A Gym Leader (Japanese: ジムリーダー, Hepburn: Jimu Riidaa) is a type of Pokémon Trainer introduced in Generation I. They are the highest-ranking Trainer of a Pokémon Gym and their goal is to test Trainers and their Pokémon so that they are proficient enough to take the Pokémon League challenge. If a Trainer defeats a Gym Leader in a battle, then the Trainer earns that Gym's Badge. Due to their essential role in the Pokémon games as they must be defeated in order for the player to progress the story, they serve as the main bosses prior to facing the Elite Four and Pokémon Champion.
Quick Answers
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Description
A Gym Leader is a skilled Trainer at a high enough rank to own a gym. They player character 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, which are 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 in a set region, 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 (third and eighth, respectively), 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
Hoenn
Sinnoh
In Pokémon Platinum Version, Fantina was changed to the third Gym Leader, putting Maylene and Crasher Wake up to fourth and fifth, respectively.
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 |  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
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, a few other Gym Leaders are shown to be involved in some type of crime, including Sabrina, Lt. Surge, and Koga.
Owing to their role of having to protect their location from danger, the Kanto Gym Leaders help in the fight against Team Rocket and the Kanto Elite Four. Later, they join the Johto Gym Leaders and the Pokédex Holders to fight the Masked Man, later revealed to be a Gym Leader himself, Pryce. In Hoenn, the Gym Leaders gather in Petalburg City to discuss the threat posed by Team Aqua and Team Magma before fighting them. The Sinnoh Gym Leaders confront Team Galactic directly at the Spear Pillar. All of the Unova Gym Leaders cooperate to defeat Team Plasma.
If a Pokémon Trainer is confident enough to put their talents and Pokémon to the test, they can face the Gym Leader. However, Gym Leaders can decide to either accept or reject a battle, and some them can decide to challenge only strong trainers, as first seen in "Onix Is On!". The procedure is done through a battle, where the candidate has to usually defeat a team of six Pokémon.
A trainer receives a Gym Badge from defeating a Gym Leader, as usual, but leaders have been shown to give Gym Badges for other reasons, such as Blaine giving Red the Volcano Badge for helping him fight Team Rocket. Up until the ninth Pokémon League competitions, Gym Badges only served to say in advance which trainers had a good chance of winning. For the tenth competition, the president of the Pokémon Association decided that trainers who had all eight Gym Badges in their region could now skip the preliminary battles and go straight to the final round.
Before someone can become a Gym Leader, a proposed trainer must pass a test, like with Red in "Forretress of Solitude", testing not only his skills in battle but also his knowledge and personality. One can have the possibility of being appointed Gym Leader without a test, as is the case with Blue, who convinces the president of the Pokémon Association of his abilities and is already respected by the residents of Viridian City. Newer Gym Leaders are usually watched and evaluated by older and more experienced Gym Leaders.
The Pokémon Association can fire a Gym Leader if they do not fulfill their duties and stay away from their Gym for a long time, as is the case with Koga and Giovanni, but Sabrina and Lt. Surge have not been fired despite their associations with Team Rocket.
A Gym Leader earns his money by receiving a transfer from the Pokémon Association to cover the costs of maintaining the gym. However, Gym Leaders can still take on other jobs or keep their old jobs, which is why most of them have have a second job.
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, 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
See also
| Kanto | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johto | |||||||
| Hoenn | |||||||
| Sinnoh | |||||||
| Unova |
| ||||||
| Kalos | |||||||
| Galar | |||||||
| Paldea | |||||||
| Orange Islands | |||||||
| See also | |||||||