In Peaky Blinders, Britain's underworld is populated with plenty of heavy-hitters. They all want a piece of the illegal pie and are willing to kill or backstab for it. But no matter how formidable a single crime boss is, he is guaranteed to have dangerous rivals. This is the case for the main protagonist of Peaky Blinders, Thomas "Tommy" Shelby.

RELATED: 10 Movies & TV Shows Where You've Seen The Peaky Blinders Cast

Some foes have been easy for Tommy to deal with because they weren't that smart. Others have been the source of endless headaches thanks to their ability to come up with better strategies and outwit the show's antihero. Even though Tommy has still won against some of them, those victories didn't come easy.

Billy Kimber

Billy Kimber sits at a table in Peaky Blinders.

As soon as he is introduced, the Birmingham Boys boss makes it clear that people work for him, not with him. Kimber tries to bully Tommy even when they have a mutual understanding to work together to defeat the Lee family. However, his reign of terror is short-lived. In the final battle against the Blinders, Kimber underestimates the Shelby family patriarch and is killed.

Though Kimber tightens his grip on the city by forming alliances with the police, the Elephant and Castle Mob, and the Hoxton Gang, there are too many moments when Tommy fools him easily. When Kimber expresses a desire for Grace, Tommy (who also desires her) lies that she has syphilis to make him lose interest. Kimber also learns too late that Tommy is planning to betray him on Black Star Day. Most importantly, Billy lacks strategy in battle, which results in the Blinders defeating his heavily armed men easily with a single machine gun.

Sir Oswald Mosley

Sir Oswald Mosley sits in the House of Commons and listens to Thomas Shelby's speech in Peaky Blinders

Smethwick MP Oswald Mosley hates the fact that Tommy has risen from a gangster to a politician. The two have a few heated exchanges that lead to Tommy ordering a hit on him.

Despite being one of the least intelligent among Tommy's foes, Mosley's accomplishments set him above Kimber. For instance, he has various ranks in government such as the Deputy to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Cabinet Adviser to the Prime Minister of Great Britain. He wouldn't have been able to achieve these accomplishments if he didn't possess some intelligence. However, Mosley makes plenty of bad decisions such as mocking Tommy's family and forming the British Union of Fascists, the latter of which causes Winston Churchill to investigate him.

Luca Changretta

Changretta takes cover during a shootout with the Peaky Blinders in Birmingham

Changretta is arguably the most entertaining villain on the show. The leader of the Changretta crime family brings with him all the Cosa Nostra stereotypes when he starts a war with the Peaky Blinders in order to avenge the death of his father and brother.

RELATED: The 5 Best & 5 Worst Episodes of Peaky Blinders, According To IMDb

The American mobster gets more points than Kimber and Mosley for destabilizing the Blinders. He orders hits on Arthur and John, managing to kill the latter. A bullet intended for Tommy also causes one of the most shocking deaths on the show by fatally wounding Grace. Sadly, he doesn't know when to stop. Greed blinds him and his attempt to make Tommy hand over the Shelby Company Limited company to him backfires. He is also tricked into thinking Arthur has died, only to learn that the Shelby family has the upper hand.

Jimmy McCavern

JImmy crucifies Billy Gold to send a message to Tommy in Peaky Blinders

McCavern is all about sending violent messages by any means necessary and he does so in the most effective way possible. In one of the most unexpected scenes, the Glasgow Razor Gang member/Billy Boys leader crucifies Billy Gold in order to force Tommy into making him a business associate.

Tommy doesn't waver easily so McCavern's deserves to be commended for arm-twisting him into giving him a stake in the opium shipping business. McCavern treads with caution too and has a high level of awareness. Aberama's attempt to kill him on the night of Oswald Mosley's speech fails due to his prudence.

Winston Churchill

Churchill and Tommy discuss Oswald Mosley in Peaky Blinders.

At the start of the series, the Secretary of State for the Colonies is eager to bring down Tommy. Churchill is initially determined to imprison Tommy because the Birmingham crime boss is holding onto an important crate of government guns. Later on, the two enter into an agreement where Tommy conducts assassinations for the government.

Churchill's appearance is one of the least historically accurate things about Peaky Blinders, but he is crucial in playing a role in Tommy's development. Winston doesn't get into Campbell's way when the Inspector goes after Tommy even after retrieving the guns. His "gentleman's agreement" with Tommy, later on, helps avoid an unnecessary war between the government and a criminal gang.

Tatiana Petrovna

Tatiana Petrovna at a party in Peaky Blinders.

After a revolution forces the Grand Duchess out of Russia, she lands in England where she quickly acquaints herself with the Peaky Blinders. She then seduces Tommy with a sinister agenda in mind.

RELATED: 10 Hilarious Peaky Blinders Memes Only True Fans Will Understand

Tatiana is quite the femme fatale as she proves to be better at manipulating people than even Tommy himself. She spots an opportunity to influence a grieving Tommy by convincing him that she can make him happy after Grace's death. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Tommy believes her. The only reason she isn't higher up is that she gets tricked by her own assassin.

Darby Sabini

Darby Sabini tilts his head and grimaces in in Peaky Blinders.

Sabini proves why he is one of the most dangerous characters on the show by slicing Tommy on the cheek and almost kills him twice. The Blinders boss only survives by luck.

All of Tommy's other foes spend too much time coming up with strategies on how to beat him but Sagini comes off as a bit wiser by using a simple method that nearly brings the antihero to his knees: extreme violence. He has only one lapse in judgment when he fails to honor a deal with Alfie. This creates two foes for him when he should be focusing on one.

Father Hughes

Father John Hughes meets Tommy outside the orphanage in Peaky Blinders

Father Hughes is one of the few Peaky Blinders characters fans can't stand. His actions are so vile that viewers are kept wondering why and how he became a priest. Tommy is repulsed by him but mostly refrains from killing him because he is a "man of God." Michael turns out to be not so lenient.

The representative of The Economic League proves his smarts by being a double agent and manipulating both the Communist Russians and the Crown. Neither of them realizes Father Hughes' deception until it's too late. Hughes is aware that he is a despicable human being so he uses powerful people to protect himself and avoid any consequences for his actions.

Alfie Solomons

Alfie Solomons look on wearing a big hat in Peaky Blinders.

Alfie is Tommy's toxic business partner who he keeps going to despite the fact that Alfie keeps betraying him. The Camden town crime boss is also likable due to his efforts to protect Britain's Jewish community.

RELATED: Peaky Blinders Main Characters Ranked By Kill Count

The opportunistic Aflie is quick to notice sinking ships and jump out of them. This way, he survives longer in Britain's cutthroat underworld. His ability to charm and turn enemies into friends in an instant proves that his IQ is superior to that of many other gangsters on the show.

Chester Campbell

Campbell looking vicious in Peaky Blinders

Campbell, an inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary, is hired by Winston Churchill to retrieve the cache of government weapons that Tommy has decided to keep. Even after recovering the consignment, he still wages war against Tommy out of hatred for the man.

The law enforcement officer is smarter than most of Tommy's other enemies because he employs all the methods possible to defeat him. He threatens him, harrases his brothers, pushes a false narrative against him, negotiates with him, and even uses an undercover agent to spy on him. The latter works because Grace ends up telling him the location of the weapons. In the end, it's not Tommy that defeats him but Aunt Polly, who shoots him in the heart.

NEXT: 15 Shows To Watch If You Love Peaky Blinders