So, who was the most compelling main antagonist?
>>59561542For me it's still Lusamine, with Ghetsis in second place. I haven't played BW in like a decade though so I might have a different opinion on him at this point.
>>59561542Where's Penny?
Only the top row. Anything down from there is only interesting to faggots and tumblr-adjacent subhumans.
>>59561542Will never be higher stakes than Platinum Cyrus.
>>59561587She may be a team leader but I wouldn't call her a main antagonist. Same with Colress.
Giovanni
>>59561618>gets beaten by the weakest kid atm>gives up his lifelong work and team because a kid beat it at pokemon three timesNah.
>>59561542Lusamine
>>59561542Spinel.
Wait the researchers in SV are evil????
>>59561750Found the secondary lmao
>>59561750I don't think the robots were evil; they just had zero empathy toward Arven.
>>59561750Sorry, it looks like OP spoiled the plot of SV for you lol
Lusamine is probably the first interesting villain.>>59561772The robots aren't evil, but the professors were obsessed and neglectful.
>>59561750They’re antagonistic towards the end but hardly evil.
>>59561542Cyrus, Giovanni, then Rose.
I agree with everyone else, Lusamine and then GhetsisGiovanni is the most realistic but that doesn't necessarily make him compellingI think Archie/Maxie could be good since the ecoterrorism angle is interesting but unfortunately their motivations are dumb and they come off as Saturday morning goofy goobers. Just poor execution Cyrus is good. Just not as good as the top two Lysandre is fucking stupid, I don't know what ugly greedy world he's talking about but it isn't this one, the Pokémon world is a fucking perfect utopia for the most part Haven't played anything beyond SM
>>59561542Cyrus
For me, it's the second stringers.
>>59561750Not "evil" per set but extremely neglectful, they knew their machine was extremely dangerous for literally everyone but they didn't care because it was their "dream" so they went to insane lengths to make sure the machine remains active even if they died...which they did.
Lusamine because her obsessions with alternate dimension monsters lead to the disappearance of her husband and she would sacrifice her own children. All while being extremely manipulative and faking philanthropy to build immunity. Women are evil and Game Freak created the character perfectly representing that.
>>59561542I would say Cyrus. His plan has probably the highest stakes of any antagonist, and yet he also has an understandable motivation and isn't just cartoonishly evil. Unfortunately he doesn't get fleshed out as much as he could have been. I imagine Ghetsis/Lusamine will top most people's lists if only for the fact that they had the most exploration as characters.
I love Lysandre and his stupid "Im going to kill everyone because... ugliness and such."
>>59562246>and yet he also has an understandable motivation and isn't just cartoonishly evil.There is nothing understandable on being a bitter incel.
>>59562281>Using incel unironically in 2026.
>>59562281>everyone I don't like is an incel
>>59562273The only redeeming quality of Lysandre is his battle theme.
I just realized that neither of the gen 9 games had a human antagonist. They're trying something different, at least.
>>59561772That whole thing was written so awkwardly. Like they rewrote to several times. You start the Area Zero finale and they make it obvious that the professor is being impersonated by an evil robot and your being tricked into freeing it or whatever, but then you reach the robot and it's all "Sorry I acted all sinister, that was just a massive red herring I'm actually nice. But then they need a final boss so the security program literally switches the robot from "good" to "evil" mode. But if we were going to fight the evil robot all along why not just keep the robot evil the whole time? Why go through this bizarre back and forth?
>>59562236perfect political climate for a retelling if the story
>>59561542Lysandre
>>59562294well shit when youre right youre right. thats a banger
>>59562545I don't remember the robot ever coming off as "evil", it was just malfunctioning. Sounds like you've watched too many sunday cartoons, anon.
>>59561750No, they’re already dead and we interact with AI versions of them. The AI aren’t evil but are forced to battle us by their programming.The closest thing to a real villain SV has is Pecharunt.
>>59561617Speaking of Colress, he would have been a better antagonist than Lysandre if they brought him back for XY. Mega Evolution would have made 200% more sense as a scientific experiment than an ancient phenomenon that is somehow exclusive to France.
The stakes in Pokemon escalated way too quickly from grounded to JRPG tier, from a mob criminal organization that want to use pokemon to amass power and money, to a guy who wants to literally destroy the fucking universe and remake it with himself as God. I've never liked this direction for the series, even for Pokemon it feels too much and too ridiculous
>>59561542guzma really isn't a main antagonist, he bails when lusamine fuses
>>59562592Notice how the best antagonists are in the games not directed by Masuda.
>>59562545The robot was never portrayed as evil. Arven thinks it's actually his parent and resents them, but that's all.
>>59562603Oh believe me, I've noticed.
>>59562583But then I'd have to look at his haircut and that would piss me off
>>59562583Everytime I look at Colress or hear his battle theme, my gaydar goes off wildly.
>>59561542Capitalism was the main antagonist in Z-A....
>>59561750Yes, abandoning your own children to follow your passions has always been seen as evil.
>>59561596Sure it was the highest stakes, but he's just not an interesting character outside of head-canon. Go replay platinum - he barely appears in the story. N and Ghetsis are far above him in that regard
>>59562166Ranger kino
>>59562576Penny>hacks the school's system>planned the incel rebellion against their former bullies>is the reason Team Star is taking over territories in Paldea>her story route is about her encouraging you to humiliate her minions
>>59561750The professors were "no cost too great" or "let nature take it's course" kind of evil, and they made a system which locks down Pokeballs and they put an AI copy of them to guard their "time machine" and if not for Koraidon/Miraidon the main characters would have been killed
>>59562659She never acted as an antagonist towards the player though.
>>59561542I was N, Ghetsis, and Volo to rape me
>>59561542In terms of compelling, N was always the most compelling one to meI'd say as a whole, Lysandre is really interesting and compelling to me with the stuff Z-A added for himLusamine is the most complete one right off the bat
>>59562653>he's just not an interesting character outside of head-canonUm, what's learned about him in the postgame is canon, anon. No amount of cope will change that.
>>59561542Archer should have been black desu
>>59562675What do we learn about him in the postgame? His grandpa wishes he had looked after him, and that Mars desperately wants to get into his pants?
>>59561542SM lusamine, definitely.
>>59562653Ghetsis gets more screen time but Cyrus's motivation is more compelling. the little we do see of him is interesting and there could have been a lot more to explore. if he got the same amount of screentime as Ghetsis, he would easily clear imo.
