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One of the most intriguing aspects of anime is how a villainous or heroic character can be betrayed by the series’ portrayal and storyline of them. This can happen in a number of different ways, from having strong characters lose to inferior opponents to having villains never really do anything all that villainous.
There can also be aspects of an anime character’s personality or characteristics which prevent fans from taking them seriously. This can range from the physical to the intangible, such as personality or opinions which alienate viewers from a specific anime character.
Here are 10 anime characters who are never taken seriously.
New-gen series dominate list of anime characters who are never taken seriously
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1) Zenitsu Agatsuma (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Kicking off the list is Demon Slayer’s Zenitsu Agatsuma, who is considered to be such a joke that he doesn’t even take his own powers seriously. Despite often being one of the strongest Slayers around, he consistently doubts his own abilities and talents.
While fans know how strong he is, his goofy personality and obsession with getting married lead many to treat his character like a complete and utter joke. Despite being a fan-favorite, or perhaps due to being a fan-favorite, Zenitsu is almost never taken seriously by his fellow Slayers, nor the fans who love him.
2) Mumen Rider (One Punch Man)
While One Punch Man fans have a great deal of respect for Mumen Rider, many other professional heroes view him as a joke who shouldn’t be a hero. It’s hard to argue against this assessment despite how heroic Mumen can act at times. He certainly doesn’t look the part of a professional hero, and his lack of strength limits how well he can play the part.
Interestingly, fans seem to take him more seriously than his fellow pro heroes do in the series. As with many other entrants on this list, the inverse is the norm, with a show trying to maintain a character's legitimacy while fans criticize it.
3) Kazuya Kinoshita (Rent-a-Girlfriend)
Rent-a-Girlfriend’s Kazuya Kinoshita first enters the girlfriend rental scene after being broken up with by his ex, who calls him a loser and a failure. She’s not the only one, however, with Kazuya’s friends and family also sharing this sentiment. In fact, so many people share this opinion of him that the young man even accepts it as who he is
Fans tend to agree with this assessment of Kazuya as well, despite the series being about his journey to discovering his self-worth and being someone worthy of respect. Unfortunately, using the Rent-a-Girlfriend app tears down whatever legitimacy he may have had in the eyes of fans.
4) Gentle Criminal (My Hero Academia)
Much like Mumen Rider, My Hero Academia’s Gentle Criminal is also taken much more seriously by fans than he is by characters in his own show. Pro Heroes and villains alike find Gentle Criminal to be an absolute joke, performing crimes which typically don’t harm civilians or their endeavors in any meaningful way.
While fans do take him seriously due to his various strengths as a character in the story, many treat his villain status like Pro Heroes and villains do. As a result, he’s still not really taken that seriously by either fans or his fellow characters.
5) Emperor Pilaf and co (Dragon Ball)
Dragon Ball’s Pilaf Gang and their inability to succeed in any endeavor has been one of the longest running jokes in the Dragon Ball franchise. This gag, one way or another, thas found its way into each and every series, including Dragon Ball GT. Typically, the Pilaf Gang is either too trusting of other villains, too stupid to not get in their own way, or not clever enough to make proper wishes.
All of these blunders have resulted in fans viewing them as an absolute joke, with many writing off whatever scheme they’re hatching as soon as it starts. Even in situations where they technically succeed, such as in GT, they’ll often make some unintended mistakes that unravel what little success they had.
6) Speed-o-Sound Sonic (One Punch Man)
Speaking of always coming up short, One Punch Man’s Speed-o-Sound Sonic has become something of a joke since his multiple and brutal losses to protagonist Saitama. Every single time the two have fought, Sonic has not only lost, but done so in an embarrassing fashion, whether by nature of the final blow or just being totally outclassed.
Fans have also begun to treat Sonic as a joke, despite him being one of the strongest characters in the series. It’s an unfortunate consequence of being used for laughs from the audience, but Sonic is almost impossible to take seriously anymore as.
7) Oingo & Boingo (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Often referred to as the Oingo Boingo Brothers, the pair are often called JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s funniest and most hopeless antagonists. Their ability to see the future and change their appearance would, on paper, seem like one of the most overpowered abilities in a series about identifying and defeating Stand users.
However, the duo's misadventures prove this to be far from the case, with failure and hilarity at nearly every step. One of the brothers ends up hospitalized after being blown up by a bomb disguised as an orange, and the other is almost shot in the head thanks to a misinterpretation of a prophecy. The two are impossible to take seriously with such misadventures and maladies plaguing them.
8) Spandam (One Piece)
One Piece’s Spandam is a particularly interesting case as a character who may or may not be taken seriously. Despite wielding some of the most awesome powers in the entire series during his time as an antagonist, he himself is one of the weakest characters to ever appear in One Piece.
The lack of respect from his colleagues further delegitimizes the threat he poses, especially considering how buffoonish he can act in moments when he could be earning their respect. Overall, he’s simply not a character that fans can take seriously, especially when his own subordinates essentially tell him to move aside while they take care of everything.
9) Bastion Misawa (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX’s Bastion Misawa is a particularly interesting case. He’s shown to be one of the smartest and craftiest characters in the entire anime franchise, let alone the GX series, early on in the first season. His incredible genius allows him to view everything as statistics and numbers, believing even dueling can be boiled down to a statistics and numbers game.
However, after displaying this incredible intelligence, he’s slowly but surely written out of the show and neglected as the trials and tribulations of Jaden are focused on instead. Even in situations where Bastion would be incredibly helpful, the series seems to go out of its way to sideline him. As a result, fans can hardly take him seriously when he never does anything relevant or helpful.
10) Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Seto Kaiba is one of the most unique and interesting cases on this list in terms of being taken seriously. He’s actually a legitimate threat to Yugi Moto in the game of Duel Monsters, having beaten him at one point. He’s also the head of the Kaiba Corporation, adding further gravitas and legitimization to his character.
However, he’s also a 16-year-old boy who decided the best use of his deceased dad’s fortune would be to push research and development into making card games more realistic. This is just one of many questionable business ventures Kaiba embarks on, and has led to fans treating him as the ultimate meme rather than a true antagonist.
