We have all heard countless times that a good villain makes a good story. Throughout the Pokémon franchise, we have seen several villains who play a central role in the progression of the game they appear in. While these villains give their individual stories depth, not all of them are truly deserving of the title “villain.”
While we won’t rank the games they appear in, here are all of the major villains encountered throughout the Pokémon franchise, based on their intentions. Good or bad, for personal gain or not, all play a role in our experience throughout the Pokémon universe.
14 N
N is the son of Ghestis and is made into an unwitting antagonist by his father as the leader of Team Plasma in Pokémon Black and White. While N leads the antagonist group and seeks to create a separate world for Pokémon and humans, this is based on a troubled background at the hands of his father more than any evil intentions. While N’s goals are pretty extreme, his mentality is not. When he realizes the nature of his evil, N quickly acquits his wrongdoing.
13 Piers
Like Giovanni in Generation I, Piers is both the leader of his antagonist organization, Team Yell, and a gym leader. Unlike Giovanni, Piers has no discernible goals of the evil variety. He and his organization simply seek to cheer on his younger sister, Marnie, in her goal to become the Pokémon League Champion.
Piers isn’t truly a villain; he is simply the head of an antagonist organization. As the story progresses, Team Yell becomes an advocate for the player. His true motivation is the success of his sister, which his group advocates through generally causing mischief.
12 Colress
Following the events of Pokémon Black and White, Colress becomes the “leader” of Team Plasma in Black 2 and White 2. Much like N, Colress’ true nature shouldn’t necessarily be described as evil. He’s little more than a puppet lured by a means to study the true strength of Pokémon.
Not only does Colress disagree with his organization’s values, Colress is seen in later titles in a friendly role with the player. Undeniably, his nature cannot be considered evil, and his goals align with many allies to the player throughout the series.
11 Guzma
We considered whether or not Guzma belonged on this list. Ultimately, his inclusion in the game as the primary antagonist for the majority of Generation VII’s titles secured his spot, but Guzma’s intentions aren’t all bad.
In essence, Guzma seeks to be the strongest trainer in Alola. His organization, Team Skull, are little more than mischief makers seeking to make a way for themselves. While the player will interact with them plenty, there isn’t anything overly evil about this organization, and their leader proves to be a decent trainer trying to make a way for himself.
10 Archer
Originally unnamed in the Generation II titles, we would learn of Archer’s true identity through subsequent appearances in FireRed and LeafGreen, as well as HeartGold, SoulSilver, Let’s Go, Pikachu!, and Let’s Go, Eevee!
Archer is originally an admin for Team Rocket. He reaches prominence after the events of the original generation of Pokémon games. While Team Rocket is infamous for attempting to steal Pokémon and to deceive others into giving them money, the organization is far from evil. Among those on this list, Archer is decidedly low on the “evil scale,” given that his primary ambition was finding his former boss Giovanni.
9 Saturn
Due to the conclusion of Cyrus in Generation IV, we have to consider his successor Saturn as a major villain. Saturn inherits Team Galactic upon the disappearance of Cyrus. In Diamond and Pearl, Saturn is last seen plotting the future of his organization. This wouldn’t leave us much to go on if he didn’t also appear in Platinum with a revised role, attempting to elicit money from the people of Sinnoh in a plot that threatens to make Stark Mountain explode. Based on these actions, Saturn essentially makes Team Galactic a petty theft group akin to the original Team Rocket.
8 Charon
Like Saturn, Charon’s leadership role with Team Galactic is relatively short. In addition, his efficacy as a leader is easily questionable, given that Mars and Jupiter quickly leave his organization due to a mixture of seniority and lack of excitement.
Despite his inadequacies, Charon did have a plan. Quite simply, he sought the Magma Stone in order to capture the legendary Heatran. Much like Saturn, Charon sought this means to extort money from the citizens of Sinnoh. Spoiler alert: he was unsuccessful.
7 Archie
Archie appears in the Generation III titles Pokémon Sapphire and i, as well as the Generation VI remake Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, as the leader of Team Aqua. His goal, and the goal of Team Aqua, is to awaken the legendary Pokémon Kyogre in order to bring about an eternal rain which will flood the world and decrease the land area.
Generation III presents an interesting scenario for players. While the antagonist teams aren’t good entities, they are seemingly more concerned with their opposing goals than the player. As a result, both eventually acknowledge the error of their ways to the player.
6 Maxie
Maxie is essentially the opposite of Archie. All applicable points apply here as well. Through Pokémon Ruby, Emerald, and Omega Ruby, Maxie leads Team Magma, a team set to the task of awakening the legendary Pokémon Groudon in order to evaporate the seas and increase the world’s landmasses.
While the two are in opposition, their outcomes are the same. Just as Archie accepts defeat and disbands his organization, Maxie disbands Team Magma and discontinues his search. While their intended outcomes could be devastating, the two see the error in their ways.
5 Lusamine
The true villain of Generation VII, Lusamine serves as the president of the Aether Foundation, seeking to preserve Pokémon. She is the mother of Gladion and Lillie, ultimately endangering the two if her efforts to achieve her goal of collecting Ultra Beasts.
Lusamine is ultimately possessed by the powers she seeks to contain, losing all sense of self. She ultimately redeems herself, reconciling with her children in a brief moment of clarity. Nevertheless, Lusamine’s goals endanger those close to her, as well as all in the Alola region.
4 Cyrus
Generation IV’s antagonist group, Team Galactic, is initially led by Cyrus. Throughout the titles, we learn much of the man, including his troubled youth. Cyrus is seen as highly intelligent and incredibly solitary. His tendencies toward solitude drive the goal he has set for himself.
Leading Team Galactic, Cyrus’ goal is to destroy the universe and rebuild it in a version without emotion. Cyrus views emotion as the source of struggle in the world and begins his quest to obtain Palkia and Dialga in order to meet his goal. Unlike some villains on this list, Cyrus never renounces his goals, disappearing at the end of his titles to continue his search.
3 Giovanni
Giovanni has appeared in more Pokémon titles than any other villain on this list. In the original generation of Pokémon games, Giovanni served a dual role as both the leader of Team Rocket and the eighth gym leader located in Viridian City.
Giovanni is known for his smug Persian, typically seen at his side. While he was the first villain introduced, he was far from the worst. Using Team Rocket, Giovanni sought to simply collect extremely rare Pokémon like Mewtwo. As of Generation VII and his leadership of Team Rainbow Rocket, Giovanni’s sights became a bit more sinister, seeking control over all the worlds by using an army of Ultra Beasts.
2 Ghetsis
The mastermind behind N and Colress, Ghetsis is the truly evil mastermind of Pokémon Black and White, as well as their sequels. In the original Generation V titles, Ghetsis is manipulating his son in order to obtain supremacy as the only person in the world wielding Pokémon. In the sequels, he seeks to freeze the Unova region.
Ghetsis is wholly evil. There is no redeeming quality in his motives, nor does he reconcile his ambition upon defeat. Even worse, those he manipulated included his own adopted son.
1 Lysandre
Lysandre leads Team Flare in the Generation VI titles Pokémon X and Y. Lysandre is an interesting villain, as he seeks beauty and sees potential in the player character. Nevertheless, his motives are purely selfish.
Lysandre seeks to recruit those he deems worthy into Team Flare. Throughout the story of his titles, Lysandre attempts to recruit the player repeatedly. Through the combined power of the Kalos Power Plant, Xerneas, and Yveltal, Lysandre wants to use the Ultimate Weapon to destroy everyone unworthy of what he deems “beautiful.”
NEXT: 10 Pixel Art Pokémon From Sword & Shield
