Yo-Kai Watch has several characters who serve as the villains of in each game. The major ones have been listed here and beware of spoilers.
Yo-Kai Watch
Chairman Squiddilius McKraken (Chairman Ikakamone Sokamone)/Squisker (Minister Gesohigale)
The Big Bad of the first game, who took control of the Yo-Kai world after King Enma passed away (Yo-kai live a long time, but they can still die). Mc Kraken Is a squid-themed Yo-Kai that dreams of taking over the human world with an army of monochrome Yo-Kai destroying those that will go against him. After defeating Dr. Maddiman, Draggie's crystal ball shows the heroes addressing his legion, leading to confronting him in the Yo-Kai world itself and later at the sacred tree, where he transforms into a Grotesque One-Winged Angel form.
Within the Infinite Inferno, you get to meet his ancestor, Squisker, who is a tougher version of his second form.
- Benevolent Boss: Towards his Yo-Kai underlings, possibly to the point that the ones fully taken in by his charm are the monochrome Yo-Kai that have such Undying Loyalty. He's even willing to offer Whisper a chance to help him rule the world after he goes One-Winged Angel.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: His goofy demeanor and lame puns aside, he was organizing a take-over since about the second half of the story mode, and managed to run the Yo-Kai World under a Squid-fisted rule before then as well.
- Even Evil Has Standards: As much of a dictator as he was and how unnecessary his cause was, he still wanted what he thought was best for Yo-Kai everywhere, had his monochrome soldiers hang out with the populace in the Yo-Kai World, and even helped clean the gates with the Oni Guardians.
- Heel–Face Turn: After the first game he pays a fee and later runs a Sushi and Tempura shop to atone for his crimes.
- One-Winged Angel: After being beaten the first time, he manages to break the seals between the two worlds, absorbing their aura to become a crazy-looking head monster.
- Pet the Dog: The credits show him helping the Onis clean off one of the three gates with a towel and being annoyed at them fumbling about.
- Promoted to Playable: The Nintendo Swtich port of Yo-Kai Watch 1 includes a code that allows him to be befriended in Yo-Kai Watch 4. Now he can battle alongside Nate and the others.
- Pungeon Master: He REALLY loves to make puns based on cephalopods, to the point that he really tries too hard to work it in every other sentence and bugs Whisper even as he's dying.
- Tentacled Terror: A squid Yokai that tries to take over the world. He fits the bill alright.
- We Can Rule Together: Towards the end of the game, he offers Whisper and the other Yo-Kai a chance to rule the world with him. Naturally, they declined.
- Work Off the Debt: After the events of the first game, he was forced to work off a massive amount of money for his crimes.
Yo-Kai Watch 2
Dame Dedtime (Tokio Ubaune)
The main villain of Yo-Kai Watch 2, a Giant Yo-Kai that takes the form of an old, somewhat regal woman who can cause tremors with her screams of anger. She wishes harm on humans for a mysterious reason, utilizing time travel so as to stop the protagonist from receiving the Watch in the first place and potentially thwarting her.
When she was human, she was falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to life in prison, and died of old age there. After revealing this under Tattletell's possession, she goes One-Winged Angel and becomes Dame Demona (Subete Ubaune), an even huger, monstrous version of herself.
- Big Bad: Of the second game.
- Catchphrase: "Dun dun DUUUUNNNNNNN!"
- Flunky Boss: Dame Dedtime can create Wicked Yo-Kai to aid her in battle by stealing the levels of one of your Yo-Kai. The created Wicked Yo-Kai will be around the same level as the Yo-Kai who had their level "stolen."
- Heel–Face Turn: In Psychic Specters' postgame, you can visit her in her cell in the Infinite Inferno and, after a sidequest, give her a special item that signified the bond between her and her lover back when she was human. The realization that her lover never stopped loving her is enough to purify her, turning her into a friend of Nate/Katie and teaching them how to befriend Wicked Tribe Yokai.
- Impossible Thief: As her Japanese name indicates, her ultimate goal is to steal everything from humanity just like everything was taken from her when she was human. This reflects in-game where her main tactic is to steal aspects of the game from the player. Initially she can steal a Yo-Kai's level, both downgrading it to level one and allowing her to summon Wicked Yo-Kai of said stolen level to aid her in battle. Her second form can instead steal individual stats, attacks, options on the Yo-Kai Watch, and even Soultimate moves.
- Irony: She's heavily associated with clock motifs. Her sidequest in Psychic Specters reveals the crime she got accused of that led her to die in prison was over a broken clock.
- Large Ham: Prone to grandiose declarations, and her catchphrase is delivered bombastically.
- Meaningful Name: Her name can be read as "Time Thief". The name of her second form can be read as "Everything Thief". Her English name, meanwhile, sounds like 'dead time' reflecting how she lost everything after being falsely accused, dying of old age in prison, and why she wants to do the same to humanity.
- You Can't Thwart Stage One: As soon as the movie starts, she's changed history by manipulating events in the past, erasing the Yo-Kai Watch and people's memories. It's only when the heroes time travel themselves that her grand scheme slowly begins to unravel.
Kin, Gin, and Bronzlow (Do)
Three mysterious Yo-kai from the second set of games who work under their Mistress, Dame Dedtime. Using a giant clock they are able to summon to travel through time, the three continuously send the main characters back through time to try and change events so that Nate/Katie never got the Yo-Kai watch, and therefore not interfere with their own plans.
Kin and Gin are twins (Kin wears red, Gin wears blue), and Bronzlow is their younger brother who never speaks.
- Co-Dragons: Kin and Gin in particular, Bronzlow seems to be more of a strange third-wheel than anything else, unless he stays behind with Dame Dedtime to carry out things in their time.
- Dreadful Musician: One of Bronzlow's attacks in his battle is to sing, lowering your yokai's stats.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The three siblings genuinely care for each other, and this ties into gameplay as well. Hit one of the sisters enough times, and the other will receive a power boost so she can hurt you even more in revenge. Attack Bronzlow at all? Both sisters get mad and power up to avenge him.
- Evil Old Folks: All three of them are elderly, and they will harrass the heroes multiple times throughout the game to help further Dame Dedtime's schemes.
- Feeling Their Age: Everytime Bronzlow attacks, he has a small chance of stumbling over, allowing you to attack him.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: One of Bronzlow’s attacks in his fight.
- The Heavy: For the whole of 2 and the time-travel plots of the anime leading into The Movie, they're the ones actively doing their mistress's dirty work while Dedtime lurks in her factory lair.
- Never Mess with Granny: Kin and Gin may be old, but each one is still capable of bringing the hurt with their magic and inspiriting.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- Kin and Gin inspirit two boys to bully Nathaniel's friend in order to break Nathaniel's spirit. However, this ends up motivating Nathaniel to become a hero so he can protect his friends.
- After their defeat, Kin and Gin tell Bronzlow to whip out a time stone to reverse their defeat. Bronzlow instead brings out a pause stone and drops it, freezing the three of them for all eternity.
- Optional Boss: Bronzlow, who is fought in a sidequest in the games.
- Terrible Trio: The three siblings work together to carry out Dame Dedtime's schemes, though Bronzlow only gets involved after the main campaign is over.
- The Quiet One: Bronzlow in the movie, to the point that the heroes are genuinely surprised to hear that he has a name at all in The Movie. The manga gives him some internal thoughts and he has some speaking lines in the game.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Their final fate. After failing to stop Nate/Katie from purifying Dame Dedtime, Bronzlow accidentally breaks their time stones, trapping them in a stasis prison.
- Weaksauce Weakness: The giant clock that they control to reverse time can be easily made to fall apart by spraying water on it. Luckily for them (but unfortunately for the heroes), Bronzlow knows how to fix it.
Yo-Kai Watch Blasters
Whisped Cream (Whismellow Man)
The main antagonist of Yo-kai Watch Blasters, Whisped Cream is a large Boss Yo-kai resembling Whisper which was behind turning three Nokos into an Slimamander, and crashed the King of Blasters tournament to seize and depower all the competing teams (except the heroes, who were coincidentally busy fighting Mass Mutterer and thus did not have time to get to the arena). He first appeared 60 years ago and was fought by the Blasters' Legend Team in the Infinite Inferno, and lost most of his power there, promising vengeance thereafter. Notably, he's the prime example of a Yo-kai looking very different in the games, as he resembles the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Japan, and had to be reworked in both artwork AND 3D game model (except in Wibble Wobble) to avoid copyright issues; in Western territories he resembles Whisper crossed with Godzilla.
- Cultural Cross-Reference: Of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, originally, as it's obvious for the name, and the theme when plays in his Boss Battle. Naturally, to avoid copyright issues, was reworked for localization.
- The Juggernaut: Even after being defeated by the heroes, he nonchalantly stands up through absorbing his Cream Pufts. Cue Robonyan 28 punching him out to the moon and gettin holed-up.
- Flunky Boss: In both of his battle stages, he summons several Cream Pufts which can be beaten and drop oni Orbs.
- Notzilla: He became this when the game was localized in western territories to avoid copyright issues.
- You Don't Look Like You: A Regional localization example. Only if you're aware of the original Japanese release would note that he originally looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, as the localization changed him to vaguely resemble Godzilla to avoid copyright issues.
Yo-Kai Watch 3
The Ghoulfather (Gogogo Godfather)
The main antagonist of the final installment in the Yo-Kai Watch trilogy, Yo-Kai Watch 3, Ghoulfather is the head of the mafia in the Yo-Kai World. His form takes the shape of a pink skinned man wearing a red suit and fedora. He was banished from the Yo-Kai World 555 years ago by Ancient Enma to space but later returned by taking a UFO with him. Using the the power source of the UFO, the UFO Stone, it allows his power of making dreams reality even stronger. His goal is to reshape the world to one of his dreams.
- Affably Evil: For someone who is the main villain of the third game, he's a fan of Next HarMEOWny to the point where he created a replica of their stage. He's also well mannered when talking.
- All the Other Reindeer: As a kid growing up he had the rare ability to see Yo-Kai. No one believed him when he said he saw mysterious creatures and was viewed as creepy and shunned by everyone. Things didn't go well for him even when he became a Yo-Kai as he still was viewed as an oddball since the Yo-Kai there didn't believe in UFOs.
- Benevolent Boss: He treats the members of the Ghoulfamily pretty well which is why they're loyal to him
- Badass Fingersnap: He often snaps his fingers to instruct his Ghoulies to do his bidding and even turn others into his minions.
- Big Bad: Of Yo-Kai Watch 3.
- Catchphrase: "Badda Bing!"
- The Corrupter: His inspiriting ability allows him to turn other Yo-Kai and even humans into Ghoulies that act as his minions.
- The Don: He is the head of the his family which consists of the entire mafia of the Yo-Kai World.
- Dragons Are Demonic: He absorbs the power of the Pyramid's gold to turn into an evil dragon.
- Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is incredibly gruff and low pitched.
- A Father to His Men: He cares deeply about the members of his Ghoulfamily like they are an actual family. It not surprising he cares deeply about them since unlike his parents who abandoned him, they stayed loyal and stuck by him to the end.
- Fedora of Asskicking: He wears a white fedora on his head and is more than capable of putting up a fight.
- Flunky Boss: He can summon Ghoulies to assist him battle and act as his shields during attacks.
- Golden Super Mode: After exploring the sixth dungeon of the Pyramid of Clu, he is revealed to be alive and was hiding in Buck's UFO stone. He later absorbs the power of the golden room to become Goldfather.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: Being stranded in space in a UFO all alone for about 555 years will do that. It's especially noticeable when Agent X is defeated for the last time, he is completely unfazed by that despite him being his closest friend and he trusted him with his info on his past.
- Gravity Master: As Don Spiracy, one of his main attacks is to lift up all three of the player's Yo-Kai high into the air before slamming all of them into the ground.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He's ultimately defeated by the same UFO stone he exploited to get stronger.
- Large Ham: Like all main villains in the series, Ghoulfather is no stranger to speaking bombastically, especially when saying his catchphrase.
- Leitmotif: Vs. The Ghoulfather, Don Spiracy Encounter, & Vs. Don Spiracy.
- One-Winged Angel: Like McKraken & Dame Dedtime, Ghoulfather also fights with a second form that drastically changes his appearance, using the power of the UFO Stone to become Don Spiracy. In the post-game, he pulls if off again when it's revealed he survived, transforming into Goldfather with the power Pyramid of Clu's gold.
- Parental Abandonment: After he was deemed an outcast because no one believed he could see Yo-Kai, his parents abandoned him and he eventually grew weak and died.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He wears a nice crimson suit with matching pants.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Despite being defeated by Nate and Hailey Anne, he still achieved what he dreamed to do. He managed to prove the existence of aliens and UFOs, not to mention prove the existence of the Cluvian Continent and the gold that came with it.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: He was once a nice normal Yo-Kai who saw an UFO and was interested in the unknown. But no one believed his claims about seeing one and he was branded a liar. It broke his heart and later led to him being an outcast in the Yo-Kai World.
- Villainous Friendship: With Agent X. It really says a lot how close they are considering that Agent X waited over 500 years for his return, not to mention that Agent X was the only one he told about his past.
- Visionary Villain: His goal isn't the typical take over the world plot, but rather reshape the world entirely to one of his dreams.
- Walking Spoiler: Not much can be said about him without spoiling the main plot because he's not only the main villain, but doesn't make an on screen appearance until late in the game.
Agent X (Injaneno)
Ghoulfather's right hand man and the secondary antagonist in Yo-Kai Watch 3, Agent X is a recurring enemy that Nate will fight through out the story. He's incredibly formidable in battle though speaks in a plethora of "Ex" puns. His goal is to ensure his boss's dream comes true and will do everything in his power to ensure it succeeds.
- Affectionate Nickname: Rango Swirl often calls him John as a nickname since they are close friends.
- Child Hater: He doesn't seem to like kids very much especially since he often calls Nate and co. brats and attacked them in their first encounter despite not having a good reason to.
- The Dragon: He is this to Ghoulfather.
- Knight of Cerebus: His introduction is when the plot shifts to a much more serious tone and he is the first opponent Nate actually struggles to beat.
- The Men in Black: Wears a black suit and fedora and is an agent for the Big Bad Ghoulfather.
- Perpetual Frowner: He's never seen smiling as he's serious about completing his objective.
- Pungeon Master: He speaks in the localization in a variety of "Ex" related puns as he speaks.
- Recurring Boss: He's fought exactly 4 times throughout the game during the story.
- Undying Loyalty: To his boss Ghoulfather. The very fact he waited 555 years just to see him again and help him reshape the world to his own image says a lot.
- Villainous Friendship: With his boss Ghoulfather and Rongo Swirl. It says a lot when Ghoulfather is the only one he trusts him with the knowledge of his past. Not to mention that he waited years for his boss's return.
- Villain Forgot to Level Grind: He's a genuine threat when first encountered but an issue is he never gets any new skills in his later fights. As a result he gets easier to beat each time to the point his final battle is a lot easier especially since he starts off in his second form right away.
- Would Hurt a Child: He has no problems trying to attack Nate, Buck, and Hailey Anne who are 5th graders.
Yo-kai Watch 4
Overseer
A massive Yo-kai that holds the appearance of a dark sun with a red eye in the center and is surrounded by a mass of purple clouds. He is the main antagonist of "Yo-kai Watch 4" as well the Greater Scope Villain in "Yo-kai Watch Shadowside" and the main antagonist of "Yo-kai Watch Forever Friends." He was once a Yo-kai named Kuuten, a loyal servant to Princess Shuka, who he also fell in love with. Later, after finding out that Kuuten supposedly had plans to kill Shuka's father, she had her guards lock Kuuten up in an underground dungeon where he grew full of hatred, thus becoming Soranaki.
- Bishōnen Line: In the final battle, Overseer sheds a single tear, which proceeds to absorb his entire mass and clouds. After crashing to the ground, Overseer takes a humanoid shape, with black armor and his "clouds" serving as his cape. His sword is a more menacing version of the swords he uses in his first form.
- Eldritch Abomination: Takes the form of a massive black sun, with a eye in the middle of it, and possesses giant, clock like blades.
- Love Redeems: After being beaten in his One-Winged Angel form, the spirit of Shuka appears and reveals that she still loved him, and Overseer finally lets go of his hate, turns back into Kuuten.
- Sinister Sentient Sun: Design-wise, he heavily resembles a Sun and is also referred to as a Black Sun.
- The Virus: One of the central elements throughout the story is that Yokai are falling under his control due to his Virus.
