Anime Where The Antagonist Wins

Key Takeaways

• Antagonists like Griffith, Eren, and Asakura achieve their dark goals unexpectedly.
• Characters like Lelouch and SEELE use manipulation and sacrifice to bring about their desired outcomes.
• Characters such as Giovanni, Major, and Satan may not succeed fully, but their legacy remains.

For a long time, storytellers have explored the classic trope of hero versus villain, where the archetypal hero goes through a rough path until they gain enough strength to defeat the one who wronged them. There are countless examples of such characters in cinema, and anime is no exception, as evil always gets defeated. However, when some creators try to stray from this formula, it often results in a completely wasted plot or a perfect shocker.

When Berserk first aired, no one expected it to have such a hard-hitting ending, where Griffith would completely succumb to darkness, even sacrificing those who once worshiped him. Or take Eren, who started as an innocent boy but ultimately became a villainous character who planned things the way he always wanted.

10

Cyberpunk Edgerunners – Arasaka And Militech

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 the Cyberpunk 2077 game, where crime runs rampant and body-modification technologies are a part of everyday life.

Amid all this, a street kid named David Martinez is trying to survive by becoming an Edgerunner, a mercenary tech outlaw. However, he feels small in front of power groups Arasaka and Militech, both vying for control of the global arms market. Even after losing hundreds of men to this tussle, both groups kept their operations running by the end of the show, suggesting that evil ultimately triumphed.

9

Neon Genesis Evangelion – SEELE

SEELE Almost Succeeded With Their Plans

Neon Genesis Evangelion’s plot revolves around a secret plan called Instrumentality, carried throughout the show by NERV and SEELE, who almost succeed in their plans. Although both organizations had different objectives, both wanted to push humanity to a new evolution by merging their consciousness into one entity, aiming to make them into something greater.

To achieve this, SEELE hit the world twice with Angelic Impacts, only to succeed with the third, until Shinji’s emotions triggered the Instrumentality. However, everything fell apart when Shinji was given a choice and ultimately rejected 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 by using power or strength but through his genius mind. In doing so, he became a puppet master in the world’s most dangerous political play.

Throughout the series, you witness Lelouch committing some terrible acts, but it is eventually revealed that his true goal was to unite the world against the Britannia Empire, by taking down his own father. To achieve his motives, Lelouch even created a villainous identity for himself and ultimately sacrificed that persona to bring about peace forever.

7

Asakura Hao – Shaman King

The Shaman King Almost Destroyed Humanity

Asakura Hao was a villain with God-like powers of reincarnation, which allowed him to return to Earth and live three lifetimes, each filled with a deep grudge against humanity that never seemed to fade.

Hoping to become the Shaman King, Asakura dreamed of wiping out humanity to establish a world where only shamans would exist. In the final episode, he had the power to make his dream a reality, 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 the weekly Shōnen magazine, Devilman Crybaby is the story of a banished angel, Ryo Asuka, later revealed to be Satan, who finds value in demons, and a human-turned demon, Akira, who finds value in humanity.

To this date, the series is considered one of the finest works in the dark fantasy genre. In 2018, the creators again adapted it into a ten-episode miniseries, capturing the same ultra-violent content from the manga. It was something that was considered taboo back then, especially due to its dark conclusion where Satan is left alone, with everyone he ever loved killed.

5

Giovanni – Pokemon

Team Rocket 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 has achieved a level of success 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 menacing Giovanni and Team Rocket were. By the show’s end, Giovanni never succeeded in taking over the world’s economy. However, one shouldn’t forget that Ash never truly defeated Team Rocket, suggesting that this criminal syndicate is still out there, working to carry out its evil plans.

4

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train – Akaza

Akaza Killed The Flame Hashira, Rengoku

When Demon Slayer: Mugen Train hit American theaters back in 2020, it became a massive success, benefitting perfectly from the hype the show had created earlier.

Mugen Train picks up right after the Mount Natagumo arc, where Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu battle the spider demons. They board the Infinity Train with Flame Hashira Rengoku on a mission to investigate demon activity in a nearby village. However, the train is attacked by Enmu and then eventually Akaza, who manages to kill Rengoku himself.

3

Hellsing Ultimate – The Major

Major Died A Happy Man

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

As the supreme leader of Millennium, the Major was obsessed with his plan to carry out Hitler’s order to create an army of vampire Nazis, after killing Alucard. Even though the Major couldn’t succeed, and was shot in the head by Integra, he died with a smile, knowing he had finally created the chaos he always desired.

2

Berserk – Griffith

Griffith Turned Into Femto By Sacrificing His Friends

Back in 1997, when the manga Berserk was adapted, viewers unfamiliar with the original material were left in disbelief as they witnessed a complete massacre in the final episode.

Even though the signs were always there, no one saw it coming when Griffith made such a complete turn to evil, sacrificing the entire Band of the Hawk and transforming into his demon self, Femto. Everyone had their jaws dropped to the floor as Griffith scarred Casca in front of Guts, creating one of the most uncomfortable scenes in TV history.

1

Attack On Titan – Eren Yeager

Eren Destroys Most Of The World

For some, Eren’s actions were justified, while for others, he was simply a manipulative villain who murdered countless people, and there can be no justification for that. No matter what you think, Eren Yeager is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing characters of all time.

With the revelation that Eren triggered almost every event in AOT, including the near destruction of the entire world outside Paradis Island, it becomes clear that no one truly won, except him. Everything was predetermined, including Eren’s fate after he initiated the Rumbling, as he had seen it all through the powers of the Founding Titan.