In the long history of Pokémon anime, Ash has faced some truly cunning enemies who have posed a serious threat, not only to Ash, but in some cases to the entire world. Some of these enemies are even capable of using the immense power of Legendary Pokémon, making them truly dangerous to go up against.
The most powerful villains don't usually act alone; they'll have entire armies of evil working at their command, capable of defeating heroes through sheer numbers, if not sheer strength. They're often skilled trainers, with loyal Pokémon willing to carry out even their most vicious orders. Some of the greatest villains are actually Pokémon themselves, angry at the world for a variety of reasons. Whatever the case, the most powerful villains force Ash to rely on his allies and the bond he has with his Pokémon if he's to have any hope of success. With that said, here are the 10 most powerful villains who posed a genuine threat to Ash.
10 Malamar Almost Conquered the World
First appearance: Pokémon XY, “Conquest!”
Malamar is a Pokémon that wants to conquer the world, intending to use a special machine to channel psychic power and control the Pokémon in the world to act as its own private army. Malamar's hypnosis is extremely powerful, even being able to control Pikachu and turn it against Ash.It is unclear what drives Malamar to act so evilly, and it is rare to see a Pokémon act in an evil manner of its own accord.
Malamar appears in two episodes, and joins two other Malamar in the second, who share the same dream of rebuilding the world. Worryingly, while Ash and his friends are able to stop Malamar's evil plans, the evil Malamar trio escapes and may still be out there plotting domination.
9 Guzma is stronger than he thinks
First Appearance: Pokémon Sun & Moon, “The Destroyer!”
Guzma is the leader of Team Skull in the Alola region and has a long and complicated past with Professor Kukui. When Kukui announced the creation of the Alola Pokémon League, Guzma vowed to destroy it.. Guzma actually gave up in his first battle with Ash, as his Golisopod Pokémon retreated into its Poké Ball and refused to fight Pikachu. Instead of destroying his opponent, Guzma joined the battle and advanced to the semi-finals, where he was faced off against Ash again.
Unlike most other villains, Guzma had an epiphany when fighting Ash, realizing that his tendency to run away from strong opponents was actually due to an inner fear of losing. He and Golisopod attacked Ash with everything they had afterward, but it was still not enough. Guzma was furious, but faced his defeat with surprising dignity, allowing the contest to continue without Team Skull's interruption.
8 Lusamine becomes a monster thanks to Nihilego
First Appearance: Pokémon Sun & Moon, “Dream Encounter!”
While Lusamine is not a villain in the anime like she is in the games, at some point she was possessed by the Ultra Beast, Nihilego, transforming into a giant human-Pokémon hybrid creature known to fans as the “Mother Beast”. In this form, she fought Ash and his teammates, sending out her own Pokémon to slow them down and force the group to split up, until only Ash remained.. Ash and Pikachu fought bravely to rescue Lusamine from the Ultra Beast, who was using poison to cloud her mind.
Ash's Electrium Z crystal transformed due to being in the Transcendental Dimension, becoming Pikashunium Z, allowing Ash and Pikachu to perform a 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. This powerful attack was able to force Nihilego to release Lusamine, allowing Lillie and Gladion to finally rescue their mother.
7 Mewtwo Could Have Destroyed the World
First appearance: Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back
Mewtwo is an incredibly powerful Pokémon created by Team Rocket scientists with the aim of creating the world's strongest Pokémon. It possesses extremely powerful psychic powers, able to block attacks on the spot.and has created a sophisticated cloning machine that it intends to use to create a new world, inhabited only by clones. Mewtwo is also responsible for creating the great storm centered on its island, which continues to grow in size and will eventually become a threat to the Kanto region, if not the entire world. It even battles the legendary Pokémon Mew to a standstill, as the two are practically evenly matched.
The clash between Mewtwo and Mew accidentally hit Ash when he tried to intervene, instantly turning him to stone. The fight stopped, and the Pokémon's tears miraculously revived Ash. Mewtwo was moved, realizing the value of life and ending his plan of destruction forever.
6 Cyrus has controlled several legendary Pokémon
First Appearance: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “Lost in Glory!”
Cyrus is the leader of Team Galactic, a complex and evil plan involving many Legendary Pokémon. Cyrus has many loyal henchmen who can secretly carry out missions for him to avoid ruining his reputation as a businessman. He hires a Pokémon Hunter to capture the Legendary Pokémon Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie, then uses them to help control the even more powerful Dialga and Palkia, masters of time and space respectively, with the Red Chain.
Cyrus dreams of creating an ideal world and uses their powers to open a portal to another dimension, which he actually manages to escape.However, Ash and friends, with the help of Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit, and the champion Cynthia, were able to defeat the remnants of Team Galactic and free Dialga and Palkia, leaving Cyrus alone in the other world.
5 Pokémon Hunter J can turn anything into stone
First Appearance: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, “Revolt on the Bounty!”
Pokémon Hunter J is a poacher and thief who will capture any Pokémon at the request of black market customers, including legendary Pokémon like Azelf. Hunter J possesses incredible technology, including a spaceship with lasers and cloaking devices, and an arm-mounted cannon that can turn anything it hits to stone (or vice versa).. This makes capturing the target extremely easy as they become helpless.
Ash and his friends clashed with Hunter J multiple times, each time winning by the narrowest of margins. After she succeeded in capturing Uxie and Mesprit, her ship was hit by the Future Sight attacks they had predicted, knocking it out of the sky and sending Hunter J to the bottom of the ocean, to her presumed death.
4 Ghetsis can control Pokémon's minds
First appearance: Pokémon Black and White, “Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plan!”
Ghetsis is the leader of Team Plasma. He “adopted” N and raised him in isolation, only allowing him to interact with Pokémon that had been mistreated by humans in order to give N a distorted view of the world and use him as a tool. He desires to control the world and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He orders Colress to develop a machine that allows him to control Pokémon's minds, and they eventually test it on Ash's Pikachu.though the strength of the bond between them was eventually enough to overcome the device's control.
Ghetsis uses the machine to control the legendary Pokémon Reshiram, but Pikachu breaks the control with a shock, freeing Reshiram and allowing it to take revenge on Ghetsis. After being defeated by Ash and Pikachu, Ghetsis and the leadership of Team Plasma are arrested by Looker, an international police detective who previously worked with Ash.
3 Archie holds the power of the Red Orb
First Appearance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “Reaching Groudon”
Archie is the leader of Team Aqua, determined to increase the size of the sea using the power of Kyogre. He captures Groudon, an impressive feat, while Team Magma captures Kyogre, forcing the opposing teams to deal with each other. Archie becomes obsessed with an object related to Kyogre called the Red Orb, driving him insane and encouraging him to order Kyogre to destroy it.even if it meant his subordinates had to die in the process.
Ash and his friends, along with the champion Lance, were caught in the middle of this, and Pikachu absorbed the Blue Orb, causing his power to overflow. Pikachu teamed up with Groudon to defeat Kyogre, causing the Red Orb to separate from Archie and free Kyogre from his control. Pikachu was then freed from the Blue Orb as well, and the two Legendary Pokémon returned to their hidden home.
2 Giovanni has been a thorn in Ash's side for centuries.
First appearance: Pokémon Indigo League, “Battle Aboard the St. Anne”
Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket, and thus superior to Jessie and James. Everything the trio does is to please Boss, so he was Ash's problem long before they actually met. The two only met once, in Pokémon Black and White, when Giovanni devised a plan to use Meloetta to obtain the Microscope, an object that he could use to control Thundurus, Tornadus, and Landorus.However, when they lost control of Meloetta, the Reveal Glass's power possessed him, prompting Giovanni to destroy Unova instead of taking it over.
Ash and Pikachu were responsible for freeing Meloetta, and after Giovanni retreated, were responsible for battling the trio of Legendary Pokémon until Meloetta was able to calm them down. While Giovanni escaped, this was easily his biggest defeat, and it was all due to the intervention of Ash and his friends.
1 Lysandre Launches a Deadly Threat
First appearance: Pokémon Mega Evolution Special I
Lysandre is secretly the leader of Team Flare, and wants to destroy the world so he can rebuild it in his own way – without humanity. He seeks to control Zygarde, a Legendary Pokémon responsible for protecting the ecosystem, and eventually succeeds in this goal with Z2, turning Zygarde into a ferocious monster. Although Zygarde is eventually freed, this is only a setback. Lysandre also takes control of a powerful object called the Giant Rock, which emits Mega Energy, resembles Zygarde, and causes plants to grow out of control and become dangerous.
Ash teamed up with his friends, Alain, the champion Diantha, and all of Kalos' Gym Leaders to stop Giant Rock's march of destruction. Z2 and another Zygarde core, known as Squishy, combined to create the final form of Zygarde, finally gaining enough power to stop Giant Rock before it was too late. However, to this day, the dangerous giant roots caused by Giant Rock still appear and wreak havoc across Kalos, making Lysandre the most dangerous of them all. Pokémon enemies that Ash has ever faced.
