Usually, villains and antagonists in anime are threats that need to be defeated in a climactic fight before they are stopped. Villains like Dio and Frieza are as powerful as they are devious and must be defeated in a proper fight before their threat can be neutralized.
However, not all villains are as ready to jump into a brawl. Some villains prefer to work in the background, serving as a mastermind while others do the dirty work for them. Here are some anime villains that leave all of the fighting to their subordinates or allies.
8 Father/Koto Fujisaki – Noragami
High Schooler Koto Fujisaki hides a secret. He is the current incarnation of a mysterious man known only as Father, who has been living by possessing humans for centuries. He has an intense grudge against the gods and is the one who gave birth to Yato and the Stray.
Despite being the main antagonist of the series, Fujisaki rarely openly positions himself as a threat to the main cast. Instead, he prefers to work in the background to isolate Yato in order to convince him to return to his side. While this makes his role in the story seem subdued at times, there's no doubt that he is a big threat to Yato's everyday life.
7 Tetta Kisaki – Tokyo Revengers
As a member of the Tokyo Manji Gang, it's no surprise that Tetta Kisaki can put up a fight if he absolutely has to. However, it's not his usual modus operandi, as he prefers to stand in the background and allow stronger fighters like Mikey to do all the hard work.
Despite his largely minor role in the past, he is a high-ranking leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang in the present and the sole reason behind Hinata Tachibana's continuous murders. This reason alone pits Takemichi Hanagaki against him as he tries over and over to prevent Hinata's death.
6 Akito Sohma – Fruits Basket
The mysterious Sohma family is stricken by a mysterious curse. When touched by a member of the opposite sex, certain members will transform into a designated animal in the Chinese Zodiac. These twelve family members are beholden to the head of the Sohma family, who is like a god to them.
Akito Sohma is the current head of the Sohma family and is a cruel and unforgiving tyrant desperate to cling to the bonds of the Zodiac curse. While Akito is not necessarily a traditional villain that needs to be stopped, Akito's presence and role in the series is a problem that the other Sohma members must struggle with.
5 Hoji Sadojima – Rurouni Kenshin
As a member of the Juppongatana and Makoto Shishio's second-in-command, it might be strange to know that Hoji Sadojima is not much of a fighter. Instead, he serves as a strategist and tactician and is the mastermind behind many of the terrifying acts that are committed in Makoto Shishio's name.
While Hoji is not the final villain of the Kyoto Arc, his role in the story is not significant. As an ardent follower of Shishio, Hoji dutifully enacts every single one of his plans without a single hint of doubt or confusion, and he is just as much of a threat as Shishio himself.
4 Dakki – Hoshin Engi
As a 5,000-year-old fox spirit masquerading as a beautiful woman, the cruel and sensual Dakki has wormed her way into the heart of the King of Yin. Using his authority, she has turned the kingdom into her plaything, taking whatever she pleases and killing those who speak out against her.
Dakki achieves all this without lifting a finger herself, using the power of the King instead, who has been charmed by her wiles. When the king's authority is no help, she uses her magic instead to create illusions and tricks to get her way by any means necessary.
3 Prime Minister Honest – Akame Ga Kill!
Despite showing a benign and kindly demeanor on the surface, Prime Minister Honest is one of the cruelest beings in the Empire, manipulating the young impressionable Emperor so that he can do as he pleases without consequences. His actions are what have turned the Empire into such a chaotic realm, and he cares little for what happens outside of the capital.
His appearance belies his strength, as he has trained his body to be strong enough to endure most assassination attempts. Despite this, he is no fighter and leaves conflicts for his subordinates and secret squads of murderers to deal with.
2 Gihren Zabi – Mobile Suit Gundam
As a member of the ruling Zabi family of the Principality of Zeon, Gihren essentially serves as the commander of the army. While the Principality was initially formed with good intentions of independence, the Zabi family usurped the throne for their own ambitions.
Of the various members of the Zabi family, Gihren is easily the most vile. Using indoctrination policies and propaganda to solidify his hold on Zeon's people, Gihren became a tyrant responsible for the deaths of millions, including his own father. Gihren achieved all this without ever stepping onto the battlefield, or even into a mobile suit.
1 Light Yagami – Death Note
While Light Yagami serves as the protagonist of Death Note, he is also certainly the villain of the story as well, serving as the serial killer Kira who aims to cleanse the world by killing as many criminals as he can. Watching Light evade the efforts of the police and the world's greatest detective L is partly exciting due to the knowledge that his success means he is free to kill as he likes.
Light's power is primarily the Death Note, which he uses in ingenious ways to defeat his pursuers and punish his opponents. As his role as Kira requires him to keep his identity a secret, Light largely works in the darkness, though he occasionally must make bold moves to achieve his goals.