An Arc Villain is a character who fills the role as the main antagonist of a specific Arc or Season. They are similar to Big Bads but, while a Big Bad is the main threat in the story, Arc Villains are only a temporary threat and, once the Arc/Season is over, they will be either defeated, escape and never be seen again or redeem themselves.

It is expected that works with an Arc Villain should have more than one, as stories with only one Arc Villain are very rare if not nonexistant.

Similar to Big Bads, there can be only one Arc Villain per Arc, which is the most reccuring and powerful villain on it. Also, antagonists from singular stories with no arcs cannot qualify and should go under Big Bads or The Heavy instead.