Line #3 IneffectualSympatheticVillain/WesternAnimation


1	* ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansTheSeries'': Cruella is downgraded to one for the more slapstick tone of the show (Jasper and Horace are even worse). Several other one-shots are also added to the mix.
2	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''
3	** [[Characters/AdventureTimeIceKing Ice King]] plays this as a {{Deconstruction}} / ZigZaggingTrope: he wants to force a princess into [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe marrying him]], but he comes across as sincerely lonely and desperate for love. At some points, however, he'll wind up saying or doing something ''really'' messed up, [[DoubleSubversion cluing the viewer in that he's really just a sociopath]]. Of course this all gets flipped on its head once we learn his BackstoryHorror. At that point, not only is the sympathetic part taken to whole new levels, but the protagonists start treating him better and he develops into the TokenEvilTeammate.
4	** The Cute King and his subjects are trying ''so hard'' to be threatening in spite of their inability to charge down a hill without literally coming apart. Finn and Jake take pity on them, on the basis that they'll either win or die, and they're not going to win, and convince a bunch of people to let themselves be "killed", using ketchup to fake the wounds. When that doesn't work, they teach the Cute King and his subjects to [[CutenessProximity weaponize their cuteness itself instead]] and point them at a known villain for manipulation: [[spoiler:The Ice King]]
5	%%* Jack W. Tweeg and his sidekick L.B. from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin''.
6	* ''Franchise/{{Aladdin}}'':
7	** In [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney's]] ''Aladdin'' sequel ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'' and [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries the TV series]], there's [[PunnyName Abis Mal]]. His patheticness is particularly compounded by being an {{expy}} of the legendary loser, George Costanza, on ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', since Jason Alexander plays both roles. He does get at least one NotSoHarmlessVillain moment in [[RecycledTheSeries the series]], in which he gets a hold of another lamp and wishes that the protagonists get smashed like bugs. When told that genies can't kill, he has a moment of brilliance and asks for the protagonists to be turned into bugs so that ''he'' can smash them like bugs. He also went back in time and rewrote Agrabah's history in one episode so that he could be Sultan.
8	** Aladdin also occasionally had to deal with an inept thief named Amin Damoola (nicknamed "Butterfingers"). The only time Butterfingers was a serious threat was when he was using magical artifacts supplied by Mozenrath, who had replaced Jafar as Aladdin's main nemesis. Made even more pathetic by the fact that, in order to get those magical toys (which Mozenrath refers to as junk from his closet), Butterfingers has to deliver the Sultan-Turned-Gold-Statue by a timed deadline or become Mozenrath's slave. The kicker is, as Mozenrath says, the evil wizard doesn't really care which scenario happens. This is just spring cleaning for him.
9	* ''WesternAnimation/AngelaAnaconda'': Nanette Manoir may come off as this, since, while she is an AlphaBitch, her actions are rather tame and in-line with what would be expected of kids her age. Angela, meanwhile, practically OnceAnEpisode, fantasizes about humiliating her, tormenting her, or even sometimes ''killing her'' in the most brutal ways she can think of.
10	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Prince Zuko]] in the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. The second season puts him in AntiVillain status, with him and his Uncle spending more time being fugitives from [[TheEmpire the Fire Nation]] than trying to capture Aang, along with having CharacterDevelopment and EnemyMine "moments" as sprinkles. And then, about halfway in the final season, said "moments" are what causes Zuko to [[spoiler:[[HeelFaceTurn become Aang's ally]].]] Then, in the series' ending, [[spoiler:he becomes the new Fire Lord]], with things getting better and better for him, effectively ''inverting'' this trope at that point.
11	** He has a few positive experiences even in the first season, and [[VillainsOutShopping got so much screen time not directly related]] to suffering or fighting the Gaang that he was practically a main character all along. He was even allowed to win against the other villain and get his first CMOA.
12	** His ButtMonkey status comes up for actual discussion in the second season, as "[[BigBad My father]] says [[DaddysLittleVillain Azula]] was born lucky. He said I was lucky to be ''born''." Plus Zuko's RageAgainstTheHeavens when attempting to be struck by lightning, but he can't even get that to go right. (ItMakesSenseInContext.)
13	* Killer Moth from ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' is given this treatment when he joins "Team Penguin". All he's ever shown doing is using a cocoon gun that continuously backfires on him and making coffee for the Penguin. This changes however when some chemicals [[TookALevelInBadass change him into a giant moth mutant.]]
14	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
15	** [[Characters/DCAUHarleyQuinn Harley Quinn]] tended to fall into this trope, especially when she caught on as a popular character. She was often treated as genuinely misguided, so the audience sometimes forgave her for her more violent behavior depending on how softening a particular episode was.
16	*** In the comic-turned-episode "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE21MadLove Mad Love]]", Harley did manage to succeed in trapping Batman. Batman's only hope was to have her inform the Joker, who he knew would free Batman because ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou it wasn't HE [the Joker] that defeated Batman!]]'' Batman even admitted that Harley came closer to killing him than the Joker ever did. Harley also suggested [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just shooting Batman]], instead of elaborate death traps. Ironically, at the end of the episode, [[spoiler:Harley almost succeeded in killing Bats with an elaborate deathtrap, while the ''Joker'', who previously slapped Harley for even suggesting such a thing, tried simply shooting him...and failed.]]
17	** "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE51TheManWhoKilledBatman The Man Who Killed Batman]]" was focused on Sidney Debris AKA "Sid the Squid" (not to be confused with the ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' squid of the same name), a nebbish and meek bumbling mob underling who dreams of being a bigshot. He gets his wish when Batman is apparently killed and his gang believes Sidney did it. Unfortunately, as Sid finds out, that reputation comes with a price... [[spoiler:The episode has a happy ending for Sid, however. He still goes to jail, but Batman lets everyone keep believing that he almost killed Batman and made a fool out of the Joker, turning Sid into a celebrity in prison.]]
18	** ''All'' of the "villains" from "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE18MakeEmLaugh Make 'Em Laugh]]", though they're only villains [[spoiler:because they were brainwashed by The Joker]]. They're all pretty ineffective, but most notable is the "Condiment King". Even '''Batman''' takes pity on the guy.
19	--->'''Police Radio:''' Suspect is a male costumed extremist armed with what appears to be a... ''ketchup'' gun.\
20	'''Batman:''' It's gonna be one of those nights.\
21	''[Later, after Batman effortlessly takes the Condiment King down with a single gut punch]''\
22	'''Batman:''' Listen, Mustard Man, or whatever your name is, you're obviously new at this, so I'm willing to go easy on you if you return the loot and never even think about doing this again!
23	* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': Though he ''does'' become a threat on occasions (he was actually dangerous in his first two appearances), [[EvilTwin Albedo]] was this from the beginning and becomes more so as the story goes on. He is doomed to be trapped in a human body he despises, and all he wants is getting his original form back. As a matter of fact, when he finally gets his form back in one episode, Albedo makes it clear he has no more reason to fight Ben, and prepares to leave Earth... [[YankTheDogsChain but immediately reverts to human form]].
24	* King Max from ''WesternAnimation/TheBiskitts'', is like a royal version of [[Franchise/TheSmurfs Gargamel]].
25	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'': Mother Brain's two henchmen, Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo, suck at their jobs and constantly screw up. At one point she even fires them. Averted by her two other henchmen, Dr. Wily and Dracula, who, while still not that tough, are at least a step up- fitting, since compared to the other two, they’re both the BigBad of their respective games.
26	* Grizzle of ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsAdventuresInCareALot''.
27	** Of the primary villains of the [[WesternAnimation/CareBears1980s earlier series]], No-Heart and his niece Shreeky don't count. No-Heart was a legitimately powerful and evil sorcerer who had a habit of blasting Beastly with lightning bolts whenever he screwed up; and while Shreeky never actually did anything evil, she was a SpoiledBrat with a voice so loud that she made ''No-Heart'' wince. Mr. Beastly, No-Heart's primary lackey, definitely fits somewhere between here and ButtMonkey. In the one episode that Beastly had, with him in the spotlight, him infuriates No-Heart by breaking No-Heart's crystal amulet (which is the source of his shapechanging spells), then breaks No-Heart's throne (something he ''knows'' No-Heart will be livid about), get turned into a horrific mishmash of animals while using No-Heart's broken amulet to catch some of the Care Bears, then be blackmailed into letting the Care Bears go after they tape-record him chanting a litany of "I care" to break the broken spell and be turned back to normal, and then, when No-Heart arrives, having calmed down due to finding an even more powerful crystal, he sits on his crudely repaired throne...and it breaks to pieces. Meaning more electroshocking for Beastly.
28	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Care Bears\|Movie II A New Generation}}'': Dark-Heart could qualify, too. While he was an effective villain at first, all that went out the window when he almost fell on the side of the boat as a human. Then later on, he was little more than a generic SmugSnake who was won over by ThePowerOfFriendship. The Nostalgia Critic said it best.
29	* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'': Pretty much the ''entire'' rogues gallery is quite harmless. And probably the whole reason that only a bunch of rodents are even bothered to take the time to deal with them. Case in point: inventing a self-propelled walking laser cannon capable of cutting up a ''glacier'', (those things aren't exactly "just" a big ice cube) and only using it to warm up a giant vat of jello used to create an earthquake machine to break open a gold depository. Instead of, y'know, ''blasting your way in'' with said self-propelled walking laser cannon.
30	* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'':
31	** The Toilenator badly wants to be a villain, but is far too wimpy, incompetent, and naïve to pull it off. He's a minor inconvenience to the KND, and most of the bad guys try not to be seen with him because of his clingy BumblingSidekick personality. He's a NotSoHarmlessVillain, though, as he's able of using his "toilet powers" to "flush" the entire Grand Canyon with milk, [[PyrrhicVictory though this comes at the cost of ruining the other villains’ plan of attack on the KND and earning him their wrath]]. He also managed to defeat the five main characters ''by himself'' on one occasion after getting fed up with being treated like garbage...only not really. He beat the entire team of ''villains'' on his own, stupidly mistaking them for the kids and leaving him out of weapons when the real kids showed up.
32	** The Interesting Twins From Beneath the Mountain are a pair of Japanese kids who work directly for Father. They're cunning masters of disguise, but the KND somehow always know about them well in advance. Every mission goes the same way: the KND string the twins along in a HumiliationConga until [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere they give up out of frustration]].
33	* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': The Box Ghost draws the line between this and HarmlessVillain. He has the potential to be a great baddie (if one episode and his [[spoiler: [[FutureBadass badass future self]]]] is any indications), but he just never makes it. Out of all the ghosts Danny has fought, Box Ghost is strictly in the "Who Cares" category, but he tries, he oh so tries. And his love of boxes is reminiscent of [[KidsPreferBoxes a small child who prefers the box to the toy that came in it.]]
34	* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'': Dr. Reginald Bushroot. He mutated himself in an attempt to impress a girl. When that went [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption about as well as expected]], most schemes throughout the series involved trying to grow a companion or feed his plants. He certainly seemed like [[AffablyEvil a nice enough guy]] most of the time, only turning violent when Darkwing tried to stop his plans. It should be noted though that for all his [[AntiVillain sympathetic qualities]], Bushroot is one of the few villains who is known to have successfully committed murder. Granted his victims were the jerk doctors who made fun of him, but as the other prominent villain in this category is KnightOfCerebus Taurus Bulba, this is still a rather shocking feat.
35	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaucers}}'': The Tyrannos are extremely gullible, and it's more or less stated that the Dinosaucers were sent to Earth just to keep a spare eye on them. Of all the groups, only Quackpot has shown instances of competence, and it didn't really stick in the long run.
36	* Captain Widdimir in ''WesternAnimation/DogtanianAndTheThreeMuskehounds'' is this. No matter how hard he tries, he's just no match for, well, anyone.
37	* ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' can sometimes come off as this, especially when he crosses paths with ''WesternAnimation/ChipAndDale''. Sometimes Donald ''does'' start the fight, most of the time, by affecting their natural environment and being insensitive to the problems that this causes them, like trying to cut down their tree-house or taking away all their food provisions, other times he just ends up getting picked on and losing.
38	* Zordrak's minions, the Urpneys (and sometimes even the former himself) of ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'', are a mix of this alongside the MinionWithAnFInEvil category. The fact that their overall goal usually amounted to little more than [[PokeThePoodle giving people scary dreams]] didn't help much. Granted since Rufus and Amberley are often [[TheMeddlingKidsAreUseless Ineffectual Sympathetic Heroes]] they do at least briefly get the upper hand every now and then.
39	* ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'': The titular organization. While Hector's plans are genuinely evil and often threaten lives, they end up being utterly pathetic when acted out. In fact, in one episode, Hector and his army are defeated by angry children and a Fred Rogers {{Expy}}.
40	* [[DontFearTheReaper Death]] itself is a bitch indeed in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. The poor guy is despised and treated like shit by everyone for doing his job and can't form a good human relationship (even though he admittedly doesn't think too much about taking a few [[TouchOfDeath initiatives]] with people that frustrate him, or with people [[ILoveTheDead who have already passed on]]). Even Peter takes pity on him.
41	* The Professor from the [[WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatJoeOriolo TV Felix the Cat cartoons]]. While he's a crook, he's also one of the most pathetic villains in all of western animation. In over 120 episodes of his series, [[ComicallyLopsidedRivalry he never earned a single victory over Felix the Cat]] and almost never even comes close, and couldn't have won anyway [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption since the Magic Bag of Tricks won't work for him]]. Personality-wise, he's a petulant ManChild who throws tantrums and literally tortures himself over his failures. His crimes also tend to be really petty misdeeds like [[PokeThePoodle cornering the market on rubber for toys]]. On top of that, Felix himself rarely even takes him seriously as a bad guy, just seeing him as a friendly enemy or nuisance at worst.
42	* The Lobe, archnemesis of the titular character in ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' Despite being fiendishly brainy (quite literally - pretty much his entire head is made up of brain), he's extremely sensitive and insecure, and Freakazoid was once able to defeat him with nothing more than some harsh verbal criticism of his scheme.
43	* Killface of ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'' is a pseudo-cultured, incompetent supervillain whose plans are often derailed by trivial matters and lacks knowledge of common subjects (it's a revelation to him that P.C. stands for "personal computer"). He's still more likable than "hero" Xander Crews, though.
44	** Killface is so sympathetic, especially when compared to JerkAss DesignatedHero Xander Crews, that it's easy to forget that he brutally killed two people in the pilot and has added to his body count throughout the series. It helps that some of the other members of the cast have committed similar misdeeds and/or are {{Asshole Victim}}s.
45	* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'': Cobra Commander, who was constantly mocked, ignored, or pushed aside not only by other would-be world conquerors but by his ''own minions''.
46	** Many times he sabotaged his own victory with poor impulse control and temper tantrums; for example, he once nearly conquered the ''entire world'' only to overreach himself entirely because he was bored by winning too easily so "I'm not enjoying myself!"
47	** Of course, he was never anything but effective and unsympathetic in the comics, where, among other things, he ''killed his own son''. Oh, and he used to be a ''[[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]]'', [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the]] ''[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking fiend]]''!
48	*** He does get the ineffectual part still - sometimes as part of a {{plan}}, sometimes because it's an imposter performing poorly. And sometimes, Destro just plain doesn't like him and is willing to take the loss just to make him look bad, mostly because of his 'thing' for the Baroness.
49	** The miniseries ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'' is also a subversion. Cobra Commander actually has a speech where he claims his previous incompetence was just an attempt to force his minions to think outside the box. [[spoiler:He wipes Moscow from the face of the Earth just to prove that he could, and by the end of the series, [[AxCrazy he's so unhinged that he's hacking his own men apart with a sabre]]. His plan still failed, of course, but holy shit was he badass.]]
50	* In ''WesternAnimation/GoldieAndBear'', TheBigBadWolf, a.k.a. "Big Bad", is this with a heavy dose of JerkWithAHeartOfGold. Sure, he's regularly a pest to both the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. However, he schemes are rarely effective and when they do work, he's often regretful. He's also shown several redeeming qualities, including being willing to try niceness and being apologetic and helpful after realizing that he's acted like a jerk.
51	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has [[spoiler:bumbling time traveler Blendin Blandin]], who in his second appearance was a villain. Made more sympathetic by the fact that he's mostly right: the kids did ruin his life and stealing the time machine and intentionally ruining the past were objectively crappy things to do.
52	* Sir Pentious of ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'', overlapping with SmugSnake (literally so, since he's a cobra demon). His unironic DastardlyWhiplash shtick would be hard to take seriously at the best of times (to be fair, he died in the late 1800s and it wasn't a DeadHorseTrope ''then''), and the army of egg-shaped AdorableEvilMinions don't help. His multiple [[BigBadWannabe failed attempts to take over Hell]] cement him as ineffectual rather than just goofy. He ends up working for Alastor's ArchEnemy Vox, but [[MookFaceTurn joins the main cast]] after being [[MinionWithAnFInEvil so pathetic]] that Charlie instantly forgives him for being TheMole.
53	* Skeletor in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'', despite having a face that Standards & Practices must have had fits over, was so ineffective that the writers felt sorry for him. One stated in an interview that part of the reason they wrote a few EnemyMine episodes was that it was the only way they were allowed to have Skeletor come out ahead for once. He was so feeble at villainy, in fact, that the show resorted to two replacement villains: King Hiss of the Snake-Men, and Hordak, who suffered severe VillainDecay after his introduction. Neither were exactly scary themselves, but miles ahead of Skeletor.
54	** Subverted in the 2000-era re-imagining. While Skeletor's still a CardCarryingVillain SurroundedByIdiots, and Evil-Lyn is clearly his mental superior, Skeletor's clearly a threat this time around and every bit as powerful, terrifying, and evil as he claimed to be and twice defeating a villain that the heroes themselves could not. While still sometimes played for laughs, and never shown as even 1/10 as threatening as Hordak, Skeletor crossed the line, at least.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' qualifies for this trope most of the time; more often than not, his schemes are thwarted by the Ditz portion of his GeniusDitz personality, rather than by his arch-nemesis or his CloudCuckooLander robot. Of particular note is the episode where [[Characters/InvaderZimZim Zim]] survives a TrainingFromHell in order to receive some {{Humongous Mecha}}s from his leaders, only to be shot into a sun for his troubles.
56	* In ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', the Dark Hand Enforcers are a bunch of incompetent gangsters who repeatedly get their butts kicked by the good guys, while constantly being forced by greater and more sinister villains to do their bidding.
57	* Lucius Heinous VII on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''. Despite ruling Miseryville with an iron fist, the main characters either don't fear him or don't respect him. He desperately tries to be the BigBad, but [[BigBadWannabe fails horribly]]. He is pretty much an incompetent version of {{Satan}}. That said, he does occasionally [[LetsGetDangerous get to demonstrate why he hasn't been overthrown yet.]]
58	* Tabaqui from the 2012 CGI adaptation of ''Literature/TheJungleBook'' fits this like a glove. He's Shere Khan's faithful henchman who often tries to trick and manipulate Mowgli in hopes Shere Khan will eat him and give him scraps but he's such a NervousWreck and the butt of slapstick humor that more often then not, he comes across as a JerkassWoobie.
59	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Almost every villain in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' hits the trope (except for Lord Monkeyfist, who is also the only villain to die in the series).
60	** Dr. Drakken never gets the respect he thinks he should have; he always fails his capers, sometimes even without the help of Team Possible. He often gets mistaken for the more respected Dementor and, at the end of the series, he is outright told how much of a failure of a villain he has been (despite having come closer to [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over the world]] than any of his peers and ending up with [[spoiler: much of the credit for saving the world from the AlienInvasion]]). If it wasn't for his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Shego, he wouldn't be a villain at all. Keeping Shego on his payroll is possibly an impressive show of competence, especially when there are villains like Senor Senior Senior, who has [[Fiction500 Scrooge McDuck levels of moolah]], since apparently Shego likes the contract they have and that he sticks to.
61	** Senor Senior Senior and his son, Senor Senior Junior probably count as this as well. After all, they only got into villainy because [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Ron told them their island home would make a great lair,]] Senior insists on doing things a certain way merely for the sake of villain tradition, and it is said devotion to tradition that keeps [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim leading to their defeat.]]
62	* Voltar and the ''WesternAnimation/LeagueOfSuperEvil''. The guy is just so very motivated and happy about every plan or scheme he thinks up, no matter how trivial, that you just have to root for him. I mean, how many villains are ecstatic about throwing an 'EVIL' barbeque and not inviting their uncaring neighbors?
63	** One of the episodes involves a highly convoluted plot by the League...to make the pizza delivery boy late so that their food will be free! Apparently, this is one of the few things they’re actually good at.
64	* Many ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' villains:
65	** WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd, who was so ineffectual that WesternAnimation/BugsBunny [[DesignatedHero sometimes came off as a bully when beating him]]. Because of this, Yosemite Sam was introduced as a [[KnightOfCerebus more threatening and less sympathetic foe]]. Though [[{{Jerkass}} less sympathetic]], Sam wasn't that much more threatening after a [[VillainDecay few cartoons]]. Following this, Marvin the Martian was created, who, despite having super-advanced planet-obliterating technology at his will, was only ''slightly'' more formidable.
66	** All of them, however, have to be topped by Wile E. Coyote, the epitome of the villainous ButtMonkey. In fact, one of the laws of the Road Runner cartoons is "The audience's sympathy must remain with the Coyote." For a coyote to want to eat a roadrunner is perfectly natural in the order of things, and to top it all off, he was regularly portrayed at the beginning of an episode as rib-thin and starving.
67	** Sylvester was usually depicted as one of these, rarely, if ever, succeeding in catching Tweety Bird or Speedy Gonzales (and for the former, frequently earning beatings from Tweety, Granny, Hector, or any combination of the three).
68	** Yosemite Sam was actually a deliberate subversion of the trope because audiences were starting to favor Elmer too much. The idea was to feel sorry for the guy, but it was getting to the point where Bugs was starting to look like a relentless bully instead of a wiseacre outwitting the buffoon who was trying to victimize him. Sam was both smarter and more belligerent than Elmer, meaning that Bugs was free to lead him on all he wanted. But even Yosemite Sam, while pretty dark for a Looney Tunes villain, was still fairly ineffectual compared to the average non-Looney-Tunes villain.
69	** WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, initially just a {{Jerkass}} or AntiHero, eventually evolved into one for WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales.
70	** Nasty Canasta and Rocky the gangster, initially more fearsome subversions of this trope, eventually devolved into hopeless foils for Bugs as well.
71	* [[DeathbringerTheAdorable Killgore]] from ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' is an odd example, in that he's ineffectual ''because'' he's so sympathetic. People are finding him too cute (being that he is a wind-up toy) to see him as a threat, including his self-declared nemesis Jenny. However, he also proves to be a NotSoHarmlessVillain, as he's quite capable of going to extreme lengths, such as somehow managing to rebuild the deadly Armageddroid, to prove he's dangerous.
72	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
73	** The episode "Owl's Well That Ends Well" involves the usually-good dragon cub Spike [[TemporarilyAVillain temporarily becoming a villain]], but definitely of the "ineffectual sympathetic" variety, [[TheWoobie with the emphasis on "sympathetic"]]. For context, when an owl named [[UnknownRival Owlowicious]] shows up to do some of the work Spike had been typically doing for the girls, Spike ends up getting less attention from them than before, and in turn, [[GreenEyedMonster resents the owl a fair bit]]. After being scolded by Twilight for lying about a book not being there, he thinks the owl set him up, and in turn, tries to do the same to the owl, by planting a fake dead mouse with [[ABloodyMess ketchup blood]] in Twilight Sparkle's room; he gets caught in the act. [[spoiler:After running away, ending up encountering a dragon while gone, and then being saved from the dragon by Twilight and the owl, he apologized for the way he was behaving and is back to being one of the good guys.]]
74	*** In part 2 of "The Crystal Empire", his reason for his actions is put in a new light as we learn his greatest fear: [[spoiler:Twilight no longer needing him]].
75	*** Except in the episode "Secrets of My Excess", however this time, Spike is transformed into a gargantuan rampaging beast that almost completely demolishes Ponyville. ''Even then'' he may lean into this since it's all for the sake of [[PokeThePoodle hoarding "gifts"]].
76	* Rippen in ''WesternAnimation/PennZeroPartTimeHero'' is a bitter, misanthropic man who both acts as a CardCarryingVillain in his part-time job and calmly terrorizes children as an art teacher. He also has a [[ButtMonkey ridiculously awful daily life]], a [[WellDoneSonGuy genuinely pitiful family background]], and a few rare but poignant moments of [[PetTheDog petting the dog]] that make him surprisingly likable, or at least kind of pathetic.
77	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': [[Characters/PhineasAndFerbHeinzDoofenshmirtz Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz]] is a self-proclaimed evil scientist whose endless string of [something]-inators are perpetual failures. He also had a [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood ridiculously terrible childhood]], [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never wins any of his battles]], seldom [[ThrowTheDogABone gains any lasting happiness]], and once lost a fight with a ''potted plant''. The only thing saving him from complete [[TheWoobie Woobiefication]] is that he's always back the next episode, enthusiastically hatching yet another evil scheme.
78	** On the other hand, his AlternateUniverse counterpart was a genuine threat and not sympathetic at all, caused entirely by him losing a toy train as a child.
79	* The wolves Huff and Puff from ''WesternAnimation/PiggsburgPigs'' They're always trying to catch and eat the main characters, but they're nothing compared to all the swamp monsters, demons, and undead beasties lurking in the ForbiddenZone outside town.
80	* Leonard [=McLeish=] from [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily The Hub]]'s ''[[WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010 Pound Puppies]]'' series. He's self-centered, short-tempered, and clearly more concerned with impressing people and getting promoted than actually doing his job as head dog catcher, but he's not really a ''bad'' guy.
81	* The Amoeba Boys in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998''. While the Powerpuff Girls are out beating up real criminals, the poor Amoeba Boys can't get the girls' attention, despite committing [[SarcasmMode "heinous"]] acts such as [[PokeThePoodle littering, jaywalking, and disobeying a "Keep off the grass" sign.]]
82	** In one of the early World Premiere Toon shorts, the Girls actually commit a bank robbery solely to show the Boys how it's done. When the Girls are brought in for the crime, the boys turn themselves in, in an attempt to appear "big time".
83	** In another, during the actual series, the Boys stumble upon Mojo Jojo's {{death trap}} plans, and they, along with the Girls, mistake it for a scavenger hunt -- so they find all the things it calls for and put it together, and once it's assembled, the Girls think it's a theme park ride, so they willingly submit to the plan intended to destroy them.
84	** In another episode, the Boys catch a cold while loitering on the grass in yet another attempt at crime. Even though they end up unwittingly mutating the cold into a deadly strain of virus and even more unwittingly starting an epidemic in Townsville, the viewers '''still''' can't help but feel sorry for them.
85	** And in another episode, they manage to actually ''succeed'' at stealing an orange, for once, and when it splits apart, are reminded that, as amoebae, they are capable of multiplying. There is quickly an army of them, and the only thing they can think to do is to steal '''all''' the oranges in Townsville (although this does cause the citizens to contract scurvy).
86	** The Gangreen Gang can also qualify as this. While they're not anywhere near as incompetent as the Amoeba Boys, it's pretty hard to take them seriously as actual villains since their crimes are really based on typical bullying, prank-calling, vandalism, etc. In fact, in the episode "Aspirations", the girls couldn't even take them seriously as a criminal element and called them nuisances. It also doesn't help that they're teenagers, making them younger than most of the other villains the three superheroes fought.
87	* Hack and Slash, the bumbling minions of Megabyte, in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot''. In fact, during the VillainWorld arc in the third season after both [[TheHero Bob]] and [[TakeUpMySword Enzo]] are exiled into the Net, when the remaining heroes fail to arrive to stop them from killing a traitor to Megabyte, [[spoiler:they let said traitor go off on their own. Hack and Slash realized that they miss the heroes [[HeelRealization because they'd always stop the duo before they could do anything really awful]]. The duo undergo a HeelFaceTurn offscreen by the time an aged-up Enzo finally returns home.]]
88	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Sideshow Bob frequently veers into this territory. The poor guy can't even win against a rake.
89	* Gargamel in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'', and pretty much most ''Smurfs'' villains except Balthazar and Chlorhydris.
90	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
91	** Dr. Ivo Robotnik in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''. Whenever we see Robotnik trying to do something [[TrrrillingRrrs rrrrotten]], he ALWAYS fails horribly, and Sonic takes great pleasure in tormenting the doctor sadistically. He makes incredibly inept robots, repeatedly has crying fits, and is sometimes too distracted with himself to notice that his plan isn't working. Granted, much of Robotnik's harmless streak is implied to be solely because of [[InvincibleHero Sonic]]. It's shown that Robotnik is actually pretty rich, and many episodes show Sonic encountering civilians that have been [[BewareTheSillyOnes successfully terrorized or enslaved by Robotnik without his help]], while in other episodes, he actually manages to pull off cunning plans that temporarily [[NotSoHarmlessVillain dispose of his foe]].
92	** Robotnik's Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad (or S.S.S.S.S) play with this. Scratch and Grounder are definitely incompetent, [[NiceJobFixingItVillain often having their own bumbling destroy their schemes]] before Sonic even got the chance to stop them. When not being taken down by Sonic, they're often taken out by random civilians almost as easily, and that's not even getting into the verbal and physical abuse they have to endure when Robotnik chastises them. While Robotnik could at least genuinely cook up a malicious plan every now and then, his duncebot's Wile E Coyote-esque traps hardly ever worked on anyone but themselves. At one point, he claims [[BlatantLies that he purposely made his robots dumb, so they would be too incompetent to ever consider betraying him]], contradicting his initial plan of making them smarter than his previous robots. Coconuts, the designated janitor, easily fits this the best, as while he's the most crafty and focused of the trio, all he really wants is Robotnik's respect and a promotion.. But even with that in mind, [[BewareTheSillyOnes all three can be just as nasty as the doctor himself when they're given the right tools.]]
93	** Note that in the ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' series that aired around the same time, Robotnik is...very much not harmless. ''[[VillainWorld At all.]]'' Snively, though, is a reedy and sneering little man who is always consumed by his Uncle Robotnik's massive shadow. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Also, he's a baldy.]] [[spoiler: However, he turns out to be a NotSoHarmlessVillain when he manages to slip out before his uncle is killed, and return as a TheEndOrIsIt cliffhanger for a season that we will never receive.]] [[WordOfGod In one interview with screen-writer Ben Hurst]] regarding the third season that never arrived, it was revealed that Snively was going to take a shot at becoming the new BigBad, only to be shortly upstaged by Ixis Naugus, and would later make a HeelFaceTurn and join the Freedom Fighters.
94	** Dr. Eggman, on the self-parody series ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' takes this trope and runs with it at...uh, "sonic" speed, to the point where Amy actually pities him. Now being a villain who is AffablyEvil and has civil interactions with Sonic and company when they're not fighting, every other episode, he's in an EnemyMine situation with them, and he now has his CardCarryingVillain tendencies exaggerated. Similar to his ''Adventures of Sonic'' counterpart, he does almost outwit Sonic on a few occasions, though, keeping him {{Not So Harmless\|Villain}}.
95	* From ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', [[Characters/SouthParkButtersStotch Professor Chaos/Butters]] is so inept that [[TheWoobie it's cute.]]
96	* Sandman in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' can never quite get his big score. Before his superpowers, Spider-Man jokes about how many times Sandman has been caught. After all, he can actually fight Spidey but then proceeds to forget or be unable to keep his take when he escapes down the drain. He also gets a couple of PetTheDog moments when it's revealed that while he cares a lot about the Big Score, he doesn't really want to hurt anybody (other than Spider-Man, of course).
97	* Mister Smarty Smarts from ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' is best described as [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] as [[MixAndMatchCritters a dolphin-chimpanzee hybrid]]. While many of his schemes are genuinely threatening to Keepaway Island and its inhabitants, his ego, lack of common sense, and DidntThinkThisThrough tendencies ensure that he's as likely to foil his own plans as anyone else is.
98	* [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsSheldonPlankton Sheldon Plankton]] from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''. After a while, you just start to feel sorry for the guy, especially when compared to how heinous Mr. Krabs' actions to get more money have become. It's more prominent in the [[SeasonalRot post-movie episodes]], where he could easily be one of the Trix Rabbit's drinking buddies. Granted, he gets a NotSoHarmlessVillain moment in the movie, but still. Most of the time, it seems that he just wants some manner of success. In the cruel YankTheDogsChain episode "Plankton's Regular", after getting just ''one'' regular customer, he immediately stops trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. Mr Krabs and Spongebob still found it necessary to "thwart" him.
99	** Plankton himself [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in one episode:
100	--->'''Plankton:''' Alright Krabs! Now hand over the secret formula!\
101	'''Krabs:''' Or...What?\
102	'''Plankton:''' I don't know. I never thought I'd get this far.
103	** [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsSquidwardTentacles Squidward Tentacles]] could also count. He may be an egotistical, grouchy Jerkass, but he can't get any peace and quiet [[ButtMonkey and is always the subject of abuse from other people and things]], and he is ''constantly'' interrupted by [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's obnoxious behavior [[SurroundedByIdiots and it's very obvious why he hates them]].
104	* The battle droids in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', an entire ''army'' of Ineffectual Sympathetic Villains. Until they start gunning down unarmed pacifist, cracking open escape pods so the helpless people on board will die in space, and {{Zerg Rush}}ing that is.
105	* Aresko and Grint from ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' are perhaps the two least competent Imperials on Lothal--until [[spoiler:Tarkin has the Grand Inquisitor [[YouHaveFailedMe execute them for their failures]]]].
106	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
107	** Despite her first few appearances [[TheDreaded striking absolute horror]] into the Crystal Gems, [[Characters/StevenUniversePeridot Peridot]] amounted to this immediately upon entering a combat situation, being not much of a match for the Crystal Gems even with substantial technological advantages. And without anything to hide behind, all of her revealed abilities are mostly there to help her run away. She also has the attitude of a high-strung desk worker more than a potentially world-destroying supervillain, which made even her moments of NotSoHarmlessVillain prior to her HeelFaceTurn hard to take seriously.
108	** [[Characters/StevenUniverseJasper Jasper]] starts out as one of Yellow Diamond's high-ranking officers. Even though she is considered one of the greatest soldiers made on Earth at the Kindergarten, she still feels held back with the need to go further to get ahead, oppressing, and bullying other Gems. Even though she considers fusion a despicable action on Homeworld, [[{{Hypocrite}} she is ready to abandon this in order to gain a victory and come out on top]], After the Jasper-Lapis Lazuli fusion results in Malachite, with Lapis attempting to maintain the fusion to prevent Jasper from gaining the upper hand. After Lapis is rescued, she later fuses with another Jasper, becoming corrupted and mutated. In "Change Your Mind", Jasper joins the other Gems at Rose's fountain and accepts healing.
109	** There's also the Ruby Squad, who really, really aren't cut out for being enforcers of Homeworld's fascist regime. They're small, adorable, not that bright, and in over their heads. [[spoiler: Though two later episodes show they're dangerous in their own way.]]
110	** Emerald, the LargeHam authority gem who has a laundry list of humiliations at the hands of Lars and the Off-Colours. She's ''meant'' to be dangerous but given how excited she gets, while being constantly outwitted, it's hard not to love her.
111	* Arktos, the evil snowman, from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tabaluga}}''. He is really silly and his evil antics always end in disaster. And during season 2, he even sells ice-cream to his enemies and spends half-his time whining about not being able to conquer Greenland.
112	* Bull Gator and Axl in ''WesternAnimation/TazMania''. In the very meta episode "Retakes Not Included", Bull even observes that they are what passes for villains on the show.
113	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': Baxter Stockman jumps between this and NotSoHarmlessVillain. In his first episode, Mikey asked the other Turtles if they should just go buy him ice cream rather than beat him up.
114	** In the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 original cartoon]], ArchEnemy Shredder was many times this, particularly in later crossover after the initial story arc of the first season. Only in that one though; the other media tends to show him as a real threat. ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever''.
115	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'':
116	** Despite being able to animate the inanimate to do his bidding and inadvertently altering television frequencies to literally rot people's brains, Control Freak STILL didn't get on the Titans' list of main villains.
117	--->'''Control Freak:''' ''The Puppet King?! They fought him ONCE!''
118	** In later seasons, Dr. Light is similarly ineffectual. However, he does get one major NotSoHarmlessVillain moment.
119	* Tom, from ''Franchise/TomAndJerry'', is so ineffectual and sympathetic that, in some cartoons, Jerry seems UnintentionallyUnsympathetic. Particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} in some of those is that Tom would leave Jerry in peace or ignore him, and Jerry would [[DesignatedHero antagonize him and try to ruin his life.]] The shorts sometimes start with Jerry trying to steal Tom's milk, break into a safe/refrigerator/ship that Tom was guarding or even [[{{Jerkass}} picking on him unprovoked]]. Sometimes Tom's methods can get [[DisproportionateRetribution a bit extreme]], but he's mostly just trying to protect his property or [[PunchClockVillain doing his job]]. However, [[DependingOnTheWriter there are just as many examples where he's not sympathetic at all]].
120	* Waspinator from ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}: WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' is one of these, being a ChewToy on the side of the bad guys.
121	** Ditto for Sky-Byte and his TeamRocket in ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise''. Except that Sky-Byte would actually be leadership material if only a few things were different. It's just that he lacked the only two qualities that really mattered for a leader: ''aptitude'' and ''intelligence''.
122	* In ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'', there was Twayne Boneraper, a demon who has only managed to claim one soul his entire career, that of a sick cat. His crowning moment of incompetence came when he ensures an utterly incompetent and unelectable politician to become mayor in return for his soul. It's such an EpicFail that he winds up in an infernal court, accused of not worthy of being a demon. (Although, as LaughablyEvil as he is, he ''did'' murder all seven of his brothers, one of whom was the general of Hell's army, so he may have a darker nature underneath than his behavior suggests.)
123	* With one exception (The Phantom Limb) and, [[NotSoHarmlessVillain in later episodes]], The Monarch, all the villains on ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' are of this nature.
124	** Most of them are of the NotSoHarmlessVillain type. It's shown that the reason OSI and such tolerate the supervillains' stupid games is that it keeps them from committing real crimes or blowing up cities. (Those who don't play the game have to deal with SPHINX[[note]]''SPHINX''[[/note]].) The Monarch, in particular, is a special case. When he was taken off of Dr. Venture, he was unhappy with the normal game and proceeded to kill 5 heroes in a short time.
125	** Doctor Mrs. The Monarch is the most competent villain and, quite possibly, the most competent character on the entire show. Even the Sovereign of the Guild respects her.
126	** Doctor Killinger's entire reason to exist seems to be to ''snap out'' villains from this trope and into NotSoHarmlessVillain instead.
127	*** Doctor Killinger's fourth episode, ''The Doctor Is Sin'', makes a pretty persuasive argument that Rusty Venture himself is this. Killinger spends much of the episode giving Venture Industries "efficiency" training, with the true aim of turning Doctor Venture into a real, Guild-bonded supervillain.
128	* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' Dick Dastardly. It wasn't for nothing that he had a whole trope [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat named after him]]. Nobody really takes him seriously. He couldn't beat himself in solitaire even if he cheated.
129	* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': Series "[[BigBadWannabe main]]" antagonist Lord Hater fell into this after the series premier, going from fearsome tyrant to whining man-child whose only major goals consist of being recognized by the people of the universe, for better or for worse, and destroying his nemesis, titular Wander. At his core, he just wants to be respected but is so distracted by Wander that he comes off as a joke to everyone instead. [[spoiler: Come the second season and the series' true main antagonist enters the picture, and Hater embraces his role as this for the better...[[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor or not]]...]]
130	* Odlaw in the animated series ''[[Literature/WheresWally Where's Waldo?]]'' (''Where's Wally''?). As so many bad things keep happening to him in the name of comedy, and all he ever wants is to commit a single act of theft, you have to feel for the guy. Also, his determination is admirable!
131	%%* ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'''s Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy.
132	* From ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'', Carl. The commercials for the next episode suggest he'll join the heroes so he can keep up with everyone else.
133	* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'': Toad and the rest of the Brotherhood, at least by Season two. At first, they were at least even with the X-Men and were able to overpower them in one episode, [[ButtMonkey except for Toad]]. But slowly, each one got more and more Pathetic. Pietro became more cowardly, Blob became more dumb, and Avalanche went through massive character Derailment. In season 3, they were bested by only ''Two X''-Men, one being the weakest member. It was why the Acolytes were introduced, who were definitely ''not'' this.
134	** Usual, given that this is the reason why they're so popular, with people playing up the ineffectual sympathetic part, and ignoring the villain part.
135	* In ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown,'' Jack Spicer, despite being the main villain in some cases, is usually an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, especially in the later episodes. This is reinforced by Jack being probably the only fictional character, let alone villain, to have a breakdown failing to interrogate a parrot that simply repeated everything he said. The problem is that Jack is 'trying' to be a villain yet is fairly bad at it. When he turned to good for a while before returning to evil, it wasn't that he was planning to betray them from the start, he 'did' try to be good but was afraid he would fail at being good just like he failed at being evil.

Context IneffectualSympatheticVillain / WesternAnimation