Seinen anime (or anime made primarily for 18 to 40-year-old male viewers) are notably darker and edgier than their more family-friendly counterparts. Because of this, the good guys rarely (if ever) win in seinen anime. This isn't because they were wrong or they didn't deserve to win. Instead, they were sadly powerless against fate.
If some viewers had it their way, these seinen anime heroes would've succeeded in their goals. These heroes displayed the kinds of admirable determination and selflessness that would've helped them win in any other anime. Additionally, their sympathetic backstories and motivations made their fans pray for their victories even more.
This article contains spoilers.
10 Mumen Rider Deserved To Catch A Break
One-Punch Man
The most ironic thing about Mumen Rider is that even though he's arguably One-Punch Man's sincerest hero, he's still the butt of the joke. Mumen Rider is an ordinary human whose greatest power is his endless determination. Because of this, Mumen Rider always gets easily demolished by One-Punch Man's mighty villains.
Mumen Rider was one of One-Punch Man's weakest heroes, but he was usually one of the first heroes to respond to a crime or disaster. Mumen Rider's genuine courage and selflessness were always met with ignorance or humiliation. Of all of One-Punch Man's heroes, Mumen Rider is the most deserving of at least one win.
9 Akane Tsunemori Shouldn't Be Sybil's Prisoner
Psycho-Pass
In Psycho-Pass, Akane joined the Public Safety Bureau to uphold justice, only to find out that the system she was now a part of was a sociopathic lie. Despite this, Akane did her best to defend freedom within the Sibyl System's authoritarian limits and hypocrisy. For this, Akane was (possibly) framed for murder and stripped of her rank.
Akane was last seen in Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector, where she was released from imprisonment. Although she's technically free, Akane still has a long way to go to clear her name and topple Sibyl. Akane was one of the few moral people left in the film noir-influenced Psycho-Pass who didn't fully resign to cynicism, and she deserves a better future.
8 Kei Kurono Beat Gantz & Maintained His Humanity
Gantz
Gantz was infamously edgy, but it had a surprisingly positive climax. Following his death, Kei was conscripted in Gantz's death game against aliens. The games took their toll on Kei, but his experiences only strengthened his morals. Kei even beat Gantz at its own game by refusing to kill Muroto in the finale. However, Kei's "prize" begged to differ.
Instead of being freed or resurrected, Kei was transported back to the day a train ran him over. Here, Kei faced his death instead of running. Ken's reward was one of the most notoriously confusing endings in anime history. After everything he went through, Kei deserved a happier and more comprehensible resolution.
7 Mamika Kirameki Was The Most Morally Upright Creation
Re:Creators
To be fair, none of Re:Creators' Creations were clean-cut heroes or villains. That being said, Mamika was the closest Creation there was to a true paragon. Mamika was the first Creation to try a diplomatic approach with Altair. She tried to talk Altair out of her anger and vengeance. In response, Altair killed her.
Since Mamika hailed from a kid-friendly magical girl anime, her values weren't too surprising. Mamika wasn't naive; she risked her life because she sincerely believed in people's potential for good. Given how Mamika was proven right by Re:Creators' resolution, it isn't unfounded to say that she deserved a better fate.
6 Yang Wen-Li Was A War Hero Like No Other
Legend Of The Galactic Heroes
The Free Planets Alliance was far from a perfect democracy, but Yang Wen-Li still believed in it. Despite clashing with his superiors' self-serving policies and beliefs, Yang led the Alliance's war effort brilliantly. Yang's dedication and achievements were rewarded with an unceremonious assassination at the hands of the Earth cultists.
Yang was notably one of the few idealists in the jaded Legend of the Galactic Heroes. He was also one of the few Alliance characters who actually believed in freedom's ideals and didn't use democracy to hoard power. Yang deserved to live and see the fruits of his labors the way his rival, Reinhard von Lohengramm, did.
5 Lucy/Nyu Came Close To Abandoning Her Monstrous Past
Elfen Lied
As violent as Lucy was, she was still Elfen Lied's undeniably tragic monster. Lucy could barely control her powers and was treated inhumanly by her captors for years. But then Lucy was "reborn" as the amnesiac and childlike Nyu after surviving a bullet to the head. For a time, Nyu lived peacefully before her past returned and killed her.
The Diclonni Research Facility hunted Lucy over the course of the sleeper-hit Elfen Lied anime. Although they're not entirely at fault, their pursuit exacerbated Nyu's fragile state and made her regress to Lucy's brutality. Nyu deserved to live her new life with the Maple House family and redeem herself, but she was killed before this could happen.
4 Reiji Azuma & Ein Fought For Their Freedom & Love
Phantom: Requiem For The Phantom
Neither Reiji (later named "Zwei") nor Ein wanted to become assassins working for the clandestine group Inferno, but they had no choice. After breaking through Inferno's brainwashing and fighting their way out of the organization, Reiji and Ein seemed finally free. But then they died in Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom's last seconds.
Reiji was shot by an assassin, while Ein took her own life. Although the ending was vague enough for some fans to speculate that they survived, Phantom still ended miserably. Reiji and Ein experienced hardships no one of their age should. They deserved at least one of the original Phantom visual novel's happier endings.
3 Shuji & Chise Didn't Deserve Everything They Went Through
Saikano
If not for the fact that Chise was a living weapon, she and her boyfriend, Shuji, would just be innocent teenagers in a relationship. But in Saikano, Chise was turned into a superweapon to help humanity's war against aliens. Despite Chise and Shuji's best efforts to remain human and live happily, they were doomed.
Chise endured a torturous transformation, and Shuji was forced to watch helplessly. Chise gradually lost her humanity before she finally ended the world, while Shuji was mankind's only survivor. Chise and Shuji never deserved to lose their youths and lives to a hopeless war. For what it's worth, they found a way to reunite even on a ruined Earth.
2 Kariya Matou Sacrificed Himself For His Loved Ones
Fate/Zero
Unlike Fate/Zero's other Masters, Kariya didn't even want The Grail. Kariya only entered the Fourth Holy Grail War to win Sakura Matou's freedom. In exchange, Kariya let himself become the nightmarish crest worms' host. The worms shortened Kariya's lifespan, but gave him the power to control Berserker (i.e., Lancelot).
Unfortunately, Kariya nearly killed his love interest, Aoi Tohsaka, failed to rescue Sakura, and died. Kariya was one of the well-made 25-episode Fate/Zero's noblest Masters, but the best that this heroism got him were happy, dying dreams. If Kariya were in any other dark fantasy anime, he would've had a better chance at saving his found family.
1 Casca Was So Close To Starting A New Life With Guts
Berserk
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It isn't an exaggeration to say that Casca's fate at Berserk's end was one of the worst in all anime history. Just when Casca decided to retire from the Band of the Hawk and start anew with Guts, Griffith sacrificed them all during The Eclipse. Casca survived, but she was left in a mindless and infantile state for years.
Casca was one of Berserk's bravest and strongest characters. She did nothing to deserve such a horrible fate. Worse, Casca's fate was left off-screen in the original Berserk. Thankfully, Casca's dignity was restored in the manga. The controversial 2016 CGI reboot got as far as showing her still stuck in her childlike state.