Not all anime end with the heroes defeating the villains. Although the heroes winning is expected, as in all forms of fiction, it's very common for stories to end with the villains winning! While the heroes, unfortunately, end up losing to varying degrees. So, with that in mind, we've prepared this list for you!
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Anime where the villain wins – Top 10
10. Berserk still hasn't given Griffith what he deserves
A notable example of an anime that ends with the villain winning is the 1997 Berserk. Berserk , Griffith, in his quest for power, sacrifices the Band to get what he wants. Even in the manga, this is still the case, as Griffith has not yet been punished for his crimes.
9. The villains of Hellsing Ultimate got what they wanted
Another anime that ended with the villains winning is Hellsing Ultimate from 2006. Millennium's main objectives were to fight the greatest war in history and kill Alucard. Thus, while Millennium is ultimately defeated, they still managed to wage an incredibly massive and bloody war and defeat Alucard by using Schrödinger to negate his existence . Granted, Alucard managed to return after 30 years, but Millennium still achieved everything they hoped to obtain by fighting Hellsing.
8. The villain in Shaman King was unstoppable from day one
Many stories will feature a villain who wins by being completely unstoppable, with a perfect example being the 2021 Shaman King. Hao became the unstoppable Shaman King, and no one dies , as Hao was convinced to postpone his genocide . It's unlikely Hao will ever return to being a complete villain, but it's still surprising that the original series had the heroes so completely outmatched from beginning to end.
07. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' prequel status solidified its depressing ending
Another anime where the villain wins because he's untouchable is Cyberpunk: Edgerunners from 2022. David and his team of mercenaries continually attracted more and more of the Arasaka Corporation's wrath, and it 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 prequel to Cyberpunk: 2077 , it makes sense that the Arasaka Corporation and Adam Smasher had to survive, but seeing it end with almost everyone dead was heartbreaking.
06. Mobile Suit Gundam : They turned their villains into good guys.
Stories can also end with the villains winning by making the villains become the good guys. Thus, through their best efforts, Tekkadan was completely destroyed by Rustal and the Arianrhod Fleet. But surprisingly, the time jump at the end of Iron-Blooded Orphans revealed that Rustal enacted all the reforms Tekkadan wanted passed . It's implied that Rustal did this largely out of pragmatism, but seeing the villains do everything the heroes wanted to do without consequences for their crimes still ended the series on a bitter note.
Anime where the villain wins – Top 5
5. Code Geass allowed Lelouch to achieve everything he wanted through his death
Another notable anime where the villain wins by being the hero all along is Code Geass . Lelouch definitely became the villain of Code Geass by engaging in increasingly heinous acts. But the ending 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 its villains
Devilman manga is a classic example of a story that ends with the villains winning. Similarly, in Devilman Crybaby Akira lost all his loved ones. Furthermore, Akira died fighting, but God also suddenly appeared at the end to destroy Earth .
Anime where the villain wins – Top 3
03. Evangelion's ending is one of the most depressing in anime
Another earlier example of an anime ending with the villains winning is The End of Evangelion. SEELE, the main villains of Neon Genesis Evangelion , wanted to unite humanity into a single consciousness through the Third Impact. Thus, in The End of Evangelion , despite Shinji's efforts, SEELE successfully initiated the Third Impact and destroyed the world and everyone in it, except for Shinji and Asuka . Therefore, although it's unclear if SEELE achieved everything it wanted, the film still ended with SEELE defeating the heroes.
02. The villains of Panty & Stocking win with a totally ridiculous twist
Twist endings are one of the easiest ways for villains to end up winning, and a great example of this in anime is 2010's Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Stocking suddenly killed Panty, revealed himself to be a demon, and cut Panty's body into 666 pieces and scattered them across the world . This completely undoes everything the heroes accomplished, but the absurd nature of the series does a lot to prevent the villains' victory from significantly derailing the story.
01. The villain in Madoka Magica Rebellion was someone no one expected
Another anime where the villain wins through a surprising ending, and the last notable anime to be discussed, is Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion from 2013. Although it initially seemed that Kyubey was the only villain in the film, after Kyubey lost, Homura was revealed as the true villain who used the events of the story to steal Madoka's position as God and rewrite reality to be in Madoka's favor . Making Homura the new villain completely changed the franchise, and that's what makes the film one of the best anime where the villain wins .
So, folks, what did you think of this list of villains who won? Leave a comment below and see you next time!