History Main / TeamRocketWins

* The latter half of the duo ''WesternAnimation/TheAntAndTheAardvark'' stands out as one of the biggest losers of the RoadRunnerVSCoyote genre with him suffering extreme punishments and never managing to get his meal (Charlie the ant that is). There are a few times that play with this, with the short ending with the Aardvark chasing Charlie and him running for his life but there is no resolution clear enough to truly count as a victory. The one and single time that he clearly won was in the Scrath a Tiger cartoon where he manages to get the titular Tiger on his good side and he is last seen chasing the helpless and terrified ants with his help.

These minor antagonists have found some way to penetrate the main character's defenses, through some sort of {{Upgrade|Artifact}} or {{Training|FromHell}}. Or they're used to introduce new characters, [[EvilVersusEvil maybe even more dangerous members of the same team or other criminals]], by beating them so badly that the heroes [[PursuedProtagonist must come to their aid.]] Heck, it can even be against a VillainProtagonist. The alignment of their foes doesn't matter, what matters is that the normally incompetent villains manage to score one odd moment of glory.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'', WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck normally loses when confronted with Chip 'n' Dale, despite the fact that they are typically the aggressors in the mess. In the short "Working for Peanuts", Donald actually manages to repeatedly thwart them, with the aide of Dolores the Elephant. Averted, though, in that they ''still'' end up getting what they wanted, by successfully faking a place for themselves in the zoo as rare albino chipmunks.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' in which Omi freezes himself so he can find his future self (doesn't work of course because ''he wasn't there'') he ends up in a BadFuture where Jack Spicer has taken over the world. The crazy part is that he apparently defeated and captured the other three villains, despite them being far more evil and powerful.

** Even following his Flanderization into a ButtMonkey, WesternAnimation/{{Daffy|Duck}} seemed to score more victories than most other fall-guys in the series, [[spoiler: knocking out Taz in a CurbstompBattle in ''Ducking The Devil'' ([[RedemptionPromotion notably]] as a PunchClockHero), being the first foe to defeat Speedy Gonzales in ''Mucho Locos'' to name a few. Counting an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RIvO74ZC5c obscure Tang endorsement from ''The Bugs Bunny Show'']] and Creator/CartoonNetwork's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpjVBeDalTY Big Game from 2001]], he has also defeated Bugs twice as well, also at times where unusually it was Bugs who messed with him first instead of vice-versa.]] Also, perhaps due to being created by fans of the shorts and the character, some later features tend to [[ThrowTheDogABone throw Daffy a bone]] a few times as well.

* One of the few ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoons where Tom not only doesn't get utterly humiliated at the end by Jerry, but ends with Tom successfully trapping both Jerry and the Duck in a very sinister predicament ''Southbound Duckling'' stands out.

These minor antagonists have found some way to penetrate the main character's defenses, through some sort of {{Upgrade|Artifact}} or {{Training|FromHell}}. Or they're used to introduce new characters, [[EvilVersusEvil maybe even more dangerous members of the same team or other criminals]], by beating them so badly that the heroes [[PursuedProtagonist must come to their aid.]] The alignment of their foes doesn't matter, what matters is that the normally incompetent villains manage to score one odd moment of glory.

* On a similar subject, one episode of ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' actually ends with Dick Dastardly placing in first. But unlike the Really Rottens' example, he doesn't get to keep his victory, because the announcer then shows a slow-motion replay of the race's finish that shows that the Mean Machine stretched its front forward to give the illusion that he came in first Watch the clip [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZv8HdAS8Vk here]].
Mean Machine's nose was in its extended state and it ends with Dastardly cursing his disqualification. Chalk it up to LazyArtist.

** Even following his Flanderization into a ButtMonkey, WesternAnimation/{{Daffy|Duck}} seemed to score more victories than most other fall-guys in the series, [[spoiler: knocking out Taz in a CurbstompBattle in ''Ducking The Devil'', being the first foe to defeat Speedy Gonzales in ''Mucho Locos'' to name a few. Counting an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RIvO74ZC5c obscure Tang endorsement from ''The Bugs Bunny Show'']] and Creator/CartoonNetwork's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpjVBeDalTY Big Game from 2001]], he has also defeated Bugs twice as well.]] Also, perhaps due to being created by fans of the shorts and the character, some later features tend to [[ThrowTheDogABone throw Daffy a bone]] a few times as well.
* Almost happens in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''. When the normally incompetent [[GoldfishPoopGang Scratch and Grounder]] are converted into [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot ninja robots]], they almost manage to kill Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}} and Tails; if it wasn't for Sonic and Tails escaping via sheer luck.

* Possibly the only ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon where Tom doesn't get utterly humiliated at the end by Jerry, ''Southbound Duckling'' ends with Tom successfully trapping both Jerry and the Duck.
** Tom wins in a total of 13 different cartoons including ''Million Dollar Cat, The Vanishing Duck'' and ''Duel Personality.''

These minor antagonists have found some way to penetrate the main character's defenses, through some sort of {{Upgrade|Artifact}} or {{Training|FromHell}}. Or they're used to introduce new characters, by beating them so badly that the heroes [[PursuedProtagonist must come to their aid.]]

* In ChihiroKagachiAndTheBogeymen, [[RunningGag Doctor Zweiback actually got a one-dollar bill from Hinata]] because Hinata had slipped on a banana peel.

* In the ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' PartyGame ''Videogame/CrashBash'' it is possible to win Adventure Mode as Dr. Cortex or one of his cronies, giving a bad ending where Uka Uka gains ownership of all of the crystals [[EvilIsHammy "and all of the POWER!!!"]]. This is done in a more direct sense if you play the Adventure Mode in two player co operative with a good and evil player, allowing access to a hidden deathmatch where the two of you fight to determine the ending, thus get the extra reward of kicking Crash or Coco's ass as one of the RoguesGallery before taking over the world.

** "A Glass of Warm Ed" and "Dim Lit Ed" however end with the Eds successfully [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness making a profit out of one of their scams]]. The "Big Picture Show" finale also ends, in a [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming rather heartwarming way with the Eds finally becoming popular after the kids saw the Eddy's brother influenced Eddy to be the way he was.]]]]

Note that the antagonists ''must win then lose again'' in order to qualify. If it looks like they will win but are defeated at the last minute, then that's a NearVillainVictory. If the bad guys win and the work ends, then it's also TheBadGuyWins. If the hero sees the bad guys win in the future, then it's a BadFuture. Contrast BigBadWannabe, which may at times overlap.

* On a similar subject, one episode of ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' actually ends with Dick Dastardly placing in first. But unlike the Really Rottens' example, he doesn't get to keep his victory, because the announcer then shows a slow-motion replay of the race's finish that shows that the Mean Machine stretched its front forward to give the illusion that he came in first (despite the fact that if you look at the actual finish, you don't see such a thing happening, meaning the judges may have doctored the footage to screw over Dastardly out of bias). Watch the clip [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZv8HdAS8Vk here]].
** See the scenes following it. The Mean Machine's nose was in its extended state and it ends with Dastardly cursing his disqualification. Chalk it up to LazyArtist.

** "A Glass of Warm Ed" and "Dim Lit Ed" however end with the Eds successfully [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness making a profit out of one of their scams]]. The "Big Picture Show" finale also ends, in a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming rather heartwarming way with the Eds finally becoming popular after the kids saw the Eddy's brother made Eddy the way he was.]]

** Also Elmer Fudd defeated Bugs at his own game in ''Rabbit Rampage'' (a semi remake of ''WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck'') as well as in ''Hare Brush'' (albeit due to something of a personality exchange, with an insane Elmer "turning" into Bugs). He also finally "killed da wabbit" in ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'' ([[MyGodWhatHaveIDone though didn't really find victory all that satisfying]]). Two other cartoons, Fresh Hare and Bugs' Bonnets, ended in a draw.

** As does losing to Axel in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}''.
** And Raspberyl in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}''

*** Even wilder, they became competent and so far have ''stayed'' that way. They almost capture Pikachu and Iris's Axew. Key and operative word: almost. During a goog bunch of that season, they didn`t blast off as usual (the blasting off role was taken by a Sandile who appeared in a couple of episodes). They generally stay away from Ash and company, however, because of their new mission.

*** Even wilder, they became competent and so far have ''stayed'' that way. They almost capture Pikachu and Iris's Axew. Key and operative word: almost. We're 40 episodes in and they've yet to blast off ''once'' (the blasting off role was taken by a Sandile who appeared in a couple of episodes). They generally stay away from Ash and company, however, because of their new mission.

Let the bad guy win once in awhile.

* The very first episode of Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse''(2002 TV series) ended with the evil forces of Skeletor actually defeating He-Man and his allies in clean battle. Granted, the fight was precipitated by the Masters going to Snake Mountain only to warn Skeletor of the impending danger of an even greater evil (King Hsss, ruler of the mythical Snakemen) about to escape the bowels of Snake Mountain, but when the battle was fully engaged and the Masters were resigned to defending themselves, the Evil Warriors definitely had their number. Stinkor took out Mekaneck, Tri-Klops defeated Man-At-Arms, Whiplash (with help from Mer-Man) beat Stratos, and Skeletor and Evil-Lyn together managed to deliver He-Man himself one of the extremely rare losses by knockout he would ever suffer in the series. Skeletor tops it off by taunting the routed Masters with "See how they run: the Masters of FAILURE!!!" Of course, the immediate and foretold Rise of the Snakemen would make this a PyhrricVictory....

** The episode preceding that is an even more powerful example."War Dawn", featuring the creation of the Combaticons by Starscream, showcased the Decepticon exile successfully defeat a handful of top Autobots and take their energy chips for his new militia, as well as his former Decepticon contemporaries Dirge and Ramjet. The episode reaches its zenith with the Combaticons merging into the super warrior Bruticus, who cleanly defeats Constructicon gestalt Devastator before capturing Decepticon leader Megatron himself. With Megatron trapped in Bruticus' death grip, Starscream actually forced his former commander to surrender, and this all-but-actual defeat is only thwarted by the timely arrival of yet another Decepticon gestalt, Menasor, who drops the Combaticon combiner with one sucker punch.

* Happens during [[WhamEpisode episode 26]] of the first season of ''Anime/FushigiboshiNoFutageHime''. [[spoiler:Prince Shade reveals a tremendous amount of badassery but is too late to stop the [[EvilChancellor Minister's]] goons from stealing [[TheForce the Prominence]] from Fine and Rein. [[SadisticChoice What's worse is that he had to save]] [[DistressedDude Prince Bright]] [[SadisticChoice from falling to his death and therefore let the goons get away with the Prominence.]]]]

* In the DeviantArt entry here, a Xena-like heroine surrenders to a kobold simply out of pity. (''NSFW''' so [[http://maplewarriorofxeen.deviantart.com/art/Conquered-PG1-637392667 view it here with caution]].)

** See the scenes following it. The Mean Machine's nose ''was'' extended and it ends with Dastardly sing his disqualification. Chalk it up to LazyArtist.

* A Geico spot with the characters from ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'' has Skeletor distracting He-Man, She-Ra and Man-At-Arms with the sales pitch "Switching to Geico could save you 15% on car insurance" long enough for him to make a clean getaway.

* Designated villains The Really Rottens actually won in at two episodes of the ''[[WesternAnimation/LaffALympics Laff-a-Lympics]]''. Usually most of their points were ruled invalid by the judges, but yep, a couple of times, the rotten bastards won. (And in another episode, the end result was a three-way tie, because the Rottens were awarded bonus points for breaking a world record during one event.) Note that the one time they won legitimately, they didn't like it at ''all''. Apparently it's not a victory for then unless they won by cheating. An issue of the ComicBookAdaptation (Marvel #5) had the Rottens apparently renouncing their cheating ways and winding up winning. However, they were disqualified because The Great Fondoo and Magic Rabbit, who were "kicked off" the team, kidnapped Boo Boo Bear and Blue Falcon, took their physical forms through Fondoo's magic, and caused the Yogis and Scoobys to lose on purpose.