Line #2 TheBadGuyWins/AnimeAndManga


1	TheBadGuyWins in {{Anime}} & {{Manga}}.
2	----
3	* A stock episode plot in Card Game anime is for TheHero to start figuring himself an InvincibleHero with all the winning he's been doing on account of his PlotArmor, and for either the ArcVillain or TheRival to completely dunk him into the core of the Earth. Bonus points if The Hero put a lot on the line because he was too arrogant to think he could possibly lose. Additional bonus points if the arc villain/rival used a new mechanic neither The Hero nor the audience has ever seen before.
4	* The first season of ''Literature/AsuraCryin'': although the heroes successfully foiled Kagakagari's evil schemes, the BigBad took a VillainExitStageLeft, and [[KarmaHoudini got away scot-free]] while leaving our heroes bereft of their most valuable asset.
5	* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', while Zeke and Eren are in the dimension of the Paths, they learn that the Attack Titan can see the past ''and future'' actions of its holders. This leads to Zeke hearing from his father's memory that [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain Eren]] needs to be stopped because his dream will come true, as Eren used his presence in the paths to manipulate and ''force his father'' into killing most of the Reiss family, so that he will gain the Founding Titan's power and eventually give it to a younger Eren, creating a StableTimeLoop. Eren's plan succeeds, having gained the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan, as he wanted, and manages to obtain the ''true'' power of the Founding Titan, leading to him starting the Rumbling. In the end, although the other Titan Shifters defeat Eren, it is only because Eren allowed them to do so. Even then they couldn't prevent Eren from massacring 80% global population of the human race. By letting himself get killed, Eren successfully erases the Power of the Titans. Ironically, one of the few things that ''didn't'' go to plan that being Eren's desperate desire to avert YouCantFightFate and find another way might have actually made things ''better'' for everyone.
6	* The end of the Golden Age Arc in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' (which the 1997 anime adaptation covers) does not end well at all for anyone except the bad guys. Griffith goes evil in a big way and becomes the fifth member of the Godhand, Femto. He throws his former friends, the Band of the Hawk, to the wolves as they get eaten by monsters straight out of nightmares, and then, as his very first act upon becoming Femto, rapes Casca to insanity right in front of Guts, with Guts losing a hand and eye to demons and being powerless to do anything about any of the above. The manga continues on from that point, and the point where the anime ends is just before the [[BigDamnHeroes Skull Knight shows up]] to pull Guts and Casca out of the fire before Griffith and the others can finish them off.
7	* The one true constant in ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', since ''[[EvilVersusEvil everybody]]'' [[EvilVersusEvil is a villain]], and in Rock's case, [[StartOfDarkness becomes one]] (he still wants to help people, but technically he becomes a villain since he joins and cooperates with villains). That said, the show's ''antagonists'' seldom win. Although the crew is villainous, they usually do the job they're hired to do without fail. The closest thing the show has gotten to this trope is the Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise arc, in which Rock fails at saving Yukio, Ginji stops trying to be a better person and is subsequently killed by Revy, while Balalaika sweeps the board and dismantles the Washimine Clan and successfully backstabs her erstwhile allies, while disillusioning Rock on top of it. Unusual in that the 'BigBad' was still technically TheHero's ''employer''...
8	* Near the end of ''Anime/CasshernSins'', Dio (probably the closest thing the series has to a proper villain) finally succeeds in defeating InvincibleHero Casshern. Fortunately, by the end of the series, this is all he cared about doing, so he just [[NothingLeftToDoButDie wanders off and waits for the Ruin to kill him afterwards.]]
9	* The anime version of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade''. The protagonists (Azmaria) [[EverybodyDiesEnding all die]] and [[CardCarryingVillain the villain survives and partially realizes his]] EvilPlan.
10	* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
11	** The finale of the first season ends with a Britannian victory, though [[PyrrhicVictory a Pyrrhic one]], and the deaths of several Black Knights, including main members, and the incarceration of the survivors, and with the main hero, as revealed in the OddlyNamedSequel, captured, having his memories erased.
12	** By default, this is true of the {{Interquel}} OVA ''Anime/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled''. As Akito is part of the EU forces, which are canonically defeated and conquered by Britannia both offscreen, and quite early, in Code Geass R2. Not to mention the appearance of Suzaku.
13	* In ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'', Adam Smasher easily defeats and kills David without suffering so much as a scratch. Arasaka and Militech, despite losing hundreds of troops, face no serious repercussions for their role in David's Cyberskeleton rampage. Pretty much the only victory the good guys can claim is that Lucy was able to survive and escape Arasaka's clutches... and even the victory is debatable at best since she's no longer able to continue living with David.
14	* ''Manga/DeathNote'':
15	** Following the Yotsuba arc, anyway. [[HeroAntagonist L]] is killed along with Watari, having been successfully tricked into thinking of Kira as someone other than [[VillainProtagonist Light Yagami]]. Light, now with all the nuisances out of the way, begins to rule the entire world with his iron fist - until the introduction of Mello and Near, the latter of who later successfully brings about the downfall of the evil Kira after a TimeSkip in the final arc.
16	** If the speculation and theories surrounding the unnamed Shinigami in ''Relight'' are taken to be true, then this is the case with Light, now that he's been reincarnated as a literal god. Reasonable doubt could be cast on this, though, as the reaper appears in the animated adaptation of the series, but not the original manga or films, where CessationOfExistence is definitely in play.
17	** Near shares this trope to an extent (if one roots for Light), for sabotaging Light and stealing the Death Note.
18	* ''Manga/DenjinN'': Holding the [[TakeOverTheWorld entire world hostage]], Tadahiro's [[LiteralSplitPersonality N half]] manages to make Misaki Kanzaki the world's number 1 idol as he always wanted by the means of there being nobody left to oppose him, nothing else being broadcasted, and humanity genially wanting her to succeed so she wouldn't get killed. N gets KilledOffForReal by the combined effort of his better half and Sudou at the right afterwards though.
19	* ''Franchise/{{Devilman}}'' ends with [[HellOnEarth Hell coming to earth]], humanity being annihilated, and the hero, his love interest, and her little brother all dying. However, even Satan doesn't get what he wants, as Akira is dead and God ends up destroying the world, killing him and all his devils.
20	* The Alma Karma arc in ''Manga/DGrayMan''. Everything went exactly as the Earl planned. Allen was stabbed by Kanda's innocence which caused the fourteenth to awaken. The death of Alma Karma ruins the third exorcist program. The third exorcists were either killed by their former allies or taken by the Earl to be used as {{mooks}}.
21	* ''Manga/{{Doubt}}''. Even after the survivors have escaped, The Wolf/Rei Hazama finds a way to get rid of them without lifting a finger. Specifically, she uses her mind control on [[TheDragon Mitsuki]] and has her kill Yuu.
22	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
23	** In the ''short'' term, Demon King Piccolo from ''Manga/DragonBall'' succeeded in everything he wanted. He got the dragon balls to give him eternal youth and killed the dragon so no one could ever use the dragon balls against him. He also killed a number of the strongest fighters in the world and seized control of the entire world. Too bad his reign was short-lived because of Goku.
24	** The Cell Arc of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' - no, really.
25	*** Even though Dr. Gero can only watch his triumph from Hell, he is the only villain in the entire ''Dragon Ball'' franchise to have got exactly what he wanted: the death of Son Goku at the hands of his creations.
26	*** Cell came from a timeline different than that of the present or Trunks' and in that timeline, he successfully eradicated the Saiyan race. Sure, he was eventually killed in the main one, but that timeline is doomed and will probably be destroyed by either Majin Buu or Zamasu. He only traveled back because he wanted to be Perfect, so he technically already won.
27	** In a twist on the usual ''Z'' movie format, the 2013 ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods Battle of Gods]]'' movie introduces a shiny new power-up for Goku...that ''still'' isn't enough to beat the villain. He's too spent to blow up Earth like he planned, so call that a win.
28	** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'':
29	*** Zamasu and Goku Black, fused into Merged Zamasu, are technically defeated in the classic usage of the word, but then he becomes law itself and kills everyone in the BadFuture timeline save Future Trunks and Mai, Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, and the Supreme Kais. Even though [[DeusExMachina Goku calls upon Future Zen'O who obliterates Zamasu (albeit at the cost of the entire timeline itself)]], Zamasu got what he wanted: the extinction of all mortals. It's only thanks to Whis' LoopholeAbuse that Zamasu's genocide only extended to one timeline.
30	*** To a lesser extent, although Babidi failed to summon Majin Buu in Trunks' timeline, he did succeed in killing the Supreme Kai, something his present counterpart was never able to do. Doing this got rid of Beerus, thus making it easier for Zamasu and Goku Black to take over.
31	* The anime of ''Manga/ElfenLied'' ends with Lucy's fate ambiguous, Kurama blown up, and BigBad Kakuzawa laughing manically after declaring his victory. The manga features a more traditional BittersweetEnding, as Lucy dies but is reincarnated as two human girls, Nana and Kurama live together happily, Kouta and Yuka have children, Nozomi starts to get her voice back, and it is implied that Lucy's childhood friend actually survived being shot.
32	* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
33	** In the Tower of Paradise arc, the true objective of Ultear was completely accomplished: the dissolution of the Magic Council, which also gave the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart the chance to acquire one of the keys to [[SealedEvilInACan Zeref's seal]]. [[DramaticIrony And only the readers know about any of this.]]
34	** By the end of the series, [[BigBad Zeref]] wins as well, albeit [[DidntSeeThatComing in a way he didn't plan]]. While his attempt to [[RetGone change the past and erase the present]] fell through thanks to Fairy Tail, his two goals that the plan would have accomplished (Acnologia being defeated and his curse being broken) are achieved as a consequence regardless. He even gets to spend an eternity in the afterlife with the love of his life, Mavis, something he believed would be denied him even if his plan succeeded. The end text even lampshades it, by saying that at long last, [[EarnYourHappyEnding he's finally happy]]. Granted, this is one victory that the fans [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds would be satisfied in giving him]] given how it managed to occur.
35	* Subverted in ''Literature/FateZero'', which ends with Gilgamesh and Kotomine riding off into the sunset after causing immense destruction to the city of Fuyuki... but that's because they ''have'' to survive, in order to menace the heroes in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''.
36	* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'': Envy has succeeded in killing Edward in the penultimate episode. He also gets to kill Hohenheim in the movie moments before dying. This makes Envy the only villain to succeed in his endeavors combined with KarmaHoudini.
37	* In ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' at the end of the Shogun Assassination Arc, the Tendoshu not only succeeded in swaying Nobunobu to sell out the Kihetai as the new Shogun and have the Harusame betray Kamui, but they even succeeded in having Shigeshige assassinated even when the heroes and allies kept him safe and in hiding. More so that while Takasugi was the main antagonist of the arc, he ends up in a coma after a long battle against Gintoki and the ambush by the Tendoshu's enforcers, the Naraku. This makes the Tendoshu as a whole show themselves why they are the GreaterScopeVillain of the series.
38	* In the original timeline of ''Manga/GreenWorldz'', all of Akira's companions are killed by the female human hybrid's silkworm moth bugs. Akira himself was knocked unconscious and suffered a permanent scar on his forehead, losing the battle.
39	* In ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'', [[BigBad the Major]] succeeds in defeating Alucard, even though [[ActionGirl Integra]] [[ShutUpHannibal kills]] him in the end. The Major went into this whole thing wanting a great war, and he was happy that he got one before he died.
40	** Millenium as a whole, really. The number of human survivors in London total 2 (Integra and Heinkel), plus 1 vampire (Seras). All Millenium wanted was to die in glorious battle, and that's exactly what they got. Millenium died to the last man in the single deadliest battle in history.
41	** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]: Alucard comes back, meaning that the Major's goal of being the man who killed Dracula was a failure.
42	* In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', every [[GroundhogDayLoop possible world]] [[HappyEnding except one]] ends in a victory for the [[MilkmanConspiracy leader of the conspiracy]], Miyo Takano: Tomitake is killed, Rika is dissected, Hinamizawa is sterilized, the leader escapes, and no one ever discovers the truth about what happened. The only exceptions (besides the HappyEnding) are the Watanagashi and Meakashi chapters, but even those are an incredible DownerEnding. Hinamizawa is unsterilized, but only because Rika committed suicide; the infamy of Shion's murder-spree shrouds Hinamizawa and the few characters that did survive either move away or are missing in action.
43	* ''Manga/{{Himenospia}}'': The villainous American wasp queen Serena becomes a "soldier" unable to kill Japanese PuppetQueen Himeno but otherwise doesn't feel brainwashed to follow her orders and succeeds in killing the real Japanese queen Nagisa while only losing a few insignificant minions of her own. Himeno ends up cooperating with her anyway so they can TakeOverTheWorld and prevent an AlienInvasion together, so even though Serena had admitted "defeat", she practically got away with everything.
44	* The Hunter Election arc of ''Manga/HunterXHunter''. While Pariston isn't really a villain, he's still an aggravating {{Troll}} who infuriates the other Zodiacs, who try to stop him from using his massive connections to easily dominate the chairman election. They ultimately fail, only for it to be revealed that Pariston's actions were to pay tribute to Netero, the previous chairman, and he quickly resigns the position to Cheadle, who had come in 2nd.
45	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
46	** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'' ends with Dio Brando succeeding in his plan to [[HeroKiller kill]] [[TheHeroDies Jonathan]] and steal his body, though Jonathan's [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice]] results in Dio getting trapped at the bottom of the ocean until the events of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]''.
47	** At the end of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'', Enrico Pucci (and by extension, [[GreaterScopeVillain DIO]]) succeeds in his plan to fast-forward time with his new [[FightingSpirit Stand]], [[TimeMaster Made in Heaven]]. He then slaughters every single hero bar one, including [[TheHeroDies Jolyne Cujoh]], Anasui, Ermes, and Jotaro, and then resets the universe. However, Emporio manages to survive and kills Pucci before the reset can be complete, [[MeaninglessVillainVictory resulting in a the creation of a new universe where the dead heroes have been reincarnated and Pucci never existed]].
48	** A [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] example in ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun Steel Ball Run]]''. While Funny Valentine's goal of [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans using the Holy Corpse to turn America into a utopia]] is never realized, the Corpse still ends up in the hands of the American Government, meaning no other country will be able to use it against them.
49	* ''Manga/MajinTanteiNougamiNeuro'': The DistantFinale shows that Zenjiro survived his seemingly suicide attack on the police force inside the burning building. Not only he's still on the loose but also fulfilled his ultimate wish of outliving his boss Sicks.
50	* ''Anime/MagicalWitchPuniechan''. The main character, Punie Tanaka, is a VillainProtagonist who is sent to Earth from an alternate dimension as a test to check if she is adequate to be the heir to her parents' despotic and dystopian kingdom. During the course of the series, rebels and jealous sisters try to eliminate her. They all fail horribly, and Punie passes the test with flying colors.
51	* ''Manga/MagilumiereCoLtd'': The first part of the series ends with the Deregulation Faction managing to perform a FalseFlagOperation on Magilumiere, causing the company to go under and all members scatter to the winds while they get free reign to push for magic deregulation laws.
52	* In ''Manga/MermaidSaga'' During the Village of the Fighting Fish arc, the villain Isago achieved her goal by having manipulated the Sakagami pirates into finding a mermaid for her so she could eat the flesh for her unborn baby's development.
53	* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
54	** ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'': Nearly everyone loses at the end of the series except for one -- Haman Karn, leader of [[TheRemnant Axis/Neo-Zeon]]. With the [[TheFederation Earth Federation]] crippled, the [[StateSec Titans]] wiped out and the [[LaResistance AEUG]] weakened, she's emerged as the strongest player in the Earth Sphere, and is now poised to begin her own invasion of the planet. Of course, since ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'' is treated as the second half of a two-season show, Judau Ashta and the Gundam Team turn this around and defeat Haman later on.
55	** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'', Rustal Elion, the main antagonist of season two, ends Tekkadan as an organization, wipes out [=McGillis=]' Revolutionary Fleet and succeeds in reforming Gjallarhorn into a democratic organization and further enhancing his personal reputation [[KarmaHoudini without facing any form of justice for his atrocities]]. Although Gjallarhorn is heavily reformed by the end of the series, there is little doubt that throughout the series they are the villains, and were fighting to remain the authority in the world. Tekkadan was simply trying to find a place to belong in the world, which put them in direct opposition to Gjallarhorn by necessity rather than any actual enmity at first. It's made clear that there are still elements of resentment on both sides by the series' end though, particularly in light of the look of anger and distrust that Eugene sends Julietta's way. This makes sense when you remember Julietta, a devoted, borderline fanatical follower of Rustal Elion, is the one who murdered Mikazuki on the battlefield. Julietta doesn't miss it, or its implications, either.
56	** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'': Technically speaking, Treize Khrushenada got everything he wanted: the destruction of several organizations, control of Earth's entire forces, and to die in combat. But then again, he's a WellIntentionedExtremist who ''wanted'' to have a war so destructive that humanity will be more receptive to eternal peace afterward.
57	* Part I of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' ends with Naruto failing to bring back Sasuke, [[FaceHeelTurn with the latter joining]] BigBad Orochimaru to be strong enough to kill Itachi in his mission for revenge.
58	** Likewise, the Sasuke and Sai arc: the ''next'' attempt to bring him back and kill Orochimaru fails miserably, and the team sent after them only survives because Orochimaru agree with Kabuto that it was more advantageous for them. Not a ''complete'' DownerEnding though, as at least Sai's character arc had a happy resolution.
59	** Despite Tobi a.k.a. Obito Uchiha not fully possessing the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails from Naruto and B respectively, he and Madara ''[[YouCantThwartStageOne still]]'' resurrect the [[EldritchAbomination Ten-Tails]] using the portions of the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails chakra; thus technically, Obito had won the Fourth Shinobi World War despite the protagonist's best efforts.
60	** And despite Naruto and Sasuke being powered up by gaining Six Paths Chakra by the Sage of Six Paths himself, Madara, upon resurrection, still becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, and finally retrieves his left Rinnegan, awakens the Rinne-Sharingan and promptly casts the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The entire world except for Team 7 is trapped in it... Until Madara is betrayed by Black Zetsu using Madara's body as a vessel for Kaguya Otsutsuki's return.
61	* In the second season's finale of ''Anime/TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold'', Ambrosius is holding Athanaos hostage and forces the gang to find the third City of Gold in exchange for his safety.
62	* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' ends with [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness SEELE]] successfully starting [[AssimilationPlot the Human Instrumentality Project/Third Impact]]. Although it's arguable if the end result is what they wanted. In any case, Shinji's decision to restore individuality seems to strongly indicate that it all was ultimately a MeaninglessVillainVictory.
63	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
64	** The Skypiea arc is a partial example, as Eneru's master plan is to a) build a giant golden airship and fly to the moon and b) annihilate Skypiea on his way out. While Luffy gives him a vicious beating and saves Skypiea, Eneru is still able to flee on his airship to the moon anyhow. Seeing as Eneru was the Straw Hats' toughest opponent up to that point (to the point that the only way they could even lay a finger on him was for Luffy to [[ContrivedCoincidence just so happen to have the right Devil Fruit power for the job]]), and Skypiea being an isolated [[FloatingContinent Sky Island]], no one had any way to restrain him after he was beaten, so this was probably for the best.
65	** In the Marineford arc, Blackbeard kills Whitebeard and steals his powers, Luffy has sustained a massive amount of damage and sacrificed part of his lifespan in vain, and several villains from previous arcs have now been freed from prison (by Luffy himself, no less).
66	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
67	** An episode in the Hoenn arc had this with a Team Magma agent named Brodie, who is notorious for being a MasterOfDisguise. He disguises himself as a researcher at the Weather Institute named Millie [[PunnyName (think Millibar)]] to steal data on Groudon, and succeeds. And his Ditto is formidable.
68	** In the fourteenth movie's two versions, ''Pokemon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom'' and ''Pokemon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram'', Damon, despite his HeelFaceTurn, wins. At the end of the films, the Sword of the Vale has been moved, the People of the Vale have reunited to rebuild, and the credits hint that their once-ruined homeland can be restored.
69	** While they still fail to steal Pikachu, early on in ''Sun & Moon'' Team Rocket actually managed to [[TeamRocketWins defeat Ash in a Double Battle]] with their Mimikyu and Mareanie. The only thing that stops them from making off with his barely-conscious Pikachu while he had no usable Pokémon is the [[DeusExMachina Bewear they befriended dragging them back to its cave]].
70	** The series ends with Giovanni becoming a KarmaHoudini, as while Ash managed to foil his larger-scale plans to TakeOverTheWorld with [[OlympusMons Mewtwo and Meloetta]], he's never arrested and his organization continues to prosper well into the GrandFinale.
71	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'':
72	** The series ends with the eponymous character finally making a contract with Kyubey, which he made his goal from the start. Madoka gets rid of the witch system, but Kyubey still gets what he always wanted, now at slower rate, but with no risk of accidentally creating a universe-destroying monster.
73	** ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Rebellion]]'' has a ''[[DownerEnding much harsher]]'' variant... but rather than Kyubey, it is ''[[FaceHeelTurn Homura]]''. She imprisons Madoka and her friends in a LotusEaterMachine, ''[[UngratefulBastard after they just got her out of one]]'', erases all their memories, and [[EvilerThanThou makes the Incubators her slaves]]. This is one of the reasons [[BrokenBase some fans]] prefer to pretend [[FanonDiscontinuity this movie never happened]].
74	* ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' has three examples:
75	** The Invid Regent's plan for the Robotech Masters is to conquer their homeworld Tirol and devastate it in retaliation for the Masters' destruction of the Invid's homeworld, this being more important to him than the Invid's main goal of finding and recovering the Flower of Life. At the very start of the planned ''Robotech: The Sentinels'' spin-off (of which the first three episodes were completed before the project was abandoned) we see his forces overrunning the planetary capital, the last place on Tirol that was still free of his control, and wreck the city, and he stays in control for an unknown period of time until the Robotech Expeditionary Force arrives and frees the planet.
76	** In the meantime the Invid Regess completed the Invid's main goal, having learned that it had been seeded on Earth and overran the planet. Differently from the Regent, she's not defeated: ''she'' decides to leave when keeping control of Earth was not necessary anymore and remaining could have caused mutual destruction.
77	** Brought upon by the reboot: the Anti-Unification League, whose goal was to conquer Earth through any means and had used terror tactics before being forced to lie low, is actually in control of Earth after the REF leaves and through the whole "Masters" saga thanks to Anatole Leonard, supreme commander of the Southern Cross and the man who actually calls the shot, being one of their members that escaped identification. Thankfully, by the time this happens their last leader is a WellIntentionedExtremist who has more common sense than the civilian government and not the power-hungry ones of the old days.
78	* ''Anime/SailorMoon''. If only the Sailor Guardians had arrived and stopped Zoicite just a little bit earlier at the end of Episode 24, [[AlasPoorVillain Nephrite]] might have been alive and could have completed his HeelFaceTurn.
79	* ''Manga/ShamanKing'': In the extended manga ending and 2021 anime, BigBad Hao actually manages to win the Shaman Fight and become the titular PhysicalGod, but it comes at a cost: the heroes convince him to not destroy humanity in order to establish a shaman-only world, [[MeaninglessVillainVictory ultimately rendering a thousand years of careful planning utterly]] ''[[MeaninglessVillainVictory useless]]''.
80	* ''Manga/SilentMobius'': Though only a temporary DarkestHour, episode 20 of the anime concludes with the total victory for the villain, Ganossa Maximillian. First, Ganossa forces Katsumi Liqueur to admit her love for Roy Device. Then, the morning after they get engaged and spend their first night together, he [[SacrificialLion bloodily kills Roy]] while Katsumi is showering. When Katsumi discovers the dying Roy covered in blood, [[LoveMakesYouEvil she goes insane with grief, unleashing a flood of power and vaporizing her apartment building]]. It ends with Ganossa standing in the ruins, bowing to the viewer.
81	* Suitengu of ''Anime/SpeedGrapher'' succeeds in his ultimate goal. He gathers all of the yen in Japan in a skyscraper, and burns it all, plunging Japan into an economic crisis, kills all the members of the Ropongi club, and his main rival goes blind from overuse of his powers. Suitengu dies, but he dies the winner. (Though at least Saiga manages to fulfill ''his'' own purpose: saving Kagura, who [[OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding can finally have a happier life]]).
82	* Episode 43 of ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' ends with the girls sacrificing their G-clefs to save Aphrodite, which causes the villains to complete the Melody of Sorrow. Of course, this is a Pretty Cure season, so the girls ultimately come out on top and defeat Noise.
83	* Inverted in ''Manga/{{Teppu}}'', a {{Deconstruction}} of Shonen sports/martial arts manga told from the perspective of a girl named Natsuo, who is basically the JerkAss [[TheRival Rival]] character seen in so many of those series. The series ends with Natsuo being defeated by Yuzuko, a kindhearted young GenkiGirl who fits the mold of the traditional Shonen [[TheHero Hero]]. So basically, it's The HeroAntagonist Wins.
84	* Despite the heroes' best efforts, and the fact that he was killed afterwards, [[ArcVillain The Professor]] in ''Manga/TokyoESP'' ultimately succeeded in [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent turning 20% of Kanto into Espers]].
85	* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'':
86	** The original series concludes with [[BigBadEnsemble Eto and Souta]] completely victorious. Anteiku has been destroyed, many prominent Investigators have either been [[CareerEndingInjury maimed]] or killed, Kaneki has been defeated and possibly even killed by Arima, and [[BigGood Yoshimura]] has been captured by Eto and [[AntiHumanAlliance Aogiri]] [[TheSyndicate Tree]] so they can use him to create new {{Half Human Hybrid}}s. The survivors of Anteiku and CCG are all left emotionally broken, realizing that no one really won in the end, while [[WildCard Souta]] and [[MonsterClown The Clowns]] celebrate having the "last laugh".
87	** Downplayed in the sequel. Eto and Souta/Furuta are defeated in battle, and their plans are foiled, but they still ultimately achieved their [[WellIntentionedExtremist goal]] of ending the ForeverWar between humans and ghouls.
88	* ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'' loves this trope:
89	** In the Century Soup arc, Toriko loses his battle against Tommyrod, along with his hand, while another villain sneaks past him, knocks out Komatsu and steals the soup. Teppei swoops in and defeats the heavily-injured villain... and then a bigger and stronger villain comes in. At this point, only the conveniently-timed arrival of Setsuno prevents him from finishing off the heroes, but the source of the soup is destroyed, and the only chance to reproduce it lies on Komatsu, who manages to taste the last droplet. This makes things a little better, but doesn't change the fact that the villains manage to win and get exactly what they wanted.
90	** The Cooking Festival arc practically ends in this -- by the end only one out of the Four Kings is still able to fight, the main character is on the brink of death, many chefs (including Komatsu) are kidnapped by the Gourmet Corp, all of the 0th biotope members are simultaneously intercepted and destroyed (some of them get better), President Ichiryu is defeated by Midora and finished off by a Blue Nitro, and on top of all that, the BigBad bombards the world with Meteor Spice, killing and injuring billions and causing a world wide famine. The only thing that makes the bad guys' victory incomplete is the reveal of the [[GreaterScopeVillain NEO organization]], who manipulated them from the start.
91	** The NEO organization ends up on top in the Cooking Festival -- they left both the IGO and the Gourmet Corp in shambles, finished their spaceship and found a substitute for Komatsu, the one target that they don't get in the end. Basically everybody, except the good guys stood strong after the Cooking Festival arc.
92	* In ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'', [[TheDragon Legato Bluesummers']] [[ThanatosGambit death]] IS his victory. His goal was to make TechnicalPacifist Vash suffer and forcing Vash to kill him causes Vash [[HeroicBSOD to break down]] afterwards and it takes months for him to recover. Legato's boss wasn't nearly as successful.
93	* Emperor Dornkirk/[[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Isaac Newton]] gets everything he sets out to get in ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne''. It takes him a while, but he does eventually activate the Atlantean machine that creates the Zone of Absolute Fortune where everyone's wishes are granted. It turns out badly and threatens to destroy Gaea just as it did Atlantis forcing Van to destroy it, but [[{{Foreshadowing}} who didn't see that coming]].
94	* In ''Anime/WolfsRain'', after everything the wolves and Cheza went through, Paradise starts to form, but because Darcia's freaking ''eye'' is in the water, Paradise is tainted and it turns into the modern world filled with humans and hate and war all over again. ''May'' be mitigated by the last few moments when we see Kiba, reincarnated in the modern world, starting to run after smelling Cheza's scent, [[HereWeGoAgain implying that the search for Paradise has just begun anew]].
95	* Near the end of ''Anime/YattermanNight'', it is revealed that the Lord Yatterman that rules the Yatter Kingdom is [[HijackedByGanon none other than Dokurobei]], the BigBad of the original ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}'' series who, after suffering countless losses, eventually [[NotSoHarmlessVillain decided to bring his A-game]] and successfully killed the original Gan and Ai, stealing their identities so that he can slander their name for all eternity.
96	* In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', Sensui's known goal is to open the portal to the Demon World, allowing the demons to destroy humanity. However, his true goal is to go to the Demon World in order to find a demon stronger than himself to [[DeathSeeker kill him]], to atone for all the innocent demons he's killed in the past. He achieves his true goal because of Yusuke, revived as a demon and possessed by his ancestor, Raizen. In addition, in the end of the series, it turns out that the Demon World portal is kept open, and humans and demons are actually living in peace with each other, not violently. This is even lampshaded by Yusuke, who says that Sensui really did win in the end.

Context TheBadGuyWins / AnimeAndManga