With every new mainlinePokemongame comes a bout of speculation. As each region is based on a real-world place, fans can throw ideas at the wall regarding what themed Pokemon will appear, and attempt to place elements like what real cities and towns will receive virtual facsimiles. Except forAlola inPokemon SunandMoon, every new region also has Gym Leaders to contend with, and nothing suggests the upcomingPokemon ScarletandVioletwill be any different.
The official announcement trailer forPokemon ScarletandViolet, released on Pokemon Day 2022, has several things pointing to the games being based on Spain, and the wider Iberian Peninsula. Not only do maps for this part of Europe appear in live-action segments, the starters' English names include Spanish puns, and one building that appears to be the region’s League headquarters is a reference to Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona. Assuming this means a regular Gym structure will return, its Leaders should move away from traditional type differences in favor of gimmicks akin toSwordandShield’s Raihan.
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How Gym Leaders Traditionally Function in Pokemon
Pokemonis best known for its creature-collecting aspect, but the mainline titles are RPGs at their core. Each Pokemon is like an individual party member in atraditional JRPG, equipped with their own set of attacks that play to various archetypes and able to level up with stat buffs. With that framework in mind, Gym Leaders are akin to area bosses that restrict the player’s progress until they’ve become strong — or clever — enough to win.
In 1996’sPokemon RedandGreenon Game Boy, the Kanto region featured eight Gym Leaders: Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, and Giovanni. WhileKanto is more open than most regionsin that a handful of Gyms can be tackled in any order, ultimately players must defeat all of them to open the Elite Four challenge at Indigo Plateau. Later generations would better gatekeep areas by ensuring certain story beats would only occur after defeating a Gym Leader.
However, while Gym Leaders get progressively stronger in terms of levels and move complexity, each is a standalone challenge because they all represent different types.Gym Leaders hand out a badge based on their specialty, and their names or personalities often center that type in some way. For example, the eight Kanto leaders specialize in Rock, Water, Electric, Grass, Poison, Psychic, Fire, and Ground-type Pokemon, respectively. This system encourages players to differentiate their team composition, but makes each Gym a bit easier because they know the advantages going in.
Raihan is Pokemon’s Biggest ‘Gimmick’ Gym Leader So Far
Though almost every Gym Leader in the franchise can be described as “Type” leader without much else to differentiate them, every NPC has a signature Pokemon and tends to rely on a strategy based around theTechnical Machine (TM)they award victorious trainers. Generation 5 has strong examples of this:BlackandWhite’s Normal-type Leader Lenora has a Watchog that uses Retaliate to deal double damage after her Herdier faints, and Electric-type Leader Elesa teaches every Pokemon Volt Switch to consistently swap around.
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However, these are often specific battle strategies rather than outright team gimmicks. Only a few Gym Leaders are memorable for gimmicks that stand out from the pack, such as Hoenn’s Tate and Liza being twins with the only Double Battle-focused Gym in the series, or Unova’s Cilan, Chili, and Cress subbing in whomever’s team isSuper Effective against the player’s starter. AfterSunandMoonabandoned Gyms in favor of the Island Challenge,SwordandShieldmade Gyms a central part of Galar’s culture akin to professional sports
The massive arenas across Galar function so each Gym Leader can use a Dynamax Pokemon — except for Piers, who treats his lack of Dynamaxing as a sort of gimmick. However, the true gimmick trainer is the eighth Gym Leader Raihan: a Dragon-type expert who serves as Champion Leon’s rival. Duraludon is Raihan’s ace, but he isn’t just using Dragons; his team operates using weather effects. During Champion Tournaments, he uses Sunny Day-setting Torkoal and Turtonator, a Rain Dance Goodra, and a Sandstorm Flygon. This interest is reflected throughRaihan’s anniversary alt inPokemon Masters EX, which uses a Flygon able to set up Sandstorm or Sunny Day.
How Scarlet and Violet Could Diversity Their Gym Leaders
A Gym Leader like Raihan may not be the most powerful given he uses all conflicting weather effects, but his themed Gym is more memorable than a typical Dragon-type Gym. The same could be said forChampions like Blue, Cynthia, and Leonwho use more diverse competitive teams rather than sticking to monotype strategies.Pokemon ScarletandVioletshould follow suit by having its potential Gym Leaders be known for more than just their generic interest in battling with Fire or Ice-type Pokemon.
Fan-made games have shown an interest in experimenting with Gym Leader specialties, which could provide examples forScarletandViolet. The2016 fan gamePokemon Uraniumhas a whole spread of Gyms based on gimmicks with more diversity: Burole Town’s Gym Leader Davern uses “cave-dwelling Pokemon” like Rock, Ground, and Poison-types; meanwhile Venesi City’s Gym Leader Rosalind uses Pokemon that cast or embody illusions in some respect.
The Spain-inspired region inPokemon ScarletandVioletis said to be the franchise’s first open world, building upon the Wild Areas inSwordandShieldas well asPokemon Legends: Arceus' five free-roaming maps. With players and NPCs able to potentially move between seamless borders, Game Freak could capitalize on the design with Gym Leader gimmicks more inspired by their surroundings. Someone from a coastal city could use Ground and Water-types to represent the sand and sea, for example. Ultimately the possibilities are limitless, and the more each character moves away from traditional typings, the more they might stand out.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare scheduled to release in late 2022 for Switch.
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