What's The Best Example Of Someone Underestimating Someone/Something?

[Seil]

Underestimating your opponent. We've all seen it in movies, television, books, whatever. Where the villain doesn't think the protagonist is a threat and sends their weakest goons out to destroy them, or someone gets a good piece of advice from someone who knows what the hell tbhey're talking about, and chooses to ignore it.

The most recent case of this I've seen is in Doctor Who, in the revived series, in Dalek. There's a Dalek running around and The Doctor, who knows that they're pretty much destruction incarnate, tells a security chief a good piece of advice. Which he promptly chooses to ignore.

And then he dies.

Any other cases of characters underestimating the threat?

[Magus]

Literally every movie ever made where the villain possesses an army and the hero knows kung-fu is exactly like that.

EDIT: And most of the time even when the hero doesn't know kung-fu.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

All armies opposing the band of the hawk in Berserk.
About 100 soldiers underestimate the guy with the huge sword.
The horse that charges at Guts.
The other horse that charges at Guts.
Freaking demons underestimate Guts. One could think they'd know better by now.

Boy, I love Berserk.

[Flarecobra]

*Points out the obvious* Star Wars. Grand Moff Tarken thinks he's won. Single-seat fighter blows up moon-sized space station.

[greed]

Clare from Claymore breathed this for most of the series. "She's just number 47 and look how little youki she has she's harmless. Huh why aren't my attacks hitting her, and why isn't she giving up, wait why is my body over there...."

Also the Joker from The Dark Knight movie is probably the biggest case of this I've ever seen. "He's just one man he can wait..." Batman has never been more wrong.

Originally Posted by Lithp

Sephiroth. He could win any number of times if he'd just cut the party in half already.

Pretty sure all the times you see him up until you see him sealed in crystal, that's actually a illusion cast around one of those failures to make them look like Sephiroth. Then they change into a JENOVA form. So actually this is one problem he didn't have, he was busy so he kept sending lackeys to kill you, and when that didn't work he manipulated you into doing what they were meant to anyway. I mean he could have sent more I guess, but he seemed to be using them for something.


Edit: What the shit, Lithp had already posted when I made my post, why am I ahead of him?

[Lithp]

Sephiroth. He could win any number of times if he'd just cut the party in half already.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Erm, pretty much any villain ever. Also a lot of the good guys too. Oh and some of the neutrals who are really just there to either screw up and allow for plot to be created, or are just there to die so there can be deaths involved.

I think that covers everything.

[Flarecobra]

Originally Posted by greed

Edit: What the shit, Lithp had already posted when I made my post, why am I ahead of him?

Clock reset I assume.

[Lithp]

Pretty sure all the times you see him up until you see him sealed in crystal, that's actually a illusion cast around one of those failures to make them look like Sephiroth.

Wrong. It's either a psychic projection (the appearances where he leaves after-images) or parts of Jenova's body polymorphed into him.

The former case is somewhat understandable, but in the latter case, it's sort of implied that the Jenova forms are weaker than Sephiroth himself.

Also, when he shows up in AC, he dicks around a lot, & it's implied that he did that in FFVII, as well.

Also, Hawk's post reminds me that Bleach overdoses the Hell out of it. Show me ONE fight that isn't "You're underestimating me!"/"No YOU'RE underestimating me!" Go ahead. I dare you.

[Amake]

I'll have to go with Flarecobra. The cornerstone of the Empire's strategy is building ridiculously large mechas and spaceships and death stars in order to scare their enemies. As I believe someone's said, that doesn't work on the people who actually pose a threat.