Line #126 Main/StarterVillainStays


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6	->'''D''': Sorry pals, 'fraid I can't let you do that.\
7	'''Noah''': You?!\
8	'''D''': 'Sup? Been a while, eh?
9	-->-- ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3''
10
11	The StarterVillain fills an important narrative role in being the first opponent TheHero faces, giving him a foe to be heroic for the first time. However, afterwards they're unlikely to be relevant beyond [[TokenMotivationalNemesis inspiring the hero]]. By the time TheDragon or BigBad shows up, they're lucky to be a foot note. But not all starter villains are doomed to be left in the dust, [[FromNobodyToNightmare and some are determined to avoid that fate]].
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13	This is a StarterVillain who continues to be an important member of the RoguesGallery long after their initial role as the first villain TheHero faces is done. Usually this is because ItsPersonal between the two, and if not they consider their defeat to be personal. Rarely the ArcVillain or other major baddie [[TheReveal is revealed]] to have been the StarterVillain, suddenly making them significantly more important. Or maybe they weren't meant to be all that important in the first place, [[BreakoutVillain but their popularity leads them to becoming a significant character]]. In many cases, they essentially become a GoldfishPoopGang.
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15	SubTrope of StarterVillain. If a StarterVillain doesn't become significant, but they have a clear impact on the story, they fall under SmallRoleBigImpact. The TokenMotivationalNemesis may end up becoming this if they try hard enough.
16	----
17	!!Examples:
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19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
22	* ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'': Initially starting out as a starter villain, Close is later revealed to have actually survived the Pretty Cures' FinishingMove, and later [[spoiler:becomes the final opponent after Dyspear falls]].
23	* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood'': Being adopted into the Joestar family, Dio Brando is the first character to be antagonistic to Jonathan Joestar, initially wanting to take the Joestar inheritance and fortune for himself. Come [[ArtifactOfDoom the Stone Mask]] and he evolves into [[OurVampiresAreDifferent the vampiric]] BigBad of the series, and later returns as a straightforward BigBad in ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]''. Though the first villain to appear, Dio's influence as a villain spans most of the entire franchise in the original continuity.
24	** While most of the first villains of the series usually don't return after their first encounter, ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureJojolion'' averts this with Ojiro & Fun Fun Fun, returning a whopping 70+ chapters after his introduction.*
25	* ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'': Michelo Chariot is the first Gundam Fighter Domon faces after landing on Earth. At the end of the episode, he's defeated and arrested. However, he comes back in the show's second half [[spoiler:now as a thrall of Devil Gundam]].
26	* Evangeline A. K. [=McDowell=] is the first villain of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', yet even after her defeat she still remains a relatively important character in the series. Justified as she is still a member of Negi's class, and with Negi defeating her and making her promise to not skip class anymore, she has little say in the matter. It also becomes clear as the series goes on that Evangeline isn't quite as villainous as she'd have you believe.
27	* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Buggy the Clown was the first Devil Fruit using enemy that Luffy faced off against, and the first real challenge that he and Zoro faced. While Luffy is able to beat him, Buggy would swear vengeance and he and his crew would chase the Straw Hat Pirates into the Grand Line. Buggy would return in the Impel Down arc [[EnemyMine to ally with Luffy in exchange for a map leading to Captain John's treasure]], and after the timeskip he would be named a Warlord of the Sea [[spoiler:and one of the Four Emperors of the Sea]] thanks to being MistakenForBadass.
28	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Not counting the flock of angry Spearow who were more dangerous wild animals than villains, the first antagonists Ash Ketchum faces are Team Rocket members [[TerribleTrio Jessie, James and Meowth]]. Initially only seeing him as an obstacle to their criminal caper, after being defeated for what's implied to be the first time in a while [[VillainTakesAnInterest they become very invested in Ash]] because of the power that his Pikachu showcased against them as they believe stealing it would be good for the organization's cause. This leads them to become regular foes for Ash and his friends and by far the villains he encounters the most often, sometimes even having FriendlyEnemy and EnemyMine situations.
29	* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'': The AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil of Ohtori Academy begin as Utena's first antagonists and stay major characters up to the finale. Their character arcs continue through the remaining two seasons, becoming opponents indirectly through the [[PsychoRangers Black Rose Duelists]] before returning for a final round. While additional antagonists enter the picture, the Student Council never leaves the picture. [[spoiler: There's a good reason for this - [[BigBad End of the World]] was using them to "feed" Utena on opponents until her own Soul Sword was ready to harvest; [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose either she won until she became a "Prince", or she lost and that Council Member would pick up where she'd left off]]. [[LevelGrinding Even if they weren't viable Prince candidates, they still made decent fodder]].]]
30	* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
31	** PlayedWith in [[Anime/YuGiOh the second anime series]]: Seto Kaiba is the first villain that Yugi faces in the anime, though not [[Manga/YuGiOh in the original manga]]. Having been the world's greatest duelist before being defeated by Yugi, Kaiba becomes obsessed with beating Yugi in a duel from that point on. However, he later stops being a villain and becomes an AntiHero [[TheRival rival]], albeit one still significant all the way to the end of the original series.
32	** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Darkness is the first Seven Stars Assassin to challenge Judai and, unlike the previous [[MonsterOfTheWeek rivals of the week]] who can't be considered villains, he is played completely straight as a threat, since those whom he defeats lose their souls. Darkness returns three seasons later as the BigBad of Season 4, where he is revealed to be the mastermind behind the disappearance of the supporting cast. Due to Season 4 being the final season of ''GX'', this also makes him the FinalBoss of the series.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Comic Books]]
36	* ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'': The first villain that the Digger sisters had to fight was the draconic Dreadwing, who is reduced into a skeleton by the end of the pilot (with the OVA adaptation giving him the same fate). He was brought back to life, then started plotting to regain his power, as he went on to become one of the main [[BigBad Big Bads]] of the series and the sisters' most enduring foe.
37	* ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'':
38	** The first villain in ''ComicBook/ThePunisher2099'' is Kron Stone, who leads a small group of serial killers targeting families. After killing the new Punisher's family, and prompting him to take up the title in the first place, the Punisher quickly hunts him down and leaves him for dead in the sewer. Problem is, for Kron that proved to be a stroke of luck, as there he discovered and bonded with the Venom Symbiote. He came back stronger that ever, now with superpowers and becoming a massive problem not only for ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'', but the entire 2099 universe.
39	** In fact, Kron is this trope for Spider-Man as well, albeit retroactively. The two went to the same school together, and Kron attempted to murder him even back then. The following events shaped both their lives, and his return so many years later was a big shock to Spider-Man.
40	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': The Chameleon was the first supervillain to fight Spidey and he went to become a regular member of his rogues gallery.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
44	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'': The Spot is introduced at the start as a seemingly one-off joke villain, with [[TheHero Miles]] being more preoccupied with other stuff going on and even [[LampshadeHanging dismissing]] him as a Villain-of-the-Week. [[spoiler:Which is why many viewers are caught off-guard when The Spot evolves into a ''multiversal-level threat'' by the end. NotSoHarmlessVillain indeed]].
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* ''Film/Batman1989'': Initially, Jack Napier/the Joker doesn't fit this role as Bruce Wayne has been Batman for some time before he shows up. However, it's revealed in a twist that [[spoiler:[[TokenMotivationalNemesis he filled the Joe Chill role in shooting Batman's parents]], technically making him the first villain Bruce ever dealt with.]]
49	* ''Film/GodzillaRaidsAgain'': Anguirus was the first monster Godzilla fought and he became his best friend after getting defeated by Godzilla.
50	* ''Franchise/StarWars''
51	** From an out-of-universe perspective, Darth Vader is the very first villain we see in ''Film/ANewHope'' and serves as TheHeavy while the later-introduced [[AntagonisticGovernor Grand Moff Tarkin]] is the movie's BigBad. He remains an important antagonist throughout the rest of the Original Trilogy, being fleshed out further, and the Prequel Trilogy is made to serve as his StartOfDarkness.
52	** Nute Gunray and the Trade Federation are a smaller scale example; [[Film/ThePhantomMenace chronologically they are the first villains in the Skywalker saga]], having blockaded Naboo. While ultimately [[UnwittingPawn pawns]] of Palpatine, they remain important players for the rest of the Prequel Trilogy; they try to assassinate Padme Amidala in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and serve as one of the prime movers in the Confederacy of Independent Systems, fueling the civil war that Palpatine will use to strengthen his power base and eventually establish a dictatorship in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''.
53	** In terms of the movie timeline, Darth Maul is the first Sith pitted against the heroes and one of the major obstacles in the finale of ''The Phantom Menace''. Obi-Wan cuts him in half and drops him down a shaft. But he somehow survives and returns later in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', making several more appearances in that show (even being involved in [[BookEnds the final arc of the series, effectively ending the prequel timeline]]) and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels''. Likewise showing up in ''[[Film/SoloAStarWarsStory Solo]]'' too for a bit.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Literature]]
57	* ''Literature/CassandraPalmer'': Jonathan is an EvilSorcerer who is introduced in the first novel as wanting to kidnap the title character for the evil Black Circle. Despite at first seemingly being low on the totem pole of the Black Circle, Jonathan went on to be the ArchEnemy of {{Dhampyr}} Dorina Basabara and has returned from the dead multiple times over the series. Its eventually reveled that Jonathan is not in fact a lackey of the Black Circle but is instead one of their leaders and is one of the oldest and most powerful magic users in the world.
58	* A hobgoblin named Toede is the first named villain encountered in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' game modules. Originally just a minor Fewmaster, he becomes a recurring antagonist and eventually rises to the rank of Highlord commanding an entire Dragonarmy.
59	* ''Literature/GuildHunter'': Uram is a psychotic archangel and the EvilFormerFriend of ArchangelRaphael. Uram as a savage SerialKiller serves as the first foe of the series and the fight with him leads to Raphael uniting with his mate Elena. Despite his death at the end of the first book, Uram is able to return several books later in ''Archangel's Viper'' where he inserts a piece of himself in one of his victims to torment her and others.
60	* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Percy's first major fight at the start of book one, the minotaur, returns in a later book - unfortunately for the monster, VillainForgotToLevelGrind and Percy dispatches it with much more ease the second time around.
61	* ''Literature/QuantumDevilSagaAvatarTuner'': Harley Q is the very first person the Embryon has to fight after awakening their Atma, and nobody really pays him any mind afterwards because [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill they made more than sure that he's dead]]. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, that didn't cut it because he comes back as an EldritchAbomination and devours the entire Junkyard.]]
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
65	* ''Series/Charmed1998'': Jeremy Burns was a warlock who seduced and killed witches to take their powers and was the first foe that the Charmed Ones vanquish. Jeremy returned briefly in the season two premiere being summoned by Abraxas for another fight and also came back in the comic book continuation as one of the souls of several defeated Charmed One's foes that was possessing one of their friends.
66	* ''Series/CobraKai'': Kyler's main purpose in the first season is to bully Miguel and inspire him to learn karate from Johnny to defend himself, leading to Johnny reopening the Cobra Kai dojo. After Miguel beats him and his gang in a fight at school halfway through the season, he more or less disappears from the narrative, save for a few cameos where he sees Miguel and decides to avoid him [[KnowWhenToFoldEm so he doesn't get his ass kicked again.]] Meanwhile, the series shifts to a GoodVsGood conflict between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, with Kreese as the BigBad manipulating both sides. Kyler returns in Season 3 and is DemotedToDragon, joining Cobra Kai after Kreese steals the dojo from Johnny and using his new karate training to seek revenge on Miguel for his earlier beating.
67	* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
68	** ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'': Xu-Goma-Gu, the Bat Gurongi, is one of the first opponents that Kuuga fights, and due to Kuuga's inexperience at the time he doesn't actually die in his debut. He continues to persist as a minor annoyance for the rest of the show, mostly to the other villains, before [[TookALevelInBadass taking a very large level in badass]] near the end. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for Xu-Goma-Gu, the power instantly goes to his head and he challenges the BigBad for leadership, who kills him in seconds.]]
69	** ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'': Narutaki is the first major thorn in Decade's side and remains one for the entire series, all the way through the FinaleMovie, and for a few more crossovers after that, despite various other villains taking more prominence later in the series.
70	** ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'': Javert is the first EliteMook that Ghost faces, and his having a name and ResurrectiveImmortality ensures he persists all the way through the series, even getting a few powerups to keep him relevant as a threat. When the supply of powerups eventually runs out, Javert makes a HeelFaceTurn and serves as a minor supporting character for the final act.
71	* From the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'':
72	** Verokron from ''Series/UltramanAce'' is the first of many chojus (super-kaiju) to debut in the show, appearing right in the first episode and whose rampage in Fukuoka city necessitates Ultraman Ace to merge himself with his hosts, Seiji Hokuto and Yuhko Minami, for the first time and going into battle. After being destroyed, Verokron would re-appear in episode 48 as Reconstructed Verokron to continue haunting Ultraman Ace's host Seiji, before launching another attack, this time in Tokyo.
73	** Alien Magma from ''Series/UltramanLeo'' is the first of many alien invaders to attack in the series, bringing with him his two pet monsters, Red and Black Gillas, and is the villain responsible for destroying Leo's home planet resulting in Leo fleeing to Earth. Magma ends up [[VillainExitStageLeft fleeing after his monster servants, Red and Black Gillas, are defeated by Leo]], but returns halfway through the series... apparently suffering some severe VillainDecay in-between. His re-appearance have him harassing children while trying (unsuccessfully) to woo a female alien named Rolan, before getting killed unceremoniously by Ultraman Leo.
74	** The BigBad of ''Series/UltramanTowardsTheFuture'', Gudis the alien-virus cell monster, is introduced battling Ultraman Great and upon being defeated, disperses itself into outer space and heading to Earth. Ultraman Great, after merging with astronaut Jack Shindo, made their way back to Earth to defeat numerous monsters summoned by Gudis until halfway through the series, where the original Gudis returns in a much more powerful form to battle Ultraman Great.
75	** Golza who debuts in the pilot episode ''Series/UltramanTiga'', being one of two monsters alongside Melba prophesized to prevent Tiga's awakening. At the end of the episode, Golza escapes as Tiga destroys Melba, and went into hiding underground until 17 episodes later, having hibernated in the core of an active volcano for months, turning it into the nearly-unstoppable juggernaut of a monster called Fire Golza.
76	** Darambia from ''Series/UltramanDyna'' is the first monster summoned by the Grandsphire on Mars to combat the awakened Ultraman Dyna on the Mars base, and puts up a tough fight before it's destroyed. In the second-to-last episode, Darambia is resurrected by the Grandsphire into a more powerful form called Neo Darambia, and puts up a considerably harder fight when Dyna arrives to battle.
77	** ''Series/UltramanMax'', much like ''Tiga'' before it, starts off with the attack from two kaijus, Grangon and Lagoras, both which Max managed to destroy after showing up in front of humans for the first time. However, both kaijus return halfway in the series with Grangon being killed offscreen by Lagoras so that it can absorb the Lava Monster's fire powers and return as the more powerful Lagoras Evo to challenge Max.
78	** ''Series/UltramanMebius'' starts it's pilot with Dinozaur, the first kaiju to show up on Earth for the first time in 40 years InUniverse, where it single-handedly kills most of the first GUYS defense team and destroys most of the city until Mebius, a rookie of a warrior, destroys it. In a much later episode, an entire herd of Dinozaur attempts to descend on Earth, but this time GUYS is well-equipped with laser turrets and anti-meteorite technology to destroy most of the incoming Dinozaurs save for one, which further mutates into the two-headed Dinozaur Reverse to battle Ultraman Mebius.
79	** Grigio Bone from ''Series/UltramanRB'' appears in the first episode, and is responsible for the Ultramen siblings, Rosso and Blu, being cast upon Earth in the first place. After it's defeat, Grigrio Bone returns numerous episodes later as Grigrio King, having been through a massive ArtEvolution including a massive cannon in it's back. Even after Grigrio King's defeat, it comes back ''again'' as Grigrio Regina, even stronger than the previous two incarnations.
80	** The kaiju Demaarga, who serves as the StarterVillain in the pilot of ''Series/UltramanX'', where it gets defeated by the episode's conclusion... only to return halfway through the show, having been resurrected by the Guar siblings, a family of alien invaders, who upgraded Demaarga into Tsurugi Demaarga, a creature powerful enough to defeat X on their first rematch, necessiting X to obtain a new weapon called the "X-lugger" to eventually destroy Tsurugi Demaarga. Even after the show have ended, Demaarga continues returning to the franchise, including in X"s BigDamnMovie: ''Film/UltramanXTheMovieHereComesOurUltraman''.
81	** The Fusion monster Golba debuts in the pilot episode of ''Series/UltramanTriggerNewGenerationTiga'', where it gets blown to pieces on Mars by the episode's conclusion. Around twenty episodes later, it comes back as Golba II, and TookALevelInBadass (much like Golza above) in its inevitable rematch.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
85	* Literature/TheBible: The Literature/BookOfRevelation interprets {{Satan}} as being "the old serpent", claiming [[Literature/BookOfGenesis the Serpent that tempted Adam and Eve]] and the first evil figure in ''The Bible'' [[HijackedByGanon was Satan all along]]. This makes {{Satan}} not only the first antagonist, or even evil being in Biblical lore, but [[BigBad the ultimate villain of the entire narrative]].
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Video Games]]
89	* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'': Unlike Olaf and Flak from the first two games, whose presence gets greatly diminished after the first chunk of their campaigns, Jugger is fought more consistently throughout the entire campaign of ''Dual Strike'' alongside his Bolt Guard peers, all the way up until the allied nations face off against Von Bolt himself.
90	* ''VideoGame/CosmicStarHeroine'': Groff Brokston, leader of the terrorist group who appears as the StarterVillain in the game's BatmanColdOpen, returns later in the game as a powerful adversary, piloting a HumongousMecha to destroy the city. After his mech is defeated in the SequentialBoss battle, he reveals himself and, right before Alyssa L'Salle kills him, he ends up summoning his pet and turning it into a {{Kaiju}} to [[TakingYouWithMe posthumously finish what he started]].
91	* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder: Cosmos in the Lostbelt'': Kadoc Zemlupus is the very first member of what was formerly Chaldea's Team A, now dubbed Crypters, that the protagonist must defeat in Part 2. He even {{lampshades}} it, noting that it only makes sense for them to go after him first, as it was his Servant Anastasia that destroyed Chaldea and served as the only hook their remnants had to figure out what was going on. However, even after the player defeated him in the first chapter, and took down his Lostbelt, he still plays a role in the story. He's rescued by one of the BigBad's Apostles and starts to go through his own arc, [[spoiler:culminating in him pulling a HeelFaceTurn and then joining as an ally of Novum Chaldea in Lostbelt Chapter 6.5. and beyond.]]
92	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''
93	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' follows the "the BigBad was the StarterVillain all along" twist; Garland starts off kidnapping Princess Sara, and beyond that seems irrelevant as the Four Fiends co-serve the BigBad role. But it later turns out that [[spoiler:Chaos, head of the Four Fiends,]] ''is'' Garland thanks to time travel [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning and you killing his past form]]. [[spoiler:Chaos]] is eventually defeated by changing events so Garland [[RetGone never becomes them]].
94	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Kefka starts off as the first [[EliteMook noticeable grunt]] you face, however, he not only sticks around but eventually [[TheStarscream replaces]] [[DiscOneFinalBoss Emperor Gestahl]] as the BigBad and final boss of the game.
95	* ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'': The Girlfriend's father is the first opponent the Boyfriend faces, meant to give a general introduction to the setup of the game after the tutorial. However, ''because'' he is Girlfriend's evil BoyfriendBlockingDad and a SoreLoser, he frequently attempts to interfere with their relationship and/or straight-up kill Boyfriend; the events of Weeks 3 and 6 are directly caused by him, and he fights Boyfriend again in Week 5 alongside Girlfriend's mother.
96	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, is defeated by the end of [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI the first game]]. However, he lingers on as something akin to Riku's EnemyWithout for the next two games, before he's brought BackFromTheDead for the last games of the Dark Seeker Saga, where he is established to be one of the CoDragons of the true BigBad, Master Xehanort. [[spoiler:He finally meets his end in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' when his new Replica body is destroyed, and his heart is sent back in time to the first game to face what was, and is, his [[KilledOffForReal true canonical death]].]]
97	* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': King Dedede was the first major antagonist that Kirby faced. Despite this, Dedede has frequently returned to do battle with Kirby in one form or another, even as the penguin king has slowly evolved towards heroic behavior or even an ally throughout each game.
98	* ''VideoGame/NeoQuest'': The very first boss of the game is a sludge monster known as Xantan the Foul. [[spoiler:If playing on Insane difficulty, he is revealed to be the TrueFinalBoss having returned as Xantan Reborn.]]
99	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
100	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': The very first boss of the game is Ghirahim, TheDragon of the BigBad. You end up fighting him a number of times over the course of the game.
101	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'' repeats this, with Yuga serving as the boss of the first dungeon despite ostensibly already being identified as the BigBad. He later ends up being revealed as merely TheDragon, but [[TheStarscream usurps]] the role of BigBad back from his [[AntiVillain Anti-Villainous]] boss [[spoiler:Hilda]] by the end of the game.
102	* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'': Revolver Ocelot is a {{Downplayed}} example, as he's the first of the renegade Team FOXHOUND that Solid Snake fights in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', but Snake had been [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 in two]] [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake other games]] before ''Solid''. To an extent he still counts as ''Solid'' has enough SequelDisplacement that for many, Ocelot ws the first boss players encountered. Unlike every other boss in ''Solid'' ([[spoiler:except Liquid Snake]]… [[spoiler:except not… It's complicated, okay?!]]), Ocelot not only survived his encounter with Snake, but he would go on to appear in nearly every ''Metal Gear Solid'' game since then, and was steadily revealed to have had a ''much'' bigger role in the franchise's overarching plot than the first game let on.
103	* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' has Shang Tsung, the BigBad of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1992 the first game]]. After canonically losing the Tournament against Liu Kang, he's set to be executed, until he offers to change the rules of Mortal Kombat to Shao Kahn and bring the fight to Outworld. Tsung has since appeared in every installment as a villain, and seldom as a BigBad on his own, the closest thing being his BigBadDuumvirate with Quan Chi in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance''. This even rings true in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', where he starts as the final villain during the retelling of the events of ''1'' and loses prominence as the story progresses. Then ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''[='=]s ''Aftermath'' DLC brings him to the front, gives him a chapter [[spoiler:and ends up as the definitive FinalBoss should you choose to side with Liu Kang]].
104	* ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'': Kurohagane is the first boss of the game, being fought at the end of level 1, but shows up frequently throughout the game to fight Hibana again and later [[spoiler:kills her former master Jimuhsi to retake Akujiki as [[KarmicDeath payback for being killed by him earlier in the game]]. He later becomes the FinalBoss after collecting all the shards and is fought in the Golden Palace, having [[OneWingedAngel become a slick swordsman who can fight like a shinobi]]]].
105	* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': The first antagonistic character you fight against is N, very early in the game. It's later revealed at the Nimbasa Ferris Wheel that he's the king of [[AnimalWrongsGroup Team Plasma]], the villainous team of the game. As such he serves a dual role as one of your [[TheRival rivals]] and [[BigBad the main villain]], though [[AntiVillain he isn't all that evil]] [[spoiler:and it turns out that Ghetsis [[TheManBehindTheMan is the true evil behind N's actions]].]]
106	* ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'': The first member of the Klaww Gang the Cooper Gang fight is Dimitri, a jive-talking lizard who runs a nightclub which serves as a front for a counterfeit money operation. Dimitri proved so popular with fans that he reappeared and had a greater role in the next two ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' games in the series, even undergoing a HeelFaceTurn.
107	* ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'': At the start of the game, Clyde is a low level warrior in the forces of the Kingdom Of Kupa Keep, who serves as the first enemy [[PlayerCharacter the new kid]] defeats in the tutorial fight, and is banished from the kingdom when he fails to protect the [[MacGuffin Stick of Truth]] during an attack by the elves. At the end of the second act, he acquires the Stick along with a drum of green goop that he uses to raise an army of Nazi zombies, becoming a major antagonist who forces the elves and humans into an EnemyMine alliance to bring him down.
108	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
109	** In ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'', [[BrattyHalfPint Jr. Troopa]] is the first major opponent Mario faces in his adventure (not counting the HopelessBossFight with [[BigBad Bowser]] in the beginning). He later continuously appears as [[GoldfishPoopGang a recurring, yet not really threatening mid-boss]].
110	** In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', Lord Crump, TheDragon to the game's BigBad, is the first opponent Mario encounters after arriving in Rogueport. After that, he constantly appears as a RecurringBoss, two times in which he fights while operating a MiniMecha.
111	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': Zagi is an assassin of the Leviathan's Claw guild who is Yuri's first and recurring antagonist. For the first two encounters, he's just a PsychoForHire, initially sent to kill Flynn for unknown reasons and to help Ragou and Barbos smuggle Blastia cores, but by the third encounter, his obsession with Yuri becomes [[ItsPersonal more personal]], interrupting him during inopportune times and vowing to kill him no matter what. It isn't until the fourth encounter when Zagi caused [[spoiler:the Heracles to nearly blow up Zaphias]] that Yuri begins to take Zagi more seriously as a threat, and by the fifth and final encounter, Zagi intercepts Yuri in [[spoiler:Tarqaron]] just for one last bout, being completely deranged by that point and serving as the last major obstacle before the FinalBoss: [[spoiler:Duke]].
112	* In ''VideoGame/TriangleStrategy'', [[DualBoss Travis and Trish]], a father and daughter bandit team, are the bosses of the game's first battle, who flee after realizing they're up against one of Glenbrook's high houses. After dropping out of the plot for a while, they return as the ones to find [[spoiler:the body Benedict passes off as [[FakingTheDead Roland]]]] and deliver it to Gustadolph, and one of the two later serves as the boss of Chapter XV's Liberty route.
113	* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'': Flowey is the very first person you encounter in the Underground, and while he establishes himself as a murderous asshole, he basically vanishes after the first area (he is stalking you though). [[spoiler:Which makes TheReveal that he's the real BigBad all the more shocking, as the game had been building up ''Asgore'' as the final obstacle.]]
114	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'':
115	** [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 In the first game]] there's Metal Face, the first Faced Mechon Shulk faces off in his adventure, and the one with the most impact due to being responsible for [[spoiler:Fiora's death]] and the destruction of Colony 9, making Shulk go out on his adventure. He later reappears after Shulk takes down Xord, as well as at Prison Island. At Valak Mountain, it's revealed that [[spoiler:he's actually Mumkhar, Dunban's war friend]] from 1 year before the game started, who just wanted the power of the Monado for himself.
116	** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': Moebius D appears in the first chapter of the game, and is the first of the Consuls Noah has to fight, as well as what causes the Keves and Agnus groups to stop fighting each other. His appearance is also what sends all the Consuls out against Noah and the group due to his BatSignal, and he manages to [[HeroKiller kill Mwamba, Hackt, Vandham and]] [[spoiler:one of Eunie's past lives]]. He later reappears as a boss in Chapter 4 and Chapter 6 (the second to last chapter of the game).
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
120	* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': Usually, the first-case villain never appears after their case is over, which is generally a given since they're sent to prison afterwards, but there are two exceptions.
121	** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'': Dahlia Hawthorne does this in Mia's cases, since they're played out of chronological order. The first case, the one where she gets caught, is actually the second time she met Mia in court. The first time was Mia's first case (played as case 4), which ended in a mistrial and Dahlia walking free. [[spoiler:She also returns in case 5 as part of Morgan's plan to have her kill Maya as a channeled spirit, but she isn't the killer, as Godot got to her first.]]
122	** ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'': [[spoiler: Kristoph Gavin]] manages to become the culprit of case 4 despite already being imprisoned for the events of case 1 because [[spoiler: he actually set up the murder (by giving the victim a poisoned postage stamp and instructing him to use it to send Kristoph a letter) 7 years earlier, as part of covering up his involvement in Phoenix getting disbarred. However, the victim happened to delay using the stamp until after Kristoph had already been convicted of a separate murder.]]
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Web Animation]]
126	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Roman Torchwick was originally intended to be a one-off villain in the first episode, but he became so popular among the fans and the crew that he was kept around until the end of Volume Three, where he was KilledOffForReal thanks to the season raising the stakes of the plot so that he no longer fit the story. Even so, his CuteAndPsycho henchwoman [[BreakoutCharacter Neopolitan]] managed to stick around even longer as a way to represent him.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Web Videos]]
130	* ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'': The first real antagonist that opposes Stampy throughout the series (besides the default hostile mobs) is [=HitTheTarget=] himself during the events of "Unexpected Drama". He remains Stampy's ArchEnemy and ends up a recurring villain, with Veeva Dash being introduced as [[TheDragon his assistant]] in the episode "Friends And Foes" three years after.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Western Animation]]
134	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Played with the [[Characters/AdventureTimeIceKing Ice King]] in that he's the first villain [[Recap/AdventureTimePilot of the initial pilot]], and while [[Recap/AdventureTimeS1E1SlumberPartyPanic the first official episode]] has a threat, it's zombies, while Ice King serves as the first actual villain in the series proper still in "[[Recap/AdventureTimeS1E3PrisonersOfLove Prisoners Of Love]]". While [[AntiVillain not much of a villain]] and ending up [[AntiHero semi-reformed]], the Ice King remains a key player due to his frenemy dynamic with protagonists Finn and Jake, [[TragicIceCharacter tragic background]] and important role in the lore of the series.
135	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': The first villain Aang faced in the series is [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko]], the banished Prince of the Fire Nation. Zuko is not much physically older than Aang and he comes across as a hot-headed BigBadWannabe who is outclassed by every other Fire Nation villain like Zhao and Azula. However, his legendary determination to capture the Avatar allows him to stay in the game for nearly the entire series, which ended with Zuko [[HeelFaceTurn defecting to Aang's team]] upon realizing how cruel and corrupt the Fire Nation really was.
136	* Gideon Gleeful, the starter villain of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls,'' serves as an important obstacle in the first installment of the 3-part GrandFinale, since he holds the key to the prison where BigBad Bill Cipher has placed Mabel, and Dipper and Wendy have to face him and a ''Mad Max''-style gang of escaped criminals to gain access.
137	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerCatra Catra]] starts out as a typical starter villain, being little more than an EliteMook with some baggage regarding Adora. However, instead of disappearing as soon as [[BigBad Hordak]] shows up, she quickly rises through the ranks to become TheDragon and eventually [[spoiler:a co-leader]]. The protagonists also treat Catra as the main threat they have to defeat. However, [[spoiler:Horde Prime turns out to be the real Big Bad and Catra pulls a HeelFaceTurn, ironically shortly after Hordak does]].
138	* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'': Hotstreak is the first "[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Bang Baby]]" villain whom Static faces and continues to serve as a major villain for the rest of the series. He ends up fusing with Ebon, another major villain, in the series finale, requiring Static and Gear to take both of them down.
139	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans\|2003}}'' introduces Cinderblock and Plasmus, two monsters working for Slade, both of them becoming recurring foes of the Titans and appearing several times across the series. Slade himself would repeatedly menace the Titans as the main antagonist of the first two seasons before his death in the second season's finale (and then coming BackFromTheDead in the fourth). In-Universe however, this is averted for the ''actual'' StarterVillain, Trogar from the OriginsEpisode in the fifth season (chronologically set before the pilot), who doesn't make anymore appearances outside his debut.
140	[[/folder]]

Context Main / StarterVillainStays