Pokémon Champion

A Pokémon League Champion (Japanese: リーグ League Champion), normally referred to as simply Champion or Pokémon Champion (Japanese: チャンピオン Champion), is the highest known level of rank for a Pokémon Trainer. The title is also colloquially referred to as League Champ (Japanese: ポケモン リーグの ちょうてん Pokémon League's Greatest).
It usually refers to a Trainer who has completed a Pokémon League by collecting all the necessary Badges, and either winning a regional Pokémon tournament or defeating the Elite Four and the previous Champion (if there is one). Kanto and Johto share a Champion, while other regions have their own. If a Champion is defeated, they must relinquish their title to the victor; however, the victor can refuse the title, as N did in . Paldea is the only exception to this, as Champion is a permanent honorary title in the region.
Starting in Generation VII, the , as Champion, can defend the title against challengers.
==In the core series games==
Champion is a that first debuted in the Generation I . It is the title held by the last Trainer who defeated the Elite Four and the previous Pokémon Champion. Each Champion is always stronger than the Elite Four members and most other Trainers, and has a party of six Pokémon to test their opponents' strength. Like Elite Four members, they employ the use of strong healing items. 
In most regions, to challenge the Champion, Trainers must defeat all four Elite Four members without leaving the Pokémon League area, and cannot access the Pokémon League Pokémon Center and Poké Mart until after defeating the Champion or losing at any point during the challenge. If a challenger is defeated by the Champion, just like the Elite Four, they must start over. In Galar, there is no Elite Four; instead, the Trainer who wins the Champion Cup at the end of each Gym Challenge earns the right to challenge the Champion. At Blueberry Academy, Trainers must defeat all four Elite Four members in order to challenge the Champion, but they can leave the area freely at any point during their challenge. In both of these cases, if the player is defeated by the Champion, they only have to redo the Champion battle.
Since in the vast majority of core series games the player goes on to defeat the standing Champion, most player characters are considered Champions and subsequently entered into the Hall of Fame, along with their party. However, for players in games prior to Generation VII, becoming the Champion is mostly a symbolic honor, as they are unable to battle challengers or take up any other league duties; the former Champion will still remain at the Pokémon League, retaining the Trainer class Champion (in Generations and , clearly states his reign is over; in the Delta Episode, Zinnia teases that he is the former Champion). In games prior to Pokémon Sun and Moon, the player may battle the Elite Four and the former Champion an indefinite number of times, and on each success will be re-entered into the Hall of Fame with whatever team was used in that challenge. In Alola, the player may still battle the Elite Four an indefinite number of times, but this is followed by a battle against a challenger rather than the former Champion. In Galar, the player can host Champion tournaments, facing three Trainers per tournament; these can be repeated indefinitely.
In , Cynthia tells the player that once every few years, the Champions from all the regions come together and battle to find the strongest among them. In the Pokémon World Tournament in , which takes place two years later, all the Champions the player battles in previous games participate in the Champions Tournament. This tournament does not include player characters, with the exception of .
In , , the of Alola, having just been established, has no Champion. Instead, Professor Kukui (the league's founder) or Hau (the player's rival), stands in as the final obstacle the player must overcome before becoming the league's first Champion. In another first for the series, the player can defend their title against challenges from non-player characters. The player keeps the nominal title of Champion even if defeated. Similarly, in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, is the Champion of the Indigo League at first, but loses his title to the player. After defeating Lance in a rematch, Trace will challenge the player as a normal Pokémon Trainer in an attempt to retake the title. In Pokémon Sword and Shield, the player character can host post-game Champion tournaments, with one of the possible challengers being Leon.
In Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Professor Oak reveals that originally, Trainers who defeated the Elite Four were recorded as Champions, but now Champions were going to be established as a part of the Pokémon League challenge, meaning that now a Trainer can only become a Champion by defeating the Elite Four and the current Champion. In the same games, Brock also reveals that Gym Leaders have the right to directly challenge a Champion.
In Paldea, the title of Champion is not a title given to one Trainer, but rather a rank bequeathed to all Trainers who pass the Champion Assessment at the headquarters after obtaining their eight regional Gym Badges. Geeta, the chairwoman of Paldea's Pokémon League, is considered the Top Champion, the strongest of the region's Champion-ranked Trainers. She stands as the final obstacle for Trainers wishing to complete the Champion Assessment. Because of the way the Champion Rank works, Paldean Champions maintain their title even when defeated.
At Unova's Blueberry Academy, the position of Champion is held by the strongest student in the school. Due to the structure of the BB League, once the current Champion has been defeated, they are demoted to being the top member of the , while the lowest-ranked member of the Elite Four loses their position. When the player claims this Champion title, though, the defeated Champion, Kieran, withdraws from the League entirely, retaining the current structure of the Elite Four.
Known non-player Champions in the games:
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==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Trading Card Game series===
In , after defeating the Grand Masters of the Pokémon Dome, the last challenge they must face is their rival, , who beat the Grand Masters before them and obtained the four Legendary Cards. The player must defeat him to become Champion and gain control of the Legendary Cards for themselves. In the championship duel, Ronald uses the , which focuses around , Pokémon, and the Legendary and cards.
In Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!, a direct sequel to the previous game, the player, as acting Champion, pursues Team Great Rocket after their Cards are stolen by the villainous team.
		
		
		
		
===Pokkén Tournament===
Glenn is the League Champion of the and the top Trainer in the Chroma League. His fighter is a . Defeating him unlocks the Iron League.
			
			
			
			
===Pokémon Duel===
Master Rosé is the Champion of the Pokémon Figure Game World Championships and the owner of Jewel Tower, the biggest hotel on Carmonte Island. However, due to Pokémon Duel being discontinued before its story was completed, Rosé can never be dueled by the player, and nothing is known about his Pokémon figure deck.
PFG World Tournament	PFG World Tournament	PFG World Tournament	PFG World Tournament
Hotel OwnerJapanese 	HotelJapanese 	Emblem 	
 	 	 	
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====Champions====
Champions from the core series appear as playable characters. The player, Scottie or Bettie, becomes the Champion of Pasio at the end of the PML Arc by winning the Pokémon Masters League. is the only character based on a core series player character to be a Champion, as it is unconfirmed if any of the other characters based on the player characters have won their respective region's . is the Champion of the Alola League in the continuity, but isn't the official Champion of Alola in this game's continuity.
In the Champion Stadium, the player can battle a Champion after defeating their region's Elite Four. In the Alola Challenge, or will serve as the Champion of the region. In the Hoenn Challenge, will sometimes replace as the Champion. , having defeated once, can be battled at . , who could become a Champion if she was picked as the player character, can also be battled at Victory Road.
		 	 	 				
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====Neo Champions====
In a series of limited-time events, Pokémon Masters EX introduced Neo Champions. A Neo Champion, as described by , is a title given to a Trainer who acts as an example of what everyone should measure up to. Any Trainer can earn the title of Neo Champion by participating in a Neo Champion Stadium tournament, the rules of which are established by the regional Champion chosen as the head judge for that tournament. Winning the tournament does not guarantee that one receives the Neo Champion title, nor does losing the tournament prevent one from receiving the title of Neo Champion (such as Serena becoming a Neo Champion despite losing to Calem in the first Neo Champion tournament), as the title is awarded to any Trainer that meets the judging criteria established by the head judge. 
 and were the first set of Trainers to receive the title of Neo Champion. was the head judge, and she awarded the title based on their "shine" as sync pairs.
, , and were the second set of Trainers to receive the title of Neo Champion. was the head judge, and he awarded the title based on their passion for victory and determination to grow stronger together.
, , and were the third set of Trainers to receive the title of Neo Champion. was the head judge, and he awarded the title based on their exemplary leadership skills, as suggested by .
 and were the fourth set of Trainers to receive the title of Neo Champion. was the head judge, and she awarded the title based on their ability to touch the hearts of others, with assisting her in making the choices.
 was the sole winner of the fifth Neo Champion Stadium. was the head judge, and she awarded the Neo Champion title based on a Trainer's "honed talent" by asking them to beat a Champion of their choice in a one-on-one battle.
 and were the sixth set of Trainers to receive the title of Neo Champion. Iris was the head judge, with working as her assistant, and they awarded the title based on their ability to prove what "strength" means to them.
										
										
										
										
										
				
				
				
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
In , there can only be one Pokémon Champion per region at a time in most cases. While Pokémon Trainers can freely request an informal from the Champion, much more popular events are the Pokémon League Conferences, which can normally be entered by Trainers with at least eight Gym Badges. The winner of these tournaments may enter the to face off the regional Elite Four members and, if successful, the League Champion.
In Alola, due to the Pokémon League being a new establishment, there was no reigning Champion for the majority of , and the winner of the region's first League Conference was directly declared the first Champion of Alola. In addition, due to the lack of Gyms in Alola, any willing Trainer is allowed to participate in its League Conference.
In the English dub, Orange League challengers who defeat the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader attain the title of Champion, but the Supreme Gym Leader is not displaced upon defeat. Winning Trainers earn the Winner's Trophy and are inducted into the Palace of Victory, but do not have to carry out any specific tasks as Champions. In the original Japanese version, winners are instead given the title of (Japanese: トレーナー Honored Trainer).
In addition to gathering eight Gym Badges, the Indigo Plateau Conference is known to accept Trainers passing the Pokémon League Admissions Exam and those graduating from Pokémon Tech. There are also smaller tournaments, such as the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, where the winner gets to battle the League Champion straight away. Trip and were allowed to battle Alder and Diantha, respectively, by winning such competitions.
In , the current Champions from every region introduced at the time participated in the World Coronation Series to achieve the title of Monarch, with all known competitors having climbed to the Master Class. Although they still maintain their title of Champion, they start at the lowest rankings like any participant and need to rank up within the parameters of the competition. At the end of each season, the Master Class members compete in the Masters Eight Tournament to decide who'll hold the title of Monarch and be recognized as a World Champion.
The following are the known Champions in Pokémon the Series, current or former:
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A list of episodes in which a Champion (excluding Ash) appears can be found .
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In Paldea, just like in the games, a Trainer who managed to complete the Champion Assessment receives the title of Champion. was the first character introduced in to have accomplished this goal. Top Champion Geeta later appeared as a member of Naranja Academy's staff.
	
	
	
===Pokémon Origins===
In this series, the system for defining the Champion of the region is identical to the method seen in the Generation I games. and won eight Badges, and therefore the right to battle the Elite Four. Blue defeated them first and became the Kanto Champion, after which he faced off against Red. In the end, Red defeated him and became the new Champion.
Known Champions in Pokémon Origins:
	
	
	
===Pokémon Generations===
Due to the format of the series, the subject of Champions is not addressed. In The Challenger, Blue became the Kanto Champion after defeating the Elite Four. In The Redemption, was shown celebrating his newly acquired Champion status. Other characters who have become Champions of their regions also appear in the series.
Known Champions in Pokémon Generations:
			
			
			
===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
Leon first appeared in Letter, where he was seen defeating Bea in a Pokémon League battle, successfully defending his title.
In The Gathering of Stars, Leon was revealed to have lost his title to or , who was later invited to partake in the Galarian Star Tournament. The former Champions Mustard and Peony also appeared and were invited to the tournament as well.
			
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===Pokémon Evolutions===
Several Champions appeared in this series. The most prominently featured one of them was Leon, who served as the main character of the Galar-focused episode, The Champion.
Known Champions in Pokémon Evolutions:
			
			
			
===Pokémon: Path to the Peak===
In Regionals, Ava faced Celestine, a Pokémon Trading Card Game regional Champion, in the finals of the and won, becoming a regional Champion herself.
In Internationals, the current Pokémon TCG World Champion, Edgar Troy, was introduced. In the finals of the International Championships, Edgar battled Ava and managed to beat her without much difficulty. However, in the following episode, Ava met Edgar again in the World Championships finals, where she was able to best him.
		
		
		
		
===Pokémon: Paldean Winds===
Nemona was the most featured Champion of Paldea, while Geeta briefly appeared in Breath Together. The same episode also featured Kieran, but before he became a Champion.
	
	
	
===POKÉTOON===
The following Champions have appeared in the POKÉTOON anthology series:
Episode 	Champion	Pokémon
The Pancham Who Wants to Be a Hero	 	
PT10 	Boy 	
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
The Champion of each region is the winner of an elimination tournament held every three years in each region. In the , it was determined that the winners of each tournament would have to face the Elite Four, each a former Champion themselves, before challenging the Champion. The main characters that have taken part in a Pokémon League tournament so far are , , , and . Of the four, Red and Black both won a tournament, though only Red was formally given the title of Champion.
The following are the known Champions in the Pokémon Adventures manga:
								
								
								
							
							
							
===Pokémon Zensho===
The following are the known Champions in Pokémon Zensho:
	
	
	
===Pokémon Battle Frontier===
The following are the known Champions in Pokémon Battle Frontier:
==Trivia==
* In localizations, Gym Leader is translated to Champion, while Champion is translated to Maître, meaning "master".
* In some languages, including and , "Pokémon Champion" is translated the same way as "Pokémon Master".
* Diantha has the highest leveled out of all the Champions battled the first time the Pokémon League is challenged. Her lowest level is 64, and her highest is 68.
** Although Alder has Pokémon above level 70, he is not battled as Champion until the post-credits rematch against the .
* Lance has the lowest leveled Pokémon out of all the Champions. His lowest level Pokémon is level 44 in Generation II, and level 46 in Generation IV. His highest is level 50 in both generations.
* In Pokémon X and Y, the who gives the a Strange Souvenir and foreshadows Alola mentions his region's Champion, even though Alola didn't have a Champion during the events of X and Y.
* Despite Alder not being a type specialist, half of his Champion team consists of types.
* Peony is the only Champion, current or former, who never battles the player with a full team of six Pokémon.
* and its expansion introduced the most Champions, current or former, out of any Pokémon game, at four.
* Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the only core series games with at least one reigning NPC Champion to never play the game credits directly after their defeat.
* In Pokémon GO, "Champion" is the name of an achievement awarded for winning at least 10 s.
==In other languages==
==Related articles==
* Pokémon Master
* Top Coordinator
* :Category:Episodes in which a Champion appears
* :Category:Champions' Pokémon
Category:Pokémon League
Category:Terminology
*
Category:Trainer classes
Category:Pokémon Adventures characters
Category:Animation characters
Category:Pokémon Origins characters
Category:Pokémon Generations characters
de:Champ
es:Campeón de la Liga Pokémon
fr:Maître Pokémon
it:Campione
ja:チャンピオン
zh:冠军