With so many Pokémon gym leaders across Game Freak’s smash-hit monster-taming series, it can be hard to make a list of favorites. Still, we’re not ones to back down from a challenge here at Pocket Tactics, as we know from beating all the leaders in battle, so we’ve brought all our most beloved trainers together in one place. Has your pick made the list? Let’s find out.
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Here are our favorite Pokémon gym leaders:
Brock
Brock might not be the toughest gym leader in the Pokémon series, especially if you pick Squirtle or Bulbasaur as your starter, but as he’s the first, he’s more than deserving of a place on this list. There’s a case to make that the battle with Brock in Pokémon Gold and Silver is a better bout since his party more closely represents his team from the anime, but either way, we couldn’t leave him out of this list.
Misty
I can’t mention Brock and leave out Misty, Ash’s second companion and the host of Cerulean City’s gym challenge. Misty is so non-plussed by the prospect of battling you that she doesn’t even stop paddling to pay attention to the battle, leaving her trusty Starmie to frustrate you into submission with its torrent of supersonic attacks. Sure, like Brock, Misty isn’t much of a challenge, but that doesn’t make her any less important in the history of the series.
Blaine
Blaine makes the list of our Pokémon gym leaders because of his interesting change between the first and second games. In the short time between the two generations, Blaine’s gym burns to the ground in a volcanic eruption, forcing the fire-type user to take up a new office in the Seafoam Island caves. A new home doesn’t mean a dousing for Blaine’s team though, with the challenge souped up in Gold and Silver compared to the original bout.
Giovanni
Okay, this is the last first-generation gym leader, I swear. I can’t not include Giovanni, the original final challenge of the eight gym gauntlet in Kanto, the leader of Team Rocket, and the man who is going to use fissure to make you hate, and I mean hate, one-shot K.O. attacks. Like the other two Kantonians we’ve included, Giovanni is pretty easy to work with a water-type on your side, but that doesn’t make him any less intimidating a foe the first time around.
Whitney
We love Whitney, but we also kind of hate Whitney. That’s a shared experience of anyone who played Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal growing up, and while she’s only the third gym leader battle, she’s one of the toughest in the series. This is mainly due to her Miltank, which uses Rollout to devastating effect. Even if you’re over-leveled, there’s little chance of stopping the massive damage from the rolling cow until it misses, and if you’re unlucky, that might take a while. This makes Whitney’s gym challenge even more memorable, as when you finally beat her, it feels like an achievement.
Morty
Pokémon’s first-ever ghost-type gym leader didn’t disappoint back in the glory days of Gold, Silver, and Crystal, and his gym challenge holds up to this day. Like Whitney, battling Morty is a test of your skills and patience, as his team relies on moves like Spite and Curse to whittle down both your HP and PP. Despite being a man of few words, there’s something incredibly charismatic about Morty, and he’s one of the many gym leaders we’d love to see return in future series installments.
Clair
The first dragon-taming gym leader, Clair is a personal favorite on this long list of Pokémon gym leaders, with her killer Kingdra offering Johto’s last big challenge before you face the Elite Four. Sure, she doesn’t quite match Lance in terms of dragon strength, but we get a little insight into her story before facing off in battle, and there’s an interesting story behind how Clair became the leader of Blackthorn Gym. She’s also a big reason why we’d love to see a Pokémon Let’s Go game set in Johto.
Norman
Norman is noteworthy for two reasons. First, he’s your dad, so that makes for the first and only gym leader battle against your own flesh and blood, though your in-game old man isn’t so keen on giving you an easy time. The second reason we love Norman is that he’s brazen enough to make Slaking, a Pokémon that does nothing half the time, his star player, providing all of us with a spare turn to use some much-needed max potions. To make this battle even more special, I like to play Father and Son by Cat Stevens and imagine Norman with a tear in his eye as I leave his gym with a badge in hand.
Tate and Liza
It’s the first double trouble entry on our list, Tate and Liza. The co-leaders of Mossdeep City’s gym are a force to be reckoned with in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, with their combination of Solrock and Lunatone proving tricky for any trainer who doesn’t turn up prepared. Their gym is also one of the best GBA-era designs, with a labyrinth of puzzles keeping you from the final battle in a similar manner to Giovanni’s gym from the first generation of Pokémon games.
Crasher Wake
Crasher Wake is Pastoria City’s gym leader, and if you couldn’t tell from his picture, he’s also something of a wrestler. With his trusty team of Floatzel, Gyarados, and Quagmire, the battle against Crasher Wake is no picnic, but it’s made easier by the fact that your opponent is so eager and spurs you on before the bout. If that wasn’t enough to get him on this list, Crasher Wake also uses his winnings from his battles to improve the lives of the people of Pastoria City, and we love a charitable guy.
Fantina
If this were a list of the most glamorous Pokémon gym leaders, Fantina would take pride of place at the top of the pile, but she still makes the cut for our favorites. With her team of ghost-types, Fantina is the most memorable gym battle in Diamond and Pearl by a good margin, with her ghosts running havoc on any team unprepared with dark-type attacks. She also uses her style and grace to win plenty of Pokémon contests, using her majestic ghouls to take the prize time and time again.
Elesa
Pokémon Black and White’s Elesa is the owner of what I’d say is the most fun-filled gym in the history of the series, with a veritable rollercoaster ride necessary to get you to the gym leader. Once you arrive, the battle isn’t particularly difficult, but Elesa’s Emolga can pull some surprises out of its cute little cheeks, making for a battle where you can’t take anything for granted.
Clay
This rootin’ tootin’ gym leader might not provide the toughest battle, but we love Clay’s cowboy design. He’s the only canonically Texan character in the world of Pokémon – just don’t think too hard about what that means for Pokégeography. Pokémon is properly in Clay’s blood, which we know from the appearances of his ancestor, Lian, in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and his daughter, Lacey, in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk.
Piers
Punk rocker Piers is our favorite of the Pokémon gym leaders out of Galar. Equipped with a tricky team of dark types, this battle is made more fun by the back and forth between Marnie, who made the list of our favorite Pokémon characters, and Piers, who happens to be her brother. We also like Piers because he’s not afraid to go against the herd, being the only Galarian gym leader who doesn’t indulge in Dynamaxing. Everyone loves a purist.
Larry
Oh, Larry. Despite his purposefully bland nature, we can’t deny that this salaryman is our favorite of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet gym leaders. You also can’t deny his battling prowess, with Larry one of the few gym leaders from across the series to also appear as a member of the Elite Four. The ninth generation of Pokémon might not be full of unforgettable characters, but Larry is one of the few we hope to see more of in the future.
There you have it, our favorite Pokémon gym leaders. For more tips and tricks to catching ‘em all, check out our Pokémon Go event, Pokémon Go raids, and Pokémon Go Community Day guides, as well as our complete Pokedex. Or, if you’re more into making money than catching monsters, see our free Monopoly Go dice guide.