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Not all villains in Pokemon are quite as one-dimensional as people often expect from games that are aimed at children, and some of them haven’t always been evil either. Some of them were once good characters, turned away from a life of evil at the end, or may even have had good motivations for doing bad things.
10 Saturn Considers Taking Team Galactic In Another Direction
Saturn is introduced in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl as one of four commanders of Team Galactic, although there’s a clear difference between him and the others. When players reach the final battle with Team Galactic, they must defeat Mars and Jupiter before meeting the leader Cyrus.
Saturn is notably absent from these events and if the player finds him afterward, he says that he had no idea what Cyrus’ full plan was. He is now left in charge of Team Galactic, and although he doesn’t say what they’re going to do, he does note that “extremism is never the solution.”
9 Eldes Had Second Thoughts
Eldes is one of five cipher admins in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, but he’s the only one who constantly questions the motives of both himself and his team. It’s clear from the start that Eldes isn’t pure evil, but he has a huge redeeming moment toward the end of the game.
His brother Ardos wants to blow up their base in order to escape, but Eldes refuses to allow this because it would lead to the deaths of both people and Pokemon. Instead, he surrenders to the police to face justice.
8 Giovanni Almost Had Redemption
Giovanni is the most iconic villain in the entire Pokemon franchise, being the head of Team Rocket in the original games. Giovanni also serves as one of the more memorable gym leaders, but after being defeated in Pokemon Red and Blue he disbands Team Rocket to dedicate his life to studying Pokemon instead.
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His team attempted to contact him in Pokemon Gold and Silver without luck, which originally hinted that he had stayed true to his declaration. HeartGold and SoulSilverthen introduced one of the series’ biggest retcons, showing that he was defeated before he could rejoin Team Rocket instead.
7 Archie Saw The Error Of His Ways
Archie was the leader of Team Aqua and serves as one of the main villains in Pokemon Sapphire, Alpha Sapphire, and Emerald. Archie is not overly difficult to defeat at any point that players meet him, but he does attempt to control one of the strongest Pokemon in the game, Kyogre.
When it becomes clear that he can’t control the legendary Pokemon, he teams up with his enemies to stop the destruction. Archie reflects on his journey and decides to disband Team Aqua, along with returning an orb that he stole from Mt. Pyre earlier on in the game.
6 Faba Tried To Become A New Man
Pokemon Sun and Moon are perhaps best known as the games that introduced fans to the idea of regional variants, where Pokemon look and even act differently depending on their location. They also introduced fans to Faba, Branch Chief for the Aether Foundation.
He’s a lot more complex than most villains, as he is seen defending helpless Pokemon early on in the game. After the player eventually defeats Faba, he is demoted and decides to remake himself as a new man by starting from scratch.
5 Chairman Rose Had Good Intentions
Although Chairman Rose is the main villain in Pokemon Sword and Shield, he wasn’t in it for world domination like a lot of series’ villains. Instead, Chairman Rose was actually attempting to provide the Galar region with unlimited energy and solve an impending crisis.
While it was a noble pursuit, Rose wanted to provide this energy by harnessing the power of one of the strongest legendary Pokemon in the series. After the player helps control Eternatus and avoid disaster, Rose even hands himself in to the police as well.
4 The Miss Fortune Sisters Used To Be Just Like Everyone Else
The Miss Fortune Sisters appear in Pokemon Legends: Arceus at various points throughout the story. Once the main plotline has been finished, one of the hidden secrets of the game is revealed as they also reappear at different places for the player to battle them.
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While the three women are the archetypal thieves of the Pokemon universe, they weren’t always criminals. Charm was once a member of Team Galaxy just like the player, while Clover and Coin were members of the Diamond and Pearl Clans, respectively.
3 Guzma Disbands A Whole Team Of Villains
Guzma is the leader of Team Skull in Pokemon Sun and Moon, although he is far less cruel than the leaders of other villainous teams. He is one of the common antagonists that players come across as they progress through the game, but he sees the error of his ways at the end.
Once the player becomes the Alolan champion, they discover that Guzma has disbanded Team Skull. In the end, he is taken under Elite Four member Hala’s wing, returning to the side of good to continue his life as a Pokemon trainer.
2 AZ Was At Least Partially Innocent
AZ is the former king of Kalos in Pokemon X and Y, and the creator of the ultimate weapon. Before this, AZ was just an innocent trainer who loved one of his Pokemon, Floette. After Floette’s death, AZ was driven to create the ultimate weapon in order to bring it back.
He used it to destroy two armies and put an end to war, but he also attempted to prevent it from being used again. AZ was a complex character who can’t easily be pigeonholed as a villain at all, despite the fact that he created the ultimate weapon.
1 Gonzap Switches Sides Between Games
Gonzap originally appeared in Pokemon Colosseum, where he was a clear-cut villain as the head of Team Snagem. The player fights Gonzap numerous times throughout the game and when the end is reached, he disappears and vows to bring Team Snagem back together.
When he returns in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, he appears to have had a slight change of heart. This time he actually helps the player at one point before joining in with the rest of the player’s allies to celebrate at the end.
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