Gym Leader

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The Gym Leader (Japanese: ジムリーダー Gym Leader), also called Pokémon Leader or Leader in some early manuals, is the highest-ranking member of a Pokémon Gym. The main job of a Gym Leader is to test s and their so that they are strong and resourceful enough to take the Pokémon League challenge. If a Trainer defeats a Gym Leader in , then the Trainer earns that Gym's Badge.
Gym Leaders are also responsible for overseeing how their respective Gyms are run and maintained. Great care must be taken to make sure that their Gym reflects the best environment for the type in which they specialize, such as swimming pools in a Gym, trees and flowering plants in a or a Gym, or ice and snow in an Gym. According to Morty, teaching young people how to battle with Pokémon of that particular type can also be the job of a Gym Leader. Unlike regular Pokémon Trainers, a Gym Leader has the right to directly challenge the , as revealed by Brock in . As shown by Korrina in , a Gym Leader is allowed to have casual battles without the loss counting as an official loss that merits a Badge. 
It has not exactly been made clear how Gym Leaders attain their position, but it appears that it varies for each Gym. Some of them founded their Gyms and are self-appointed. Others, such as Whitney, are chosen by the other members of the region's Pokémon League. A few appear to be passed on through families: Janine, Falkner, and Flannery all took over their respective Gyms from a close family member. However, Gyms do not necessarily belong to a particular family. Roark and his father, Byron, are both Gym Leaders at the same time, in different Gyms. Leaders can also choose to vacate their position. Examples include Koga, Giovanni, and Wallace. Some Gym Leaders also have secondary professions, such as Elesa being a fashion model, Valerie being a fashion designer, and Katy owning a bakery.
==Terminology==
===English===
In the English game manuals from Generation I, this is called "Pokémon Leader" in the section explaining and listing Gym Leaders. In later sections about the cities and towns, this was also shortened to "Leader". In the English game manuals from Generation II, both "Gym Leader" and "Leader" are used.
In Pokémon: Official Nintendo Player's Guide, this is written as "gym leader" in lowercase. For instance:
* "Here in Pewter City, you'll face a before you do battle with the gym leader, Brock." (page 21)
===Japanese===
In the Japanese game manuals from Generation I, this is called ジムのリーダー (Gym's Leader) rather than the definitive name ジムリーダー (Gym Leader).
==Pokémon used==
Nearly all Leaders rely on a single type of Pokémon. For example, Erika uses only Pokémon in official Gym s. Some Leaders, however, stray from this mold, albeit rarely. This is evidenced by the different types used by during his reign as the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym in Generations II, IV, and VII, although he is the only Gym Leader to do so. However, many Gym Leaders have one or two Pokémon that stray from their type theme. This is usually because of a lack of availability for Pokémon of a certain type, such as Sunyshore Gym Leader Volkner's and in . In Paldea, all of the Gym Leaders, excluding Larry, will use a Pokémon whose type does not match their type theme. Instead, that Pokémon's will match the type theme and the Gym Leader will stallize that Pokémon after sending it out.
Geography and climate can often be connected to the type of Pokémon the Gym Leader of that area uses. Pastoria Gym Leader Crasher Wake uses Pokémon, a direct allusion to the flooded marsh that surrounds the area and the constant downpour that plagues Pastoria City. Another example of this is the Cinnabar Gym Leader, Blaine, who uses Pokémon and lives in a volcanic area. Pryce, Candice, Wulfric, and Grusha, the , , , and Glaseado Gym Leaders, respectively, use Pokémon and live either in or near icy or wintry areas.
The character archetype can also reflect the type of Pokémon a Leader uses. For example, Roark and Byron, who are both miners, use the related - and Pokémon. Tate and Liza could be based on the archetype of twins who can communicate telepathically, and thus train Pokémon, and being twins, they also battle opposing Trainers in Double Battles.
==In the core series==
A Gym Leader (Japanese: ジムリーダー Gym Leader), or Leader prior to , is the name given to the Gym Leaders when they are battled in the Pokémon games. Despite Gym Leaders themselves being introduced in Generation I, the Trainer class did not appear onscreen until Generation II, and it has been incorporated into every game since. Gym Leaders are integral within the Pokémon universe. Occasionally, in order for one to advance in the game, the player must challenge and defeat the leader of a Gym. Each game is designed in such a way that the player will not be able to move forward until they receive a Gym Badge which will, in turn, either allow them to use an HM to overcome natural obstacles or trigger a necessary event to continue with the game. It is one of the player's main objectives to collect eight Gym Badges, allowing them to challenge the Elite Four.
Leaders do not seem to be required to be in their Gyms at all times, as they may have other duties. Giovanni, for example, could keep his title as a Gym Leader despite not being at the Viridian Gym during the majority of the events of Generation I, and his successor, , was also absent from the Gym several times. Beginning in Generation IV, Leaders are increasingly encountered outside of their Gyms, evident in the remakes , where the Leaders have to be found in different locations at specific times before they can with the player for a . Some Leaders even appear across regions, such as Jasmine appearing in Sunyshore City, Crasher Wake on , and Maylene in Celadon City. Leaders can even challenge other Gyms and the Elite Four (like Volkner wanted to do). In later games, it is made apparent that Gym Leaders know each other and are acquainted with Gym Leaders from other regions, as well as with members of the Elite Four and s. Examples of this are Jasmine being friends with Erika, Volkner being friends with Flint, Brawly training with Bruno, and most Unova Gym Leaders coming together to fight Team Plasma's Seven Sages.
In addition, some Gym Leaders may be required to use Pokémon different than their usual team, such as Cheren in . Due to their higher AI compared to regular Trainers, Gym Leaders are also one of the few Trainers to employ the use of when battling.
Gym Leaders in Galar have two divisions: major and minor. Upon completion of the main story, during the Galarian Star Tournament, Klara/Avery reveals that they have become a minor division / Gym Leader.
===Gym Trainers===
In addition to Gym Leaders, there are also s. They are Trainers that are either a devotee or apprentice to the Gym Leader, who follow the same type theme as the Leader does. It is usually necessary to defeat multiple Gym Trainers before challenging the Gym Leader. Some Gyms in the game require the player to solve a puzzle, and one must often use Gym Trainers as obstacles to reach the solution. They have no direct impact on the overall plot, other than rarely offering the player helpful advice. It is also worth noting that the type of appearing in a Gym will depend on the Gym itself. For instance, Gardenia employs and , exclusively, while Misty recruits s and s; these Gym Leaders represent the types and , respectively. However, starting in Generation VIII, they only have the Trainer class "Gym Trainer", as well as a special introduction featuring their Badge.
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Gym Leaders from various core series regions appear in . Some of them serve as PML Leaders for the Pokémon Masters League, though this position is not exclusive to Gym Leaders, as seen with .
===Pokémon Puzzle series===
In the "1P Stadium" mode of , Ash Ketchum battles the eight Kanto Gym Leaders.
In the "2P Stadium" mode of Pokémon Puzzle League, each player chooses a player character. The eight Kanto Gym Leaders are part of the list of available characters.
In the "Challenge" mode of , battles the eight Johto Gym Leaders.
===Pokémon Trading Card Game===
In , the Club Masters have a role similar to Gym Leaders, giving out Medals to duelists who defeat them.
===Pokémon Mezastar===
In , the Star Trainers have a role similar to Gym Leaders.
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
In , s challenge Gym Leaders at their respective Gyms in order to earn Badges. If a Trainer earns eight Badges from one region, they become eligible to enter that region's Pokémon League Conference.
There are more than eight Gyms, and thus Gym Leaders, in each region. Many Trainers in the series have been shown to have Badges that do not exist in the games, such as earning ten Badges in Kanto. Other Badges observed in the animated series which do not correspond to game Badges suggest that there are at least nine Gyms in Hoenn, 11 in Sinnoh, 14 in Unova, and 11 in Kalos. 11 Gyms have been shown on-screen in Unova.
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In The Great Eight Fate!, mentioned that the Sootopolis Gym is the last Gym of the Hoenn League, implying that there is a fixed order of Gyms. However, in the next episode, Eight Ain't Enough!, Juan is surprised to hear that the was Ash's eighth Badge.
All Gym Leaders since Flannery have appeared in at least one episode before Ash earned a Badge from them. Several other characters have become or were Gym Leaders in that canon at some point, such as 's brother Forrest, Misty's sisters, Flannery's grandfather, and Kanto Elite Four member Agatha.
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In Cilan Takes Flight, it's shown that, although Gym Leaders generally get along, they tend to disagree on things, in particular if their ways of running a gym clash.
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All of Kalos's known Gym Leaders teamed up to help in the final battle against Team Flare and the Giant Rock in Rocking Kalos Defenses! and Forming a More Perfect Union!.
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Some Gym Leaders from different regions were seen participating in the World Coronation Series, such as Visquez, , Raihan, Bea, and Volkner. It's also revealed that Bea travels across different regions of the Pokémon world to battle other Gym Leaders, such as Korrina and Chuck to be able to train for the championship. In Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, Paul was revealed to have been offered a Gym Leader position at an undisclosed Gym.
====Gallery====
File:Kanto Gym Leaders anime.png|The Gym Leaders of Kanto
File:Johto Gym Leaders anime.png|The Gym Leaders of Johto
File:Kalos Gym Leaders anime.png|The Gym Leaders of Kalos
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
The Rising Volt Tacklers have encountered several Gym Leaders, such as Brassius and Kabu, in their search for the Black Rayquaza that once belonged to the Ancient Adventurer Lucius. In addition, once helped Dot search for a missing Liko in her hometown of Levincia. In Welcome to Naranja Academy!, it was revealed that Paldea's Gym Leaders help Naranja Academy to train qualified Trainers for Tera Training, a special curriculum that consists of teaching them and perfecting the use of the Terastal phenomenon.
====Gallery====
File:Paldea Gym Leaders anime.png|The Gym Leaders of Paldea
===Pokémon Origins===
All of the Generation I Gym Leaders appeared in Pokémon Origins, but only Brock and Giovanni had spoken lines and key roles in the miniseries' plot. In this canon, it is revealed that Leaders have different teams to take on challengers, depending on how many Badges they have.
===Pokémon Generations===
Giovanni is the only Kanto Gym Leader to appear in the miniseries, specifically in The Chase and The Legacy.
In The Uprising, most of the Unova Gym Leaders battled Team Plasma at the . In The Frozen World, Drayden tried and failed to stop Team Plasma from stealing the DNA Splicers.
===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
All of Galar Gym Leaders appeared in Pokémon: Twilight Wings. The first one to appear was Bea, who battled Leon in Letter and lost. Milo, Nessa, and Allister also made cameo appearances at the end of the same episode. Training focused mainly on Bea.
In Early-Evening Waves, Nessa's story was told after a defeat in the Champions Cup. Raihan was also seen on a magazine cover during the episode, and Marnie was seen eating at a Battle Café.
Kabu, Gordie, Melony, and Piers all appeared in Assistant.
Opal and Bede appeared in Sky.
In The Gathering of Stars, every Galar Gym Leader attended the Galarian Star Tournament.
===Pokémon Evolutions===
Roark appeared in The Rival, where was seen challenging and defeating him in a flashback.
Morty appeared in The Show, watching the Kimono Girls' performance with his .
===Pokémon: Paldean Winds===
All of Paldea Gym Leaders appeared in Pokémon: Paldean Winds. Iono was the first Gym Leader to appear, debuting in a cameo in Breathe Out.
Ryme appeared in Breathe Together while rapping about Naranja Academy during Ohara, Aliquis, and Hohma's video project. Next, Iono starred in a segment of the video, introducing all of the region's Gym Leaders to the audience. It was revealed by Iono that Larry is one of the oldest active members of the Paldea Pokémon League, having been Gym Leader for around 25 years.
Tyme, the former Gym Leader of Montenevera, also made brief appearances in Breathe In and Breathe Together.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Gym Leaders have the same jobs as in the and , but are also shown to throw away their role as Leader and pursue other goals. Some Gym Leaders even become evil, such as Koga, Lt. Surge, Sabrina, and Pryce. In order to become a Gym Leader in Adventures, one needs to fight a Trainer chosen by the Pokémon Association and win in front of them without letting one of their own Pokémon faint. The one exception to this rule seen so far has been by when he defended the building where took his exam, since Red had to decline becoming a Gym Leader due to an injury, despite having passed the exam. Some Gym Leaders have jobs outside of their Gyms, but some of them focus solely on training their skills. In some regions, a single Gym Leader is chosen to lead and/or supervise the others. Known Gym Leaders with this status include Erika, Pryce, and Winona.
Gym Leaders are highly respected in their respective home regions and usually in other regions as well. When crises emerge, it is highly probable for Gym Leaders to gather to discuss about the situation that has befallen the region and what to do with it:
* All of the Kanto and Johto's Gym Leaders were called up for a tournament held at Indigo Plateau in the to fight as teams to see which region had stronger Gym Leaders. The secret secondary purpose of the tournament was to figure out the identity of the Masked Man, who had been identified as a Gym Leader. The Kanto team won with four wins, three losses, and one draw.
* Seven of Hoenn's Gym Leaders gathered at Fortree City during the to decide which team — Team Magma or Team Aqua — they should support. When the crisis escalated, the Gym Leaders turned their attention towards the instead, although they were also forced to battle the Admins of both aforementioned teams in the process.
* Six of Sinnoh's Gym Leaders gathered to fight Team Galactic at Spear Pillar near the end of the .
* Six of Unova's Gym Leaders gathered to protect the Nacrene Museum from Team Plasma's advance during the . Their plan ultimately failed, and Team Plasma took them hostage. Once freed, they battled against the Seven Sages at N's Castle.
* Five of Kalos's Gym Leaders gathered to stop Team Flare from activating the ultimate weapon in the . All eight of them later helped to stop the team's second attempt to use the weapon.
* All of Galar's Gym Leaders gathered to combat the Darkest Day unleashed by Chairman Rose in the . Most of them also took part in the battle against .
===The Electric Tale of Pikachu===
Several of the Kanto and Orange Islands Gym Leaders appeared in The Electric Tale of Pikachu, though there were notable differences in some of their depictions compared to the . For example, Sabrina was portrayed as a kind and caring person, and and were not constantly traveling with .
===Pokémon Zensho===
The Generation I Gym Leaders of Kanto appeared in Pokémon Zensho. earned a Badge from each of them, although he got the from Misty by defending her Gym from a and the from Sabrina by helping to save Silph Co. from Team Rocket, instead of defeating them.
===Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys===
 met many of the Johto Gym Leaders over the course of the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga, on his quest to earn eight Badges. However, due to the manga ending in Cianwood City, Pryce and Clair never appeared in it. Gold also temporarily led the Cianwood Gym while Chuck was recovering from an accident.
===Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure===
Throughout his , Jō faced the Gym Leaders of Kanto and Johto. All of them except for Falkner appeared only as silhouettes.
==List of Gym Leaders==
===Indigo League===
In the Generation I games and their respective remakes, a number of Indigo League Gym Leaders can be fought out of order. Koga must be fought before Blaine, as defeating Koga grants access to and by extension, Cinnabar Island, but otherwise, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, and Blaine can be fought in any order. In , Blaine can also be fought before Koga, due to Surf having been replaced by the Secret Technique Sea Skim. Regardless, all seven other badges must be collected in order to gain access to Viridian Gym to challenge Giovanni.
							
							
							
===Johto League===
Chuck, Jasmine, and Pryce can be challenged in any order.
			
			
			
===Hoenn League===
In , it is possible to break the order and skip fighting Brawly until after defeating Wattson or Flannery. Regardless, the player must still defeat Brawly before fighting Norman since the latter requires the first four Badges before challenging him and defeating Norman grants access to Surf outside of battle.
Similarly, Winona can be skipped until after defeating Tate and Liza or Wallace/Juan, but the player must still defeat Winona to gain access to the .
Both of these are no longer possible in , where a group of s in Granite Cave prevent the player from advancing until Brawly has been defeated, and a on prevents the player from advancing until Winona has been defeated.
				
				
				
===Sinnoh League===
In , , Maylene and Crasher Wake can be challenged in either order.
In , Fantina is now required to be battled as the third Gym Leader, as the player cannot progress past Hearthome City until she is defeated. Additionally, Maylene must be challenged fourth and Crasher Wake must be challenged fifth.
			
			
			
===Unova League===
====Black and White====
											
											
											
											
====Black 2 and White 2====
			
			
			
===Kalos League===
			
			
			
===Galar League===
						
						
						
===Paldea League===
The Gym Leaders of the Paldea region are the first ones who can be challenged in any order rather than the usual fixed order. However, the levels of their Pokémon remain the same regardless of when they are challenged. The Gym Leaders are listed in order of lowest level to highest.
			
			
			
===Orange League===
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
==Trivia==
* For DP009, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about Gym Leaders. He writes this about them: 「ジムリーダー　いのちをかけて　かかってこい」 "Gym Leader, put your life on the line and challenge me."
* The type did not get a Gym until Generation VIII, twenty years after the type debuted in . Previously, there have been three Elite Four members (Karen, Sidney, and Grimsley), as well as an island kahuna (Nanu), who specialize in Dark types. The other seventeen types have at least one Gym associated with them, with the new types, and , getting Gyms in their respective debut generations.
** As of Generation VIII, every other type has been specialized in by at least two Gym Leaders.
* Every Gym Leader that specializes in Pokémon uses in battle.
* Generation I and Generation II is the only pair of generations where Gym Leaders share no type in common.
* In , none of the Gym Leaders had exactly the same lineups as they do in the games.
* is the only series in the where all Gym Leaders in a region have used exactly the same teams as in the games.
** However, Volkner only used three of his four Pokémon in his battle with .
* In the games, every Gym Leader has at least one Pokémon in their party that knows the TM move they give out upon defeat. Former Gym Leaders do not count in this, as Wallace when he is faced as Champion and Giovanni when he is faced in Generation IV do not have Pokémon that know the move they gave out as TMs when they were faced as Gym Leaders in previous games. Koga, despite not being a Gym Leader in Generation IV, has several Pokémon that know Toxic, the move he last gave out as a TM.
* Since Generation IV, there has consistently been a and an Gym Leader in each region.
* From Generations I to V (not counting remakes), every move that was in a TM given out by a Gym Leader was a new move for that generation, and many of them were rarely (if ever) seen on any other Pokémon in the generation they were introduced. This trend has been broken in Generation VI, where only three Gym Leaders—Viola, Korrina, and Valerie—hand out TMs with moves new to the generation.
* Most of the core series Gym Leaders have Japanese names consisting of three katakana. This includes all Kanto Gym Leaders in Generation I and games, all Johto Gym Leaders, and at least half of the Gym Leaders in every game. 
** (Japanese: グリーン Green) is the only core series Kanto Gym Leader with a Japanese name longer than three characters.
* In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the player can continue the game without defeating Winona of Fortree City until attempting to battle the Elite Four.
* The Orange League is the only one so far in which Ash has successfully defeated all the Gym Leaders without a rematch.
* In Pocket Monsters: The Animation, it was mentioned that the position of Gym Leaders was very unforgiving, as it had a three-strike rule stating that if a Gym Leader lost three times in a row, the Gym will be disqualified. It also revealed that being a Gym Leader was costly, leaving little pay, and the government can't provide for them. It also revealed that the rather brutal nature of Gym leading was one of the reasons why 's and 's parents ended up abandoning them to Gym duties.
* Prior to the release of , Gym Leaders were referred to as Gym Masters in a since-deleted tweet by the official Nintendo of America account. This term was also used by Blaine in the Pokémon the Series episode Riddle Me This.
* and are the most common Pokémon found amongst Gym Leaders, being used by seven each.
* Marnie is the only Gym Leader who doesn't use the "Leader" or "Gym Leader" when battled at a Gym.
* Up to Generation VI, all the Gym Leader's English names are puns based on their respective specialized types. From Generation VIII onward, they all possess flora-based names similar to the Pokémon Professors, following the conventions of their Japanese names. The same applies to each Elite Four member of those generations.
* In Pokémon GO, "Gym Leader" is the name of an achievement awarded for defending s for at least 10 hours.
==In other languages==
==Related articles==
* Justy, the "Leader" of an unofficial Gym in Orre
* 
* Frontier Brain
* Trial Captain
* Island kahuna
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