With each new Pokémon game comes a new protagonist, new Pokémon and a new region for players to explore. Although there's often a rival thrown in there as well to create a bit of friction, it's the games' villainous teams that usually serve as the main antagonists. They come with their own armies of grunts and nefarious plans that the player must try to prevent.

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It's been a staple of the series since its very first entry, with Team Rocket being one of the most recognizable evil organizations in gaming. In the years that followed, players have been treated to a number of similar teams. Some made a lasting impact due to their sinful schemes and atrocious acts, while others have proven to be a lot less memorable.

10 Team Yell

Team Yell from Pokémon

Team Yell look a lot like the football hooligans that were prevalent throughout the UK during the 1980's, but their actions are a lot tamer. They're actually more like a team of Soccer Moms that are just a little bit too overenthusiastic when it comes to cheering their children on.

Their only real aim is to help their leader's little sister Marnie to become a Pokémon Champion. Things start out innocently enough with them simply supporting her during battles. Unfortunately, this quickly devolves into them heckling her rivals as well. While certainly off-putting and unsportsmanlike behavior, this is something that many performers have to deal with on a daily basis. It's annoying, but ultimately, harmless - much like Team Yell itself.

9 Team Magma

Team Magma from Pokémon

Team Magma are one of the more complicated teams found in the Pokémon games. While it could be argued that they use Pokémon as tools to further their cause, this is not too dissimilar to the way that trainers treat Pokémon. There's certainly more of a bond between a trainer and their Pokémon, but ultimately, Team Magma don't seem to have any real malicious intent.

Their primary aim is to increase the world's landmass in order to provide humanity with more space in which to develop. Although not entirely altruistic, they usually act for the betterment of civilization rather than personal gain. They also agree to team up with the player to take down Team Aqua. It certainly helps that their goals are aligned, but it shows a side to Team Magma that players rarely see of the game's 'villainous' teams.

8 Team Skull

Team Skull from Pokémon

While Team Skull can at times be disruptive, their primary aim is survival. Their intimidating name and appearance really does mask their mostly harmless intentions though. Sure they steal the odd thing here and there in order to pay their taxes, but they're far from the worst team in the series.

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Furthermore, they actually help the player in their quest to rescue Lillie from the evil Aether Foundation, although it could certainly be argued that they were partly responsible for her abduction in the first place. Their leader Guzma, while at times duplicitous, is shown to have a moral code and this in turn keeps Team Skull in check. They're bad, but there are limits when it comes to what they're willing do.

7 Team Aqua

Team Aqua from Pokémon

Team Aqua are the Pokémon world's equivalent of pirates and aim to expand the oceans and swallow up coastal regions. Whilst killing innocent people isn't at all their goal, it's a consequence of their actions that they seemingly care very little about. Despite this, they're actually a lot less aggressive than their rivals, Team Magma. Unfortunately though, their misguided beliefs make them a lot more dangerous.

Ironically, they actually believe that their actions will lead to a better world. Unlike many teams, they're also acting with their Pokémon's best intentions at heart. Creating a better environment for their water Pokémon is hugely important to them. Their intentions might actually be admirable were it not for the devastating collateral damage that they would inevitably bring about.

6 Team Plasma

Team Plasma from Pokémon

On the surface, Team Plasma appears to be relatively harmless. Well, in terms of their actions, at least. Visually, they look like a bunch of echo-terrorists. They could perhaps be likened to PETA in that they claim to be advocates for the fair treatment of Pokémon. So much so, in fact, that they regularly call for all Pokémon trainers to set their Pokémon free.

As the story starts to unravel however, players see that they are a bunch of hypocrites. Many of their members carry captured Pokémon around with them to battle and they even steal Pokémon away from their trainers against the Pokémon's wishes. Worse still, it's eventually revealed that their campaign to free Pokémon was nothing more than a ruse to allow their leader Ghetsis to conquer the world unopposed.

5 Team Snagem

Team Snagem from Pokémon

Team Snagem work together with an evil organization known as Sipher to steal Pokémon from their trainers. Once stolen, the Pokémon are then turned into Shadow Pokémon that can be used to carry out evil acts across Pokémon's world. Their goal is world domination and, if not for the player, they may very well have succeeded.

Even after being stopped once by the player, Team Snagem did not give up. They set about recruiting new members in order to pick up right where they left off. Once again, the player is able to stop them, but, when combined with their ruthlessness, their determination makes them an incredibly dangerous team.

4 Team Rocket

Team Rocket from Pokémon

Team Rocket may have been the first of the series' evil teams, but they're not quite its most dastardly. That's not for a lack of trying though. Led by the evil Giovanni, their primary aim is to steal and obtain rare Pokémon in order to one day take over the world. Their often poor execution of this plan however makes them fairly harmless for the most part.

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One of the more unethical aspects of their work comes in the form of their experimentation on Pokémon. They're responsible for the creation of Mewtwo as well as inflicting both physical and psychological pain on countless innocent Pokémon. They're also responsible for the series' first ever shiny Pokémon, having forced Magicarp to evolve using a modified radio broadcast.

3 Team Rainbow Rocket

Team Rainbow Rocket from Pokémon

Having failed repeatedly to take over the world, the newly formed Team Rainbow Rocket settled on a new goal. Rather than scaling back their ambition however, they instead decided to go big. How big? Universal domination. That's right, Team Rainbow Rocket plans to take over the entire universe with the help of some old faces.

As well as Giovani, Team Rainbow Rocket has many of the leaders of the series' other villainous teams amongst its ranks. Giovani alone poses a significant threat, but when teamed up with the likes of Lysandre and Ghetsis, universal domination suddenly doesn't sound so Farfetch'd.

2 Team Flare

Team Flare from Pokémon

Team Flare hope to reactivate an ancient weapon to eliminate all life on earth. Except for themselves, of course. The weapon itself was originally created by a grieving Pokémon trainer who used it to end the great war that had lead to the death of his beloved Floette. It's the most deadly weapon to have ever existed, which makes Team Flare one of the most dangerous teams in Pokémon.

They're willing to sacrifice the life energy of hundreds of Pokémon to power the weapon, although, to be fair, this is just a drop in the ocean considering their plans for the weapon itself. Thanks to the player, theft is about the worst thing they're actually able to achieve, but their evil plan shows just how sinister Team Flare really is.

1 Team Galactic

Team Galactic from Pokémon

Team Galactic's leader is an egotistical psychopath by the name of Cyrus. While most other teams have typically aimed to rule through force, like Team Flare, Team Galactic's primary aim is to destroy all life. Not just in the Pokémon world though, but throughout the entire universe.

Cyrus plans to use one of the legendary Pokémon, Dialga or Palkia, to destroy and then recreate the universe. Why go to all that trouble if the plan is to bring everything back? Of course, there's a twist. Cyrus wants to rebuild the universe in his own image, effectively becoming a god. His team's total apathy for all living things makes them by far the most threatening and most villainous of the Pokémon series' teams.

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