cum HumiliationConga at the hands of Makarov are a wonder to see.

* All of [[EvilChancellor the Chinese high eunuchs]] from Anime/CodeGeass, who possess practically zero merits or skills of any kind and sell out practically everyone in their own country for their own benefit, while planning to either kill or marry off a lonely girl for exactly the same reason. Their deaths in particular are oh-so-satisfying to watch.

* Chigusa Tsukikage, the BigBad during the Kyoto arc of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''. She acted all superior despite the fact that she's a DirtyCoward who hid behind a HumanShield (Konoka, [[DistressedDamsel her captive]]) whenever an enemy got near. In fact, when the inevitable happened and all her plans came crashing down around her in a spectacular manner, Chachazero, the ''AxCrazy PerversePuppet'' of [[NobleDemon Evangeline]], appeared before her and called her out for all of her cowardly actions before giving her an ignoble defeat: [[spoiler: Scaring her so badly that she fainted.]] And as though emphasizing her "feels a lot more important than she actually is" nature, the three ''[[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v05/c038/19.html minions]]'' she hired and lorded over in the Kyoto arc ([[spoiler: [[TheRival Koutarou]], [[PsychoLesbian Tsukuyomi]], and ''[[BigBad Fate]]'']]) all turned out to both be stronger and a lot more plot relevant that Chigusa herself was in the grand scheme of things.
** Much, ''much'' later on, Kurt Godel, Governor General of Ostia seems to be like this. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] as he's actually [[MagnificentBastard powerful enough to take on Negi]], and [[WildCard might actually be (or not)]] an ally of the BigBad.]] It turns out Kurt ''thinks'' he's a lot better at manipulation than he actually is, sending him right back into this trope, if only because he underestimated the Nakama's surveillance capabilities and didn't account for their [[spoiler: informant from the future]], although to be fair, he really [[DidntSeeThatComing had no possible way of knowing]] about that last one. [[spoiler: As such, he pulls a HeelFaceTurn and joins Negi's group, and ''then'' he re-joins Ala Rubra.]]
* The manga incarnations of Nagi in both ''Manga/MaiHime'' and ''Manga/MaiOtome'' are far less AffablyEvil and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] than his anime counterparts, though he is much more proactive in opposing the heroines, rather than plotting from the background. In both cases, he gets beaten pretty badly (twice in the former).\\\

* [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia Pru]][[SmallNameBigEgo ssia]] is a more humourous version of this trope. He dreams of conquering and enslaving the world, but if he comes close he's often cut back down to size. [[DracoInLeatherPants The fans tend to love him for it, though.]]

** Gabriel Miller fancies himself as a MagnificentBastard, but his overuse of risky strategies ends up getting his army killed for a fleeting to nonexistent tactical advantage, forcing him or his proxies such as [=PoH=] to to do the job himself. [[spoiler:He's also very dismissive of all of his opponents and underestimates them greatly, which gets his Vecta account killed by Bercouli, gets him held up by Sinon long enough for [[LivingMacguffin Alice]] to reach the World's End Alter, and he even [[DieLaughing Dies Laughing]] out of arrogance when Kirito deals the final blow against him.]]

* Luppi, the replacement sixth Espada in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' was a Smug Snake in a big way; convinced of his indisputable superiority to his predecessor (Grimmjow), overestimating his skills in his fight with Hitsugaya, [[MemeticMolester leering on Matsumoto]] as they fight and threatening to kill Orihime because he was injured in a diversion to cover for her abduction. Eventually, he gets killed in one shot by Grimmjow.

** Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi is a rather powerful mage, but he considers himself an unrivaled genius. In reality, his tactics invariably favor brute force, he's bad at thinking about alternative possibilities, he's needlessly aggressive and opportunistic, and his power frequently veers into SmugSuper territory. In particular, he just can't stop picking fights with a guy literally named "[[MageKiller the Magus Killer]]," which leads to his HumiliationCongaLine.

* Yang Yishan is this in ''Manga/HaouAiren'', as the extremely smug rival to Hakuron. For worse, he has Kurumi kidnapped more than once to provoke Hakuron, and in the past [[spoiler: he had Reilan gangraped and forced into prostitution, which completely broke her.]]
* Masaya Wadou is this in ''Anime/{{Witchblade}}'', on top of being a CorruptCorporateExecutive. This is his undoing because he tries so hard to be a MagnificentBastard, but he keeps fucking up royally because as BadassNormal Reiji Takayama puts it, "He's always looking for shortcuts." This winds up biting him on the ass in an cruelly ironic way.
* Makoto Isshiki in ''Anime/RahXephon'', for whom this trope is partly named after (he's nicknamed "White Snake" because of his albinism and scheming). At first he's a typical Smug Snake, but in the second half of the story [[VillainousBreakdown turns into a madman]].
** It runs in his family, [[spoiler: judging from Babhem]].
* As a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent somewhat-literal]] example, Ash's Snivy from the ''{{Anime/Pokemon}} Black and White'' anime treats the teammates she's on good terms with and the jerks (like Emolga early on) with the same snooty abandon. Snivy, as a species, was presumed to have a personality like this before the series even started, hence the nickname "Smugleaf."
* Enrico Maxwell from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' is a massive jackass who enjoys forcing Integra Hellsing to say "please" to hand her over an important file - even when his direct superior -''the Pope''- ordered him to give her the file in compensation for a massive gaffe one of his men ([[ViolentGlaswegian Alexander Anderson]]) committed. He later becomes a full KnightTemplar and tries to have his army kill all Protestants in London for the sin of not being Catholics.
** In a much minor degree, the Gundam-homage successor to Maxwell, M'Quve.
* Quattro from ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' enjoys manipulating and controlling people, belittles both enemies and allies, and does this all with [[BitchInSheepsClothing a sickeningly cutesy appearance]]. The fact that her role as support means she's usually hiding somewhere safe from her enemies while she's condescending to them doesn't help her case. Her eventual (non-fatal) fate at the business end of the titular character's [[{{BFG}} staff]] was [[Awesome/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS a very satisfying scene]].
** And now from [[DarkerAndEdgier Force]], we have Cypha, who takes this trope UpToEleven. The few times she doesn't have a smug look on her face, it's almost completely impassive.
** Most of the Huckebein are like that, really (except Deville who is [[TheQuietOne all business all the time]]). BigBad Curren seems to think she's a [[MagnificentBastard step above that]], but the jury's still out.
*** The jury is in, she's not. During her EvilVersusEvil battle with Hades Vandein, he treats her with the tolerant amusement of an adult watching a rampaging child while kicking the the stuffing out of her and two of her comrades with insulting ease. What really sells it is that it's clear from Currens attitude that she expected this to be another CurbstompBattle in ''her'' favor, and she's obviously thrown off balance by Hades' increasingly obvious superiority.
* Orochimaru from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a high-functioning example and, as a snake-themed villain, a literal one. He is genuine badass ninja and war hero [[NinjaZombiePirateRobot who also happens to be]] a MadScientist, EvilSorceror, cult leader and terrorist, but he is far too arrogant and sadistic for his own good and he has been guilty of BondVillainStupidity since as far back as the Chuunin Exam arc, which ultimately [[AnArmAndALeg cost him his arms]]. Furthermore, he's prone to doing things that are counter-productive to his goals purely because [[ForTheEvulz he can]]; this is best shown when he kills the Kazekage... ''after'' the Kazekage had agreed to help him attack Konoha. So Orochimaru killed off a powerful ally, pretty much just because he could. [[SubvertedTrope On the other hand]], once he eventually TookALevelInKindness and becomes less evil ([[ALighterShadeOfBlack though not exactly "good"]], he becomes ''much'' more effective and the heroes even allow him to live in peace once the manga is over!
** His assistant Kabuto is not different. He becomes legitimately powerful (even stronger than Orochimaru himself even!) and can overpower an undead Itachi who possesses unlimited chakra, but considers himself an InvincibleVillain and during his fight against the Uchiha brothers he constantly [[EvilGloating gloats about how far he has evolved and is supposedly undefeatable]]. Also, loudly declaring that "Edo Tensei has no risks" when in fact there are quite a few ways for the reanimated soul to break free.
** [[spoiler:Madara Uchiha also can be classified. He considers himself the greatest [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] and ManipulativeBastard in the series when in fact a large part of his plan, relied on [[DragonInChief Obito]] who ultimately took control of his plan for himself once Madara died. If not for [[TheManBehindtheMan Black Zetsu]], Madara would never have even appeared in the war at all. But even his appearance at the war does not change the situation since his back-up plan was OutGambitted by Obito who became the Jinchuuriki of the Ten-Tails instead of him. And even then Madara claims that he has everything under control when all he can do is wait for the Alliance to do everything for him.]]
** [[spoiler:Despite being very smart and cunning, Black Zetsu firmly falls under this trope at the moment of Kaguya's revival. Due to its tendency [[UnderestimatingBadassery towards underestimating his opponents]], [[EvilGloating constant gloating]] even in the moments when it is more logical to keep silent and his [[{{Pride}} arrogance]], Kaguya gets re-sealed about ten chapters after she is released only this time he is sealed together with her in order to make sure that he never revives her again.]]
** Gato of the Land of Waves arc loudly complains when Zabuza and his followers fail to kill Tazuna, despite them being stronger than him or any of the other men he has in his employ, and tries to kill both Zabuza and Team 7 after their battle in order to save money, showing considerable arrogance, overconfidence and disdain for his allies. Unfortunately, he doesn't count on the injured and {{Heel Face Turn}}ed Zabuza having enough strength and skill to kill him.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'':
** Kanryu takes the time to boast about how [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney having so much money makes him more powerful]] than warriors like Kenshin and Aoshi while attacking them with a gatling gun. However, when Kenshin manages to get past the gatling gun, Kanryu is reduced to pathetically begging for mercy before Kenshin breaks his jaw.
** Unsui of the Juppon Gatana. During his time in the series, Usui always seemed to have the one-up on his fellow Juppon Gatana members, and most definitely fit the smug part of the Smug Snake, more than willing to mock and belittle his foes by pointing out how he could see through them with his "Mind's Eye". His apparent reason for joining the Juppon Gatana was to be able to kill Shishio if he ever had the chance. [[spoiler: But in his fight with Saito, he was faced with the fact that his true reason was to put up the appearance of still trying to defeat Shishio, and hiding his dishonor. Usui became even angrier when Saito pointed out that Shishio knew this and was playing him like an instrument. And then, when Usui tried to hold on to the shred of dignity he had left, Saito mopped the floor with him.]]
** Sameo Ichigase from the ''To Rule Flame'' prequel is an AffablyEvil BloodKnight who's also very prone to killing people [[DisproportionateRetribution for mere details]] (like [[spoiler: Yumi's best friend Hanabi]]), very fond of using others for his plans ([[spoiler: like Yumi's other friends Akari and Kogari, whom he wants to sell into slavery]]) and, despite being a genuinely strong fighter, in the end he has an overinflated sense of his own might. [[spoiler: And Shishio is more than happy to slay him down when Yumi's PleaseIWillDoAnything gives him the chance.]]
* [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia Pru]][[SmallNameBigEgo ssia]] is a more humourous version of this trope. He dreams of conquering and enslaving the world, but if he comes close he's often cut back down to size. [[DracoInLeatherPants The fans tend to love him for it, though.]]
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', {{Pride}} takes this trope and runs with it. He's a condescending little prick ([[spoiler:[[EnfanteTerrible literally]]]]) with all the ego you'd expect from the living embodiment of arrogance, and almost no redeeming qualities.
** There's also [[CorruptChurch Father Cornello]]. Quite arrogant despite being a mere puppet of the homunculi, and not impressive psychically compared to the rest of the cast, it's quite satisfying watching his scam fall apart right before his death.
** Frank Archer from [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the first anime]] is the epitome of a Smug Snake; a ruthless sociopath who orchestrates heinous catastrophes for the sake of [[GloryHound bettering his own image and publicity]].
** [[spoiler:Dante]] from the first anime is no better, being an egotistical, [[BodySurf bodysnatching]] bitch who while quite intelligent, fails to earn the audience's respect or admiration, due to her [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], [[EvilIsPetty pettiness]], willingness to destroy countries just [[spoiler:so she can live a little longer]], and attempts at taking over one of TheHero's two {{Love Interest}}s (who [[BreakThecutie had already gone through]] lots of crap [[spoiler:with her baby]]).
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':

* ''Manga/DeathNote'':
** Unlike many {{Smug Snake}}s, Light Yagami is ([[DitzyGenius supposedly]]) intelligent, but his ''massive'' [[AGodAmI god complex]], pathetic {{Freak Out}}s ("he got me!"), borderline [[LackOfEmpathy sociopathy]], and tendency towards kicking dogs can and do cost him the sympathy of many, while his sheer ego, and tendency towards underestimating his opponents (and the incompetence of his own allies) can sometimes derail his plans and ultimately do get him killed. His arrogance gets in the way of him giving some of his opponents as much credit as he should.
** [[spoiler:Kyousuke Higuchi]] the Third Kira, is a more traditional example, being arrogant without reason, none-too bright, unsympathetic and fully convinced that he is the BigBad, despite being Light's puppet.
* ''LightNovel/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'': In his first appearance, Lucifer keeps playing around and gloating over the seemingly powerless Maou and Emi... and ends up filling the citizens with enough fear and despair to [[EmotionEater power Maou up]]. The minute he finds himself staring a fully-powered Maou down, Lucifer is left sniveling and shaking in fear before Maou hits him with a MegatonPunch.

* Yuri Killian became one of these toward the end of the first season of ''Anime/KaleidoStar'', enacting a complicated revenge plot against Kalos Eido, his former boss, for [[spoiler:the death of his father Aaron several years ago]]. While he succeeds in buying out Kaleido Stage and forcing most of its stars out (all the while taunting them about how they'll never make it big without him), attendance under Yuri's management dwindles rapidly because of people complaining [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks the shows aren't as fun as they used to be]]. As a final insult, his ex-partner Layla Hamilton sees what he's done, attempts to fight back and finally gives him a hard slap to the face for assuming everything was Kalos' fault even after he learned that [[spoiler:Aaron's death was genuinely accidental, and Kalos had been trying to make up for it ever since.]] [[spoiler: And then, he has a HeelFaceTurn...]]

* Akihiko Kurata, the MadScientist from ''Anime/DigimonSavers'', is incredibly manipulative, condescending, and selfish, and his habit of situating himself well out of harm's way until he's absolutely sure of success makes him even more infuriating. This is somewhat made up for by his [[DirtyCoward extreme cowardice]], which makes the times when things actually go against him very satisfying indeed.
** Every season of Digimon has at least one Smug Snake. [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Adventure]] has [[TheImp Picodevimon]], [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 02]] has [[EvilGenius the Digimon Kaiser]], [[Anime/DigimonTamers Tamers]] has [[ManiacMonkeys Makuramon]], [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Frontier]] has ''two'': [[TheStarscream Mercurymon]] and [[BigBad Lucemon]], and [[Anime/DigimonXrosWars Xros Wars]] had [[YouDirtyRat Chuchumon.]]
* Tomoe Marguerite from the anime version of ''Manga/MaiOtome'' spends a lot of her time plotting against Arika and her friends (and eventually the whole of Garderobe Academy), attempting to bump them ''all'' off [[PsychoLesbian in an effort to get Shizuru to notice her]]. Her inability to control her pride and keep her hatred for Arika in check prevent her from succeeding with anything bigger than small-time crimes, though she still winds up as a KarmaHoudini in the end, mainly due to her accomplice taking full responsibility for everything Tomoe did in the first half of the series (and nobody keeping close tabs on either of them).
* The manga incarnations of Nagi in both ''Manga/MaiHime'' and ''Manga/MaiOtome'' are far less AffablyEvil and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] than his anime counterparts, though he is much more proactive in opposing the heroines, rather than plotting from the background. In both cases, he gets beaten pretty badly (twice in the former).\\\
[[spoiler:Nagi from the ''Mai-Otome'' manga partially subverts the trope by being the only version of Nagi in the mangas or animes to make a HeelFaceTurn and actually reveal himself to be a semi-decent human being. He actually dies in a HeroicSacrifice defending the main hero! It is, however, only a partial subversion, because for ''most'' of the series, he ''was'' a complete ass.]]
* Millions Knives from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''. Missing throughout the anime except for a few scenes, we're expected to take him seriously when we see him sitting down in a field sipping a glass of wine? Even though his [[TheDragon Dragon]] [[spoiler: had nearly mentally crippled Vash, Knives lost to him in the span of an episode]]!
** This is mainly due to [[OvertookTheManga the anime overtaking the manga]]. In the manga, he has much, much more of the trappings of a terrifying [[SuperPowerLottery superpowered]] MagnificentBastard with the grandeur (and [[FatalFlaw tragic flaw]]) of a Shakespearean villain.
* Job Trunicht from ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' is particularly notorious for throwing an ''interstellar nation'' under the bus for personal gain, multiple times. In an unusual example, he's actually aware of what a slimy scumbag he is:
-->'''Trunicht:''' [[DemocracyIsBad Democracy isn't really all that remarkable]]. You can just look at me, Fleet Admiral. Someone like me can hold power and make others live and die as he likes. If that isn't a flaw of democracy, then what is?
* ''Franchise/OnePiece'' both plays it straight and subverts it. There are plenty of Smug Snakes who rather satisfyingly get their asses handed to them by the Straw Hats, which makes them lose everything. The subversion comes from the fact that said snakes end up better off from said asskicking. Look no further than Wapol who after he was defeated by the Straw Hats and blown away from Drum island ended up starting a toy company, became a multi-millionaire, and married a model.
** Some end up better off, but many do not. Kuro ended up forced to be a pirate again, the last thing in the world he wanted to be. Arlong lost his empire and was caught by the Marines. On the other hand, Eneru got exactly what he wanted (his own moon kingdom, meaning he's the only major ''One Piece'' villain who actually ''won'',) and then there's the ones who win a little and lose a little, like Moria who lost his ship and his zombies but got to keep his position and had his defeat covered-up by the government ([[spoiler:at least until he got told "YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness" by Doflamingo]]. It seems that the ultimate fate of a ''One Piece'' villain is left up to fate (and the whim of Oda), and being evil is no guarantee of comeuppance.
*** Eneru also wanted to annihilate Skypeia, which he only managed to do partially before he got beaten down. So...3/4 victory?
** Mr. 3 is probably the best example, primarily because he constantly harps about his tactics, when he's [[BigBadWannabe weaker than Mr. 4]], chronically overconfident and cowardly, and not even as smart as Crocodile. He'd like to be a MagnificentBastard, but he's far too arrogant and not as clever as he thinks.
** Helmeppo's fate isn't particularly grating, though, due to a HeelFaceTurn (he's trying to clean up his act, and he wants to restore his family's good name... by recapturing his fugitive dad).
*** It also helps that he wasn't actually evil, just spoiled. It's shown that while he had no issues killing adults who defied him, he himself drew a line at killing children. That's probably why he got a HeelFaceTurn, and became Coby's most loyal friend and trusted partner in the Marines, eventually rising to a rank that's just below his father's, at Marine Headquarters (meaning that he is now stronger than his father, as officers stationed at Marine HQ (or the Grand Line in general) are stated to have strength three ranks ahead compared to those stationed at the Blue seas). Quite a bit of CharacterDevelopment for a former SmugSnake.
** Another example is Bellamy. He boasts a fifty-five million beri bounty to Luffy, who, at the time, had a bounty that was almost double that. While Luffy didn't know about his new bounty at the time, he still saw how much weaker Bellamy was than both he and Zoro, and thus did not bother fighting him. [[BerserkButton Then he stole from Luffy's friends.]] Luffy beat his ass with one unstretched punch. The bounty in itself is not very impressive, barely notable in the first half of the Grand Line, and ''nothing'' in the New World.
*** When Bellamy returns years later, while still a villain, he's embarrassed at what an unjustifiably-arrogant loser he was in those days. And oddly enough, he and Luffy now respect each other.
** Don Krieg. The guy likes to think that he's got a fleet of ships strong enough to take on the world, and even declares himself to be the WorldsStrongestMan. In reality, he's nothing but a bully that's hopelessly outclassed by everyone who calls his bluff. Mihawk of the Seven Warlords barely considered Krieg an afterthought, and once Luffy started fighting him, it was clear that Krieg wasn't fit to even get close to the Grand Line.
* Jean Gedoo from ''Anime/{{Geneshaft}}'' has all the ego of being the valedictorian in his class (and [[Anime/YuGiOh Yugi]] [[AnimeHair hair]]), with the "best genes" for leadership. Granted, he wasn't bad tactically, but he was far too obsessed with ''asserting'' and ''proving'' his worthiness, to the point that he would do [[KickTheDog very cruel things]] simply because he felt that someone - anyone - did not acknowledge his perfection...or simply because he was [[{{Ubermensch}} perfect]] and thus [[AboveGoodAndEvil beyond judgment]]. That he had [[HoYay a problem]] with [[EnsembleDarkhorse Mario Musicanova]] really grated.
* All of [[EvilChancellor the Chinese high eunuchs]] from Anime/CodeGeass, who possess practically zero merits or skills of any kind and sell out practically everyone in their own country for their own benefit, while planning to either kill or marry off a lonely girl for exactly the same reason. Their deaths in particular are oh-so-satisfying to watch.
** There's also Mao, who is played as a Smug Snake at first... until you learn [[JerkAssWoobie what his deal is.]]
* Hajime Mizuki from ''Manga/{{The Prince of Tennis}}'' starts this way, being an extremely quirky Strategist who wasn't above of [[KickTheDog using one of his player's insecurities to his advantage]], despite the risks it'd bring to the kid. After a memorable HumiliationConga dealt to him by said player's [[BigBrotherInstinct overprotective older brother]], he gets a slightly more sympathetic role and becomes a sort of EnsembleDarkhorse making him one of the very rare Snakes who's a bit ''popular'' in fandom. Mainly since he's the epithome of AlwaysCamp and therefore it's easy to put him in HoYay situations.
* Jonathan Glenn from ''Anime/BrainPowerd'' probably thinks himself a MagnificentBastard... and that's just his first failing! A combination of overconfidence, KickTheDog moments, and the fact his manipulations never really go anywhere (plus, he later allows himself to become Baron Maximillian's pawn) gets him a place in this trope and makes him one of the most unsympathetic characters in the series.
* Katsuhiko Jinnai from ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'' certainly counts. Being a brilliant strategist and successful conqueror isn't enough to make up for [[SmallNameBigEgo his monumental ego]] and laugh; traits that make him [[LoveToHate both hateable and/or hilarious to the audience.]]
** To be fair though, this is much less true in the ''Magnificent World'' [=OVAs=]. In that continuity, he may have [[SmallNameBigEgo a big ego]], but he can easily back it up with tactical genius and [[{{Determinator}} sheer will power]]. While still not as magnificent as he sees himself, it makes him seem less like this trope than he does in the ''Wanderers'' anime series, which takes his ego UpToEleven and severely downgrades his strategic abilities so that he looks more like an IneffectualSympatheticVillain JokeCharacter.
* Haruo from ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', a fair weather friend with an ever-present [[GigglingVillain arrogant smirk]] on his face who enjoys getting Kenichi into trouble ([[spoiler:for example, by spreading the news of his victory over Tsukuba, which made Kenichi a target for Ragnarok]]). A lot of readers would like nothing better than crossing the pages of the manga and punch his teeth in...
** And he actually has ''snake tongue''!
** He really ''is'' a ManipulativeBastard, and Kenichi's masters admit that he has genuine strategic talent, and ''eventually'' he does become an asset to the team (kind of). He still has no fighting skill and an ego the size of a zeppelin, but still...
** As the series progresses, Haruo ''does'' start to demonstrate some honest dedication to his "minions" -- even going so far as refusing to abandon them even in desperate situations and making decisions with the welfare of his group as a whole, leading even many of the masters of the series to observe that he has some very real leadership qualities. To top it off, he is slowly but surely sliding into MagnificentBastard territory, even if his sense of style is...unique.
* Mikoto from ''Manga/FlameOfRecca''. Her fight with Fuuko cements her as a true Smug Snake, starting from the usage of crocodile tears, slow poisoning (while gloating on how she likes seeing life fading away), and finally, scoring a default victory through silencing the referee (who was about to declare KO), knocking Fuuko out and won over a ten count. As Raiha coined, it's not her physical strength that makes her a Jyuushinshu, it's her ''slyness''. Even Joker noted that he is ''really'' doubtful about how Mikoto ends up in the Jyuushinshu ranks. While still smuggy, she starts softening up when she got into a relationship with Mokuren. [[spoiler: But that ends [[AlasPoorVillain very pitifully]] for her.]]
* Goryo of ''Manga/MuhyoAndRoji'' prides himself on his tactics, even though his grasp of magical law is inferior to Muhyo's. Despite [[spoiler: (technically) winning the contest against Muhyo]], Goryo's plan to corner Ark fails miserably, forcing Muhyo to come to his aid. Goryo is also largely unlikable because his business model frequently involves KickTheDog moments.
* Kashmir from ''Anime/OvermanKingGainer'' is a pompous ass who uses underhanded tricks to try to defeat the Yapan Exodus. He succeeds once making it so that a Dome that the Exodus stopped at is damaged forcing them to join the Exodus which causes distrust and hatred which is the main source of Kashmir's plans (it also backfires when several of them form a second squad under former Siberian Railroad member Adette). All other plans fails at which point Kashmir who is the worst recurring mecha pilot in the series than gets his ass kicked.
* The condescending jerk Haraguchi from ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}''. This is especially displayed in the manga, where he picks up one of the Genshiken's new comic releases, thumbs through it, and gives it back. ''When he could have gotten it for free.''

* Kurotowa in ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind''. Actor Chris Sarandon, who provided his voice in the English dub, even says he based his whole performance around the character's persistent sneer.

* Luppi, the replacement sixth Espada in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' was a Smug Snake in a big way; convinced of his indisputable superiority to his predecessor (Grimmjow), overestimating his skills in his fight with Hitsugaya, [[MemeticMolester leering on Matsumoto]] as they fight and threatening to kill Orihime because he was injured in a diversion to cover for her abduction. Eventually, he gets killed in one shot by Grimmjow.
** Eighth Espada Szayel Aporro Granz is also a Smug Snake; he considers himself an infallible genius and the "perfect being" despite the fact he only managed to get the advantage he had over Renji and Ishida by studying both of them and setting things up in advance to put the odds drastically in his favor when they fought. His arrogance takes a major blow when Mayuri Kurotsuchi reveals he completely outmaneuvered him scientifically, and Szayel to [[VillainousBreakdown swearing, stomping, and screaming like a spoiled child]] when nothing is working. When he tries crossing his final and most heinous MoralEventHorizon ([[spoiler: forcibly impregnating Mayuri's "daughter" and liutenant, Nemu, with himself so he can come back to life, which kills her]]), he winds up suffering a horrific KarmicDeath because he underestimated the depth of Mayuri's own preparations ([[spoiler: he gave Nemu a strange poison that took effect when Szayel Aporro used her to revive himself]]). Rather tellingly, despite Mayuri's own rampant sociopathy, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Szayel disgusts him.]]
** Gin Ichimaru actually ''refers to himself'' as a Smug Snake, and seems to play the part rather well [[StepfordSmiler as he is all smiles]] and [[ManipulativeBastard screws around with people.]] [[spoiler:As of chapter 416, though, he graduated to a full-blooded MagnificentBastard, ''despite'' having lost his fight against Aizen.]]
** BigBad Aizen himself also qualifies, despite being introduced as a MagnificentBastard. Despite his impressive introduction, it soon becomes clear that Aizen's smooth talking and GambitRoulette fetish are covering up his use of a godlike power as a crutch; once he truly takes the stage as BigBad, instead of manipulating from the shadows, his {{Evil Plan}}s end up getting his army killed for a fleeting to nonexistent tactical advantage, forcing him to do the job himself. [[spoiler:This results in Yamamoto, Urahara (thrice, and once alongside Isshin and Yoruichi), and Gin all outmaneuvering him, which he only overcomes through having literal PlotArmor saving him from numerous life-ending attacks, including being ''disintegrated on the molecular level'' by TheDragon. Finally, when he's achieved his ultimate form and refuses to ''shut up about how powerful he is'', Ichigo shows up and [[CurbStompBattle defeats him easily]] because Aizen underestimated him. As Aizen's power level increases, his ego increases ''even more'', leading him to for no apparent reason stop using his incredibly effective powers of illusion because he thinks his sheer strength has become so great he no longer needs them.]]
* Iwamoto and Akashi from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' are what happen when you combine this with SadistTeacher. They're always cooking up schemes to get Yusuke and Kuwabara expelled, but in the end always get thwarted by Yusuke and [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Mr. Takanaka]].
** To a greater extent, Gonzou Tarukane, the hideous crimelord who imprisoned and tortured poor Yukina. He thought he had everything under control but in truth, he ''never'' even remotely stood a chance against [[MagnificentBastard Sakyou]]'s {{plan}}. [[spoiler: Gonzou was doomed from the start because he thought the Togoru brothers were working for him when they really worked for Sakyou. The OhCrap when he realizes he's been OutGambitted has this trope all over it.]]
** Rishu in the Dark Tournament arc. He thought his match against Kuwabara was in the bag due to the manipulations (read:bribery) his sponsor carried out. Oh how wrong he was.
*** His boss Butajiri, responsible for said bribery, also suffers this when Younger Toguro finds out what he's been doing and tells Sakyo about it. Turns out he blamed Yusuke (and his team by proxy) for killing Tarukune and has been enjoying the beating they've been getting due to his cheating, then he's surprised when Sakyo informs him it was Toguro who killed him. [[spoiler: Whom promptly does the same to Butajiri, [[FingerPokeOfDoom with a flick of his finger]] causing [[YourHeadASplode his head to explode]] into LudicrousGibs.]]
** There's also [[MadScientist Dr. Ichigaki]] and Elder Toguro, both particularly loathsome examples. [[spoiler:The latter gets truly wonderful comeuppance; first Younger Toguro punches him so hard he practically disintegrates, then when he shows up in the next arc (still alive and fully regenerated by his {{immortality}}), Kurama subjects him to a FateWorseThanDeath.]]
* Tenzen in ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' sees himself as a MagnificentBastard but doesn't live up to it, making a number of embarrassing mistakes as well as ''horrifying'' atrocities. [[spoiler:He gets himself killed several times over.]] Granted, some of his plans ''are'' pretty solid, but his own arrogance and sadism is his undoing.
* Dorchenov from ''Anime/MetalArmorDragonar'' is this, combined with TheStarscream. A petty, arrogant and [[DirtyCoward cowardly]] militaristic bully with an ItsAllAboutMe attitude who [[WeHaveReserves sacrifices his own soldiers]] without a care in the world, but nevertheless seems to think he's an incredibly badass MagnificentBastard. Unfortunately for him, it is pretty clear that he's a simpleton who is only dangerous because he's in a position of power - it is telling that even when his plans go the way he wants, it is only through brute strength or a stroke of dumb luck.
* Ren Sohma from ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. She's beautiful, [[ManipulativeBitch sly, manipulative]]...and not just despicable, but in the end, very ''incompetent''. [[spoiler:She has to manipulate Rin to get her late husband Akira's box (and Rin then fails and is horrifyingly "punished" by its owner, Ren's much hated and abused daughter Akito), is humiliated by Shigure when he tells her he only had sex with her because she looks like an older Akito, and once her plans crumble, she's left as an EmptyShell of her former self.]]
* [[Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Touga Kiryuu]] ''is'' very handsome, charming and manipulative -- but ultimately, he's a horrendous JerkAss even to his sister Nanami, and he can't hold a candle to [[spoiler: the ''real'' MagnificentBastard of the series, Akio Ohtori.]]
* Gouda of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' is a quite intelligent man, but he has a massive inferiority complex which makes him quite a Smug Snake. He really likes to grate on people and put them down, and the protagonists get an idea of his plan fairly early on precisely because he's the kind of person that wants recognition of his cleverness.
* Agon of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'', the living embodiment of JerkJock and a one-man OpposingSportsTeam. BrilliantButLazy meets ItsAllAboutMe meets TheGift meets ReallyGetsAround ''and'' WouldHitAGirl. It isn't pretty.
* The ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' franchise has several examples.
** Dr Clay from the OVA. The contrast to [[MagnificentBastard Kagato]], the previous arc's villain, is quite stark.
** Ramia from ''Anime/PrettySammy''.
** Yugi from ''Anime/TenchiInTokyo''.
** Tarant Shank from ''Anime/TenchiMuyoGXP''.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Jose Porla, the leader of rival guild Phantom Lord. Sneeringly arrogant, condescending, [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] and, above all, incredibly [[EvilIsPetty petty]], thinks himself a lot smarter than he actually is and is utterly unable to keep his massive ego in check - the whole reason for his attacks on Fairy Tail and the whole mess that ensued was simply the fact that he was jealous of Fairy Tail's popularity. Despite trying to keep up an AffablyEvil facade when things go his way, he quickly loses his cool and throws childish temper tantrums as soon as his plans get even slightly derailed. It is telling that, while he's obviously the strongest member of Phantom Lord, his badass [[TheDragon Dragon]] Gajeel comes across as a much more credible threat. Since Jose is such a lowlife, his VillainousBreakdown cum HumiliationConga at the hands of Makarov are a wonder to see.
** From the same arc, we have [[FrenchJerk Monsieur]] [[DishingOutDirt Sol]] of Jose's [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Element Four]], who was sure he could get the upper hand on [[GentleGiant Elfman]] by psychologically torturing him, first by reminding him of his dead sister Lisanna [[spoiler:(okay, she wasn't dead, but nobody knew that...)]] and then by forcing him to watch as Elfman's other sister Mirajane was getting the life squeezed out of her. [[HeroicResolve Oh]], [[EpiphanyTherapy how]] [[OhCrap wrong]] [[CurbStompBattle he]] [[LimpAndLivid was]].
** Minerva from the Sabertooth guild [[SmugSuper claims to be the strongest mage in the country]], yet in a contest to determine the country's top guild, she only [[KickTheDog targets the weakest members of each guild]], and when she encounters someone who's on her level or stronger than her, [[DirtyCoward she takes a hostage and runs away.]] Future appearances establish this further - she claims that Erza is her arch-rival, yet she only fights Erza when the Fairy Tail mage has been turned into a child or otherwise weakened, and in their final fight, Erza doesn't even need to use swords to defeat her.
* Goose from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}''. He's so incredibly arrogant that he goes so far as to say that the ''police'' would be stupid to try and stop him from [[spoiler: murdering the senator's daughter and leaving her body on the side of the road just to scare him into releasing his boss from prison]]. Not only that, but he says all of this, ''[[KickTheDog right in front of the senator's wife and daughter]]''. Really this (paraphrased) exchange sums it right up.
--->'''Goose''': (''To Mrs. Beriam'') Our plan is to get Master Huey out of jail. The police would be stupid to try and stop the train and arrest us. Once we reach the city border we're going to [[spoiler: kill your daughter and leave her body on the side of the tracks]]. Don't be stupid enough to [[spoiler: offer yourself as a sacrifice]]. This way, Senator Beriam will have no choice but to give in to our demands. [[EvilIsPetty I know this isn't going to be much comfort]] but [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog I'll shoot her]] myself]]
** His "boss", Huey, isn't exactly innocent of this either.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Seto Kaiba was a classic example during his time as the BigBad. After his HeelFaceTurn he becomes a better person, but his {{Jerkass}} behaviours and unbelievable arrogance keep him as an {{Antihero}}ic take on this trope. His stepbrother, Noah Kaiba, stepfather Gozaburo Kaiba, and former business associates, The Big Five play the trope to the hilt, as do Bandit Keith Howard, Weevil Underwood, Siegfried von Schroeder, and Marik Ishtar. The latter's SuperpoweredEvilSide averts the trope, as he's far too [[AxCrazy psychopathic]] to really have an opinion of himself
** Arguably the bigger Smug Snake during Kaiba's time as the BigBad wasn't even himself--it was ''Mokuba.'' He challenges Yugi three times, each time ''extremely'' smug, despite him being nowhere near Yugi or Kaiba's skills, and prone to freaking out any time things seemed to go wrong for him. [[spoiler: Then again, considering it's implied that he acted like that so his brother would like him again, he might be considered a sympathetic {{Deconstruction}}.]]
** In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' Jack Atlas was a lot like Kaiba at first. However, his first loss to Yusei hurt him much more than usual than [[BreakTheHaughty such a case]] would for such a person, making his eventual HeelFaceTurn a very slow and painful process.
* in ''Manga/{{Freezing}}'', Ganessa Roland kicks off her first major role as a character beating the protagonist offscreen, bragging about her new status as top student even though she claims not to care, eventually goads said protagonist into fighting her again, claims she brought her near-defeat on herself which is followed be ''her'' getting a beatdown, then attempts to not take any punishment for when they both get in trouble for having an unauthorized fight (which fortunately fails). This is all from episode two, mind you.

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'':

* Clair Leonelli from ''Anime/HeatGuyJ'' shows some signs of being this, at least at first. Somewhat unusually for this trope, he fits the bill not because he's ''[[JerkassWoobie unsympathetic]]'' per se, but because he spends most of the early part of the show trying unconvincingly to come across as a BadBoss to cover his own thinly-veiled inadequacies, rather than because he actually has what it takes to be a MagnificentBastard.
* Shyamalan from the first season of ''[[Anime/BirdyTheMighty Birdy the Mighty: Decode]]'' is a slimy television personality who plans to unleash a super weapon that can destroy whole planets because he thinks he can control it. [[spoiler: He can't.]]
* Amanuma from ''Manga/MekkoRarekko'' is a total {{Jerkass}} and he doesn't care if he is. To name just a few things, he's the leader of a gang of bullies and he tortures Taishou a lot in first grade and when he transfers to his school and class again he bullies and tortures him again.
* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': This seems to be a key reason why [[HarmlessVillain the Team Rocket trio]] always loses; they never once consider the possibility that their plans might fail or their inventions might be destroyed, and they're ''way'' too prone to EvilGloating. It's evident in the BW049/BW050 two-parter, where the best plan they'd built to ''date'' might have succeeded if [[spoiler: Meowth hadn't arrogantly assumed Pikachu and Axew could do nothing while caged. Otherwise, Dr. Zager would probably have picked up the train carriage with none of the Poké Ball-bound Pokémon any wiser until it was too late. And if Meowth had just taken care of the Pokémon when they escaped rather than gloating to Pikachu's face and disconnecting their car from the train, Zager wouldn't have needed to even involve himself the way he did (having to pick up a car with uncontained Pokémon on it) which wouldn't have given the heroes time to catch up with them!]]
** It's even more evident in the Kami Trio two-parter, in which they showed that they hadn't learned from their past defeat and failed to capture the legendary Pokémon because their getaway vehicle still wasn't secure enough. Thankfully, they seem to be learning better as they go on.
* In ''Manga/Brave10'', Kanetsugu Naoe is disdainful with a smile. In fact, his design is so smug it's almost a surprise he's not evil.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** While [[BigBad Dio Brando]] may be a GeniusBruiser with [[ManipulativeBastard fantastic manipulation skills]], he also has quite the ego, [[FatalFlaw something that tends to get him in a lot of trouble]].
** Most of the villains in ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' are this, notable examples being:
*** Rubber Soul, who, despite his [[FightingSpirit Stand]], Yellow Temperance, having an ability perfectly suited for infiltration and sabotage, is so confident in his abilities that he instead chooses to goad [[TheHero Jotaro]] into battle.
*** J. Geil, already shown to be [[HateSink one of the most despicable characters in the series]], shows himself as this when he brags about the power of his Stand, Hanged Man, while Polnareff and Kakyoin are left helpless to do anything against him.
*** Terence T. D'Arby is this, most likely stemming for his [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex Inferiority Complex]] against his brother, Daniel J. D'Arby. While he proves himself skilled at video games, his over-reliance on his Stand, Atum, and its {{Telepathy}} results in him being beaten by a trick Daniel would have easily seen through.
** Yuya Fungami from ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'' is this, something that extends to his Stand, Highway Star, who mocks both Rohan and [[TheHero Josuke]] throughout their battle. Sadly for them, they eventually realize that Crazy Diamond's speed is a lot faster than 60 km/h.
** ''Manga/VentoAureo'':
*** Illuso acts all high and mighty to his opponents, bragging about the invincible ability of his Stand, Man in the Mirror, up until he cornered by [[MakeThemRot Purple Haze]].
*** [[spoiler:[[BigBad Diavolo]] seems to believe he's a lot smarter than he actually is, seemingly not realizing that most of the time, [[BornLucky he's just lucky]]]].
** In ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'', there's [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalBoss Tamaki Damo]], who's bravado completely falls apart when Hato turns the tables on him]].
* ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'': Despite Shinji being the weakest Master in the Grail War (who only got his Servant because [[spoiler:his sister was forced to give her to him]]), despite him being humiliated whenever he faces literally ''anyone'', he still believes that he is going to win, and all his failures are the result of a weak Servant or people having it out for him specifically. When he [[spoiler:becomes the Master of Gilgamesh]], he thinks he's entered into an alliance with the most powerful people in the War, but he gets abandoned without a second thought when he needs help. When he tries to torture and/or rape Rin, she points out repeatedly that he is stuck in a mansion with a lot of powerful people who hate him, and he needs to run for his life. He ignores her, and suffers ''three'' separate humiliating defeats at the hands of Lancer.
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''
** Nobuyuki Sugou constantly acts smug and arrogant, and tends to speak in a sarcastic tone... but that's only because he has the powers of a GameMaster; the second the tables turn on him, he loses it and throws a temper tantrum.
** Gabriel Miller fancies himself as a MagnificentBastard, but his overuse of risky strategies ends up getting his army killed for a fleeting to nonexistent tactical advantage, forcing him or his proxies such as [=PoH=] to to do the job himself. [[spoiler:He's also very dismissive of all of his opponents and underestimates them greatly, which gets his Vecta account killed by Bercouli, gets him held up by Sinon long enough for [[LivingMacguffin Alice]] to reach the World's End Alter, and he even [[DieLaughing Dies Laughing]] out of arrogance when Kirito deals the final blow against him.]]