History MagnificentBastard / Anime

* {{MagnificentBastard/Pokemon}}

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'': In a franchise featuring endless wars, these villains truly stand out for their charisma and intelligence in the field of battle:

*** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'': Kycilia Zabi was the last member of her family standing for a reason. Fully aware of her elder brother Gihren's moral depravity and mismanagement of the conflict with the Earth Federation, Kycilia uses the One Year War as a cover for a coup d'etat against him, gathering resources and allies, while undermining Gihren's loyalists. Upon discovering through [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket Colonel Killing]]'s betrayal that Gihren had infiltrated her faction and was [[Manga/ThePlotToAssassinateGihren preparing to frame her for treason]], Kycilia moved swiftly, leaking Char's identity to Gihren's fake conspirators and transforming a sham plot into an actual revolt against his rule. Aware that Zeon could no longer win the war, and that the Federation would never make peace while her brother lived, Kycilia journeyed to A Baoa Qu and, on finding out that Gihren had murdered their father, executed him for {{patricide}} and assumed command of what was left of Zeon. Killed when Char Aznable erratically and irrationally betrayed her, Kycilia was nevertheless the only Zabi, or indeed, Zeon Admiral, with both a realistic appreciation of their circumstances, and the ruthlessness and will to act accordingly.
*** ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'': [[DarkMessiah Titans Lieutenant Paptimus Scirocco]] is an EnigmaticMinion who graduates to taking over the organization. A brilliant tactician both in and out of a mobile suit, Scirocco excels at reading potential in his subordinates and outmaneuvers the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) to capture the strategic base of the lunar city Von Braun. Leaving the operating of Von Braun in the hands of his antagonistic superior, Scirocco leaks the man's plans to the AEUG and arranges for his death to gain more power within the Titans for himself. [[BigBadDuumvirate Forming an alliance with]] Haman Khan of Neo Zeon, Scirocco bolsters the strength of the dying Titans with her army. To take power, Scirocco [[TheStarscream personally assassinates their leader]], Jamitov Hymem, taking over the Titans and blaming Jamitov's death on Haman, rallying his forces to fight against her. Giving a former AEUG pilot he corrupted to his side a grand speech on his ambitions for humanity, Scirocco engages the AEUG personally and reveals he has kept his alliance with Haman to revitalize the strength of his forces. Even with his forces destroyed by the blast of a colony laser, Scirocco continues to fight [[TheHero Kamille Bidan]] personally and in his dying moments, [[TakingYouWithMe destroys Kamille's mind]], unwilling to accept defeat. Emotionally manipulative but charming and stylish, Scirocco proves himself to be every bit as deadly and cunning as he is mysterious.
*** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'': Axis warlord and Neo-Zeon RegentForLife Haman Khan came closer to conquering the Earth Sphere than any of the despots to come before or after her in the UC timeline. Intervening in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'''s Gryps Conflict on the side of Paptimus Scirocco's Titans, Haman helped turn the battle between the AEUG and the Titans into a full scale civil war within the Earth Federation, a war from which she emerged as the one true winner following Scirocco's death and the obliteration of the Titans and most of the AEUG. Invading the Earth before the Federation could recover from the war, Haman occupied huge swathes of the planet, and used the Dublin ColonyDrop to terrorize Federation officials into surrendering to her, all while employing sheer force of personality to mask her myriad personal issues and hold the backstabbing house of cards that was Axis-Zeon together. Betrayed at the zenith of her power by Glemmy Toto, and faced with internal rebellion by his supporters, Haman quickly moved to quell the descent, meeting Glemmy in open battle. Confronted by series' protagonist Judau Ashta, Haman was persuaded that humanity did not, in fact, need her jackboot on its throat to [[WellIntentionedExtremist stop them from killing each other]]. The only UC BigBad self-aware enough to come to grips with [[MisanthropeSupreme what she had become]], Haman [[DrivenToSuicide killed herself]] in the name of giving the world a better future.

*** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': Rustal Elion is one of the Seven Stars who lead the military police force Gjallarhorn. A charismatic nobleman and brilliant military strategist, Rustal has the complete trust of his subordinates. When Rustal's rival in the Seven Stars, [=McGillis=], moves against him, Rustal engineers a small scale war to turn [=McGillis=]' allies, Tekkadan, against [=McGillis=]. While the war fails to break [=McGillis=] and Tekkadan's alliance, it does force Tekkadan to shut down their Earth branch, weakening the organization considerably. When the tensions between Rustal and [=McGillis=] lead to civil war, Rustal has one of his subordinates infiltrate [=McGillis=]' forces, [[FalseFlagOperation fire an illegal Dainsleif railgun at Rustal's fleet and commit suicide]], giving Rustal justification to annihilate [=McGillis=] and Tekkadan. While political tensions ultimately force the Seven Stars to disband in favor of democratically elected leaders, Rustal still comes out ahead as he is elected leader of Gjallarhorn. Rustal remains a hero to the public and becomes the first BigBad of the franchise to win in the end.

* ''Manga/{{ERASED}}'': [[spoiler: Gaku Yashiro]] is a psychopathic mastermind who brings excitement into his everyday life by murdering children and expertly framing Innocents for the crimes. His genius extending all the way to childhood, where he effortlessly murdered his abusive older brother and made it look like a suicide, he carries his depraved intelligence into adulthood, where he spends years perfecting the art of charming and manipulating others, especially his preferred targets. Be it noticing signs of abuse or taking advantage of their innate naivety, he always gets his target, and in a notable instance, murdered one of his male students who resembled a girl, knowing it would eliminate him from suspicion as a killer who solely targeted females. Despite Satoru's time travel abilities, [[spoiler: Yashiro]] one-ups and outwits him at every turn, never even knowing of the man's powers, just being so naturally adaptable that nothing slows him down. [[spoiler: Yashiro]] is a truly terrifying killer, having not only the smarts and charms to kill whoever he wants with ease, but also the fast-thinking to ensure that he's never caught, no matter what opposition arises.

* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'': Maximillion Pegasus was the series' first genuine BigBad and one of its most fondly remembered. The inventor of Duel Monsters and CEO of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus used the mind reading powers of his Millennium Eye to control the few things his billions of dollars could not, and planned to use [=KaibaCorp=] technology and Yugi's Millennium Puzzle to resurrect his deceased wife. Stealing the souls of Yugi's grandfather and of Mokuba Kaiba, Pegasus lured Yugi and Seto Kaiba to his Duelist Kingdom Tournament, where he pitted them against one another and his handpicked team of Eliminators, using Kaiba as a catspaw to damage Yugi's confidence before claiming the former World Champion's soul as well. Only narrowly defeated by Yugi & Yami's tag-team dueling strategy, Pegasus set a high bar for subsequent villains to aspire to, and whether as a duelist, corporate raider, or user of Shadow magic, always seemed to be holding all the cards.

** The Younger Toguro brother sold his soul 50 years go to become a powerful demon after winning the Dark Tournament in despair over the deaths of his students and the knowledge of his impending mortality. In present, having grown disillusioned with his life, he manipulates the events with Gonzo Tarukane to see if Yusuke Urameshi is a worthy adversary and forces him and team to join the Dark Tournament. Toguro manipulates Yusuke into becoming stronger while also keeping him from making Toguro's mistakes before the final match. After killing Yusuke's mentor, his former teammate and lover Genkai, Toguro is dissatisfied with Yusuke's strength and seemingly murders his friend Kuwabara to force him to fight all out, only to reveal he faked Kuwabara's death. Unlike his twisted elder brother, Toguro never sold his pride along with his soul and displays a true sense of honor, grateful to give his all against a final worthy adversary.

** The 'Black Angel, Shinobu Sensui was once a brilliant young Spirit Detective whose idealistic view of humans was shattered by the Black Black Club. Years later, he uses the depraved Chapter Black tape to recruit a group of psychics to his side as Team Urameshi goes after him, manipulating all his enemies and allies alike to achieve his goals and weaken Yusuke's team. In one instance, Sensui forces Kurama to duel in a game against a little boy, with the boy not knowing he will die if he loses. Sensui is aware Kurama will do it, but knows it will shake him up too much to be of use in fighting Sensui at his best later, while also knowing a guilt-stricken Koenma will use up too much power restoring the boy to life. Sensui also uses his multiple personalities to bear the burdens of his crimes, revealing his true self in time to defeat and even kill Yusuke before opening a path to the demon world. His true goal? Is an elaborate suicide attempt to die at the hands of a powerful demon to atone for taking so many demon lives in the past. Passing as a dark mirror to Yusuke himself, Sensui remains one of his most sympathetic and fascinating enemies.

* ''Franchise/LupinTheThird'':

*** ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'': [[DarkMessiah Titans Lieutenant Paptimus Scirocco]] is an EnigmaticMinion who graduates to taking over the organization. A brilliant tactician both in and out of a mobile suit, Scirocco excels at reading potential in his subordinates and outmaneuvers the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) to capture the strategic base of the lunar city Von Braun. Leaving the operating of Von Braun in the hands of his antagonistic superior, Scirocco leaks the man's plans to the AEUG and arranges for his death to gain more power within the Titans for himself. [[BigBadDuumvirate Forming an alliance with]] Haman Khan of Neo Zeon, Scirocco bolsters the strength of the dying Titans with her army. To take power, Scirocco [[TheStarscream personally assassinates their leader]], Jamitov Hymem, taking over the Titans and blaming Jamitov's death on Haman, rallying his forces to fight against her. Giving a former AEUG pilot he corrupted to his side a grand speech on his ambitions for humanity, Scirocco engages the AEUG personally and reveals he has kept his alliance with Haman to revitalize the strength of his forces. Even with his forces destroyed by the blast of a colony laser, Scirocco continues to fight [[TheHero Kamille]] personally and in his dying moments, [[TakingYouWithMe destroys Kamille's mind]], unwilling to accept defeat. Emotionally manipulative but charming and stylish, Scirocco proves himself to be every bit as deadly and cunning as he is mysterious.

* Lord Laertes Van Di Montague from ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'', who [[spoiler: pretty much [[SelfMadeMan rose from the slums]] after the death of his prostitute mother, infiltrated himself in the Montague clan as a kid, killed its leader when he was of age, slaughtered the rival clan of the Capulets both to gain power and as revenge for his destitute origins, and ruled Neo Verona with a hand of steel for almost 15 years.]] And that's just the beginning...

* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Sakyo is a charming, charismatic member of the Black Black Club who [[RagsTORiches came up from nothing]]. A born sociopath who despised his honest, loving family, Sakyo graduated from [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals torturing animals]] into high stakes gambling where he amassed a fortune to join the demon-trafficking and torturing Black Black Club. Deciding to advance even further, Sakyo plays the group's founder Gonzo Tarukane by secretly paying off the Toguro brothers when Tarukane hires them as bodyguards, rigging the gambles he makes with Tarukane by having the Toguro brothers take a dive against Team Urameshi. Setting up his team to fight in the Dark Tournament, Sakyo takes a curious liking to Shizuru Kuwabara and protects her during the events while also manipulating and eventually disposing of the rest of the Black Black Club, before gambling his own life on Toguro's victory in order to insure he can see a portal opened to the Demon World out of sheer morbid curiosity. When Toguro is defeated, Sakyo immediately [[FaceDeathWithDignity offers his life without complaint]], bidding a last fond farewell to Shizuru first.

* ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'': Once an innocent man sentenced unjustly, Edmond Dantes returns as the ruthless, charming Count of Monte Cristo to destroy his enemies. Rescuing the son of his former best friend Fernand and his fiancee Mercedes, the young Albert Morcerf, it is later revealed the Count set up the kidnapping to begin with to gain Albert's trust. Manipulating his old enemies into trusting him with investments that ruin them, the Count also reveals he rescued a young alien girl named Haydee so she could expose Fernand as a traitor and the murderer of her father. Edmond also introduces one enemy, Villefort's, mentally unstable wife to poison so she will commit murders and further disgrace her husband while later having his ally, the bandit Andrea, reveal he is Villefort's illegitimate son to ruin him further. Finally, the Count plans to harden his own heart and kill Albert to destroy Fernand, not satisfied until he has given Fernand the same unending despair Fernand once gave him, before finally letting go of his hatred thanks to the love of Albert, ending his life with a final plea to remember that his name was Edmond Dantes.A charming sophisticated manipulator, none around him ever saw the Count coming until he struck.

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'''s [[BigBad Shishio Makoto]] came up with the plan to burn Kyoto right to the ground [[spoiler:as a ''DISTRACTION'' while he and his minions [[FalseFlagOperation sailed a warship into Tokyo]] and let sheer panic rip the government apart]]. This is just his biggest, most expensive example though. He practically lives for this trope.

* The main point of Iason Mink's character in ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' is that he is both magnificent...and a complete and utter bastard being the most manipulative person in his world. Only his high status in society lets him get away with it.
* In ''Manga/AoNoFuuin'', we have [[spoiler: Takao]]. This guy's ''entire'' actions throughout the story were either orchestrated or predicted by him. [[spoiler: Takao is the one who cloned Rago, bringing about the heroine Soko. His role as the Genbu has him work to protect Soko and he uses her to resurrect the Oni tribe, the reason she was cloned for to begin with. Despite Soko refusing to willingly do so, he either forces her to do it or brainwashes her with his MindManipulation. And even when it looks like Soko ''finally'' got away from him and can be happy with Akira, Takao isn't concerned. He knows Soko is too responsible and will return to his side. And even when Takao is ''about to be killed'', he makes sure his final words [[TakeCareOfTheKids will stop her from abandoning the Oni tribe and take up her duty as their leader]].]] This guy is ''good''!
* The most impressive and villainous character in ''Anime/AshitaNoNadja''? [[spoiler: A 13-year-old girl. Yes, a teen BitchInSheepsClothing and Nadja's ForgottenChildhoodFriend: Rosemary]]. Said character ''steals'' the spotlight brilliantly by [[KickTheDog kicking puppies so well and hard]] that even the local SmugSnake, who thought the kid would be an easy-to-manipulate puppet at first, in the end utterly fears them. And for all that, the punishment amounts to nothing more than a [[spoiler: [[ArmorPiercingSlap slap in her face]] and willingly leaving the mansion.]] KarmaHoudini, indeed.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' gives us Erwin Smith, the Commander of the Survey Corps. Drawing partial inspiration from [[UsefulNotes/ErwinRommel the tropenamer]], Erwin is a handsome and charismatic leader, noted to always lead from the front and hailed as a strategic genius for greatly improving the survival odds of the RedShirtArmy he commands. He is also completely and utterly ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes for the good of humanity -- described in the narrative as a man willing to cover his hands in blood and a man willing to throw away his humanity to win [[HeWhoFightsMonsters against monsters]]. Even with humanity facing utter extinction and many a PyrrhicVictory, Erwin stays cool as a cucumber and remains unshaken in his resolve. When brought before a council and told to explain himself, he states without hesitation that his plan -- which left a major city badly damaged and many dead among both the military and civilian population -- was a ''success''. The council is forced to agree with his reasoning and let him keep his command.
* The latest ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'' BigBad Mag Mel. The guy managed to effortlessly trick the heroes into giving him the power to free himself [[SealedEvilInACan from his prison]] ''before they even know he existed''. He proves to be a ManipulativeBastard and ChessMaster so cunning that he's always several steps ahead of the group and even the one time thus far he's lost, he ''still'' got half of what he wanted ''and'' the Brawlers find out while they were fighting his forces on one of their ally's homeworlds, Mag Mel had ''utterly demolished'' Bakugan Interspace with another attack that cripples the transporters so no one can get out ''except'' his minions, who are free to get in and out at will. While he's not exactly charming, he realized this and made ([[ArtificialHuman literally]]) his CoDragons extremely charismatic and planted them in Bakugan Interspace to raise followers and generally cause chaos.
* Souichi of ''Challengers'' and ''Manga/TheTyrantFallsInLove'' is a relatively down-to-earth version of this. When a professor attempts to rape him, Souichi attempts to murder the guy. [[spoiler: Morinaga]] stops him, but Souichi still manages to stab the guy ''deep'' in the ass with a pair of scissors. When Soichi and Morinaga witness a guy on his cellphone ignoring the pleas of a woman who has an assistive device in her heart, Soichi gets fed up when the woman collapses and snatches the phone out of the guy's hand then snaps it in half. Soichi is not a supervillain and he hasn't got the world under his thumb, but he's a damned terrifying force when his protectiveness of his brother, his sense of justice or his hatred of gays is crossed, which is often.
* ''Manga/DGrayman'': Even though very little is known about him, the more we learn about NEA D Campbell, the more he appears as this. [[spoiler: His desire to achieve his ambition, that is to kill the millenium earl and take his place is so fierce that he orchestrated a plan that involved his own death at the end of the earl to be reincarnated decades later with absolutely no guarantee that everything would to just as planned. He is charismatic enough to rally humans to his cause when he himself is a human hater and wishes to kill them all. He has also shown to be very manipulative, impersonating others to reach his ends.]]
* Sir Isaac Ray Peram Westcott in ''Light/DateALive'' developing a gambit to throw Tohka Yatogami over the edge of the Despair Event Horizon and invoke her Inverse Form that he's been trying to harness after thinking up several ways to get her to do so, including Cold-Blooded Torture. He also goes on [[ToThePain a long and detailed list]] on what he would do Tohka in order to [[DespairEventHorizon push her to the brink]], like [[ElectricTorture electrocution]], [[AlmostOutOfOxygen oxygen deprivation]], [[{{Fingore}} peeling her nails]], [[TheToothHurts ripping out her teeth]], and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil trample her dignity as woman]]. He subtly manipulates everyone to get what he wants. First, trying to murder Shido just to evaluate [[spoiler:Inverse Form Tohka's power]]. Then, when Roger Murdoch and a few other DEM executives conspire to remove him by all means necessary, he indirectly forces Shido and the Spirits into foiling the assassination plan, given they had to prevent said plan from causing any harm to the city.
* Cell from ''Manga/{{Dragonball}}'': In his imperfect form, Cell runs rings around the Z fighters as he masterfully evades their attempts to ambush him while draining countless cities of their population's bio extract. Upon finding himself sorely outclassed by Vegeta later in the series, Cell tricks the Saiyan prince into allowing him to absorb Android 18 by promising to provide him with an opportunity to test the full extent of his newfound power. In the ensuing rematch, he succeeds in reaping vengeance upon Vegeta by [[BreakTheHaughty breaking him down physically and psychologically.]] He then more or less toys with the Z-Warriors by forcing them to play by his own rules in the Cell Games or face outright annihilation. During the Cell Games, however, is when he starts to get [[SmugSuper more overconfident]] and the reason he loses in the end ironically enough, is that his plan to push all Gohan's {{Berserk Button}}s in order to make him a worthy challenge [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ends up working]] [[GoneHorriblyRight far too well]] -- which, by the way, was essentially [[OutGambitted Goku's plan]]. He ''regains'' his magnificence, however, when [[spoiler: he comes back from the seeming dead, more powerful than ever, and almost defeating Gohan and destroying the planet, all while displaying his trademark AwesomeEgo.]]
** King Piccolo, Cell's predecessor, counts as well. He was truly the ''[[KnightOfCerebus original]]'' MagnificentBastard of the entire '''series'''. His first course of action upon being reborn is to send out his henchmen to assassinate every great martial artist in order to prevent anyone from using the Mafuba technique against him ever again. When he beats Goku down the first time they met, he checks for a pulse before assuming he's dead. Too bad for him that Goku's heart started again after he left. He was also smart enough to realize the heroes would most likely attempt to stop him with the Dragon Balls either before or after he got his own wish so, at first, he swallowed them. Then he threw them back up once there was sure there was no-one else around left to challenge him and, to finish it off, he killed Chiaotzu when he attempted to give his own wish and interfere with Piccolo's before he could finish. After having his wish granted, he then proceeded to one-hit-kill Shenron with his breath blast just to ensure that none of the heroes could ever attempt to use the Dragon Balls to defeat him.
** While [[TheRival Vegeta]] was more TheStoic SmugSuper in his debut saga, he did show shades of this. Notably when he told [[TheBrute Nappa]] to stop fighting the good guys and wait three hours for Goku to arrive because he wanted to break Goku's spirits by crushing his son and remaining friends in front of him once he got there, when he avoided Goku's spirit bomb and Krillin's disc attack meant to cut off his tail while in Oozaru form, and when he immediately realized his false moon would still be in effect the moment he saw Gohan's tail had grown back, prompting him to attempt to remove it. In the Namek saga, however, he ascended to full Magnificent Bastardry. He successfully hides his true power from Frieza and his men so that not even their scouters detect it, revealing his secret of doing this to the unsuspecting Cui before killing him. He outmaneuvers Dodoria and kills him only after being told a secret about the Saiyans' destruction. Then he implements his strategy for obtaining the Dragon Balls that will allow him to wish for eternal life: he figures he'll take just one Dragon Ball from a Namekian village and hide it underwater, then lie in wait for Frieza to gather the remaining balls. And not only is this exactly what he does, but he ends up acquiring five balls from Frieza's ship when he's taken there after losing to Zarbon in order to have his health restored (Frieza had hoped he'd tell him where his hidden Dragon Ball was), meaning he took them right ''from under Frieza's nose!'' He takes the last ball from Krillin after he had made full use of a Saiyan's power growing stronger after a previous defeat by killing Zarbon. The only reason his plan falls apart is because Gohan finds the Dragon Ball hidden underwater using a Dragon Ball locator. Even after this failure and being forced into an EnemyMine with the good guys, Vegeta continues to employ cunning plans and come dangerously close to having his way. He lost this magnificence after his first revival due to [[CharacterizationMarchesOn his characterization being altered significantly]] to being a HotBlooded, foul tempered AntiHero, but damn if he wasn't impressive as a bad guy.
** As opposed to the ObliviouslyEvil Majin Buu and StupidEvil Kid Buu, Super Buu was the smartest villain in the history of the series and he was only person in the history of the series that was able to OutGambit '''Piccolo''' of all people by [[spoiler:wiping out all of humanity in only a few minutes when Piccolo was expecting him to take hours to do it, so that Goten and Trunks got extra time to train, and on top of that, ''never even leaving Kami's lookout while doing it]]''. He then masterfully pulled off a XanatosSpeedChess, when [[spoiler:he noticed Gohan's growing power, and so he fought against Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks and tested the limits of his strength and his weaknesses (e.g. fusion limit). After briefly fighting Gohan and finding himself overwhelmed, he goes through an intentional SuperPowerMeltdown, knowing he will regenerate and buys time (and getting Goten and Trunks to recuperate, to fuse again). When he returns he goads Goten and Trunks into fusing again at full power and absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo into his being, deciding 30 minutes is more than enough to handle Gohan, and he was right in that regard. Goku then arrives and the fusion breaks down. Goku says Gohan alone is strong enough to defeat Buu, but then Buu reveals that he planned for this eventuality as well, and had a piece of himself ready to absorb Gohan the whole time, who he goaded into standing still until it was too late.]] He was also the only villain that did '''''not''''' succumb to BondVillainStupidity, which is very atypical for this series. For example, his reaction when Goku attempts to fuse with Gohan?
--->'''Buu:''' Even if you fuse, you'll be no match for me... but why take the chance? I'll kill you both now!
** In ''[[Anime/DragonBallSuper Super]]'', [[EvilTwin Goku Black]] brings the already post-apocalyptic Earth of Future Trunk’s timeline to the brink of death, killing both [[spoiler:Future Bulma]] and [[spoiler:(seemingly) Mai]] in the process. He's a [[CombatPragmatist thorough]] NoNonsenseNemesis with a MysteriousPast and is [[BatmanGambit keen on bringing his foes into his traps]], such as when [[spoiler:he stabbed Vegeta]]. He was able [[IndyPloy to create new techniques at the drop of a hat]], especially once his [[spoiler:[[SuperMode Super Saiyan Rose form]]]] was revealed and allowed him to decimate Goku, Vegeta and Future Trunks on several occasions. A FauxAffablyEvil SoftSpokenSadist as well as a KnightTemplar, after he [[FusionDance fuses]] with [[BigBadDuumvirate his partner]], [[spoiler:Future Zamasu]] and become a new entity, [[TheHeavy Black]] confirms his role as a technically [[spoiler:InvincibleVillain who [[KarmaHoudini never truly paid for his]] [[OmnicidalManiac omnicidal]] [[KarmaHoudini crimes]]]].
** After years of being one of the most famous of [[SmugSnake smug snakes]] in all of anime, [[spoiler: Frieza finally ascends to Magnificent Bastard position in the Universe Survival arc of ''Super'', learning to be more cool-headed, patient and manipulative, fighting alongside the heroes in order to get what he wants. And although the plan he had in mind doesn't pan out, in the end, he is still restored back to life and becomes Emperor of the Universe once again.]]
* Kokujo, of ''Anime/DuelMasters'', uses his phenomenal skills in psychological warfare to completely destroy the hero in their first duel. The [[GagDub dub]] furthers his status by having him shamelessly call himself "an evil genius."
* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' has Orihara Izaya. Everything that happens in Ikebukuro is a result of his game of {{Xanatos Speed Chess}}. Except in book four, but he makes up for it in five and six because he felt left out.

* [[spoiler:Proxy One]] in ''Anime/ErgoProxy'', who is even referenced to be "the winner at the end of the world" (with good reason). Not only is he the [[TheChessmaster master manipulator of nearly everything that happens in the course of the series]], but he [[spoiler:''wins'']].
* KnightTemplar Lieutenant Colonel Dewey Novak of ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', a military commander and aspiring dictator who knows all there is to know about charisma, sophistication, power, influence, and exploitation. And genocide, too. A defining moment for him is when he tells his younger brother Holland that he knows how the masses who consume the various media outlets on which he's made his speeches think - they aren't interested in hearing the truth: if convenient lies resonate emotionally with them and tell them what they want to hear, they'll buy into them. That's why he feels justified in bending the truth or lying to suit his sinister purposes. [[spoiler: Even when he seems defeated, he pulls a MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning suicide that very nearly ensures the completion of his goals.]]
* Hiruma, the team captain and quarterback for the Devil Bats, of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'', will do anything to win short of actually breaking the rules. He'll force players to use secret identities to stop other teams from recruiting them, blackmail players and school authorities alike into giving him what he wants, motivate his teammates via threats, and builds an entire strategy around trick plays and a couple of genuinely talented athletes, all in the name of taking his last place team to the finals.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Future Rogue. The guy manipulated the entire Fiore Royal Family into using an ArtifactOfDoom powered by [[TheDarkArts Zeref's magic]] and [[SummonMagic Celestial Spirit Magic]] by telling them it would save their country from a swarm of dragons coming to destroy them. In reality, using the ArtifactOfDoom was what ''caused'' the dragons to appear, and he promptly used a CompellingVoice spell to force the dragons into becoming his submission, as part of a ploy to kill [[TheDreaded Acnologia]] and take his place as the Dragon King. The dragons he summons proceed to curb-stomp the very mages whose magic is designed to kill them, while Future Rogue wipes the floor with Natsu. The ''only'' reason his plan didn't succeed was due to ThePowerOfFriendship causing one of his dragons to rebel against him.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'': No one hides their true intentions quite like Rau Le Creuset, ZAFT Commander and defective clone. Lacking his own sense of identity, and seeing the face of his "father" every time he looks in the mirror, Le Creuset believes the rest of humanity is suffering just as much as he is, and sets out to put the entire species out of its misery. Playing the role of Patrick Zala's right-hand man, Le Creuset sells ZAFT secrets to Blue Cosmos headman Muruta Azrael, prolonging the Bloody Valentine War, and ensuring that the conflict ends with mutual attempts at genocide, as Azrael tries to nuke the ZAFT colonies and Patrick fires his WaveMotionGun at Earth. Successful at masking his encroaching madness until the very end, Le Creuset dies smiling, convinced that the entire world will shortly be following after him
** ''Anime/GundamSEEDDestiny'': ZAFT Chairman Gilbert Durandal sees himself as [[DarkMessiah the saviour of Earth]] and nearly persuaded most of the planet to go along with it. Presenting himself as a moderate and a pacifist, Durandal made use of Lord Djibril and Blue Cosmos' blatant evil to launch an invasion of the Earth Sphere disguised as a liberation, using his own reputation for honesty and the services of Lacus Clyne impersonator Meer Campbell to camouflage his intentions, and scattering agents of [[StateSec FAITH]] throughout the ZAFT military to keep an eye on its loyalty. Preying on the emotional insecurities of those in his service, Durandal turned DecoyProtagonist Shinn Auska into the very thing he hated most, and kept veteran characters like Kira, Athrun, and Lacus out of the picture or unsure if they should oppose him for most of the series. Only killed when he loses the faith of his most loyal enforcer, [[BastardUnderstudy Rey]], Durandal dies convinced that he was right and that without his Destiniy Plan the [[WellIntentionedExtremist world is doomed]].
* [[KnifeNut Ryoko Asakura]] of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' fame has some qualifications down. Not only is she intelligent, but [[AffablyEvil her charismatic and cheerful personality]] makes it so easy for one to lower their guard around her. She had Kyon and the audience fooled ''twice.'' Even though we should know better by the second time, she has us fooled anyway. Haruhi Suzumiya herself displays tendencies of this on occasion. She's at least got the ruthless, bold and charismatic part down.
* Amusingly, ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' has a character who straddles the line between this and {{Guile Hero}}. Miki Hanabishi is known for her plots to make trouble for Hinagiku, in fact it's clearly stated in her profile that she enjoys it, but generally seems to be using such tactics to push Hina to the forefront of the competition for [[{{Unwanted Harem}} Hayate's]] [[{{I Want My Beloved To Be Happy}} affection]]. While at the same time pursuing Hinagiku with her own romantic interest
* [[spoiler:[[NightmareFetishist Miyo]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Takano]]]] from ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' certainly counts. [[spoiler:She masterminded the events of the first six arcs, and loves frightening people with tales of Hinamizawa's past. She's a WellIntentionedExtremist who goes so far as to help cause the Great Hinamizawa Disaster just for the sake of proving her grandfather's research, and the plans she makes to do so are magnificent indeed. Definitely a MagnificentBitch. Also manages to be ''COMPLETELY EVIL'' (but mostly because of what the orphanage leader, Nomura, and Tokyo did to her)]].
** Interestingly, [[spoiler:Takano's magnificence is heavily influenced by a GreaterScopeVillain and fellow MagnificentBitch, her employer, Nomura. She demonstrated a plan to close up a company by tricking Takano into helping her and manipulating everything in order to cause the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, and nobody even seemed to notice that she was behind it all (which makes her a KarmaHoudini as well). Another perfect example. Helps that she has a great evil voice provided by Creator/RieTanaka.]].
** Shion Sonozaki tries her hand at being this in the first half of ''Musubienishi-hen'', disguising herself as her sister to manipulate Keiichi into pretending to be her boyfriend and hero. At least until she resigns from her mischief after Keiichi blows her cover and realizes who she really is, after which she really opens up to him in tears after hearing him say "That's why... this one's on me..." before his loss of consciousness. [[spoiler:She displayed further shades of this trope in ''Meakashi-hen'' where her premeditated torture and killing spree in the name of getting answers and taking revenge on those who'd wronged her and her beloved Satoshi ends up a complete success, leaving the entire main cast sans Rena dead.]]
** Similarly, ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' gives us Beatrice, an AntiVillain [[EvenEvilHasStandards with standards]] who, as a Game Master, often clashes with Battler and uses magic to elegantly commit a series of bizarre murders on Rokkenjima. She's truly impressed by Battler's performance, and often looks for ways to make him surrender as best as possible. Oh, and she's also a LaughablyEvil LargeHam.
** Bernkastel counts as well. [[spoiler:Using Ange, Erika, and most other people as pawns for her plans]], and [[spoiler:planning to keep Beatrice in the game and torture her for all eternity]]? She definitely deserves a praise for those.
** Higanbana of [[Manga/HiganbanaNoSakuYoruNi her self-titled series]] counts as well. Offering Marie a chance to become Mesomeso and acting as a villain against heroic characters or an AntiHero against villainous characters is definitely saying something.
* Naraku from ''Manga/InuYasha'' is definitely one, if you can look past his ForTheEvulz and VillainBall tendencies, especially during the Mt. Hakurei Arc, in that he manipulated a priest and a powerful group of super powered bandits into becoming his QuirkyMiniBossSquad with a few words to earn their loyalties.
* In ''Manga/{{Jackals}}'', Lee Mei Lang is so skilled and awesome in her absolute villainy that you can't help but root for the total bitch she is. Even better, the reason she [[spoiler: took over Tennouren]] to begin with was to destroy every gang in the city [[spoiler: including her own]]. All in order to essentially gain an ARMY [[labelnote:*]]and [[PetTheDog create a town that isn't ruled by gangs]] but mostly to gain an army[[/labelnote]]. To wit, she and her spider-whip henchgirl are the only people to [[spoiler: walk away from the gang wars completely unscathed.]]
* [[AntiVillain Satsuki Kiruyin]] from ''Anime/KillLaKill''. She takes advantage of Ryuko Matoi's arrival at Honouji Academy, using Ryuko's battles with her AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil to make the final adjustments to her Goku Uniforms to stage a full scale invasion of Japan, while also purging the system of any dissenters for good measure. Ryuko herself later points that out.

* Saralegui from ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh''. In one move, he made sure that Yuuri's crew all trusted him and wiped out Large Shimaron's army by [[spoiler:by having his own servant shoot him in the chest with an arrow, making it appear as if the arrow was aimed for Yuuri and that he had thrown himself in the way [[TakingTheBullet to protect Yuuri]], causing Yuuri to go into [[UnstoppableRage Maoh mode]] and destroy all of Saralegui's enemies for him.]] He then followed that up by [[spoiler:hypnotizing Yuuri into wiping out Large Shimaron's navy for him.]] Remarkably, he still managed to finish up the series with [[AllLovingHero Yuuri]] trusting him completely until the very end.
** Murata also was pretty sneaky, carrying out a 4000 year plan with [[spoiler:Shinou]] in order to [[spoiler:destroy the Originators by trapping them inside Shinou, and in turn trapping Shinou inside Yuuri to get Yuuri to destroy them both]]. He isn't the [[spoiler:Great Wise Man for nothing]].

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'': The titular Lupin the III creates intricate heist plans, anticipating the efforts of his enemies to capture him, consistently proving he is the greatest thief to ever live. Lupin is a VillainProtagonist who is avoiding arrest, assassination, or traps at least OnceAnEpisode. Inspector Zenigata, who is always trying to capture him, is often left in the dust, screaming Lupin's name while the VillainOfTheWeek is left tied up to go to prison.
* Gyokuen Ren from ''Manga/{{Magi}}'' is not called the [[RedBaron Ko Empire's Witch for nothing]]. She married the emperor and gave him four children. She then lit an arson in which she had the emperor and their two eldest son burn in the fire with the youngest son watching in order to nurture his rage and desire for revenge. She then married the new emperor, her brother-in law. All this allowed her to extend her influence in the world and cause many wars with her evil cult to advance her plan. She also kidnapped Judar, the new magi, just when he was born to have him open dungeons for the empire army in order to reinforce the empire. Then, she poisoned her new husband after making him write a last will that decrees her the new empress of the most powerful country in the world. '''Then''' it is revealed she [[spoiler: is actually Queen Arba, the magi of Solomon, whom she betrayed. She has been swapping her mind from mothers to daughters for ''centuries'' to enact her revenge against Solomon. Even when her plan to manipulate Judar and Hakuryuu's desire for revenge to corrupt them backfires and has her host Gyokuen killed, she still comes back in Gyokuen's daughter Hakuei's body with a new plan. This time with her former enemy Sinbad.... ]] A total insane magnificent bitch indeed.
* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': Although she is one of the good guys, Haruna Saotome [[ChaoticNeutral herself]] is this in regards to pactios, or anything involving magic. Ships everyone with Negi, DRAGS him to a ''Comiket'' event, and makes plans to conquer the entire Magic World.
* [[spoiler: Masako Natsume]] from ''Anime/MawaruPenguindrum'' showed quite the flair for this. Her method of [[spoiler: erasing people's memories]] is a little... [[{{Narm}} odd]], but the rest of her actions are ''very'' effective. [[spoiler: Kidnapping a boy to blackmail his brother and friend/prospect girlfriend?]] Not good. [[spoiler: Kidnapping a boy to get the attention of his brother, staging a whole chase so said brother will remember her from his past, and then letting the kidnapped guy go... but not before giving his rescuer a ForcefulKiss, ''which was her intention all along''?]] Fucking awesome.
** [[spoiler: Sanetoshi Watase]] is actually '''the''' MagnificentBastard here. In his quest to [[spoiler: regain contact with his lost "soulmate" and then bring TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]], he has managed to [[spoiler: stylishly appear to Himari in a dream, give her a new Penguin Hat, and almost get away with giving her a kiss.]] Later [[spoiler: he brings Himari BackFromTheDead with a mysterious serum, managing to rope her protector/brother/[[BrotherSisterIncest possible love interest]] Kanba into a DealWithTheDevil to keep her alive]]. And later it's revealed that some time ago [[spoiler: he actually forced Masako into the same DealWithTheDevil so she could keep her young brother Mario alive as well.]] Thus, he has almost completely [[spoiler: outgambitted ''both'' Kanba and Masako to different degrees]], all while looking fabulous in that coat and [[spoiler: pink]] hair of his, and specially in [[spoiler: now hospital-confined Himari]]'s eyes. Hmmmm!
* Perhaps the most impressive and villainous character in ''Anime/MonColleKnights'' happens to be Redda, the BigBad and final villain. He has a deviously cruel sense of [[TheChessmaster chessmastery]] and [[ManipulativeBastard mastery of manipulation]], is {{Bishounen}} in appearance (especially behind that scary mask of his), and shows a nice {{plan}} [[spoiler:starting with the part where he uses Rockna as bait to lure Mondo and all his monster friends to him, forcing him to give up all of his collected Monster Items so far and handing over to him a fake Rockna that was actually a rat in disguise. Then he summons Dread Dragon and traps Rockna within its neck, and tells Mondo that he can either destroy it and Rockna with it, or get killed himself while trying to save her without harming Dread Dragon, and orders Dread Dragon to create a wormhole that sucks up all of Mondo's monster friends. And, even when Gabriolis shows up and helps him save her so the two can fuse with him to destroy Dread Dragon, this still provides enough of a distraction so Redda can get the last Monster Item, and he succeeds in collecting it so he can finally summon Oroboros to destroy everything and create in their place a world made of nothingness, which was his ultimate goal all along. And if that's not enough, since Oroboros needs a new body in order to be resurrected, Redda revives Dread Dragon and fuses Oroboros with it to create Doomsday Dragon]]. Even the LaughablyEvil TerribleTrio of VillainsOutShopping fear him.
* Johan Liebert - the ''{{Anime/Monster}}''. He manipulates ''everyone'' he encounters as they were puppets on a string and then [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness disposes of them without a second thought]], defies every PetTheDog moment he's given in chilling ways, and ''never'' loses that DissonantSerenity permanently affixed to his face. The problem is, the straight treatment the series gives his activities also makes him ''[[DeconstructedTrope freaking scary]]'' to behold.
* Michio Yuki from ''{{Manga/MW}}''. He kidnaps his victims in order to extract money from the corrupt politicians who covered up the titular chemical warfare that took away his conscience. He even impersonates the women he killed as part of his plan.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has Gendo Ikari, the leader of the NERV organization. While far from his only ploy, the greatest reason he is on this page is for his involvement in [[spoiler:the Human [[AssimilationPlot Instrumentality]] Project]], even though he wasn't the one in charge. He was enough of a key factor to be considered the one most responsible for it, and he even had his own motive for manipulating its execution: [[spoiler:to be reunited with his dead wife Yui.]]
** ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' took his badassery to new heights. If you think back to it, [[spoiler:it's obvious he scheduled Unit 03's activation test onto the same day as Rei's meal party on purpose so that Asuka would volunteer for Shinji and Rei's sake. Once Unit 03 was overtaken by Bardiel and Shinji refuses to fight out of fear, Unit 01's dummy plug was activated so that Asuka will be severely injured (putting her away for a while) and Shinji [[HeroicBSOD necessarily traumatized for him to resign from NERV and leave the city]]. Cue Zeruel's arrival to abort his departure, him emerging from the shelter just in time to see Unit 00 get eaten by Zeruel and [[ThePowerOfLove finally getting the motivation]] to [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl grab Unit 01 and kick Zeruel's ass, saving Rei and infusing the Angel into Unit 01, "awakening" it without thinking about]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the consequences]]. Cue Gendo remarking that "[[GambitRoulette just a little more until our project is complete]]".]] Hoo-lee shit, is this guy awesome or what?!
* Altena from ''{{Anime/Noir}}'' plays the MamaBear role for the young saplings. [[spoiler:However, she intentionally manipulates both the Sodats and the three saplings (Kirika, Chloe and Mireille), in order to achieve her master plan--which is to recreate the bloody history of the Sodats. She's completely dedicated and willing to die for her goal. And in the end, '''she does'''.]]
* From ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Everything Kyouya did had a purpose that would benefit him in the long run (with one or two notable exceptions). He even used the Host Club profit to buy out his father's company unbeknownst to his dad, who thought of him as a loser because of the Club itself. CharacterDevelopment later turns him into a GuileHero.
* [[FauxAffablyEvil Shogo]] [[EvilAlbino Makishima]] from ''Anime/PsychoPass'' is WickedCultured and highly knowledgeable in literature, music, theater and ass-kicking (he at first seems like a NonActionBigBad, but turns out to be a BloodKnight who is simply bored of most fights because ''almost no one is good enough to land a hit on him''). He desires to bring down the [[BigBrotherIsWatching Sibyl System]] that controls the futuristic {{Dystopia}} he lives in, at any cost. He also enjoys getting people to submit to their worst impulses and then disposes of them once [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness they've lost his interest]]. Despite being villainous for that last part, he does care for people in his own twisted way....he believes the Sibyl System has regressed humanity by suppressing humanity's darker instincts along with their freedom of expression and ability to make their own choices. Makishima is also a master of XanatosSpeedChess, the IndyPloy, making allusions to classic literature (especially Dystopian literature) and making {{TheReasonYouSuckSpeech}}es to anyone. To top that off, he is an {{Ubermensch}} who is literally unable to be judged by the slave morality of his world (the Sibyl System), similar to how Nietzsche himself described the {{Ubermensch}}. [[spoiler:He also becomes a HeroKiller as well, both in that the protagonists take extra caution when dealing with him and the literal sense.]]
** Kirito Kamui in Season 2. In fact, he pulled many a XanatosGambit at the start of Season 2 [[spoiler:and outsmarted the goddamn Sibyl System to boot by forcing them to eliminate several of their defective brains]].
* [[spoiler: Kyuubey]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. So far his plans are ''very'' cruel and have had ''huge'' consequences (like [[spoiler: tricking young girls with deep wishes into becoming pretty much liches, then withholding info about the tremendous disadvantages of the Magical Girl job, and watching as they become witches and end up killing or being killed]]), but except for [[spoiler: Madoka (the girl with the most potential) not making the contract (and once only because Homura stopped her from doing so)]], it has all gone ''just as planned''. It's even better/worse when you see that [[spoiler: his goals aren't 100% self-serving... but very akin to those of [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann the Anti-Spiral]]: sacrificing some... to save everyone. And for that, he had Sayaka become a witch, then Kyoko join her in death... and thus, he left Madoka and Homura in such a position that if Madoka doesn't become a Puella Magi, ''the universe will die''.]]
* Akio Ohtori from ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''. He seduces multiple women including [[spoiler: Utena, his sister Anthy, and his fiancee Kanae's mother]] as well as some guys [[spoiler: Touga]]. He also: rigs [[spoiler:the entire series of duels]]; creates [[spoiler:a false timeline]]; convinces [[spoiler:his own sister to stab Utena]]; and runs a private school in his spare time. [[KarmaHoudini And he gets away with all of that.]] ([[spoiler: Well, ''almost'' all. Anthy ''does'' shake off his mind control in the end and leaves him to find Utena.]]

* Franchise/SailorMoon:
** Kunzite from the first ''Anime/SailorMoon'' anime. After over a season of [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters Of The Week]], most of the Shitennou repeatedly showing themselves to be incompetent, and Usagi continuing to win and even gain ground against the Dark Kingdom, it was a breath of fresh air to see Beryl's [[TheDragon Dragon]] catch the entire team and almost finish them off (and only fail because of [[DidntSeeThatComing a Guardian he didn't know about]]), take all seven Rainbow Crystals (with Zoisite's help) and thus almost claim the Silver Crystal for the Dark Kingdom, defeat and nearly kill all of the Sailor Guardians in battle, come up with a nearly successful way to zero in on Sailor Moon and get her to expose her true self, set clever and efficient traps for the Sailor Guardians, tear through Usagi's obvious OutGambitted ploy like it was made of wet paper, and finally go down fighting against Sailor Moon instead of getting the YouHaveFailedMe treatment. Even if he's not as awesome as some of the examples on this page and went through a five episode period of BadassDecay, the series could've used more like him.
** Professor Tomoe in the third season also qualifies. Not only was he a brilliant MadScientist, but he subverted the anime's long-standing BadBoss tradition, which earned him his minions' loyalty and allowed them to accomplish his goals for him before [[SelfDisposingVillain killing each other off.]]
** Cele Cele of the Amazoness Quartet showed qualities of one in episode 156 when she successfully manipulates her target into betraying his own dream while in the guise of a sympathetic and charismatic RichBitch.
** Sailor Galaxia in the final season. Her super effective manipulations of all of her soldiers in the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]] (and Queen Nehelenia, in the anime) as well as her sheer power puts her squarely here in this trope.
* Souma Saiki from ''Manga/SakuraGari'' is mostly a BrokenAce, but shows shades of this -- ''specially'' when he [[spoiler: deals a spectacular [[KarmicDeath and fatal]] HumiliationConga to his ex-lover [[{{Yandere}} Katsuragi]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil for raping/torturing Masataka]], his MoralityPet.]]
* ''Manga/SgtFrog'': One manga had Momoka's father try to force her into another private school, causing Fuyuki and the others to stand up to him. [[spoiler: The end reveals that Dark Momoka planned the whole thing. She told her dad that she wanted to go to a private school so he could meet and gain respect for Fuyuki.]]
* Xellos for ''{{LightNovel/Slayers}}'' fits this bill quite nicely, even moreso in the original novels.
** Jillas from ''Slayers TRY'', likewise. You would normally think a GoldfishPoopGang member would be unable to [[BatmanGambit manipulate the entire party against their actions]]. [[NotSoHarmlessVillain Think again]].

* Kanako from ''Anime/StarDriver'', you are fighting against the Ginga Bishounen who has beaten everyone else, and you are inevitably next on the chopping block? Why betray your call to be "professional" (splitting real life from your life in the Crux) and steal the first kiss of the Ginga Bishounen? (Without using a glass wall to make it innocent.)
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' and its sequel has several of these running around.
** The Clown Gang. In a CruelTwistEnding to the original series, it turns out that they have been around the entire time and manipulating ''everyone''. [[spoiler: Uta and Itori have spent the series steering Kaneki along through various encounters, with Roma spying on Anteiku, Nico spying on Aogiri and later giving Kaneki information about them to steer him along, and Souta being the one that dropped the steel beams on Rize and started the whole thing]]. In the sequel, they begin messing with the heroes again for purposes still not fully understood.
** The One-Eyed Owl, [[spoiler: Eto / Sen Takatsuki]]. There since the very beginning, they've been quietly manipulating events. Even when they seemingly lose, they still manage to come out with some gain while further sowing seeds of discord and doubt in everyone involved. Along the way, they've managed to [[spoiler: manipulate Hinami into her eventual FaceHeelTurn, plant seeds of doubt in Amon's mind about the CCG, made Kuro and Shiro realize they were being manipulated by Dr. Kanou, manipulated Takizawa and Kanae into fighting a mentally-unstable Sasaki, and (in the anime at least) exposed Anteiku in order to capture her father and create a power vacuum in Tokyo]].
** In the sequel, we have [[spoiler: Nimura Furuta]]. Seemingly a minor background character, they turn out to be a sinister RedHerringShirt that masterfully manipulates everyone around them. [[spoiler: Mid-battle, he casually drops the meek and clumsy personality......by shoving a comrade into the path of a fatal blow, and using it to take down Matsumae. He reveals that he knows Tsukiyama from his days at the Ghoul Restaurant, and cheerfully kills Matsumae before using her kagune to finish off the only witness. By the time backup arrives, he's beaten himself up and tells a sob story about being the only survivor. This fools his superiors, and he pretends to become hysterical with grief over the death of his partner.....but is actually laughing over it all]].
* Millions Knives from the ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' manga. A [[SuperPowerLottery frighteningly superpowered]] badass with [[LargeHam charisma]] to spare and the [[TragicVillain flaws]] of a Shakespearean character.
** [[TheDragon Legato Bluesummers]] from the anime. An utterly terrifying, [[NietzscheWannabe nihilistic]], relentless agent of death with the ability to mentally control any [[InnocentBystander villager--man, woman, or child]]--to their deaths. His first appearance absolutely ''terrifies'' Vash, whom he makes his mission to completely ''break.'' [[spoiler: And by forcing Vash to kill him, as far as he knows, ''he wins.'']]

* [[CardCarryingVillain Yuto Kigai]] and [[ProfessionalKiller Seishiro Sakurazuka]] from ''Manga/{{X1999}}''. Yuto is polite, softspoken, a little snarky, very caring towards Satsuki and yet is able to carry out Kanoe's instructions flawlessly without even getting his suit dirty. Seishirou is a charismatic SerialKiller with a charming smile, a StarCrossedLovers bond with Subaru Sumeragi, very cruel and very stylish puppy-kicking acts under his belt, and in the end he [[spoiler: manages to play one ''Hell'' of a ThanatosGambit to die exactly in the way he wanted to, also ensuring that his killer will be the only person he [[TheMasochismTango ever sort-of cared for]], Subaru... who will end up as the next Sakurazukamori as well.]].

* Sakyou from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''. Even before his main role in the Dark Tournament arc, he effortlessly used Yusuke's team to cause the downfall of one of his rivals.
** And later, we have the only living being able to OutGambit [[spoiler: Kurama]] ''and'' get away with it: [[spoiler: King Yomi]]. Not only he did that, but [[spoiler: he ''forced Kurama to work with and for him!'']] Fucking awesome.
** There's also Shinobu Sensui, who expertly manipulated disadvantaged superpowered youths into heinous acts in an attempt to stall the good guys, [[spoiler:forced Kurama into a situation where he would have to kill a young child in order to proceed, tricked Makihara/Gourmet into eating Elder Toguro, who took control of him and killed him, and kidnapped Kuwabara so that Gourmet/Toguro could eat him and absorb his newfound dimension cutting powers in order to destroy a powerful barrier]]. Later, after [[spoiler:killing Yusuke]], Sensui manipulates Kuwabara into [[spoiler:cutting down the Kekkai barrier, which is the only thing preventing not only Sensui's plan, but also preventing Kurama and Hiei from crossing over to try and exact revenge]]. Total asshole? Indeed. Absolutely stylish in all of these actions? '''You bet your ass'''.
** Suzaku and Younger Toguro also qualify. The former for being the first villain to really get to Yusuke on a personal level, and the latter for [[spoiler: being the true puppet master of the Dark Tournament, Out Gambitting even Sakyou!]]

* ''Manga/BlackButler'' has Lau in the anime and [[spoiler: Claude]]
** Even more of a worthy choice is [[spoiler: Hannah. She {{OutGambit}}ted everyone in the show by having Alois take over Ciel's body and then she took Ciel's soul. Beating both Claude and Sebastian to the punch. And all of this coming from a softspoken, one-eyed {{Meido}}]]
*** Ciel Phantomhive himself is basically a MagnificentBastard in training (if he's not already one). He's a BadassAdorable DeadpanSnarker [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] who's arguably even more dangerous than his demonic BattleButler.

* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' has quite a few, but one that really stands out is Adrian Rubinsky, who manipulates both sides of a massive intergalactic war to increase his own profit, and eventually [[spoiler:even outsmarts and kills his own son, who had been studying from him too well and was looking to replace him.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Jackals}}'', Lee Mei Lang is so skilled and awesome in her absolute villainy that you can't help but root for the total bitch she is. Even better, the reason she [[spoiler: took over Tennouren]] to begin with was to destroy every gang in the city [[spoiler: including her own]]. All in order to essentially gain an ARMY [[labelnote:*]]and [[PetTheDog create a town that isn't ruled by gangs]] but mostly to gain an army[[/labelnote]]. To wit, she and her spider-whip henchgirl are the only people to [[spoiler: walk away from the gang wars completely unscathed.]]

* Balalaika from ''Manga/BlackLagoon''. Ruthless, cool, very dignified ex-special forces commander, now the queen of the mafia. Her [[GoodScarsEvilScars huge facial scars]] can't completely tarnish her incredible beauty, and her [[DarkActionGirl fighting skills]] and [[TheBaroness intelligence]] keep her on top of the crime control of [[WretchedHive Roanapur.]]
** Series protaganist Rock seems to be turning into a [[AntiHero anti-heroic]] {{Magnificent Bastard}} as he becomes steadily more jaded. Whilst he's manipulating everyone around him and with a {{Slasher Smile}} that tells you he's thoroughly enjoying himself, is that his goal is ultimately to ''save'' as many lives as possible.
** Balalaika's biggest {{Rival}} and pretty much the only mafia leader in Roanapur who can more or less constantly keep up with her: Mr. Chang from the Kan Yi Fan Triad, has been established as Balalaika's equal. Balalaika might have her absolute lead in prowess and wit, but Chang makes it up with his great influence and far superior contacts, with CIA for example.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Sousuke Aizen fakes his own death and fools all of his former superiors and former subordinates, takes over the world of hollows, and plays the LargeHam role to its finest when he undergoes multiple transformations that drastically increase his own power. All to obtain the PlotDevice that'll help him enter the realm of divinity. However, towards the end, he becomes so reliant on the PlotDevice to increase his power to the level required that Ichigo overpowering him causes him to melt down in a VillainousBSOD. This allows him to be defeated by [[TheChessmaster Urahara]] and be imprisoned in a FateWorseThanDeath. [[spoiler: Until the end of the Thousand Year Old Blood War, where Aizen cuts an EnemyMine deal with Soul Society that allows him to learn from his errors, use his own remaining powers and ''recover'' his MagnificentBastard credentials, as he beautifully counters the character who follows and his troops...]]
** Yhwach sends an emissary party to Yamamoto informing him Soul Society will be at war in five days that consists of Yamamoto losing half his entire division in three minutes. Less than 24 hours later, his army invades, taking out more than half the Gotei 13 and multiple captains and lieutenants. [[spoiler:He also kills Yamamoto by exposing Yamamoto to a doombot that manages to draw out Yamamoto's Bankai. Once Yamamoto's power is exposed, Yhwach is able to steal it and kill Yamamoto. He's also carefully implanted soul fragments in all of the shinigami that have fought Quincies, allowing to feed off their power - when any individual dies, Yhwach gets stronger: so every time the shinigami win a fight, they're actually losing.]] This guy is such a MagnificentBastard that [[spoiler: when Ichigo manages to ''finally'' merge all of his powers in a VERY powerful Bankai ''plus'' unite his Hollow, Quincy and human sides... Yhwach counters this and ''horribly curbstomps him''. It takes ''Aizen's'' return to action and him uniting forces with Ichigo and his current partner Renji to retake the lead.]]
** Mayuri Kurotsuchi began as a CardCarryingVillain MadScientist, but as time passed he became a serious candidate for this trope. He reappears in the Arrancar arc by stepping in the way of his fellow MadScientist Szayelaporro, counters all of his techniques in increasingly CrazyPrepared ways, deals him one magnificent TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that pulverizes his motivations and finishes it with one HELL of a CruelAndUnusualDeath. He's later one of the few Captains who [[spoiler: can talk back to a completely pissed off Yamamoto and make [[VillainHasAPoint quite the points]] as he does so]], keeps his Bankai when the Vandenreich steal almost all of them from the Captains, counteracts [[spoiler: Giselle Gewelle]]'s ''extremely'' hard to fight back against battle techniques, etc. It says a lot that he's a Captain despite his absolute dickery, since everyone is Soul Society is clearly aware that ''he's too much of a danger if he's let loose''.
* In ''Manga/AoNoFuuin'', we have [[spoiler: Takao]]. This guy's ''entire'' actions throughout the story were either orchestrated or predicted by him. [[spoiler: Takao is the one who cloned Rago, bringing about the heroine Soko. His role as the Genbu has him work to protect Soko and he uses her to resurrect the Oni tribe, the reason she was cloned for to begin with. Despite Soko refusing to willingly do so, he either forces her to do it or brainwashes her with his MindManipulation. And even when it looks like Soko ''finally'' got away from him and can be happy with Akira, Takao isn't concerned. He knows Soko is too responsible and will return to his side. And even when Takao is ''about to be killed'', he makes sure his final words [[TakeCareOfTheKids will stop her from abandoning the Oni tribe and take up her duty as their leader]].]] This guy is ''good''!

* ''Manga/DGrayman'': Even though very little is known about him, the more we learn about NEA D Campbell, the more he appears as this. [[spoiler: His desire to achieve his ambition, that is to kill the millenium earl and take his place is so fierce that he orchestrated a plan that involved his own death at the end of the earl to be reincarnated decades later with absolutely no guarantee that everything would to just as planned. He is charismatic enough to rally humans to his cause when he himself is a human hater and wishes to kill them all. He has also shown to be very manipulative, impersonating others to reach his ends.]]

* Sir Isaac Ray Peram Westcott in ''Light/DateALive'' developing a gambit to throw Tohka Yatogami over the edge of the Despair Event Horizon and invoke her Inverse Form that he's been trying to harness after thinking up several ways to get her to do so, including Cold-Blooded Torture. He also goes on [[ToThePain a long and detailed list]] on what he would do Tohka in order to [[DespairEventHorizon push her to the brink]], like [[ElectricTorture electrocution]], [[AlmostOutOfOxygen oxygen deprivation]], [[{{Fingore}} peeling her nails]], [[TheToothHurts ripping out her teeth]], and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil trample her dignity as woman]]. He subtly manipulates everyone to get what he wants. First, trying to murder Shido just to evaluate [[spoiler:Inverse Form Tohka's power]]. Then, when Roger Murdoch and a few other DEM executives conspire to remove him by all means necessary, he indirectly forces Shido and the Spirits into foiling the assassination plan, given they had to prevent said plan from causing any harm to the city.

* [[AntiVillain Satsuki Kiruyin]] from ''Anime/KillLaKill''. She takes advantage of Ryuko Matoi's arrival at Honouji Academy, using Ryuko's battles with her AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil to make the final adjustments to her Goku Uniforms to stage a full scale invasion of Japan, while also purging the system of any dissenters for good measure. Ryuko herself later points that out.
* Johan Liebert - the ''{{Anime/Monster}}''. He manipulates ''everyone'' he encounters as they were puppets on a string and then [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness disposes of them without a second thought]], defies every PetTheDog moment he's given in chilling ways, and ''never'' loses that DissonantSerenity permanently affixed to his face. The problem is, the straight treatment the series gives his activities also makes him ''[[DeconstructedTrope freaking scary]]'' to behold.

* [[BigBad Tobi]] [[spoiler:aka [[FallenHero Obito Uchiha]]]] from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. [[spoiler:While his EvilMentor was the one who started the [[AssimilationPlot Moon-Eye Plan]] and imparting Obito with the knowledge needed to implement the plan so that he could resurrected in the future and become a PhysicalGod. Obito in turn decides to use this for his own interests to become a PhysicalGod himself and never had any intention of reviving him. So from the time of death his EvilMentor practically everything was directed by Obito.]] This includes the manipulation of Nagato and Sasuke, reforming the peace organization Akatsuki into an organization consisting of dangerous criminals, leading this very organization from behind the scenes, and as a bonus he infiltrated his own organization pretending to be and convincing many people that [[ObfuscatingStupidity he was silly, goofy Tobi]] without particular reason except [[ItAmusedMe fun]]. He also manage to deceive the whole world [[ConsummateLiar making everyone who met him believe that he was the "true" Madara Uchiha]], and pretty much goads the entire world into a war against himself. When his plans to start slowly to fall apart because of unforeseen circumstances, he shows very good skills in XanatosSpeedChess. [[spoiler:So when Kabuto puts him at a disadvantage threatening to bring back to life his EvilMentor and forced him into an unstable alliance, he uses the army brought by Kabuto to his own advantage for the battle with the Alliance and gathering the tools in which were sealed two resurrected shinobi owning Nine-Tails chakra as a fallback in case if he can't catch the remaining Tailed Beasts and to resurrect the Ten-Tails in any case. And even brought back from the dead, his EvilMentor was unable to stop him since Obito [[OutGambitted outsmarts]] him, using his former best friend in order to remove seals put on his heart and becoming the first man since the era of [[FolkHero the Sage of the Six Paths]] who sealed in himself [[EldritchAbomination the Ten-Tails]] and became a PhysicalGod.]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece:''
** Crocodile manipulated an entire kingdom into a civil war, while presenting himself as a hero to the country. His slogan for the plan was, "The love for this kingdom will destroy it." He toyed with the heroes by telling them about a bomb that would blow up the town square they were in, and was nearly impossible to stop because he had a backup in case his lackeys failed to set off the bomb. His plan was nearly flawless and would have succeeded if it was not for the unexpected return of TheHero, who he thought he'd killed.
** Donquixote Doflamingo also made a gambit of taking over a country, and succeeded in a day and a night. He managed to keep power for a decade. His grip of the country was only shaken because of a single blunder by one of his subordinates, whose powers made everyone else forget about the very existence of the person who eventually led the resistance. Before that, he managed to position himself so well even his enemies (the World Government) were forced to cooperate. He also set himself up with one of the [[GreaterScopeVillain Yonko]], Kaido, ensuring that anyone who went after him also risked the intervention of the Yonko. Even though he isn't as powerful as the admirals or the Yonko, he expertly maneuvered his way to the top. Only Luffy and Law are crazy enough/ have enough knowledge to hit him where it hurts.
** Blackbeard. His GambitRoulette slash BatmanGambit resulted in the biggest battle/war in the history of the series' world, and manipulated all sides involved effortlessly. He admitted the plan had gone through some snags, but he still got exactly what he wanted from it: [[spoiler: Whitebeard's extremly powerful Devil's Fruit, and 4 of the strongest prisoners of Level Six of Impel Down, which holds the worst criminals in history, plus the former Head Jailer, a man equal to the Badass Warden]]. And he got away scot free, and because of the WG's pride, won't even be hunted down by them. All for his plan to become Pirate King.
** [[AFatherToHisMen Vice Admiral Jonathan]] of the G-8 "Navarone" facility is a rare semi-heroic example. The Straw Hat pirates just happen to fall directly into the impenetrable fortress at the same time that an inspector with an ulterior motive to have the place shut down pulls in. Rather than trying to deny the event, he takes time and makes observations about the crew, even when they show in front of his very face, turning their quirks to support a morale boost of the base's personnel and discredit the obstructive inspector. It's important to remember that his primary goal is to maintain the Marines' support of the facility, not the capture of the pirate crew, and even when things don't follow his voiced plan, he still comes out ahead.
** Trafalgar Law, after the TimeSkip. He become one of the Shichibukai in order to get in close on Caesar Clown in order to stop his production of the SAD, a chemical crucial in the production of artificial devil fruits, but he also used this attempt to press Donquixote Doflamingo [[spoiler:into quitting the Shichibukai]]. He is smart enough to befriend the protagonist, forming an alliance with him to take down Kaidou of the Yonkou (who wanted the SAD chemical). And last, but not least: he tricked Caesar Clown into stabbing what Clown thought was Smoker's heart, while it in reality was the heart of [[spoiler:his own second in command, Monet seconds before she would have released an attack that would have killed everyone except for Clown, which he would have been perfectly fine with]]. ItMakesSenseInContext.
** Buggy also qualifies, oddly enough. While not as personally powerful as the above examples, he made it across [[DeathWorld The Grand Line]] just fine prior to Impel Down. Once he got captured, he managed to conceal his Devil Fruit abilities while getting locked up in a supermax prison and thus avoided receiving Seastone restraints (and also managed to sneak in powerful explosives), used carefully worded lies and half-truths to talk a bunch of ''incredibly'' powerful and dangerous convicts into working for him, thereby gaining one of the strongest crews in the series, and post-TimeSkip, it's shown he managed to talk his way into [[spoiler:a cushy position as one of the Shichibukai]], all while operating under the guise of ObfuscatingStupidity. He's essentially John Constantine in the form of a pirate.

* [[KnifeNut Ryoko Asakura]] of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' fame has some qualifications down. Not only is she intelligent, but [[AffablyEvil her charismatic and cheerful personality]] makes it so easy for one to lower their guard around her. She had Kyon and the audience fooled ''twice.'' Even though we should know better by the second time, she has us fooled anyway. Haruhi Suzumiya herself displays tendencies of this on occasion. She's at least got the ruthless, bold and charismatic part down.

* Medusa the Witch in ''Manga/SoulEater''. Manipulates her [[AmbiguousGender daughter... son... child]] into becoming a [[DarkMagicalGirl Dark Magical Child]]... but exploits HeelFaceTurn [[spoiler:so that "s/he" would be TheMole]] instead. Blackmails other witches, like Eruka, into working for her by planting parts of her body in them that ''explode'' whenever she wills it. Matches the best Technician and Death Scythe in Shibusen in battle, [[spoiler:resurrects the monster]], gives TheCorruption to the main heroine/hero duo, comes BackFromTheDead by stealing the body of a little girl with the promise of returning it later (a promise she actually ''keeps'' [[spoiler: but only when she finds a better body, as mentioned below]]) but still fully using said little girl's body as an advantage so no one can attack her, drives the best tech crazy, frames him for murder, drives out a good witch who wanted to defect, and [[spoiler:''convinces Shibusen to let her lead them in an assault against her Rival Older Sister.'']]
** In the manga, Medusa may be even more of a MagnificentBitch, [[spoiler: via using '''her own death''' at the hands of a Crona whom she drove even more AxCrazy, to fully make him/her a slave to the Black Blood.]] What would normally be [[spoiler: a KickTheSonOfABitch and CrowningMomentOfAwesome for ''[[CallingTheOldManOut Crona]]'']]... becomes [[spoiler: a nightmarish ThanatosGambit]] in Medusa's hands. Hoooo Leee Sheeeeet.

* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
** Maximillion Pegasus was the series' first genuine BigBad and one of its most fondly remembered. The inventor of Duel Monsters and CEO of Industrial Illusions, Pegasus used the mind reading powers of his Millennium Eye to control the few things his billions of dollars could not, and planned to use [=KaibaCorp=] technology and Yugi's Millennium Puzzle to resurrect his deceased wife. Stealing the souls of Yugi's grandfather and of Mokuba Kaiba, Pegasus lured Yugi and Seto Kaiba to his Duelist Kingdom Tournament, where he pitted them against one another and his handpicked team of Eliminators, using Kaiba as a catspaw to damage Yugi's confidence before claiming the former World Champion's soul as well. Only narrowly defeated by Yugi & Yami's tag-team dueling strategy, Pegasus set a high bar for subsequent villains to aspire to, and whether as a duelist, corporate raider, or user of Shadow magic, always seemed to be holding all the cards.
** The Spirit of the Millennium Ring is perhaps an even bigger example. In his debut appearance, he's shown to be the Phaoroh's equal in being a master of all games and he manipulates all events to fit in with his "game." Afterwards, he begins a GambitRoulette that lasts for the remainder of the series and almost brings Zorc Necrophades, the Dark One into the living world.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' brings us Rex Goodwin; a very different villain given the genre. For all of the first season, he operates behinds behind the scenes, manipulating the Five Signers in order to force them to reveal themselves. For example, in order to get Yusei Fudo to participate in his tournament, he kidnaps his friends and threatens him with their deaths. Yeah. And the kicker; it's revealed that his reasons for this were [[AntiVillain inherently noble]], and he has received no comeuppance for his actions. And throughout all of this, he has maintained a [[AffablyEvil calm, friendly demeanor]].

* Although she is one of the good guys, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Haruna Saotome]] [[ChaoticNeutral herself]] is this in regards to pactios, or anything involving magic. Ships everyone with Negi, DRAGS him to a ''Comiket'' event, and makes plans to conquer the entire Magic World.
* [[spoiler: [[EvilutionaryBiologist Dr. Grace]] [[ManipulativeBastard O'Connor]]]] from ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' is slowly revealed to be a shining example of this trope.For most of the first half of the series, we are only given very subtle hints at her role in the grand scheme of things. Even the first time we actually see her working towards her goals, it's with a disguise so well done that fans were arguing if it even was her. Even the choice [[Creator/KikukoInoue voice actor]] playing the role was seemingly meant to mislead. It's only around halfway through when [[spoiler: she singlehandedly sets up the destruction of the planet Gallia IV where her ward, [[IdolSinger Sheryl]] is scheduled to perform, in the hopes of killing the latter, both as a means to win public support for the oncoming war with the Vajra, and at the same time destroying the only major piece of evidence that would link her to everything.]] It's also revealed at this point that [[spoiler:she's a Cyborg with the ability to transplant her consciousness over multiple bodies. Which is why it was okay for her to personally detonate the bomb that took out the planet]]. Later on we learn that [[spoiler: she was the one behind Sheryl's rise to fame, giving her the [[BodyHorror V-Type infection]] that had the capability of summoning the Vajra to attack whenever she sang, as revenge against the latter's grandmother, who was her former professor. The act of having Sheryl die on Gallia IV was simply due to her not living up to Grace's expectations, as well as making her revenge even sweeter; Grace had also discovered Ranka Lee, the daughter of another of her former colleagues who had better potential than Sheryl.]] All the while [[spoiler: she had put Ranka's long lost brother Brera under her control via neural implants and was using him to control her. Even when Ranka rebels and flees from her duties, it's because Grace allowed it and was using her brother to manipulate her into finding the Vajra homeworld and her target, the Vajra Queen]]. And the reason for all this, [[spoiler: so that she could hijack the Vajra Queen once she had learned how Ranka was able to communicate with them, and use the Vajra to take out any opposing fleets. Once this was done, she'd used the Vajra's [[HiveMind fold communication network]] as a way to implement a galaxy wide [[AssimilationPlot neural network]] with her at the top controlling everyone. And all this was simply a way at getting back at her old mentor and colleague who were pretty much against the idea of such a network, for obvious reasons.]] [[spoiler: And she had already succeeded somewhat by having the entire Macross Galaxy fleet under her control. Sure there were [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness the other voices]] that she consulted with, but in the end, it was clear that it was her that was in control]].
* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' has quite a few, but one that really stands out is Adrian Rubinsky, who manipulates both sides of a massive intergalactic war to increase his own profit, and eventually [[spoiler:even outsmarts and kills his own son, who had been studying from him too well and was looking to replace him.]]
* Amusingly, ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' has a character who straddles the line between this and {{Guile Hero}}. Miki Hanabishi is known for her plots to make trouble for Hinagiku, in fact it's clearly stated in her profile that she enjoys it, but generally seems to be using such tactics to push Hina to the forefront of the competition for [[{{Unwanted Harem}} Hayate's]] [[{{I Want My Beloved To Be Happy}} affection]]. While at the same time pursuing Hinagiku with her own romantic interest
* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' has Orihara Izaya. Everything that happens in Ikebukuro is a result of his game of {{Xanatos Speed Chess}}. Except in book four, but he makes up for it in five and six because he felt left out.
* ''Manga/BlackButler'' has Lau in the anime and [[spoiler: Claude]]
** Even more of a worthy choice is [[spoiler: Hannah. She {{OutGambit}}ted everyone in the show by having Alois take over Ciel's body and then she took Ciel's soul. Beating both Claude and Sebastian to the punch. And all of this coming from a softspoken, one-eyed {{Meido}}]]
*** Ciel Phantomhive himself is basically a MagnificentBastard in training (if he's not already one). He's a BadassAdorable DeadpanSnarker [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] who's arguably even more dangerous than his demonic BattleButler.
* Souichi of ''Challengers'' and ''Manga/TheTyrantFallsInLove'' is a relatively down-to-earth version of this. When a professor attempts to rape him, Souichi attempts to murder the guy. [[spoiler: Morinaga]] stops him, but Souichi still manages to stab the guy ''deep'' in the ass with a pair of scissors. When Soichi and Morinaga witness a guy on his cellphone ignoring the pleas of a woman who has an assistive device in her heart, Soichi gets fed up when the woman collapses and snatches the phone out of the guy's hand then snaps it in half. Soichi is not a supervillain and he hasn't got the world under his thumb, but he's a damned terrifying force when his protectiveness of his brother, his sense of justice or his hatred of gays is crossed, which is often.
* Souma Saiki from ''Manga/SakuraGari'' is mostly a BrokenAce, but shows shades of this -- ''specially'' when he [[spoiler: deals a spectacular [[KarmicDeath and fatal]] HumiliationConga to his ex-lover [[{{Yandere}} Katsuragi]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil for raping/torturing Masataka]], his MoralityPet.]]
* Kanako from ''Anime/StarDriver'', you are fighting against the Ginga Bishounen who has beaten everyone else, and you are inevitably next on the chopping block? Why betray your call to be "professional" (splitting real life from your life in the Crux) and steal the first kiss of the Ginga Bishounen? (Without using a glass wall to make it innocent.)
* [[spoiler: Kyuubey]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. So far his plans are ''very'' cruel and have had ''huge'' consequences (like [[spoiler: tricking young girls with deep wishes into becoming pretty much liches, then withholding info about the tremendous disadvantages of the Magical Girl job, and watching as they become witches and end up killing or being killed]]), but except for [[spoiler: Madoka (the girl with the most potential) not making the contract (and once only because Homura stopped her from doing so)]], it has all gone ''just as planned''. It's even better/worse when you see that [[spoiler: his goals aren't 100% self-serving... but very akin to those of [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann the Anti-Spiral]]: sacrificing some... to save everyone. And for that, he had Sayaka become a witch, then Kyoko join her in death... and thus, he left Madoka and Homura in such a position that if Madoka doesn't become a Puella Magi, ''the universe will die''.]]
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'''s [[BigBad Shishio Makoto]] came up with the plan to burn Kyoto right to the ground [[spoiler:as a ''DISTRACTION'' while he and his minions [[FalseFlagOperation sailed a warship into Tokyo]] and let sheer panic rip the government apart]]. This is just his biggest, most expensive example though. He practically lives for this trope.
* The main point of Iason Mink's character in ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' is that he is both magnificent...and a complete and utter bastard being the most manipulative person in his world. Only his high status in society lets him get away with it.
* Kokujo, of ''Anime/DuelMasters'', uses his phenomenal skills in psychological warfare to completely destroy the hero in their first duel. The [[GagDub dub]] furthers his status by having him shamelessly call himself "an evil genius."
* WellIntentionedExtremist Choji Suitengu of ''Anime/SpeedGrapher'', a sophisticated businessman who uses his wealth and power in his agenda to eliminate greed and power. Oh, and he smokes cigarettes rolled in ten-thousand-yen bills.
* KnightTemplar Lieutenant Colonel Dewey Novak of ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', a military commander and aspiring dictator who knows all there is to know about charisma, sophistication, power, influence, and exploitation. And genocide, too. A defining moment for him is when he tells his younger brother Holland that he knows how the masses who consume the various media outlets on which he's made his speeches think - they aren't interested in hearing the truth: if convenient lies resonate emotionally with them and tell them what they want to hear, they'll buy into them. That's why he feels justified in bending the truth or lying to suit his sinister purposes. [[spoiler: Even when he seems defeated, he pulls a MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning suicide that very nearly ensures the completion of his goals.]]
* The latest ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'' BigBad Mag Mel. The guy managed to effortlessly trick the heroes into giving him the power to free himself [[SealedEvilInACan from his prison]] ''before they even know he existed''. He proves to be a ManipulativeBastard and ChessMaster so cunning that he's always several steps ahead of the group and even the one time thus far he's lost, he ''still'' got half of what he wanted ''and'' the Brawlers find out while they were fighting his forces on one of their ally's homeworlds, Mag Mel had ''utterly demolished'' Bakugan Interspace with another attack that cripples the transporters so no one can get out ''except'' his minions, who are free to get in and out at will. While he's not exactly charming, he realized this and made ([[ArtificialHuman literally]]) his CoDragons extremely charismatic and planted them in Bakugan Interspace to raise followers and generally cause chaos.
* [[BlackKnight DarkKnightmon]] of ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'', whose magnificentness is aided by being as badass as [[BlackKnight his name]] would suggest. [[spoiler:He spends years manipulating a meek ChildProdigy into thinking that the Digital World is a game where no one can die so that he'll willingly work for him and grant him access to [[FusionDance DigiXros]], then blackmails his sister into helping him too by using him as a hostage, neither aware of the other's true situation. While he is a servant (and younger brother) of the BigBad, Bagramon, he poses as the leader of [[EvilVersusEvil a rival faction]] for much of the series, and even spies on and sabotages the plans of the QuirkyMinibossSquad (partly to keep up the charade, partly [[EnemyCivilWar to make himself look better]], but mostly because [[ForTheLulz it's hilarious]]). And in the end it turns out he really ''was'' [[TheStarscream working against Bagramon]] - he [[StealthMentor encouraged the protagonists to get stronger]] so that they would be around to attack Bagramon while he was focusing most of his power into his doomsday technique, allowing [=DarkKnightmon=] to stab him in the back while he was distracted and absorb him.]]
** There was also [[spoiler: Yukio Oikawa]] from '' Anime/DigimonAdventure02''. The guy was pretty much behind everything that happened in the series, and he started it all with just [[spoiler: a simple e-mail he sent to Ken Ichijouji, a young boy wretched with guilt over his brother's death that he blamed himself for, which tells him to use the digivice he found some time ago to travel into another world. Little Ken does so and ends up in the Dark Ocean, a world of darkness and negativity which corrupts Ken into the evil Digimon Emperor. Now with Ken as his unknowing pawn, he uses him to conquer the Digital World and set up Control Spires, obelisk towers of darkness used to weaken the Digital World's defences and, in the long term, the border between the Digital World and the Real World. However, when the Digidestined defeats Ken and cleans the Digital World of the spires, Oikawa sends his agents Arukenimon and Mummymon to kill them by transforming the spires into monsters, and to destroy the Destiny Stones in order to hasten the weakening of the border. With enough Destiny Stones destroyed, the border becomes so weak that Digimon invade the Real World in thousends, and with that as a convenient diversion, Oikawa moves on to his next step. He and his minions recruits some lonely kids with promises of power and talents and then kidnaps Ken, copies the Dark Spore that was planted inside him, and transplants the copies inside the children. With time, those copies would grow into something so powerful that it would give Oikawa the final crack on the border he needed to enter the Digital World and claim it as his own. A simple goal which required complicated tactics and difficult planning to reach, and yet Oikawa pulled it all off like it was no problem at all. But then it's revealed that he was just a pawn of Myotismon all along, and that Myotismon is the true ChessMaster of ''Digimon Adventure 02'']].
** Devimon and Myotismon from the original ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' could be the first ever contenders for this trope in the franchise.
*** Devimon, as the first ever BigBad, was behind all Black Gears and traps set for the children on File Island and rarely lost his composure, even while dying! Not to mention that he was probably the only Digimon villain who had some sanity in him, except the conquest thing. Even in death, he still pulls some strings behind the scene; by appearing before the Digimon Emperor he played on Ken's superiority complex into making him use some of his own data to create Kimeramon and so, Devimon had full control of it and gladly use Kimeramon against the Digidestined and the emperor.
*** Meanwhile, Myotismon's entire scheme for traveling to the Real World is a gambit to kill the Eighth Child before she can fulfill her destiny and defeat him. He distributes mock crests to his minions so that they can tell when they're near the chosen child, and when that fails, he uses that child's potential partner to pick out the child for him (all while keeping the digivice and crest safely far away). He is charming enough to beguile human women so he can drink their blood in a weirdly sexual way, and his plans are shrewd enough to be frighteningly competent. And this is just the first season!
** [[{{Franchise/Digimon}} The franchise's]] greatest example would be Millenniummon, since unlike all the others he ultimately achieved what it wanted [[spoiler: to become Ryo's Partner even though he would have also liked to start conquering the MultiVerse immediately (note that he can wait for it anyway)]]. His actions led to nearly '''everything''' that went wrong with ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' and ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' (including those of the ones mentioned above), but because he managed to remain undetected and completely out of reach he became TheUnfought. He also succeeded in '''[[TimeyWimeyBall creating himself]]''' without being noticed by an ''omniscient'' being. Details can be found in the [[Synopsis/DigimonWonderSwanGames synopsis page for the series]].
* Millions Knives from the ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' manga. A [[SuperPowerLottery frighteningly superpowered]] badass with [[LargeHam charisma]] to spare and the [[TragicVillain flaws]] of a Shakespearean character.
** [[TheDragon Legato Bluesummers]] from the anime. An utterly terrifying, [[NietzscheWannabe nihilistic]], relentless agent of death with the ability to mentally control any [[InnocentBystander villager--man, woman, or child]]--to their deaths. His first appearance absolutely ''terrifies'' Vash, whom he makes his mission to completely ''break.'' [[spoiler: And by forcing Vash to kill him, as far as he knows, ''he wins.'']]
* [[CardCarryingVillain Yuto Kigai]] and [[ProfessionalKiller Seishiro Sakurazuka]] from Manga/{{X1999}}. Yuto is polite, softspoken, a little snarky, very caring towards Satsuki and yet is able to carry out Kanoe's instructions flawlessly without even getting his suit dirty. Seishirou is a charismatic SerialKiller with a charming smile, a StarCrossedLovers bond with Subaru Sumeragi, very cruel and very stylish puppy-kicking acts under his belt, and in the end he [[spoiler: manages to play one ''Hell'' of a ThanatosGambit to die exactly in the way he wanted to, also ensuring that his killer will be the only person he [[TheMasochismTango ever sort-of cared for]], Subaru... who will end up as the next Sakurazukamori as well.]].
* [[spoiler: Masako Natsume]] from ''Anime/MawaruPenguindrum'' showed quite the flair for this. Her method of [[spoiler: erasing people's memories]] is a little... [[{{Narm}} odd]], but the rest of her actions are ''very'' effective. [[spoiler: Kidnapping a boy to blackmail his brother and friend/prospect girlfriend?]] Not good. [[spoiler: Kidnapping a boy to get the attention of his brother, staging a whole chase so said brother will remember her from his past, and then letting the kidnapped guy go... but not before giving his rescuer a ForcefulKiss, ''which was her intention all along''?]] Fucking awesome.
** [[spoiler: Sanetoshi Watase]] is actually '''the''' MagnificentBastard here. In his quest to [[spoiler: regain contact with his lost "soulmate" and then bring TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]], he has managed to [[spoiler: stylishly appear to Himari in a dream, give her a new Penguin Hat, and almost get away with giving her a kiss.]] Later [[spoiler: he brings Himari BackFromTheDead with a mysterious serum, managing to rope her protector/brother/[[BrotherSisterIncest possible love interest]] Kanba into a DealWithTheDevil to keep her alive]]. And later it's revealed that some time ago [[spoiler: he actually forced Masako into the same DealWithTheDevil so she could keep her young brother Mario alive as well.]] Thus, he has almost completely [[spoiler: outgambitted ''both'' Kanba and Masako to different degrees]], all while looking fabulous in that coat and [[spoiler: pink]] hair of his, and specially in [[spoiler: now hospital-confined Himari]]'s eyes. Hmmmm!
* Meowth of TeamRocket, of all people-er, Pokemon, attempts to be this in the ''Best Wishes'' series. During the journey to Nimbasa City, he [[HeelFaceMole played the gang like a fiddle by pretending to be fired from Team Rocket and wanting to join with them instead]], and nearly got away with their Pokemon along with the other members of Team Rocket, who were operating a surprisingly well thought out plan. Unfortunately for them, it's another situation where FailureIsTheOnlyOption.
** [[MadScientist Dr. Colress]] in the "Episode N" arc of the same series, who was able to play off of his overconfidence to dupe him into becoming his test subject to use against Team Rocket. Unlike the rest of Team Plasma who seek to control Pokemon for [[TakeOverTheWorld World Domination]], Colress is in it purely ForScience. He clearly has no true respect for Team Plasma's leader Ghetsis (he does not speak to him with the same reverance as the grunts do), he's constantly thinking ahead of anyone else, and was always advancing his technology so that he could control the minds and hearts of Pokemon, even legendary ones like Reshiram. And he did all this in [[DragonInChief his]] [[ScaryShinyGlasses own]] [[LargeHam style.]] Even in the end, the guy doesn't let crushing failure (and going to jail) get him down: he just vows to move on to a new approach!
** Giovanni, Team Rocket's boss, has always been this. Particularly demonstrated in [[Anime/PokemonMewtwoReturns Mewtwo Returns]] and the Operation Tempest two-parter of ''Best Wishes'', where he takes a direct role and is just ''barely'' defeated both times.
** Lysandre from the ''XY'' series is no slouch either. He tricks [[HeroOfAnotherStory Alain]] into retrieving Mega Evolution Energy and an ancient stone he needs for his plans, roping along Hoenn Champion Steven while doing it to battle some Legendary Pokémon, and for most of his tenure in the main series he's a VillainWithGoodPublicity of the highest order. By the time he executes his scheme, not only is everyone caught by complete surprise, but when an organized resistance composed of Ash's group, Alain, the Kalos Gym leaders, [[TheStarscream one of his own elite henchmen]], and not one but ''two'' Champions oppose him, he turns out to be CrazyPrepared and has several solid contingencies in place. [[spoiler: He didn't see Zygarde having another transformation up it's sleeve coming, though.]]
** And while we're talking of Pokémon, let's not forget Mewtwo's original persona from [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie Pokémon: The First Movie.]] Let's see. Tries to take over the world in an outrageously audacious fashion, is almost never seen to lose his cool (and regains it pretty quickly once it's lost), quite the planner, charming in a calculating, suave kind of way, and, let's face it, was going to win until [[OlympusMons Mew]] showed up.
* Michio Yuki from ''{{Manga/MW}}''. He kidnaps his victims in order to extract money from the corrupt politicians who covered up the titular chemical warfare that took away his conscience. He even impersonates the women he killed as part of his plan.
* [[spoiler:[[NightmareFetishist Miyo]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Takano]]]] from ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' certainly counts. [[spoiler:She masterminded the events of the first six arcs, and loves frightening people with tales of Hinamizawa's past. She's a WellIntentionedExtremist who goes so far as to help cause the Great Hinamizawa Disaster just for the sake of proving her grandfather's research, and the plans she makes to do so are magnificent indeed. Definitely a MagnificentBitch. Also manages to be ''COMPLETELY EVIL'' (but mostly because of what the orphanage leader, Nomura, and Tokyo did to her)]].
** Interestingly, [[spoiler:Takano's magnificence is heavily influenced by a GreaterScopeVillain and fellow MagnificentBitch, her employer, Nomura. She demonstrated a plan to close up a company by tricking Takano into helping her and manipulating everything in order to cause the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, and nobody even seemed to notice that she was behind it all (which makes her a KarmaHoudini as well). Another perfect example. Helps that she has a great evil voice provided by Creator/RieTanaka.]].
** Shion Sonozaki tries her hand at being this in the first half of ''Musubienishi-hen'', disguising herself as her sister to manipulate Keiichi into pretending to be her boyfriend and hero. At least until she resigns from her mischief after Keiichi blows her cover and realizes who she really is, after which she really opens up to him in tears after hearing him say "That's why... this one's on me..." before his loss of consciousness. [[spoiler:She displayed further shades of this trope in ''Meakashi-hen'' where her premeditated torture and killing spree in the name of getting answers and taking revenge on those who'd wronged her and her beloved Satoshi ends up a complete success, leaving the entire main cast sans Rena dead.]]
** Similarly, ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' gives us Beatrice, an AntiVillain [[EvenEvilHasStandards with standards]] who, as a Game Master, often clashes with Battler and uses magic to elegantly commit a series of bizarre murders on Rokkenjima. She's truly impressed by Battler's performance, and often looks for ways to make him surrender as best as possible. Oh, and she's also a LaughablyEvil LargeHam.
** Bernkastel counts as well. [[spoiler:Using Ange, Erika, and most other people as pawns for her plans]], and [[spoiler:planning to keep Beatrice in the game and torture her for all eternity]]? She definitely deserves a praise for those.
** Higanbana of [[Manga/HiganbanaNoSakuYoruNi her self-titled series]] counts as well. Offering Marie a chance to become Mesomeso and acting as a villain against heroic characters or an AntiHero against villainous characters is definitely saying something.
* Perhaps the most impressive and villainous character in ''Anime/MonColleKnights'' happens to be Redda, the BigBad and final villain. He has a deviously cruel sense of [[TheChessmaster chessmastery]] and [[ManipulativeBastard mastery of manipulation]], is {{Bishounen}} in appearance (especially behind that scary mask of his), and shows a nice {{plan}} [[spoiler:starting with the part where he uses Rockna as bait to lure Mondo and all his monster friends to him, forcing him to give up all of his collected Monster Items so far and handing over to him a fake Rockna that was actually a rat in disguise. Then he summons Dread Dragon and traps Rockna within its neck, and tells Mondo that he can either destroy it and Rockna with it, or get killed himself while trying to save her without harming Dread Dragon, and orders Dread Dragon to create a wormhole that sucks up all of Mondo's monster friends. And, even when Gabriolis shows up and helps him save her so the two can fuse with him to destroy Dread Dragon, this still provides enough of a distraction so Redda can get the last Monster Item, and he succeeds in collecting it so he can finally summon Oroboros to destroy everything and create in their place a world made of nothingness, which was his ultimate goal all along. And if that's not enough, since Oroboros needs a new body in order to be resurrected, Redda revives Dread Dragon and fuses Oroboros with it to create Doomsday Dragon]]. Even the LaughablyEvil TerribleTrio of VillainsOutShopping fear him.
* Altena from ''{{Anime/Noir}}'' plays the MamaBear role for the young saplings. [[spoiler:However, she intentionally manipulates both the Sodats and the three saplings (Kirika, Chloe and Mireille), in order to achieve her master plan--which is to recreate the bloody history of the Sodats. She's completely dedicated and willing to die for her goal. And in the end, '''she does'''.]]
* Naraku from ''Manga/InuYasha'' is definitely one, if you can look past his ForTheEvulz and VillainBall tendencies, especially during the Mt. Hakurei Arc, in that he manipulated a priest and a powerful group of super powered bandits into becoming his QuirkyMiniBossSquad with a few words to earn their loyalties.
* Keima from ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' can be argued to be one when he is in "God of Conquest" Mode. Even when certain events happen that confuse other characters, he simply interprets them as "flags/events" and proceeds as planned. Even for something as inconsequential as Shiori quietly yelling at him for being a jerk. There's even a point in the manga where [[spoiler: Haqua looks at a giant stack of notes Keima wrote as "The Demon of Conquest" and finds that [[CrazyPrepared he has written stage directions as well as lines for every single possibility that would occur during the event.]] All for a quick 5-minute chat.]]
* [[FauxAffablyEvil Shogo]] [[EvilAlbino Makishima]] from ''Anime/PsychoPass'' is WickedCultured and highly knowledgeable in literature, music, theater and ass-kicking (he at first seems like a NonActionBigBad, but turns out to be a BloodKnight who is simply bored of most fights because ''almost no one is good enough to land a hit on him''). He desires to bring down the [[BigBrotherIsWatching Sibyl System]] that controls the futuristic {{Dystopia}} he lives in, at any cost. He also enjoys getting people to submit to their worst impulses and then disposes of them once [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness they've lost his interest]]. Despite being villainous for that last part, he does care for people in his own twisted way....he believes the Sibyl System has regressed humanity by suppressing humanity's darker instincts along with their freedom of expression and ability to make their own choices. Makishima is also a master of XanatosSpeedChess, the IndyPloy, making allusions to classic literature (especially Dystopian literature) and making {{TheReasonYouSuckSpeech}}es to anyone. To top that off, he is an {{Ubermensch}} who is literally unable to be judged by the slave morality of his world (the Sibyl System), similar to how Nietzsche himself described the {{Ubermensch}}. [[spoiler:He also becomes a HeroKiller as well, both in that the protagonists take extra caution when dealing with him and the literal sense.]]
** Kirito Kamui in Season 2. In fact, he pulled many a XanatosGambit at the start of Season 2 [[spoiler:and outsmarted the goddamn Sibyl System to boot by forcing them to eliminate several of their defective brains]].
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' has Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist and officer of the Amestrian Military who serves as Edward Elric's recruiter and direct superior for most of the story. He is wildly charming, always has a back up plan, carries out undercover missions, uses his charismatic playboy exterior to hide his movements from enemies and allies alike, and ambitiously plans to become the Furher of Amestris.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' gives us Erwin Smith, the Commander of the Survey Corps. Drawing partial inspiration from [[UsefulNotes/ErwinRommel the tropenamer]], Erwin is a handsome and charismatic leader, noted to always lead from the front and hailed as a strategic genius for greatly improving the survival odds of the RedShirtArmy he commands. He is also completely and utterly ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes for the good of humanity -- described in the narrative as a man willing to cover his hands in blood and a man willing to throw away his humanity to win [[HeWhoFightsMonsters against monsters]]. Even with humanity facing utter extinction and many a PyrrhicVictory, Erwin stays cool as a cucumber and remains unshaken in his resolve. When brought before a council and told to explain himself, he states without hesitation that his plan -- which left a major city badly damaged and many dead among both the military and civilian population -- was a ''success''. The council is forced to agree with his reasoning and let him keep his command.
* [[KnightTemplar Seryu Ubiquitous]] from ''Manga/AkameGaKill'' developed a backup strategy during her fight with Mine and Sheele in case she was in a jam, [[XanatosGambit ordering Coro to enter Berserker mode and try to crush the life out of Mine, which forced Sheele to come to her rescue only to get shot from behind by her by surprise.]] And that's not all; she even called for backup from the Imperial guards beforehand. She truly proved herself to be one step ahead of the good guys in that fight, and from her laugh as Coro munched on Sheele in the aftermath of the fight, [[SmitingEvilFeelsGood you could just tell that she was enjoying said victory.]] She was even able to beat down Mine during her second showdown with her with her own hands in a series of punches when her other weaponry failed against her. In fact, had it not been for the damage done to her body, she definitely would've killed Mine that way.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Future Rogue. The guy manipulated the entire Fiore Royal Family into using an ArtifactOfDoom powered by [[TheDarkArts Zeref's magic]] and [[SummonMagic Celestial Spirit Magic]] by telling them it would save their country from a swarm of dragons coming to destroy them. In reality, using the ArtifactOfDoom was what ''caused'' the dragons to appear, and he promptly used a CompellingVoice spell to force the dragons into becoming his submission, as part of a ploy to kill [[TheDreaded Acnologia]] and take his place as the Dragon King. The dragons he summons proceed to curb-stomp the very mages whose magic is designed to kill them, while Future Rogue wipes the floor with Natsu. The ''only'' reason his plan didn't succeed was due to ThePowerOfFriendship causing one of his dragons to rebel against him.
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' and its sequel has several of these running around.
** The Clown Gang. In a CruelTwistEnding to the original series, it turns out that they have been around the entire time and manipulating ''everyone''. [[spoiler: Uta and Itori have spent the series steering Kaneki along through various encounters, with Roma spying on Anteiku, Nico spying on Aogiri and later giving Kaneki information about them to steer him along, and Souta being the one that dropped the steel beams on Rize and started the whole thing]]. In the sequel, they begin messing with the heroes again for purposes still not fully understood.
** The One-Eyed Owl, [[spoiler: Eto / Sen Takatsuki]]. There since the very beginning, they've been quietly manipulating events. Even when they seemingly lose, they still manage to come out with some gain while further sowing seeds of discord and doubt in everyone involved. Along the way, they've managed to [[spoiler: manipulate Hinami into her eventual FaceHeelTurn, plant seeds of doubt in Amon's mind about the CCG, made Kuro and Shiro realize they were being manipulated by Dr. Kanou, manipulated Takizawa and Kanae into fighting a mentally-unstable Sasaki, and (in the anime at least) exposed Anteiku in order to capture her father and create a power vacuum in Tokyo]].
** In the sequel, we have [[spoiler: Nimura Furuta]]. Seemingly a minor background character, they turn out to be a sinister RedHerringShirt that masterfully manipulates everyone around them. [[spoiler: Mid-battle, he casually drops the meek and clumsy personality......by shoving a comrade into the path of a fatal blow, and using it to take down Matsumae. He reveals that he knows Tsukiyama from his days at the Ghoul Restaurant, and cheerfully kills Matsumae before using her kagune to finish off the only witness. By the time backup arrives, he's beaten himself up and tells a sob story about being the only survivor. This fools his superiors, and he pretends to become hysterical with grief over the death of his partner.....but is actually laughing over it all]].
* [[BigBad Director Kakuzawa]] from ''Manga/ElfenLied''. He practically has everything fall into his hands, has people dance in the palm of his hands and almost always has a [[TheStoic stoic face]] and lets little bother him. He's practically a textbook example of what a [[LovetoHate good]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate villain]] might be like and one can't deny that he's got some [[WickedCultured style]]. Whether it’s [[BadBoss using his own employees]] like pawns, firing off vector virus missiles or having a second diclonius son at the ready, he seems [[CrazyPrepared prepared for anything]].
* ''Manga/SgtFrog'': One manga had Momoka's father try to force her into another private school, causing Fuyuki and the others to stand up to him. [[spoiler: The end reveals that Dark Momoka planned the whole thing. She told her dad that she wanted to go to a private school so he could meet and gain respect for Fuyuki.]]
* ''Franchise/LupinIII'': The titular Lupin the III creates intricate heist plans, anticipating the efforts of his enemies to capture him, consistently proving he is the greatest thief to ever live. Lupin is a VillainProtagonist who is avoiding arrest, assassination, or traps at least OnceAnEpisode. Inspector Zenigata, who is always trying to capture him, is often left in the dust, screaming Lupin's name while the VillainOfTheWeek is left tied up to go to prison.

* Askeladd Olafson from ''Manga/VinlandSaga'' has pulled off damn near every gambit there is, kicked the dog, and kicked ass all with style. It's very easy to forget how much of a bastard he can be.
* ''Manga/YuGiOh'':
** Pegasus was a LaughablyEvil NotSoHarmlessVillain who successfully pitted Yugi and Kaiba against one another, then clobbered Kaiba in a duel, using his mind reading powers to maintain an edge, and [[GentlemanSnarker brutal sarcasm]] to unnerve him. In his duel with Yami and Yugi, he left Yugi unconscious, and nearly pulled off a win, only ever losing his cool for a fraction of a second. In the end he's proven to have an honourable streak, and releases his prisoners as part of his deal with Yugi.

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' has the titular Lupin the III who [[TheChessmaster creates intricate heist plans]], anticipating [[BatmanGambit the efforts of his enemies to capture him]], consistently [[VisionaryVillain proving he is the greatest thief to ever live]]. He's a VillainProtagonist who is avoiding arrest, assassination, or traps at least OnceAnEpisode. Inspector Zenigata, [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist who is always trying to capture him]], is often left in the dust, screaming Lupin's name while the VillainOfTheWeek is left tied up to go to prison with [[AffectionateNickname Pops]].

** Mayuri Kurotsuchi began as a CardCarryingVillain MadScientist, but as time passed he became a serious candidate for this trope. He reappears in the Arrancar arc by stepping in the way of his fellow MadScientist Szayelaporro, counters all of his techniques in increasingly CrazyPrepared ways, deals him one magnificent TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that pulverizes his motivations and finishes it with one HELL of a CruelAndUnusualDeath. He's later one of the few Captains who [[spoiler: can talk back to a completely pissed off Yamamoto and make [[JerkassHasAPoint quite the points]] as he does so]], keeps his Bankai when the Vandenreich steal almost all of them from the Captains, counteracts [[spoiler: Giselle Gewelle]]'s ''extremely'' hard to fight back against battle techniques, etc. It says a lot that he's a Captain despite his absolute dickery, since everyone is Soul Society is clearly aware that ''he's too much of a danger if he's let loose''.

* The Major from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' starts a war that levels London, manipulates all of his enemies into doing exactly what he wants them to do ''when'' he wants them to do it, and he gives one HELL of a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUB9QGKCNmI speech]]. He seems to conduct everything like the conductor of a symphony, which is even lampshaded at one point. Oh, and he [[spoiler: [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu defeated Alucard]]]].

->"Don't you recall? [[SmartPeoplePlayChess The two of us used to play chess together as boys]]. [[TheChessmaster Of course, I would always win]]."
-->--'''[[Anime/CodeGeass Lelouch Lamperouge]]'''