Dear Fellow Authors... What is the most outrageous Nemesis you've given your protagonist in a story?

MFontana

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2025
Messages
374
Points
93
I'm posing this question, because I've just finished editing a bit of a chapter in one of my stories, where I declared (admittedly from a comedic standpoint) that the Accursed Chair of Misfortune was my protagonist's greatest foe, and basically his nemesis for the last month, and I'm curious what other absurd, and outrageous, nemeses some of you have given to your protagonists. Also, for the record, this isn't a Don Quixote style thing. He knows it's a chair.
So, that's basically it. I'm surrendering to my intrusive thoughts and curiosity here to see what kind of crazy, absurd, and awkward nemeses we have tortured our heroes (and heroines) with.
 

Author_Riceball

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 16, 2025
Messages
196
Points
93
I'm posing this question, because I've just finished editing a bit of a chapter in one of my stories, where I declared (admittedly from a comedic standpoint) that the Accursed Chair of Misfortune was my protagonist's greatest foe, and basically his nemesis for the last month, and I'm curious what other absurd, and outrageous, nemeses some of you have given to your protagonists. Also, for the record, this isn't a Don Quixote style thing. He knows it's a chair.
So, that's basically it. I'm surrendering to my intrusive thoughts and curiosity here to see what kind of crazy, absurd, and awkward nemeses we have tortured our heroes (and heroines) with.
not my story but in Regressors Tale of Cultivation I still remember like the 30 chapter like war they had against Yuan Li and it was a roach fight.
 

Eldoria

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 14, 2025
Messages
1,573
Points
113
My novel's arch-enemies are tyranny (in the past) and an amnesiac world (now) that has forgotten its sins. They attempt to drag FMC into becoming the final judge again, but FMC chooses to live peacefully with her little daughter in a remote valley.
 
Last edited:

ThisAdamGuy

Proud inventor of the chocolate onion
Joined
Sep 4, 2024
Messages
1,005
Points
128
A skyscraper-sized redneck fish monster with a mullet and a wifebeater named Daggum the Y'alldritch Horror. I was so proud of that joke that I put him on the book's cover.
1761524477139.png
 

CinnaSloth

Sinful Sloth
Joined
Nov 20, 2024
Messages
522
Points
108
A skyscraper-sized redneck fish monster with a mullet and a wifebeater named Daggum the Y'alldritch Horror
Hell yea. lol.
intrusive thoughts and curiosity here to see what kind of crazy, absurd, and awkward nemeses we have tortured our heroes (and heroines) with.
Idk about "Nemeses", or "Heroes", but-

An angsty, jealous almighty sis-con sister.
A childish, wrathful cosmic god with parental issues.
Becoming the parental figure of seven, demonic b*st*rd children born from a demented, power-hungry mother.
And of course that miserable b**ch we all call, 'Life', and her twin sister, death.

So, an average person's Thursday in America, I guess?
 
Last edited:

LightHikari

Kitten of Light
Joined
Oct 14, 2023
Messages
81
Points
93
There was a giant mosasaur that could use magic and ate mermaids. It served as their god figure, and they sacrificed a princess to it every so often.
 

bulmabriefs144

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Messages
274
Points
83
I'm posing this question, because I've just finished editing a bit of a chapter in one of my stories, where I declared (admittedly from a comedic standpoint) that the Accursed Chair of Misfortune was my protagonist's greatest foe, and basically his nemesis for the last month, and I'm curious what other absurd, and outrageous, nemeses some of you have given to your protagonists. Also, for the record, this isn't a Don Quixote style thing. He knows it's a chair.
So, that's basically it. I'm surrendering to my intrusive thoughts and curiosity here to see what kind of crazy, absurd, and awkward nemeses we have tortured our heroes (and heroines) with.
Ummmm let's see.

In one story, the nemesis was basically a post-woke version of a former ally after taking Women's Studies (all the others took trades). And her Women's Studies teachers. And some random concept supervillains. This was a plot where the hero's power equals "Debate philosophy with the villain. If you win, their power is negated, and you can punch them out." So yeah.

In another story, the nemesis was a sympathetic demon... which the main character sacrificed themselves to help the demon's planned succeed.

In still another, after finally beating the demon from the prequel, they faced an angel who legit wanted a paradise.

My last novel had no real nemesis, because the man was having a psychological crisis and needed a medicine for their indifference.
 

CharlesEBrown

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 23, 2024
Messages
4,565
Points
158
EVER would be a tall order, with about 40 years of running role-playing games, some of which wound up intentionally ludicrous (probably the "worst offender" was a villain group called "The Market Force" - led by Option, who could turn into a fire-breathing bear or a giant bull who could turn things to gold; and including Liquidator, who could "digest" non-living matter and turn it into an energy blast; Inside Trader who could force swap powers between two people, willing or not; The Broker, who was a mind-controller, and at least two others... though a group I didn't make up the name for - it was suggested by a reader of the Blue Devil comic book in the letters column - The Group of Evil Guys, Inc., who wear black and white costumes, barcode their agents ... would probably update to QR codes today ... and have code names like The Mentallist, Tough Guy, Fast Fellow, Energy Projector, The Babe, Gun Bunny and Kung Fu Guy) or ones stolen from movies or video games (there was a Selrahc clan of mages who loved pulling anachronistic BS like that, and the Polymorphed Pubescent Terrapin Kensai, among others). And the infamous Hostess Gang (they attack from ambush, and the leader, King Dong, demands highways. The smart one, Fruit Pie, a magician, explains - AGAIN - "that's not what highway robbery means, boss," Twinkie the Kid gets impatient and attacks and Dark Twinkie assists and Ho Ho the Archer holds his action, hoping for a surprise attack from cover).

In the first novel I ever completed (if any copies still exist, they are in the possession of an ex-girlfriend or one of the friends she loaned it to, sadly), the secondary villain was The Lord of Glooms, who attacked by causing feelings of doubt, despair and sorrow in his targets - and who was defeated by the party minstrel playing a tragic love song, a medieval version of "Last Dance" probably, or maybe "Seasons in the Sun."
 
Last edited:

Zagaroth

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2023
Messages
378
Points
103
Well, before the story even starts, the kitsune MC's nemesis was, briefly, a Moon Pool, i.e. a reflecting pool with a few inches of water.

Unfortunately, she lost. She was wearing ceremonial robes and had drunk too much saki.

On the upside, the goddess of the moons took pity on her and reincarnated her.

Unfortunately, it was as a dungeon core, and Kazue is an ADHD extrovert. This was not an ideal situation for her.
 

Talon88.1

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2025
Messages
22
Points
13
In order?
A paranoid woman with a gun.
An angry magos.
Necrons.
A named space marine.
A demonhost.
A gravity well generator.
And a chaos sorcerer.
More to come as the story progresses.
 

MFontana

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2025
Messages
374
Points
93
Just finished reading over all of the replies here.
Those are all some interesting Nemeses for the protagonists.
Thanks for the answers and input, everyone.
Seems like my "chair" has got a lot of catching up to do. And yes, it is just an ordinary chair. It just keeps inconveniencing the protagonist, whether he is sitting in it, or not.
 

AnEmberOfSundown

Active member
Joined
Jul 26, 2025
Messages
125
Points
43
Just finished reading over all of the replies here.
Those are all some interesting Nemeses for the protagonists.
Thanks for the answers and input, everyone.
Seems like my "chair" has got a lot of catching up to do. And yes, it is just an ordinary chair. It just keeps inconveniencing the protagonist, whether he is sitting in it, or not.
I've got an innocent table that keeps, through no fault of its own, acting as a teleportation anchor for the MCs.

Whether people are eating on it at the time or not.

The tavern owner's mother is not amused by this. The wizard is about to stroke out trying to figure out why.
 
Top