The mainline Pokemon games aren't known for reinventing the wheel as far as their core conceits are concerned. Settings, characters, wild fauna, and sometimes systems of governing powers may change, but no matter what the player is a young person sent off to learn about the power of friendship by growing close to a diverse array of beasts that allow them to overcome any challenge. The aforementioned governing powers are a major challenge, as every game ends with a battle against the region's Champion, but another recurring element is villainous teams.

Team Rocket is the easily the most well-known villain team in the Pokemon universe thanks to it appearing prominantly in both the earliest Kanto and Johto region games - not to mention its various references and continued popularity via Jesse, James, and Meowth playing parts in the anime. However, every mainline game beyond that has featured its own take on antagonistic organizations to varying degrees of success. It's such an integral part of the series' formula that now it appears The Pokemon Company is really leaning into that legacy as much as anything else.

RELATED: Pokemon Evolution Lines That Should Get Baby Forms

Sinnoh and the Return of Team Galactic

Team Galactic from Pokémon

After Team Rocket's general gangster activities came a series of villains determined to use their region's Legendary Pokemon to achieve an end. The duelling Team Aqua and Team Magma in Hoenn wanted to expand the ocean or land to create new habitats for Pokemon or humans, respectively. Team Galactic in Sinnoh aimed to capture Dialga or Palkia so Cyrus could wipe out a universe he felt relied too heavily on spirit and emotions. Ghetsis used Team Plasma as a cover in order to let his foster son N bond with Reshiram or Zekrom, hoping to hold ultimate power over all peoples.

The list goes on, and while Pokemon remakes have given Team Rocket, Aqua, and Magma more time in the spotlight so far, The Pokemon Company appears to be going above-and-beyond for Team Galactic during the series' 25th anniversary. ILCA's remakes Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will bring back the villainous team as fans remember - though may not include the iconic trip to Giratina's Distortion Zone from Platinum version that serves as a bitter end for Cyrus.

However, Pokemon Legends: Arceus offers a more interesting reimagining. The game is set in a feudal version of Sinnoh called Hisui at a time when Pokemon and human societies were barely integrated. The player is sent to explore and catalog life across Hisui for an organization called the Galaxy Expedition Team, serving as a member of its Survey Corps. The Galaxy Team is led by Commander Kamado, a younger take on Professor Rowan; and the Survey Corps are guided by Captain Cyllene, a genderbent version of Cyrus. This means of exploring Cyrus' character is unique, but it's hardly the first time Game Freak has taken an interest in its villains.

Team Rainbow Rocket and Anniversary Events

Team Rainbow Rocket from Pokémon

Pokemon celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016 with Pokemon Sun and Moon, games that included older characters more integrated into the narrative than previous fan service like Black 2 and White 2's Pokemon World Tournament. Characters from Unova including Grimsley and Colress help the player along, meanwhile Red and Blue from Kanto and Cynthia from Sinnoh appear in the Battle Tree facility. The games even bring back Anabel from Hoenn's Battle Frontier to serve as a member of the International Police alongside Looker.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon took things a step further just one year later with its postgame Episode RR. This story ran with the idea of alternate dimensions introduced by Ultra Beasts by bringing together villainous team leaders from all seven Generations of mainline games thus far. Joined under the banner of "Team Rainbow Rocket," led by Team Rocket's Giovanni, these familiar foes take over Lusamine's mansion on Aether Paradise and prepare to spread their schemes as far as possible.

RELATED: Parent Paints Awesome Pokemon Mural for Their Son

What's interesting about Episode RR is that it doesn't introduce the team leaders that players are specifically familiar with from their respective games. Rather, all the villains are versions of themselves who succeeded, and many hold Legendary Pokemon to bolster their strength. As a way to continue celebrating the series' 20th anniversary, this was an interesting dive into one of its most recurring elements - including fan service like using the original Maxie and Archie designs from before Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Pokemon Masters' Villain Arc - Rainbow Rocket Redux

game freak the pokemon company villain team legacy

A sort of spiritual successor to the Rainbow Rocket idea appears to be running in Pokemon Masters EX for Pokemon's 25th anniversary - though the game is developed by DeNA, not Game Freak. Following the conclusion of its two-year main storyline, Masters is running a "Villain Event series." The first part of this series is a prelude focused on Giovanni that began September 15, during which players can unlock a Mega Evolution for his Sync Pair partner Mewtwo.

It isn't entirely clear how far this storyline will extend, but promotional materials show Giovanni standing alongside silhouettes of just about every team leader from the mainline games: Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Lysandre, Guzma, Lusamine, and Sword and Shield's Chairman Rose - who has not appeared in Pokemon Masters as of this writing and did not exist when Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon debuted Team Rainbow Rocket. While Episode RR evidently took place in a different universe based on the presence of Archie and Maxie alone, Giovanni's rainbow patch in Masters suggests he may be the same person plotting a redux of his plan from Alola.

What all of this ultimately points to is that The Pokemon Company and its various developers recognize the legacy of Pokemon villains is beloved far past Team Rocket, which already gets plenty of attention even in spin-offs like Pokemon GO. The series' young protagonists will seemingly always go toe-to-toe with sometimes genocidal baddies, so it feels fitting to give those antagonists their due now that Pokemon is a quarter-century old.

MORE: Pokemon Masters' Eternatus Event Suggests Mega Evolution Isn't Dead