#(Not in a 'UwU poor babu' kinda way)

[incorrect-rainbow-rocket-quotes]

RR Meta #1: Lysandre’s Character + Motivation

So. Lysandre.

Call him what you wish, but it’s my personal belief that he’s one of the most in-depth Pokémon characters that often gets stereotyped by the fandom and reduced to “omnicidal maniac”, which, for someone like him, is a tragic loss of everything that drives him to be a great character.

True, while his twist as the big villain of the games was somewhat ruined by the whole… ‘openly talks about contemplating omnicide in public’ bit, as well as his traffic-cone aesthetic, but he’s actually (or was) one of the most humane and sympathetic villains the Pokémon series has produced, and his goals actually make more sense now then ever before.

So… what is Lysandre really like? What made him delve into the idea of using the Ultimate Weapon as a solution to solving the world’s problems?

(Putting this under a cut, because my love of analyzing and writing semi-essays has shown itself, and this got... perhaps unnecessarily long.)

 Either Die a Hero...

The first thing I want to mention is that it’s implied in the games (and I believe in the anime, but I haven’t seen much of the XY / XYZ anime, so take that with a grain of salt) that Lysandre’s first plan was never omnicide. In fact, in the very beginning, it’s implied that he was a generous engineer and philanthropist that gave freely to those in need. His first priority was always the world’s improvement, and to quote him from his first meeting with you --

“I am Lysandre. I've tried to learn as much about Pokémon as I can to help build a brighter future. [...] Now listen! It is vital that this world become a better place. And the people and Pokémon chosen to make the world better must work tirelessly to achieve this goal. [...]  My desire…it is for a more beautiful world!”

This doesn’t sound like a man who’s first thought for helping improve the world is to kill all people and Pokémon. Now, granted, Lysandre could simply be an unreliable narrator, per se, or simply be flat out lying from the moment you meet him, but given how blunt and straight-forward he is in the games and series, this doesn’t seem very likely. In fact, later on, when you progress through XY, he goes on to mention this concept of his ideals --

[When meeting Diantha in the café] “[...] She moves the multitudes with her excellent acting... Which is to say, she dedicates her life to making other people happy. Oh! If only everyone were like her -- what a beautiful world this would be!”

[Meeting him in his café] "[...] People can be divided into two groups. Those who give... And those who take... It's just as how the Kalos region's two Legendary Pokémon gave life and took life. [...] I want to be the kind of person who gives… [...]”

Lysandre does value the world, as well as those who’re passionate in what they do (think of how many times he comments on the ‘fire’ your character has), as well as those who give what they have and return it to make others happy. That’s the beauty he’s always talking about -- “a world without conflict or theft”, where people give freely and there’s no need to fight. He’s always striving for improvement, and just by speaking to him for a few minutes, we can clearly see he’s intense and generous, and yet completely driven in what he believes in.

It sort of makes sense, then, that he would value someone like Sycamore, who’s loving and yet down to earth, especially since -- in his own words -- he “taught him so much.” (And, while this isn’t the time or place for such a thing, this very dynamic between the two is, I believe, one of the biggest factors in why people ship them together.)

Speaking of the professor, however, he even makes a point in Lysandre’s café about how Lysandre supports Trainers and Pokémon with his profits from the Holo-Caster, calling him a great man. Now, that could just be Sycamore being Sycamore, with his rose-colored glasses on, but a few other NPCs mentioned Lysandre being a philanthropist / great inventor, and, generally, not the kind of person who would try to kill off others.

So, from what we can tell, Lysandre is a profiting business man, oriented on improving the world and appreciating those who do the same.

So… how did the whole ‘plan for omnicide’ thing start?

 ... Or Live Long Enough to be the Villain

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is from your first confrontation with him in the labs beneath his café. 

“ [...] I tried to save people -- and the world -- with the profit from this lab. But my efforts had no effect... The world was just too vast...and too full of fools that I couldn't save through my hard work alone… That's why I decided the only way to save the world was to take it all for myself. [...]“

At first, it makes sense -- one man (and his evidently wealthy electronic company) can only do so much. However, it doesn’t quite hold out, the more you think about it; what could possibly drive a man like Lysandre, who, from what we’ve seen thus far, is always giving to others, to self-declared selfishness?

One thing a lot of people tend to gloss over when it comes to knowing Lys as a character is his writings on his desk when you go through Lysandre Labs, in the same room you read about the legend of AZ and the war on Kalos, and the development of the ultimate weapon.

“When I was young, I went on a journey around Kalos with my Pokémon. I reached out to help those suffering because they had nothing. At first, they were grateful, but eventually, they began to take my help for granted and demand more and more… Will fools like those people consume the Kalos region? This world is stable and secure. So the population of people and Pokémon continues to increase unabated. But there is a limit to the amount of money and energy the world is capable of producing. Either everything is lost, or only a handful are saved.  This is something best not left to man… I must use a tool of higher power.”

This. This is the point Lysandre had been driving at all throughout the game -- with all his talk about people foolishly taking more than they can, and others being without resources. His entire goal has been attempting to stop the shrinking amount of resources the world has, as well as attempting to preserve the few resources we have left. However, when he realized that this isn’t something he could do alone, he turned to something higher -- the ultimate weapon AZ used and repurposed it for his own needs.

While his plan does seem outrageous (and it truly is), his reasons for doing so have become ALARMINGLY relatable within our present -- just look at the coronavirus pandemic that’s surrounding us right now. There’s been so much news about people hoarding necessary resources, then selling it back at an absurdly high price, while those who’re struggling are left behind without necessities. This is exactly the sort of thing he was trying to stop.

In fact, while explaining this concept of saving the future from further conflicts and thefts, one of the first things he points out to you is the Mega Ring -- the tool that has proved invaluable to you on your journey… and how you were the only one of your group of friends who could use it. 

"So, tell me. The Mega Ring, did you share it? [...] When there is only one of something, it can't be shared. When something can't be shared, it will be fought over. And when something is fought over, some must survive without it. The only way to create a world where people live in beauty, a world without conflict or theft, is to reduce the number of living things."

While logically, such a concept is basic addition and subtraction, it’s a whole different practice to put it in motion. Lysandre GETS that. While he doesn’t seem to have any problems with killing humans necessarily, it’s certainly implied that he would have had numerous regrets should the weapon be fired. In fact, the one meme he’s often quoted for isn’t only one of these regrets, but also one of the most crucial introspection into his ideals and thought process.

"Pokémon... Shall no longer exist. Pokémon are wonderful beings. Humans have worked with Pokémon, and we have helped each other flourish. But precisely because of that, they will inevitably become tools for war and theft!"

This. This is a man who loves the world, who openly cries at the thought of killing Pokémon, even loves some of the people in it, but given humanity’s inclination for selfishness, in a bit of reverse logic, he’s willing to destroy the world in order to preserve it. His own ideas and almost one-way line of thinking almost drives him into a corner when he contemplates the supposed future.

[After Shauna suggests sharing, regardless of the resource] "If that were possible, all wars would have ended long ago! I can only see one future! One where selfish, foolish humans think about nothing other than themselves and steal more and more from one another... It's a tragic future!"

However, it’s also because of this way of thinking that allows you to be able to stop him at all; he makes no outward attempts to stop you from turning the weapon off, only explaining that you’ll need to battle other trainers to get there (and basically giving you the tip off that one of his scientists has the Key Card to move forward). He also gives you the option of activating the weapon, or shutting it down completely (although the actual answer is left vague) with the infamous button-press choice. Heck, he even APOLOGIZES if you picked correctly and the weapon activated regardless.

“[...] <player>! I apologize that the weapon was unearthed even after you chose correctly in the lab. But conflicting egos drive this world--things don't always go the way you want!"

Heck, even in Rainbow Rocket in USUM, he carries this idea of the weapon being a last resort or a trump card. After you defeat him, he briefly considers how things might have fared if he were stopped in his dimension… and then we get this statement.

“[...] No! Nothing can change me now! If there is a path to creating a beautiful world, then that is the path I must take! Even if it means I can only save a handful of the old world!"

This one statement manages to summarize exactly what ALL of XY was trying to show. If there’s a way to preserve the world and its beauty, he’s going to do whatever it takes to do so, even if he knows that it’ll be a Pyrrhic victory if he succeeds.

Tl;dr: Lysandre was a passionate, inventive, and bold man who was, in his own mind, pushed to extremities because of humanity’s natural greed over resources. Omnicide was never Lysandre’s first choice -- it was his last option, because he felt that he had exhausted his other methods, and he concluded that, if it was the only way to make a better future, no matter how bad the method, he had to do it.