Unhappy Ending

Cue the Villain's Evil Laugh.

When the story ends on a low note. The protagonists lose as the antagonists win after everything the former party did to overcome the latter opposition. Watching the Good Guys cave in to defeat can serve as a real gut punch to the audience who might've grown attached to the bunch. Unhappy Ending might be the most disheartening subversion of all hope the protagonists and those who relied on them had. Even if they fought their hardest in the Big Fight, the Good Guys were no match for the Villain's hidden Dirty Trick to pull when times get hairy. With that surprise sprung on them, it's difficult for the Good Guys to react in time and cobble together a counterstrategy. Viewers rarely get to see what happens after the Good Guys are no more and the Villain is free to enact their Evil Scheme in full. Most series are too busy letting their Main Team walk off into the sunset with no more challenges to address.

UnRec
Before we get into what makes Unhappy Ending such a moving UnTrash, we have to discuss why its opposite, Happy Ending, needs to be given a break. Happy Ending is already the most common way for a story to go out. Over the years, it's become even more widespread as more writers edge away from the idea of sending their audiences home with a depressed feeling. Storywriting has reached a point where telling somebody a narrative resolves in favor of its protagonists isn't a spoiler, just a confirmation of their early expectations. The effectiveness packed in Happy Ending depends on a number of factors, including if such a conclusion wouldn't go against everything the series of events that preceded it stood for. There are some environments in fiction that are too hostile for Happy Ending to appear realistic and acceptable. These stories introduce bleak situations or touch on serious real-world topics that audiences should take very seriously. It's in a story like this where Unhappy Ending's charms break through. The sober essence of the UnTrash synchronizes excellently with the story's themes for a believable conclusion that sits well with the audience. A family facing discrimination being accepted by their new neighborhood in the end is much less impactful than them being gunned down by a hate group against them. Bubble-wrapping these messages and shielding the viewers from a hard but understandable ending completely destroys the overall value of the series. It communicates the incorrect idea that anything can end well for anybody if the universe arranges itself just right or people change their minds for the better. Though you're free to wrap up your narrative however you wish as a writer, it's best you pay attention to its ending and what message it may potentially get across. Happy Ending has a horrible tendency to counter the trials and sacrifices the protagonists had to endure earlier. If your Main Team happens to have done a considerable amount of this, they should at best be given Alt Happy Ending at best as consolation for their efforts. If you're willing to tend to a more hurtful resolution in trade for a more satisfying moral, Unhappy Ending is the way to go.

Unhappy Ending Mirrors
Basic: The story ends in a way that defeats the Good Guys.

Reinforced: The story ends with the entire the Main Team killed by the Bad Guys. There is no possible hope for recovery of a loss this disastrous.

Downplayed: Though the Good Guys lost for now, there is still a chance for a later reversal to be done on their failure.

Negated: The Good Guys appear to have lost just to be saved by an Ex Machina. This can be through the classic Ex Machina (an ally arrives to Save The Day) or a Plot Ex Machina (the Hero's Latent Ability awakens).

Inverted: Happy Ending.

Justified: The Good Guys were exceptionally bad at their job throughout their whole journey. This is the moment they realize too late how horrible they were at being heroes.

Gleeful: What?

Dismal: In addition to the conditions for Reinforced, the world ends now that the Villain has no one to oppose them.

Zip: The Savior arrives on the scene to avenge their fallen comrades. Knowing they're the last hope for good to win, they fight their hardest, but the Villain is too strong for them. Their defeat comes after the Main Team falls.