Animation where the antagonist wins

Key foods

• Antagonists such as Griffiths, Eren, and Asakura unexpectedly achieve their dark goals.

• Characters like Lelouch and SEELE use manipulation and sacrifice to get their desired results.

• Characters like Giovanni, Major, and Satan may not make it entirely, but their legacies live on.

For a long time, storytellers have explored the classic hero vs. villain story, where the archetypal hero takes a difficult path until they gain enough power to defeat the one who wronged them. There are countless examples of such characters in cinema, and anime is no exception, because the devil always loses. However, when some creators try to deviate from this formula, it often results in a completely pointless design or a complete shock.

When Berserk first aired, no one expected such a harsh ending, where Griffith would completely surrender to the darkness, even sacrificing those who once worshiped him. Or consider Eren, who started out as an innocent boy but ended up becoming a villain who planned everything the way he always wanted.

10

Cyberpunk Edgerunners – Arasaka And Militech

They lost the war, but they still fire their guns

Cyberpunk Edgerunners takes place in a dystopian future filled with a dark and eerie atmosphere in the same world as Cyberpunk 2077, where crime is rampant and body modification technologies are part of everyday life.

Amidst all this, a street kid named David Martinez tries to survive by becoming an Edgerunner, a mercenary tech outlaw. However, he feels small against the powerhouses Arasaka and Militech, both of which are vying for control of the global arms market. Even after losing hundreds of men in the conflict, both groups continued their operations until the end of the play, indicating that the devil has finally won.

9

Neon Genesis Evangelion – SEELE

SEELE almost succeeded with their plans

The story of Neon Genesis Evangelion revolves around a secret plan called Instrumentality that is carried out during the show by NERV and SEELE who almost succeed in their plans. Although both organizations had different goals, they both wanted to lead humanity to a new evolutionary path by merging their consciousness into one entity to transform them into something greater.

To achieve this, SEELE struck the world twice with Angelic Impacts, but succeeded with a third, until Shinji's emotions triggered the Instrumentality. However, everything falls apart when Shinji is given a choice and ends up rejecting it in favor of individualism.

8

Code Geass – Lelouch

Lelouch achieved a noble victory through his somewhat evil plans

Code Geass introduces Lelouch Vi Britannia as someone who can change the world not through the use of strength or power but through his genius mind. By doing so, he became a puppeteer of the world's most dangerous political drama.

Throughout the series, you see Lelouch do terrible things, but eventually it is revealed that his true purpose was to unite the world against the British Empire by overthrowing his father. To achieve his motives, Lelouch even created a villainous identity for himself and eventually sacrificed that persona to restore peace forever.

7

Asakura Hao – Shaman King

The Shaman King nearly destroyed humanity

Asakura Hao was a villain with god-like powers in reincarnation that allowed him to return to Earth and live three lifetimes, each filled with a deep grudge against humanity that never faded.

Hoping to become the Shaman King, Asakura dreams of destroying humanity to create a world where only shamans exist. In the final episode, he had the power to make his dream come true, but his twin brother, Yao, convinced him not to go through with it. So, despite winning everything, he chose not to destroy humanity.

6

Devilman Crybaby – Satan

Satan won by losing everything

First published in 1972 in Shōnen Weekly, Devilman Crybaby tells the story of an exiled angel named Ryu Asuka, who is later revealed to be a devil who finds value in demons, and a human-turned-devil named Akira who values ​​humanity. finds

To this day, this series is considered one of the best works in the dark fantasy genre. In 2018, the creators re-adapted it into a ten-episode miniseries, capturing the same ultra-violent content from the manga. It was something that was considered taboo at the time, especially because of its dark ending, where Satan is left alone, killed with whoever he loves.

5

Giovanni – Pokemon

Rocket Team is still running underground

For many people, Pokemon was their first introduction to anime. It was a show that became a beloved part of many childhoods and achieved a level of success that only a handful of other franchises have ever matched.

One of the most exciting parts of Pokemon was the battles, and it's hard to forget how dangerous Giovanni and Team Rocket were. By the end of the show, Giovanni had never managed to take over the world's economy. However, it should not be forgotten that Ash never defeated Team Rocket, showing that this crime syndicate is still out there working to carry out their evil plans.

4

Devil Slayer: Mugen-Akaza Train

Akaza killed Hashira's flame, Rangoku

When Demon Slayer: Mugen Train hit US theaters in 2020, it was a huge success, fully capitalizing on the hype it had built up before the show.

The Mugen Train departs right after the Mt.Natagomo arc, where Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu fight the spider demons. They board the Infinity Train with Flame Hashira Rengoku to investigate demon activity in a nearby village. However, the train is attacked by Enmu and then Akasa, who manages to kill Rangoku himself.

3

Hellsing Ultimate – The Major

Major died a happy man

Set in the post-apocalyptic city of Transylvania, Hellsing Ultimate is a series where monsters lurk at night in search of their next victim, yet Major stands out as a truly despicable human whose sinister actions overshadow every other monster.

As the Supreme Leader of the Millennium, after killing Alucard, the Major became obsessed with his plan to carry out Hitler's order to create an army of vampire Nazis. Although the Major failed to succeed and was shot in the head by Integra, he died with a smile, knowing that he had finally created the chaos he had always dreamed of.

2

Berserk – Griffiths

Griffith became Femto by sacrificing his friends

In 1997, when the Berserk manga was adapted, viewers unfamiliar with the source material were left in disbelief as they witnessed complete carnage in the final episode.

Even though the signs were always there, no one saw Griffith take such a complete turn to evil, sacrificing Hawke's entire group and becoming his evil self, Femto. Everyone's jaws dropped as Griffiths wound Casca in front of Guts, creating one of the most disturbing scenes in television history.

1

Attack on Titan – Eren Yeager

Eren destroys most of the world

To some, Eren's actions were justified, while to others, he was simply a manipulative villain who murdered countless people for no apparent reason. No matter what you think, Eren Yeager is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing figures of all time.

With the reveal that Eren started almost every event in AOT, including the destruction of almost the entire world outside of Paradise Island, it becomes clear that no one really won but him. Everything was preordained, including Eren's fate after Rumbling began, as he had seen everything through the power of the Founding Titan.