Graceful Loser

"Tenchi, same name as the sword. Tenchi can't be copied. Very clever, Tsunami...You've won, boy."

- Kagato, Tenchi Muyo

The heroes have struggled long and hard, but they have finally beaten everything that the Big Bad can throw at them. They have clearly defeated him. The villain, rather than trying to escape or try and take the heroes with him, graciously acknowledges their victory and yields, surrendering himself to their justice, resulting in a Twist Ending (or really, an Untwist Ending).

This is not a trick to catch the heroes off guard: the villain really chooses to lay down his sword. He might one day return to fight the heroes, but that is definitely another day. Might occur in the case of an Affably Evil or Harmless Villain, or a Magnificent Bastard. Only seen if there is limited (or even no) actual hatred between the villain and the heroes, and especially if there is even a sort of camaraderie between them, or perhaps both were trying to do the right thing. Only, the villain was simply misguided. Needless to say, the Worthy Opponent (especially in more idealistic and heroic works) is almost guaranteed to do this. It might even cause them to join your side.

Can happen more often in series where there is a Cardboard Prison involved. A villain who happens to Know When to Fold'Em just may do this. Can also happen when he chooses to Face Death with Dignity.

Contrast Unsportsmanlike Gloating, I Surrender, Suckers.

Super-Trope to Villain's Dying Grace and Touche, which the villain is likely to say.

Anime and Manga
"Raoh: Come, let me see the face of the man who has defeated Raoh... You are magnificent, my little brother. Kenshiro: Big brother..."
 * When Raoh of Fist of the North Star, broken-and-defeated by Kenshiro, holds the younger warrior's face for the first and final time like a big brother:


 * Not a series-ending example, but during Shannon and Chris' confrontation in episode 4 of Scrapped Princess, Chris gracefully surrenders after Shannon Flash Steps behind him and holds a sword to his throat. He agrees to return Winia to the heroes, and to no longer attack them directly. This also marks the beginning of Winia and Chris' Odd Friendship.
 * Chao of Mahou Sensei Negima arranged for her Masquerade-breaking spell to be changed if she lost to Negi. This proved a good thing, as Negi was too exhausted to take out her accomplices.
 * Earlier in the story, once Kaede beat Kotaro, he just stood around promising he wouldn't run or pull a cheap trick.
 * Non-action anime example: In Clannad, Tomoyo says to Nagisa, "So you're why he's doing this... I'm so glad it's for someone like you."
 * Context for those who haven't seen the series: Tomoyo and Nagisa are in love with the same guy, but by this point it's become incredibly obvious that Nagisa's the one he's interested in.
 * Trieze does this at the end of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, letting Wufei run him through when they had previously been almost evenly matched. Whether or not it was part of a larger plan, his Famous Last Words include telling Wu Fei that It Has Been an Honor fighting him and the other Gundam Pilots.
 * Many character in Hajime no Ippo are not mad that they lost to Ippo, but instead gain new hope. The best example of a Graceful Loser is Takeshi Sendoh. He is also the one that said how Ippo has a "blade of life", made to bring the best out of people, contrasted with his "killer blade", made to take someone down so he'll never get up again. Another example is Arnie Gregory, who, after losing against Miyata, talks friendly with him, gives him his cowboy hat and leaves with the words "Goodbye, Champ."
 * The big exception of this trope is Sociopathic Hero Ryo Mashiba, who complains and yells after losing against Ippo.
 * Special Operative Okonogi becomes this in the Festival Music chapter of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.
 * in Bleach. Their last words are either a compliment to the rival's strength or being glad to know who defeated them
 * Subverted in Trinidad's past, in Gunnm. The bad guy leaves a recording of something that matches this trope.
 * Kagato in Tenchi Muyo becomes this after Tenchi delivers the final blow.
 * In One Piece after Zoro defeated, he hands him the key to Robin's cuffs and even shares a joke with Zoro before passing out.
 * In Pokémon Best Wishes Trip/Shooti takes a loss against a crowd of people in the Don Tournament very well in contrast to Ash's previous rival Paul who Rage Quit when he was losing in the double battle match. However, he states that he is annoyed with losing, but decides that he'll get better to prevent losing again. Then again, this is toward Cilan. He seems disturbed having a draw with Ash though.
 * Rigardo in Claymore becomes this to Clare, admiring her sheer willpower and resolve before
 * Early in Captain Harlock, when an enemy commander loses a ship duel to the eponymous captain, he detonates his ship next to Harlock's, charging it magnetically to make enemy lasers miss it.

Comic Books

 * Would often happen to Batman, especially with The Penguin.
 * At the end of Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Batman starts to empathize and reach out to The Joker to get him to give up crime. The Joker, defeated and oddly calm, finishes a joke started earlier in the story... and Batman laughs with him.
 * And then there's Humpty Dumpty, who doesn't even resist arrest. In fact, he even helps Batgirl with her dislocated arm.
 * Dream of the Endless.
 * Some minor characters in the comics also go down this way:
 * Dr. Destiny
 * Lucifer (though he wasn't entirely happy about it, he let Dream walk out)
 * Brute and Glob (ultimately they knew their efforts were futile anyways)
 * A surprising number of the people Death picks up.
 * Caesar is a graceful loser in most Asterix stories, often admitting his defeat the acknowledging the Gauls' worth. In "Asterix the Gladiator", and "Asterix the Legionary" he provides Asterix and his friends passage back to Gaul and in "Asterix and Son" he even rebuilds the burned down Gaulish village as thanks for the Gauls rescuing Caesar's son.
 * In one of the movies, he admits defeat, surrenders his empire and retires in the countryside with Cleopatra.
 * "You are gods, and one cannot fight gods."

Fanfiction

 * After being defeated by,   gives him an important item and supported the accusations against him when Aquila held a city-wide conference.

Film
"Amber von Tussle: I lost, Mom. Let's just deal with it! Velma Von Tussle: You did not lose! You can not have lost because I switched the damn tallies!"
 * The Big Bad of Kill Bill warmly tells his murderer, who has proven to be the Greater Warrior, that she is still the love of his life. Then, he walks with gentlemanly dignity to his death.
 * Also, who first apologizes to her killer for not taking her seriously, and when given the last blow she muses with admiration about how the weapon that   is truly a Hattori Hanzou katana.
 * The Baroness of The Sound of Music warmheartedly wishes Maria, her rival for the hand of Captain Von Trapp, happiness with the Captain when it becomes clear where his affection lies.
 * Similarly, the unfaithful wife in What's Eating Gilbert Grape does the same when "handing" Gilbert to Juliette Lewis' character.
 * The big wrestler in Fearless.
 * Well, after refusing to admit defeat and trying to fight on for a while. But after he was saved from the spikes he composed himself and acted more graciously.
 * Also, (and potentially a better example) Japanese swordsman and Karate expert Nakamura. He recognizes that Huo could have killed him with Huo's final blow but deliberately held back rather than do so. Between that and Nakamura's suspicions that foul play had occurred, he stops the referee from proclaiming him the victor over Huo, forfeits, and leads the audience in cheering on Huo.
 * Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray, but not her mother, alas.

"Loki: If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now."
 * Amber then proceeds to walk away from her mother, then strike a conversation and dance with a black dancer.
 * In the stage show, both Von Tussles actually become this. After some sulking, they have a verse in that song where they finally just accept it and basically just go with the flow
 * Tony Wendice in Dial M for Murder. After a brief moment of shock when his Batman Gambit is undone, he calmly congratulates everyone and pours them some wine.
 * Teddy KGB at the end of Rounders. Mike Mc Dermott just won a huge poker hand against him. After a brief angry rant, he calls his goons off and grudgingly admits that he was defeated fair and square.
 * When the Operative in Serenity realizes he's been beat, he calmly orders the Alliance troops to stand down. He even makes arrangements for the surviving protagonists to receive medical attention, and for their ship to be repaired.
 * He does say that his superiors are less than pleased with this outcome and that he may just be their next target. Mal just shrugs and says he doesn't care. After all, the Operative has killed many of his friends (including children) just to smoke him out.
 * , in Clue, congratulates his killer on their shooting skills.
 * Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid shows some previously unseen class after losing to Daniel at the end of the film, personally handing the trophy to LaRusso and telling him, "You're all right."
 * The remake takes this up a notch. Not only does the rival bring the hero the trophy, but he, and his entire class bow to him, much to the chagrin of their jerkass teacher.
 * In A Beautiful Mind, Martin Hansen has been acting as a Jerkass rival to John Nash for most of the film's first act; however, when Nash is selected for the position at Wheeler labs instead of him, he shows up at the local bar where Nash is celebrating, and- though his ego has obviously taken a bruising- he gracefully toasts Nash's success. For the remainder of the scene, the two of them are chatting amiably.
 * The Joker in The Dark Knight Saga oddly enough, granted he tried to blow up the ferry ships after neither passenger were willing to do it themselves. But after Batman stops him, he's actually glad to finally meet someone who he considers his equal. And of course, in typical Joker fashion just laughs himself silly.
 * As in the book, Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers very calmly accepts that he's been beaten (even if it is only a minor inconvenience rather than a disaster for him,) and invites the musketeers to work for him instead.
 * Loki in The Avengers. Conclusively broken and beaten, surrounded by all of the Avengers, ALL angry as hell:


 * Subverted in Diggstown, where the hero and the villain are both con-men who have done everything in their power to rig a series of boxing matches in their favor. When the hero's fighter finally wins under blatantly shady circumstances, the villain stands up and says, "You beat me fair and square!" However, soon afterwards he begins ranting and threatening while his son tries to get him to admit defeat.

Literature
"looked up at last. Then, with a little effort, he shrugged, like a man who has lost a bet on a footrace or dice roll. Accepting a shattering defeat with some dignity intact he was more likable than he ever had been in the past. [...] He saluted the king. "Basileus" he said, using the archaic term for the fabled princes of the ancient world."
 * In The King Of Attolia, the king has just outmaneuvered a scheming noble:

"Believe me if you like, or disbelieve, but I am at peace- with myself, anyway. I have had my day, and I am satisfied... if you had lived for thirteen-hundred years, perhaps you would understand..."
 * In the Warrior trilogy set in the BattleTech universe, Duke Frederick Steiner certainly qualifies. Confronted with the evidence of his involvement in a plot to topple his cousin Katrina and establish himself as Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth (involving an assassination attempt that he did not know about and would not have condoned), he acknowledges his defeat, accepts a suicide mission on the condition that the troops he takes along not be thrown away merely for their association with him, and indeed does not return.
 * Also, the Clans will, at the point of a defeat, withdraw, even if they have the strength to stay.
 * The vampire Faethor Ferenczy of the Necroscope series had two such moments: first, when suffering amidst the ruins of his burning house, he decided to accept a quick death at the hands of a rescuer- even paying him with a gold medallion- rather than fighting desperately to escape. The second moment was after his death, when he was excluded from the other souls of the dead for being a vampire, and this time, he got to explain himself:


 * ... up until Sequelitis made him an enemy again in Necroscope: Deadspawn when.
 * Supreme Commander Pellaeon, the head of the tiny Imperial Remnant, came to the conclusion that the Empire would only survive to rise again if he made peace with the New Republic, so he sends a trusted underling as an envoy to meet with the general he respects most. A Moff's consternation at this and someone finding a corrupt version of the Caamaas Document kick off the events of the Hand of Thrawn duology.
 * His mentor, Grand Admiral Thrawn, was like this as well. When one of his plans failed spectacularly and his own bodyguard assassinated him, Thrawn's last words were, "But...it was so artistically done."
 * The Three Musketeers: After D'Artagnan and friends have defeated his scheme, Cardinal Richelieu acts in the only manner he can, being who he is... he offers D'Artagnan a job. Talent like that shouldn't be wasted. (It is earlier mentioned in the book that the Cardinal is incapable of being vengeful, because the pursuit of vengeance really gets in the way of the pursuit of power.)
 * While his scheme is defeated, at best it is a minor inconvenience to the Cardinal who is far too powerful for anything that the Musketeers do to actually harm or seriously affect him and his position. That he offers D'Artagnan a job still counts as this trope, however, as if he wished he could crush the young Musketeer without effort.
 * In Animorphs  responds in this fashion after their defeat in
 * Martel, in The Elenium, takes being beaten by Sparhawk with dignity. Sparhawk acknowledges this by bringing Sephrenia over so Martel can

Live Action TV

 * When revealed for the scheming, murdering snakes they are, a very significant number of Lieutenant Columbo's enemies smile graciously, congratulate the lovable old buffoon, and cheerfully walk to the police station with him.
 * Columbo's often really nice to them as well. When the fairly sympathetic man who'd murdered his stepbrother because he was going to sell his beloved vineyard was caught, Columbo listened as the guy explained that the vineyard was the only place he ever felt truly happy and shared a glass of wine with him before taking him away.
 * One of them even gave Columbo a portrait of himself after being caught (although he was working on it before he was arrested).
 * Averted in Alias. In the middle of season 2, after the Alliance was destroyed, Arvin Sloane was revealed to have helped in the whole thing, and apparently retired to a life of luxury and anonymity with his wife. Then it turned out it was just the next step of his plan.
 * A world-class example of this is seen in the Grand Finale of Power Rangers Time Force. Ransik (probably the single toughest Big Bad EVER seen in the franchise) tells the Rangers 'I don't NEED anyone to fight for me! I'll destroy you MYSELF!' - and then, goes ahead and darn well nearly does it. He only relents when he nearly kills his daughter accidentally, who then uses The Power of Love to get him to lay down his arms and surrender.
 * He even comes back during the next season's Crossover episode to help the Rangers take out some Orgs that he had business dealings with, in the "past".
 * And he was pretty damn awesome as a good guy too.
 * In the Doctor Who episode "Amy's Choice", after our heroes have worked their way through his dream trap, the Dream Lord gracefully admits defeat and accepts his end of the bargain, saving their lives and fading away.
 * In the 1980s The Twilight Zone, a group of neighborhood men play poker against the devil, who keeps winning with triple 6's. So for a final hand, double or nothing to get back the souls lost, they play lowball, where the devil's typical hands, of course, lose. The Devil smiles and gives them back everything they've lost. Further, charmed by their pluck, he fills the fridge with beer and snacks they were too poor to afford for their game.
 * The Smallville episode "Combat" has Clark being forced to fight against an escaped prisoner (from the Phantom Zone) named Titan. The fight is brutal, forcing Clark to actually use his full strength. After being tossed rather forcefully to the ground, Titan rises and turns to reveal that he has been fatally impaled by his own arm-spike. Evidently aware of his mortal wound, he simply smiles, says "Good fight!" and drops dead.
 * In the Fantasy Island remake, one episode involved a man who wants to become the best business man by any means. Roarke slowly turns him into a remorseless demon. At the final moments, his dog returns to him and he shed a single tear, which Roarke takes and hands to his assistant, happy to lose the bet once more.
 * On The Amazing Race it's actually rare for a losing team not to be graceful in defeat, and many teams in the Final 3 are just happy having gotten to run the whole race. Though notably averted with the teams that originally appeared on another CBS Reality Show.

Tabletop Games

 * In Exalted, Ligier, the fetich soul of the Yozi Malfeas sort of invokes this concept. He refuses to fight anyone not worthy of fighting him (either tens of thousands of Dragonblooded or a full circle of experienced Solars) and if a party can best him enough to deal 25 health levels of damage or so to him - the book mentions this is merely a scratch to him, by the way - he will flourish, then withdraw from the fight and refuse to fight the group for 25 hours. He can be pressed into combat if his opponents keep attacking him. A word of advice: DON'T.
 * In the sample adventure for Spirit of the Century
 * Zulkir Szass Tam is said to be genuinely respectful and even admiring of any heroic adventurers who thwart his plans, in no small part because they'd probably have to be Worthy Opponents to beat someone with his level of power and cunning.
 * In the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons, the demon lord Pazuzu is said to genuinely not hold any grudge against any mortal heroes who ruin his plans, particularly if they showed great cunning in doing so, and is in fact quite Affably Evil overall.

Video Games
"Harry: ...Is it over? Go for it, Brandon. It's your turn now. (A single shot of Grave's Cerberus is heard.)"
 * Jade Empire. Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard accepts defeat quite gracefully, and honors your demands, even giving up his prized blunderbuss Mirabelle if the player wants it.
 * The hero and villain of the first Shadow Hearts both admit at the end that they understand each other's motives, and that they will decide the fate of the world with a Might Makes Right smackdown with no ill feelings towards the victor. The villain lives up to his promise, returning in the second game as a Spirit Advisor.
 * A similar case happens in the second game, furthered by the case that the hero and the villain there have pretty much zero animosity towards each other the whole game. The villain even provides the hero with both the means to say goodbye to his dead girlfriend and the key to figuring out exactly what he's planning. They also part amicably at the end.
 * Admiral Gregorio, the Worthy Opponent of Skies of Arcadia. He takes his loss to the heroes (which only cripples his ship and makes him unable to chase you) by giving Enrique, the party's Defector From Decadence and basically his nephew, his well-wishes for the future. Enrique responds in kind, expressing regret at having had to fight him. Handsome Lech Vigoro also bows out gracefully after getting his backside kicked by Vyse for the third time, admitting that Vyse is the bigger man and giving up his obsessive chase after Aika in the process since, in his own words, "the strongest man has the right to be with the prettiest woman".
 * A particularly odd example occurs in BioShock (series): It is also possible that he did so because he realized that
 * King Bulblin from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess offers his only line to the hero after being defeated for the last time: "I follow the strongest side." He then gracefully bows out, implying that he believes Link to be stronger than his former master.
 * Most of the ranked assassins in No More Heroes accept their deaths quite calmly. Especially, but totally inverted with.
 * The same goes for No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle, where the assassins' dying reactions usually consist of quiet acceptance or, in the case of Nathan Copeland, outright jubilation.
 * Rubicante, fitting with his status as a Worthy Opponent and a Noble Demon, praises you after defeating the Elemental Lords when they team up in Final Fantasy IV.
 * The Turks from Final Fantasy VII ignore their orders to confront the party again if you refuse to fight them during the Midgar raid. Rude concludes, "We've completed our job" and they go back to awaiting the end of the world.
 * ...But only if you completed the Wutai sidequest. If you didn't, you don't get the choice to fight them.
 * Of course, it was a good idea to choose to fight them anyway because of the equipment you could get.
 * Harry McDowell of Gungrave, once his final creation is destroyed, admits defeat and allows Beyond The Grave to avenge his own murder (by killing Harry). For bonus points, the player gets to pull the trigger.


 * The final boss of the second game accepts his defeat calmly, even giving the heroes an antidote for Mika's seed infection before he dies.
 * complements Persona 4's Investigation Team after they unmask and defeat her.
 * Also, accepts his fate of imprisonment and agrees to play by society's rules.
 * Dragon Age Origins has, after being defeated in single combat with the player or a party member, submitting to the player's justice - whether that justice is cutting off his head,  , or
 * In The King of Fighters 2003, if you reach Adelheid (Rugal Bernstein's son) and beat him. He actually praises you for winning. His sister, Rose, on the other hand is quite the Sore Loser. So much so that Adelheid has to force her to let the winners go as they won fair and square.
 * Mass Effect 3:, the Bigger Bad of the series, admits its own defeat when Shepard interacts with him. Seeing that Shepard and his/her allies

Visual Novels
": No. I'm not a victim (tears start flowing down his face, all while he keeps genuinely smiling). I'm a murderer."
 * The only thing that says to his killer  in Shikkoku no Sharnoth is  He is, in fact, completely satisfied with what he managed to accomplish.
 * Assassin in Fate Stay Night. He's just that kind of guy.
 * And, who at least takes losing to Saber slightly better than you'd expect given his normal mode of behaviour.
 * In case 1-3 (Turnabout Samurai) of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, the murderer, upon being discovered in full in court by Phoenix, chooses not to go into a grand Freak-Out (like so many other murderers do, though she does snap her pipe in half in anger first), but to simply thank Phoenix and quietly admit their guilt. Lampshaded by Phoenix.
 * could also be considered one. When found out as the ultimate perpetrator for the current case and the DL-6 incident that led to the death of Edgeworth's father Gregory, he doesn't take it so lightly, screaming Edgeworth's name out and smashing his head on the crowd bench behind him. However, afterward he calms down, he snaps at the judge for not delivering the verdict fast enough.
 * would qualify. When you finally present irrefutable evidence that he was the (accidental) murderer of ringmaster Russel Berry, he simply congratulates you for seeing through him, figuring it out and calmly explains why he did what he did. He even congratulates Franziska for her part in exposing him. The last bit, though, sells it:
 * would qualify. When you finally present irrefutable evidence that he was the (accidental) murderer of ringmaster Russel Berry, he simply congratulates you for seeing through him, figuring it out and calmly explains why he did what he did. He even congratulates Franziska for her part in exposing him. The last bit, though, sells it:


 * Completely averted, however, by the Big Bad of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, . He constantly denies your claims unless you've completely proven them. This, however, makes finally taking him down all the more satisfying as you've ensured that he no longer has any wriggle room and must face punishment for his crimes.

Web Comics

 * The mad scientists in A Miracle of Science surrender in this fashion, once the memetic track for Science-Related Memetic Disorder runs out. At least one sentient robot displays this behavior as well. Pinder number one has the means to defeat his enemy, but doing so will certainly destroy himself and a great number of the robots with him. Rather than taking the fight to its conclusion, he acknowledges defeat and surrenders.
 * from Angel Moxie, to the point of.
 * Played with, really. He fights right up to the end, fully intending to kill the girls if he can... but he's left a pleasant surprise for the heroes if they do manage to beat him.
 * In El Goonish Shive, Principal Verrückt pushes in all the wrong directions, but doesn't mind when he's repelled. At least if it's not about murals.

Western Animation
""There will be no war today, Prime. You have earned Galvatron's respect.""
 * In The Simpsons episode "C.E.D'oh", Homer hatches an ingenious plan to get put in charge of the nuclear power plant as a "patsy", then immediately fires Mr. Burns once he's given power. Burns compliments his cleverness and acknowledges his defeat like a man. Homer responds by throwing him to the crowd of workers below, who crowd-surf him into a waiting taxi while singing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye".
 * Caesar in the Twelve Tasks of Asterix, who gets to 'retire' to a lovely Italian villa with Cleopatra.
 * In Gargoyles, David Xanatos may be a Big Bad for some time, but he's a preeminent good loser who also thinks revenge is beneath him. When the gargoyles start becoming a genuine nuisance in his plans, he doesn't go into a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, vowing We Will Meet Again, but simply states their interference has become "irritating."
 * Also, Oberon.
 * In the last episode of The Transformers season 3 (The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2), Galvatron's madness is cured and he becomes this. Of course, in the next (truncated) season, he comes back crazier than ever.


 * In Hot Wheels Battle Force 5,
 * In the My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic episode "May the Best Pet Win", in which Rainbow Dash has a contest to see what animal becomes her pet, the falcon is a remarkably good sport about losing to a tortoise on a technicality, even going so far as to shake, er, forelimbs.
 * When Fluttershy tells motivational worker Iron Will that she refuses to pay up for his seminar due to him saying that he guarantees 100% satisfaction or else "You don't pay", he keeps his word (though not before asking if she's even mildly satisfied) and continues his way, even considering his experience with her worth using in his next seminar.
 * In an episode of American Dad, Francine goes to her 20th anniversary high school reunion, where they get the ballot box from Homecoming out of a time capsule. Inside they discover two uncounted votes which show Francine's rival should have been Homecoming queen. Francine handles it admirably, simply saying "How about that?" and giving her tiara to the other girl. Stan however has a Freak-Out, since he wanted to date the Homecoming queen to make up for his being a total loser in high school.
 * In the Hey Arnold! episode "Tour de Pond" Rex Smythe-Higgins III takes his defeat much better than his grandfather.