History IneffectualSympatheticVillain / AnimeAndManga

** The Oingo Boingo brothers are also this. Due to the two's overreliance on Boingo's Stand (a comic book that can see the future, but also has a tendency to undergo ProphecyTwist), they end up doing more harm to themselves then they do to the heroes. The fact that the heroes aren't even aware of their existence during their encounters with them should say a lot.

* Piyoko and the Black Gema Gang are constantly scheming to try and kidnap Dejiko to ask for a ransom, and constantly fail. [[PerpetualPoverty They're always seen strapped for cash]] and trying to make ends meet one way or another.

** Not that there weren't others. There was Jean-Claude Magnum (a HopelessSuitor to Mai, and a MilesGloriosus) the unnamed Rare Hunter called "Seeker" by fans (half of Yugi's dialogue during the duel consisted of TheReasonYouSuckSpeech) and Gurimo from the DOMA arc. (If you've only seen the dub, that would be the first duelist seen using the Seal of Orichalcos; the dub didn't think he was worth a dub name.) Seriously, Gurimo not only used one ArtifactOfDoom (The Seal of Orichalcos) he was [[TooDumbToLive dumb enough]] to combine it with a ''second'' one (Obelisk the Tormentor). The only thing that was ''truly'' surprising about his loss to Yugi is why all the other characters found it so surpising!

* In ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', this spot is owned by Dallas Genoard, who isn't all that sympathetic, but is more than ineffectual enough to make up for it.

* Doctor West from ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}'' is basically just an anime [[WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown Jack Spicer]].

** They briefly TookALevelInBadass in BW, but reset back to incompetence once Team Rocket's plot arc ended.

** Hol Horse starts out as a seemingly serious threat to the heroes, with him and his partner, J. Geil, being effective [[KnightOfCerebus Knights of Cerebus]] who manage to ramp up the stakes by [[spoiler:killing Avdol]]. However, after [[spoiler:J. Geil is killed]], his over reliance on teammates and [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy inability to actually hit anything]] despite being able to control the direction of his bullets become more obvious, causing him to undergo a major case of VillainDecay, with each subsequent appearance having the heroes taking him less and less seriously [[spoiler:(The fact that he actually failed to kill Avdol probably also doesn't help)]]. By his final encounter with the heroes, most of them ignore him entirely.
** The Oingo Boingo brothers are also this. Due to the two's over reliance on Boingo's Stand (a comic book that can see the future, but also has a tendency to undergo ProphecyTwist), they end up doing more harm to themselves then they do to the heroes. The fact that the heroes aren't even aware of their existence during their encounters with them should say a lot.

** Hannyabal. Initially presented as TheStarscream, but eventually shows that [[TheDeterminator he has it where it counts]] when the going gets tough.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Lilynette, Starrk's TokenMiniMoe fraccion. She mostly fought Ukitake, who is one of the 5 most powerful shinigami in existence. Most of the fight consisted of Ukitake telling her that he doesn't want to fight a little girl and simply deflecting or dodging every attack she threw at him. Then, he played keep-away with her Zanpaktou as she cried at him to give it back and threatened over and over again to kill him. Ukitake even lectured the girl on how her determination is admirable, but she simply lacks the ability to 'fight' him properly (i.e take the sword back). She fired a [[KiManipulation cero]], he deflected it with his [[NonchalantDodge hand]]. No wonder she was pissed off.

* [[Manga/SquidGirl Ika Musume]] is a [[CuteMonsterGirl superhuman being]] with CombatTentacles and a strong desire to conquer the human race. She has a bit of trouble getting to the conquering part.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot. Taken UpToEleven in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': not only are they more outclassed than ever by the heroes due to SerialEscalation, they've been de-aged to children due to a poorly worded wish in between series, and it's strongly implied that they've somehow lost everything except the clothes on their backs. At one point, they finally collect the Dragon Balls again, only for [[spoiler:Freeza's men]] to show up and take them at gunpoint. Mai honestly looks like she's about to cry when she hands them over. A little bit later, they have to [[spoiler:come up with two wishes on the fly to stop the villains from resurrecting King Cold]], and Shu and Mai [[spoiler:wish for money and ice cream respectively]]. When Shu and Pilaf ask why Mai didn't come up with something more useful, she says that she was ''too hungry to think of anything else''. At this point, it's kind of hard to feel anything but pity for them.

* Jessie and James of TeamRocket, especially in the FourthWall-breaking 4Kids version of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. They are so pathetic, you can't help but feel sorry for them. [[EnemyMine They even occasionally team up with the heroes when the fate of the world is at stake]], showing that they're not really evil -- just misguided and incompetent. Ironically, [[EvilIsDumb they usually stop being ineffectual whenever they stop being villains.]]

** There was also Manjyome's two brothers. One was CorruptCorporateExecutive, the other a CorruptPolitician, and ''both'' were living embodiments of SmallNameBigEgo.

* Jessie and James of TeamRocket, especially in the FourthWall-breaking 4Kids version of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''. They are so pathetic, you can't help but feel sorry for them. [[EnemyMine They even occasionally team up with the heroes when the fate of the world is at stake]], showing that they're not really evil -- just misguided and incompetent. Ironically, [[EvilIsDumb they usually stop being ineffectual whenever they stop being villains.]]

* ''Franchise/PrettyCure'':
** Dorodoron in ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar''. Unlike most ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' villains, he's trying as hard as he can from the start, and is increasingly frustrated and upset by his repeated failures. When he finally comes close to victory, it all evaporates due to [[spoiler:sabotage by [[DarkMagicalGirl Michiru and Kaoru]]]]. It's hard not to feel sorry for him.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot. Taken UpToEleven in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': not only are they more outclassed than ever by the heroes due to SerialEscalation, they've been de-aged to children due to a poorly worded wish in between series, and it's strongly implied that they've somehow lost everything except the clothes on their backs. At one point, they finally collect the Dragon Balls again, only for [[spoiler:Freeza's men]] to show up and take them at gunpoint. Mai honestly looks like she's about to cry when she hands them over. A little bit later, they have to [[spoiler:come up with two wishes on the fly to stop the villains from resurrecting King Cold or instantly healing Freeza]], and Shu and Mai [[spoiler:wish for money and ice cream respectively]]. When Shu and Pilaf ask why Mai didn't come up with something more useful, she says that she was ''too hungry to think of anything else''. At this point, it's kind of hard to feel anything but pity for them.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot. Taken UpToEleven in DragonBallSuper: not only are they more outclassed than ever by the heroes due to SerialEscalation, they've been de-aged to children due to a poorly worded wish in between series, and it's strongly implied that they've somehow lost everything except the clothes on their backs. At one point, they finally collect the Dragon Balls again, only for [[spoiler:Freeza's men]] to show up and take them at gunpoint. Mai honestly looks like she's about to cry when she hands them over. A little bit later, they have to [[spoiler:come up with two wishes on the fly to stop the villains from resurrecting King Cold or instantly healing Freeza]], and Shu and Mai [[spoiler:wish for money and ice cream respectively]]. When Shu and Pilaf ask why Mai didn't come up with something more useful, she says that she was ''too hungry to think of anything else''. At this point, it's kind of hard to feel anything but pity for them.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot. Taken UpToEleven in DragonBallSuper: not only are they more outclassed than ever by the heroes due to SerialEscalation, they've been de-aged to children due to a poorly worded wish in between series, and it's strongly implied that they've somehow lost everything except the clothes on their backs. At one point, they finally collect the Dragon Balls again, only for [[Freeza's men]] to show up and rob them at gunpoint. Mai honestly looks like she's about to cry when she hands them over. A little bit later, they have to [[spoiler:come up with two wishes on the fly to stop the villains from resurrecting King Cold or instantly healing Freeza]], and Shu and Mai [[spoiler:wish for money and ice cream respectively]]. When Shu and Pilaf ask why Mai didn't come up with something more useful, she says that she was ''too hungry to think of anything else''. At this point, it's kind of hard to feel anything but pity for them.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot. Taken UpToEleven in DragonBallSuper: not only are they more outclassed than ever by the heroes due to SerialEscalation, they've been de-aged to children due to a poorly worded wish in between series, and it's strongly implied that they've somehow lost everything except the clothes on their backs. At one point, Mai [[spoiler:wishes for ice cream]] and, when the others ask why, says that she was ''too hungry to think of anything else''. At this point, it's kind of hard to feel anything but pity for them.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot.

* Jessie and James of Team Rocket, especially in the FourthWall-breaking 4Kids version of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''. They are so pathetic, you can't help but feel sorry for them. [[EnemyMine They even occasionally team up with the heroes when the fate of the world is at stake]], showing that they're not really evil -- just misguided and incompetent. Ironically, [[EvilIsDumb they usually stop being ineffectual whenever they stop being villains.]]

* Feliciano/Italy in ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'', an odd example of an ineffectual sympathetic villain title character semi-protagonist. He really only gets the title of villain because the manga is set predominantly in the WWII era. [[ArtisticLicenseHistory If further explanation of that is needed...]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece''

* ''Franchise/PrettyCure''

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Lilynette, Stark's TokenMiniMoe fraccion. She's currently fighting Ukitake, who is one of the 5 most powerful shinigami in existence. The fight so far has consisted of Ukitake telling her that he doesn't want to fight a little girl and simply deflecting or dodging every attack she threw at him. Currently, he's playing keep-away with her Zanpaktou as she cries at him to give it back and threatens over and over again to kill him. Ukitake even lectures the girl on how her determination is admirable, but she simply lacks the ability to 'fight' him properly (i.e take the sword back). She fires a [[KiManipulation cero]], he deflects it with his [[NonchalantDodge hand]]. No wonder she was pissed off.

* Emperor Pilaf and his assistants in the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise come close to getting Pilaf's wish for world domination twice but fail both times due to not his own errors. Back when he first appeared in ''Manga/DragonBall''. He managed to summon Shenron but took so long to make his wish to TakeOverTheWorld that Oolong, the transforming pig, managed to fly over to the dragon and [[ChivalrousPervert wish for girls panties]], which he then proceeded to wear on his head for a while. Much, much later, he manages to successfully get a wish from Shenron in the first episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT''. However, instead of wishing for what he wanted he shouts in frustration at Goku, who showed up just as the dragon was summoned, "I wish you were a kid again!" It was not intended as an actual wish, but because Goku was so much easier to defeat as a child. Shenron, however, took it as an actual wish and granted it, kicking off GT's plot.

** Insector Haga and "Dinosaur" Ryuzaki (Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor) were probably the most well known examples. [[ButtMonkey You kind of felt sorry for them after awhile]]. Their worst humilation came during the KC Grand Prix when they dueled Zigfried two against one, and he beat them both... On his first turn. (Granted, Zigfried is a guy who gave ''Kaiba'' one of the most epic duels of his career, but still...)

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Lilynette, Stark's TokenMiniMoe fraccion. She's currently fighting Ukitake, who is one of the 5 most powerful shinigami in existence. The fight so far has consisted of Ukitake telling her that he doesn't want to fight a little girl and simply deflecting or dodging every attack she threw at him. Currently, he's playing keep-away with her Zanpaktou as she cries at him to give it back and threatens over and over again to kill him. Ukitake even lectures the girl on how her determination is admirable, but she simply lacks the ability to 'fight' him properly (i.e take the sword back). She fires a [[KiAttack cero]], he deflects it with his [[NonchalantDodge hand]]. No wonder she was pissed off.

** Meowth as well. He is one of the weakest battling Pokemon in the series, thus spends the large majority of the time assisting with the duo's zany schemes and blabbing his mouth off rather than face an inevitable curbstomp. Meowth had an excuse. He spent so much time when he was young learning how to talk that he let his natural skills and powers as a Pokémon degenerate. He may be a poor Pokémon in terms of battles, but being able to talk (and translate the language of other Pokémon for his two partners) does occasionally have advantages. (Disadvantages too. He was kidnapped by Hunter-J once because she felt a talking Pokémon was worth a bundle.)

* King Dedede in ''Anime/KirbyOfTheStars'' is the kind of guy who wants respect from the Cappies, and just wants to beat up Kirby for the sake of it, which is why he buys Demon Beasts/monsters online from Holy Nightmare/Nightmare Enterprises. Of course, [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin Kirby always wins the day]], so Dedede never gets the respect he wants. To be fair, Dedede isn't really all that bad, he's just mean, misunderstood, and a completely incompetent half-wit.

** Hol Horse starts out as a seemingly serious threat to the heroes, with him and his partner, J. Geil, being effective [[KnightOfCerebus Knights of Cerebus]] who manage to ramp up the stakes by [[spoiler:killing Avdol]]. However, after [[spoiler:J. Geil is killed]], his over reliance on teammates and [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy inability to actually hit anything]] despite being able to control the direction of his bullets become more obvious, causing him to undergo a major case of VillainDecay, with each subsequent appearance having the heroes taking him less and less seriously [[spoiler:(The fact that he actually failed to kill Avdol probably also doesn't help)]]. By his final encounter with the heroes, most of them ignore him entirely. The fact that the heroes aren't even aware of their existence during their encounters with them should say a lot.
** The Oingo Boingo brothers are also this. Due to the two's over reliance on Boingo's Stand (a comic book that can see the future, but also has a tendency to undergo ProphecyTwist), they end up doing more harm to themselves then they do to the heroes.

** Hol Horse starts out as a seemingly serious threat to the heroes, with him and his partner, J. Geil, being effective [[KnightOfCerberus Knights of Cerberus]] who manage to ramp up the stakes by [[spoiler:killing Avdol]]. However, after [[spoiler:J. Geil is killed]], his over reliance on teammates and [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy inability to actually hit anything]] despite being able to control the direction of his bullets become more obvious, causing him to undergo a major case of VillainDecay, with each subsequent appearance having the heroes taking him less and less seriously [[spoiler:(The fact that he actually failed to kill Avdol probably also doesn't help)]]. By his final encounter with the heroes, most of them ignore him entirely.