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6->''Well, you can't win 'em all''\
7''Every empire has to fall''\
8''Just have a go, inside you'll know''\
9''You gave your all''\
10''Everybody wins sometime''\
11''Has their day in the sunshine''\
12''If you're not on top when the music stops''\
13''Well, you can't win 'em all.''
14-->-- '''Greg Champion''', "You Can't Win 'em All"
15
16You have a character. They may be TheHero or TheRival, or maybe just a competitor for a mundane sport you've just heard of. Either way though, they are very good at what they do, so much that they pretty much never fail, or are even remotely challenged by it. They can in most simplistic terms be considered a "winner".
17
18Except today. Maybe it's just [[NotMyLuckyDay Not Their Lucky Day]] or they've done something antagonistic to cost them their KarmicProtection, but for once in their usually glimmering life they've ended up the loser of the situation.
19
20How they take their humbling can vary greatly. Some have been on the winning end so long that a single loss is completely alien to them. They may [[HeroicBSOD break]] [[VillainousBreakdown down]], [[SoreLoser throw a tantrum]], or [[GracefulLoser just accept the humility and learn from their mistake]]. Whoever put them off their high horse will likely also be in their eye for quite a while, either as a [[DefeatEqualsFriendship respected rival]] or a despised saboteur of their legacy.
21
22If a heroic case, it sometimes happens because TheBadGuyWins or TeamRocketWins, though not always (one side doesn't necessarily have to win for another to lose). In some of such cases, it may be [[TheWorfEffect a sign that]] [[NotSoHarmlessVillain the villain]] [[KnightOfCerebus means business]].
23
24Very often connected to DefeatingTheUndefeatable if their winning streak is {{lampshaded}} in universe.
25
26See 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 to make a point) and CurbStompCushion (when an otherwise CurbStompBattle is briefly disrupted by the outclassed party managing to get one defiant shot in).
27
28----
29
30!!Examples:
31
32[[foldercontrol]]
33
34[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
35* A plot point exclusive to the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''. While Sakura always succeeded in capturing the Clow Cards in the original manga, a stipulation is added in the anime where [[TheRival Syaoran Li]] can earn the cards himself if he put the most effort into weakening them. Granted, this becomes less significant as Sakura has increasing difficulty resenting Syaoran as a rival, at some later points even happily giving him a card as a token of friendship or gratitude for an earlier act.
36* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', this happens to [[Characters/DeathNoteLightYagami 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]].
37* 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 Inosuke is temporarily saddened by this, 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 teamwork and the importance of growing connections with others as he learns from Tanjiro.
38* Tends to show up in ''Manga/FoodWars'', owing to the absolutely brutal and competitive setting of Tootsuki Culinary Academy. Three major examples stand out:
39** Two happen during the Training Camp arc; one is during the unofficial Shokugeki with Shinomiya, and the other is during the breakfast buffet challenge. Both times, Soma barely scrapes by; in the showdown due to the fact that [[spoiler:Gin had set it up as more of a lesson for all parties involved instead of a 100% truthful Shokugeki]], and in the buffet with some particularly quick thinking and cooking to correct a major miscalculation on his part. Both times he takes it pretty seriously, realizing that while he may not have ''lost'' per se, he scraped by on the skin of his teeth; in the second case, he refers to having "gained the knowledge of failing" due to his mistakes.
40** The second is at the end of the Autumn Election. With [[spoiler:both Soma and Kurokiba losing to Akira]], their determination to grow based on their defeat fires them up tremendously.
41* In ''Manga/KarateShoukoushiKohinataMinoru'', Imai Yuuto, a practitioner of an MMA karate style most likely inspired by Daido Juku, is an undefeated prodigy at the age of sixteen, with over 200 victories in competitive fights. He uses mind games and [[CombatPragmatist a liberal interpretation of the rules]], along with his prodigious reach and considerable skills, to overcome more experienced opponents. However, he suffers a humiliating defeat by ippon (effectively a knockout) to Minoru in the Kaburagi Ryu championships, when Minoru is only a green belt with less than a year of training in karate.
42* The LadyOfWar Signum from the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series goes through this in ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce''. Having never been defeated in the two seasons since her introduction, she suffers a devastating defeat at the hands of the new villainess, Cypha of Huckebein, spending ten chapters in ICU. She takes the occasion to take a more cautious approach in the future and rely more on technological advantages rather than pure skill.
43* ''Manga/MedakaBox'': Kurokami Medaka [[spoiler:was in very real danger of losing herself as a person as she continued winning in her proclaimed life purpose of bringing happiness to complete strangers. She at least partially knew this herself, but just couldn't stop herself from winning, and thus searched for enemies like Unzen Myouri, Miyakonoujo Oudo, and Kumagawa Misogi to act as self-detterents (only to defeat them all). In order to be saved from this, it took Hitoyoshi Zenkichi defeating her in the 100th Student Council Election. That defeat was her first real loss EVER, and it was exactly what she needed to start growing as more of a person and less of a glorified character sheet.]]
44** [[spoiler:Very similar to Medaka, this is what "Not Equal" Ajimu Najimi is desperately trying to have. She has been winning so amazingly for so long (longer than the universe has been around, in fact) that all her efforts in the story are to try to achieve the impossible (like creating a perfect human or defeating the Main Character) and finally fail at it. Without such a defeat to ground her, reality itself just doesn't feel more real to her than some twisted shonen manga. In fact, when she bets on Zenkichi defeating Medaka and wins AGAIN, she attempts suicide on the spot (Medaka preventing her from doing so).]]
45* Any time Chaud loses in ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior''. May be combined with TheWorfEffect.
46* 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 being blackmailed into defecting to the bad guys believing he was essentially worthless after losing so badly, before things get better.
47-->'''Julian''': I do not have anything left to give. There is no value in a broken sword.
48* 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.
49* Saitama from ''Anime/OnePunchMan'' desperately [[VictoryIsBoring wants]] this to happen, but so far has had no luck (outside of video games and eating contests, that is).
50* Ash Ketchum of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' has a very good winning streak in battles and is the saviour of almost every crisis, especially in later seasons. Every now and then, however, he suffers a crippling loss, screws up a mission, or even suffers a rare beat-down by [[TeamRocketWins Team Rocket]].
51** Inverted in the first season, where Ash was a rookie (and a ButtMonkey on top of it), so he actually tasted defeat on a regular basis anyway.
52** Both Dawn and Serena, while usually superior coordinators to Jessie, lost to her at least once in a performance tournament (Dawn also once lost to James disguised as her, long story), making them the first twerps to [[TeamRocketWins suffer an unnegated loss to Team Rocket]]. This never happened to May, though her own underhanded rival, Harley, claimed a single victory against her despite his bitter losing streak against her.
53** "Holy Matrimony" stands as the only episode thus far where Ash's side suffers the EndOfEpisodeSilliness, while ''Team Rocket'' get the sentimental HappyEnding.
54** Then, there's every time he loses a League. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Every. Single. Time.]]... until he becomes the champion of the Alola League.
55* In the fourth season of ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Yami Yugi loses to one of the mid-bosses after a philosophical debate about the merits of attempting to win at any cost.
56** Yugi's first defeat in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' was against Kaiba (albeit because Kaiba threatened to commit suicide if Yugi beat him). It caused Yugi to fear Yami, who either called Kaiba's bluff or didn't care. ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' had fun with this.
57--->'''Yugi:''' [[SeriousBusiness I lost a children's card game! I no longer have a reason to live!]]
58** The show starts off with Yugi beating Kaiba in a duel (having remained undefeated beforehand), leading to an epic VillainousBreakdown and Yugi wiping the darkness from his mind, greatly affecting his attitude.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:Comic Book]]
62* One weird fantasy story from DC Comics had a high school basketball coach placed in the position of having to invoke this trope on the inner city youths he turned into an unbeatable team after a fortune teller reveals that they go on to be an unbeatable Black Ops team where their only defeat results in Earth's conquest by aliens, so that they'll have the learning experience to be more cautious when that day comes and hopefully save Earth this time around.
63* Anytime [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Donald Duck]] finally one-ups Gladstone Gander. WordOfGod even noted the importance of this trope and keeping it rare, knowing there's only so many times they can do the "lucky guy runs out of luck" plot to proper effect.
64* ''Comicbook/LaffALympics'': The Yogi Yahooeys and the Scooby Doobies are used to losing to each other but, when the [[OpposingSportsTeam Really Rottens]] win, they and the fans feel like it's a tragedy.
65-->'''Shaggy:''' I don't mind losing... but losing to the Really Rottens is awful!
66* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': According to the creative team, SEGA officially mandated that Sonic could not suffer a long-term defeat. However this did not mean the writers could not conjure up serious roadblocks for the hedgehog or even pull some LoopholeAbuse for a some ''really'' bittersweet victories:
67** Issue #175 has Eggman invade Knothole and blast it to smithereens and capture all the Freedom Fighters. What's more, due to creating a mech (the Egg Beater) built to resist Sonic's speed, he delivers a most sound verbal and physical beatdown to the hedgehog, with Sonic only able to make a small dent at his full power. Granted, the victory is short-lived, and next to everything is reversed back (if not bettered) for the heroes by all of one issue, but still, Eggman made his mark on Sonic.
68** The final arc prior to the cosmic reboot is pretty much just one ongoing HumiliationConga for Sonic. While he prevents Eggman's plan to robotocise the entire planet, he loses Sally in a HeroicSacrifice, with her mecha form constantly used against him, Geoffery St John reveals himself as TheMole for Naugus and backstabs the Freedom Fighters, Antoine is left in a coma from an ambush, with Bunnie left MIA from the heartbreak, and Naugus takes over as ruler of Mobotropolis after the population turns on NICOLE after the Freedom Fighters' oversights led her to get corrupted by the Iron Queen in the previous arc. By the end of all these blows, Sonic is just short of undergoing a HeroicBSOD and a much more bitter and desperate hero, only showing signs of making a full recovery just before the reset occurs.
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Fan Works]]
72* In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'', Zero hands Cornelia her first defeat on the battlefield at the Battle of Saitama Ghetto, largely thanks to her seriously misjudging his character.
73* In ''FanFic/FantasyOfUtterRidiculousness'', Yuuka experiences this when she tries and fails to defeat Megas with what is implied to be her full power. It takes time, being given some sunflower seeds, and the revelation that Coop had ''not'' been responsible for damaging the Garden of the Sun's flowers before she's finally able to get over it.
74* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'':
75** After arriving in the new timeline, Ash went on a very long winning streak. However, nothing lasts forever, and he ultimately loses to Red in the Battle Dome tournament. His traveling companions are surprised to see him take it so well, evidencing that his many losses in the previous timeline definitely taught him to cope with defeat.
76** Red gets a bit of this after his Haunter is knocked out by Lilo's Mudsdale using [[LimitBreak Tectonic Rage]] during the Fuchsia Tag Tournament semifinals, realizing that Lilo would have beaten him in their previously interrupted match (his inner monologue reveals that, despite getting some Pokémon knocked out, he's never actually lost a battle up to that point). Even after Ash manages to pull off an almost impossible win (having Pikachu at ''complete'' disadvantage against Mudsdale), he still feels bothered by this. He later loses fully to [[OldMaster Ultima]] on Two Island.
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
80* In ''Film/TheStreetfighter's Last Revenge'', Terry Tsurugi is finally defeated in combat by the corrupt district attorney, Takera Kunigami. Keep in mind that Terry had not been defeated in the first two films in the series.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Literature]]
84* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban,'' Gryffindor goes up against Hufflepuff in Quidditch, and Harry and Cedric are both racing to catch the GoldenSnitch. At that very moment, a huge pack of [[EmotionEater Dementors]] -- which affect Harry worse than most people -- come onto the pitch, making Harry faint and fall off his broom. When he wakes up in the Hospital Wing, he's devastated, since this was the first time he had ever failed to win the game for his team.
85* In Creator/PiersAnthony's ''Proton/Phaze'' series, the serf Stile is fighting for his life in the Games, for which the prize is to rise from Serf to Citizen status. He has everything to play for. He comes up against a ten-year old boy who is playing for the hell of it. The game Computer generates a game of pure chance and sudden death; Stile loses one of his two "lives" on a sudden random chance.
86* ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'': Reynard is profoundly changed throughout ''The Baron of Maleperduys'' due to a series of major setbacks. Not only does he fail to convince Persephone to run off with him, he also [[spoiler:loses his left hand due to infection]]. Much of his cheer and penchant for snark is gone by the end of the novel.
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
90* ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'': Spot Spotnik usually takes advantage of Ruff in someways, However, after it's revealed that he deceived Ruff into thinking he was fired and bought his fancy pants after Scruff sold them for luging lessons to break the Ruffman luging curse, and Spotnik is dating Charlene wearing the exact same pants. Ruff takes advantage of one thing, Spotnik does not realize that the pants have a [[SelfDestructMechanism remote controlled self-destruct mechanism]]. Ruff destroys the pants, humiliating Spotnik in public.
91* In the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "Shindig", the noble scion Atherton Wing challenges Malcolm Reynolds to a duel after Reynolds punches him (for making a disrespectful remark about Inara), and Wing is considered a master swordsman with many kills under his belt. He is rather arrogant about it in the way he toys with Malcolm initially in the duel, but is quite humbled when Malcolm (who has never fought with swords before) exploits a distraction and gains the upper hand -- and moreso when Malcolm refuses to "finish him off" as is customary.
92* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
93** Following his defeat on the Blackwater, Stannis Baratheon sinks into a depression and becomes even more dependent on the red priestess Melisandre.
94** After losing his sword hand, Jaime Lannister realizes that he must now rely on tactics other than direct force to get what he wants.
95* In an episode of ''Series/HappyDays'', Fonzie takes on an undefeated internationally famous fencer and beats him.
96* ''Series/LazyTown'': Sportacus does fail in two episodes, "Soccer Sucker" and "The Laziest Town."
97** "Soccer Sucker" has Robbie order a soccer-playing robot that's so good at soccer it beats Sportacus 7 to 1 with a mix of cheating and just being better than him at one-on-one. When it rampages out of control, Sportacus has to team up with all the other kids to beat it in a rematch.
98** "The Laziest Town" is about a yearly contest where everyone must do some type of physical activity or the town will be named "The Laziest Town on Earth." When the meter is at 90%, Sportacus tries to fill the last 10% but he tires out too soon. Robbie Rotten fills the gap with a victory dance.
99* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E21PeakPerformance Peak Performance]]", Pulaski persuades Data to play Stratagema against Kolrami, an expert at the game, with the intention of taking Kolrami down a peg. The first time it doesn't work since he defeats Data without much trouble), but at the end of the episode they have a rematch and Data succeeds by keeping the game going until Kolrami loses his temper and quits.
100[[/folder]]
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102[[folder:Video Games]]
103* You inflict this on Nitrus Oxide by beating him in Adventure Mode in ''Videogame/CrashTeamRacing''.
104-->'''Oxide:''' AGGHHH!!! I can't believe you beat me! Impossible! I ''never'' lose! How embarrassing. I'll be the laughing stock of the entire Gasmoxian race.
105** And on Emperor Velo in Adventure Mode in ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart''. [[VillainousBreakdown He takes it even worse...]]
106* ''VideoGame/Disgaea5AllianceOfVengeance'': In his backstory, Killia used to be Tyrant Overlord Killidia, a fearsome and bloodthirsty resident of Cryo Blood, where [[WretchedHive the scum of demonkind tend to drift to]]. Sometime after becoming the Overlord, he ran into the Great Demon Fist, Goldion, whom proceeded to [[CurbStompBattle hand Killidia his ass on a silver platter]], eventually taking him in as an apprentice. Killidia initially wasn't interested in playing along, but the events that transpired afterwards went a long way in mellowing him out, though by the game's timeline it's clear that Killia [[SuperpoweredEvilSide isn't fully clear of his past...]]
107* Sephiroth in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is not only a 1st Class SOLDIER, he's the best one out of the entire group and is probably the strongest fighter in the world who has never lost a battle. After going crazy when discovering his troubling past, he stabs Cloud in the gut with his sword and lifts him in the air. Cloud, who is just a lowly grunt at that point in time, manages to overthrow Sephiroth through sheer determination and leverage, granting him the strength to send Sephiroth tumbling down to the mako reactor below. Sephiroth survives through sheer force of will and manages to rebuild himself with the purpose of [[MindRape screwing with Cloud's head]] as he manipulates him to bring a dangerous MacGuffin. In the movie sequel, Sephiroth comes back to life solely on his pure hatred for Cloud and wanting to get back at him for losing against him. This also extends to the spin off games where Sephiroth seems to only exist to harass Cloud time and time again.
108* The player character in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has never suffered a single defeat. Whatever complications that do arise are only temporary and they are quickly known by both their allies and enemies alike that they kick ass every time no matter who or what they face against. The ''Stormblood'' expansion has the player lose against [[BigBad Zenos]] in their first encounter, which shocks everyone that witnessed it. The player character picks themselves up and is determined to not lose again, knowing that they will not fail the next time they meet with Zenos. They still lose to him again the second time they meet him, but they eventually turn the tables in later encounters.
109* From ''Franchise/MassEffect'', not counting the Collector's ambush of the original Normandy, [[TheAce Commander Shepard]] does not lose a single battle in the entire trilogy, until Thessia. The loss on Thessia sends Shepard into a noticeable HeroicBSOD and about as close as s/he's ever been to the DespairEventHorizon. Some words from Garrus, Joker, and Anderson, as well as helping Liara cope with it, brings him/her out of it to make a devastating strike back on Cerberus.
110* At the start of ''VideoGame/PaperMario64'', Bowser (once again) attacks Peach's castle. The Princess sets Mario on him, boasting he has always kicked Bowser's ass. Cue Bowser pulling out his newly stolen Star Rod and finally defeating Mario in a HopelessBossFight. Mario also suffered a defeat far earlier in ''Donkey Kong Junior'' where he was the villain in the game and is defeated by the titular character.
111* In ''VideoGame/SonicRiders''' Story Mode, Sonic fails to capture Jet when he first meets him stealing an Emerald and later loses to him (albeit by cheating) in the World Grand Prix Final. With excess gloating added to the mix, Jet becomes one of the very few of Sonic's foes to not only outsmart him in their goal, but actually get under his skin.
112* 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. Turns out [[PerfectionIsImpossible no longer being reasonably expected to live up to the impossible standard the Council of Heaven set for him]] is incredibly liberating for Gabriel.
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Visual Novels]]
116* Cecilia from ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', who is used to getting her own way, launches into a tirade when [[spoiler:the protagonist is acquitted at his trial]].
117* In ''[[VisualNovel/TheFreshman The Junior]]'', we have [[TerribleTrio Alpha Theta Mu]], who committed horrible crimes for decades and ended up exposed to the protagonist, causing the Alphas to lose their chater and become extinct. To be even more humiliating, the president of the fratority and his cronies were arrested for the [[DeadlyPrank crimes]] against the protagonist and her friends.
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Western Animation]]
121* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' involves Steve being rejected from a football team after Stan becomes coach. For revenge, he and Roger try to cause his team to lose. After they succeed, Stan attempts suicide in humiliation, being completely unused to the concept of losing a basic sport.
122* Not only does WesternAnimation/DangerMouse go through a HumiliationConga throughout "The Wild, Wild Goose Chase," but he does not win as well. He had spent the serial tracking Greenback using a device in hollowed-out book that tells where his next hideout is (DM impersonates the Baron's voice). For all his troubles, DM finds what Greenback left him in his final hideout--the pages of the book torn out to make room for the device. DM blows his top, runs outside and yells "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I! HATE! THAT! TOAD!!!]]"...and gets a final zap from the Baron's voice activated ray gun.
123* Arguably any instance Zordrak and the Urpneys [[TeamRocketWins succeed in giving nightmares]] to the usually well protected Noops in ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone''. "The Dream Beam Invasion", however, is the only episode to outright end with the Noops being humiliated by the Urpneys in a face off (even if the latter are also robbed of the last laugh after falling into a lake during the closing gag).
124** A few episodes ended with the Noops defeating the Urpneys' plans but getting their own agenda ruined in some way. "Little Urpip" is a noteworthy case where Rufus and Amberley get the DownerEnding while Frizz and Nug laugh off their failure (largely due to the EndOfEpisodeSilliness that befalls Sgt. Blob).
125** The biggest example of this is the penultimate episode, "The Spidermobile". This time Urpgor creates an invention that the Noops and even the Wuts completely fail to stop in any meaningful capacity, and the only reason that Zordrak doesn’t outright win is due to mistakes on his behalf. At least it was pretty cathartic to watch the usually hopelessly outclassed Urpneys finally curbstomp the heroes.
126* This was the plot point of a ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode, where Magica De Spell uses magic to invert Gladstone's good luck.
127* WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch usually got the best of zookeeper Mr. Peevly. In the debut episode "Keep Your Keeper," Peevly actually wins. (Peevly is no antagonist or villain, he's simply a Punch Clock Butt-Monkey saddled with a zoo full of animals that don't take him seriously.)
128* Played with in the ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode "Steely Phil" when Grandpa Phil goes up against an arrogant Chinese Checkers champion (the one that he lost against back around 20 years ago in the finals). Being caught in the same trap in the current match, Phil uses the one other move he could have performed, resulting in a draw. Given how the (now co-) champion reacts however, you'd think he truly had lost.
129** This actually happens a lot in the show. Usually, whenever one of the characters competes in a game, they will be confronted by a near abnormal undefeated rival ShroudedInMyth. They pretty much always get beaten gloriously by the main characters.
130* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
131** WesternAnimation/BugsBunny could be considered Western Animation's most iconic ComicallyInvincibleHero. Though the odd-spaced out short ends up with him the ButtMonkey due to his own ego getting the better of him. He ''never'' won against Cecil Turtle in any three of their bouts.
132** Similarly, WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales, who was even more infallible than Bugs. At least three cartoons ended on a particularly sour note for him, however (''Mucho Locos'', ''Chili Corn Corny'', and ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDucksFantasticIsland'').
133** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', Cecil is portrayed as a purposely obnoxious and annoying customer service representative for a cable company where once every so often, he purposely disconnects a person's package and messes with them the whole time. He does this to Bugs, and it results in him finally being handed a defeat by Bugs himself, with Bugs getting his service back (and better) and Cecil being fired by Daffy, who spends his role at the company firing everyone for petty reasons.
134* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
135** Rainbow Dash is completely dumbfounded by Applejack beating her in a sport in "Fall Weather Friends". The taste of defeat is also pretty bitter.
136--->'''Rainbow Dash:''' I ''hate'' losing.
137*** It worsens as both competitors go to increasingly desperate measures to avoid this trope. This cultimates in them taking part in the Running of the Leaves race, where they [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat become so distracted trying to obstruct the other]] they actually both come in ''last''.
138** Arguably the rare instances Twilight Sparkle is bested in terms of magical power, as she is often implied to be among the most powerful ponies in Equestria and usually only suffers the occasional failure due to her PowerIncontinence. Her CurbstompBattle against Trixie in "Magic Duel" possibly being the best example (though Trixie was using a powerful ArtifactOfDoom).
139** No matter what horrors occur to them throughout the episode, the outcome is next to always a clear cut HappyEnding with the starring pony better from their experience. The episode "Swarm Of The Century", however, ends on a comedic DownerEnding, with the main ponies left to clear up a devastated Ponyville from the recent fiasco.
140* 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]].
141* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'':
142** This happened to Vince after one of the Ashleys outclassed him in kickball. Losing all his self-confidence, things only worsen to the point he can't even make a basic kick anymore, until his friends coax him into kicking a (supposedly) modified ball to bring back his self-esteem and competence.
143** Deliberately initiated in another episode. After Vince becomes conceited about his victory streak in sports games, the rest of the gang dare him to lose. He does so, and acts ''even more smug'' about it. It comes to a head when he is against someone as skilled and possibly more conceited. Vince then tries to win after losing and either has to win the game (for pride) or lose (for his friends). He chooses the latter.
144* Some comedic cases have occurred where the heroes lose in some way in ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'':
145** At least two episodes have ended on a HumiliationConga for Sonic, both cases due to being at odds with his teammates rather than Eggman. "[[Recap/SonicBoomS1E25IntoTheWilderness Into The Wilderness]]", where he and Knuckles lose an expedition contest with Amy and Sticks, and the aptly named "{{Designated Hero}}es" where the others lock him in the same prison as Eggman for becoming too much of a GloryHound.
146** "Chez Amy" ended with Eggman sending his robots onto Amy's restaurant. Though the heroes deal with the robots, [[TeamRocketWins the restaurant is still destroyed]], leaving Amy back to dealing with Meh Burger.
147* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
148** Played with episode "Employee of the Month", where Spongebob becomes increasingly paranoid and downbeat just by the mere possibility of this happening, with Squidward potentially winning the employee of the month award and ruining his 26-month-long reign. Whether the trope actually occurs is never seen, since both competitors reach such insane extremes to win they outright destroy the Krusty Krab in the process.
149** This actually happens in the later episode "Breath of Fresh Squidward" after an electric shock affects Squidward's brain and makes him even kinder and more hard working than Spongebob. Given how much he dreaded it the previous episode, [[HeroicBSOD the reaction is expected]].
150* The latter half of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' usually ended each short with Jerry outwitting Tom. On occasion, however, Jerry's luck run out. At least a dozen shorts ended with Tom getting the last laugh, while many others ended in a bitter stalemate. These almost always happened when Jerry initiated the feud or got too spiteful in his retaliation.
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153[[folder:Real Life]]
154* The Red Baron was eventually shot down after an extended fight despite his famous winning streak. He died from injuries sustained in the crash.
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