History Main / TeamRocketWins

* Team Rocket, the {{Trope Namer|s}} from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', beat the crap out of Ash's Pokémon when they were allowed to run Viridian City's Gym using Giovanni's Pokémon, at least until Ash managed to regain momentum and beat them at their own game. There have been a few other instances where Team Rocket has been successful in battle, but it was because they were [[RedemptionPromotion trying to do something good for a change]]. Their victories never lasted too long, and they were often sent flying at the end of the episode anyway.

** The episode "Victory of the Daleks", which was exactly what it said on the tin; that is to say that the Daleks managed to accomplish their main goal and escape to tell the tale.
** Technically, "Asylum of the Daleks" pretty much counts as a win: the Daleks got the Asylum destroyed and all got to live at the end, retaining their (implied) massive space empire, too. They ''do'' lose all their memories of the Doctor, but then [[StatusQuoIsGod get those back]] [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor in short order.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' had the episode "Data's Day", where the Romulans managed to win one of the series' tense Neutral Zone stand-offs, recovering their spy and forcing the ''Enterprise'' to retreat. This is lampshaded by Commander Riker who notes "Some days, you get the bear; some days the bear gets you."
* The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "Our Man Bashir" combined TeleporterAccident and HolodeckMalfunction to recast several of Bashir's crewmates as characters in his Franchise/JamesBond-esque spy holonovel. The holonovel's script is intended to play out with either the sexy scientist or FemmeFataleSpy being killed, and Bashir killing the BigBad in retaliation, but as doing so could kill his crewmates, Bashir decides that the only way to win (i.e. rescue them) is to allow the BigBad to win.

** Jessie (while under her Jessilina alias) has actually become competent enough to win Pokémon Contests all on her own without cheating (though she has considered it at times.) She lost out on winning her fifth ribbon needed to get into the Grand Festival, but Dawn (or rather, a Dawn lookalike by the name of Princess Salvia, [[ItMakesSenseInContext long story]]) gave her the sixth ribbon she had just won. Jessie gratefully accepted it and made her way to the semi-finals against Dawn in the Grand Festival.

* In ''Film/TheGreatRace'', the main character Leslie stops just short of the finish line and lets the HarmlessVillain team win to show TheChick that he loves her enough to give up the race. Professor Fate becomes ''livid'' about this, and challenges Leslie to another race, despite having spent the ''entire run of the film cheating as hard as he could physically manage,'' because he wanted to win on his own terms and not have it handed to him.

* The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "Our Man Bashir" combined TeleporterAccident and HolodeckMalfunction to recast several of Bashir's crewmates as characters in his Franchise/JamesBond-esque spy holonovel. The holonovel's script is intended to play out with either the HotScientist or FemmeFataleSpy being killed, and Bashir killing the BigBad in retaliation, but as doing so could kill his crewmates, Bashir decides that the only way to win (i.e. rescue them) is to allow the BigBad to win.

*** Though [[LooseCanon of a nebulous canonicity]] if not outright [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'' goes a step further and sees [[spoiler:Eggman ''actually'' succeed in taking over the world, [[HeelFaceMole convincingly pretending to have turned over a new leaf]] so that Sonic and the gang can entrust him with protecting the planet as they go into the [[PhantomZone Twilight Cage]] to defeat [[BigBad Imperator Ix]]. In doing so, Eggman is able to abuse the Twilight Cage's YearOutsideHourInside properties, leaving our heroes with a nasty surprise when they return from dealing with Ix]]. For a while, a common fan theory was that this SequelHook set up the opening sequence of ''Unleashed''.

*** Even wilder, they became competent for the entirety of that season. They almost capture Pikachu and Iris's Axew. Key and operative word: almost. During a good 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.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Smart And Smarter" (Cartoon Network Block Party #59), Mojo Jojo outwits Blossom, with her sisters' blessings! Blossom ([[InsufferableGenius who let her ego swell after being admitted to a special school]]) blows her ice breath which Mojo counters with a heat shield. The trail of melted ice reaches Blossom's foot (which she doesn't see) and she emits static electricity from her hands which in turn fries her to a frazzle. The ending panel has Buttercup shaking hands with Mojo.

* In ''FanFic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'', in episode 9 Cut Man, Guts Man, and other Robot Masters defeat Mega Man.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has this in the handful of games that you can actually play as Cirno. Or, you know, if you lose to Cirno in the regular games. Cirno's plotlines generally have nothing to do with anything actually going on, and involve her just trying to prove she's "the strongest".
** Meiling is usually the ButtMonkey of the Scarlet Devil CastHerd, but playing as her in ''Unthinkable Natural Law'' and actually winning makes her declare to her friends that [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass she was holding herself back and playing the fool all along, waiting for a truly dire situation to reveal herself]]... [[UnreliableNarrator not that you can necessarily trust that statement]].
** In ''Great Fairy Wars'', Cirno is the main character. While she mostly spends the game fighting her fellow fairies (hence the name), the EX stage boss is [[PersonOfMassDestruction Marisa]]. Since canonically the main character(s) always win...

*** In a two-parter based in the Nimbasa City subway system, they pull out ''all'' the stops - not kicking off their plan until Ash and his friends arrive, with Meowth having [[HeelFaceMole faked joining them]] in order to lure them into a Pokemon center where he could steal Pikachu and all the other Pokemon and load them on the subway train. The heroes catch up to their train...which is revealed as a decoy. The Subway Bosses try to track the train...only for multiple signals to show up on the monitor, throwing them into confusion. When Pikachu and the other Pokemon try to break free on their own, Team Rocket's scientist commander flies a helicopter on over to the train to ''air-lift'' it and the Pokemon up so that they can't escape. The heroes just ''barely'' come out on top, and even Cilan admits that this was one of Team Rocket's finest plans.

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]

* When Wrestling/{{WSU}} was acquired by Beyond Wrestling, they proceeded to run over the Beyond Roster, including sweeping the guys in a face off. When Wrestling/{{CZW}} acquired WSU, the Juicy Product actually won the {{tag team}} title belts though.[[/folder]]

Note that the antagonists ''must win then later 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.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the Joe Oriolo ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' TV cartoons, the villains, Professor and Rock Bottom, [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin are always trumped by Felix]], be it through his intervention, their sheer incompetence or just pure bad luck. But whereas Professor, Felix's main nemesis, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never once scored a victory over Felix]], Rock Bottom actually did manage to score a victory over Felix in "Penelope the Elephant"--[[MeaninglessVillainVictory but even that victory doesn't pay off for him in the long run]]. The episodes plot is centered on the eponymous elephant who has gotten lost from her Rajah, who offers a 50,000,000 bakshee reward for her return. Felix finds Penelope and intends her safe return, but Rock Bottom gets word about the reward, kidnaps her and ties up Felix, and makes it to the Rajah's palace to claim the money reward before Felix can stop him. He is promptly given it by the Rajah--but it turns out that thanks to foreign exchange rates, 50,000,000 bakshees [[RidiculousExchangeRates is only worth 10 cents in American money]]. Rock Bottom is so flabbergasted at this outcome, that he angrily throws the meager award aside and goes into shock, while Felix gets the last laugh.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': [[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE21MadLove "Mad Love"]] has Harley Quinn manage to use one of the Joker's plots to capture Batman and have him dead to rights. This being [[MadLove Harley Quinn,]] Batman manages to play on her insecurities and call Joker. [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou That goes down as well as you'd expect.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'', D.O.O.M.'s designated ChewToy Larry gets fed up with Snapttrap's abuse and his advice being ignored, so he starts his own group G.L.O.O.M., short for Genius Larry's Order of Mayhem, operating under the alias of Murray, with Ollie and Francisco joining forces with him. Larry turns out to be a more effective villain than Snaptrap, plotting to shut down Petropolis' power and engulf Petropolis in fog, only to be foiled by Snaptrap who teams up with Dudley and Kitty to bring Larry, Ollie, and Francisco back into D.O.O.M.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': In ''Operation: C.A.N.Y.O.N..'', the Toiletnator attempts to make himself more successful by thwarting the KND's anniversary celebration with the Grand Canyon filled with Rainbow Munchies cereal. He ultimately succeeds in flushing the Rainbow Munchies out of the Grand Canyon, which results in the other KND operatives turning on Nigel and the rest of Sector V. Toiletnator doesn't get to enjoy his victory for long when Mr. Boss and the other villains chase after him as he had inadvertently screwed up ''their'' plan to ruin the anniversary party via a sneak attack.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' has instances where the villans win:
** The episode "Meet the Beat Alls" had Mojo Jojo, Princess, Fuzzy and Him team up into an ultra successful band, the "Beat Alls", which the Girls were powerless to beat conventionally. Enter [[YokoOhNo Moko Jono]]. True, Him is hardly a HarmlessVillain, but Fuzzy, Princess and Mojo ([[DependingOnTheWriter at times]]) are pretty low on the threat scale.
** In "Mr. Mojo's Rising", Mojo acquired the Girls' abilities and defeated them, only to launch into a [[ContemplateOurNavels navel-gazing session]] so severe that he didn't notice the Girls recover and turn him back to normal.
** The episode "You Snooze You Lose" even had '''''[[GoldfishPoopGang The Amoeba Boys]]''''' on the verge of victory, albeit ''completely by accident'', obliviously setting the Girls into a trap they stole from Mojo Jojo (until Mojo himself stopped the trap).
** In "Him Diddle Riddle", Him challenged the girls to solve a series of riddles on time to find Professor Utonium or the professor would have to "pay". They found the Professor a few seconds too late and Professor Utonium had to pay... [[spoiler: the diner bill. It was just a diner bill but, the villain won and the narrator didn't have anything to say when he'd usually say the day had been saved.]] It turns out to be a [[PyrrhicVictory tainted victory]] however [[spoiler: when Professor Utonium vows to never come to his diner again because the food was not worth the price, leaving Him to beg him not to leave, promising to make his pancakes cheaper]].
** The episode "Moral Decay" has one concerning almost ''every single villain'' in the series. After Buttercup gets greedy when she realizes she can get money from the Tooth Fairy, she starts collecting villains' teeth from fights. She soon resorts to randomly beating them unprovoked. The other girls find out and organize a surprise attack on her, where the RoguesGallery literally kick her teeth in.
** The SeriesFauxnale, "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" began with the city besieged by the girls' RoguesGallery, and the girls getting their butts kicked to set up the main plot.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'':
** While The Kanker Sisters ''always'' seize the day away from the Eds, there are a few exceptions. For example; "A Fistful of Ed" where Eddy successfully ''scares'' the Kankers away before they begin their usual "affection".
** "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 [[spoiler:with the Eds finally becoming popular after the kids saw the Eddy's brother influenced Eddy to be the way he was]].
** "Sir Ed-A-Lot" also ends with them turning the tables on BrattyHalfPint Sarah, [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard capturing her in her own home-made dungeon]] after she forces them to go along with her princess role play.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** In one episode, the "superheroes" lost control of their powers and were badly injured, and Mermaid Man was too weak to fight. However, Barnacle Boy (who just had a FaceHeelTurn and called himself "Barnacle Man") decides to simply go back to being good, just because he can now have an adult-sized Krabby Patty. The other villains are later seen in jail, participating in the EverybodyLaughsEnding.
** TheMovie has Plankton actually succeed in stealing the Krabby Patty formula (though, natch, [[TheUnreveal he doesn't read it to us]]).
** In "Wishing You Well" he also gets his wish of growing to several hundred feet to "crush his enemies". His appearance ends with him happily knocking down random buildings in Bikini Bottom.
** While he's not a villain, Squidward typically never comes out on top in episodes where he is being annoyed by [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick, sometimes even when he didn't even do anything to warrant getting his day ruined by them. That being said, there are a few of these types of episodes where Squidward comes up smelling like a rose:
*** Season 1 episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E9NaturePantsOppositeDay Opposite Day]]" ends with Squidward chasing [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick up the street on a bulldozer when their antics over Opposite Day end up driving away the real estate woman Squidward was trying to sell his house with.
*** Season 4 has the episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS4E9KrustyTowersMrsPuffYoureFired Krusty Towers]]", where after putting up with Mr. Krabs's abuse, Squidward turns the tables on him by quitting his job and coming back as a customer. [[ATasteOfHisOwnMedicine Squidward then uses the Hotel's policy to torture and abuse Mr. Krabs.]]
*** Season 7 had "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS7E19BuriedInTimeEnchantedTikiDreams Enchanted Tiki Dreams]]", where the entire episode is dedicated to giving Squidward a proper vacation with no karmic strings attached.
*** In the Season 12 episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS12E12JollyLodgersBiddySitting Jolly Lodgers]]", Squidward goes to stay at a hotel while his house is being cleaned by pest control, only for [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick to follow him there and basically make Squidward's stay there a living hell, which isn't helped by a convention full of eccentric jellyfishers also getting in on tormenting Squidward. Eventually, Squidward finally decides that he's had enough and calls the Bikini Bottom pest control about [[MetaphoricallyTrue a pest infestation]] at the hotel. Pest control arrives and gases the hotel, driving [=SpongeBob=], Patrick, and the jellyfishing convention out, and the episode ends with a gas mask-wearing Squidward doing a victory dance in his hotel room.
* 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 them 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.
* 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. It is then shown that the Mean Machine's nose was in its extended state and it ends with Dastardly cursing his disqualification. (Chalk it up to LazyArtist).
** Dastardly actually won two races outright in the comic books: "The Scavenger Scramble" (Gold Key #7) and "Trek To Tazmania" (Archie Comics #1). There were catches to the victories, however. Creator/HannaBarbera Fun-In (Gold Key #5) had a one-pager of Dastardly pushing the Mean Machine across the finish line after Muttley bails on him, and he uses the trophy, filled with hot water, to soak his feet.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' in which Omi freezes himself so he can go to the future and meet his future self (which ends up being a case of DidntThinkThisThrough, since taking TheSlowPath means he ''has'' no future self) 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.
** On a lighter note, he also won in two episodes, one where the robot he sent lost the showdown, but he stole all the monk's Sheng Gong Wu (in the "shake the heroes out of their comfort zone" model), and another where Omi actually loses due to misusing a shen gong wu, and the episode has a DownerEnding. Despite being an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, hes had several {{Near Villain Victor|y}}ies as well.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
** One short (the made-for-TV short "Soup or Sonic") has [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner Wile E. Coyote catching the Roadrunner]]. Of course, the coyote has shrunk down to a comically puny size so the Roadrunner is '''much''' bigger than him. Wile E. [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this by]] [[NoFourthWall pointing out to the audience that he has absolutely no clue what to do next.]]
--->'''Wile E. Coyote:''' [[TalkingWithSigns (Holds up a sign)]] Okay, wise guys, you always wanted me to catch him. Now what do I do?
** Also, in Creator/CartoonNetwork's ''I Shouldn't Be Alive'' [[https://vimeo.com/11486841 short on the Coyote]], after spending almost a whole year attempting to attack and capture the Road Runner, he finally has him within his grasp (he simply laid out some bird seed and leapt at him while he was eating), only to discover that his finger muscles were too weak to do anything to him.
** A bumper on ''The Road Runner Show'' (CBS, 1966-68; ABC, 1971-72) had the coyote diverting the Road Runner's attention by drawing a portrait of the two, the coyote in the drawing with a rifle in hand. The coyote grabs the Road Runner's neck only to have the coyote drawing blast him in the ass with the rifle.
** In one "Acme Hour" commercial on Cartoon Network, the Coyote catches and cooks the Roadrunner using Generic Brand rocket-rollerblades instead of ACME.
** Also WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd defeated Bugs at his own game in ''WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage'' (a semi remake of ''WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck'') as well as in ''WesternAnimation/HareBrush'' (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.
** In the original nine-minute long version of ''Duck Dodgers and The Return of the 24th and a Half Century'' Marvin the Martian seemingly achieves his goal of detonating the earth. With Dodgers distracted from his duties and earth's destruction almost certain, Marvin is left with no choice but to ensure the viewers "it's only a cartoon". Oddly this was cut from the shortened theatrical version of the short, though since it ends with Dodgers still having not stopped Marvin, the implication is still there.
** 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=bI-xkzjxCaQ obscure Tang endorsement from ''The Bugs Bunny Show'']] and Creator/CartoonNetwork's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvY3TwwLq_0 Big Game from 2001]], he has also defeated Bugs twice as well, also both were times where [[LaserGuidedKarma 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.
* An odd variation occurs with the ''WesternAnimation/PrivateSnafu'' shorts. Since most of them were made by the ''Looney Tunes'' staff, they tend to use the same goofy IneffectualSympatheticVillain caricatures of the Nazis and other enemy forces. Of course, Snafu was designed to represent how ''not'' to act during the war, leading to several instances he is cartoonishly defeated by his opponents. This is one of few times you'll see ThoseWackyNazis ''win'' and it still be PlayedForLaughs.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'':
** When the normally incompetent [[GoldfishPoopGang Scratch and Grounder]] are converted into [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot ninja robots]], they almost manage to kill Sonic and Tails; if it wasn't for Sonic and Tails escaping via sheer luck, and still at the very least they suffer no humiliating indignity this time.
** In the Chaos Emerald four parter, Robotnik manages to outsmart or overpower Sonic on four consecutive occasions to claim all four Chaos Emeralds and transform into the "Supreme High Robotnik, MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE!" He handily defeats Sonic in their first bout, after which the heroes rely on a TemporalParadox to defeat him.
* The ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld'' episode has Bowser actually make off with the money he made selling his mutant food to the cavepeople (or at least two bags of it), with Mario and Peach making no effort to stop him ([[VillainExitStageLeft not that they ever tried before, though]]). Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that his restaurant actually was a legal business, even though he was using it to turn the cavepeople into his {{Mooks}}.
** He also kept the money when he sold televisions to the cavepeople. In the cartoons, [[CutLexLuthorACheck someone cut Bowser a check]] and he's been abusing it ever since.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' episode "Crimes R Us:" In spite of their massive failure to rob the Mushroom Kingdom Treasury, Koopa and the Koopa Kids do manage to get away with over 1,000 items stolen from the Mushroom citizens.
** In ''Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' episode "Flatbush Koopa," Bowser is attacking Brooklyn, and Mario succeeds in trapping him back in the Mushroom Kingdom. Only he realizes too late that he's trapped there too, and the episode ends with Bowser blasting away at Mario and the gang, who are running away.
* [[EvilSorceror Daolon Wong]] from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' would be an IneffectualSympatheticVillain if he weren't such a {{Jerkass}}. The only time he ever scores a victory over the heroes, comes in the episode ''When Pigs Fly.'' Where he manages to claim not one, but two [[MacGuffin talisman powers]]. Even then, this victory is short lived, as he's immediately put in an AntiMagic cage and forced to retreat.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', a group of Franchise/{{Superman}} villains teamed up, planning to use their combined talents to finally kill the big blue alien once and for all. Naturally, the Justice League wipe the floor with them before Superman even gets there, but they still manage to pull it off! The one who made the killing blow? ..... Toyman. [[spoiler: Yeah, it was Toyman in a HumongousMecha and Superman was really only sent thousands of years into the future and returned home at the end of the episode, but still. Toyman.]]
** Then again, the DCAU version of Toyman was regularly portrayed as an example of [[BewareTheSillyOnes Beware the Silly Ones.]] In the final arc of Justice League Unlimited he curbstomps Killer Frost (that particularl episode was also an example of this trope, as nearly the entire length of the episode featured numerous bad guys getting the edge on other bad guys, including ones that got their asses kicked in earlier appearances), and later knocks out ''seven'' Parademons at the same time. He's shown alive and well at the end of the storyline, having outlived over a dozen more conventionally powerful villains that died earlier in the arc.
* As 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, ''WesternAnimation/SouthboundDuckling'' stands out even among the other Tom-related victories.
** In fact, Tom wins in a total of 13 different cartoons including ''Million Dollar Cat, The Vanishing Duck'' and ''Duel Personality.''
** He continues this tendency in ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTales'', where at least half a dozen episodes end on him getting the last laugh on Jerry.
* This pattern was replicated with Hanna-Barbera's later cat and mouse team ''WesternAnimation/PixieDixieAndMrJinks'' on ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow''. Perhaps due to his even more ineffectual qualities, Jinks actually came out on top a fair bit more often than Tom.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossibleMovieSoTheDrama'' (the original GrandFinale), Dr. Drakken finally works out a way to beat Kim Possible and to overrun the world at the same time. It's only thanks to Ron's LoveConfession that she finds back her HeroicResolve.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' has nearly succeeded in taking over the world/defeating [[HeroAntagonist Dib]] several times, only to be beaten by one DeusExMachina or another. However, there were a few times he had some (generally trivial):
** Although he didn't actually successfully complete his plot, Zim does get one satisfactory ending in which Dib is left trapped inside a cage with a vicious monkey while Zim gets to watch.
** The episode in which it is revealed that Zim is allergic to water ends with Zim unleashing a monstrous water balloon filled with the city's water supply FROM SPACE directly onto the Skool and Dib.
** In "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom", Zim fooled Dib into believing that he was granted special powers by shoe ghosts that allowed him to single-handedly take down Zim and the entire Irken armada. It ends with Zim revealing that he in fact had Dib under a simulation in a successful attempt to prove that Dib had thrown a muffin at him the day before. Then [[RestrainedRevenge he hits Dib with a muffin]] and lets him go.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
** In one episode Candace actually does succeed in busting her brothers, leading to Phineas and Ferb being sent to military school. [[spoiler: However, this turned out to be AllJustADream, which also turns out to be another dream Perry has in which Candace unintentionally blows his cover.]]
** We get a twofer when a time travel episode had her future self come back and bust them, causing a bad future where Dr. Doofenshmirtz rules. [[ResetButton Of course, it gets fixed.]]
*** Present Candace also busts them in the future, when she reveals to her mother everything Phineas and Ferb had done. However, Phineas and Ferb are now adults, and their mother can no longer punish them.
** Candace also succeeds in busting the boys in "She's the Mayor" where it goes so far as Mom actually berates them. Unfortunately for Candace, time rewinds at that point, but admit it, this ''is'' the closest she's ever gotten.
* ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'' episode 25, "Retreat": [[TheStarscream Starscream]] pulls a {{Determinator}} on the Autobots, managing to steal the Omega Lock and the three Cyber Planet Keys found thus far. This after ''successfully'' betraying Megatron. He goes on to [[MakeMyMonsterGrow supersize himself]] and become a major threat on his own until towards the end, and his showdown with Galvatron.
** The ''original'' ''[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Transformers]]'' had "Revenge of Bruticus" where the Autobots and Decepticons [[EnemyMine team up]] to defeat Bruticus, who is apparently destroyed...except after the Autobots have gone, it is revealed that Megatron faked his destruction and has actually reprogrammed him to serve the Decepticons.
** 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, taking their energy chips for his new militia, as well as those of Decepticon warriors 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 forces 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.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'':
** {{Defied|Trope}} in season 3: Hack and Slash ''would have'' succeeded in executing Cyris, but Slash refused to go through with it. It turns out Slash never wanted to win in the first place, counting on (now-absent) Bob to prevent him and Hack from doing anything ''too'' bad.
** There is also "Megabyte's Bane" at the end of season three. To quote:
--->'''Megabyte:''' No, you remember boy! How I turned defeat into victory... how I left you with a ''dying'' system...\\
'''Mouse:''' One last double-cross, sugah? ''[turns Megabyte's portal into a port to the web]''
::: He would have won, too, if it weren't for the timely lost-game that forced the system to, well, reboot.
** Played straight in season four, which ends on the mother of all cliffhangers, with Megabyte in control of the Principal Office.
** This happened in a few episodes of season 1, with Megabyte's plans succeeding at first until Bob & co manage to save the day. Hexadecimal came the closest, actually, in the episode 'Medusa Bug'. Bob was the only one immune to the bug because of his Guardian status, but everyone and everything else in Mainframe got turned to stone. Then he pointed out to Hex that she had just brought complete and total ''order'' to the entire system. Needless to say, she was disgusted, and immediately reversed the effects of the bug.
** Not to mention the end of season two, where Bob and Megabyte end up in an EnemyMine situation, trying to save Mainframe from being devoured by the web. Naturally, once the immediate danger to the system was under control, Megabyte double-crossed Bob, shooting him into the web. (Bob survived because of his Guardian code, but no one would know this for sure until late in season three.)
** In the middle of season three, the User manages to defeat Enzo in what's pretty much ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and win the game. (The only reason he, [=AndrAIa=], and Frisket weren't nullified is because they were able to convert to gamesprite mode.) Matrix got his payback towards the end of the season when the Users wound up in Mainframe thanks to the system's instabilities. It’s doubly cathartic since the User takes the form of the avatar he initially used to beat him, and now that Matrix has taken several levels in badass, the User doesn’t stand a chance.
* In the [[WesternAnimation/MegaMan Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon]], while his primary goal wasn't achieved, Wily made off with the money from robbing the citizens in "Crime of the Century" and the money from selling a shrunken Washington D.C. in "The Incredible Shrinking Megaman". If you want to get technical, he also got all the money from selling Fun World tickets.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' episode "Argorrible Attack", the Urpneys actually succeed in giving the majority of the Land of Dreams nightmares ([[PokeThePoodle a small time victory]], but exactly what Zordrak wanted). The heroes try to give Viltheed good dreams in revenge, and it actually proves somewhat ineffective. Though granted after that they decide to just [[CurbstompBattle beat the crap out of all of them]] instead.
** They do this again in "The Dream Beam Invasion", shrinking into the Noop's dreams and sabotaging them for one night. While they are foiled the following attempt, Frizz and Nug still manage to sneak into a dream and succeed. An angry Rufus, Amberley and Albert shrink into the dream seeking retribution, but [[MilesGloriosus change their mind]] when the Urpneys start growing back inside the dream, allowing them to retreat ([[AmusingInjuries albeit just above a lake...]]).
** Also in "The Spidermobile" Blob and his gang effortlessly overpower the entire Wut army and capture the Dreamstone (along with Rufus, Amberley and Pildit) using the aforementioned machine. For once they do not screw things up, it is [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Zordrak and Urpgor instead that lose the stone]], something Frizz and Nug find to be ActuallyPrettyFunny.
** Zordrak also succeeds in sending nightmares in the pilot and "The Nightmare Stone", while Zarag manages to do so in "The Substitute". It is also implied Argorribles actually make their way past the stone's barrier and succeed in giving nightmares on a frequent basis, just in ''very'' few numbers.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'' episode "Amnesio", Gantu actually manages to capture an experiment. Since it gives people amnesia he also manages to use it get his own back on his BadBoss Dr. Hamsterviel.
* Four ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' cartoons have Bluto/Brutus winning, but it is all precipitated by Popeye himself:
** In ''Hospitaliky'' (1937) and ''For Better Or Nurse'' (1945), Popeye and Bluto are both jockeying to severely injure themselves so they can get close to nurse Olive at the hospital. Popeye ends up force-feeding his spinach to Bluto, who delivers the necessary punishment to send Popeye to the hospital. ''I Bin Sculped'' (1961) has Popeye and Brutus vying to be Olive's model for a statue depicting a tired, beat-up specimen. Again, Popeye gives Brutus his spinach. He does so again in ''Round the World in 80 Days'' (1960) as a means to win a global race (Brutus socks Popeye on the chin and it sends Popeye circumnavigating the globe to the race's finish).
--->'''Bluto:''' ''[after he and Popeye both miss getting hit by a train]'' Ya runt! Now ''nobody's'' goin' to the hospital!\\
'''Popeye:''' Oh, yeah? Well, ''one'' of us is goin' to the hospital... ''[takes out spinach]'' and it '''''ain't you!!'''''
** Brutus (Bluto's name in the 1960s) actually comes up smelling like a rose at the end of ''After the Ball Went Over'' (1960) without even laying a finger on Popeye, whose nitroglycerine-laced ping-pong ball explodes on him when he intends to have it explode on Brutus.
--->'''Olive:''' Is there anything special you'd like, Popeye?\\
'''Popeye:''' Yeah... [[MediumAwareness a new writer to writes me spinach back in the script!]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/JakeAndTheNeverLandPirates'' hour-long special "Jake Saves Bucky" has Captain Hook challenging the protagonists to a race for ownership of the Buccaneer. He actually wins, only to lose it in the second half because a loophole in their contract that he didn't want to show them allowed them to reclaim it if they completed a certain task by sunrise.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' episode, "The Day The Music Died" has the Misfits taking over what's left of The Holograms and The Stingers after Riot tricks Jem into taking a cruise with him to Mexico and then becoming stranded on an island. Once Jem is found and returns home, Pizzazz quickly gives control of Starlight Music back to Jerrica/Jem without a fight because all the money she made in her absence went right back into taking care of the Starlight Girls and maintaining Starlight House.
* Peg Leg Pete did win one bout against Mickey in the ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts''. "The Barn Dance" ends with him winning Minnie's affections after being unimpressed by Mickey's poor dancing skills. The mouse is in tears.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Minor antagonist [[StageMagician Trixie]] returns to Ponyville (under the influence of an ArtifactOfDoom) and uses said artifact's power to defeat Twilight Sparkle and successfully banish her from Ponyville. As you can imagine, her victory (and quasi-military occupation of Ponyville) does not last long, but still, she did defeat [[TheArchmage Twilight Sparkle]].
** Another episode pits adventurer Daring Do against Dr. Caballeron, who plans on selling a stolen ring to Ahuizotl. Daring Do disguises herself as an elderly adventurer and tries buying it from him, but Ahuizotl appears before they can make the trade. Dr. Caballeron gives Ahuizotl the ring; Daring Do gets too distracted by her perennial rival to notice that he makes off with her sack of bits, accomplishing his mission and then some.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'', WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck normally loses when confronted with WesternAnimation/ChipAndDale. 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. The ''Series/WaltDisneyPresents'' edit of the short plays it straight though: in the framing sequence after the short, Donald tricks the two chipmunks into getting pelted endlessly with peanuts from Dolores.
* A few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' end with [[TheCaligula Lucius]] having the upper hand, including "The Product Tester" and "Catalog of Misery".
* 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 [[NoEnding there is no resolution clear enough to truly count as a victory]]. The one and single time that he clearly won was in the "Scratch 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.
* A recurring trope with any show written by Creator/GregWeisman. Being the guy who created that {{Xanatos|Gambit}}, it's quite common for the heroes to succeed only for the viewer to realize that the villain's plans never hinged on the outcome of the heroes' intervention. A good example from ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. Xanatos orchestrated the jail break of the Pack (except Fox, who decided to stay) with some covert tactics and a robotic duplicate that allowed him to claim no involvement and then gives them upgrades to boost their ability to fight the Gargoyles. Of course, the Gargoyles foil the escape and manage to get the improved Pack Neutralized, but the threat to the Gargoyles was incidental. Xanatos couldn't care less if they had won or lost, as the goal of this scheme was to create a mass jail break that Fox would refuse to partake in, thus securing her an early release from an impressed parole board.
* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'': The Brotherhood boys pretty much always get their asses kicked by the X-Men, however, in the season 1 two part finale, they actually manage to defeat them (aside from Rogue defeating Toad). And an episode in season 2 depicts a fight between the two groups in a mall at night; as usual, the X-Men seem to have won again, but then [[ComicBook/ScarletWitch Wanda Maximoff]] shows up...
--> '''Blob:''' All right! We finally beat 'em!
* The very first episode of Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' 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 decidedly PyrrhicVictory....
[[/folder]]

*** In ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'', Eggman ''actually'' defeats Sonic for real, and is rewarded with the Treasure of Babylon for his efforts. Unfortunately, said treasure is a MagicCarpet, which he has no use for, making his victory [[PyrrhicVictor hollow]].

** Eggman has never bested Sonic in the long run, but there has been a handful of times where he managed to get the upper hand:
*** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', this happens a couple of times -- the destruction of Prison Island, the firing of the Eclipse Cannon, and the scene where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8t0WJTx5XM Sonic nearly dies]] (and is conveniently saved because Sonic [[ChekhovsSkill somehow knew how to use Chaos Control]] [[AwesomenessByAnalysis after watching Shadow use the ability]]).

* In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', once you can play as M. Bison, this trope can apply. If you win as Bison, his armies take over the world. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha3'' takes it even further: Bison's ending is everyone else's bad ending should they lose to him (while Bison's bad ending is Ryu's good ending).

* In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', once you can play as M. Bison, this trope can apply. If you win as Bison, his armies take over the world.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/Lilo&StitchTheSeries'' episode "Amnesio", Gantu actually manages to capture an experiment. Since it gives people amnesia he also manages to use it get his own back on his BadBoss Dr. Hamsterviel.

** Quite possibly the most successful of all. The upper level demon Shax managed to kill [[spoiler: Prue]] at the end of season 3. [[KilledOffForReal For good]]. In the same episode, [[spoiler: Piper]] was also shot dead by a simple human.

* Team Skull from ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers of Time/Darkness/Sky'' was introduced as an [[WarmUpBoss easy first boss]]. In a later mission where your team is sent out to get Perfect Apples however, Team Skull brings their leader along to defeat your team, and then they take the apples you were supposed to find.

* Happens during [[WhamEpisode episode 26]] of the first season of ''Anime/TwinPrincessOfWonderPlanet''. [[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 "Him Diddle Riddle", Him challenged the girls to solve a series of riddles on time to find Professor Utonium or the professor would have to "pay". They found the Professor a few seconds too late and Professor Utonium had to pay... [[spoiler: the diner bill. It was just a diner bill but, the villain won and the narrator didn't have anything to say when he'd usually say the day had been saved.]] It turns out to be a tainted victory however [[spoiler: when Professor Utonium vows to never come to his diner again because the food was not worth the price, leaving Him to beg him not to leave, promising to make his pancakes cheaper]].

*** Season 4 has the episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS4E9KrustyTowersMrsPuffYoureFired Krusty Towers]] where after putting up with Mr. Krabs's abuse, Squidward turns the tables on him by quitting his job and coming back as a customer. [[ATasteOfHisOwnMedicine Squidward then uses the Hotel's policy to torture and abuse Mr. Krabs.]]

* At the end of the first arc of ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'', [[spoiler:Bagramon easily takes all the Code Crowns and reconfigures the Digital World. Taiki, Akari, Zenjirou, and Shoutmon are blown back to Earth. While they're gone, Kiriha and Nene are forced into hiding, Xros Heart is captured, and the Digital World comes under worse oppression than before]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'''s plot starts rolling when Megamind finally defeats his arch-nemesis Metro Man, which is lampshaded by both Megamind's sidekick early on and [[spoiler:Metro Man]] much later.

* The second season's arc of ''FanFic/LaSerieDeKen'' is kicked precisely because of this, Team Rocket manages to steal all but one of Ken's Pokémon and he has to start anew with a new set to try to recover them, it also marks the start of the villains as NotSoHarmlessVillain and the series' CerebusSyndrome.

* Done with some of the early villains in both ''[[FanFic/UltimateSleepwalker Ultimate Sleepwalker: The New Dreams]]'' and ''[[FanFic/UltimateSpiderWoman Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With The Light]]'' as a means of averting VillainDecay. Some of the earliest villains Sleepwalker and Spider-Woman have fought later defeat the heroes, or defeat other villains, to maintain the badass credentials of the entire RoguesGallery and make the very clear point that the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil does ''not'' apply in these two series.

* The Pokemon story ''FanFic/CommonSense'' is all about giving Team Rocket a level in badass and becoming a more serious threat from its very first appearance in the canon series. While Jessie, James and Meowth don't win every single time they encounter Ash, they are so devastating in their wins that they have become Ash's personal KnightOfCerebus brigade.

** Also, in Creator/CartoonNetwork's ''IShouldntBeAlive'' [[http://vimeo.com/11486841 short on the Coyote]], after spending almost a whole year attempting to attack and capture the Road Runner, he finally has him within his grasp (he simply laid out some bird seed and leapt at him while he was eating), only to discover that his finger muscles were too weak to do anything to him.

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': In ''Operation: C.A.N.Y.O.N..'', the Toiletnator attempts to make himself more successful by thwarting the KND's anniversary celebration with the Grand Canyon filled with Rainbow Munchies cereal. He ultimately succeeds in flushing the Rainbow Munchies out of the Grand Canyon, which results in the other kNDs turning on Nigel. Toiletnator doesn't get to enjoy his victory for long when Mr. Boss and the other villians chase after him.