While Russell and I did our Animorphs reading project, I knew I wanted to do this blog post for my annual Halloween villain spotlight. I kept tabs on the different villains we met along the way. Unwilling controllers with nameless yeerks will not be considered for this list.
20. Helmacrons
It should come at no surprise that these pint-sized punks at last on the list. While their shrinking technology is formidable, they’re annoying and have the worst Napoleon complex.
19. Nartec
While this one-off Atlantean race was freaky foe, they were somewhat easily thwarted… especially since their evolution missteps was defeating them before the Animorphs and Yeerks got involved.
18. Taxxons
As an ally of the Yeerks, the Taxxons were pretty bad. However, based on Arbron’s experience, they are to be pitied.
17. Iniss 226/Chapman
Perhaps Chapman shouldn’t be on this list, but since he’s a voluntary controller (albeit somewhat because of blackmail) he fits here. Especially if you take into account his actions in The Andalite Chronicles. That being said, he was pretty incompetent as a villain. Especially a high ranking one.
16. Nesk
Another one-off villain. More formidable than some other villains, but they were defeated essentially by the passage of time. The Animorphs had to get out of the way of history and things took care of themselves.
15. Veleek
Does this creature count as a villain or was it just the tool of Visser Three? Regardless, it was one of the better tools that the Visser used to catch the supposed bandits. That being said, it took Cassie as a whale to beat it.
14. Visser Four
The Visser took the Time Matrix and nearly won. He should have been higher on the list… except that the passage of time ended up defeating him, not the Animorphs.
13. Joe Bob Fenestre's Yeerk
Visser Three’s twin could probably go higher on the list except that here is when things start to get interesting. If Fenestre had appeared again, and not just a one-off filler book, I’d probably have ranked him higher.
12. Drode
I debated whether to rank this one separate from Crayak or not. But the Drode appeared enough times separate from Crayak that he deserved his own spot. That being said, being the lackey, he didn’t get near as high on the list as his master.
11. Visser Two
Even though he was a one-off villain, this Visser goes higher than other one-offs because of how deranged he was. That insanity makes his actions more erratic and scarier.
10. "The Familiar"
This unnamed villain only appeared once at the very end of the book, but that mystery makes this being even scarier. There are theories that it was Crayak or something else, but I suppose we’ll never get an answer.
9. Visser Three
How did the big bad of the series end up as number 9? Because he’s so inept. Appearing in nearly every book of the series, he’s delayed and derailed by a handful of preteen humans. That being said, his volatile nature secures him the top half of the list
8. The Yeerk Empire/Council of Thirteen
I debated whether to list the Yeerk Empire separately, but I think it’s worth noting. The presence of a parasitic species with no qualms enslaving sentient species… that will always be scary.
7. The One
If a parasitic species is scary, a being that absorbs and assimilates other creatures into its being… that’s even worse. This villain remains shrouded in mystery and is the subject of much discussion. Since it only appears in the final chapters of the series, it’s nature and powers remain mostly unknown.
6. Tom's Second Yeerk
While Tom was always an unwilling controller, He was the host of two different Yeerks. The first was starved by the Animorphs but the second was even more malicious. What gets this one so high on the list is that even after the morphing power was acquired, this Yeerk insisted on controlling Tom. Even after acquiring Tom’s DNA in his natural state.
5. Howlers
Possibly the scariest species of the series. They were mentioned early on, but when they finally appeared, they were even worse than I imagined. And that was before we learned of their true nature. Killing machines that have the innocence of children are not only terrifying but heartbreaking.
4. Crayak
The embodiment of evil. Crayak destroys for the sake of destroying. Just as the Ellimist is a gamer, this devil views his carnage as a fun way to pass the time. Just like his children, the Howlers, this makes him all the worse.
3. Visser One
Partly, she gets number three because of the heartbreaking backstory and complex nature of the character. But partly, she’s this high on the list because of her cruel military and political tactics. She would rather lose the war than to let Visser Three be successful.
2. Sub-Visser Fifty-One/Taylor
Again, this one is higher up on the list because of how deranged and insane she became. The controller became one with the Yeerk basically and took pleasure in torturing Tobias. She was also willing to essentially bomb the Yeerk Pool, killing much of her kind, to take out the resistance movement.
1. David
The thing that makes David number one on this list is that he’s purely human. Even before he got the morphing power he was dangerous. He was willing to sell out the Animorphs to save his own skin. And he killed Rachael and Jake’s cousin to give himself a new life. Plus his flexible morality was ready to kill the Animorphs the moment they weren’t human anymore. If they got in his way, maybe that wouldn’t have even stopped him.
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