Number 10: Roxie [Pokemon Black and White 2]
Okay folks, I love rock music and death metal Roxie is a punk rocker and uses Poison type Pokemon which could not be more fitting. In the games she is cool and her Gym's design is frieking awesome, an underground bar where her band plays, just yes. Fuck yes. Not only that but her anime-counterpart is awesome as well and is depicted as an extremely powerful Gym Leader who never uses her full arsenal of Pokemon, only using three, while her opponent is allowed to use all of their Pokemon. Fighting with a handicap because of her own skill and technique. She's like a younger girl version of Kenpachi Zaraki. Rock on.
Number 9: Byron [Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum]
Dan Green voices Byron in the English adaption of the Pokemon anime. In a nerdy world that would be enough but I need more than that. Byron is.....manly. He owns a mine and works in it with his Steel type Pokemon and is widely respected for it. He is the father of another Gym Leader, Roark. But most importantly, HE LOVES DEFENSE!!!!!!!! I swear that line alone made him one of my favorite Gym Leaders ever. Hearing Dan Green yell that line over and over made me laugh out loud over how awesome it sounded. In the games he's pretty cool, but in the anime his awesomeness is raised to even higher levels just by having Dan Green voice him and giving him that meme worthy line. Look that up on YouTube and see if you laugh or not.
Number 8: Sabrina [Pokemon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.]
How come people didn't like Sabrina's new design? I thought it was cool. Oh well. Sabrina is a very interesting Gym Leader. In the games she's a pretty cool character since in her debut in the original games, Psychic type Pokemon didn't really have any weaknesses which meant you had no type advantage over any of her Pokemon, but in the anime and the Electric Tale of Pikachu her character is really fleshed out. In the anime she was a psychic prodigy whose powers developed so quickly that she became cold and cruel over time, playing with people with her psychic powers for her own amusement until a Haunter reminded her of her humanity by making her laugh for the first time in years. In the Electric Tale of Pikachu [A must read for any Pokemon fan that wants a mature and dark Pokemon story since it has dark artwork and actual violence] She is a shrine maiden who with her partner Abra is trying to destroy a Pokemon known as the Black Fog. This Pokemon which is basically a giant Haunter[ Look it up, its fucking terrifying] that kills people and Pokemon by using Dream Eater to steal their souls. Yes you heard me right, a Pokemon killing people and stealing their souls. Awesome right? Right. Her character as a psychic is really explored in said chapter and we get to see a very touching moment near the end of the chapter involving her and the Pokemon she spent years trying to destroy.
Number 7: Lt.Surge [Pokemon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.]
Lt.Surge makes this list purely on one fact. He used Pokemon in a war. Just..... holy shit. First off, the fact that there was a war in the Pokemon world implies that there are various countries that sometimes go to war, and take Pokemon with them to war. Okay, I want to see a Pokemon game where we see Pokemon in a war. Imagine it, Rhyhorn being used as siege engines! Pidgeot being used as aerial fighters, fucking Scyther being used as assassins! Can you imagine the possibilities ! And Lt.Surge used Electric type Pokemon to power his plane and according to him, his Pokemon saved his life. When you face him in the games you are facing Pokemon that have been in fucking war. In real life, your Pokemon would have their asses kicked from one end of the street to the other! Plus his design regardless of generation is always badass. A soldier who took Pokemon with him to war. The true Lightning American. Just.....awesome!
Number 6: Elesa [Pokemon Black and White.]
Similar problem with Gardevoir. Hard as hell finding pictures that were not hentai. But I can understand it unlike with Gardevoir. Elesa is hot. In the Pokemon universe she's a model and for good reason. I like Elesa because.... I like her design. And no not because I think its hot. I mean I like the way she's designed. She is a model so she wears an outfit that one would expect a model to wear, especially a model who is a Gym Leader and uses Electric Type Pokemon. The....weird cord things on her ear, the way her outfit is yellow and black, the common colors of electric types, and her slim yet attractive physique. I love her design and I love the way her Gym is designed to be like a roller coaster, or in B2 or W2 where its a runway. If I ever thought of a model who styled herself after Electric type Pokemon, Elesa is exactly what would come to mind.
Number 5: Blaine [Pokemon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.]
You have to respect a man like Blaine. He builds a Gym on Cinnabar Island, the ACTIVE volcano on it erupts destroying the city, and what does he do? Moves to the nearby Seafoam Islands and builds a new Gym. Now in the originals his new Gym was just a cave big enough for him [which I really liked because it showed a lot about his character] but in the remakes he had a much larger Gym built in the cave. But aside from being the second most powerful Gym Leader in the Kanto region, its very possible he had something to do with the creation of Mewtwo since he is good friends with Mr.Fuji. In addition he is one of the few characters in the games to have seen a legendary Pokemon, specifically Moltres. Powerful, intelligent, and good enough to be graced by a Legendary Pokemon, Blaine is cool. No pun intended.
Number 4: Koga [Pokemon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.]
Koga is a ninja and as if that wasn't cool enough, he has one of the best Gyms in the history of Pokemon. Do you have any idea what it was like trying to navigate that fucking place when you were a little kid and had no idea how to reach him? Truly only a ninja, a master of assassination, illusion, and stealth could come up with something so diabolical. He uses Poison type Pokemon to inflict debilating status conditions which fit perfectly into his character as a ninja. But the coolest part about it is the fact that he was so skilled, that he became a member of the Johto Elite Four. When I saw him as an Elite Four member my jaw dropped it was so frieking cool. Who saw that coming? A Gym Leader becoming an Elite Four member? It hasn't happened since, and if it has we haven't seen it.
Number 3: Volkner [Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum]
Okay, I swear to god Volkner is based off the 4th Hokage from Naruto. I swear look at his picture carefully and compare it to the 4th. THEY COULD BE BROTHERS. This alone could be enough to put him on this list, but that's not enough no. He is the most powerful Gym Leader in Sinnoh, uses my favorite Pokemon Luxray as his best Pokemon, and he is so damn powerful that he is bored and depressed by how weak everyone else is. He has become so good at what he does, he is bored and depressed by it. Why he is not in the Elite Four by now, I have no idea. It would be awesome to finally have an Elite Four member who uses Electric type Pokemon. Plus his backstory and personality are even more flushed out in the anime.
Number 2: Clair [Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.]
Okay, Clair was one of those Gym Leaders that took me FOREVER to beat when I played Gold for the first time. Her Kingdra was the most annoying Pokemon I have ever had to fight, even more so than Whitney's fucking Miltank [Just thinking about that.....FUCKING COW makes me pissed....] And then even after two days of trying in vain to beat her I finally do....and she says I'm not worthy of the badge and I need to do more shit before I get it. So why is she on this list if I seem to hate her? Because I don't hate her. I love her for all of that. She is what a final Gym Leader should be. She is proud, powerful, uses a powerful Pokemon type, and when defeated she is shocked. So shocked that she needs to be sure you are worthy of her badge. And what do you get out of doing this? A Dratini in Crystal and the remakes. She is an interesting character because she goes above and beyond her role as a Gym Leader by making you go that extra mile when you defeat her, which was already a challenge to begin with. When I finally got the Rising Badge, I felt it. I had earned that badge.
Number 1: Norman [Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald.]
I'll admit, Generation 3 was not one of my favorites. But out of everything that was in Gen III, Norman was the best thing that came out of it. Not only is he one of the strongest Gym Leaders in Hoenn, but he is your father in the game. That's right. In Gen III, you are the child of a Gym Leader. The fact that Pokemon introduced an emotional facet into a Gym battle was pure brilliance that no one saw coming. Fighting Norman was the most exciting thing in the entire game and everything leading up to it was exciting. You wanted to get to Norman in the game just so you could see what Pokemon he used, how powerful he was, and so you could say you defeated your father in a Pokemon game. In terms of character, Norman is the best out of all the Gym Leaders because there is emotional depth to your battle with him. Father vs child, testing you to see if you have surpassed him, wanting you to succeed but also doing his very best to defeat you to live up to his title of Gym Leader. Just, wow. We need more plots like this in Pokemon games.
And those are my favorite Gym Leaders. Hope you enjoyed reading this :).
Wrathful Lion out.
