A Gym Leader (Japanese: ジムリーダー, Hepburn: Jimu Riidaa) is one type of a high-ranked Pokémon Trainer introduced in Generation I.

Quick Answers

What is the role of a Gym Leader in the Pokémon games?

In Pokémon, a Gym Leader is the top-ranking member and proprietor of an official Pokémon Gym. They act as the game's primary bosses, and their gyms and Pokémon are themed around a specific type. When not at the Gym, Gym Leaders engage in community work or services. They maintain the Gym, challenge potential opponents, and award badges and TMs to victorious challengers.

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How do Gym Leaders theme their gyms and Pokémon?

Gym Leaders, as top-ranking members of official Pokémon Gyms, base their gym and Pokémon selection on a specific type, a theme that extends to the gym staff. Each member's team consists of Pokémon sharing a common type. Trainers must solve puzzles within the gym to reach the Gym Leader, a feature more common in the game series. Notably, Blue deviates from this pattern, lacking a type specialty.

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Who is the Gym Leader Blue and what makes him unique?

Blue, a Gym Leader in the Pokémon series, stands out due to his diverse Pokémon team, unlike other Gym Leaders who specialize in a single type. He is notable for being a Champion turned Gym Leader and for his indirect aid in expelling Team Rocket from Saffron City. In the Red and Blue versions, he even owned two illegal Pokémon. His role remains consistent across various game versions like Crystal, FireRed, LeafGreen, HeartGold, and SoulSilver.

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What is the significance of the Gym Leaders in Paldea?

In Paldea, Gym Leaders are responsible for the upkeep of the Gym, its Pokémon, and members, and they accept challenges from trainers. They specialize in a particular type of Pokémon, but also manage one of a different type, aligning it with their specialty using the Terastal phenomenon. Challengers must pass a test, which may involve combat or problem-solving, before they can face a Gym Leader. Trainers who secure eight badges become eligible to compete in the Pokémon League Conference of the region.

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Can you name all the Gym Leaders in the Pokémon universe?

Gym Leaders in the Pokémon universe include Bugsy from Azalea Town, known for his Bug-type Pokémon expertise, and Chuck from Cianwood City, a renowned martial artist. Other leaders include Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, and Giovanni from various cities. Additional Gym Leaders are Milo, Nessa, Kabu, Bea, Allister, Opal, Gordie, Melony, Piers, and Raihan.

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Description[]

A Gym Leader is at a high enough rank to own a gym. They are comparable to bosses because the player has to defeat each of them in a Pokémon battle, usually in a set order throughout different locations, before they can obtain the Gym Badge, required to progress, increase the maximum level of a Pokémon's obedience, and use HMs in the overworld. Ultimately, after defeating the eight Gym Leaders and obtaining their respective Gym Badges, the player can enter the Pokémon League.

Types[]

Gym Leaders theme their gym and the Pokémon they use after a specific type, as is the case for their underling Pokémon Trainers in their Gym. The most recurring type used by the Gym Leader in the first Gym is Rock, which both the Grass and Water type of one of the first partner Pokémon is super effective against, each.

Dark is the last type to receive a Gym Leader specializing in the type, with the introduction of Piers and Marnie in Generation VIII, not counting the Island Kahuna Nanu.

Water is the most common type used by a Gym Leader, considering that the Hoenn and Unova regions each have two Water-type Gym Leaders. Electric is the most specialized type by Gym Leaders throughout the regions, since every region has one specializing in that type except for Johto and Galar.

Gym Leaders are essentially the weaker counterparts of the Elite Four, who also specialize in a certain type, but each of them are fought at the regional Pokémon League, before the Pokémon Champion. Unlike regular Pokémon Trainers, a Gym Leader has the right to directly challenge the Pokémon League Champion, making them able to bypass the League challenge themselves, as revealed by Brock in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!.

Regions[]

Gym Leaders are featured in a majority of regions, except Alola, which has Island Kahunas instead. Gym Leaders between other regions have been shown to know each other, like the Elite Four and Pokémon Champions across the Pokémon World.

The only regions with Gym Leaders for all three of the starter types are Kanto, Unova and Galar. Conversely, Johto is the only region with no Gym Leaders that specialize in any of the first partner Pokémon's types.

All eight Gym Leaders of the Johto region are fought during the first part of Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version, Pokémon Crystal Version, and the remakes Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version before the Gym Leaders of the Kanto region.

In Galar, the Gym Leaders are fought in stadiums. A few of the Gym Leaders are not only different characters between Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield but also specialize in a different type and hand out a different Gym Badge altogether. Uniquely, after the player enters the Hall of Fame, Bede and Marnie are replaced as the fifth and seventh Gym Leaders instead, respectively.

The Gym Leaders of Paldea can be fought in any order, due to the open world nature of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet; this exists in a limited capacity in Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh. Even with the flexibility of the order in which the Paldean Gym Leaders can be fought, the strength of their Pokémon is not relative to those in the player's party. The Paldean Gym Leaders go through periodical Gym Inspections every year, usually by a Champion to ensure that they are doing their job correctly. If the inspection is deemed a failure, the Gym Leader would lose their position. While the Gym Leaders in Paldea also specialize in a certain type, it is aligned with their specialty through the Terastal phenomenon.

Conduct[]

Gym Leaders generally have professional conduct. However, two Gym Leaders of the Johto region, Whitney and Clair, are infamous for refusing to give out their Gym Badge at first upon losing. Despite this, they do have some fans who enjoyed their character or liked their appearance. The former in particular is also known as one of the hardest to defeat.

Giovanni is the only leader of a villainous team to also be a Gym Leader.

Other roles[]

A Gym Leader is usually well involved with their community, something that is more prevalent in Pokémon the Series and Pokémon Adventures than the games. If a Gym Leader is not at their Gym, they are usually involved in some type of work or service that the surrounding community is known for. If a Gym Leader cannot perform their duties, they hand control of the Gym over to either a trusted family member or subordinate.

Wallace and Iris, from the Hoenn and Unova regions, respectively, are two Gym Leaders who would later become Pokémon Champions in a subsequent game.

List[]

Kanto[]

The Gym Leaders of the Kanto region are fought in the Generation I games, Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version and Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition, as well as the pairs of remakes Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!.

Most of the same Gym Leaders return in the Generation II games, Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version and Pokémon Crystal Version, as well as the remakes Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version. Each of them cannot be fought until the second part of the game, when the player is able to access the Kanto region.

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge	Games
1		Brock	Pewter City	Pewter City Gym	Rock	Boulder Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
2		Misty	Cerulean City	Cerulean City Gym	Water	Cascade Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
3		Lt. Surge	Vermilion City	Vermilion City Gym	Electric	Thunder Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
4		Erika	Celadon City	Celadon City Gym	Grass	Rainbow Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
5		Koga	Fuchsia City	Fuchsia City Gym	Poison	Soul Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
		Janine					Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version
6		Sabrina	Saffron City	Saffron City Gym	Psychic	Marsh Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
7		Blaine	Cinnabar Island	Cinnabar Island Gym	Fire	Volcano Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
8		Giovanni	Viridian City	Viridian City Gym	Ground	Earth Badge	Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
		Blue					Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version

Johto[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Falkner	Violet City	Violet City Gym	Flying	Zephyr Badge
2		Bugsy	Azalea Town	Azalea Town Gym	Bug	Hive Badge
3		Whitney	Goldenrod City	Goldenrod City Gym	Normal	Plain Badge
4		Morty	Ecruteak City	Ecruteak City Gym	Ghost	Fog Badge
5		Chuck	Cianwood City	Cianwood City Gym	Fighting	Storm Badge
6		Jasmine	Olivine City	Olivine City Gym	Steel	Mineral Badge
7		Pryce	Mahogany Town	Mahogany Town Gym	Ice	Glacier Badge
8		Clair	Blackthorn City	Blackthorn City Gym	Dragon	Rising Badge

Hoenn[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Roxanne	Rustboro City	Rustboro City Gym	Rock	Stone Badge
2		Brawly	Dewford Town	Dewford Town Gym	Fighting	Knuckle Badge
3		Wattson	Mauville City	Mauville City Gym	Electric	Dynamo Badge
4		Flannery	Lavaridge Town	Lavaridge Town Gym	Fire	Heat Badge
5		Norman	Petalburg City	Petalburg City Gym	Normal	Balance Badge
6		Winona	Fortree City	Fortree City Gym	Flying	Feather Badge
7		Tate and Liza	Mossdeep City	Mossdeep City Gym	Psychic	Mind Badge
8		Wallace RSORAS	Sootopolis City	Sootopolis City Gym	Water	Rain Badge
		Juan E

Sinnoh[]

In Pokémon Platinum Version, Fantina was changed to the third Gym Leader, putting Maylene and Crasher Wake up to fourth and fifth, respectively.

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Roark	Oreburgh City	Oreburgh City Gym	Rock}}	Coal Badge
2		Gardenia	Eterna City	Eterna City Gym	Grass	Forest Badge
3		Maylene	Veilstone City	Veilstone City Gym	Fighting	Cobble Badge
4		Crasher Wake	Pastoria City	Pastoria City Gym	Water	Fen Badge
5		Fantina	Hearthome City	Hearthome City Gym	Ghost	Relic Badge
6		Byron	Canalave City	Canalave City Gym	Steel	Mine Badge
7		Candice	Snowpoint City	Snowpoint City Gym	Ice	Icicle Badge
8		Volkner	Sunyshore City	Sunyshore City Gym	Electric	Beacon Badge

Unova[]

In Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, the first Gym Leader depends on the player's first partner Pokémon, which it always has a type advantage over.

In Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, the order of the Gym Leaders is different. Drayden becomes the leader of the seventh Gym in both versions, and Cheren, Roxie, and Marlon are incorporated as new Gym Leaders.

Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Cilan If the player chose Oshawott	Striaton City	Striaton City Gym	Grass	Trio Badge
		Chili If the player chose Snivy			Fire
		Cress If the player chose Tepig			Water
2		Lenora	Nacrene City	Nacrene City Gym	Normal	Basic Badge
3		Burgh	Castelia City	Castelia City Gym	Bug	Insect Badge
4		Elesa	Nimbasa City	Nimbasa City Gym	Electric	Bolt Badge
5		Clay	Driftveil City	Driftveil City Gym	Ground	Quake Badge
6		Skyla	Mistralton City	Mistralton City Gym	Flying	Jet Badge
7		Brycen	Icirrus City	Icirrus City Gym	Ice	Freeze Badge
8		Drayden Pokémon Black Version only	Opelucid City	Opelucid City Gym	Dragon	Legend Badge
		Iris Pokémon White Version only

Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Cheren	Aspertia City	Aspertia City Gym	Normal	Basic Badge
2		Roxie	Virbank City	Virbank City Gym	Poison	Toxic Badge
3		Burgh	Castelia City	Castelia City Gym	Bug	Insect Badge
4		Elesa	Nimbasa City	Nimbasa City Gym	Electric	Bolt Badge
5		Clay	Driftveil City	Driftveil City Gym	Ground	Quake Badge
6		Skyla	Mistralton City	Mistralton City Gym	Flying	Jet Badge
7		Drayden	Opelucid City	Opelucid City Gym	Dragon	Legend Badge
8		Marlon	Humilau City	Humilau City Gym	Water	Wave Badge

Kalos[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Viola	Santalune City	Santalune City Gym	Bug	Bug Badge
2		Grant	Cyllage City	Cyllage City Gym	Rock	Cliff Badge
3		Korrina	Shalour City	Shalour City Gym	Fighting	Rumble Badge
4		Ramos	Coumarine City	Coumarine City Gym	Grass	Plant Badge
5		Clemont	Lumiose City	Lumiose City Gym	Electric	Voltage Badge
6		Valerie	Laverre City	Laverre City Gym	Fairy	Fairy Badge
7		Olympia	Anistar City	Anistar City Gym	Psychic	Psychic Badge
8		Wulfric	Snowbelle City	Snowbelle City Gym	Ice	Iceberg Badge

Galar[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Milo	Turffield	Turffield Stadium	Grass	Grass Badge
2		Nessa	Hulbury	Hulbury Stadium	Water	Water Badge
3		Kabu	Motostoke	Motostoke Stadium	Fire	Fire Badge
4		Bea Sw	Stow-on-Side	Stow-on-Side Stadium	Fighting	Fighting Badge
		Allister Sh			Ghost	Ghost Badge
5		Opal Bede (post-game)	Ballonlea	Ballonlea Stadium	Fairy	Fairy Badge
6		Gordie	Circhester	Circhester Stadium	Rock	Rock Badge
		Melony			Ice	Ice Badge
7		Piers Marnie (post-game)	Spikemuth	Spikemuth Stadium	Dark	Dark Badge
8		Raihan	Hammerlocke	Hammerlocke Stadium	Dragon	Dragon Badge

Paldea[]

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Type	Badge
1		Katy	Cortondo	Cortondo Gym	Bug	Bug Badge
2		Brassius	Artazon	Artazon Gym	Grass	Grass Badge
3		Iono	Levincia	Levincia Gym	Electric	Electric Badge
4		Kofu	Cascarrafa	Cascarrafa Gym	Water	Water Badge
5		Larry	Medali	Medali Gym	Normal	Normal Badge
6		Ryme	Montenevera	Montenevera Gym	Ghost	Ghost Badge
7		Tulip	Alfornada	Alfornada Gym	Psychic	Psychic Badge
8		Grusha	Glaseado	Glaseado Gym	Ice	Ice Badge

Appearances[]

Spinoffs[]

All eight Kanto Gym Leaders and their badges appear in Pokémon Puzzle League, and likewise for Johto Gym Leaders and their badges in Pokémon Puzzle Challenge.

Anime[]

Kanto[]

Before traveling with Ash for several seasons, Brock was the Gym Leader of Pewter City, succeeding after his father, Flint. Brock is the first ever Gym Leader to appear in the anime. During his travels, Brock's mom, Lola, took over the Pewter City Gym and converted it into a Water-type Gym. Brock's younger brother Forrest is the current Gym Leader.

While Ash travels and meets the Gym Leaders from the games as normal, he also meets a trainer named A.J., who runs his own unofficial Gym which is on the route to Vermilion City, A.J.'s gym does not have a badge or a type.

While Lt. Surge is the current Gym Leader of Vermilion City, he left on a quest to train himself sometime prior to the events of the Journey series, having Visquez serve as the Acting Gym Leader in his absence.

While Misty is the current Gym Leader of Cerulean City, her three sisters: Daisy, Violet, and Lily act as Gym Leaders until Misty takes the post.

While Giovanni begins as the Gym Leader of Viridian City, like in the games, he has to go on a business journey, leaving the Team Rocket trio to look after the gym on his behalf. Jessie is the only character who is shown to do the actual battling. Later on, Agatha, a member of the Elite Four, is put in charge of the Gym.

Orange Islands[]

The Gym Leaders from the Orange Islands appear only in Pokémon the Series, not in the games, just like Orange Islands itself. The Gym Leaders work slightly differently than others, usually having trainers that face them take part in a number of challenges instead of Pokémon battles. The Gym Leaders generally do not specialize in a specific type.

Number	Image	Name	Location	Gym	Badge
1		Cissy	Mikan Island	Mikan Gym	Coral-Eye Badge
2		Danny	Navel Island	Navel Gym	Sea Ruby Badge
3		Rudy	Trovita Island	Trovita Gym	Spike Shell Badge
4		Luana	Kumquat Island	Kumquat Gym	Jade Star Badge

Lumiose City[]

Clemont built a robotic version of himself called Clembot to run the Gym for him when he was too busy to attend his duties as a Gym Leader. After Clembot went "rogue" (due to an accident during programming), Clemont managed to regain control of Clembot after defeating it in a match. Clemont later reprogrammed Clembot to be friendlier and had it serve as the Acting Gym Leader while he went travelling across Kalos with his friends.

Films[]

Excluding Ash's traveling companions, Gym Leaders have seldomly had a role in the films, other than Giovanni in Pokémon: The First Movie and Erika in Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!.

Manga[]

Pokémon Adventures[]

In Pokémon Adventures, besides their usual role, a Gym Leader is entrusted to protect their city from any danger. However, besides Giovanni, some of the other Gym Leaders are shown to be involved in some type of crime, including Sabrina, Lt. Surge, Koga, and Pryce.

Prior to the Gold & Silver Chapter, Gym Leaders and Gym Badges do not have a key role in the Pokémon League, because a trainer can enter without having to defeat all eight Gym Leaders for their badges. The reason for this difference is because Gym Badges are coveted by villainous teams due to their power, so the Pokémon Association changed the rules for the Gym Leader system, allowing trainers who manage to earn all the badges to skip the Pokémon League preliminaries and advance directly to the finals.

Gym Leaders can decide to either accept or reject a battle. Before battling, the Gym Leader can put the Pokémon Trainer and their Pokémon through some other test beforehand.

Every Gym Leader is selected carefully by their higher ups, the Pokémon Association. A character applying to become a Gym Leader is given a exam to test their skills, knowledge, and even their personality to see if they fulfill the necessary qualities. The procedure is done through a battle, where the candidate has to usually defeat a team of six Pokémon. Newer Gym Leaders like the candidates who passed are usually watched and evaluated by older and more experienced Gym Leaders. There are cases where Gym Leaders are relieved of their duties for not fulfilling their responsibilities and abandoning their gym for too long, like with Giovanni and Koga.

In the Crystal Chapter, beginning in "Yikes, It's Yanma!", the Pokémon League hosts a special event where the Kanto Gym Leaders face those of the Johto region. Pryce is the captain of the Johto leaders' team, while Erika is the captain of the Kanto leaders' team.

In the Ruby & Sapphire Chapter, there is an organization in the Hoenn region that is in charge of watching over and maintaining balance, through Gym Leaders. Norman tried to become a Gym Leader through an exam, but was disqualified from the exam after an incident where a Salamence freed a Rayquaza being researched by the Pokémon Association.

Pokémon Pocket Monsters[]

Gym Leaders do appear in Pokémon Pocket Monsters and its sequels. However, only three of them are explicitly associated with the role—Brock, Misty, and Giovanni—while the others are just stronger trainers.

Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys[]

The Gym Leaders of the Johto region appear in Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys.

Trivia[]

• All of the Galar Gym Leaders have a special ID number on their jersey. All of these are numbers can be translated from Japanese Pager Code to say a word relating to them:
  • Milo has the number 831, which translates to ya-sa-i, meaning 'veggie'.
  • Nessa has the number 049, which translates to o-yo-gu, meaning 'swim'.
  • Kabu has the number 187, which translates to hi-ba-na, meaning 'spark'.
  • Bea has the number 193, which translates to i-ku-sa, meaning 'fight'.
  • Allister has the number 291, which translates to ni-ku-i, meaning 'detest'.
  • Gordie has the number 188, which translates to i-wa-ba, meaning 'rock wall'.
  • Melony has the number 361, which translates to sa-mu-i, meaning 'cold'.
  • Opal has the number 910, which translates to kyu-to, meaning 'cute'.
  • Piers has the number 061, which translates to wa-ri-i, meaning 'bad'.
  • Raihan has the number 241, which translates to tsu-yo-i, meaning 'strong'.
• In the Paldea region you can tackle the Gyms in any order, but the Gym Leaders Pokémon levels do not scale to suit the challenger.

Gallery[]

The Johto Gym Leaders

The Hoenn Gym Leaders

The Sinnoh Gym Leaders

The Unova Gym Leaders (excluding Iris)

The Kalos Gym Leaders

See also[]

• Gym
• Gym Badge
• Frontier Brain
• Subway Boss
• Battle Chatelaine