History Main / ATasteOfDefeat

* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', this happens to Light Yagami quite a few times, and especially at the end. Normally, even while being arrogant, Light can come out on top, but there are quite a few times that he loses and proceeds to [[VillainousBreakdown freak out]].

See also BrokenWinLossStreak and NotSoInvincibleAfterAll. Compare with TheWorfEffect (where a supposedly strong character has more defeats than victories), ThrowTheDogABone, (when a usually [[ButtMonkey luckless]] character finally gets a victorious moment), TeamRocketWins (when a usually ''[[GoldfishPoopGang incompetent]]'' character finally gets a victorious moment (perhaps due to a LetsGetDangerous moment or [[TookALevelInBadass taking levels in badass]]), ALessonInDefeat (in which this trope is deliberately invoked [[AnAesop to make a point]]) and CurbStompCushion (when an otherwise CurbStompBattle is briefly disrupted by the outclassed party managing to get one defiant shot in).

--->'''Julian''': I do not have anything left to give. There is no value in a broken sword.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', after a long string of victories, the last two of which were [[TheChessmaster a man manipulating a country]] and [[AGodAmI a self-proclaimed god]], Monkey D. Luffy gets the tar beaten out of him by Admiral Aokiji, along with his entire crew, and realizes he still has no chance of overcoming any of the higher-ups in the Marines. He later gets another string of victories, and when he gathers up enough strength and courage for another go against the admirals, [[spoiler:Admiral Akainu kills Luffy's brother in front of his eyes, whom Luffy was trying to save for the past hundred chapters or so]]. This total defeat was enough to shut down Luffy's normally peppy and optimistic demeanor for the first time in the series. Shanks himself said that men must experience victory and defeat in order to properly grow.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Ultrakill}}'', V1 gives Gabriel his first taste of defeat. [[SoreLoser He does not take it well]], and swears to crush V1 in their rematch. Following his second defeat, however, Gabriel finds himself ''[[GracefulLoser relieved]]'', much to his own confusion, and takes some time to ponder on it.

* Very common in the ''Anime/MetalFightBeyblade'' anime series. The most intense example would be the narrow defeat of the pompous prodigy Julian Konzern, [[MasterOfAll who had reached the top in everything he ever tried prior]], by main character Gingka Hagane. Still, could be worse... and then it was, because 'The Emperor' then suffered a monumentally pathetic loss to [[KnightOfCerebus Damian Hart]] despite his efforts to improve. Cue defecting to the bad guys believing he was essentially worthless after losing so badly, before things get better.
--->''Julian'': I do not have anything left to give. There is no value in a broken sword.

* Very common in the ''Anime/MetalFightBeyblade'' anime series. The most intense example would be the defeat of the pompous prodigy Julian Konzern by main character Gingka. It gets much worse for Julian, suffering an even more pathetic loss, and defecting to the bad guys with little success, before things get better.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Inosuke’s timely defeat against the Father Spider Demon in the Natagumo Mountain arc is pivotal for his character growth as the series progresses, Inosuke’s naive idea that he was invincible was torn apart and for that Inosuke is temporarily saddened which opens a breach for him to accept Tanjiro and Zenitsu’s attempts to rise his spirit, from that point onwards Inosuke slowly becomes open to the idea of team work and grow connections with others as he learns from Tanjiro.

* In the 1960 King Features ComicStrip/{{Popeye}} short ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT5GbNarNGk After The Ball Went Over]]'', Popeye actually lost at the end -- possibly because he had dared to make remarks about the [[TemptingFate inevitability of his winning]].

[[folder:Film]]