Not every anime ends with the heroes defeating the villains. Although the heroes winning are expected, as in all means of fiction. But, it is very common for the stories to end with the villains managing to win! While the heroes, unfortunately, end up losing to varying degrees. So, thinking about it we have prepared this list for you!
Anime where the villain wins - Top 10
10. Berserk has not yet given to Griffith what he deserves
A remarkable example of an anime that ends with the villain winning is the 1997 Berserk Berserk , Griffith, in his search for power, sacrifices the pack to get what he wants. Even in the manga, this is still the case, as Griffith has not yet been punished for her crimes.
09. The villains of Hellsing Ultimate got what they wanted
Another anime that ended with the villains winning is Hellsing Ultimate of 2006. Millenium's main goals were to fight the biggest war in history and kill Alucard. Thus, while Millenium is finally defeated, they still managed to wage an incredibly massive and bloody war and defeat Alucard using Schrödinger to deny his existence . Granted, Alucard managed to return after 30 years, but Millenium still got everything he expected to be struggling against Hellsing.
08. The villain of Shaman King was unstoppable from the first day
Many stories will have a villain winning for being totally unstoppable, with a perfect example of this being Shaman King of 2021. Hao was established from the beginning to be so powerful that no one could beat him in a fair fight. For sure, Hao became Shaman King Unimpeded, and no one dies , for Hao was convinced to postpone his genocide . Hao is unlikely to be a complete villain again, but it is still surprising that the original series had the heroes so completely overcome from start to finish.
07. Cyberpunk: Edgeruunners's prequel status solidified its end depressing
Another anime in which the villain wins for being untouchable is Cyberpunk: 2022 Edgerunners. David and his team of mercenaries continually attracted more and more anger from Arsaka Corporation, and even seemed like they would win in the end. However, Adam Smasher appeared basically out of nowhere to kill David and all his remaining friends . Since the anime was a Cyberpunk prequel: 2077 , it makes sense that Arsaka Corporation and Adam Smasher had to survive, but seeing it ending with almost everyone dead was the heart.
06. Mobile Suit Gundam : They made their villains good boys
The stories can also end with the villains winning by making the villains become the good guys. Thus, his best efforts, Tekkadan was completely destroyed by Rustal and the Arianrhod fleet. But surprisingly, the time leap at the end of Iron-Blooded Orphans revealed that Rustal promulgated all the reforms that Tekkadan wanted to be approved . It is implicit that Rustal did this largely for pragmatism, but seeing the villains do everything the heroes wanted to do without consequences for their crimes still ended the series with a bitter note.
Anime where the villain wins - Top 05
05. Code Geass made Lelouch get everything he wanted with his death
Another remarkable anime where the villain wins because it is the good time is Code Geass from 2006. Lelouch definitely became the villain of the final act of Code Geass by engaging in increasingly heinous acts. But the end of Code Geass revealed that it was all on purpose, as Lelouch wanted to unite the world and create an era of peace .
04. Devilman Crybaby perfectly modernized the victories of his villains
The manga Devilman is a classic example of a story that ends with the villains winning. So, as in the manga, Devilman Crybaby saw Akira lose all her loved ones. In addition, Akira died fighting, but God also suddenly appeared at the end to destroy the earth .
Anime where the villain wins - Top 03
03. The end of Evangelion has one of the most depressed endings in the anime
Another older example of an anime ending with the villains winning is the End of Evangelion of 1997. Seele, the main villains of Neon Genesis Evangelion , wanted to unite humanity in one conscience through the third impact. Thus in The End of Evangelion , despite Shinji's efforts, Seele successfully began the third impact and destroyed the world and all in him except Shinji and Asuka . So, although it is unclear if Seele got everything he wanted, the movie still ended with Seele defeating the heroes.
02. Panty & Stocking villains won with a totally ridiculous turnaround
The twisting finals are one of the easiest ways for the villains to win over, and a great example of this in the anime is Panty & Stocking with Gartelbb of 2010. The anime seemed to have a direct ending with the heroes defeating the villains one last time, but In the last second, Stocking Suddenly killed Panty, proved to be a demon and cut Panty's body in 666 pieces and spread them around the world . This completely undoes everything the heroes have done, but the absurd nature of the series is doing much to prevent the victory of the villains from breaking the story a lot.
01. The villain of Madoka Magica Rebellion was someone that no one expected
Another anime where the villain wins through a surprising ending, and the last remarkable anime to be discussed, is Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion 2013. Although initially it seemed that Kyubey was the only villain in the movie, after Kyubey lost, Homura was revealed as the true villain who used the events of history to steal Madoka's position as God and rewrite the reality to be with Madoka . Making the new villain homuum has completely changed the franchise, and that's what makes the movie one of the best anime where the villain wins .
Anyway guys, what did you think of this list of villains that won? Leave a comment and see you next time