Summary
Most fans of thePokemonfranchise are usually focused more onthe appearance of the Pokemon themselves, which is completely understandable. However, the human characters in this wonderful fictional world, the Pokemon Trainers, also feature some excellent character design that often goes unnoticed, with theGym Leadersbeing some of the biggest exponents of this phenomenon.
Gym Leaders from across all the mainPokemonregions (with the sole exception of Alola, which doesn’t even have Gym Leaders) usually have amazing character designs that are both pleasant to look at and also perfectly reflect their personalities, backstories, fighting style, and the Pokemon type they specialize in. Naturally, some are superior to others, and these arethe absolute best Gym Leader designs in the entire series.
Gym Leaders from olderPokemongenerations usually have the added benefit of appearing in multiple installments, with different designs each time, especially in remakes of their original games. In the case ofMorty, his original design fromPokemon Gold & Silverwas quite bland and didn’t reflect his mastery of the Ghost-type, but he later got an incredible makeover inHeartgold & Soulsilverthat did him justice.
Morty’s design in Generation Four is really solid because it gives him new accessories with dark colors that make more sense fora master of the Ghost-type, not to mention that his expression also reflects his laid-back and intelligent personality. With one simple redesign, Morty went from one of the most forgettable Gym Leaders, to one of the most popular ones.
The design of the Lavaridge Town Gym Leader,Flannery, may not immediately say “Fire-type specialist,” but it’s so subtle and well-executed that it feels like a breath of fresh air, especially for a character from one of the earlier generations.This is exactly why she is so beloved among fans, even to this day.
Flannery manages to display a solid sense of fashion while also perfectly representing her mastery of the Fire-type, not to mention that her bushy red hair is also a unique touch that helps her stand out. Her original design was already pretty solid, but her new appearance inOmega Ruby & Alpha Sapphirelooks even better and more defined, even though she didn’t change all that much.
Due to their solitary appearances and relatively easy battles, most of the Kalos Gym Leaders fromPokemon X&Ytend to be forgotten by fans,with the ones who got prominent roles in the animebeing the only exceptions. This is quite unfortunate because they all have flawless character designs, and the Cyllage City Gym Leader,Grant, has the best look in the entire region.
Grant is not only a Rock-type trainer, but he is also a seasoned rock climber. In order to reflect this part of his personality, he wears rock climbing gear, his hair is styled to look like climbable rocks, and he even has a few colored accessories that represent the color-coded holds of a climbing wall. This is all quite clever, and it helps make what would otherwise be a forgettable character into a unique & fascinating one.
Back in Generation One, thePokemonfranchise was brand-new and still trying to find its visual identity and, as a result, most Gym Leaders from the classic Kanto region had fairly generic designs. However, there were a few exceptions, and the Poison-type masterKogawas one of them, mostly due to his fascinating ninja theme.
Being a ninja master made Koga far more memorable than most other trainers in the game, and his serious expression elevates the concept even further. Not to mention that the solid use of purple helps him fit with his signature Poison-type even further.Koga has appeared in multiple games– especially after he was later promoted to an Elite Four Member – and he has always looked great, but his most recent design fromLet’s Go, Pikachu & Let’s Go, Eeveeis his best look so far, since the change of having his red scar going over his mouth makes him look even more like a ninja.
Every single Gym Leader has their own signature Pokemon that they send out at the end of the battle, because it’s also the strongest one on their team. Sometimes, it is not easy to decipher what the signature Pokemon of each trainer will be, but when it comes to the Hearthome City Gym Leader,Fantina, there’s no debate, because there are elements of Drifblim all over her outfit.
Fantina not only has a long purple dress with a yellow X-shaped accessory, but her hair is also stylized in a way that resembles balloons, just like Drifblim itself. It’s evident that this similarity is intentional by both the character and her real life designers, especially when considering thatFantina is an elegant Pokemon coordinatorwho has a lot of appreciation for her Pokemon. As such, she successfully manages to look great and make her clothing work as a love letter to Drifblim, which is really adorable.
Character designs inPokemonhave gotten better with each new release,meaning that the Gym Leaders fromPokemon Scarlet & Violetwere all solid candidates for a list like this. That said,Ryme, the Ghost-type specialist from Montenevera, is definitely the biggest standout in the Paldea region. For starters, the concept of an elderly woman who is a talented and respected hip-hop artist is quite unique and surprisingly endearing.
Ryme’s concept wouldn’t work as well if it wasn’t for the amazing character design that comes with it. She has the fashionable outfit of a seasoned rapper, which looks even better due to the combination of black & gold coloring, and she even uses her signature microphone in order to perform while she’s battling. The best part of Ryme’s appearance is her hair, which is cleverly stylized to look like a ghostly skeleton’s hand. This is an incredible detail that also works as a genius reference to her favorite Pokemon, Houndstone.
Because of how the Galar League works,all the Gym Leaders inPokemon Sword & Shieldhave solid designsthat are sadly hindered by the fact they all have to wear similar-looking sports uniforms. However, one of them managed to use this to her advantage and eventually stood out as one of the most iconic characters in the entire series: None other than the Hulbury Stadium Gym Leader,Nessa.
In just a few years, she became one of the most beloved, popular, and recognizablePokemoncharacters, and this can be easily chalked up to her impeccable design. Nessa is a professional model, which not only means she’s elegant and good-looking, but that there are also a lot of well-thought-out details in her design that reflect her love for Water-type Pokemon: The blue highlights in her hair, the small floaters in her footwear, and even the fact that her mandated uniform was modified to look like a professional swimsuit. With all these elements, Nessa’s design not only overcame the issue of having to wear a uniform, but it was actually improved by it.
Years before Nessa was introduced, back in Generation Five, there was another iconic and beloved Gym Leader who also worked as a supermodel, and her name isElesa, the Electric-type master from Nimbasa City. Because of her line of work, she is also fashionable, elegant, and her design demonstrates some great use of colors and different styles of clothing. What’s even better is that, as a supermodel,Elesa has an entirely different appearance in the sequel games,Pokemon Black 2 & White 2, yet she manages to look amazing once again.
After all, she is all about the potential of electricity in the future, and both of her designs perfectly reflect that, since almost all of her clothes look futuristic. The best character designs inPokemonare the ones that have clever little details in them, and Elesa is no exception, since both of her outfits have red and blue headgear that represent the positive and negative poles of a magnet. It’s evident that a lot of thought went into Elesa’s design, and this resulted in one of the most interesting & memorable Gym Leaders in the entire franchise.
