Some say the best part ofPokémonis catching the titular creatures, while others believe the adventure is the greatest aspect, and some prefer battling the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four. While all of those are core elements, evil teams are yet another factor that offers a side story with more content in each game. Almost every new region has a new villain team, from the classic Team Rocket to the nefarious Team Galactic.
This list will rank every evil team inPokémonbased on fan opinion of evilness, originality, difficulty, writing, members, and their goals. Some evil teams are just a group of punk kids, while others are criminal organizations aiming to take over the world, but each provides an antagonistic force in every game. Organizations such as theAether Foundation, Macro Cosmos, and spinoff evil teams, although the actual villains, aren’t considered the evil team for their specific region and therefore won’t be included.
9Team Star
‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Pokémon Violet’ (2022)
The most recent Pokémon region was met with controversy, from its empty open world to subpar graphics to its buggy release. Among all those problems,Scarlet and Violethad some strengths, including the three main stories fans could work through. However, the worst among them was defeating Team Star, a group of rebellious students who decided to start skipping class.
Team Star aligns with the themes and aesthetic of these games, and the concept of an “evil” group of rebellious students isa unique and engaging idea, as they can be redeemed. Despite this original concept, every battle with them felt like a nuisance, andthe story felt shoehorned in, making this villain group a severe disappointment for how they could have been handled.
8Team Skull
‘Pokémon Sun’ and ‘Pokémon Moon’ (2016)
Team Skull follows a similar pattern to Team Star, serving as the main team while a worse and actually evil organization is the real villain.Sun and Moonstarted this trend, which has continued for each generation, and while it may have been original at the time, it isn’t anymore. Team Skull is a group of rebels who steal Pokémon and cause chaos wherever they go.
Team Skull is annoying and deplorable, but that’s just because they arelosers being a nuisance to everyone else. Their design is cool, and their leader, Guzma, is strong — anda Bug-type specialist, no less — but besides that, Team Skull doesn’t have any redeeming factors. Many fans really can’t stand them, even if the idea of aragtag group of punks was original for Pokémon back then.
7Team Flare
‘Pokémon X’ and ‘Pokémon Y’ (2013)
After over a decade, fans will finally be able to re-experience the Kalos region withPokémon Legends: ZA, which is presumably set in the near future. However, one of the most forgettable aspects ofX and Ywas the villain group, Team Flare. With Lysandre as the leader, their goal was to destroy humanity, with only them standing as the remaining survivors.
Team Flare’s goal is arguablythe most evil out of all the evil teams, cartoonishly so. This scale and weight aren’t usually seen in Pokémon games, butX and Ydecided to turn it up a notch. However, despite grand goals and pure evilness,Team Flare isn’t memorable enoughto be considered one of the best Pokémon teams. Perhaps if they return toZA, they can become a more formidable evil team.
6Team Yell
‘Pokémon Sword’ and ‘Pokémon Shield’ (2019)
Sword and Shieldwere the first mainlinePokémongames to arrive on a home console with the Nintendo Switch, and while they aren’t great games, fan opinion has started to turn. Team Yell is a group of fanboys and fangirls who are obsessed with Marnie, a rival trainer who is also aiming to become the champion.
This may be a controversial placement, as many players aren’t a fan of Team Yell and their role inSword and Shield. However, it is a fun idea that they arehooligans madly in support of a rival trainer, making it their mission to bea nuisance to the player. They are thematically relevant, appropriate to the tone and story, and it also makes sense that they aren’t too powerful. Team Yell may be annoying, but that’s exactly what they are trying to be.
5Team Rocket
‘Pokémon Red’ and ‘Pokémon Blue’ (1996)
The original evil team, fromRed and Blue, is Team Rocket, one of the most iconic animated villains, who didn’t make as big of an impact in the games. Everyone knows Jessie and James from the anime, and while they did appear inYellow, Team Rocket as a whole isn’t the best villains, as all they did wassteal Pokémon in their crime empire.
This is yet another controversial placement, as many fans would have assumed Team Rocket would at least be top three, probably even number one. However,don’t let nostalgia cloud judgment, because while the anime is fun with Jessie, James, and Meowth, this group isn’t too relevant in their games. All Team Rocket does is steal Pokémon and quickly disband inRed and Blue. However, Jessie, James, and Meowth arefantastic villains who deserve a spinoff seriesbecause of their iconic nature.
4Team Rainbow Rocket
‘Pokémon Ultra Sun’ and ‘Pokémon Ultra Moon’ (2017)
While Team Rocket is iconic, they aren’t too intimidating or relevant, butUltra Sun and Ultra Moonfixed that by introducing Team Rainbow Rocket. Serving as a side story in the PST game, Team Rainbow Rocket is led by an alternate universe’s Giovanni, whose group is made up of multiple evil team leaders, such as Lysandre, Ghestis, and Cyrus.
This team does more than stealfan-favorite starter Pokémon; they are aiming to create a team of Ultra Beasts and legendaries to take over the world in every universe. If this evil team were in the game for more than an hour, they could have been the top entry, but becausethey are only a side story, Rainbow Rocket finds its spot at number four. Still,each leader presents a tough battle, having Pokémon such as Mega Mewtwo, Groudon, Kyogre, Palkia, and Dialga.
3Team Aqua and Team Magma
‘Pokémon Ruby’ and ‘Pokémon Sapphire’ (2002)
While some fans thought this group would have separate entries, it feels right to include them in a single one.Ruby and Sapphireintroduced a new evil team after Team Rocket reigned over Kanto and Johto. Team Aqua and Magma were the villains, depending on which game players got, and they aimed to either increase or reduce the landmass in honor of their legendary Pokémon.
The idea of having a unique evil team for each game was an original concept that they should have reintroduced, as it offers distinct value for each game. Having two evil teams also be rivals is a new thing the games did, makingRuby and Sapphireeven more unique. As they worship some ofthe strongest Pokémon, these evil teams arestrong, original, intimidating, and evil. Plus, Maxie and Archie, the respective leaders of the teams, are antagonists witha ton of personality and flair.
2Team Galactic
‘Pokémon Diamond’ and ‘Pokémon Pearl’ (2006)
Now that this list has reached the top two spots, either evil team deserves number one, but barely coming in at second place is Sinnoh’s Team Galactic. Their leader, Cyrus, wishes to use the creation trio of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina to rewrite history and create a new universe.
The DS era isPokémon’sbest, andDiamond and Pearlintroduced fans to this world with Team Galactic serving as the main enemies. Their goals were villainous, their designs were cool, and each member was powerful enough to pose a challenge, especially Cyrus. This villain team becomes even more fascinating afterPokémon Legends: Arceus, where it is revealed that they initially started as the good guys, attempting to establish a structured civilization. However,after centuries, they became a typical evil groupwith one of the most wretched plans in the games.
1Team Plasma
‘Pokémon Black’ and ‘Pokémon White’ (2010)
It was tough choosing between Team Galactic and Team Plasma, but the latter wins this bout because of their unique goals and relevance in the story.Black and Whiteare some ofthe best Pokémon games, mainly because they and their sequels had some of the best stories in the franchise. This is where Team Plasma comes in, as they aim to separate humanity from Pokémon.
While Unova still featured the classic story of defeating the gym leaders, Elite Four, and Champion, Team Plasma was heavily involved and hada unique premise and original plot relevance that made them so intriguing. The development of Team Plasma splitting into two factions was even more captivating, as they were the driving force behind the phenomenal story ofBlack 2 and White 2.
NEXT:I Love the Games and the Show, but I Just Can’t Stand These 10 Pokémon
