Heroism in anime more or less thrives wherever it is used, and more than anything, the concept thrives on winning. The Hero vs the Villain, good versus evil, one side, in every situation, must come out on top of the other, and in most cases, the Hero is always on the winning side.

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However, for some of these anime heroes, winning can only happen when they have experienced loss. For others, that feeling of loss is almost a constant throughout their stories, making their efforts of heroism a little more valiant and dignified. Therefore, below, this piece will look at some of the best anime out there, whose heroes find themselves more on the losing end than any other.

9 Tokyo Revengers

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2 / 5

Tokyo Revengers takes high school delinquency to a time-altering level, and its crybaby protagonist, Hanagaki Takemichi, is famous for many reasons, but not for his ability to win in a fight. For most of the series, Takemichi is either crying or getting beat up, which does not take away from the fact that he gets the job done; however, his strengths lie elsewhere other than in a brawl.

The series kick starts just after Takemichi finds out about the death of the only girl he loved from high school. His woes pile up even further when he is pushed to an oncoming train. Resigned to his fate of death, Takemichi wakes up to realize he has somehow gone back twelve years into the past. Takemichi soon realizes that he might be able to alter the flow of time, and now, given a chance, he decides to go back in time to change the course of the seemingly inevitable future of his beloved ex-girlfriend.

8 Re: Zero - Starting Life In Another World

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2 / 5

In Re: Zero, the series' protagonist, Natsuki Subaru, takes up the mantle of constant loss, even though that is not what viewers expect of a time-travel isekai series. However, Subaru is a somewhat endearing exception. Having only just left the convenience store, Subaru's life takes a disturbing turn when he finds himself in a fantasy world where magic and other extraordinary phenomena are commonplace.

As if his random summoning was not enough, Subaru soon discovers his ability to come back to life at a set point in time after dying. At first, this seemed like an outstanding ability; however, outside of this ability, Subaru has very little to himself in terms of skill and power. Somehow, Subaru finds himself at the center of a sinister plot, controlled by a much more powerful force behind the scenes, and his resolve to save his loved ones is tested to the limit.

7 86: Eighty-Six

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2 / 5

86: Eighty-Six not only expatiates the losses of war and genocide, it actively depicts these losses through its cast of characters. In the series, the mantle of constant loss falls upon one of the main characters, Shinei Nouzen, captain of the Spearhead Squadron of the secretly despised Eighty-Six sector. The series is premised on the war between the Republic of San Magnolia and the Giadian Empire. According to the Republic of San Magnolia, the war has produced no casualties— a fact which is nothing but mere propaganda to safeguard the ill-acquired peace of the Republic's eighty-five sectors that live within the protective walls and are distinguishable by their silver-hair colors.

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The series revolves around the central character, Vladilena Milize, who has just been assigned to oversee the infamous Spearhead Squadron and its captain, Shinei, also known as the 'Death Reaper.' Notorious for being the sole survivor of every squadron he's ever been on, Shinei, albeit a prodigious combat soldier, is the ideal depiction of loss. With the collision of the unlikely fates of both Milize and Shinei, it remains to be seen whether what awaits the pair is salvation or despair.

6 Gantz

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.5 / 5

Gantz combines well the possible horrors of life after death and the trauma of being used as a tool by some unknown force. The series is centered on the central character, Kei Kurono, who, alongside his best friend, finds themselves torn to shreds by a train after deciding to jump onto train tracks to save a homeless person. However, instead of dying, Kei finds himself in a room with several other people and at the mercy of an unknown, mysterious ball known as Gantz.

With little information to go on, Kei, his friend Masaru Katou, and the other individuals are suddenly instructed by the mysterious ball to hunt down a specific alien and teleported to an unknown location. Kei teams up with his friend Katou and an unknown woman; however, the trio soon realizes their chances of survival may be much less than they think. Throughout the series, although Kei manages to survive every near-death encounter. However, his chances of survival rarely depend on defeating his enemies.

5 Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.5 / 5

Unlike other anime with specific heroes who take up the mantle of constantly losing, Hunter X Hunter does a much better job of spreading the losses among its heroic characters. However, no one fits the bill quite like the series' protagonist, Gon Freecs, who might as well be a hunter-prodigy by every measure. However accurate as that may be, as the series progresses, it becomes evident that the hunter world is much more vast than Gon might realize.

The series follows Gon's life as he aims to imitate and track down his father, whom he has not heard from or seen almost all his life. Determined to follow in his father's footsteps as a Hunter, Gon's adventure begins by taking the Hunter Examination, and along the way, he makes companions who are also determined to make his wish a reality.

4 Monster

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2 / 5

Monster accurately points out the element of constant loss to its central character and protagonist by way of its antagonist, whose traits and activities are truly befitting of the titular 'monster.' The series focuses on the protagonist, Dr. Kenzou Tenma, an elite neurosurgeon who not only recently got engaged to his hospital director's daughter but also has a firm grip on the plan of his ascendancy of the hospital's hierarchy. However, through a seemingly insignificant event, Dr. Tenma's life would not remain the same after he is pressured to switch the priority of his patients, which ultimately leads to the death of one of the patients.

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Blaming himself for the death, Dr. Tenma has a crisis of conscience. When lightning decides to strike the same place twice in the future, Dr. Tenma adamantly refuses to switch priority over any patient, leading him to save the life of the young Johan Liebert instead of the town's mayor. His decision proves to be rather costly as the young boy grows to become the city's most feared serial killer. Haunted by the decisions of his past, Dr. Tenman begins a pursuit of amends for the evil done by the one he chose to save.

3 Attack On Titan

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4 / 5

Attack on Titan deep-dives into the human desire for survival, even in the harshest realities, in the face of near-constant setbacks and extinction. The series showcases a tale where there is neither victor nor vanquished, but one that offers perspective from its central character, Eren Yeager, whose life grinds to a halt after his hometown is invaded by Titans— creatures that indiscriminately eat other human beings alive.

Forced to watch his mother get eaten alive, Eren swears and dedicates his life to the extermination of all Titans by joining the Survey Corps, a branch of the military tasked with eliminating and researching the origins of the Titans. With his adopted sister, Mikasa Ackermann, and his best friend, Armin Arlert, Eren joins the exhausting battle against the Titans and the race against time to prevent humanity's extinction.

2 One Punch Man

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4 / 5

One Punch Man presents a rather peculiar scenario with its heroes, as the titular protagonist never sees so much as a single defeat as he literally defeats every opponent in a single punch. However, things are not so rosy for the series' other heroes, specifically the protagonist's protege and understudy, Genos, who, for his age, is an undoubtedly powerful hero, even by the series' standards. However, his master's presence seemingly draws opponents who are far too much for Genos' current self.

The series revolves around the central character, Saitam, whose hobby is being a hero out of sheer boredom. Although Saitama was not always so powerful, he had always dreamed of being a hero, which led him to train intensively for three years. In the end, he became permanently bald. Now, Saitama is powerful to the point where he can defeat his enemies in a single punch. Due to his power, Saitam no longer enjoys the thrill of battle and has become extremely bored. After an encounter with the human cyborg, Genos, the pair join the Hero Association in the hopes that Saitama will be able to find a worthy opponent.

1 Dragon Ball

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0 / 5

Ironically, Dragon Ball, for all the fights and showings of power and strength, presents, arguably, anime's most iconic loser in Yamcha, who managed to lose every fight he got into in the series. However, that Yamcha always lost does not mean he was actually weak in combat, he just so happened to face off against much stronger opponents, unfortunately.

The series begins with the central Gokuu Son, a young boy living alone in the woods. Gokuu's daily life remains unchanged until he meets a girl named Bulma, searching for a set of magical objects called 'Dragon Balls.' Bulma's purpose for the Dragon Balls is for her to wish for a perfect boyfriend since the objects are rumored to be able to grant any wish to the one who can find all seven. Gokuu happens to own a dragon ball, but he refuses to part with it, not until Bulma makes him a deal that would see him accompany her on her journey in exchange for borrowing the dragon ball's power. With their deal in place, the duo embark on a lifetime journey.

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