Back in the days in anime and video games we could see a subversion of power and a protagonist getting all his dreams come true in the end. Even such diverse anime as from Code Geass and Girls Bravo had this in common.
I wrote a lot about Lelouch in Code Geass, by the end of Code Geass he kills and overthrows his dad, changes Brittania, conquers the world and changes it more to his liking.
However even Yukinari from Girls Bravo gets a girl of his dreams from Seiren who actually prefers him to higher, tougher, stronger and richer guy Fukuyama who is also interested in Miharu. He is the ultimate winner of the show.
However, no one wins quite as much as Saotome from Hand Maid May who gets entire harem, while also has his self-proclaimed rival Kotaro.
Utena's duelists all fought in duels to win and have their wishes and desires granted for them.
Masters of Fate/Zero (but not so much of Fate/Stay night) also fought for grail that would grant them their wish.
Even more complicated shows with a lot of suffering such as, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Black Lagoon and Inifnite Ryvius still had this desre for victory and happiness, that underpinned all that was happening on screen.
Other shows such as Naruto and even One Piece also promised us this: victory. Naruto was struggling at times, but he was winning, getting better and closer to his goal of becoming Hokage and the strongest ninja.
Of course, not all old anime had that much winning in it. But a lot of anime were about MC winning either right away or by the end of the show.
More on Girls Bravo
I will analyze Yukinari from Girls Bravo, as this show has all elements of winning in one show.
Here is picture of Yukinari winning as big as Donald Trump would promise in his electoral speeches.
Notice how he gets to marry the best girl Miharu. What other girls partly happy and partly envious of them.
Miharu is so perfect at being best girl, she does not even provoke Yukinari's usual allergy on girls. Also, she likes him for who he is and does not complain about anything. She is sweet, demure, cute, gentle and everything the girl needs to be liked by a guy. She cares for him a lot and put a lot of effort into making him happy in a way a guy can actually appreciate, by serving him. She is not always gets it right, but you can see she is trying earnestly and honestly. In fact, you can pity her for the fact that there is so few men on Seiren that she has to go great length to find one. In fact, Miharu should be you go to example girl if you want most guys to like you.
Also, to make sure this works for every guy watching it, it is ambiguous why Miharu likes Yukinari. That is if she liked him for being short or dark haired, tall and blond guys would feel that this show does not work for them.
Notice also how Fukuyama is upset that girl choose Yukinari over him. Fukuyama is taller, richer, manlier and stronger than Yukinari and according to all conventional wisdom he would win any girl, but here he is a sore loser who is not getting a girl. David beats goliath, underdog prevails over favorite. Fukuyama is the kind of antagonist most guys struggle against IRL, so it is sweet to see him beaten at least in anime.
Video game example of Arthas and Illidan
In video games, protagonist who defy order and prevail were prevalent as well. Diablo has conventional fight against evil. However, Warcraft III for example had hugely popular Arthas and Illidan who each defy existing order to do what they believe is right and win in the end.
Arthas becomes Lich King in the end, after killing his mentor Uther and his father King Terenas. That is also symbolic move. Arthas gets disillusioned with principles and values that Uther taught him, as they fail to achieve results he desires. So, Arthas first embraces carnage on pragmatic grounds over Uther's principles over reality on the ground. Then Arthas defects to the Scourge and fights both his former mentor and his father for the undead future Scourge promised him.
Illidan tragically loses to both: Arthas on the battlefield and to his brother Furion in competition for Tyrande's love. He is relatable because of how hard he wanted and tried to win. How bitterly he mourns his losses later in the story. However, there is no doubt that the future Illidan desired and fought for was to stand on Arthas's corpse, holding enamored with him Tyrande in one hand and victoriously lifting the other one in the air. He fought to win, but there could be only one winner (Arthas had to protect Frozen Throne to keep Scourge together. Kil'Jaeden promised Illidan 'whatever his heart desires' in exchange for destroying the Frozen Throne). Yet his path and effort deserve respect and admiration. (That is up to his death in The Burning Crusade, they resurrected and retconned him in Legion, butchering his character in process)
Recent Shows
In contrast more recent shows failing to let male MC really win at anything.
They have struggle, but they do not have any victory. Struggle and suffering became a thing in itself, not a by-product of trying to achieve what you want from life, but as an end in itself. Just everyday suffering as part of normal everyday life.
To add insult to injury, they now started to fill protagonists with guilt and self-hating, where they actually enjoy the suffering, they go through.
Worse yet if they believe or taught some ideology, religion or some sort of value system that instills guilt and glorifies the constant suffering for others sake for no gain for oneself.
Tanjiro is good example of such guy who just suffers to save others from demons, even if no one will ever be even thankful to him for doing any of that. In fact, other characters treat Tanjiro in a very deplorable way.
However, Tanjiro is just a lapdog protagonist of this accursed era, who just serves other for not return for himself.
It would be nice if such a protagonist would be girl instead, as I like girls who are self-sacrificial and willing to do anything for me for no reward for themselves, I find them sexy and dateable.
However, a male protagonist like that is unrelatable.
Even Illidan that was once a testament of fighting hard and breaking all and every rule and bound for personal ambition was altered in Legion expansion.
Legion's Illidan, much unlike the Warcarft III Illidan, somehow foreseen that demon's hunter's power will be needed to defeat Burning Legion, took over the Outland for this cause. There was nothing left of his ambitions and desires, he is just a martyr who sacrificed himself for the sake of people of Azeroth, who brand him traitor and do not appreciate anything he done for them.
Legion's Illidan would probably disgust The Burning Crusade's Illidan to death.
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