History Main / StarterVillain

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'':
** In the [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage original series]], the Shredder was a starter villain, getting himself killed rather humiliatingly at the end of the very first issue. A colony of intelligent worms would later assume the mantle of the Shredder, but even they only appeared in a few issues and played a fairly minor role in the comics' plot. However, due to his status as the first villain the Turtles fought and his ItsPersonal ties to their backstory, all subsequent versions (namely all four cartoon series and the first two movies) went and made him the long-running BigBad.
** [[CatsAreMean Old Hob]] and his gang serve this role in the [[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIDW IDW TMNT]] series. A cat mutated in the same incident that created the protagonists, he serves as a [[ItsPersonal personal]] menace to the Turtles for their early days, but was little more than an aggressive thug hired by a significantly more dangerous villain. At least, [[TookALevelInBadass he was at first...]]
* ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'': Matthew Patel is the first Evil Ex-Boyfriend of Ramona that Scott encounters. He's mostly the equivalent of a WarmUpBoss (something that is also very much the case in the video game), because while he's the first obstacle he's a kind of pathetic manchild who nobody really cares about or considers threatening, despite having [[SquishyWizard some magic powers]]. Scott defeats him in their first encounter using nothing more than brawling ability, whereas with every one of the other exes Scott will either need multiple encounters with them or some sort of trick or power-up before he can prevail against them. In the [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld movie]], he has the lowest point value of any opponent short of out-and-out mooks.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': In Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/NewXMen'', John Sublime fits this, despite being the ''second'' ArcVillain rather than the first. He's the least-powerful (a non-powered CorruptCorporateExecutive), has the least far-reaching scheme (selling mutant organs on the black market) and is defeated in the shortest amount of time (three issues) of all the major villains in the series, and he and his henchmen pretty much exist for the main characters to demonstrate their powers on. As well, the first ArcVillain, Cassandra Nova, actually ''wins'' in that arc (though neither the readers nor the characters know it at the time) and has to be brought down in a later one. [[spoiler:This, of course, makes it a particularly effective twist when the final arc reveals Sublime to have been the BigBad behind everything, and possibly, with a bit of AlternateCharacterInterpretation, the GreaterScopeVillain behind ''everything bad that had ever happened in any X-Men comic ever''.]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Batman usually starts in adaptations and reboots by butting heads with the Gotham mob bosses or the corrupt police force which is ([[TokenGoodTeammate minus Jim Gordon]]) more than happy to blame all of the city's troubles on him. As Batman takes them down, maniacal super villains like ComicBook/TheJoker then step up to the plate. The actual first villain Batman faced in [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks his very first issue]] was [[CorruptCorporateExecutive crooked chemical baron]] Alfred Stryker, who fits this trope as he is non-powered, out of shape, and dead by the end of the issue. His first ''super''villain arrived a few issues later, in the form of [[MadScientist Doctor Death]].
* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': In Captain America's first [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] appearance, he battled Heinz Kruger, the Nazi spy who had murdered the scientist who gave him his powers. In a later story in the same issue, he faced his first supervillain in the form of Allied traitor George Maxon, alias the Red Skull, who would, of course, be revealed in time to be merely a decoy for [[ArchEnemy the REAL Skull, top-ranked Nazi Johann Schmidt]].
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': The Hulk's starter villain was The Gargoyle, the spy who arranged the sabotage of the gamma bomb test that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk.
* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': Iron Man's starter villain was the Vietnamese warlord Wong-Chu, who captured Tony and attempted to force him to develop weapons for him. [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard It backfired.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'': Tintin has many, depending on the adventure. A few that come to mind are the fakir in the Indian portion of ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'', Mitsuhirato in ''The Blue Lotus'', Puschov in ''The Black Island'', or Bab el-Ehr in ''Land of Black Gold'' and ''The Red Sea Sharks''.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'':
** The titular team fight the Mole Man in the first issue before encountering their {{Big Bad}}s Namor and Doctor Doom. Naturally, due to the nature of comic books, they proceeded to encounter Mole Man many times afterwards.
** Subverted in the stand-alone ''Fantastic Four: Season One'' graphic novel, wherein Mole Man shows up as a threat- and is then promptly, almost immediately defused by Sue Storm's gentle reassurance that he doesn't have to live the way he does. After that point, he becomes the team's ally, eager to use his scientific genius in ''helpful'' ways and in a special darkened lab.
* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'': Daredevil starts off battling the Fixer, the gangster responsible for the death of his father. He doesn't survive the issue.
* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel'': In ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'', the first enemy Kamala faces is The Inventor.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** Superman's first foe was Bea Carroll, a murderess who framed one of her rivals. She's taken care of less than halfway through ''ComicBook/SupermanNumber1''.
** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s first enemy were the Dales, a couple of swindlers who sold a so-called "power tonic" which supposedly granted SuperStrength in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #254. Supergirl quickly -and stealthily- destroys their racket and ensures their victims get their money back. Kara would fight crooks, swindlers and bullies for several issues until ''ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl'' introduced her first real villain.
* ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'': The first antagonists to appear are Officers Swirski and Morgan, a pair of {{Dirty Cop}}s who wanted in on a Latino gang's heroin racket. When the gang leader refused, as he had been trying to go straight to support his son, the pair murdered him [[WouldHurtAChild and his son too]]. Their luck runs out at the hands of Isabelle "Dizzy" Cordova, the dead man's vengeful widow, with a little help from [[TheChessmaster Agent Graves]] and the titular hundred untraceable bullets; the two officers' ultimate role in the plot is to introduce this element and these two characters.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** The starter villain was Uncle Ben's killer, and TheReveal that he's the same robber who Spidey let off earlier ties into the [[AnAesop moral]] of the story. His first supervillain threat is the Chameleon, a character who would go on to be a regular member of his rogues gallery. The Vulture was the second villain he fought, but the first to re-appear.
** His [[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan Ultimate counterpart]] starts off fighting the Enforcers and Electro, all of whom are working for Wilson Fisk.
* ''ComicBook/ManThing'': [[FemmeFatale Ellen Brandt]], Ted Sallis's conniving ex-lover. Brandt's betrayal of Sallis to steal his prototype SuperSerum led to her mark transforming into the titular SwampMonster. She survived, but was left disfigured by his infamous touch, and depending on the continuity, either sought to atone for her evil deeds or became an even worse villain.
* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Back in his solo days at Quality Comics, DC speedster Max Mercury (then called "Quicksilver")'s first one was von Lohfer, a MadScientist who mind controlled the local police department to destroy an industrialist who [[TheyCalledMeMad called him a fake]] in a NoodleIncident. Given his [[DepravedDwarf diminutive stature]] and NonActionGuy status, Max made short work of him.
* ''ComicBook/MartianManhunter'': Interestingly, the debut story has NoAntagonist. The main conflict is that J'onn J'onnz is trapped on Earth by the well intentioned scientist Saul Erdel, [[DeathByOriginStory who dies of a heart attack]] shortly after. J'onn then impersonates a human police detective and most of the ensuing cases are with nondescript mobsters who the Martian plows through. The first crook who actually posed a threat to him was Alex Dunster, a thief who used a teleportation machine to steal technology from other planets.
* ''ComicBook/TheInvisibleTerror'': We first see the Invisible Terror battling De Pix, an international criminal out to get the formula that gives the Terror his powers. He's arrested at the end, and taken to serve a life sentence.
* ''ComicBook/KismetManOfFate'': The first foe we see is Colonel Freydrich, a Nazi official so cruel he's called "the Headsman." He doesn't even survive halfway through the issue.
* ''ComicBook/PatPatriotAmericasJoanOfArc'': We first see Pat fighting an unnamed factory foreman who fired her for protesting harsh working conditions and is running a smuggling operation for the Nazis. He's taken down in the first issue and presumably never leaves prison.
* ''ComicBook/KBarKate'': The first BigBadDuumvirate are Shorne and Hinson, who are plotting to divert water away from the Slocum ranch to Shorne's.
* ''ComicBook/AllStarSquadron'': Obscure DC hero Air Wave had as his first foe Snake Scalotti, a local crime boss whom the DA was having difficulty gathering evidence on. He's taken to prison at the end of the first issue and never seen again.
* ''ComicBook/TheAtom'':
** Al Pratt's was an unnamed crime boss who held his girlfriend as ransom against her rich father. He's clobbered and arrested at the end of his first appearance.
** Ray Palmer had Carl Ballard, who captured a tiny, teleporting alien and forced him to rob banks, being arrested at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'': The Wesley Dodds version had Boris Leland, a spy who stole plans for a device Wesley was planning to show at the New York World's Fair. He's taken to prison by the end of the first issue.
* Golden Age DC hero the Gay Ghost's first foe was the unnamed leader of a group of footpads who tried to rob the Ghost in life. He manages to kill [[DeadToBeginWith our hero]] and is defeated by a minor character.
* ''ComicBook/{{Gunsmoke}}'': The first foe we see is Ringo Moody, a cattle rustler and gambler trying to force a rancher to give him his property. He's gunned down within eight pages of his introduction.
* ''ComicBook/{{Yellowjacket}}'': The first foe we see is Jake Mallon, a jewel thief who chased a girl into Vince's house.
* ''ComicBook/{{Typhon}}'': The first foe we see is an unnamed ruler of an undersea kingdom who's fond of doing a ForcedTransformation to anybody who opposes him. He's rendered into a LivingStatue by the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheWraith'' has Silky Weaver, the gang leader who killed the Kennedy brothers and is killed halfway through the first story.
* The first foe of ''ComicBook/TheGreenKnight'' was an unnamed vampire whom Knight saved Lance from, and who's burned alive by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/TheSteelFist'' had Ludlow, the Nazi saboteur who mutilated Tim's hand and is arrested by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/TheBlueStreak'' had Scarface, the criminal who killed Jim's brother and is taken out in the first issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheWaspLevGleason'': The Wasp is first seen fighting B-8, a foreign spy trying to steal the military's plans for a stealth plane. He's arrested by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/TheEyeSees'': We first encounter the Eye fighting Islam Herat, a CorruptCorporateExecutive who stole a giant Middle Eastern trade empire and is arrested by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/TheLoneWarrior'': Herr Kampf, a Nazi spy sent to sabotage the Army base Stan has been stationed in. He causes some damage, but is clearly subordinate to spymaster the Dictator's Shadow and is imprisoned by issue's end, never to be heard from again.
* ''ComicBook/MotherHubbard'': An unnamed Nazi agent who's sent to torture the formula for a flame gun from its inventor. He's blown up at the end of the first issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheCrusader'': [[spoiler:Carl Meyer]], a Nazi spy masquerading as a ghost to hide his experiments and secure ownership of his base of operations. He's arrested, presumed to be executed later, by the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/AceMcCoy'': Captain von Hartmann, the leader of a Nazi shipwrecking operation. He's a formidable threat, but is killed in a U-boat crash at the end of the first issue.
* ''ComicBook/AcePowers'': Heat Devron, a gangster who robbed a payroll and was working on betraying his gang in order to take all the money for himself. He's arrested at the end of the issue, and never returns.
* ''ComicBook/AceOfSpace'': The Slogons, a group of aliens who killed Ace's predecessor and are invading Earth co conquer it. Their fleet is destroyed and they are killed by the end of the first issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheBlackSpider'': Sol Risko, a crime boss who masterminded a scheme to have the evidence needed to convict him stolen from the DA. His scheme fails, and he's convicted by the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/CaptainFlash'': The Iron Mask, a megalomaniac who played CriminalMindGames with the scientists of Atom City under the threat of a hydrogen bomb destroying the city and is knocked out a several-story video at the end of the issue. He's an interesting case, as he's the villain of the second story, but he still qualifies as the first one has NoAntagonist.
* ''ComicBook/TheMadHatter'': [[spoiler:Jim Murray]], the secret crime boss of the whole city, who spends the first story pursuing a witness who knows his true identity and is arrested at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/TheMaskedMarvel'': Reno, a ranch foreman and secret cattle rustler who framed one side of a family feud for another side's murder so he could use the distraction to make a killing. He's gunned down at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/TomboySterling'': The Claw, an escaped crime boss who intends to bomb the docks and use the distraction to rob a museum. He's killed in a plane crash at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/AdamStrange'': The Eternals, a race of aliens who attacked Rann for a rare mineral soon after Adam first teleported there, and are trapped in the Fourth Dimension at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'': An unnamed alien who has similar powers to Buddy and used them to go on a rampage in a small town, only to plummet off a cliff at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'': An unnamed Nazi commander who sent U-boats after civilians, and is killed via grenade at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/BuckskinAmericasDefenderOfLiberty'': Jarg Marsool, a Nazi spymaster who wants to destroy a plane factory and is blown up at the end of the issue.
* ''ComicBook/StardustTheSuperWizard'': The unnamed leaders of a Nazi spy ring who try to destroy the US government upon learning of Stardust coming to Earth. They're arrested at the end of the issue after being forced to look at the skeletons of their victims.
* ''ComicBook/{{Aztek}}'': Piper, AKA the ''real'' Curtis Falconer, who is forced to commit a robbery to save his daughter and is killed in an explosion at the end of the first issue, but not before tasking Aztek with protecting his daughter.
* ''ComicBook/BlackLightning'': Joey Toledo, an agent of the 100 who pushes drugs at the hogh school Jefferson Pierce works at. He lasts all of two issues before getting killed.
* ''ComicBook/{{Blackhawk}}'': Captain von Tepp, a Nazi officer terrorizing Poland, who killed Blackhawk's siblings and inspired him to take up a quest for vengeance before being gunned down at the end of his issue.
* ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle'':
** The Fox Comics edition of Dan Garret (where he was a cop who got superpowers from a fictional vitamin) has the White Face, a gang leader who kidnapped a banker (and disappointingly, did not actually wear whiteface; he instead had a white handkerchief covering his lower face). The Charlton reboot has Kha-Ef-Re, a giant undead mummy who menaced the now-archaeologist Dan Garrett before he found the scarab that gave him his powers.
** Ted Kord had his uncle, Jarvis Kord, who tricked him into helping build a series of robots to TakeOverTheWorld. Ted brought his friend Dan Garrett over to help stop him, but Dan and Jarvis both died in the ensuing battle, leaving Ted to take over the Blue Beetle title.
** Jaime Reyes was introduced during the ''Infinite Crisis'' event, so the first villain he faced was Brother Eye. His first solo villains were thugs working for La Dama.
* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'':
** Alan Scott had Albert Dekker, a corrupt businessman who destroyed a railroad after losing a contract and died of a heart attack when Scott showed up to seek vengeance.
** Hal Jordan has a group of unnamed saboteurs attempting to destroy an experimental plane, who get arrested at issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'': Ezra Samson, a SerialKiller targeting members of a historical society, and who dies in a car crash by first issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/EnemyAce'': A group of unidentified pilots trying to down a zeppelin. Hans manages to shoot down two of them, but one does a kamikaze run into the blimp.
* ''ComicBook/JonahHex'': Big Jim, an outlaw terrorizing a town's residents away so he can sell their land, and is killed by throwing knife by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'': Fritz Klaver, a Nazi spymaster plotting to subvert various elements of the US war effort, and is captured by the end of his issue.
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': The JLA first banded together to fight the invasion of the Appellaxians, an alien race of various bizarre types who sent several warriors themed after elements to Earth; whoever conquered the planet first would win the right to rule Appellax. Ultimately, the heroes who fought off some of the Appellaxians themselves teamed up to fight more of them together, forming the Justice League of America. However, thanks to the first published story (which was not the League's origin story in-universe) having the League battling Starro, and the relative few appearances by the Appellaxians in comparison, they're often forgotten and Starro is mistakenly attributed as being the League's first foe. (It doesn't help that various media adaptations and comics reboots have replaced the Appellaxians outright with other, more formidable foes, like ComicBook/Darkseid or the Imperium.)
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'': John Charles Collins, a terrorist leading an attack on the United Nations, who kills himself upon being thwarted in the first issue.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Dredd has two characters who could be considered this. The first being Randolph Whitley, the first criminal he encountered in the comics. Whitley killed and impersonated a Judge before being arrested, initially nothing special, later stories would RetCon him as a bigger deal, [[TookALevelInBadass as someone who could escape from the harshest prisons]]. Second would be Call-Me-Kenneth, a construction robot who led a robotic revolt against humankind and was the first arc villain. Dredd short-circuited and destroyed him at the end of the arc. He managed to returns a couple times until he was KilledOffForReal after his attempt to hijack an oil tanker ended with him blown to pieces along with the ship.
* ''ComicBook/MrMiracleHolyoke'': Sango, a foreign agent plotting to steal the powerful Mind-Ray for his own country. However, he has the bad luck of stealing it right after Miracle is empowered by it, and is promptly thwarted and left for the police by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/TheCavalier'': [[spoiler:Felice Long]], who murdered her father figure to cover up forgery and is arrested by issue's end.
* ''ComicBook/{{Blacksad}}'': Ivo Statoc is the first villain that John Blacksad faces in the series, being responsible for murdering the woman he once loved. However, while Statoc is a CorruptCorporateExecutive whose vast resources could be a recurring problem for John, he is killed during their first and only meeting in a revengeous VigilanteExecution.
* ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'': Lord Hikiji is an interesting example, as he has yet to be properly defeated despite ending up a starter villain. The inciting incident of the comic is him killing Usagi's Lord Mifune in battle, and he's set up as the BigBad from the outset. But as the comic went on and the story's focus shifted elsewhere, [[DemotedToExtra his role greatly diminished]], though he never exactly ''left'' the story. Instead Hikiji settled into the role of a GreaterScopeVillain while Usagi frequently crosses paths with or foils the plans of Hikiji's various allies and pawns.
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* Butch Sanders from ''Film/TheLoneRanger2013'' is a notorious outlaw and cannibal. He is just working with his partner Latham Cole in a scheme to steal the silver-rich lands of the Comanche.

* Butch Sanders from ''Film/TheLoneRanger'' is a notorious outlaw and cannibal. He is just working with his partner Latham Cole in a scheme to steal the silver-rich lands of the Comanche.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' has Russell Winters in its pilot, who in turn is a client of the overall main villains of the series.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Season 1 featured the [[SpacePirates Raiders]] and the [[FantasticRacism Home Guard]] as the primary recurring villains. The Raiders got almost completely wiped out as part of TheReveal of The Shadows, the show's ''primary'' villains. The Home Guard dropped off the radar and became irrelevant after President Clark came into power (since they had essentially ''won''), and never turned up again.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** The show had one-shot villains for the first episode of each season; an enemy who was reasonably threatening, but who was ultimately defeated by Buffy before the credits roll: Luke in season 1, Absalom in season 2, Ken in season 3, Sunday in season 4, Dracula in season 5, and Razor in season 6. The Season 7 opener is a somewhat confusing beast, with Buffy fighting a group of malevolent spirits who are indeed defeated by the end but [[TheManBehindTheMan the true mastermind who summoned them]]...[[TheUnreveal is never actually identified]] (although the episode's tag scene does set up new Big Bad the First so possibly it can be deduced that way).
** Lothos, the main villain from the [[Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer movie]] and ''The Origin'', although the Buffyverse backstory establishes that he is a menace on the same level as season one big bad TheMaster.
* ''Series/CobraKai'' has Kyler Park, Miguel's bully and the very reason why he decides to take up karate from Johnny after the latter kicks Kyler's ass. Once Miguel beats up the bastard, the rest of the series becomes a karetka vs. karateka conflict, first with the renewed rivalry between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel [=LaRusso=], then the return of past ''Film/TheKarateKid'' villains: John Kreese and Terry Silver.
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' had Bialar Crais, a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Peacekeeper]] captain whose brother accidentally died in the pilot episode when his ship ricocheted off Crichton's, which had accidentally gone through a wormhole and emerged in the middle of a space battle. Crais went into [[ItsPersonal Captain Ahab mode]] and spent the rest of the first season chasing Crichton and his new friends. At the end of the season, Crais is replaced as by [[MagnificentBastard Scorpius]], a Peacekeeper scientist intent on getting information about [[WeaponOfMassDestruction wormhole technology]] that had been implanted in Crichton's brain. Scorpius went on to be the show's BigBad, while Crais underwent a HeelFaceTurn.
** And then Scorpius is also replaced by an even bigger baddie in the form of Grayza and the Scarrans (led by the Scarran Emperor).
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' had an undercover Alliance agent as the villain of the pilot episode. Although he seems to be built up as a potentially recurring villain, the ending of the episode subverts multiple tropes when, during a PutDownYourGunAndStepAway / WeWillMeetAgain moment, Mal simply walks up and shoots him in the head. WordOfGod is that had the show continued past the first season, he would have turned out to have survived the shooting and would have come back (with a cybernetic eye!) to seek revenge on the crew. In fact, this is exactly what happens in the ''ComicBook/SerenityThoseLeftBehind'' comic book set between the series and the movie.
* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'': David Robert Jones from the first season.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Viserys Targaryen, the [[BigBrotherBully elder brother]] of Daenerys, serves as the main antagonist of the first act in her storyline to progress from a timid teenage girl into TheHighQueen, as well as one of the main antagonists in the first half of Season 1. He is then killed by Khal Drogo and replaced with villains that serve greater threats in the TV show, such as [[TheCaligula Joffrey Baratheon]] and [[TheChessmaster Littlefinger]].
** ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' has Craghas Drahar aka the Crabfeeder, a pirate who disturbs merchant fleets in the Stepstones off the coasts of Westeros and the first major antagonist faced by the Targaryen crown a few years before the SuccessionCrisis starts. He's defeated and killed by Daemon Targaryen in the third episode.
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'' has Kumo Otoko, the very first monster beaten by Series/KamenRider 1 and effectively the starter villain for the whole franchise. Each individual series usually has one as well, whose main purpose is to stir the main character into picking up the belt and transforming for the first time. There's also a variation on this, seen more commonly in shows made after 2010, who are major villains are usually beaten somewhere around a quarter of the way in to showcase the power of the main Rider's first MidSeasonUpgrade, or sometimes shortly before they acquire it.
** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'' features a special case in that the Night Rogue and Blood Stalk suits were made to invoke this trope InUniverse, as they were made by the same scientist who made the Build Driver to serve as the user's initial sparring partners. Although both their users are major villains who ended up using the suits as alter-egos instead.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Victor Dubenich who assembles the team to do a job for him, before betraying them and becoming the [[TheCon mark]] of the pilot. [[spoiler:He later returns to be the BigBad of Season 4.]]
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': Nimueh, the titular character's main adversary in the first season, before she's KilledOffForReal in that same season's finale.
* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'':
** Captain, later Major, Tom Neville of the Monroe Republic is the first militia threat the protagonists go up against ("[[Recap/RevolutionS1E1Pilot Pilot]]"). Neville turns out to be subordinate to Big Bad General Sebastian "Bass" Monroe. [[spoiler: Neville ends up leaving Monroe in "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E13TheSongRemainsTheSame The Song Remains the Same]]", joins up with the Georgia Federation to fight Monroe ("[[Recap/RevolutionS1E15Home Home]]"), and then takes Bass's place as the Big Bad in the first season finale ("[[Recap/RevolutionS1E20TheDarkTower The Dark Tower]]").]]
** [[spoiler: The real BigBad appears to be a rump U.S. government operating out of Cuba, for which Randall was working when he launched nukes on Philadelphia and Atlanta. It's hinted that the heroes may end up teaming with Neville in an EnemyMine situation to prevent ''everyone'' from being conquered.]]
* ''Series/StargateSG1'': The first BigBad faced by the Stargate team is Apophis, who managed to last all the way to the 5th season before he was finally KilledOffForReal. Of course, the {{Big Bad}}s that replaced him, such as Anubis, the Replicators, and the Ori all turned out to be even more dangerous. Although technically, Apophis himself was the second villain faced by Jack and Daniel if you want to include Ra from [[Film/{{Stargate}} the film]].
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': The Suliban, genetically augmented Gecko-Men, initially filled this role. A lukewarm reception had them soon replaced with the much more credible Xindi as the series' main enemy race.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
** The parasites in the episode "Conspiracy" were intended to return, but weren't for budget reasons. They were "replaced" by the Borg as the BigBad. The Borg proved to be "too powerful" to write many episodes about... indeed, after the events of ''Best of Both Worlds'', the only Borg encountered are small splinter groups and individuals separated from the Collective. The writers eventually settled on the Romulans and Cardassians as the preferred bad guys.
** More to the point, the Ferengi were initially conceived as TNG's BigBad, getting a NameDrop in the pilot as a race with a terrifying reputation (complete with the suggestion that they eat the people they conquer). Then they showed up and turned out to fall far short of the hype. So they were abandoned as the archnemesis of the series, eventually resurfacing as occasional comic antagonists, and getting a more sympathetic portrayal on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. The rumors referenced in the pilot were later retconned as having been planted by the Ferengi leader, who having heard about the Federation and its economic policies concluded they must be ''utterly insane'' and hoped to intimidate them.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' itself opened up with the Cardassians, Klingons, Romulans, and even some Bajorans (especially Kai Winn) switching off as the "bad" of the week, in keeping with the series' GreyAndGrayMorality. Then the Dominion comes knocking...
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', in an inversion to ''The Next Generation'', started with a new race called the Kazon, who were essentially slightly modified Klingon [[{{Expy}} expies]], but eventually replaced them with the Borg... although the Borg eventually suffered from the VillainDecay that the ''Next Generation'' writers hoped to avoid. Again, several episodes focused on individual Borg separated from the Collective, for the same reasons as above.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has Constance Welch, AKA the Woman in White, a spirit Sam and Dean encounter before they even begin their hunt for the Yellow Eyed Demon.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'' has [[AxCrazy Tuco]], the first ''real'' threat after Krazy-8's WarmUpBoss, but still not quite on the same threat level as [[MagnificentBastard Gustavo "Gus" Fring]].
** Season 1 of the spinoff ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' has Craig and Betsy Kettleman, [[WhiteCollarCrime white-collar criminals]] who embezzled money from the county treasury.
* Al Capone serves as this in the early-'60s series ''Series/TheUntouchables'', as the pilot movie was about his arrest. The face of his organization in the series proper was his enforcer, Frank Nitti, and the organization was involved in only about a quarter of the episodes.
* ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'': [[spoiler:Carl Steubens]] is responsible for the explosion that drives the pilot's plot.
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'' The first metahuman is some guy who eludes the police by making fog. He seems imposing at the time, but isn't even cool enough to get a codename, and once Flash gets going he has no trouble taking him down, after which he's gunned down by the police and is only ever mentioned again in relation to his brother Weather Wizard, a [[HeroKiller more serious]] and recurring villain.
* Slab is the main villain of the pilot of ''Series/MrYoung'', whom Adam "tames" at the end. The series doesn't really have a BigBad, though the closest thing is Principal Tater.
* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' has been doing this since the very beginning. Gomess, the first monster fought by humans in ''Series/UltraQ'', and Bemular, the first monster ever fought by an Ultra on-screen in the original ''{{Series/Ultraman}}'' are the most obvious examples, but plenty of other franchise favourites such as Verokron (''Series/UltramanAce''), Alien Magma (''Series/UltramanLeo''), Golza (''Series/UltramanTiga'') and Demaaga (''Series/UltramanX'') have been introduced to the Ultra Series as this sort of antagonist.
* ''Series/TheWire'' does it in season 2 with Frank Sobotka. Major Valchek, who has a feud with Sobotka over a stained glass window, designates Sobotka as the primary target and wants a police detail to dig up dirt on him specifically. But as the case progresses, real criminals who are guilty of much worse crimes are discovered and Frank's importance in the investigation is diminished. This is even shown graphically: his picture ends trimmed down and put in a corner of the corkboard. In the end his criminal acts are so mild that even the FBI (who were specifically brought into the case by Valchek to bust Sobotka and his union) thinks he's just a small fish and want to go after bigger targets.
* ''Series/{{Witchblade}}'': Tommy Gallo, a legendary mafia hitman, was the first true villain that Sara Pezzini faced, being responsible for both the murder of her partner Danny and as he later reveals, [[YouKilledMyFather the murder of her father many years ago]]. He's caught and locked up at the end of the two-episode pilot, with Pezzini facing a number of other threats from thereon out. Due to a ResetButton as a result of time travel at the end of the season, Sara doesn't face down Gallo and basically ignores him since she has bigger enemies to deal with.
* ''Series/TheUnusuals'': Leon Wu, a juvenile drug dealer-turned-CopKiller out of a misplaced sense of revenge. He's killed by the end of the first episode.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' generally begins each Doctor's era with a minor threat or C-list member of the RoguesGallery. The exceptions are the Second, Fifth and Eighth Doctors, who need to deal with the Daleks and the Master (twice) respectively, justified as the Fourth and Seventh Doctors regenerated because of the Master's efforts and the producers wanted the Second (as the first regeneration) to face a familiar threat to assure fans that the show hadn't changed.
** ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'': The first spin-off of Doctor Who had its starter villain be Suzie, a member of the team who had a FaceHeelTurn and shot Jack in the head, before committing suicide after having ran out of ways to escape. [[spoiler:Suzie is later resurrected, as it turns out that she had a backup plan in case she died.]]
** ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'': The second spin-off had The Bane appear as the starter villain in the pilot story. There's also The Slitheen for the first real episode of series 1.
* ''Series/TwentyOneJumpStreet'': Tyrell "Waxer" Thompson, a drug dealer harassing a client to pay overdue fees. He never returns after his arrest, but his [[TheDragon Dragon]] Reggie does.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': Timothy "Tim" Vogel AKA the Seattle Strangler. A prison guard turned serial killer and rapist, he's the first criminal the BAU team had to deal with and ends up shot to death by Elle after he tried and failed to kill Gideon at the end of the episode.
* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad'': Eblus, a Djinn prince who manipulates kingdoms into outlawing magic and descending into decadence so he can rule. He also assisted Turok, who doesn't qualify due to returning in the season 1 finale, in his scheme to kidnap a princess and take over a kingdom. He's killed with a spear to the face soon after the reveal of his true nature.
* ''Series/ResurrectionErtugrul'': [[spoiler: Master Simon, the owner of the Hanli Bazaar]] plays this role in season 3, being set up as a worthy opponent of the Kayi clan up until he dies about a third of the way in, allowing [[spoiler: Vasilius]] to replace him for the remainder of said season.
** Trader Simko in season 4 also counts as this, albeit not portrayed as a BigBad in any way. [[spoiler: He merely captures Ertugrul and numerous other people to become his slaves, only to be slain by Tekfur Ares after Ertugrul and several of the other hirelings escape.]]
* In ''Series/Stargirl2020'', the first villain Courtney has to deal with is Brainwave, who is an incredibly powerful telepath and telekinetic, who participated in the destruction of the original JSA, but who gets taken down at the end of the second episode. [[spoiler: Then he returns in the back half of the season and becomes one of the main threats that needs to be taken down.]]
* In ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', the very first MonsterOfTheWeek in each show fights usually functions as one, serving as first enemy the team needs to work together to fight against. There are some notable variations on it however.
** The very first enemy the titular team in ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'' have to fight is Geildon, the Evolian messenger leading their attack on Earth. Although he's defeated within the first two episodes, later episodes reveal he was a much more important character than he seemed, having been a good friend to [[TheMentor Asuka]] and the brother of his fiancee Mahoro [[spoiler:who, like him, was brainwashed to become a member of the Evolians.]]
** Similarly, Jagged in ''Series/DoubutsuSentaiZyuohger'' was actually one of the team leaders in the Deathgalien. He takes to the Earth himself to fight the Zyuohgers, rather than send out a monster to do it, and is destroyed in the very first episode. This becomes lampshaded when he's revived in TheMovie and none of his fellow team leaders remember who he is.
* ''Series/{{Millennium}}'': The first SerialKiller to be investigated by Frank in the pilot is only known as "The Frenchman" and is shot dead by the end of the episode. Although not the worst killer to be encountered by Frank, the Frenchman has the dubious distinction of being one of the craziest ones, clearly hallucinating at several points and convinced he was personally [[TheScourgeOfGod sending all his victims to Hell]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/BambooBlade'':
** Toyama and Iwasa, who were tormenting Dan in the first episode, prompting Tamaki to come to his defense and join the Kendo Club.
** This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d at a later point, when the main group is well-established. [[KendoTeamCaptain Team captain]] Kirino Chiba has to come up with training regimens for the other members. Her realization that she forgot to make ones for them is quickly brushed off, since Toyama only came to practice to pick on the newbies and [[WouldHitAGirl girls]], and never showed up again after Tamaki taught him a lesson.
** And {{subverted|Trope}} later still when Toyama gets into a fight in an arcade. The fact that he hadn't turned in a formal resignation meant that he was technically still a member, resulting in the entire team nearly being shut down over the incident.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'':
** The Snake Baron from the Black Swordsman arc is the first major bad guy Guts is shown facing in the manga; the ruthless baron of a local town who is a demon that has worked out a deal with the mayor, with the mayor sending him people to eat in exchange for not burning the town to the ground and killing everyone. He gives Guts a hell of a fight after going Apostle, but once Guts turns the tables with his ArmCannon, he goes down quickly.
** His first encounter with demons period is with none other than Nosferatu Zodd, who has gone on to be a recurring rival and occasional ally of the Black Swordsman.
** Chronologically, however, the first major bad guy Guts faces is the warrior Bazuso, whose defeat is what alerts the Band of the Hawk to Guts's talent.
* The first antagonist of ''Manga/BlackButler'' is Azzurro Vener, an enforcer of the [[TheMafia Ferro family]]. His appearance is foreshadowed in the first chapter, he appears in the third, and is dead by the end of the fourth. This brief run exists only for two purposes -- first, to expose Ciel's role as the royal watchdog of the criminal underworld, and second, to give [[BattleButler Sebastian]] a chance to demonstrate that he is [[OurDemonsAreDifferent far more]] than the mere BadassNormal he was initially portrayed as.
* ''Manga/BlackClover'': Revchi is a former Magic Knight who stalks the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony in Hage, then tries to steal [[TheRival Yuno's]] four leaf grimoire in order to sell it for money. When [[UnSorcerer Asta]] tries to stop him, Revchi easily handles him with his [[ChainPain Chain Magic]] only for Asta to get his five leaf grimoire after [[{{determinator}} refusing to give up]], after which he uses the AntiMagic sword contained within to [[CurbStompBattle kick Revchi's ass]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Grand Fisher -- The Hollow who ate Ichigo's mom and is significantly more powerful than any of the other hollows Ichigo fights in the first arc. Unlike most starter villains, he actually isn't killed right away, and actually comes back later [[spoiler:only for [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Isshin]], Ichigo's father, to [[CurbStompBattle completely destroy him]]]].
** An earlier example is the Hollow that shows up at Ichigo's doorstep and nearly kills his family in the first chapter, since it forces Rukia to transfer her power to Ichigo, turning him into a substitute soul reaper so he can save them. But despite this, it's just a regular hollow and easily slaughtered by Ichigo.
** A case could also be made for Renji and Byakuya, the first enemies to kick Ichigo's ass and also the first antagonists beyond garden-variety hollows.
** Asguiaro Ebern is this at the onset of the final arc. He gives Ichigo a decent fight, but shows that he's more trouble than he initially seems when [[spoiler:he tries (and fails) to [[PowerParasite steal Ichigo's Bankai]]]], after which Ichigo still manages to seriously injure him and force him to retreat. [[spoiler:By this point, however, [[BigBad Yhwach]] decides that [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness Ebern has already served his purpose]] and [[BadBoss kills him]].]]
* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': Papillion is the first major villain, eventually succeeded by [[spoiler: the LXE, the Alchemist Army, and finally Victor]]. Funnily enough, though, he manages to stay in the game as [[EnemyMine a major asset against all of these]] without ever explicitly making a HeelFaceTurn.
* ''Manga/CallOfTheNight'': While not really a villain, Seri becomes the first real antagonist that Yamori and Nazuna face, luring Yamori to a secluded location and then keeping Nazuna busy as Kabura kidnaps Yamori so the rest of their clique can meet him.
* ''Manga/CellsAtWork'': The first pathogenic threat encountered is a ''Pneumococcus'' bacterium who manages to escape the Neutrophils who wiped out his brethren and tries to infect the body.
* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'': Asimov Solensan is a rogue Syndicate member who Spike and Jet go after in [[Recap/CowboyBebopSession1AsteroidBlues the first episode]]. He's taken down in that same episode, but [[spoiler:the Bebop crew don't get the bounty money because he winds up dead]].
* In ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'', Katsuo Tanaka is a bully at the Arasaka school that David has to contend with in the first episode. He's a smug, classist asshole with some fancy though ultimately impractical plug-ins (indeed, all David would have needed to do to avoid getting the shit beaten out of him would have been to take a step back). After David installs the Sandevistan and kicks Katsuo's ass, he never appears in the story again. [[spoiler:His father does however and, as director of the Cyber-Skeleton program, he has ties to nearly every tragedy that David suffers after installing the Sandevistan]].
* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': The otherwise unnamed Temple Demon is the first demon to be faced by Tanjiro and Nezuko. He serves as a perfect demonstration for a number of facts shared by pretty much every other demon in the series: he immediately moves to kill and [[IAmAHumanitarian feed]] upon Tanjiro upon realizing he's human, is extremely territorial, [[SmugSuper arrogant]] and cruel, and [[NighInvulnerability cannot be killed with conventional methods]]. Even after Nezuko literally kicks his head off, [[LosingYourHead his body and head continue to move independently]]. It's only when the sun rises that the demon finally dies, [[WeakenedByTheLight burning to ash when exposed to sunlight]].
* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':
** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'':
*** Kuwagamon and Shellmon are the two first hostile Digimon the Chosen Children are threatened by after arriving in the Digital World, both of whom being portrayed as nothing more than wild creatures (with the latter also talking in PokemonSpeak). Kuwagamon being an Adult-level Digimon is too much for the kids and their Baby II-level Digimon to handle, which pushes the Digimon Partners to evolve into their Child-level forms. And while their combined effort is able to knock it down, Kuwagamon stands up again and almost kills them without itself getting defeated, showing that a Digimon of a higher level cannot be defeated by a group of lower leveled Digimon at that point of the story. Shellmon is the first enemy to push a Digimon Partner to evolve into their Adult-level and he gets soundly defeated, demonstrating that evolving the Digimon Partner is necessary to survive in the Digital World. When the Chosen Children return from the real world to the Digital World, Shellmon shows up again and attacks them, only to demonstrate that the VillainForgotToLevelGrind and that the Digimon Partners TookALevelInBadass, as he gets easily defeated by the Child-level Digimon.
*** Devimon, the first ArcVillain. Toward the end of the show, his status is lampshaded, with Leomon pointing out that Devimon was nothing compared to the threats that the heroes have faced since. And considering how Devimon is a Adult-level Digimon, and everyone faced after him was either Perfect or Ultimate level, he's right.
** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'': Grottemon, one of Cherubimon's henchmen, is the first villainous member of the Legendary Warriors of Ten to appear, and he overpowers the five Chosen Children quickly once he manages to get his hand on his Beast Spirit during his debut episode. For a couple of episodes, he keeps popping up as a recurring threat whom the Chosen Children cannot defeat due to their lack of Beast Spirits, even losing two of their Human Spirits during the process. Once the Chosen Children also get access to two Beast Spirits, they finally are able to beat him, get one of the Human Spirits back and steal ''his'' Beast Spirit. After that humiliating loss, Grottemon's other four villainous colleagues are introduced, who all serve as Cherubimon's QuirkyMinibossSquad. Grottemon still ends up getting killed first when the kids get another Beast Spirit, resulting in retrieving the stolen Human Spirit and also stealing Grottemon's Human Spirit. Collecting all Spirits becomes very necessary in order to unleash the full power of the Warriors of Ten.
** [=MadLeomon=] is this for ''Anime/DigimonFusion''. He oversees the Bagra Army's invasion of the [[GreenHillZone Green Zone]] and is the first enemy faced by Taiki/[[DubNameChange Mikey]] and friends. [[TheDragon Tactimon]] is introduced as his immediate superior.
*** The ''Manga/DigimonXrosWars'' manga has [=MachLeomon=], a lighter, knife-wielding PaletteSwap of [=MadLeomon=] that has SuperSpeed and oversees the invasion of the Green Zone in the latter's place.
** In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure2020'', a swarm of Algomon are the first enemies that Taichi and Yamato face, with a particularly strong specimen evolving to the Ultimate-level and acting as a boss of sorts for [[AdaptationalEarlyAppearance Omegamon]]. Notably, this gives it power comparable to the villains of the next few arcs.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** Emperor Pilaf was the first real villain that Goku and gang faced (after pterodactyls, bear thieves, bandits, boss rabbits and cowardly shape-shifting pigs). In the manga he isn't even an ArcVillain as he shows up at the very end as the final obstacle, while in the anime he and his lackeys makes various off-screen attempts to steal the Dragon Balls over the course of the arc. What makes him this trope over the others is that he sought after the Dragon Balls to take over the world, making him a legit threat despite being a TerribleTrio.
** The first antagonist Goku ever faces is a giant pterodactyl that ties him up and tries to eat Bulma. He doesn't survive the chapter.
** In a similar fashion, Colonel Silver is this for the Red Ribbon Army arc in the ''Manga/DragonBall'' manga, as he's defeated soon after he's introduced, but said defeat is what tips the army off to Goku being a threat. This is downplayed somewhat in the anime as Colonel Silver's part of the story is significantly expanded to be its own mini-arc, similar to Muscle Tower for General White and the Pirate adventure for General Blue, thus putting Colonel Silver more on par with them.
** General Blue could be considered one as far as the series' life-or-death battles are concerned; all previous opponents Goku fought were either too weak to defeat him or strong enough to challenge him, but within the confines of the non-lethal World Tournament. General Blue, through his superhuman physical prowess and psychic powers, managed to hold his own against Goku and nearly ''kill'' him no less than three times, with Goku only surviving their first fight out of sheer dumb luck. Fittingly, Blue is [[TheWorfEffect offed]] by [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains Mercenary Tao]] shortly thereafter, setting in motion the series never-ending SortingAlgorithmOfEvil in which Goku faces increasingly powerful opponents.
** ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': Raditz for the Saiyan Arc, and by happenstance ''Z'' itself. When he first shows up he's the most dangerous threat the heroes had faced at that point, forcing an alliance between Goku and then-villain Piccolo. He dies after a handful of chapters/episodes, but not before revealing there are two more Saiyans on the way who make him look like a pushover. And that's ''before'' we learn about Frieza and all of his elite crew, who each are more powerful than the both of them combined.
** Androids 19 and 20 become this for the Android/Cell Arc. Originally, they ''were'' the Androids who terrorized Trunks' future, but Toriyama listening to his former editor's remarks about them being hardly impressive meant that when they finally appeared, they were outdated models easily fought off by the Z-Fighters, while Androids 16, 17, and 18 and later Cell were the real threats of the arc.
** From another perspective, Mecha Frieza and King Cold could be considered this, as they only show up in the first few episodes to [[TheWorfEffect establish how badass Future Trunks is]]- and, by extension, how threatening the Androids he was talking about must be.
* ''Manga/Eyeshield21'': Sena's first game with the Devil Bats is against the Koigahama Cupids, a mediocre American football team whose [[GangOfHats gimmick]] is being a bunch of pretty boys whose girlfriends come to all their games. The plot picks up when their next game is against the far more competent Ojou White Knights, and Sena sparks a rivalry with defensive lineman Seijuro Shin.
* ''Manga/Fabricant100'': No 12 is the enemy Fabricant of the first chapter and is killed effortlessly without getting to use his enchanced legs for combat.
* Bora the Prominence in ''Manga/FairyTail''. A fire wizard who pretends to be the legendary Salamander (along with using [[HypnoTrinket magic charms]]) to lure women onto his ship, where he [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil sells them as slaves]]. He's basically there to introduce Lucy to Natsu and inform her that Natsu is the ''real'' Salamander, and to get Natsu to offer Lucy a job with Fairy Tail. He also introduces how Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic works [[FeedItWithFire when Natsu devours his initial magic attack]] and quickly starts using fire magic of his own.
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': [[DarkActionGirl Rider]], and to a lesser extent her summoner [[SmugSnake Shinji]]. In the second route, as part of [[CompressedAdaptation getting the early stages of the first route over with quickly]], Rider is even killed offscreen. [[spoiler: This doesn't apply in Heavens Feel, where Rider [[DarkIsNotEvil survives to be a major heroic character.]]]]
** [[EnfantTerrible Illyasviel]] and [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Berserker Hercules]] as well. It takes half of the first route to beat them, yet they are far from the main antagonists.
** ''Literature/FateZero'': Likewise, [[SerialKiller Ryunousuke]] and Caster Bluebeard. [[spoiler:Though they aren't defeated for good until about the halfway point.]]
* Shin from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', who doubles as a TokenMotivationalNemesis, is the first rival martial artist that Kenshiro faces in the story. Shin was the one who defeated Ken, stole his beloved Yuria away from him, and engraved the seven scars on Ken's chest as a reminder of the humiliation. In the first story arc of the manga, Ken must fight against Shin's four playing card-themed lieutenants, each progressively more skilled than the last, before challenging his old rival.
** There's also Zeed, a biker gang boss who displays just how ruthless the post-war world is. He is killed by Kenshiro at the end of the first chapter where it becomes apparent that he knows nothing about the martial arts the major villains and heroes can do. It also establishes that gang bosses in this world are typically vile people and that you won't feel sorry when they get killed.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Overall, Father Cornello. As a religious leader controlling the city of Lior, he's the first major foe the Elric brothers face, but he's only a pawn of the Homunculi with a fake Philosopher's Stone.
** Huskisson in the 2005 film ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa''.
** In the ''Brotherhood'' anime, while Cornello remains the "true" starter villain of the main story, he's joined by Isaac [=McDougal=] [[AnIcePerson the Freezing Alchemist]], [[CanonForeigner a character created specifically for the first episode, which is a brand new story]]. The brothers and the rest of the military are forced into action to stop him from freezing Central City with an alchemical ritual. His motivations and actions serve as heavy foreshadowing on the Homunculi and their designs on Amestris.
* ''Manga/GetterRobo'': The anime has Saki, the first Mechasaurus [[BigBad Emperor Gore]] sends after the Getter team. He's decapitated in his sole appearance, despite being outfitted with anti-Getter energy defenses.
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Jamaican Daninghan's entire role in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'''s storyline is to chase Kamille Bidan and the ''Argama'' until Paptimus Scirocco, Yazan Gable, Haman Karn and the rest of the actual main villains have arrived. Once that happens he's unceremoniously killed off by Emma Sheen. Kamille's rival, Jerid Messa subverts this, starting out as a [[TheBully bullying]] JerkJock, but graduating to AcePilot status and remaining a credible threat until the finale.
** Michelo-Chariot from ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', much like Jerid above, starts out as a loud-mouthed gang leader who happens to be the representative of Neo Italy before he is effortlessly decimated in Domon's first fight. He reappears twenty-three episodes later, now part of Master Asia's crew along with Gentle Chapman, Neo Britain's representative. He's not a very good fighter and only manages to become a threat because he's infected with DG Cells and pilots a too-powerful-for-its-own-good Gundam.
** Miguel Aiman from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' is one of the [[{{Mooks}} GINN]] pilots with the Le Creuset Team, and the first of the team to actually confront the Strike Gundam piloted by Kira Yamato. While he is a notable pilot with an in-universe nickname ("[[RedBaron Magic Bullet of Dusk]]"), he hardly poses a threat to the BiggerStick machine due to its [[PowerArmor Phase Shift Armor]], and is ultimately killed in the second fight he is featured in, with Kira and the Strike [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe carving his GINN in half]].
* In ''Manga/HaruhiChan'', Ryoko claims to be the first and weakest member of the Radical Four, who answer to three even more powerful superiors, none of which are seen.
* ''Literature/HeavyObject'': A nameless Faith Organization Officer in Alaska.
* After the low-stakes but very personal TokenMotivationalNemesis, ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' has Riser Phenex, the first foe with a goal that affects everyone on Rias's team, and a squad of his own that can keep up with them in a fight. Since that goal is an ArrangedMarriage with Rias and that squad is his [[ChessMotifs Peerage]], though, all of them survive - he might be the plot's first real challenge, but he's still just a garden-variety selfish asshole and everything he did was technically above-board. [[spoiler:After falling from grace when he loses an EngagementChallenge to Issei, Riser undergoes some off-screen CharacterDevelopment and becomes a huffy but sincere supporter in his future appearances.]]
* Several examples in most Parts of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'':
*** Dio himself is an odd example despite being the BigBad. As children, Dio was Jonathan's tormentor, making the boy's life miserable in order to break him, only for Jonathan to eventually snap and beat Dio up so badly he decides to steer clear of Jonathan's wrath and play nice with him for several years. As adults, Jonathan is definitely the better between the two of them until Dio gets vampiric powers, although Dio still loses their first fight after he becomes a vampire due to arrogance and not being fully acclimated to his new powers yet. It's only after this defeat that Dio starts to build himself up as the major BigBad he would become for the rest of the story.
*** Jonathan's first oponent after learning the Ripple is the newly zombified UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper. Zeppeli decides to make killing him a final test for Jonathan before they go hunt down Dio, giving him a glass of wine and telling him to slay the serial killer without spilling a drop.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'':
*** [[spoiler:Straizo]] is the first major antagonist Joseph fights and the one who tells him of Speedwagon's whereabouts. He's also the only non-{{Mook}} villain to be a normal vampire instead of a Pillar Man, with his only real trick being a hamon-proof scarf.
*** Santana is this for the Pillar Men, as he's the first to show up and entirely separate from the other three (who are in Europe while he's in Mexico), and also the youngest and least powerful, only giving Joseph trouble because Joseph was a complete novice with hamon at the time, while he needs a month of TrainingFromHell to match the others.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'': Noriaki Kakyoin serves as the first enemy [[FightingSpirit Stand]] User to attack the Joestar group and the first indication that DIO is actively targeting them. However, as Kakyoin was simply BrainwashedAndCrazy at the time, the following opponent, Gray Fly, is a much better example, being the first truly villainous Stand user the Crusaders encounter. He's also the one who turns a simple flight to Cairo into a journey spanning multiple countries.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'': The escaped convict and SerialKiller Anjuro "Angelo" Katagiri; Jotaro is partly motivated to travel to Morioh after Joseph's Hermit Purple produces pictures of Angelo and his Stand, Aqua Necklace. He gets quickly defeated by Josuke, and the plot turns to the ''other'' Stand-wielding serial killers in Morioh (plus a few normal people who got mistaken for stand-wielding serial killers), which Joseph had known nothing about.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': Leaky-eye Luca, the first mobster from Passione Giorno encounters, and the only known Stand-less member. Giorno's defeat of him is what causes Giorno to gain the attention of Bruno, leading Giorno into joining Passione.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': Gwess, Jolyne's cellmate who forcibly shrinks Jolyne as part of an escape attempt. The fight against her introduces the concept of Stands to Jolyne.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun Steel Ball Run]]'': Mrs. Robinson is the first truly antagonistic opponent Johnny and Gyro encounter, and the one to show just what the other contestants of the race are willing to do to win. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have a Stand and only lasts a couple chapters.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion JoJolion]]'': Ojiro Sasame is the first opponent Josuke encounters with the intention of killing him, and is also the one who gives Josuke his first clue to his past. Otherwise, he has little to do with the main storyline and his Stand is too AwesomeButImpractical to be of much use for the most part. [[spoiler: He eventually comes back and demonstrates an upgrade to his SituationalSword of a stand, but winds up killed by Jobin. He does get to be a SpannerInTheWorks as a consolation prize, as he leads Norisuke to discovering what Jobin's been up to.]]
* ''Anime/KanColle'' has the Anchorage Princess, who is introduced and defeated in the first episode.
* Daimonji from ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''. Kenichi first got involved in martial arts in part to defend himself against bullies like him. Kenichi's defeat of him is what sets him on his path toward ever greater foes. When Daimonji later comes after him for revenge, Kenichi utterly trounces him, showing how far his training has progressed.
* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': Fate Testarossa. In contrast to later opponents of Nanoha who are various kinds of living super-weapons made from the LostTechnology of [[{{Precursors}} Ancient Belka and beyond]] and are threats to TheFederation, Fate's just a more skilled and experienced mage equal to Nanoha in strength [[spoiler:in addition to being a [[CloneAngst failed clone]]]]. Of course, thanks to a HeelFaceTurn and becoming a [[BreakoutCharacter co-lead afterwards]], she managed to avoid the fate of most Starter Villains and gets to grow stronger together with Nanoha.
* ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'': Head, leader of a bandit gang raiding caravans. He basically exists to establish Aladdin and Ugo's dynamic before being crushed to death in the first chapter.
* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': [[DirtyCoward Kowase]] is the first of [[BullyHunter Maria's targets]], giving her no trouble whatsoever and [[BeneathSuspicion Maria not even showing up on his radar]] before she kidnaps him. Maria later notes that she specifically targeted him first because since he's a coward [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he's bound to run and escape]] if not dealt with quickly.
* While not a villain, Akune from ''Manga/MedakaBox'' is the first opponent who gives Zenkichi a challenge in a fight (specifically a judo match), and comes close to beating him. The more proper version, however, would have to be Unzen Myori as he was the first antagonist that actually forced the protagonist to use physical force.
* The first villain that Izuku from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fights is the Sludge villain and this allows Izuku to meet his idol All-Might and prove to Bakugo that he is not as tough as he looks.
* Haruka Suzushiro and the rest of the Ori-Hime unit in the ''Manga/MyHime'' manga, who are trying to get their rivals Mai, Natsuki and Yuuichi expelled.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** The first opponent Naruto ever fights is Mizuki, one of his academy teachers who tried to use him to steal a scroll of forbidden jutsu. The Mizuki fight kickstarts major series elements- Naruto learns his signature [[CloneArmy Shadow Clone Jutsu]] and his performance convinces Iruka to let him graduate, but Mizuki is a low-level chuunin acting alone, and ultimately an obstacle easily overcome by an academy student.
** A case might also be made for the antagonists from the "Land of Waves" arc: Zabuza and Haku are employed by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Gato]] as a deadly fighting force and provide dangerous adversaries for the heroes at this point (Zabuza almost kills [[TheMentor Kakashi]] in their first fight, while Naruto and Sasuke together are unable to defeat Haku until Naruto draws on the power of the Kyuubi, and even then they only survive because Haku was too nice to kill them); compared, however, to succeeding villains such as Orochimaru and the Akatsuki, they're small fry, being only around Jounin level skill and without any organization to support them.
** Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori serve this role in ''Shippuden''. They're dangerous enough to capture Gaara and give the heroes a good fight, but still ultimately warm-ups compared to future villains.
* ''Franchise/OnePiece'':
** Alvida and Ax-Hand Morgan both apply, as they were said to be extremely strong villains, but are nothing compared to just a few guys down the road.
** Both of the above were barely better than thugs and taken down with no trouble at all. The true example is Buggy the Clown immediately afterwards, by virtue of being the first person introduced, other than Luffy himself, to have eaten a Devil Fruit, and the first to give him any run for his money. He's still only strong by East Blue standards.
** After the TimeSkip and thus Part Two of the series, we have Hody Jones. Sure, he's ''ages'' above Morgan and Alvida - they don't even come close to Hody - and he would have probably been a challenge before the timeskip, but after, he's absolutely no threat to Luffy at all and only manages to get in one hit ''even after going OneWingedAngel'', whilst Luffy spends the whole span of their fight beating down on him, showing off his new moves. Even Zoro TheLancer manages to One-Shot Hody's pre OneWingedAngel form.
*** This is emphasized further by the fact that both of these fights take place largely underwater, which should be a huge advantage for a fishman like Hody and a huge disadvantage for a human, especially a Devil Fruit user like Luffy. Also the fact several of the main officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates are defeated off-screen by minor non-Straw Hat characters before the final confrontation; they're simply no threat without constantly scarfing down [[PowerAtAPrice Energy Steroids]].
* In ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' the first villain of the series is Vaccine Man, a monster who looks like a dark-purple version of Piccolo who claims to represent [[GaiasVengeance nature's wrath towards humanity]]. While he's fairly powerful in-universe and is capable of wiping out a single city by himself, he's ultimately used to show how Saitama can kill anything in the most anticlimactic and unsatisfying manner possible and dies before the story even actually starts.
* ''Anime/PsychoPass'': Nobuo Ogura is a {{Salaryman}} who snaps after getting a bad Psycho-Pass and kidnaps a woman. He doesn't survive the first episode.
* Tatewaki Kuno in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' starts as the first real rival for Ranma, but after his first true duel, he becomes almost completely ineffectual against him.
* In ''Anime/RebornToMasterTheBlade'', protagonist Inglis's first real antagonist is the arrogant, cheating son of a merchant, Rahl. At age 5, he initially humiliates her town's knight order and her father, the Captain, by secretly cheating during with magic during a "fair" sparring match. Inglis sees through his trickery and eventually manages to beat him herself and force him to admit defeat. 7 years later, he reappears again, having "generously made an offering" (bribe) to the technologically-advanced Highlander society to become a member himself, and wastes no time abusing his newfound [[DiplomaticImpunity diplomatic immunity]] and benefits like owning slaves or trying to forcibly take Midlander women for his own. [[spoiler:After he is transformed into a Magic Stone Beast, Inglis fights him again and kills him for good.]]
* ''Literature/ReZero'' has Elsa Granhiert, a ProfessionalKiller that serves as Subaru's first killer in many of his loops in her plot to retrieve Emilia's insignia from Felt and Old Man Rom.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'':
** Udo Jine is the first villain in the series that Kenshin has trouble defeating, and is the first opponent that forces Kenshin to revert back to Hitokiri Battosai.
** An earlier example is the Hiruma brothers. Hiruma Kihei tries to sell the land around the Kamiya Dojo, and has his brother Gohei impersonate the Hitokiri Battousai while claiming to use the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu style of swordsmanship to ruin the reputation of Kaoru's dojo. In the 1996 anime, Gohei is made into a [[CompositeCharacter composite]] of himself and his brother with a different motivation (vengeful former student of Kaoru's father), but the same means of carrying out his plans.
* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':
** Jadeite, the only of four sub-villains who didn't have an obvious visual gimmick or theme, with his character's shtick instead being that he was, well, the Starter Villain. The [[Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon live action adaptation]], however, actually kept him around past the start, and thus tossed him "excessive toadying" as his theme (which was admittedly somewhat present in the anime too).
** In both the original series and ''Crystal'' (and by extension the manga), Sailor Moon's first opponent was a lowly Youma named Morga. The manga and Crystal tend to move much quicker regarding generals, so Jadeite met his end two chapters later.
* Phoenix Ikki from ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' is the first major villain the Bronze Saints have to deal with before the [[BigBad Pope]] and his [[RankInflation Silver Saints]] start their full-force strike against them.
* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'': While he's not the first Crimson Lord Shana has faced in her lifetime, plot-wise, [[MarionetteMaster Friagne the Hunter]] is the first villain to present a major threat to Misaki City and the first to be defeated by Shana in tandem with Yuji. Once he's dispatched, he along with Marianne are never heard from again. [[spoiler:Only the ring and altar he leaves behind would prove significant to the plot later on.]]
* ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'': Tekkaman Dagger, albeit he was a bit more resilient and annoying than average. He still was far weaker than the rest of the villains.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': Viral is the first named Beastman the heroes face after reaching the surface. He ends up being a recurring foe [[spoiler:and eventual ally]].
* Descartes and Loose Ruth in the ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' anime and Dr. Nebraska in the manga (he has to wait until the fifth episode of the anime).
* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
** ''Manga/YuGiOh'': Seto Kaiba was Yugi's first opponent (unless you count the one-shots who appeared in the previous chapters, but he's definitely the starter villain of the Duel Monsters anime) and the first confrontation between them started the biggest rivalry in the history of the franchise.
*** Kaiba may have been Yugi's greatest rival, but Ushio, Yugi's first foe in the original manga and Toei anime, may have had an even bigger impact. He may have been little more than a [[TheBully thug]] (at least then), but after Yugi stood up to him for bullying Jonouchi and Honda, their opinion of Yugi changed for the better, resulting in Yugi gaining his TrueCompanions. Completing the Millennium Puzzle is what allows Yugi (or rather, Yami Yugi) to defeat Ushio, kickstarting the rest of his adventures.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'': Dr. Chronos wanted to deny Judai entry into Duel Academy because he not only showed up late for his entrance exams but he barely passed the written portion. However, he gets a call from the chancellor ordering him to allow Judai to take the practical exam. To ensure Judai is sent packing, Chronos uses his own personal deck instead of the decks specifically constructed for the test... and loses. He then spends the first half of the first season trying to get Judai expelled, until the Seven Stars Assassins appear with decidedly more destructive goals than just being a petty teacher. Over the course of the series, he actually grows rather fond of Judai, going as far as to cancel all his classes so he'll have insufficient credits to graduate so that Chronos doesn't have to say goodbye.
** ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': The aforementioned Ushio grew up to be a police officer in New Domino City who Yusei has to challenge in a Riding Duel as a diversion so his friends can escape arrest, though he is decidedly less malicious than his manga counterpart. In a city where corruption in law enforcement is the norm, Ushio keeps his word when Yusei defeats him, although Ushio keeps trying to arrest Yusei multiple and follows him to New Domino City. Ushio eventually becomes Yusei's ally, resulting in him becoming a FriendOnTheForce for the rest of the series.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'': Shark. The school bully with professional-level dueling abilities who plays circles around Yuma until Yuma makes a pact with the magic door from his recurring dream that causes him to meet Astral and kickstart the plot. Shark quickly becomes a main character afterwards and grows alongside Yuma to the point that the two have a fated final duel near the end of the series that determines the fate of the worlds. Said final duel between the two has multiple call-backs to their rivalry and multiple duels they had with each other, with Shark even trying to counter Yuma's SignatureMove that defeated him in their first duel, only for that to backfire on ''him'' when Yuma decides not to finish it like that again.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': Strong Ishijima. The world champion who wants to humiliate Yuya in front of the entire world to settle a grudge with Yuya's father, who mysteriously went missing right before their title match 3 years before the start of the series. He very easily drives Yuya into a corner, but when Yuya decides to persevere anyway despite how clearly outmatched he is, he awakens to the never before seen Pendulum Summon, at which point the tables are completely turned and Ishijima gets One-Turn Killed. Unlike other characters of this franchise, Ishijima never comes back after his defeat.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'': The first full duel in the series is a Speed Duel against a Knights of Hanoi {{Mook}}. His ace is the 3000 ATK beatstick Cracking Dragon, which has an effect that punishes summoning anything with a level, and he has the simple but powerful skill of drawing two cards instead of one during his Draw Phase once per duel. His main purpose is to push Playmaker in his first Speed Duel so that he can use Storm Access and then sweep thanks to the new Link Monsters conveniently having properties that allow Playmaker to beat Cracking Dragon.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhSEVENS'': Roa Kirishima is the first actively malicious foe Yuga and co. encounter and the first to have more than one episode dedicated to his conflict with them. He's introduced as an out-and-out narcissist who emotionally and physically abuses his cousin and bandmate Romin. He's also not above cheating and ruining Yuga's life to get his way and his motivation in his arc is to cope with his feelings of inadequacy over not being TheChosenOne. He's also the only arc villain in the series that Yuga defeated in their first duel ''despite'' the cheating. However, in his very next appearance he's a much more heroic character, having been identified as one of Yuga's comrades by current arc villain Neiru's supercomputer. Subsequent episodes make it clear he's just an emotionally-stunted pre-teen who received too much superficial attention too young and doesn't know how to have meaningful relationships.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Gouki, Kurama, and Hiei are a group of these. While Gouki plays this straight and Kurama was already planned to be a part of the main team, Hiei's status was ultimately supposed to fall victim to this trope, but his role was rewritten once he was discovered to be an EnsembleDarkhorse.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': Fortitudo is the first adversary in the game stronger than a basic mook that directly confronts Bayonetta, and serves as the main threat of the first four chapters. Despite being a giant AngelicAbomination with dragon heads that can turn an entire town in to a burning wasteland, he is still ultimately small fry compared to later bosses in the game, and later villains in the sequels.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' has a few options. The first enemy you face is a generic Scourge Beast (who's supposed to kill you so you can get weapons in the Hunter's Dream), the first boss is the Cleric Beast, and the first ''mandatory'' boss is Father Gascoigne.
* ''VideoGame/CavernOfDreams'': The first antagonist in the game is The Mighty Wall, a living stone wall who blocks Finn's path during the tutorial. He is easily taken out by one use of Fynn's TailSlap move, and he exists primarily to teach players how to use said move.
* ''VideoGame/CrescentPrism'': The Scorchpion is the first boss of the game, who gained the power of Astra skills from the Violet Prism Stone.
* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'':
** Your tutorial boss is a Soldier of Godrick -- a generic Lordsworn Soldier mook out in the Lands Between, but the game gives him a boss healthbar anyway.
** There are four Shardbearers pre-Leyndell and you can fight any two, so in a way you can choose your own starter villain (you could even pick Radahn and Rykard if you like torturing yourself), but the game expects you to first go after Godrick the Grafted, the Lord of Limgrave. He's one of the most downright evil Shardbearers, having stolen limbs from thousands of people to turn himself into a misshapen ogre of a person (hence why he's '[[MeaningfulName the Grafted]]'), but the game goes out of its way to paint Godrick as a pathetic excuse for a lord, barely counting as a demigod, and the ButtMonkey of his extended family. Killing him is both getting yourself closer to fixing the Elden Ring ''and'' doing pretty much everyone in the area a huge favor.
** The first boss you're likely to meet unless you go out of your way to avoid him is Margit the Fell Omen, but he's [[spoiler: actually a projection of the ClimaxBoss, Morgott, who predicted you'd choose Godrick as your first Shardbearer and is being proactive in stopping you]].
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** Garland from the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', who kidnaps Princess Sara and is the first boss in the series. [[spoiler:Subverted as he turns into the BigBad, Chaos, at the end.]]
** Kefka from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is a notable aversion, in that he's definitely Starter Villain material for most of the game, only to evolve into the game's true BigBad.
** President Shinra from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', the main villain for the first five hours or so of the game before he's killed off by the ''real'' BigBad, Sephiroth.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' begins properly with the newly-appointed [=SeeDs=] given orders to assassinate the fascist president of a powerful nation, and his top adviser. [[spoiler: Things quickly go south when said adviser turns out to be one of the strongest beings on the planet and both executes the president herself and marks the [=SeeDs=] for death.]]
** The Three Black Waltzes from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''.
** Judge Ghis from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', the first noteworthy villain the party confronts directly.
** Legate Gaius van Baelsar from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV: A Realm Reborn'', who serves as the game's penultimate boss [[spoiler:leading up to Lahabrea]] and is the main driving force behind the conflict in ''ARR''.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' has Yakra, who kidnaps Queen Leene in 600 AD and stashes her in the back of a cathedral full of mooks, only to promptly get slain by the party as the first boss. In an amusing inverse ButForMeItWasTuesday bit, his descendants plot against the party and the kingdom for 400 years and nearly the entire game, long after the player even remembers that Yakra was a thing, only for one of them to surface in one of the endgame subquests as basically [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind the same boss fight, which usually ends in under a minute thanks to the now end-of-game party]].
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series:
** Fist from [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]]. A notorious crime lord who's been bribed by Saren to kill Tali and suppress all evidence of Saren's crimes, he acts as the main antagonist for the first mission chain following the prologue (which revolves around proving Saren's guilt), with three of the five most prominent series squadmates (Tali, Garrus, and Wrex) being recruited in the process of taking him down. Overall, he's the first real villain Shepard's team successfully takes down. Tali lampshades his starter villain nature (compared to the world-ending threats the team faces on a weekly basis from then on) in the second game.
--->'''Tali:''' Fist and his men seemed so dangerous. We've come a long way. Don't know if that's a ''good'' thing, but... it's definitely more interesting.
** [[spoiler:Initially, it seems like Saren is the BigBad of the first game since his assault on Eden Prime is what kickstarts the plot of the game. Later on, Sovereign is revealed to be TheManBehindTheMan, and Saren turns out to be just an indoctrinated servant.]]
* ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'' has two characters fulfilling this role simultaneously in Chapter 0. Swank is the first corrupt Peacekeeper that antagonizes Yuma Kokohead and forces him to go into the Mystery Labyrinth for the first time in order to find the real killer framing him, with Swank's Mystery Phantom serving as an obstacle within the Labyrinth. The killer on the Amaterasu Express, [[spoiler:[[ProfessionalKiller an unnamed hitman]] who [[KillAndReplace killed and replaced]] the Master Detective Zilch Alexander]], is the first killer that Yuma must identify with the Mystery Labyrinth and the first culprit whose soul is reaped by Shinigami.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** [[WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}} Clayton]] is the first Disney villain you fight, and the first enemy who isn't just MadeOfEvil or a vicious animal (Sabor). In a game where the villains include gods and evil sorcerers, he's just a stuck-up guy with a gun who needs a Heartless ally to put up a good fight.
** [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Shan Yu]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is very likely to be the first Disney villain you fight. Although being a skilled and powerful swordsman puts him slightly above Clayton's level, he still ranks the lowest in comparison to the more supernatural Disney/original villains you fight in the other worlds.
** For the series as a whole, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, the final boss of the first game. Following games gave more focus on the villainous group Organization XIII, and through ArcWelding gave way to [[BigBad Master Xehanort]], with Ansem merely serving as the EnemyWithin for Riku. [[spoiler:However, as of ''3D'' Ansem is back as one of Xehanort's CoDragons and just as dangerous as ever.]]
** [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Hades]] serves as this in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''. While you never fight him in this game, he is behind the main conflict of the tutorial chapter, releasing the Titans to attack Olympus and capture the gods.
* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': The King of Spades is the FinalBoss of [[EpisodicGame Chapter 1]] and the DiscOneFinalBoss of the whole game. After that, he gets locked in a hamster cage and you can visit him in your Dark World.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': Two of the origins have the player character face off with a Starter Villain. In the Dwarf Commoner origin, the character will have to take down the crime boss [[SmugSnake Beraht]]. In the City Elf origin, the PC will come up against Bann Vaughan in a "[[DroitDuSeigneur right of the lord]]" scenario. In an aversion, the latter may survive the story if the hero [[WhatTheHellHero takes his bribe.]]
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** Donkey Kong could be considered one for the ''Mario'' series as a whole, being the antagonist of [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong the very first game]].
** In ''Mario'' games in general, the first villains you encounter are usually [[TheGoomba Goombas or Koopa Troopas who go down in one hit]].
** Bowser has a tendency to be the starter villain in ''Mario'' {{R|olePlayingGame}}PGs, prime examples being ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'', and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''. This is to show a far greater threat eclipsing Bowser in terms of evil.
** Lord Crump in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' takes on Mario almost as soon as the game begins. He tries to defeat Mario a few times later on, but he becomes increasingly outmatched even as Lord Crump himself continues to improve.
*** Hooktail from the same game could also count, being the ArcVillain of the first chapter and the first serious threat, who is actually quite a challenge unless you have [[WeaksauceWeakness a specific badge.]]
** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'': Each timeline has a tutorial boss. In the past, it's Baby Bowser, who attempts to kidnap Baby Peach -- forcing Baby Mario to challenge him. In the present, the Junior Shrooboid is causing trouble, forcing the adult Mario to confront him.
* Most ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games tend to have one, usually of the [[MightyGlacier General]] class and also tends to be a DiscOneFinalBoss or a ClimaxBoss as well. They may or may not be affiliated with one of the main antagonists, but they will typically be the most visible threat during the early game chapters, up to the point where you fight them.
** [[EvilOldFolks Lundgren]] from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', Lyn's [[EvilUncle great uncle]], is probably one of the best examples. His plot to take over Caelin has nothing to do with the overarching Black Fang plotline, but he's the [[DiscOneFinalBoss final boss]] of Lyn's Story, the first ten chapters of the game, and a dangerous villain and schemer in his own right.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' has Gangrel, king of Plegia, and the main antagonist for the first act of the game. Seeking revenge against Ylisse for the war the previous Exalt waged against him, he stirs up trouble, and eventually declares war.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' has Desaix, the general who usurped the throne of Zofia. He's the final enemy faced in Alm's first chapter, and is faced again in Alm's part of Chapter 3.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has Kostas, a bandit leader who attacks the three house leaders in the prologue, resulting in [[PlayerCharacter Byleth]] coming to teach at the monastery. He's also the boss of the second chapter, which is the first real battle.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'', a spinoff of ''Three Houses'', places Kostas as the first boss again, but each of the story routes has its own separate starter villain that you fight after Chapter 2:
*** Scarlet Blaze (Adrestian Empire) has Duke Aegir and Lord Arundel, two of the [[AristocratsAreEvil greedy nobles]] who plotted to steal power from the previous emperor in a coup, prompting Edelgard to lead a surprise attack on the Imperial palace to wrest it from their control. [[spoiler:Both villains stick around for a long time to plot in the background and resurface as bosses in Part II, with Lord Arundel/Thales being one of the route's {{Final Boss}}es.]]
*** Azure Gleam (Holy Kingdom of Faerghus) has Rufus and Cornelia, who stage an uprising in Fhirdiad to steal the throne from Dimitri. [[spoiler:Rufus is executed for treason at the end of the chapter, but Cornelia continues to sow unrest throughout Part I until she is killed in Chapter 8.]]
*** Golden Wildfire (Leicester Alliance) has Shahid, a prince of Almyra who leads a massive invasion against Fódlan with the intent to conquer it. [[spoiler:He tries this a second time at the end of Part I, ultimately forcing his brother Claude's hand in a fight to the death.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' has a trio of Elusian generals (Abyme, Rodine, and Nelucce) who kickstart the plot by attacking Lythos and Firene in search of their Emblem Rings in the name of King Hyacinth.
** The most blatant example of this trope for the franchise, however, is actually the type of plot-irrelevant ugly, evil bandit boss who leads a group of bandits to ravage villages because that's what evil bandits do. They're usually the first boss faced by the players and they also serve as a tutorial for the Weapon Triangle system: They wield axes since Lords usually wield swords and swords beat axes, thus encouraging the player to use the Lord character to finish them off. This type of villain has been there since [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight the first game]] in form of the bandit boss Gazzak, who [[RecurringElement spawns successors taking similar roles in subsequent games.]]
* The Beast in ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]'', who is your main antagonist for eight of the first ''ten'' missions (that is, roughly a third of the game) before succumbing to TheVirus secretly planted in him by [[MadScientist Caulder]], the game's actual BigBad.
** Olaf in the first game [[NoExportForYou that was released outside of Japan]] also counts, being the main threat of the tutorial missions and the first few missions of the story.
** [[JokeCharacter Flak]] in ''Black Hole Rising'' counts as one too, being the primary enemy of the tutorial missions and a couple of later missions in the story.
* This is actually pretty commonplace in a couple ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' games; but it's most prevalent with Barbos in ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', and Cedric/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Celdic]] in ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces''.
** Botta, TheDragon of the Renegades, is the first major villain of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', attacking Colette right before she begins the trial to become TheChosenOne. He's fought in direct combat a while later, and continues on being a minor villain for most of the game.
* The Al-Samaad group in ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol''. Almost exclusively found in the first area, they're mostly poorly trained and equipped.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' has ComicBook/TheKingpin. By the time the game starts, Spidey and Wilson Fisk have been bitter enemies for years, and the game's opening sequence revolves around the final brawl between the two before Fisk is finally put in irons. The game also focuses upon the [[EvilPowerVacuum power vacuum for crime left by Fisk's arrest]].
* ''VideoGame/MarvelsSpiderMan2'' has Flint Marko, AKA: Sandman, who goes on a rampage during the game's opening moments. After he is subdued and imprisoned, however, it comes to light that his rampage was the result of his time being a captive of the Hunters, led by Kraven, who arrive in Manhattan not long after in search of [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame new game to hunt]].
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'' has Zio, the leader of a dark cult who serves Dark Force and, early in the game, kills Chaz's mentor, Alys.
* Zeke Sanders and his anti-augmentation terrorist group, Purity First, in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''. Being ordinary, untrained street thugs with crappy weapons in a game where you end up mostly fighting transhuman spec-ops [[PrivateMilitaryContractors PMCs]] does that to you.
* The Kuraselache (Shark) Leader in ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden''. One or two major plot points haven't been introduced yet and he's the only boss in Era 1. You can run into sharks that are exactly the same as he is in Era 5. As a DegradedBoss, he's pretty easy.
* [[SmallNameBigEgo Vlad Glebov]] in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' talks a big talk and Roman is scared of him and his Albanian thugs, making it look like Roman's debt to Vlad will play a major part in the game (or at least the Broker/Dukes chapter) but it takes very little time for him to push Niko's buttons too much and get his brains blown out. Killing him and getting made to work for Mikhail Faustin is what REALLY sets the plot in motion, as it [[spoiler: lets Dimitri find Niko for [[GreaterScopeVillain Ray Bulgarin]]]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Fallout1'': Garl, the leader of the Khans raider group. His band has kidnapped the daughter of the leader of Shady Sands, the first town the player character encounters after leaving the Vault, bringing him into conflict with a good character almost immediately.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' has Metzger, the leader of the slavers in the Den. The first named human antagonist you come across (assuming you're a good character), but clearly small time compared to the families of New Reno, much less the actual main villains of the game.
** Two candidates in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. The first is Joe Cobb, the leader of a small Powder Ganger raider gang that the Courier can help repel in the very first quest of the very first town. The second is Benny, the man who shot [[PlayerCharacter The Courier]] in the beginning of the game, and is much more prominent. The first act of the game is all about tracking him down, getting revenge, and retrieving your stolen package, [[MacGuffin a platinum chip]], to finish your delivery job. As it quickly turns out, this is when the real game starts.
** ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has Gristle, the leader of the raider gang in Concord who are the object of the game's first quest. He and his gang are quickly killed in a CurbStompBattle by the main character. On a greater scale, there's also Kellogg, the man who killed your spouse and took your son; he lasts the whole first act. Like Benny, tracking him down is the first act of the game. After you deal with him, the Brotherhood of Steel arrive and the game really begins to escalate.
* Captain Blackstar in the Qwark vid comics in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal''. The only villain in the comics who has nothing to do with [[BigBad Dr. Nefarious]]. And he's still TheUnfought!
* Banthus is the first major antagonist in ''VideoGame/{{Elsword}}''. He's not a one-level wonder boss and his theft of the El Shard actually kicks the whole plot into motion. The heroes encounter him three times before he's finally dispatched and other, more dangerous recurring villains take his place.
* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire'':
** Argus from ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'' is the first antagonist that attacks Ryu and co. directly in Colossea and his maniac ramblings about offering sacrifices to his God foreshadows the main plot of the game.
** Balio and Sunder in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'' are the first real threat for Ryu and the gang, and do so for a good third of the Childhood Chapter.
** General Rasso in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'', though [[TheUnfought never fought directly]], just keeps attacking the party for most of the first half of the game, his actions eventually releasing [[PhysicalGod Ryu's true powers]] and sending the plot into its main course. For [[GodEmperor Fou-Lu]]'s side of the history, it'd be [[MiniatureSeniorCitizen Yohm]], the only enemy that poses any danger to the weakened dragon god.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}} 2'', neighbouring warlord Toda Yoshisaga sets the story into motion with his attempted invasion of [[BigGood Lord Gohda]]'s Realm, but only last 3 chapters before being replaced by [[DragonWithAnAgenda his own subordinate]].
* Brady Culture in the first episode of ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice''. He's the antagonist of the first episode, but is almost completely unconnected to the bigger threat of the season.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' typically starts off by having your first notable antagonist being a local bandit boss who's typically a KingMook with a special intro and a pack of goons before you move onto dealing with the corporations or the Vaults.
** ''Videogame/Borderlands1'' has Nine-Toes as the first major bandit that you deal with before you move on to other areas.
** [[VideoGame/Borderlands2 The sequel]] has Captain Flynt, a bandit leader stranded in the middle of nowhere as your first obstacle before the plot actually gets started.
** [[VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel The Pre-Sequel]] has Deadlift, a bandit you deal with in order to get to the HubCity.
** ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' has Bossanova, a bandit king who serves as the main antagonist of the first episode, before the main plot gets rolling.
** ''Videogame/Borderlands3'' has Mouthpiece, who's a propagandist for the Children of the Vault and the guy you have to kill before you leave Pandora and travel to other planets.
* Mirmulnir, the very first dragon you kill in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', serves as this for the main storyline of the game.
* The ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series has one in each game. Sir Raleigh in the [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus first game]], Dimitri in the [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves second]], Don Octavio in the [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves third]], and El Jefe in the [[VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime fourth]].
* In ''Call of Duty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'', the [[DecoyProtagonist U.S. Marines]] are tasked with overthrowing revolutionary {{Qurac}} dictator Khaled Al-Assad. After [[spoiler: the Marines get nuked]], Al-Assad is found to be harbored by his Russian backers by the SAS, and dies rather anti-climatically at the hands of the PlayerCharacter's commanding officer. TheDragon's cell phone then rings - it's Russian ultranationalist leader [[BigBad Imran Zakhaev]].
** Zakhaev himself ultimately turns out to be this in the sequels, to his ruthless DragonAscendant [[BreakoutVillain Vladamir Makarov]].
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'':
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' has Ambassador Thorman and Gotou, the two major figures in the invasion of Japan. Your choice of who to side with marks the first major alignment decision and boss fight(s), and when it's all over, Thorman (actually Thor) nukes Japan.
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' has Haneda, the coach of Red Bear, as the initial "villain", for lack of a better word. After Red Bear is killed, actual villains such as Hanada, Basilisk, King Frost, and Betelgeuse come into play, though the first few are small fries. The most notable, however, is the last one, Daleth, who manages to win over most of Millenium and kill the love interest off. It's with his initial defeat that the plot gets serious and, suitably enough, Daleth becomes a joke soon after.
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' has Forneus, who terrorizes the Shinjuku Medical Center after the Conception and refuses to let anyone leave. After his defeat, the Vortex World is explorable.
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' comes close to it with Navarre, who, unlike fellow Luxurors Isabeau and Jonathan, is a bigot who believes Luxurors are superior to Casualries such as Flynn and Walter. [[spoiler:He takes the position fully when he attempts to either humiliate or kill Flynn and Walter, only for the incident to break him completely]].
** ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' has Harley, the leader of the Vanguards. Despite being the rival of the protagonists, the Atma powers turn him into practically a scared child terrified of the Embryon, and he is killed in the first dungeon. After his defeat, the main plot is fully revealed.
** ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
*** ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has Yosuke's Shadow, who serves as a starter boss that helps the player learn about exploiting enemy weaknesses for tactical advantages, as well as revealing that Shadows do not just represent the aspects of one's personality that are repressed, but can become Personas when one accepts them as a part of who they are. There is also Shadow Yukiko, the first kidnapping victim the protagonists can save and the first boss that has a whole themed dungeon to themselves.
*** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has the CreepyGymCoach, Suguru Kamoshida, take on this role. He's the lowest of the low when it comes to someone considering themselves above the law and has a personal connection to the first two friends the protagonist makes, fueling the desire to knock him down a peg. [[LoneWolfBoss It later turns out that he's the only Palace boss completely unconnected to the overarching plot]].
* Metal Face/[[spoiler:Mumkhar]] serves as this for roughly the first half of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1''. [[spoiler:While he's the responsible for the inciting incident of the game's plot ([[ItsPersonal invading Colony 9 and fatally wounding Fiora]]), and he works for a greater villain, he really couldn't care less about the ultimate plan. He just wants to kill as much as possible.]]
** Moebius D in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'' the first Moebius that the heroes go up against, and it's there where they're forced to team up for the first time and become Ouroboros. However, [[StarterVillainStays he continues to be a recurrent threat]] like Metal Face was in the above example, as well as [[spoiler:a personal antagonist to Eunie all the way through Chapter 6]].
* In ''VideoGame/FromTheDepths'', the Deepwater Guard pirates serve as the first enemy faction as you seek vengeance for their betrayal. The DWG are the game's weakest faction, using ships made largely of wood with [[PointDefenseless a designed weakness to missiles]], and have few top-tier units. Taking on the other factions results in a more difficult experience, such as the Onyx Watch's all-metal hulls.
* Each season of ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries'' has a villain who plays an important part in the first episode and, even though they are taken out of action afterwards, have an impact on the rest of the season. The first season has Carmine Falcone, a mob boss who has some connection to Bruce Wayne's late father; and the second season has the Riddler, a villain from Gotham's past whose reappearance attracts not only a new group of villains, but the government as well.
* Fruegel from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' is the one responsible for [[DoomedHometown destroying the main protagonist's hometown]] and capturing his childhood friend, but is largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of the game's plot.
* Nearsighted Jeego the hitman from ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'' is the primary threat in the first chapter, as it focuses on preventing him from murdering Lynne. He gets killed off near the end of the chapter, immediately after which a different hitman takes his place, once that one is taken care of neither one is mentioned again, [[spoiler:Not even in the end credits sequence, which shows every other character!]]
* The [[SpacePirates Turanic Raiders]] in ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'', the first enemies you encounter. They're fairly easy to beat, and Fleet Intelligence even says that their craft are inferior to your own... which is impressive, considering your race has been (re-)introduced to space travel only half a century ago, while the Turanic Raiders have been, presumably, at this for far longer. They're quickly shoved aside before the true threat of the game - the [[TheEmpire Taiidan Empire]] (canonically).
** In ''Homeworld: Cataclysm'', your first enemies are the [[TheRemnant Taiidan Imperialists]], before they get pushed away by a new (or very old) threat - the [[TheVirus Beast]].
* The Persian King in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarChainsOfOlympus''. Kratos is sent by the gods to stop the Persian invasion of Attica led by their king, and he is dealt with at the very start of the game. That should have been the end since Kratos' mission was successful, but then the sun goes missing and the god of dreams Morpheus begins dominating the land...
* William Bishop in ''VideoGame/Vampyr2018''. Jonathan is under the impression that he is the vampire that turned him and is responsible for all the murders in the Docks, serving as the first vampire boss in the game. Turns out he was neither responsible for transforming Jonathan nor the ''only'' vampire around.
* Mal'Ganis in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''. He was introduced as the BigBad of the first campaign and as Arthas' personal nemesis, before the greater conflict of the story would unfold.
** The nameless Sea Witch (named in [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft WoW]] as Zar'jira) from the prologue campaign can count too. She was the main villain of the game demo before the game's release but her missions were cut in ROC. The missions are restored in TFT and ''Reforged''
* Dong Zhuo from the ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' series is frequently one of, if not ''the'' first, enemy to be defeated in any game, and his defeat kicks off the conflict of the Three Kingdoms. As later games expand to cover more of the timeline of events, Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jiao becomes the earliest antagonist.
* [[SmugSnake Brejik]] in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. He is the ArcVillain of Taris in the early game, where he captures Bastila and tried to set her up as a prize for the swoop race, making him the main obstacle for the player trying to rescue her in the first part of the game. [[spoiler: He is killed off before the player even reaches ThePointOfNoReturn for Taris]], and in the grand scheme of things, he was a small fry compared to [[BigBad Darth Malak]] or even [[TheDon Davik Kang]].
* [[spoiler: [[EvilKnockoff HK-50]]]] in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. He is responsible for [[spoiler:killing all the miners on Peragus and reprogramming all of the mining droids on the asteroid to turn hostile]], and when he is confronted near the end of the level, he reveals his goal to [[spoiler:capture [[PlayerCharacter the Exile]] and turn them over to [[TheDon Goto]], and is promptly killed by the party]]. In fact, other models of [[spoiler:HK-50]] appear later in the game in groups as a DegradedBoss, culminating in [[UtilityPartyMember T3-M4]] defeating [[spoiler:three models of the droid [[BadassAdorable by himself]].]]
* Laambo in ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101''. Compared to the other GEATHJERK officers, he's not as taken seriously and has more silly moments than them. On the other hand, [[spoiler:a later flashback reveals that he was responsible for mortally wounding Will Wedgewood's father before being taken out by the previous Wonder-Red, leading the former to become the next Wonder-Red. Fittingly, in this flashback, he is more of a challenge since you are limited to one Unite-Morph]].
* ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' has the Soviet spy Sukhov as the first major villain, before he is transformed into the supervillain Nuclear Winter.
* The main characters of ''VideoGame/DesperadosIII'' fight against the [=DeVitt=] Company, a powerful corrupt railroad Company. Except in the first real mission after the tutorial, during which [[TheHero Cooper]] has to neutralize a bandit called Big Ann and her gang, who are attacking the train that Cooper is using to go to Flagstone.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'', the Vendrien Guard are the starter {{Hero Antagonist}}s to the VillainProtagonist Fatebinder. The Fatebinder needs to clear them out of the Spire or [[spoiler:earn their loyalty]] to prevent the Edict of Execution from killing them and everyone else in the valley they occupy. Once they're dealt with, however, they don't show up much as antagonists, with the armies of whichever Archons the Fatebinder didn't side with (or both armies on certain paths) mostly their place as TheUsualAdversaries. For their part, the Vendrien Guard [[DeterminedDefeatist are well aware of how screwed they are]], and are fighting in the hopes of inspiring others in the Tiers to rise up.
* ''VideoGame/MadRatDead'': The Mob Rats serve as the bosses for the first two chapters: First as a WolfpackBoss fight, and the second as a ghostly AdvancingBossOfDoom.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry5'' has three bosses, and either one could technically be considered the starter villain. Jacob requires the least amount of points (10,000, compared to 13,000 for the other two); Faith is technically the first region the player will enter after leaving Dutch's island and so starting on hers is quite simple; and John's region is much more open, plus MissionControl will offer a PlayerNudge and suggest the player go after John first.
* ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'': Tremonius of the Banished is the first threat the Master Chief faces, and after defeating him, Escharum tells him to not let it go to his head as he considers him unremarkable in every way.
* [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Mr. Big]] serves this role for the entire Creator/{{SNK}} mythos - despite being a rather formidable SNKBoss in his own right, it's quickly established that he's just a mere underling of South Town's kingpin of crime, [[VideoGame/FatalFury Geese Howard]]. And when you factor in other [[BigBad major villains]] ([[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Rugal Bernstein, Orochi, Igniz, Saiki, etc.]]), it becomes clear just how insignificant Mr. Big is in the grand scheme of things.
* ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesShreddersRevenge'' has Bebop and Rocksteady. In gameplay terms, Bebop is the first boss encountered since he takes over the Channel 6 building, but Rocksteady sets the game's main plot of chasing down Krang's robot parts in motion afterwards. Furthermore, the duo appears continually (in boss fights or otherwise) until their final defeat in Episode 7.
* ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'':
** General Rom Mohc, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/DarkForces'' (and its FinalBoss), is retroactively this to the whole series. He's tougher than he looks thanks to his [[PoweredArmor Dark Trooper Phase III armor]], but compared to the many Dark Side Force users to follow he's nothing special.
** 8t88 in ''VideoGame/JediKnightDarkForcesII''. He's the main villain that Kyle pursues for the first part of the game, but he's simply a hired information broker with no personal combat abilities (relying on random thugs to do his dirty work) and thus presents far less of a threat than the real villains, the Dark Jedi, [[spoiler:who [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness simply dispose of him]] after he gives them the map to the Valley of the Jedi]].
* ''VideoGame/WildArms'':
** Berserk from ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' is the first demon your party faces. Unlike most Starter Villains, he's actually one of the strongest, and only ends the first couple of battles because he got bored and had completed the mission anyway. He's defeated before the halfway point via [[spoiler: a plan to amplify his power backfiring and draining him instead, allowing your party to claim victory. He's killed by Boomerang shortly afterwards.]]
** Odessa from ''VideoGame/WildArms2'' are a team of Starter Villains, attempting to conquer Filgaia through various forms of terrorism. [[spoiler: They are defeated at the end of Disk One, after which the true threat to the planet becomes clear... an evil parallel universe that's trying to eat it.]]
** Janus Cascade from ''VideoGame/WildArms3'' is a bounty hunter who's working for the Prophets and helps with their plans to [[spoiler: revive a demon to terraform Filgaia.]] He spends a fair amount of time antagonizing your party being a colossal backstabber. [[spoiler: He meets his end due to bad timing as he walked in to gloat to the Prophets right as Siegfried is being revived.]]
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
** Jeanne Alter is the first major villain encountered (compared to Altria Alter, who was more of an obstacle for the heroes to overcome in the prologue). She at first is played up as a major threat due to using a Holy Grail to summon a small army of Servants, all with [[PowerBornOfMadness Mad Enhancement]] as well so that they'd be stronger as well as follow her orders to destroy France. However, not only is Jeanne Alter awful at commanding, and not only does the Mad Enhancement end up [[SanityHasAdvantages weakening her Servants in the long run]], but it's established in this Singularity that using the Grail to summon Servants causes a Chain Summon reaction which summons more Servants, who end up joining the heroes and evening the odds. This results in the heroes gradually building up their forces while Jeanne Alter's forces fall one by one, and her attempts to mend the situation by summoning more Servants only makes things even worse for her. Most villains after her are not only alot more competent, but also much more selective about who they summon, focusing more and quality over quantity and minimizing the Chain Summons, and stray Servants end up being a mixed bag on whether they end up being allies or antagonists.
** Lev Lainur [[spoiler: Flauros]] is a [[ItsPersonal more personal]] antagonist, being responsible for the bombing of Chaldea in the prologue, as well as [[spoiler: subjecting Olga Marie to a FateWorseThanDeath]], and acts as the ArcVillain for the second singularity. However, despite having a trump card [[spoiler: in the form of his true form as the Demon Pillar Flauros]], he makes alot of the same mistakes as Jeanne Alter: summoning too many Servants (which causes Chain Summons in response) and misusing the Servants that he does have (at one point Caesar, one of Lev's Servants, complains about being sent to the frontline despite a general more suited for commanding from the rear). In the end, he's not offed by the heroes, but instead because when cornered, he ended up summoning a Servant he couldn't properly control.
[[/folder]]

** The Snake Baron from the Black Swordsman arc is the first major bad guy Guts is shown facing in the manga; a ruthless baron of a local town who regularly slaughters its inhabitants.

** Grand Fisher -- The Hollow who ate Ichigo's mom and is significantly more powerful than any of the other hollows Ichigo fights in the first arc. Unlike most starter villains, he actually isn't killed right away, and actually comes back later [[spoiler:only for [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Isshin]] to [[CurbStompBattle completely destroy him]]]].

** Kuwagamon and Shellmon are the two first hostile Digimon the Chosen Children are threatened by after arriving in the Digital World, both of whom being portrayed as nothing more than wild creatures (with the latter also talking in PokemonSpeak). Kuwagamon being an Adult-level Digimon is too much for the kids and their Baby II-level Digimon to handle, which pushes the Digimon Partners to evolve into their Child-level forms. And while their combined effort is able to knock it down, Kuwagamon stands up again and almost kills them without itself getting defeated, showing that a Digimon of a higher level cannot be defeated by a group of lower leveled Digimon at that point of the story. Shellmon is the first enemy to push a Digimon Partner to evolve into their Adult-level and he gets soundly defeated, demonstrating that evolving the Digimon Partner is necessary to survive in the Digital World. When the Chosen Children return from the real world to the Digital World, Shellmon shows up again and attacks them, only to demonstrate that the VillainForgotToLevelGrind and that the Digimon Partners TookALevelInBadass, as he gets easily defeated by the Child-level Digimon.
** Devimon, the first ArcVillain. Toward the end of the show, his status is lampshaded, with Leomon pointing out that Devimon was nothing compared to the threats that the heroes have faced since. And considering how Devimon is a Adult-level Digimon, and everyone faced after him was either Perfect or Ultimate level, he's right.

** Your tutorial boss is a Soldier of Godrick- a generic Lordsworn Soldier mook out in the Lands Between, but the game gives him a boss healthbar anyway.
** There are four Shardbearers pre-Leyndell and you can fight any two, so in a way you can choose your own starter villain (You could even pick Radahn and Rykard if you like torturing yourself), but the game expects you to first go after Godrick the Grafted, the Lord of Limgrave. He's one of the most downright evil Shardbearers, having stolen limbs from thousands of people to turn himself into a misshapen ogre of a person (hence why he's 'the Grafted'), but the game goes out of its way to paint Godrick as a pathetic excuse for a lord, barely counting as a demigod, and the ButtMonkey of his extended family. Killing him is both getting yourself closer to fixing the Elden Ring ''and'' doing pretty much everyone in the area a huge favor.
** The first boss you're likely to meet unless you go out of your way to avoid him is Margit the Fell Omen, but he's [[spoiler: actually a projection of the ClimaxBoss, Morgott, who predicted you'd choose Godrick as your first Shardbearer and is being proactive in stopping you.]]

** Technically you can face any two Shardbearers you wish, so your starter villain could be [[{{Superboss}} Malenia]] if you ''really'' want to torture yourself, but the game expects you to first go after Godrick the Grafted, the Lord of Limgrave. He's one of the most downright evil Shardbearers, having stolen limbs from thousands of people to turn himself into a misshapen ogre of a person (hence why he's 'the Grafted'), but the game goes out of its way to paint Godrick as a pathetic excuse for a lord, barely counting as a demigod, and the ButtMonkey of his extended family. Killing him is both getting yourself closer to fixing the Elden Ring ''and'' doing pretty much everyone in the area a huge favor.

* As the BigBad of the first ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'' movie, Soto is the first full-on villain the herd goes up against. His ambitions and danger level are fairly low - he only intends to kill a baby to get revenge against a human tribe - and any threat he poses is primarily because of his pack, with multiple villains outdoing him in terms of threat level; Rudy is far bigger and stronger, Captain Gutt has an entire pirate crew and ship and is a much stronger fighter, and Gavin tried to ensure the asteroid would wipe out every mammal on Earth.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' has an [[ZigZaggedTrope interesting variation]] with Tai Lung, the first proper villain that Po faces in the entire franchise. He's already reached a high level of mastery by the time he's faced Po and the Furious Five and is more powerful and skilled than Shen, the sequel villain. However, threat level-wise, Shen is still greater than Tai Lung because he has an entire army, advanced weaponry, and more grand country-wide ambitions and Tai Lung is completely eclipsed by Kai from the third movie in both threat level and power. On the other hand, taking into consideration the different animated shows, Tai Lung would get utterly demolished by major arc villains like Ke-Pa, Jindiao, the White Bone Demon, Zuma with some Tianshang weapons, and a fully Tiangshang-empowered Sir Alfred whom not even Po was able to overcome after years of experience but is likely still far more dangerous and powerful compared to some of Po's regular RoguesGallery like Fung, Hundun, Tong Fo, Temutai, Junjie, and Taotie, placing Tai Lung in that unique niche of being a StarterVillain who stays strong relative to the entire franchise since there are later villains who surpass him in power and threat level, but not every single later villain Po faces necessarily reaches his level either.