Many fans consider Pokémon Legends: Arceus the best entry in the venerable franchise, thanks to the significant changes it introduces. Its narrative in particular also received much praise, with critics and fans lauding the many unexpected twists, including the reveal of the game's main villain.
Indeed, thanks to his ambitious plans and ruthless behavior, Volo quickly became one of the franchise's best villains, which is no easy feat considering Pokémon has had multiple memorable antagonists over the years. However, some are undoubtedly better than others, thanks to their indelible personalities and outright evil intentions.
The Hoenn games are many millennials' favorite due to a mix of nostalgia and genuine quality. Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald do a ton of things right, but their antagonists feel somewhat disappointing.
Maxie and Archie plan to expand the land and sea, respectively, using Groudon and Kyogre. It's a decent enough plan, but it can't help but pale in comparison to the franchise's other villains, who had bigger and more threatening plots. Maxie and Archie also feel like feuding childhood rivals rather than menacing supervillains who might destroy the world. Hoenn is one of the coolest Pokémon regions, but its regional villains are the lamest.
Most fans agree that Pokémon X & Y are the most disappointing games in the series. They aren't bad; on the contrary, they're quite entertaining. However, they're ridiculously easy and safe, feeling like a low-stakes Pokémon adventure rather than an exciting new entry in the sprawling world.
A large reason Gen VI feels so underwhelming is the villain behind the plot, Lysandre. He is the leader of Team Flare, who wants to kill everyone to restore the world to its beautiful and unspoiled form. Lysandre's plot is evil enough, but he and his team feel uninspired to the point of boredom. Lysandre is the Pokémon franchise on auto-pilot, checking all the boxes for what an "evil" character should be without actually providing him with any depth.
As the first Pokémon antagonist, Giovanni holds a special place in the hearts of fans. He represents corporate greed and blind ambition, acting as a prototypical Bond-ian mob boss; he even comes with a cat! Giovanni serves as the main antagonist of two generations and sporadically returns in later games.
Giovanni isn't exactly a great villain, but nostalgia does him a huge service. He is the only villain who doesn't have a world-ending scheme; in fact, his plans, which mostly consist of stealing Pokémon, might seem overly safe in hindsight. Still, there's something great about Giovanni, a villain who manages to be intimidating despite being, for all terms and purposes, a small fish in a very large tank.
The Generation VIII games had considerable flaws, and their story didn't exactly break new ground. However, the villain behind it, the overly charming Chairman Rose, earns extra points for being somewhat menacing yet still likable.
Like other villains in the series, Rose acts like a friend throughout most of the series, offering the player some useful tips whenever they meet. Rose always travels accompanied by his loyal assistant, Oleana, a mysterious Sword & Shield character. Rose's boss fight isn't challenging at all, and his demeanor makes it very hard to fear him. Still, his plan almost destroys Galar, which is more than many other villains can say. Plus, his battle theme is incredibly epic.
Lusamine was the first and so far only female villain in the main series games, but what a villain! Like her predecessors, she is the head of a large corporation, the Aether Foundation, which she uses as a cover to investigate the mysterious Ultra Space and the beasts that dwell in it, the Ultra Beasts.
Cold, vain, and selfish, Lusamine is a strong contender for the worst parental figure in any video game, willingly exposing her children to mortal danger just so she can get what she wants. Lusamine is also at the center of arguably the creepiest moment in the Pokémon franchise when she fuses with the bizarre-looking Ultra Beast Nihilego. Indeed, the half-human-half-Pokémon hybrid is enough to provoke nightmares in anyone who dares look at it.
Gen IV was the first time Pokémon attempted to create a truly menacing character; for the most part, they succeeded. Cyrus is certainly menacing, with his deadpan expression and distinctive lack of emotion. As the leader of Team Galactic, Cyrus wants to use the Creation Trio to remake the universe in his image.
Unlike other antagonists who want to conquer the world, Cyrus wants to take over the universe. Ever the pragmatist, Cyrus comes surprisingly close to his objective, up until a child thwarts his plans. Fans don't know much about Cyrus, other than the fact he is inherently connected to the Sinnoh region - after all, his ancestor appears in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, this mystery makes him all the more menacing and compelling, cementing him as one of the franchise's all-time villains.
Pokémon Black & White were true game-changers for the series. They introduced the most ambitious and unconventional plot up to that point, deftly handling mature themes while still delivering a family-friendly and classic Pokémon adventure.
The games' main antagonist, Ghestsis, is the closest thing Pokémon has to a true supervillain, cruel, power-hungry, and absolutely unhinged. To this day, Ghetsis remains the only villain in Pokémon history to attempt to kill the protagonist, a ten-year-old child. Unlike other villains in the series, who at least tried to justify their actions, Ghetsis had no use for reasons or explanations. He was just a selfish and deranged man who wanted power above all things. Plus, his Hydreigon was a beast at the time, making him even more intimidating.
There are numerous reasons why Legends: Arceus is the best Pokémon game, and Volo is one of the most obvious. Starting as a seemingly kind and friendly ally, he pops by throughout the story, offering helpful tips and teaching the player many valuable skills. His betrayal wasn't exactly a shocking surprise - indeed, many saw it coming from a mile away - but his characterization really cements him as the franchise's best villain.
The game hints that Volo successfully manipulated Giratina, taking advantage of its rivalry and history with Arceus to tear open the flow in space-time. Volo then fools the entire village and the Galaxy Team, acting like a harmless bystander when in reality, he was the enemy all along. Volo's final battle is arguably the most challenging in the main series games, a three-stage confrontation that forces the player to truly strategize and hope for the best. Volo's ambition is boundless, and his place as the all-time best Pokémon antagonist is all but secured.
