Leon

:For the character of the day from Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief!, see Leon (BW045). For the Pokémon with the Japanese nickname of Leon, see Sparky.
|}
Leon (Japanese: ダンデ Dande) is the of the Galar region's Pokémon League in .
==In the core series games==
Leon originally started out as a at the age of 10 with his partner when he entered the Gym Challenge after he was endorsed by Rose, who saw talent in him.https://swordshield.pokemon.com/en-us/story/pokemon-league/ He proceeded to win his first-ever Gym Challenge and become the of the Galar League, without losing a single battle. Since then, he and his partner have remained undefeated in every league and exhibition they participated in. He has been referred to as "the unbeatable Champion" and "the greatest Trainer in all of Galar."https://swordshield.pokemon.com/en-us/people-galar-region/champion-leon/ He is considered a hero to many Trainers in Galar. However, he is also known for his poor sense of directions. His catchphrase is "Let's have a champion time!". According to Mustard, Leon was once his best student at the Master Dojo, but he was never able to finish his training there, as he never made it to the Towers of Two Fists due to his horrible sense of direction.
Leon first appears in the games' introduction movie, where he is introduced as Galar's undefeated by Rose at Wyndon Stadium. He exchanges greetings with his opponent Raihan, who is challenging him with , before Gigantamaxing his . Their subsequent battle is not shown on-screen, but Leon defeats Raihan to retain his title.
Later, Leon travels via train to Wedgehurst, where he entertains a crowd outside Wedgehurst Station with Charizard until Hop and the meet him. Together, the trio return to Hop and Leon's home in Postwick. Once there, Leon reveals the gifts he brought for Hop and the player — the first partner Pokémon , and . He allows the player and Hop to choose which of the three Pokémon they want, then adds the remaining Pokémon to his own party. Leon then watches the battle between the player and Hop before joining in a barbecue dinner he and Hop's mother hosts at their home. Hop also asks Leon to endorse him and the player for the Gym Challenge, but he is initially hesitant to do so because of their inexperience. Later, when Hop and the player run into the Slumbering Weald to save a , Leon eventually runs in and finds them unconscious, and manages to save the Wooloo.
Leon meets Hop and the player again at Professor Magnolia's Laboratory, and after Magnolia encourages him to endorse Hop and the player, he asks them to engage in a battle. After the player defeats Hop in a formal battle, Leon decides to write letters of endorsement, ensuring they are eligible to participate in the Gym Challenge.
Leon appears throughout the player's . During the Champion Cup, Leon invites the player and Hop to a dinner after the semifinals, but he ends up late due to having a heated, passionate conversation with Rose about the future of Galar atop Rose Tower. Leon argues that he must fulfill his duty as a Champion primarily before dealing with the distant future. Hop and the player manage to find him after dealing with several Macro Cosmos employees and Oleana. Later, when the player wins the finals, before they can have a final match with Leon, Rose interrupts the League to announce that he has summoned and intends to solve the future energy crisis by bringing about the Darkest Day. Leon rushes to Hammerlocke Stadium to deal with the situation, and manages to hold off Eternatus until Hop and the player arrive. He is unable to catch Eternatus and is left to take the resulting energy blast from Eternatus breaking out of Leon's Poké Ball. He spends the next few days recovering from his injuries after the player, Hop, , and successfully stop Eternatus. The player and Leon finally have their grand showdown, which invites an incredibly large amount of fans across Galar. The player prevails over Leon, and becomes the new Champion.
After the events of the main story, Leon succeeds Rose as chairman of the Galar League and owner of Rose Tower, which he has transformed into the . His reason for this was to fulfill a lifelong dream he had while he was still Champion, where Galarian Trainers can become the strongest in the world. Another reason behind his ownership of the Battle Tower was so that he can never get lost inside it. Some say Leon has become more lively than when he was Champion and is currently having a hard time looking for a new catchphrase to use.
After the player has completed the events of The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, Leon calls the player and invites them, along with Hop, Avery or Klara, Peony, and all of the Gym Leaders to participate in the Galarian Star Tournament, an event he created for the Galar League that is focused on Multi Battles. After the first Galarian Star Tournament, Leon announces that there will be many more Star Tournaments held in the future. It is later revealed that he received the funding for the tournament from Sordward and Shielbert as their way of atoning for the crimes they committed in the postgame.
In the English versions of the games, Hop refers to Leon by the nickname Lee. In all other languages, he is merely referred to as "older brother" or "brother" (Japanese: アニキ big bro).
===League Cards===
This is a transcript of the back of Leon's League Cards in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
;Normal League Card
:"Leon is known far and wide for taking part in the Gym Challenge at the tender age of 10 years old—and even more so for claiming victory in the Champion Cup on his first attempt. Ever since that victory, he and his partner have remained unbeaten in both League and exhibition matches. He is called "the unbeatable Champion" and is a hero to many Trainers. He has but one weakness: a dismal sense of direction. But don't worry—wherever he ends up, he makes sure everyone has a champion time!"
;Rare League Card
:"Leon's dream, even when he was still the Champion, was to make Galarian Trainers the strongest Trainers in the world. In order to fulfill that dream, he has rebuilt Rose Tower into the , a facility dedicated to Pokémon battles. People say that he seems even more lively now than he was as Champion. Leon has also commented that another reason he likes the tower so much is that it's impossible to get lost inside. Leon's biggest problem now is coming up with a new signature catchphrase to replace "Let's have a champion time!""
===Pokémon===
Leon's team will always contain the final evolutionary form of the first partner Pokémon with a type advantage to the player's chosen first partner Pokémon. This is likely the first partner Pokémon that remained with him after the player and Hop chose their own first partner Pokémon at the beginning of the game.
========
=====Capture tutorial (optional)=====
If the player has already a Pokémon by the time of this encounter, this tutorial will not occur.
| style="margin:auto" |
======Caught in tutorial======
=====Championship Match=====
Leon will Gigantamax his at the first opportunity.
 If the chose :
|
|
|
|
|
|
 If the chose :
|
|
|
|
|
|
 If the chose :
|
|
|
|
|
|
=====Battle Tower=====
In the Battle Tower, Leon's team is randomly selected each time, but with guaranteed in the last slot (which he may still switch into at any time). He will Gigantamax his Charizard at the first opportunity.
======Beginner Tier======
|
|}
======Poké Ball Tier======
|
|}
======Great Ball Tier======
|
|}
======Ultra Ball Tier======
|
|}
======Master Ball Tier======
|
|}
=====Champion tournaments=====
Leon may reappear at the Champion tournaments in Wyndon Stadium after receiving his rare League Card at the Battle Tower. He will Gigantamax his at the first opportunity.
 If the chose :
|
|
|
|style="margin:auto"|
|style="margin:auto"|
 If the chose :
|
|
|
|style="margin:auto"|
|style="margin:auto"|
 If the chose :
|
|
|
|style="margin:auto"|
|style="margin:auto"|
=====Galarian Star Tournament=====
|
|
|
=====Given to new Trainers=====
Leon gives the player and Hop their choice of the following first partner Pokémon in Postwick.
		
=====Left for the player=====
Leon will leave a , containing a special for the player, at his own home in Postwick after the player defeats him in the Champion Cup. Once evolved into a , this Pokémon can Gigantamax. 
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Leon forms a sync pair with , , , and in Pokémon Masters EX. His Charizard is capable of Gigantamaxing, while his Eternatus is capable of Eternamaxing, and his Dragapult is capable of Dynamaxing. Leon became a playable sync pair on February 26, 2021.
Leon has also made notable appearances in the game's Main Stories, Legendary Adventures and the Villain Arc.
|}
===Pokémon UNITE===
Leon and his appear in Pokémon UNITE as an enemy Trainer to fight during the Legacy Trainer Showdown event between September 9, 2022 and October 6, 2022. It took place on Theia Sky Ruins. His Charizard starts the battle as and can evolve to and then Charizard during the battle. The other members of his team are Cynthia, Korrina, Raihan, and . The event later returned between April 21, 2023 and May 21, 2023.
Leon and his Charizard also appear as an enemy Trainer in the recurring event. It also takes place on Theia Sky Ruins. This event has Casual, Intermediate, Expert, and Extreme difficulties. The composition of the opposing team varies depending on the event and the difficulty. The full team consists of himself, Cynthia, Raihan, Korrina, and Green. In Cynthia themed events, Leon only appears on the Expert and Extreme difficulties, being replaced by an Ace Trainer on lower difficulties. In a Leon themed event, Leon's team includes Korrina, Raihan, Cynthia, and Green. On the Casual difficulty, all four of the other trainers are replaced by s. On the Intermediate difficulty, only Cynthia and Green are replaced by Ace Trainers. In this mode, Leon and his Charizard never use Holowear.
Unlike other Trainers in this game, Leon and the non-Ace Trainer members of her team are represented with two-dimensional artwork instead of three-dimensional models. In the pre-battle splash screen, Leon has a custom Unite Snapshot depicting him and his Charizard with two dimensional artwork. (The normal display of the Unite License/Holowear is not used.) This means his Battle Item is not shown. However, he uses X Attack.
Leon appears as a Background element for a Trainer's Unite Snapshot. It is the same background Leon's own Snapshot uses, but it excludes Charizard. Leon's outfit can be worn as a Trainer Outfit by players. (It does not consist of separate items and cannot be worn with any additional items.) This outfit is rendered as a model, unlike Leon. Leon's signature pose is usable as a Trainer's Pose in Unite Snapshot, with the item named after the character.
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
 	 	
Concept art	Leon and Charizard	
===Sprites===
Icon from the menu
===League Cards===
 	
Leon's in	Leon's rare in
==Quotes==
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
Leon is a recurring character in . He debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he earned himself the title of Monarch, the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the , by winning the finals of the World Coronation Series. This inspired to participate in the World Coronation Series as well in the hopes of getting to battle Leon, making him Ash's main rival for the series.
===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
Leon appeared in Letter, where he and battled Bea and her in a televised battle inside Wyndon Stadium. The and his partner eventually emerged victorious. He later appeared with his Charizard in a brief flashback Rose had while meeting , a fan of Leon's.
In a fantasy in Training, Bea thought she saw Leon in the Wild Area, only to realize it was actually a .
In Buddy, Hop watched Leon's match with Bea on television. He reappeared in the same role in Early-Evening Waves.
In Moonlight, he received John's letter from Chairman Rose while at Rose Tower.
In Sky, Leon was walking to the stadium for his match against Raihan when he got lost along the way on a mountain. Then, he encountered John, who was en route to the stadium in a Flying Taxi when he spotted him. Realizing they wouldn't reach the stadium on foot in time, Leon flew with John on top of the and arrived at the stadium in time for his match. Leon then invited John to watch the match from the field as the match started.
In The Gathering of Stars, he was seen flying towards the Isle of Armor in a Flying Taxi. He battled his master Mustard before giving him an invitation letter to the Galarian Star Tournament. He visited and invited various Gym Leaders for the tournament. Later on, he declared the tournament's commencement at Wyndon Stadium.
====Character====
Leon's presence throughout the miniseries has been shrouded in mystery, with several characters being influenced by the desire to battle him. Leon is also shown to be close to Hop, who looks up to Leon and watches his matches on TV, and Sonia, who is seen talking on the phone with him and attending Leon's exhibition match against Raihan. Leon's desire to help new Trainers do their best is also seen when he says that the next time he meets John, it will be in a Pokémon battle.
====Pokémon====
=====On hand=====
=====Borrowed=====
====Voice actors====
===Pokémon Evolutions===
Leon appeared in The Champion. While preparing for his Championship Match against , he recalled how he had battled against during the Darkest Day, but had failed to it, leaving it to Victor and Hop to finish the job with and 's help. This failure had caused Leon to start doubting himself, but his was able to restore his self confidence. Leon then stepped out into the Wyndon Stadium battlefield, ready to face Victor. 
====Pokémon====
====Achievements====
=====Pokémon competitions=====
* Galar Champion Cup - Winner (prior to The Champion)
====Artwork====
 	
Poster artwork for	Poster artwork for
====Voice actors====
===GOTCHA!===
Leon briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
Leon debuted in Crackle!! Practice Battle. He was first seen in the outskirts of Wedgehurst, trying to move a flock of off of some train tracks. He was helped by and , who drove off the that was terrorizing the Wooloo. After introducing himself to the children, Leon headed off to Motostoke to appear on a television program, only to get lost on the way there. It was revealed that Leon had decided to endorse the two s for the Gym Challenge thanks to this experience, just like they had hoped he would. The Gym Leaders of Galar were surprised by this decision, as Leon had never endorsed two Trainers at the same time before.
In Stealth!! Infiltrate the Energy Plant, after a large earthquake struck Hammerlocke, Leon attempted to get inside the Energy Plant and see if Rose was safe. Several blocked his attempt, stating that no one was allowed inside the building. Raihan arrived and told Leon to go evacuate people with Sonia while he went inside to check on Rose. 
In Grrr!! Noble Kidnappers, Leon received a call from Sonia asking him to join her and Henry's group around Spikemuth. Along the way, he witnessed Sonia falling to the ground after the Flying Taxi she was riding in was shot out of the sky. After rescuing Sonia, Leon encountered Raihan and Piers, who were alerted by the noise coming from Route 9 Tunnel. Leon and Raihan took Sonia and the to a hospital in Hammerlocke. Before leaving, Leon entrusted a camera Sonia was carrying to Piers and told him to deliver it to Casey.
In Unbelievable!! The Shocking Truth, after reconciling with each other at the hospital, Sonia informed Leon that Rose was working together with Sordward and Shielbert, the pair responsible for her near-crash landing. The Gym Leaders were informed of the situation and agreed to meet at Rose Tower in order to find out whether Rose intended on bringing harm to Galar. Before Leon, Sonia, Raihan, and Nessa could leave the city, Rose unleashed and brought out the Darkest Day, causing Pokémon to start Dynamaxing at random. After dealing with some Pokémon, Leon and the others went to check on Rose in the Energy Plant, where they ran into Henry's group. Everyone went into the plant, where they found Rose ecstatic that his plan was a success.
In Shock!! Chairman Rose's Plan, Rose explained he meant no harm to Galar and sent Sordward and Shielbert to defeat Eternatus and prevent the Darkest Day from spiraling out of control. Despite their claims of being descendants of the heroes that once stopped the Darkest Day, Sordward and Shielbert were unable to win, forcing Rose to take their place. Oleana explained that Rose's actions were for the benefit of Galar and requested that everyone help stop Eternatus. The group agreed and made their way to the summit, where they found Rose had already been defeated. Leon, Raihan, Piers, Hop, Marnie, Nessa, and Melony managed to take Eternatus down, only for it to get back up and unleash its Eternamax form. 
In GRRR!! The Irrepairable Gears, Eternatus quickly overwhelmed Leon and the others, only for and to appear and assist in the battle against the Gigantic Pokémon. They attempted to wield the Rusted Sword and Shield, but the items and Henry were snatched out of the air by Eternatus. Zacian and Zamazenta struck Eternatus at the same time, creating a massive blast of light. By the time the light cleared, Henry, Zacian, Zamazenta, Eternatus had vanished. Leon and everyone injured during the battle were taken to a hospital to recover from the effects of Eternatus's poison.
In PASS35, after taking special medicine, Leon and the others began to recover from the effects of the poison.
====Pokémon====
=====On hand=====
=====Borrowed=====
===Pocket Monsters Aniki===
Leon debuted in the special chapter Pocket Monsters Sword and Shield. He is extremely lazy and lives in Sonia's laboratory, and Pokémon will not listen to him.
==Gallery==
File:Champion Cup logo.png|Leon's logo as the 
====Leon's sponsors====
File:Company Icon Yoshida's Coffee.png|Yoshida's Coffee
File:Company Icon Dream Dairy.png|Dream Dairy
File:Company Icon Galar Taxi.png|Galar Taxi
File:Company Icon Cozy Fried Kitchen.png|Cozy Fried Kitchen
File:Company Icon Bookmark.png|Bookmark
File:Company Icon No. 1 Pharmacy.png|No. 1 Pharmacy
File:Company Icon Pelipper Couriers.png|Pelipper Couriers
File:Company Icon Grow Sures.png|Grow Sures
File:Company Icon Timburr Builders.png|Timburr Builders
File:Company Icon Gramophone Records.png|Gramophone Records
File:Company Icon Game Freak.png|Game Freak
File:Company Icon Other1.png|Unknown Company
==In the TCG==
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Leon or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
==Trivia==
* Leon's uniform number being just "1" could be a reference to 一番 Ichiban, meaning Number One, but can also mean Best. This can be in reference to his role as champion, thus being the best trainer in all of Galar.
** Leon is also one of two characters to have a single digit uniform number, the other being Mustard. 
* Leon's logo is only displayed when the enters the center of Wyndon Stadium before the actual with Leon. When the player enters the area before the match that Rose soon interrupts, the regular Wyndon Stadium logo is displayed instead.
* Leon failed Opal's audition, getting only one out of three answers correct. Opal's notes on Leon are: "Your talent in Pokémon battles is beyond anything I've ever seen, but you're rather hard to read..."
* During the 2022 World Championships, Leon's battle theme was the standardized battle theme for all qualified video game players. In addition, the victory theme that plays when the player defeats him was also used at the tournament.
* In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's The Indigo Disk DLC, the player can unlock Leon's signature Pose as an emote by showing a Pokémon with the Mightiest Mark to a Blueberry Academy at the academy's School Store. Moreover, Leon's Poké Ball- can also be learned in the League Club Room in the same games.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	ダンデ Dande 	From
English, Brazilian Portuguese	Leon 	From dandelion
German 	Delion 	From dandelion
Spanish 	Lionel 	From dandelion
French 	Tarak 	From Taraxacum (dandelion genus)
Italian 	Dandel 	From dandelion
Korean 	단델 Dandel 	From dandelion
Chinese () 	丹帝 Dāndì 	From the transcription of his Japanese name and 帝 dì / dai (emperor)
Chinese () 	丹帝 Dāandai 	From the transcription of his Japanese name and 帝 dì / dai (emperor)
Russian 	Леон Leon 	Transcription of his English name
==References==
==Related articles==
* Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
Category:Sword and Shield characters
Category:Trainers with Dynamax Bands
Category:Champions
Category:Battle facility leaders
Category:Multi Battle partners
Category:Pokémon Adventures characters
Category:Pokémon: Twilight Wings characters
Category:Pokémon Evolutions characters
de:Delion
es:Lionel
fr:Tarak
it:Dandel
ja:ダンデ
zh:丹帝