Pokémon is known to have stories that are simple and focus on the journey (with the exception of Black, White, Black 2, and White 2), but the villains are what make each game so memorable to many players. Whether team leaders, wanderers, or those aligned under an evil organization, they are represented by their goals and will stop at nothing to see their goals become a reality.

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They are easy for kids to understand and give a reason to take them down, but also complex for adults to analyze and look more into their backstory and how they came to be. Here is a list of the 10 best Pokémon villains ranked.

10 Archer

Archer has been a villain ever since Gold and Silver and had a mysterious vibe due to not having a proper name at the time. He played a huge part in Team Rocket's legacy despite not being the leader, such as taking over for Giovanni after his disappearance and being the leader of the Sevii Islands branch for Team Rocket.

Even though he appeared nameless in the first generation games, his appearance in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! provides him with a secondary role as one of the antagonists. It's no wonder why Giovanni appointed him as his confidant in the first place.

9 Guzma

Guzma is not exactly villainous, but still has some antagonistic qualities that make him compelling. He is cocky and egotistical, but very strong at battling. And for the type of leader he is for Team Skull, he knows how to create havoc.

He is not one for tradition due to his backstory and had plans to become a captain, but that all changed when one of the guardian deities struck down the group he was in. Guzma also happens to be realistic and sees how ridiculous his grunts can be. He may not be diabolical, but he is a well-written and strangely likable guy.

8 Cyrus

Cyrus looking at the player with a rainbow background.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl didn't get to do Cyrus justice, but thanks to Platinum fixing some story issues while adding to Cyrus' character, he is a rather terrifying and cunning leader.

He is incredibly stubborn too, wanting to see his dream to the end, going so far as to never leave the Distortion World to start his plans there instead. With a nihilistic nature to boot, Cyrus is the epitome of a person thirsting for power by destroying the world and creating a new one under his control.

7 Miror B.

Some villains are meant to be fabulous, just like at Miror B.! He became an extremely popular character from Pokémon Colosseum with his silly, but effective team of Ludicolos and found his way to return in the sequel, Gale of Darkness. He may not do a good job being a villain, but he gets points for his snazzy designs and mannerisms.

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He is very flamboyant and passionate for dancing, while also having memorable moments in the spin-off games. In the sequel, he also dresses and moonwalks like Michael Jackson, which is another reason to love this guy.

6 Archie/Maxie

Archie and Maxie are different in their objectives, but they essentially play the same role in the third generation games. Both want to expand either the sea or land for the sake of Pokémon's longevity, but having too much water or too much land is incredibly detrimental.

They both also realize the error of their ways and can even befriend the player character, at least through the Delta Episode in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

5 Lusamine

Seemingly soft and sweet on the outside, Lusamine's goals were darker with an intense mother-like complex of wanting to protect all forms of life. Due to her husband vanishing, while studying Ultra Wormholes, Lusamine's obsession turned deadly and became fixated on finding as many Ultra Beasts as she can.

Before coming to her senses, she had little to no care for her children, especially Lillie. For having an interesting character in Sun and Moon, sadly her writing in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon has derailed her from becoming the best Pokémon villain.

4 Giovanni

The first Pokémon games may have a basic story at best, but it brought one of the best plot twists to date. The reason why the Viridian Gym was closed was that the gym leader turned out to be Team Rocket's leader Giovanni.

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The games do a great job at making him a distant, but memorable villain. With other plot elements coming along the way such as Silver being his son and being the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket with other villains representing as the admins, Giovanni is classic, but still one of the best villains in the series.

3 Colress

Appearing in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Colress' joining Team Plasma was not for their cause, but rather for who has the correct answer. He takes the role of being a researcher endorsed by Ghetsis and figure out the true strength that resides in Pokémon.

While not entirely an evil person, Colress does go to any means necessary to ensure that his hypothesis is correct. His cameo appearance in Sun and Moon was a pleasant surprise, and having a bigger role in the sequels is always welcomed.

2 Nobunaga

Nobunaga, while being based on the real-life Oda Nobunaga, takes the world domination goal with a surprisingly believable reason in Pokémon Conquest. His role in the story involves him taking over the Ransei region and would stop anyone at any cost.

His reason, however, was to put an end to the battles that occurred when other warlords opted to use their Pokémon as tools rather than partners. Nobunaga is also an extremely tough boss, making him and his character all the more memorable in a unique Pokémon game.

1 Ghetsis

Whereas N could be classified as a villain due to his allegiance to Team Plasma in Pokémon Black and White, but since he's not inherently evil at heart, Ghetsis acts as a better villain. His sadistic nature and being the true mastermind behind a team that seemed to do good, only to be downright evil in the end makes Ghetsis truly despicable. He even tries to eliminate the player in Black 2 and White 2, showing how far he will go to make his goals absolute.

Perhaps one of the worst things about him is how he treats his adoptive son. Despite the fact that he raised N, Ghetsis only used him as a puppet to have his dream come true. It also doesn't help that his Hydreigon's Frustration attack is at its maximum in battle.

Next: Pokémon: Ranking Every Main Villain In The Series By How Evil Their Plans Were