My criteria are simple: As long as a character plays some role in the anime, be it adapting a villain or team from the games; created just for the show or one of the movies, or a particularly nasty character of the day, they will be eligible. A couple ground rules, however: 1. I am going to try to include villains from the series as a whole, not just the parts I like the most. 2. While I am eager to see how the Sun and Moon series handles Team Skull, for the sake of argument; I am keeping them out of the running since the series is still airing (though I can definitely vouch for how nasty they are in the games. Go play them and you will know what I'm talking about.). So, let's get this night of New Year's Evil started.
13. Attila and Hun
To lead off this list, I decided I would give credit where it is due even with a work I didn't really enjoy. Despite my total dislike of The Legend of Thunder (it was an indicator of what was to come in Chronicles, I will do some more in 2017), I will admit that Attila and Hun were actually among some of the more memorable Team Rocket operatives. Even with the liberties the dub took with them (which are the least of that mess's problems for me); I still felt that they were a welcome change of pace from the more comical members of the group. Although I don't share many fans' sentiments about the special as a whole (I still very much consider it to be the Batman and Robin of the Pokémon series), if I had to choose one element to keep for a potential rebrand, it would be them.
12. Dr. Yung
As the villain of the 10th anniversary "Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon" special, Dr. Yung was an ideal choice for the occasion. In the guise of the Mirage Master, he not only deceived many beloved characters that took part in such a milestone; he had very little qualms about simply obliterating a digital recreation of Mew on the grounds that it was a "flawed specimen" in his eyes. To say I consider such an act to be his moral event horizon is kind of like saying this year was more intense than previous ones in this decade. Technically accurate, but it tends to understate my overall thoughts on the matter. I digress, I am not here to vent my disappointments of this year (at least not totally); I am here to detail my favorite villains of a series meant for children, so let's keep going, shall we?
11. Lawrence III
Before I officially get to my top 10 entries, I thought I would include the villain of my favorite of the original three movies. While he may be a bit less vile than the other entries I have planned for this list, I thought it would be apropos to include him as my pick for a villain that is blissfully unaware of the consequences of his actions; to the point of not even considering Ash and his friends a threat in the slightest. He is merely a collector, and simply wants to add the legendaries to his treasures regardless of what happens to do it.
10. Shamus
As the trainer who abandoned Tepig in the BW episode "Evolution By Fire," someone that was set up fairly early on was truly worthy of this entry. He's an absolute scumbag in every sense of the word, openly faking affection for Pokémon and then tossing them aside when he considers them unfit for his roster. He doesn't even have Paul's excuse of being disappointed with his older brother, which makes it immensely satisfying when Tepig evolves into Pignite and roasts this clown.
9. Hunter Rico
Even though Advanced may not be my favorite series, I will admit it has its moments; and this character in the early episode "A Poached Ego" is a good example of that. Rico not only opted to smuggle massive amounts of Ekans and Koffing with little to no compunction about making them "damaged goods," he even carries around an FN-P90 gun as insurance (I presume the only reason 4Kids didn't skip the episode like they did "The Legend of Dratini" is because he didn't actually fire at anyone, though he did brandish it more than once). It even led to a very emotional send-off for Jessie's Arbok and James' Weezing. As I mentioned in the last post, when characters that usually have no problem with stealing Pokémon think what someone is doing is horrible; you know you've earned a spot on this list.
8. Annie and Oakley
Even when taking into account the liberties taken in the dub (making them into Team Rocket operatives rather than independent mercenaries, complete with similar naming conventions); these two ladies are among the many reasons that I consider Heroes to be a solid movie to close out the original series movies. They may not be as evil as the next few entries on the list, but they are definitely willing to destroy Alto Mare's ecosystem to further own ends and get paid. That, and they are downright gleeful about the prospect too. That will definitely be a factor in this countdown as it goes on. There's just something about hitwomen that will casually torture a Latios while wearing designer sunglasses that makes a good pair of villains for me.
7. Domino AKA Agent 009
On that subject, for your consideration; Agent 009, "Domino." Named for the famed hitwoman of the same name, she is an ideal aid to Giovanni in the Mewtwo Returns movie. As a member of Team Rocket's more elite operatives, she takes great glee in belittling Jessie and James in their failures. Given how the film was a direct sequel to Mewtwo Strikes Back, it had a lot to live up to as the first of many movies in this series. Needless to say, she definitely helped the film succeed as a follow-up to a work many people enjoyed, myself included.
6. Vicious AKA The Iron-Masked Marauder
From the Bulbapedia article about the character: "The Iron-Masked Marauder is a villain with absolutely no redeeming qualities. He is shown to be a malicious psychopath and also a megalomaniac, dishonest, ruthless, cruel, and egocentric person. He values his own life above that of others, whether out of cowardice or selfishness, and has no qualms about harming others, be it humans or Pokémon, for the sake of reaching his own goals."
Apart from the reasons I mentioned in my recap of the fourth movie; I couldn't have said it better myself.
5. Colress
While I was among many that was disappointed that the initial appearances of Team Plasma were indefinitely postponed by the disaster in Tohoku in March 2011 (though the Generations shorts that featured the team offer glimpses of what could have been); I am also among those who feel that their appearance in the Episode N saga of Best Wishes 2 worked to their advantage. Although the character in the games does help you on your quest, Colress in the anime uses mind control on the Pokémon in his introductory episode (including those of the main characters), and is more than willing to hurt Ash and his friends to prove his theories. He is also more appreciative of Ghetsis due to Plasma's "providing" increasingly more difficult "subjects" pushing the theories further. This definitely made him quite the effective villain, more than a good fit for his superior.
4. Lord Ghetsis
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| Pictured: Artwork from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 |
When Ghetsis finally entered the anime after the above-mentioned 2-parter was indefinitely postponed, expectations were definitely high to say the least. I submit that as a villain that introduced many concepts to the series that hadn't been dealt with before the Black and White series, he is a key reason why I don't share many fans retroactive disdain for Generation V. He and his followers in Episode N are among some of the most memorable villains that the series has had in some time, largely because their roles are never played for laughs once. With a black cloak (his more regal one in the first Black and White was seen in a flashback), a voice that highly resembles Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in the dub and utter contempt for the world around him; Ghetsis' ambitions are the envy of many a real-world tyrant. While the arc showed that Ash and N disagreed on many things about Pokémon, N did agree on one thing as his former adoptive son: he had to be stopped, no matter the cost.
3. Hunter J
Now we're talking. As one of the final spots on this list, it got increasingly harder to include some of my potential candidates (who will be given honorable mentions at the end for a possible second list in the near future). That said, I knew J would have to make the list; and including her in my top 3 was a given. I can credit the Diamond and Pearl series (as well as the Platinum game for my DS at the time) with helping me get back into the series as a teenager. As a series that often told darker stories and took more risks with the characters than past ones, J was notable as a villain that was not in the accompanying games; having been created for the series on her own. She is among villains that sees her own Pokémon as little more than living weapons; and doesn't care who she hurts as long as the highest bidder makes good on their payment. She routinely harms people and Pokémon alike to accomplish her goals. Notably, she used her Drapion to try to strangle Ash and lift him off the ground; and jettisoned a group her minions as cargo for letting a catch get away. She is also one of the few villains to be killed off onscreen during the three-part finale of the Team Galactic arc, with her ship filling up with water and exploding, with the only part of her remaining being her visor. A fitting end for someone as vile as her.
2. Giovanni (Origins)
As the first of many memorable villains in the series; Giovanni has had many unique incarnations over the past 20 years. This rendition from Pokémon Origins is no exception. Not only does he fit the mold that Origins built as a darker rendition of the plot of Pokémon Red and Blue, he manages to be one of the most memorable versions of the character in the course of a single episode. The Giovanni segment was probably my favorite part of the series (talk persists of more being made in the near future), and the way he was depicted was a key reason for that. Even though he initially saw Red as an obstacle, he grew to admire his drive and energy by the time of the gym battle in Viridian City. It also helped that Jamieson Price was an excellent choice to voice the character, given his role as Lordgenome in my favorite anime; Gurren Lagann. It was a very tough call between him and my top choice, but I can easily say that he stood out nontheless.
1. Lysandre
Yep, I bet a fair amount of you knew this was coming. While XYZ did thankfully exorcise many of the cheesier elements from Team Flare (along with their similar incarnations in the Pokémon Special manga), in every version of the Kalos journey I've seen (including my recently-finished second playthrough of the main quest in X) has been relatively consistent in their depiction of Lysandre as a man of wealth, taste and malice. Even though the anime attempts to give him a backstory of being a former philanthropist, given how he says it as he's putting his plans in motion; I can definitely give him the aura of an unreliable narrator. His enabling of Alain furthers that, but what really sets him apart is how ambitious he is. Not content with merely flaunting an expensive suit or an ostentatious haircut, he is more than willing to lay waste to the world and rebuild it in his image for his own warped vision of beauty. In a time where we are about to face many challenges of our own in real life, Lysandre is the ideal villain to embody those challenges. Much like J, Lysandre was even killed off at the end of the Team Flare Crisis arc in a change from the games (where his fate differed depending on which version you played). Depending on how the Sun and Moon series will handle Team Skull as it goes, I am definitely confident in him for my choice as my favorite Pokémon villain.
Before I officially put this year to bed at the stroke of midnight, here are some honorable mentions in no particular order: Grings Kodai, Team Galactic, Xerosic, Damien, and the Chancellor from Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.
So, that will be all for now. I will start compiling my revised list of my Top 13 Favorite Anime Villains by the time you see this; and I hope to have it up sometime tomorrow at the earliest, since I might be helping move my grandfather into his new hospice home. The future is now, so let's make it a good one. Bang.
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