Anime villains are an important part of any successful series. Not only do the villains place obstacles in the path of the heroes, but they also offer a completely different outlook. In most cases, the final bosses employ henchmen to do their bidding.
These henchmen usually pale in comparison to their bosses, although there are some exceptions to this rule. Many authors have created minor antagonists who completely overshadow their bosses. This has become a rather enjoyable trope, and more authors are using it in their series. With that in mind, here are some anime henchmen who outshine their bosses.
6 Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)
Itachi Uchiha is one of the most famous characters from the Naruto series. When he was first introduced in the series, everyone believed that Itachi was a bad guy who had not only killed his parents but also tortured his younger brother. However, as the story progressed, it became increasingly clear that Itachi was anything but a ruthless killer.
In fact, after his death, it was revealed that Itachi never wanted to hurt his younger brother, and he did everything in his power to ensure that no harm came to him. While Itachi appeared to be the perfect villain, the author's decision to turn him into a good guy was rather well-received. Itachi's character was quite complex, and on top of that, he had the power to back up his statements. A big testament to his strength is the fact that Obito didn't move on to the next step of his plan while Itachi was alive. Overall, Itachi was unquestionably better than his Obito, who just hid in the shadows and carried out someone else's plan.
5 Crocodile And Mihawk (One Piece)
Crocodile and Mihawk are two of the most powerful characters in One Piece. Before the Wano Country arc, no one would have believed the two of them would be working together, but when the Shichibukai system was abolished, they had no other option but to band together.
The two of them decided to create the Cross Guild, an organization that placed bounties on Marines. The Cross guild is headed by Mihawk and Crocodile, but due to a misunderstanding, the entire world thinks that Buggy is their leader. After much deliberation, the two pirates decided that it was for the best if Buggy was presented as their boss, as this would put all the focus on Buggy instead of them. There is no doubt that Mihawk and Crocodile are levels above Buggy in terms of both strength and personality.
4 Wamuu (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Wamuu was one of the three Pillar Men, who made their debut in Battle Tendency. Wamuu was ranked the lowest of the three, but he was still an extraordinary fighter. Unlike the other two, he was a very honorable fighter who enjoyed battling more than anything.
Wamuu had an incredible amount of physical strength, which enabled him to overwhelm his opponents rather easily. While fighting Joseph for the final time Wamuu put up an excellent fight, and had he not been so honorable, Joseph would have died. The thing that separates Wamuu from his superiors is that he stuck to his principles to the very end, and he didn't let the chance of victory change him.
3 King Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)
King Bradley was the Führer of Amestris and one of the Homunculi created by Father. As the leader of the nation, Bradley wielded a great deal of political power, and normally that would be sufficient for most characters.
However, Bradley wasn't like most characters. He was a master swordsman, who could take on multiple opponents at once without breaking a sweat. Bradley's physical abilities were on a completely different level in comparison to the other characters in the series. Even when wounded, he could outrun explosions and beat someone like Scar multiple times. While Father was the main villain, Bradley's incredible fighting style and strong personality made him a fan favorite, which placed him above his creator.
2 Estarossa (Seven Deadly Sins)
Estarossa was a member of the Ten Commandments. His real name was Mael, but after Meliodas defected from the Ten Commandments, there was an imbalance in power. This caused Demon Gowther to take action, so he altered the memories of everyone, including Mael, who ended up with the personality of Estarossa.
He was a very interesting character, who was bestowed with the Commandment of Love. This ability would activate when another person bore any kind of ill will towards Estarossa, causing them to lose their strength. In addition to this ability, Estarossa also could also use Full Counter to could repel physical attacks. The leader of the Ten Commandments was Zeldris, but he wasn't nearly as impressive as Estarossa, as he did not have any big moments like his "brother" either.
1 Hisoka (Hunter x Hunter)
Hisoka was an extremely weird person, but he had a massive impact on Gon. He is an elite Hunter who has mastered his special ability, Bungee Gum. Hisoka is also an extremely proficient user of all the different kinds of Nen.
He joined the Phantom Troupe, but all he wanted to do was challenge Chrollo to test out his strength.
Chrollo was no pushover, but his stoic personality and limited screentime made him less interesting than Hisoka, who had a malevolent aura that made him easily noticeable.