Rogues Gallery / Anime & Manga

• Assassination Classroom: There's a fairly small but frequently appearing list of enemies who either want to kill Koro-sensei or to discredit and humiliate the Class 3-E students (in two instances, both at the same time), including Chairman Gakuho Asano, Shiro, Akira Takaoka, the Reaper, Itona Horibe, Chairman Asano's son Gakushu Asano, and the Virtuosos (led by Gakushu and consisting of Teppei Araki, Ren Sakakibara, Natsuhiko Koyama, and Tomoya Seo). Of this list, the Virtuosos know nothing of Koro-sensei and are more academic antagonists to Class 3-E, and Itona eventually makes a Heel–Face Turn. On a lesser note where the list of antagonists is concerned, one could make special mention of Red-Eye, Nagisa's mother Hiromi Shiota, and the assassin trio of Smog, Grip and Gastro, but Red-Eye is more of a Punch-Clock Villain who backs down from trying to snipe Koro-sensei after his multiple attempts in his introductory episode, Hiromi isn't any real threat to Koro-sensei or Class 3-E as a wider group beyond trying to burn down their schoolroom and has managed to mend fences with Nagisa by her second appearance, and the last three have far more standards than Takaoka, their employer, as they're not up for killing schoolkids.
• Astro Boy has quite a few recurring nemeses, such as the ruthless gangster Skunk Kusai, international crime boss Kim San Kaku and Mad Scientist turned conman Dr. Foola. Surprisingly, his three most iconic foes, Atlas, Pluto and The Blue Knight were all limited to a single story arc of the original manga, usually because they died at the end, but Atlas was made a recurring character in the 80s anime and the others followed suit in the 2003 series.
• Although The Big O is a series about Humongous Mecha as opposed to strictly superhero fare, Roger Smith's constant comparisons to Batman means he gets a group of adversaries over the course of the series. These include Alex Rosewater, Jason Beck, Angel, Schwartzwald, Alan Gabriel, and Agent 12.
• The Dragon Ball franchise isn't strictly a superhero story (Gohan's "Great Saiyaman" persona notwithstanding, plus there is the frequent comparison of Goku to Superman), but over the course of the different series and movies, and if you include those who have repeat appearances in non-canon material, Goku and friends have faced a respectably-sized number of recurring enemies, most of whom are of alien origin like Goku himself, and who frequently seek to either rule the Earth (or the universe) or destroy it and everyone in it. Those who have shown up in more than one saga or series or in multiple movies include Vegeta, Piccolo (both the original King Piccolo and his reincarnation Piccolo Jr.), Emperor Pilaf, Frieza, Cell, the Red Ribbon Army (led by Commander Red and including Staff Officer Black, Ninja Murasaki, General Blue, Major Metallitron, Captain Yellow, and Dr. Gero and his Androids), Mercenary Tao, Garlic Jr., Cooler, Broly, Hit, and Goku Black. Of course, this includes those who eventually join the good guys, as Vegeta, Piccolo, and Androids 17 and 18 do.
• Fullmetal Alchemist pits the Elrics and their allies against a large number of powerful villains. This mostly comprises Father and his Homunculi including Pride, Lust, King Bradley/Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, and Greed, as well as Scar, Solf Kimblee, Barry the Chopper, The Gold-Toothed Doctor, and the being known as Truth. Full Metal Alchemist 2003 both subtracts and adds to this list with characters like Dante, Frank Archer, new versions of Sloth and Wrath, and Shou Tucker^note  who was a one-shot villain in the manga.
• Gintama: While this series isn't a superhero show, its hilariously absurd premise allows for a lot of the usual elements one expects of a superhero work (the hero uses insanely powerful abilities to defend his city from criminal elements and the occasional alien threat), so naturally Gintoki and company get to face several recurring antagonists of varying threat levels across the series, whether they be human or Amanto. Some, including Shinsuke Takasugi and the members of the Kiheitai (Bansai Kawakami, Matako Kijima, Henpeita Takechi, and Nizo Okada) prove to be quite dangerous, while others, such as Prince Hata and the Evil Organization, are either accidental threats or outright laughable depending on the episode's plot. Other adversaries include Zenzo Hattori, the Tendoshu, Oboro, Peacock Princess Kada, Kintoki Sakata, Utsuro, and the Harusame Space Pirates (which includes the likes of Abuto and Kagura's brother Kamui).
• Hunter × Hunter: while some villains in the series are dealt with by the end of an arc, there's a decent amount of recurring antagonists who cause problems for Gon and his friends; namely Hisoka, Illumi, Chrollo Lucifer and the Phantom Troupe, and occasionally^note They may have the same goal as the protagonists or nothing to do with them at all, depending on the situation. Like Illumi, they're mainly a source of conflict for Killua. the Zoldyck family. There's also characters like Meruem the Chimaera Ant King, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, Menthuthuyoupi, and Genthru, who have made a decent number of appearances in other media, despite only being in one arc.
• The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise has the varying generations of the Joestar family going up against some truly—ahem—bizarre adversaries, most of whom don't appear past the specific adventure of the relevant JoJo they face but do show up in multiple other media. The most recurring foe across the franchise is Dio Brando, whether he appears in person or has inspired, influenced, or is otherwise somehow connected to the baddie of the current Part (and frankly, there aren't a lot of other villains in the franchise who aren't affected by him in some way). Other noteworthy foes, including those who only appear once in their respective manga/anime Part but also show up in other JoJo-related media such as video games, consist of Kars, Wamuu, Esidisi, Hol Horse, N'Doul, Mariah, Daniel J. D'arby, Pet Shop, Vanilla Ice, Yoshikage Kira, Akira Otoishi, Diavolo, Vinegar Doppio, Enrico Pucci, and Funny Valentine.
• If you look at Lupin III from the perspective of the law, then Lupin and his gang (Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko) are a recurring Rogues Gallery for Inspector Zenigata. Well, they are criminals, so...
  • On Lupin's end, he has his own list of recurring adversaries across the franchise. These include Zenigata (of course), Rebecca Rossellini, Agent Nyx, Leonardo da Vinci (really), Mr. X, Kyosuke Mamo, and Pycal. One could also consider Fujiko to be part of this list, as depending on the plot she's just as likely to work against Lupin as she is to work with him (and Jigen consistently warns him not to trust her, to no avail). Initially Goemon was one of his adversaries too, but eventually became an ally.
• My Hero Academia, as a series about super-powered humans who can undergo official training to become superheroes, naturally has a list of recurring villains, most of whom are members of or affiliated with the League of Villains. This list includes All For One, Kurogiri, Hero Killer Stain, Tomura Shigaraki, Giran, Dabi, Himiko Toga, Mr. Compress, Magne, Spinner, and Twice.
• Naruto and his allies have a rather wide list of foes whose motives range from wanting to capture and control the Nine-tailed Fox, to destroying Konoha as a whole village, to taking revenge against specific persons in Konoha. Enemies include Madara Uchiha, Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, any ninja from the Hidden Sound Village (which was founded by Orochimaru and includes Kimimaro Kaguya and the Sound Four), the Akatsuki (especially their leader Tobi aka Obito Uchiha), Danzo Shimura, Sasuke Uchiha (following his Face–Heel Turn), the Nine-tailed Fox (pre-Heel–Face Turn), and several members of the Otsutsuki clan. It should be noted, though, that not all of these face Naruto or any of his comrades in direct physical combat, and in some cases the opposition is more ideological (Danzo genuinely wants what he believes is best for Konoha but is prepared to get his hands really dirty to do it, while the Akatsuki's Nagato genuinely wants to eradicate all conflict due to the hell he and his home village went through as a result of war), while in others the opposition is done more behind the scenes (Obito, Madara, and Orochimaru all work through manipulation of others, while the Fox was Naruto's Enemy Within for a very long time, again before the Heel–Face Turn).
• One Piece:
  • While One Piece isn't a superhero series, the Straw Hat Pirates do face a number of varied and colorful adversaries (some being Marines or bounty-hunters, some being other pirates, some with superpowers and some without) who show up in two or more arcs, including arcs that may fall within the same overall saga, and who oppose them in at least two of those appearances. Foes who fit the bill include Buggy the Clown, "Iron Mace" Alvida (both before and after she got her Devil Fruit, the second time in a Villain Team-Up with Buggy), Dracule Mihawk, Smoker, Sir Crocodile and the agents of Baroque Works (specifically the Mr. 5 team, Mr. 3, and Mr. 1, all of whom show up in more than one arc to include post-Alabasta), "Black Cage" Hina, Foxy the Silver Fox (if you include his anime-only appearances), Aokiji, the Cipher Pol 9 agents (particularly Rob Lucci), Bartholomew Kuma, Gecko Moria, Vice-Admiral Momonga, Kizaru, Akainu, Donquixote Doflamingo, Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin, Kurozumi Orochi, Kaido, and the Blackbeard Pirates; and if you include the anime specials and video games that are part of the overall franchise, then the likes of Kuro, Don Krieg, Arlong, Wapol and Enel (all one-arc villains) are part of the gallery too. Of the ones listed here, though, circumstances may change their standing on the list, since Mihawk is a Noble Demon and semi-Friendly Enemy who only opposes the Straw Hats and other pirates by virtue of him being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Smoker eventually becomes more of a Reasonable Authority Figure whose only real reason for continuing to (officially) pursue the Straw Hats is because they're pirates, Aokiji only opposes the Straw Hats due to his position as an Admiral up until his defection from the Marines, Buggy and Crocodile enter into an Enemy Mine situation with Luffy during the Summit War Saga, and Kuma is more of a Stealth Mentor rather than being truly malicious.
  • On the flip side, any pirate or other criminal who has a bounty poster (including the Straw Hats themselves) counts as being part of a Rogues Gallery for the Marines.
  • In the series' Chopperman specials, which put Chopper in the role of a typical superhero, he gets a cast of regular enemies to fight, based on the other members of the crew: Dr. Usodabada, Zorogilla, Sanjilops, Robiflowan, and the Luffy-Bomber and Frangashan mecha (though Luffy-Bomber does a Heel–Face Turn in his first appearance).
• Ranma ½: Ranma Saotome can't exactly catch a break with a collection of antagonists always out to beat him, the seemingly unbeatable. Yet Ryoga, Mousse, Principal and Tatewaki Kuno, Gosunkugi, Hinako, Cologne, Pantyhose Taro, and Happosai all press on...^note Hell, even his own suitors can be this, depending on how far they're willing to go to make him into a bridegroom.
• Samurai Flamenco, being a series that serves as a light-hearted Reconstruction of superhero tropes, gives the titular hero a set of foes, though they're mostly arc villains. The list of enemies he faces includes King Torture, Beyond Flamenco, Ultimate Prime Minister, Alien Flamenco, and Haiji Sawada.
• Tiger & Bunny, a corporate-sponsored superhero duo, has a set of villains they have to face, some of whom are members of or affiliated with the mysterious Ouroboros organization. Their enemies include Lunatic, Jake Martinez, Kriem, J.G. Benjamin, H-01, and Rotwang—and that's not counting the ones who appear in only one episode.
• Like its more comical abridged-series counterpart below, Yu-Gi-Oh! has a list of recurring antagonists who serve largely as rivals to Yugi and/or his friends; their intentions usually involve claiming Yugi's Millennium Puzzle and the power it possesses, proving themselves superior in some way, or some overlap of the two. The most frequently-appearing enemies are Seto Kaiba, who is determined to overcome Yugi to the point of trying to kill him and his friends in one instance, and Yami Bakura, the spirit of the Millennium Ring, who wants to claim the Puzzle in order to use its power for his own nefarious ends. Others on the list include Seto's brother Mokuba (who, keep in mind, was a lot more malicious in his earliest appearances in the manga), Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Mai Valentine (specifically, her first appearance as an antagonist during Duelist Kingdom and her Brainwashed and Crazy period during the anime-only Doma arc), Marik Ishtar and the Rare Hunters (Ghouls in the original Japanese), Kemo (who's worked for both Kaibacorp and Industrial Illusions), and the Big Five; and if you want to include one-arc and filler villains, then Maximillion Pegasus, Dartz, Zigfried von Schroeder, Aknadin and Zorc Necrophades (the latter two during the Memory World arc) are part of this list too. Interestingly, the Millennium Ring itself could be considered a villain too, due to how much of an impact its very presence has had across the franchise, to include canon and non-canon material.
  • Appropriately for a duelist whose Elemental Hero deck is superhero-themed, Jaden Yuki of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX sequel series has his own share of recurring antagonists, some of whom are dueling rivals who want to get him expelled from Duel Academy, to get the Slifer Red dorm discredited, to simply humiliate Jaden (and there's often quite a bit of overlap between those three motives), or to conquer the world for one reason or another; and some make multiple appearances across the show's four seasons, or else they're arc or season-specific foes. Over the course of the series, enemies that appear include Dr. Vellian Crowler, the Shadow Riders, Titan (both as a hired goon of Crowler's and as a member of the Shadow Riders), Slade and Jagger Princeton, Sartorius, the Light of Destruction, Adrian Gecko, Yubel, Trueman, and Darkness (originally introduced as Atticus Rhodes' Superpowered Evil Side before showing up as a character in his own right in the fourth season); while the manga, which is set in an alternate continuity, gives us Tragoedia and his Co-Dragons Reggie Mackenzie and David Rabb. It should be noted, however, that not all of these opponents actually duel Jaden, and their antagonism takes other forms (Slade and Jagger pressure their younger brother Chazz, during his stint as North Academy's representative, to defeat Jaden in order to be allowed to join them in uplifting the family name, while Adrian manipulates Jaden and company in order to get power for his own ends, and the Light of Destruction acts primarily through manipulation of Sartorius and is only implied to be defeated by Jaden off-screen between the third and fourth seasons). And if one wants to get really technical, a case could be made for Seto Kaiba, Duel Academy's founder, being a Greater-Scope Villain to Jaden despite him only making two on-screen appearances in the whole series and never one time interacting with Jaden himself^note not counting the flashback during Season 3 which reveals that Kaiba Corp, at child!Jaden's request, sent Yubel's card into space in an effort to purify it of its malevolent corruption, only for it to get more corrupted by the Light of Destruction, since the initial prejudice against Silfer Red is due to Kaiba's own bias when creating the dorms (Slifer Red was made the lowest of the three to emphasize Kaiba's dislike of Yugi, who wielded Slifer the Sky Dragon during Battle City in the original series).

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