Any anime where the outsider always wins is kind of a ridiculous setup.

Misaki was originally coerced into doing Angelic Layer but ends up winning everything with only one recorded loss, mostly through imitating things she sees including from the current champion and her over excited best friend. She's dubbed the Miracle Rookie because of this.
If the anime has no stakes, then winning everything loses its appeal very quick, especially when much of Misaki's fighting style is experimental, the manga is a bit better at writing Misaki's battles but has similar issues.
This is why current sport anime, even the most unbelievable like the recently watched Kandagawa Jet Girls doesn't give it's leads easy wins, even Pokemon remembers that Ash Ketchum's journey is a marathon not a sprint.