The Best and Worst Pokemon Champions

[@JPRPokeTrainer98]

Who do you think the best and worst Champions are?

[@Afr0menace690]

Leon for best greeta for worst

[@Desmochii]

Given the fact I have a steven stone poster hanging in my room, I think i'll pick him

[@TheNeighbor216]

I'm the best champion in all the games

[@zachpro5475]

I think geeta team is not great for the reason that the ai professors are supposed to be the final boss so they made her team not that good because the ai professors are the last boss

[@AuraStrikeAce]

I definitely say Cynthia is the best and Geeta is the worst

[@anothergamer112]

As if things couldn't get worse for Geeta, not even half the people who work for her like her, citing her as a strict boss who holds back the potential of the gym leaders. The lack of level scaling is canonically her fault.

[@thalfie]

And this is why we relate to Larry.

[@JeongTatoPotato1001]

HA. 😂 Nice one. Didn't think of that one.

[@oryxthetakenking8275]

​@@thalfie Larry overworked himself. Geeta even forces him to take time off and relax.

[@theserpent8667]

​@@oryxthetakenking8275Geeta put him into those positions to begin with. Larry just wanted to do his best, at the cost of his happiness.

[@metaljacket8128]

Lol

[@fireboltpt]

One actually interesting thing about Geeta is how in the post game, the other Paldean Gym Leaders are shown to not really like her or her policies. Grusha, Katy, and Tulip especially.

[@gigifabulous]

And Geeta is the boss Larry complains about. As usual the real villain is corporate CEO's

[@chernweimah9124]

I wouldn’t be surprised if she turns out to be the secret villain that authorised or was the deputy Director that forced Team Star to be made. After all, surely she must have been aware of the activities going on in the Crater?

[@bubbee9382]

Maybe we'll get more backstory out of her whenever dlc comes, like what makes a top champion a top champion over a regular champion that would of beaten her.

[@Helm-0]

Ohhhh, that's very interesting. Finally a valid reason to say that she sucks !

[@notscorchingsands9718]

You like your boss?

[@randomone6762]

I love how the first female champion was Cynthia, she made quite a memorable impression on so many kids by beating their ass lol

[@rodolfomezaalvarado8004]

Isn't that Iris tho?

[@WriosCumJar]

@@rodolfomezaalvarado8004iris is gen 5, Cynthia’s gen 4

[@rodolfomezaalvarado8004]

@@WriosCumJar oh yeah you're right I forgot 💀

[@necfreon6259]

@@rodolfomezaalvarado8004 regardless I’m somehow more terrified of Iris then I am of Cynthia

[@painvillegaming4119]

@@necfreon6259 how

[@Mugiwara2k]

That's the infuriating thing about Geeta; Her team itself isn't the worst, it's the order and move pool that causes it to be a fail. Just a few changes to order and moves would bring it up leagues.

[@milesstorzillo7650]

Also, get rid of Gogoat and Avalugg.

[@jmurray1110]

Seriously swap it for a cetitan and arboliva and it would be perfectly acceptable Veluza is still weird but it at least makes sense But yeah glimmorae is an opening toxic spike setter and kingambit is the last resort revenge killer

[@gerardoortega323]

@J Murray arboliva would've also help get rid of kingambit's weakness to earthquake by setting up grassy terrain

[@lisabarnes924]

@@jmurray1110 though it wouldn't fit her personality, I'd love for her to have Flip Turn Palafin (due to AI) OR Dondozo (Pokédex says he's not the brightest) in place of veluza. I definitely would love for her to have Kingambit as her ace. Not only for her team to make sense, but to also make it the first shiny ace within a champions main game team.

[@JDLong006]

@@lisabarnes924 huh, shiny Kingambit does really look like Geeta, doesn't it?

[@TheOverdriveGamer]

I don't know how you can create so many fun and interesting characters like Nemora, Larry, Rika etc only to lay the biggest brick in Geeta in both pokemon team & personality.

[@jaredtheastralartist2510]

I think she is pretty interesting based on what other gym leaders and then wait 4 say about her. She definitely run things more like a business and more professionally than most champions. I mean you have to get in via interview. Not to mention the strictness of the gym leaders based on your conversations with grusha and Larry. And I know everyone clowns on gogoat and avulug, but I actually really like them because it’s different and they can get real nasty if you don’t take them out. Plus for me she sent kinggambit last, so surprising hearing that she sent it earlier for other people. She’s not the best, but she’s also not the worst..

[@bulborb8756]

@@jaredtheastralartist2510 avalugg being nasty? pfft, as if, that things god awful since if you simply exhale on it with any strong special attack and it'll instantly die

[@jaredtheastralartist2510]

@@bulborb8756 that’s a thing I didn’t have anything for it. My Skeladuge was low it lived my flamethrower and killed me with avalanche.

[@jaredtheastralartist2510]

@@bulborb8756 plus utilizing correctly can get you a lot of places, I used it pretty well in a competitive team in sword and shield, and got pretty far with it

[@jaredtheastralartist2510]

@@bulborb8756 champion doesn’t have to have a powerful Pokémon. What’s important to me is if the team FITS the champion, and how interesting it is. Many champions have a couple week Pokémon, what makes this one a different?

[@exeledusprince9165]

Nemona DID dethrone Geeta before you got there. Geeta mentions her battle with Nemona and how she was utterly thrashed by her, and that she doesnt actually believe Nemona tried all that hard during their battle.

[@dantemustdie00]

She also said Nemona held back against her too. Really makes me curious to what Nemona's original team was, cause we know she has a Paldean Tauros, likely other Pokemon as well

[@Luckyy94]

@@dantemustdie00the team she used on us wasn’t even her final form 😂

[@HunterStiles651]

One thing I found interesting about Nemona is that it's implied that she has multiple fully developed teams and will switch between them depending on the situation, much like an actual competitive battler would.

[@shorewall]

Nemona is my dark battle goddess. :D

[@BowlHeadRalts]

@@shorewall nemona got that fortnite head

[@samuelault4723]

I always found Alder interesting as a champion because you have to go out of your way to battle him. You can watch the credits roll for the first time and not even fight him once. Definitely a unique approach to a champion

[@micheal26]

yea i always found that strange tbh. Maybe its cuz N is supposed to be the "reigning champion" cuz he beat Alder in the first place😂

[@primescar]

Its like the Malenia boss fight. Not compulsory but if you missed it, you're missing out

[@wildfire9280]

@@micheal26 like an acting president never serving officially

[@AceAviations2]

@@primescar no, you're not missing out with that sh*tstain of a boss fight in Elden Ring, I didn't think that they could make a boss worse than the Bed of Chaos, but they somehow did. Very few bosses fill with as much range as that b***h does.

[@Arthion]

I also like his general character vibe a lot, being like a cool old mentor happily stopping to talk to or hang out with anybody and hand out general life advice to anybody willing to give a listen.

[@LucOfLegends]

Here's the thing about Leon: he's not *just* strong, he's strong to the point where he effects the entirety of Galar and is its center. Kabu literally got his mojo back thanks to Leon. Raihan prides himself on being a rival to one of the strongest champions in the series. And most of all, he is constantly pushing throughout the entire game to push everyone to be better, actively challenging the region as a whole to get strong and face him so everyone can have a champion time. Sure Leon's main trait is that he's strong, but that strength actually means something for the region as a whole. What does Geeta do? Occasionally pop in on the Gym Challenge to remind players she exists? Get Gym Leaders pissed at her? I would argue that the majority of the Elite Four (Poppy excluded but her team is kinda fire) has more presence and personality that the champion they are building up to. Hell, even NEMONA is a better champion theorectically.

[@nachomolaolivera7580]

Yeah but that's also the problem. It does not feel like Leon affects his region (like showing him doing all of this cheering for betterment), it seems more like the whole region is written to serve his "strongest" status (For we're only told he is the strongest, not shown and that is as always said: Bad Writting). And then when the moment of truth comes he is defeated instantly. Even more we actually see that trainers do not try to become stronger, they throw the towel as soon as it seems difficult. Most notably Sonia and Hop who jump to the proffesor seat.

[@KevinDiaz2000]

Nemona IS a better champion in every way lol, it’s a night and day difference of character quality

[@thomasprice7893]

The games have always had a weird question mark over what role the League and the Champion plays - people clearly look to them for leadership and we see things like Lance chasing down Team Rocket... but are they government? Do they have law enforcement powers? Do they write up or pass policies? Leon answers this question at least for Galar - he's the spiritual leader of the region and stands shoulder to shoulder with the Chairman who (at least appears to be) the actual political leader - and like any great final boss his presence is felt everywhere you go. Best Champion by far.

[@csargent31]

I would give Leon extra points for adopting and raising the starter pokemon that doesn't get chosen by the player character or his brother Hop.

[@Knighttt662]

I hope in the dlc we get some story , which removes her as champion. Like she was filling in for an absentee champion which can explain why Larry has to do 3 jobs and why many gym leaders don't like her. Then we can have a quest to battle this absentee champion of paldea

[@TheSgtslow]

I actually really like Alder I know he isn't the Strongest Champion, but I always thought that he's really underrated, and people seem to overlook him. And honestly it makes me want to see what type of Champion he was back in his prime.

[@dragonslayer7724]

black 3 and white 3

[@TechnoArpan]

I really love Alder, amen

[@handhelder823]

I would love to see Alder even more powerful, on a similar level of difficulty as Cynthia to give him the game play significance that he deserves. He already is integral to the story of B/W which i love a lot. Also, he's a chad for using bug types as a champion

[@handhelder823]

I would love to see Alder even more powerful, on a similar level of difficulty as Cynthia to give him the game play significance that he deserves. He already is integral to the story of B/W which i love a lot. Also, he's a chad for using bug types as a champion

[@TheSgtslow]

@@handhelder823 He's a man with good taste. Volcarona is literally my Favorite Pokemon!

[@jefaarrogers5329]

It’s shown in Pokémon Generations that for Kanto there was no champion at the time before Blue because no Kanto trainers were strong enough to beat all of the Elite 4

[@robertlupa8273]

There was just the Elite 3 :P

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

How in the world did Bruno not only make it to the Elite 4, but stay there for at least 3 years? How did Bruno collect all 8 badges? How did Bruno beat Lorelei? How did Koga not beat Bruno? Bruno is truly Kanto's greatest mystery.

[@ethantreadway9478]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 How did Bruno beat Lorelei? Really?! That’s an Ice Specialist.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@ethantreadway9478 There's a certain famous clip about bringing an Onix to fight Lorelei that should help my point. Besides that. Give me your game plan for Bruno's entire team to beat that Slowbro

[@MagillanicaLouM]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 Answer to all questions presented here: he simply suplexed

[@KremBotop]

"Perhaps I treated you too harshly" - Some people who were very critical towards Diantha before now easing up to her after looking at Geeta (?)

[@JustALostSoul0]

My thoughts exactly, looking back now we were too harsh on diantha. Especially when arvens team is more of a threat than geeta

[@bulborb8756]

to be fair with how easy X & Y where on top of her team making little sense, can you really blame that we always clowned on her for many years until recently?

[@noobstoise1024]

Geeta was sooooooo bad

[@connorwood9211]

Or they both just sucked

[@emblemblade9245]

There’s no reason to be soft on Diantha just because Geeta sucks. Diantha just has a new playmate in the “most pathetic champion” tier

[@CoreIdeas]

I literally just beat Kukui last night and, I have to say, it was one of the best fights I ever had because I specifically turned off EXP Share and went in a good 5-10 levels lower and completely forgot he had Incineroar. I didn't have anything to counter it properly, one revive and a few potions. So I basically had to get REALLY crafty about which Pokemon I sent in, what moves to use, etc. Easily one of the hardest fights I ever had and it was just a lot of fun.

[@castform7]

I also had a tough time with Kukui. It was back when Moon was my second Pokemon game experience and I still didn't really know how to Pokemon like I do now. By the end of my first attempt, he still had 2 Pokemon and had washed me. It was honestly a very good experience as well.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

The only reason i beat him first time was because of the affection mechanic having my Incineroar live with 1HP with the rest of my team ko'd and it was against his primarina that was worn down. Easily one of the most memorable moments in these games for me. And I'd been playing the games since 2010, i wasn't new to them or anything lol.

[@aaroncallahan119]

That thing is a fire type. Its literslly easy as heck to counter. You havent heard of ground or rock types?

[@darkknight5541]

Even with Exp. Share on, Kukui is still a hard ass fight. Or maybe I just suck at building Pokemon teams.

[@fed927]

Try gen 5

[@TaleOfTheToaster]

I'm not gonna call Geeta a good champion or even a good character necessarily, but I do think there's more to her than just "I am strong" - namely, she's pretty much the first trainer as part of the gyms/league in my memory that other characters in the canon actually don't like, with several of the gym leaders actively showing disdain towards her. Her complete focus on the League as her job, from getting you to run her rematch errands, to incorporating her role within the academy, to likely being responsible for the Paldean league's probably intentionally boring building, it's all still part of her character even if it's not one that you have to like.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Most references to Blue aren't positive either. They acknowledge his strengths but all mention he's a bit off. Blue gets better.

[@christopherbennett5858]

Geeta is definitely the behind the scenes woman. Problem is that the stories in the game are all about what’s going on in the front ground, rather than the background. So a more subdued personality like Geeta is going to slip through the cracks.

[@umukzusgelos4834]

Boss Lady syndrome

[@jay14n]

She has nemonas respect

[@skybattler2624]

I have a feeling that when Geeta said she is incapable of holding back, she is STILL actually holding back. OR, she is the bureucratic Champion, and won her position not by skill, but sheer connections and Bureaucracy. I mean, we still don't know why Nemona stepped down.

[@venator-yv1gw]

That bit with Alder and his bugs makes a lot of sense. Alder wood tends to be relatively soft and easy for insects to burrow into for the winter

[@John-Stark]

Good grief, he would probably have a Golispod if we ever go back to Unova...

[@crimsonmaelstrom573]

@@John-Starkthat would be a cool addition to his team

[@Nadine_8888]

Since Galar is based on the UK and the gym challenge was portrayed as a hugely popular sport event, I started to feel that Leon was like Lewis Hamilton : a seemingly Unbeatable Champion. That made him a good Champion character for me.

[@jamiewalsh3349]

Yep. Same to me

[@kingrippzard2027]

Ah yes the great champion who couldn’t even rep his region with his ace.

[@christopherbennett5858]

Galar is one of those regions where I wonder how motivated the trainers are. Most give up around Kabu even though his ace is 4x weak to rock. More gave up when Piers played nepotism and sealed off an entire town. And Leon has been champion for a very long time. Makes you wonder how motivated and driven Galarian citizens are.

[@toastywozzy]

@@christopherbennett5858 cant blame piers for that. He didnt know team yell closed the town

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@toastywozzy I guess it depends on how long the town was sealed off for. Although you’d think a commotion would have been caused. Team Yell has made a history of harassing people for Marnie’s sake and the galar region does dabble with technology and social media. Letting the fan base he made get to that level of criminal activity does bear some responsibility on him. Besides, it’s not like he was actually being loud with his concert so he’d probably hear stuff.

[@KatarHero72]

I feel like Geeta DEFINITELY needed something more to represent those biomes. You could use Toedscruel to rep the tall grass/lake, Palafin for the coast, and something other than Avalugg like Weavile or Frostlass. Plus moving Glimmora to lead and Supreme Overlord Kingambit to ace would have been much more challenging.

[@vuanpi1378]

cetitan

[@erhueruiasduia]

​@@vuanpi1378 Technically, Cetitan represents the sea more than the icy tundras because it is more pointed to a whale rather than a tundra creature.

[@gottesurteil3201]

Screw the dragon e4 member just give her Baxcalibur.

[@malareon]

Give. Her. Gholdingo. As. An. Ace. Area zero is inaccessible until post game so she didn't need to represent it and ghimugoul can be found in all 5 of the other areas so Gholdingo represents the entire region outside of area zero.

[@barrybend7189]

Replace the damn gogoats with Sawsbuck it could stall the abundant grass and ghost type Pokemon especially with Spring variant plus water/ground/rock stab potential. Why a pure grass with very little personality.

[@socaltrojan286]

I liked Steven a lot as he tends to have more cameos in the other games and is still mentioned having vacation homes for his rock collection. Which we can would expect to run into him at any point in future games if they decided to bring him back. Also, once Mega Evolutions were introduced, just made him all that more relevant being the current champion as he would adapt to the Giganta Max and Terastalllize battles.

[@John-Stark]

Still wish him and Cynthia showed up in the DLCs, mostly for Gigantamax forms for Garchomp and Metagross

[@socaltrojan286]

@@John-Stark agreed. I hope they make an appearance in the DLC of Scarlet and Violet.

[@kandyeggs]

I think Geeta would have been a lot more interesting if (obviously) she sent out Glimmora and Kingambit in a logical order, but also if her Gogoat was shiny. That way her using such a poor competitive Pokémon is because she found a shiny, like many people did during their play through a because of the open world aspect of the game making them much easier to find. Maybe if she talked about how she met all of her Pokémon when they’re defeated, that would give a lot more emphasis on her actually caring about her Pokémon, and calling back to her adventure when she actually felt defeat-able. As is, she’s just kind of extremely mediocre if you know how type effectiveness and stats work, and she feels like a husk that uses paper cards to build a wall.

[@Uohhhh777]

She isn't supposed to be difficult since mostly 10yr fetuses fighting her

[@TasukuMuncha]

Worst thing is that other characters find her too strict. So that is kinda weird, she's strict to others but herself? If she was a uh... how to say ''I don't care about being strong I just want to have fun!!'' type of character it would be okay, but a champion who is treating the league like a business and expect others to do a perfect job should have the same amount of pressure on herself...

[@Waffles-Mcnachos]

@@Uohhhh777 I assumed she was easy in the champion assessment so people could get to the post game and in her rematch in the Ace tournament she'd turn into a Cynthia like super boss. Sadly that wasn't the case and she's didn't even seem any different from the assessment..

[@SomeAsian]

Honestly I want to see a Champion that uses exclusively earlygame trash but they're like EV'd and stuff. Like you roll up to the Champ and watch as Bibarel just uses Simple Curse and wreaks you.

[@Waffles-Mcnachos]

@@SomeAsian Sounds like the guard Ress in Arceus where he sent out a Lv 60 Bidoof, Shinx, and a Starly, and that Bidoof one shot Ice Beamed my Palkia.

[@NinjaPickle]

Leon's "Unbeatable Champion" title and "Champion time" catchphrase are key to his character and to what he represents to Galar. Leon is a symbol of hope and aspirations. He encourages all of Galar to achieve their dreams. He pushes all of them to be strong and have a champion time. While he may not truly be the strongest, he wants to convince all of Galar to push THEMSELVES to be the strongest and wants to be a role model for everyone in the region to work towards so they can achieve their dreams. I think that's what makes him my favorite champion. He may be Hop's older brother, but when it comes to who he is as a person, he wants to be the older brother to the people of Galar, someone there to encourage and push them to be the best they can possibly.

[@louiepikmin3184]

Exactly, he's everything a champion should be. Also that's probably why I love hop so much, he lives in his brother's shadow and feels like he's never good enough to hold that title and feels like he's not only a disappointment to his brother, but also bringing his name down

[@TechnoArpan]

Plus he's like the only champion who goes out of his way to handle all the region's problems himself, all while keeping kids out of the conflict

[@marvinkant5205]

​@@louiepikmin3184I hope they never will make another textbook example of a Mary Sue a champion again, especially not if that one turns out to be such a disappointing push-over like Leon again.

[@mk_gamíng0609]

@@marvinkant5205 ??? You do not even understand what a Mary sue is You are just throwing words around because you think it makes your point better It does not , instead it does the opposite Maybe try explaining next time , instead of throwing buzzwords around. Also the games have never been a good rep of the lore Manga and anime do a better job.

[@marvinkant5205]

@@mk_gamíng0609 A Mary Sue is a late introduced character, who typically comes out of nowhere and is just the best of the best, loved and respected by most even though nobody even mentioned them before, warps the plot around themselves in some way, often makes others look bad to look better, their design is typically very eye-catching, they have not much true personality and at most some alibi flaws, that are the most basic traits of a Mary Sue. Which quite well describes Leon in the games and almost perfectly describes Leon in the anime, maybe next time check what the buzzword actually describes first before trying to be a smart-ass. Maybe Leon was better in the manga, but he was even worse in the anime. And even without all that, Leon would be still just a push-over, just maybe less disappointing without all the silly hyping him up before.

[@johnpaulcross424]

JPR: Cynthia is the defining feature of the region! Giratina in Platinum: *Am I a joke to you?*

[@thejellyblish1]

Tell me honestly that Platinum wouldn't have sold just as well, if not better, if Cynthia had been on the cover instead of Giratina 🤣

[@chaosenforcerdhm969]

@@thejellyblish1no it wouldn’t

[@franknova987]

The fact that in a spin off game Cynthia OWNS a Giratina, witch made the fight vs her ancestor in Legends Arceus fitting

[@Walrus5]

@@franknova987 not really since volo and cynthia are meant to be opposites so if she had a giratina it would be weird

[@coolalolanchampionelio7024]

@@Walrus5 pokemon master ex

[@StickMaster500]

Geeta defintely seem like a missed opportunity of being a great Champion since she didn't really impact or appear that much in the story, especially with a team that doesn't feel threatening like who brings a Gogoat to a Champion Battle? Hopefully the DLC fixes this and builds upon her character more.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Geeta is the absolute cherry to the Paldea region Why have we never heard of this supposedly world renowned academy before? Easy, because the region's strongest trainer has a Gogoat and uses a hazard setter as a her anchor. Paldea is an in universe joke, too

[@notscorchingsands9718]

Ok why is everyone hating on gogoat? It has all around good stats and moves

[@nickalex4235]

@@notscorchingsands9718 60 def Split Atk and Sp atk for some reason when they couldve just cut down Gogoat spatk and moved it to atk Fairly low speed GRASS TYPE How much Coverage does Gogoat get? Thats it really

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@notscorchingsands9718 Terrible stats Terrible typing Its sole role even if you know what you're doing is being Miltank at home And, this is a small point. But. It's a goat. The strongest trainer in the region, siccing her pet goat on you.

[@Blackvoid2me]

Hey! Gogoat is literally the GOAT. Dont underestimate it.

[@berylredburrow__8810]

I feel like you should have talked about N, as he is officially champion when you fight him. He's got a great story, he does a lot in the plot, and the climactic battle of clashing legendaries is the coolest champion fight of all time.

[@headlitethe.unstoppablemoron]

Can we mention while alder is old can still survive by falling 40 feet from a cliff to just meet the protagonist?

[@aidengoosemorey3499]

That cliff is definitely more than 12 feet lol

[@promienodrzutowysamuel790]

4 meters is not that high

[@sandwraith448]

Diantha is amazing in the anime. She was fighting to protect Kalos, defeated Lance in really cool battle using strategy and was pretty Iconic xd

[@samanthalawrence7434]

I feel everyone beats lance now a days because the newest champions have to have something. I love diantha but lance losing to her… kinda disappointed me.

[@lightning2279]

@@samanthalawrence7434 The writers only had lance lose cause they didn't want to to do another match with him vs leon again. You can tell he was nerfed along with diantha being buffed for no apparent reason.

[@sandwraith448]

@@lightning2279 Nah. They could do different match up. Besides Diantha was not buffed. She was strategic while Lance went for brute strenght

[@lightning2279]

@@sandwraith448 Lance's gyrados gave leon's charizard a difficult fight and it wasn't even his ace. Meanwhile diantha was about to lose to ash greninja before it even reached it's peak strength. It's pretty clear the writters of this series are all over the place with scaling and have little to no consistency with it.

[@TechnoArpan]

@@lightning2279 dude, you really need context for the Ash battle. That battle was to test the Ash-Greninja form. She wasn't fighting to win there, she was also taken aback by the form, that's all

[@Yourhomeboy_evan]

I love Leon and Cynthia the most…iris right there under them. I FELT like they were the strongest in their regions. But this is just how I feel.

[@bidoof4426]

Iris i found easy and leon even easier bcs Sword and Shield are easy games

[@Yourhomeboy_evan]

@@bidoof4426 well under nuzlocke rules they are actually both very challenging.

[@bidoof4426]

@@Yourhomeboy_evan na Sword and Shield are easy for nuzzlock standards

[@johndise3842]

don't forget about Steven. Leon, Cynthis and Steven (both emerald and ruby/sapphire) are the only champions to have given me a challenge

[@MrX-uu8vi]

​@@bidoof4426 Late comment idk man he could actually be pretty challenging. If you don't come prepared with a good team

[@bradcarver8127]

When I got to the final area to fight the champion and Diantha said “It’s Morbin time” before the battle. I knew she was one of the champions of all time.

[@vitopasco8266]

No I remember her saying dianthin time I probaby got a different version of the game

[@bradcarver8127]

Yeah mine was bootleg I got it early release in a back alley. In fact the game wasn’t the only thing that had an early release.

[@ceciliaekura2506]

I totally agree about Geeta... that lady was so hyped and then the battle destroyed everything about her... "I'm utterly incapable of holding back". Lady, your team holds you back from the start xD

[@marvinkant5205]

Sounds basically like Leon, doesn't it?

[@TechnoArpan]

@@marvinkant5205Not really? Leon has a great team and is a far better character

[@marvinkant5205]

@@TechnoArpan Leon has an on paper good team that is actually kind of just bad if you look at the details, was the by far easiest champion/boss out of all 3/5 generation 8 games after extreme hype to an annoying degree, is a textbook example for a true Mary Sue, and he looks like an adult King Bob from Disney's Recess in an identity crisis, how is he a far better character? I would get this comparison with someone like Cynthia maybe, but Leon's only redeemable quality is an on paper good team with a dubious ace and move sets like the same person who choose his clothes is also responsible for that, even his by far best Pokémon Dragapult that actually should be his ace wastes most of it's theoretical potential with only special and trash moves like Dragon Breath for god's sake.

[@alexisschiffer4830]

Thematically, I’m pretty sure Diantha’s team reflects her movie star career. Like, Hawlucha would represent action films and Tyrantrum might represent period pieces? I’ve read something like that.

[@crimsonmaelstrom573]

That actually makes sense to me now. I can see how Gourgeist can represent the Horror genre. But what about Goodra?

[@LockeIProd]

​@@crimsonmaelstrom573Kaiju movies

[@RODRIGOWOLF37]

​@@crimsonmaelstrom573Maybe like fantasy or kids movies

[@Castersvarog]

Cynthia’s gotta be a favourite of mine, she’s an amazing challenge which is something the games desperately needed more of. Plus she started the trend of making the champion use more then just one type which is great way to bring a challenge for players. As for my least favourite, I’ve gotta give it to Geeta for two reasons. Her team is factually the worst one period, Gogoat, Avalugg and Veluza are all really weak Mons with some of the worst combination of stats and types. Plus all she has to stop a Skeledirge or Ceruledge, both of whom are really popular choices because of general coolness or evolves from Fuecoco, is her Veluza who’s just not that good. And how she actively shoots her own potential in the foot, Kingambit gets sent out far too soon to be useful and her Glimmora is a mon built to set up hazards and die, but is sent out dead last. Compared to Trace who’s just a boring fight, Geeta feels straight up insulting to fight.

[@tdawgmaster1729]

Cynthia didn't start that trend, Blue did. She didn't even end it either, because Iris in BW2 still uses all/mostly Dragon types in her champion battle

[@Castersvarog]

@@tdawgmaster1729 I guess the better word would be reintroducing it after it stopped being a thing with Gen 2 games via Lance as a 'Dragon' user and Gen 3 with both Wallace and Steven as a 'Steel' and Water user respectively.

[@BJGvideos]

Veluza,weak? Mine's a frickin powerhouse.

[@mushroomdude123]

Alder is extremely based for making an actually difficult Bug team.

[@KoolBeanz101]

Im a hoenn baby, I love steven in ruby&saphire! He's one of the champions besides rival champions that appear man times through the game, which makes the final battle more emotional. The Music hits diferent too, making the battle seem grand and intense. His team is pretty cool imo, and even in emerald hes when he's not the champion, your battle with him is still grand since you battle him after the league and in one of the most coolest areas in all of pokemon, meteor falls (which fits perfect for the stone collector steven). Also I like how he's a type specialist or *3* types, steel rock & ground. *(Edit: your so right, he was literally the perfect champion in gen 6 since he's the stone collector and now in ORAS theres mega stones, literally amazing)* This could be my biased talking, but I think steven was well rounded overall

[@nellewoodruff6337]

Hard agree. It also helps that metagross is my favorite pseudo too.

[@KoolBeanz101]

@@nellewoodruff6337 yo same

[@wastedraccoon]

This may be true but I also want to say this is also true

[@jay14n]

I was an emerald player for me i agree but like how he was beyond champion and he whooped me so badly

[@KoolBeanz101]

@@jay14n same, I beat him on my second attemp because funnily enough armaldo got a double omniboost (iirc)

[@JetTheBaron]

I love how Leon's battle theme sounds like the opening moments of the finals of a playoff match that only happens every few years. The drumming band somewhere, the chanting. It feels like the entire region, no, the world is watching history being made instead of just a secluded area in the mountains where nobody lives.

[@Moonstriker2514]

Fun fact for the gen 9 league each trainer's tera type is the same as the 5 titans Ground, Steel, Flying, Dragon and Rock

[@ethantreadway9478]

Meaning Gen 9 doesn’t have a Rock Type Specialist and Kinda not a Flying Specialist since Larry is also a Normal Gym Leader.

[@ShiningJudgment666]

@@ethantreadway9478 Larry does double-duty so it kind of makes sense. The champions also don't generally have a type specialty. Still, Geeta's team would've at least been better had she led with Glimmora and had a different ace. Kingambit would've been a threat since it would've hit stupidly hard so switching in on it directly would've been difficult.

[@emilstoqanov3270]

@@ethantreadway9478 the teacher Tyme is actually a Rock type specialist

[@dantemustdie00]

Tyme is the Rock specialist, she was a former gym leader

[@BBWahoo]

@@emilstoqanov3270 Rhyme is a cock type specialist 🥵

[@cellem6216]

I was genuinely like "wtf is this crap." As I was fighting geeta for the first time? Just the whole fight was trash. I sweeped her and tried to forget her but then what made me feel a little better was seeing all the gym leaders talk trash about her rather openly after lol

[@MysteriousTomJenkins]

I felt the same way. I was just thinking "Okay, here's the champion, this is going to be tough.." and was surprised that she seemed easier than Larry. Was also disappointed seeing her in the Ace Tournament, I think I only had slightly more trouble because she was higher leveled but even then it was easy. I found Arven more challenging (my first loss of the game) than the champion and he's apparently a scrub in Pokemon battles.

[@vittoriopugliese3352]

Maybe Geeta is supposed to parody the "minority representation" policy common in the media industry and how it gave prestige positions to undeserving people just because of their minority condition?

[@dhans9662]

@@vittoriopugliese3352 Bro I dont think the xenophobic Japanese even care about that

[@N12015]

@@MysteriousTomJenkins And remember, there's also CLAVEL, a trainer who doesn't seem to care about the league; If there it was an algorythm to make all the trainers battle against eachother, ignoring postgame, I'm sure Clavel and Nemona would share 3-8 slot, then there's Penny, Hassel, Erin, Poppy and finally Geeta just due to levels. If you ask Me, Geeta and Clavel should swap teams to make both plots a bit more believable.

[@autumn-vl5ez]

​@@vittoriopugliese3352think this says a lot more about your politics then game freak's lol

[@Cubus-zapasowy]

I always liked Wallace because of his team. I always liked the idea for a Water type Champion, and I liked how his team is balanced. Water is one of the most diverse types in Pokemon world and his team really shows it - Water-Poison Tentacruel, Water-Grass Ludicolo, Water-Ground Whiscash and Water-Flying Gyarados plus very bulky Milotic. His team has so many counters that you can see this guy is really hard - knew how to defeat obstacles with only one type. You want to sweep his team with a Electric type? You can't - he has Whiscash and Ludicolo. You want to sweep his whole team with a Grass type? You can't - because of Tentacruel and Gyarados. This is how you build teams, when you only specialise in one type.

[@lugarespecial]

TBH water is one of the best type I can think when it comes using just one type. Maybe behind Dragon (a lot of powerful pokemon) and steel (strongest type of the game).

[@djchameleon6582]

But it'll be so interesting if in the DLC we found out she threw the battle intentionally. Imagine dealing with a perfectly ordered version of her team.

[@bukojoetheslapsoils8273]

Well, she said she doesn't know how to hold back so it's clear that her team is just badly designed.

[@djchameleon6582]

@@bukojoetheslapsoils8273 likely just a cover story so it looks more like she lost fair and square.

[@djchameleon6582]

Another suspicious thing is she talks to you randomly throughout the game she doesn't approach any other trainer. It's only the player almost like she scouted you out from the start. For the purpose to lose you. Maybe you can't step down as champion in this region or it just looks really bad. The game never says it but it's possible. Maybe the champion things taking its toll which might explain her OneNote character more of a facade rather than anything. This is the champion after Leon which had an active role in the region even after the fact. Actually Leon's original story was that his fights were rigged by Rose. So they might be planning something similar. But not exactly identical. An unsportsmanlike champion that deliberately throws the battle would be interesting.

[@djchameleon6582]

And the DLC we got to learn more about Leon like how we trained under mustard. Maybe the DLC will do something similar in this game fleshing out the champion. Since oh my God she actually needed some fleshing out. I can't tell if she's worse than diantha.

[@shorewall]

@@djchameleon6582 If she wanted a replacement, Nemona is right there. :D

[@Chillaccino1]

Alder is HELLA underrated.

[@baddragonite]

It's interesting to me that both Geeta and Leon have the goal of making their region the strongest in the world. I REALLY hope this is leading to a Pokemon World Championship, hopefully in gen 5 remakes?

[@4wheal]

Possible but Geeta should lose first round no matter what

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@4wheal This is actually a serious problem going forewards. Some of the modern champions are utterly pathetic and really have no business facing down the mighty Bird Keeper Lance, let alone any champions that are actually good like Cunthia, Alder, or Steven. Red actually unironically had this problem too, where his team just doesn't hold up, trying to make basic Kanto starters work is just sad. He was barely able to make it work mostly on Scarf Water Spout being cheeky, but even that's leagues better than Diantha and goddamn Geeta

[@iyanna1890]

There approaches are also different. Leon is fun and in galar the gym challenge is a sport. Geeta is much more serious to the point some gym leaders don't have fun doing their job.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@iyanna1890 How is the serious champion so awful

[@iyanna1890]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 never said she was awful in this comment. Just pointing out that at least 3 gym leader say bad things about her. According to them she limits their strength and hobbies. She take away the fun while Leon brings it

[@otterfire4712]

Steven is a land champion, sporting pokemon that are Ground/Steel/Rock type pokemon. While 3 are Steel type, he also has 3 Rock type pokemon on his team. Claydol is his most unusual but it still makes sense given his frequent geological exploits.

[@austin5259]

It's amazing how much better Geeta's fight would be if she just changed the order she sends them out in

[@CherryblossomFoxx]

Quick Wallace lore for you, Wallace was the champion before Steven, Steven beat him to become that Champion of Hoenn, then when Steven went to pursue his hobbies, Wallace stepped in to fill the champion position which he had already proven himself capable of

[@IndigoEuphonium]

Diantha does kind of have a theme with her team; each Pokemon represents one of the main stats: Hawlucha - Speed Tyrantrum - Attack Aurorus - HP Gourgeist - Defense Goodra - Sp Defense Mega Gardevoir - Sp Attack A bit of a stretch and doesn't really fit in with the themes of XY but it's least it's something?

[@calebopossum5023]

And they actually hit pretty hard, it's just nobody saw it as a challenge.

[@arslanakhter3034]

I thought her pokemon represented the genres of the films. Hawlucha=Action Tyrantrum and Aurorus= Adventure and Monster lore etc. Gorgeist= Horror Goodra= Fantasy Gardevoir= Drama/Romance

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

@@arslanakhter3034 I mean, that's kind of broad and vague. You could make the same kind of argument for, I dunno, Leon, or Kukui, or Cynthia's team, and then turn around and relate them all to cooking.

[@arslanakhter3034]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 maybe you're right. But I noticed it because diantha herself is related to movies so her pokemon being related to movie genres seem possible.

[@lumiosecoffee]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 but they are not chef lol

[@SpagEddie8113]

I feel like even though Leon and Geeta have similar personalities on the surface, Galar is a region more fitting for a champion with that sort of personality. It makes sense for Leon since in Galar Pokémon battling is seen as a big sports event, so the champion should be somebody showing off. But in Paldea the gym challenge is more just a thing people do as a way of finding “their treasure”, wether that be growing up or bonding with their Pokémon or being the strongest, so it would’ve made more sense for the champion to have more of a mentor role, somebody’s who’s strong but also wants to watch you grow (like Nemona…)

[@ciaranpatrick6859]

Overall I loved the victory road storyline in scarlet and violet, it had my favorite gym leaders in any pokemon game and nemona was a great rival, but god damn geeta was a huge let down. I agree with basically everything you said regarding that.

[@TechnoArpan]

I think the Galar Gym Leaders were better, but Paldean ones were great too

[@generaldreagonlps6889]

Leon definitely is the best. He actually tries to help out with the big problem. He's also the champion that gave me the most trouble with appropriately leveled pokemon. Sure, Cynthia gave me problems but that was just her garchomp and that was just because it was a handful levels higher than my team. Leon gave me a hard time when I used a team that was about the same as his team.

[@michaelpelak2417]

I’m actually kind of hurt about what you said about Diantha but then again she’s the most done dirty champion in the entire franchise.😭😭

[@maxmercurythemm827]

It's hard to say Diantha got done dirty. With that level of screen presence, you're not really anything. I felt let down by X and Y because this nobody character was Champion just for the sake of the twist that you have to see the Champion before facing them in battle, but it failed because Diantha didn't even register as a character. Even though I knew she was Champion before I played the game! She is that forgettable. If her other portrayals gave her things to do and a personality, that's swell and all. Because the game doesn't really let Diantha be anything but "that random girl with a Mega Gardevoir that you have to beat after the Elite Four"

[@youarenowawarepodcast8896]

FINALLY someone standing up for Leon. People love to hate on the game and sometimes just go for the actually good parts for no reason

[@Bunnyleadd]

Don't hate him. What I do hate is that cringe ass naenae he does (and also that cape, but that's a personal gripe.)

[@marvinkant5205]

If Leon would count as a really good part, Sword and Shield must be some of the worst games ever.

[@BJGvideos]

SwSh is a showcase of really good characters in search of a plot

[@jwanie366]

I can definitely agree with your opinion on Leon, especially seeing how he was utilized in the anime too. Also if the rumors are true about the upcoming SV DLC, then we may not have seen the last of Geeta yet....

[@Carcosahead]

Wait, what rumors?

[@Ativetah]

My fav is Steven and agree with everything you said about him. Lance and Blue follow after also because of nostalgia and the anime. I just love all 3 so much. With Steven it's even also because I had the best memories with Gen 3 and like his personality and design the most ^^. On top of that I just recently found that thumbnail on my 3DS as a background and bought it. I never knew that such cool backgrounds exist on the system and even plays his Champ music! Was so happy!

[@MarcusMapua]

Time to re-evaluate this with Geeta's Updated Superboss Champion team into consideration

[@palpatinerocks3260]

I honestly wish Wallace was used more as champion. I absolutly love Wallace and the idea of him as champion with water as he can use a bunch of pokemon with alternate subtypes with the grass, ground, and poison types. I so wish he was used more in the story, I'd probably replace steven with him in the devon scope and weather crisis situation. I would also would have loved for him to help try to stop one of the evil bosses. Steven can work for the space center, but at least Archie in Seafloor.

[@mazharsiddiqi7288]

Great video Completely agree with points on Leon which is why I think he's a better Champion then Cynthia in terms of the role Though strength wise I think Cynthia is better Actually would've been really cool for Red to be the Kanto champion in LGPE

[@AHomelessShoe]

I really liked Diantha. Mainly for her battle music.

[@MarcusMapua]

Too bad most of Geeta's Paldea Pokemon besides her Glimmora belong to other significant paldea region trainers as either part of their roster or are their aces: Espathra & Tulip, Veluza & Kofu, and Giacomo's partner pokemon Pawniard being now a Kingambit. So if anything Glimmora, Gogoat, & Avalugg are practically her own

[@FTChomp9980]

Cynthia will always be number 1 Champion for me for: 1.She's an fascinated by History of Sinnoh. 2.She has a good design black clothes and long flowing blonde hair she's everyone's dream girl. 3.Her Team is so good in Platinum and B2 and W2. 4.Cameoed in other games. She is the ultimate champion no one can tell me otherwise! Well Red is good despite being silent.

[@Walrus5]

best if she doesnt look too far back into the history of sinnoh tho

[@notscorchingsands9718]

Simp

[@FTChomp9980]

@Walrus5 *cough* Volo *cough*

[@soaringsora5743]

5:00 Props to whoever the footage is from for using a Plusle against Mega Metagross.

[@ironmuro]

15:01 I mean yeah the fact that they had to put in a throw away line about their league having multiple champion ranked trainers just proves how contrived it was that Nemona was not just the only champion. Not to mention if Greta "can't hold back" and is supposedly "top champion" ... How is there even supposed to be other champion ranked trainers? It makes no sense!

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

The bravest thing about this video is he didn't put Cynthia in the thumbnail.

[@edscarlet865]

My one thing that I dislike about Leon as a Champion is that the entire game we are only *told* that he is the strongest and he single handedly defeats all the rampaging Dynamax Pokemon appearing on Galar. But we are only told, because *EVERYTHING HAPPENS OFF-SCREEN* Leon is the "Tell, don't show" phrase made a character.

[@edsylan2275]

You said that Hau just feels like Blue again, but i think is the complete opposite To me Hau feels like the Red of this game, while we as the player are the blue of USUM Blue picks the pokemon strong against you, is always one step ahead you and end up becoming champion moments before you. Hau picks the pokemon weak against you, is always behind you and doesn't get to the league until you are already champion.

[@castform7]

I think my top 3 have to be Leon and a tie between Steven and Cynthia. Leon's just a great presence to have around and backs up the big game he talks. Plus he actually uses his Champion status to take down threats instead of leaving children to. As for rich pretty boy and scary book lady, I always get conflicted. Steven was the first ever Champion I've beaten and the one I've grown the most attached to but Cynthia's has just always had this "humble top dog" presence I've always greatly respected.

[@Fujoshi1412]

Frankly that’s one of the aspects about Leon I loved. He actually did things instead of leaving it to you the child. Part of this might be because you are literally the best friend of his younger brother. Also you’re also a kid and child, why are you expected to take care of the issues around the region? Especially since they have a strong champion the region looks up to until you dethrone Leon.

[@ShiningJudgment666]

@@Fujoshi1412 The problem with Leon is more to how the Pokemon league is executed in Sword and Shield since it isn't really a gauntlet in that you can completely heal your team between battles. Steven and Cynthia are legitimately challenging and you need to have plans to beat their aces. Metagross is really hard to counter in Gen 3 and I think all of his Pokemon are dual-typed and the same goes for Garchomp in Gen 4 though its moveset could be better though her team composition more than makes up for it.

[@markmagician2471]

To be fair Lance was EXTREMELY tough for me back then I got lucky guessing that Ice was super effective against him

[@lordfilth42069]

Even though she's weak, I think Diantha has an interesting team: Hawlucha: Representing the action movies. Aurorus and Tyrantrum: Representing historical movies. Goodra: Representing animation movies. Gourgeist: Representing horror movies. Mega-Gardevior: Representing romance movies. Credit: u/Snakk_17

[@calebopossum5023]

Never thought of it that way, that's cool 💗👍

[@Chillaccino1]

How did I never think of that! That’s actually sick. I struggled with her as a kid but that’s because I didn’t run bullet punch because I thought Lucario was pure fighting type

[@mazharsiddiqi7288]

I've always felt that way about her team too Though think Tyrantrum and Goodra could've been replaced with better Pokémon overall Think Ditto would've really fit her team

[@4wheal]

Wow, that is awesome and differently changes my view on her team

[@BurnByMoonlight]

iirc each of her Pokémon has a different highest stat.

[@danielquinlan2457]

1:43 The way I've always understood it is that there simply *wasn't* an active Champion until Blue came along. The way things are framed makes it seem like the Pokemon League Challenge was *just* to beat the Elite Four, and that having to fight afterward Champion Blue was an extra twist because he got there first. The way the Alola Pokemon League works seems to corroborate this, too, except in those games, you're filling the role of Blue. You clear through the Elite Four and get to the Champion seat first, and have to defend your title from johnny-come-latelies liek Kukui and Hau.

[@IamDoomCrow]

Nemona DID dethrone Geeta, Geeta even stated that Neoma beat her while holding back, implying that Nemona was vastly stronger than Geeta. Nemona more than likely didn't want to do the champion duties, (and just wanted to battle non-stop) and sees Geeta in high regard like a role model or something. Plus Neoma still being in school would hinder those duties regardless.

[@coca_0146]

Plus in Paldea champion is a ranking isntead of a title given to a single person

[@MOVED_acc.144]

8:12 totally innocent timestamp with no bill jumpscare

[@Charziken]

I definitely always resonated with Steven as a champion. Mainly because growing up I was SUPER into geology, like borderline obsessed. Topped with the fact that Sapphire was my first game. His demeanor, personality, typing, it just fit for me. He's not the strongest, or most diverse, but he'll always be my favorite champ.

[@Riftrender]

With both my Geeta battles I had a harder time with dragon teacher and fighting teacher before her.

[@MysteryTheE]

Bruh fr

[@dantemustdie00]

Larry too, Flamigo is not to be underestimated, it's a way more scarier Hawlucha

[@Riftrender]

@@dantemustdie00 Yeah but I screwed up in the dragon fight when that damned poison dragon wrecked my Gadevoir.

[@cyberkid7255]

@neapolitan ice cream My skeledirge swept her whole team too without terastilizing. How can a champion be so weak that the pokemon you started out with is stronger than her whole team.

[@shockburst569]

In my play through of shield Leon knock himself out by using max rockfall and causing a sandstorm

[@JPRPokeTrainer98]

LOL

[@immortaliron2475]

Nah he didn’t throw he just got lost navigating the battle menu

[@shockburst569]

@@JPRPokeTrainer98 also I will not stand for the hate on Gogoat he is the GOAT.

[@witchytitan1870]

Hey now, Steven isn't the only challenging trainer in Gen 6. Kalos had that Furfrou using couple in the palace!

[@noobstoise1024]

Geeta really was a terrible champion, but I feel because SV don't have any real major threats outside of the area 0 stuff, which barely any of the characters were even aware of. Geeta doesn't really have anything to do outside her duties as champion. Which honestly, Paldea treats the least with very little importance as compared to previous regions. The whole league felt just kind of there as far as the world building went. I like the stakes aren't entirely world ending and can focus on the main 3 characters development, but I feel the lack of overarching plot hurts a lot of potential characters as well. Her team should have been better as well. As for Leon,I disliked him because he basically took care of everything, such as the rampaging Pokemon until the very end where we finally got involved. The gym challenge and routes weren't interesting and lacked any kind of depth. And the final tournament was just okay. Leon took away the main conflict leaving Galar fairly bare bones. Hau and Kikui were fine, definitely liked Kikui a bit more. Diantha, I don't really have anything to add honestly, but Kalos was pretty thin with its story. Alder is my favorite, He has a full story that actually impacts his actions during BW1 and 2, his team is challenging, and he actually helps develop the protagonist group's perceptions and understanding. Iris was a more challenging champion, but I didn't find her as interesting. Cynthia was the most challenging champion, but honestly besides some tidbits here and there she really isn't all that exciting character wise. Nothing to add on about Wallace, he needed to be more involved. Steven was pretty cool and had involvement, ORAS and Emerald did him favors tbh. Lance is pretty much on the nose Green\Blue were a good twist challenge that caught so many off guard back when the internet was very new. His team was pretty well put together for Kanto standards and his constant involvement in the journey made defeating him so satisfying.

[@TechnoArpan]

I likeLeon because he handled everything. That's what champions should be like, protecting the region, not leaving stuff up to kids. Dude actively tries to keep kids away from dangerous stuff, which I can only respect

[@dhans9662]

"I dislike Leon because he isnt useless"

[@noobstoise1024]

@@dhans9662 I dislike Leon because he prevents me from actually doing anything outside of the gym challenge until the very end. Personality wise he's fine, I dislike him from a narrative and gameplay design.

[@dhans9662]

@@noobstoise1024 He took care of one thing, and you still finish the job for him.

[@noobstoise1024]

@@dhans9662 He also would stop the player from getting involved with anything, there's reports of dynamax Pokémon going nuts in the town, or an explosion coming from the lab. From a gameplay perspective it's kind of irritating imo. Like there's interesting things happening and I'm not really allowed to interact with it.

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

You said i was huffing copium for wanting Kalos DLC, but...well it being the next game after SV counts for something !

[@KingJH0510]

Just like you im a big leon fan, and seeing his fight against ash might have solidified him as my favorite champion He isnt just a champion, he is a personality, a celebrity, an inspiration; but deep down he is but a little kid who loves battling, nothing more, and thats what makes leon not just likeable but relatable as well

[@TechnoArpan]

Plus in the games the dude is a responsible adult, which is more than I can eay for any other champion

[@lizardwizard8930]

Cynthia and leon are the only champions I lost my first battle too. Leon was surprisingly hard for me as most ppl said he would be easy to beat

[@dougtheghoul2845]

I feel like most of Leon's hate comes from the Charizard

[@Fanimati0n]

If you ever want to really like Diantha as a character, i suggest reading the XY manga. She's far more involved in the plot & it makes her look less stupid by having Lysandre actually be good at hiding his true nature through things like philanthropy & controlling the media

[@Big_Finger_Jim]

Leon’s the best. He’s basically Pokemon’s Kaito Momota, and he singe handedly keeps Sword and Shield from being the lowest of the low for me.

[@kacpikachu5951]

Hot take: Diantha’s issues as a champion have barely anything to do with her actual team, and in any other region would be a perfectly serviceable champion. Her team is decently strong, with good move choices to back them up. Unfortunately, she’s a mid champion in a region that is infamous for making things ridiculously easy for the player, having given them at least one excellent Mega in Mega Lucario, two if you also did the Mega Blazikan event, on a silver platter, plus the exp share making it ridiculously easy to get overleveled. Then, add to all that the fact that the two previous generations had two of the best champion fights to that point in Cynthia and Iris, and it’s no wonder that she’s considered one of the most underwhelming champions of the entire series.

[@adam6620]

It’d make more sense in Let’s Go if Professor Oak was the Champion, since we could finally get a proper battle in a Kanto game since the glitch in Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.

[@MidoriOfTheShuinsen]

Alder in the games: a fading legend who imparts good advice and is genuinely helpful despite ultimately falling to N. Alder in the anime: perverted old man who'd rather nap then help prevent his regions destruction.

[@RhyperiorRanger]

I’m planning on playing through X and Y with the exp share OFF and then seeing how Diantha stacks up. Here’s my lineup: Greninja, Charizard, Lucario, Bellossom, Haxorus, Grumpig

[@calebopossum5023]

Just know what to tank and switch, but I warn you, Gardevoir has thunderbolt.

[@robertlupa8273]

Use only the last three, I dare you. >:)

[@asaka616]

One thing about Paldea, the end doesn't really focus on becoming champ. All the major story stuff happens long after you become champion rank, this minimizes the significance of being champion in game, thus La Primera has less of an important role in the story.

[@Zistheone2]

13:53 - 14:12 This is hands down the best explanation to Geeta's team, though I think Gogoat & Avalugg could still be replaced with Toedscruel for the South Province, & Froslass for Glaceado Mountain

[@pocketplayer33]

1. My main problem with Leon is his role in the anime. The final battle for Ash should’ve been Red or some other trainer that has shown themselves to be ridiculously strong in other parts of the anime and other Pokémon media. 2. My biggest complaint about Geeta is that she’s still referred to as the top champion, even after you beat her twice.

[@TechnoArpan]

tbf, red just doesn't exist in anime

[@lobster9059]

@@TechnoArpan it also wouldn't have made for an entertaining battle, considering he's mute

[@LITTLE1994]

In my opinion, Cynthia should've been last

[@BhargavN10]

My personal head canon why she's not in Master's 8 in anime because Leon defeated her so badly that she basically obsessed with strength. Also try to push gym leaders to do the same

[@aquatrez]

I really like Geeta's design and vibes. I really hope she plays a role in the DLC and gets an upgraded team so the fan base will give her the respect she deserves!

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Geeta deserves no respect. Only mocking, backhanded compliments, and the rifts in reality that define her region.

[@ILikeFossilpokemon]

I also really want her to get an upgrade but I sadly don’t think it’s going to happen:/

[@notscorchingsands9718]

Pokemon fans giving respect? lmfao

[@kingrippzard2027]

The respect she deserves? Mate she has a gogoat and an Avalug. No respect should be given. Lord her toxic spike setter she sends out last, and Pokémon who gets stronger the longer you wait is sent out first.

[@skoolwifi3835]

She deserves no respect and therefore gets no respect. How are you going to have the lamest/stereotypical "hidden boss" personality yet have one of the weakest teams to date?

[@joeyteter9383]

I was always partial to Alder because I have the same mentality he does, I love to use the “oddball” mons. Or at least the ones I never see people use and win with those because my favorites are made up of the mons everyone dislikes lol

[@SaraNightfire1]

Being fair: In the anime, Diantha really helped in the fight against Lysandre. The later battle too with everyone else.

[@castform7]

Geeta was such a massive disappointment. How are you gonna tell me that you "have trouble holding back" and in that same breath send out Gogoat. I love Gogoat, I even found a shiny one 2 weeks ago but it's just not Champion level. Thank Arceus Nemona was immediately after since 1. I like her character vastly more and 2. She actually posed a threat.

[@Dino-zg2kg]

Geeta's team can't be weak for no reason, especially with how many competitively valuable pokemon (New and Old) we have in this gen. She has always been an odd and mysterious character, so they must have something planned for her. The only things we know about her is that she's was champion of the region, of course, shes strict, The gym leaders don't like her, especially Larry, She gave her A ranking that only she has, She is in charge of basically everything, she has been in down to Area Zero, And she wants to recruit the most powerful trainers in Paldia for some reason, and she wants Power over the region. She has Got to be hiding something.

[@gabrielcarrasco9078]

@Dino The fact she has a Glimora should be a red flag. She would have had to be in Area Zero.

[@Dino-zg2kg]

@Gabriel Carrasco that too-

[@bigledian4008]

There are two champions i would like to see in a future pokemon game. 1 The opposite player character: if they did a sequel to pokemon gold and silver, but instead, it's split into pokemon Kanto version and Pokemon Johto version. The champion is the opposite player character who was doing the opposite games story. Throughout your journey, you hear about the character through various evil team grunts who say there is another annoying kid talking down the other regions' opperation. 2 the player mother: In every Pokemon game, the mother character is just a pokemon centre, i would like to see them change it by having a character who in previous games, essentially did nothing be the strongest in the region.

[@megdegray8295]

Part of me sometimes wonders if Geeta's team isn't good because of how many jobs she has. She is chairwoman of both the local academy, Pokemon League, and a champion. I imagine each are individually a busy occupation even with it being much less popular in comparison to places like Galar. (Though we are yet to see with the new anime coming). I wonder if she puts being champion on the back burner since being chairwoman of both the academy and league are more important, i.e. the responsibilities for both happen more often than having challengers or doing the gym inspections. Additionally, while like Larry she has 3 jobs, 2 of Larry's jobs deal with battling Gym challengers. 2 of Geeta's jobs have nothing to do with actual Pokemon battling and 1 of those 2 are vaguely related. And those 2 seem to take up most of her time. The gym inspections (SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE THE POST GAME YET OF SCARLET AND VIOLET) is part to of being champion as the player character does it after becoming champion. She has to focus her energy on those 2 time consuming jobs before champion... which kind of sucks. Her team does need a better composition. I was looking forward to fighting her only to be disappointed. The Elite 4, who are much less hyped, were harder for me. Granted, this is all just my guess. I could be completely wrong, but this to me would be believable.

[@dhans9662]

Ok but like a big improvement she could make to her team is just switching the order they go out

[@gaster000]

Well that idea with the Kalos DLC was pretty wrong, turns out we went to Unova.

[@eastsidereviews727]

Hard to disagree with you thoughts, although I've never been the biggest Alder fan, what you said has me thinking about him in a different way. Best to Worst IMO: Leon Cynthia Blue Lance/Iris Alder Steven Diantha/Wallace Geeta Trace (I keep forgetting he was even a thing!)

[@Auron3991]

Honestly, Lance is still my favorite because he exuded so much character in so few scenes. R/B/Y has one battle with him, but you learn that he pays attention to potential challengers, he's exceedingly confident in his abilities, he can handle losing, and he has one heck of a flair for the dramatic. In G/S/C, you see a humbler (relatively) version of him, but he no less pays attention to promising trainers as noted by the fact that he expects you and his dialogue at the end where he's surprised at the fact he enjoys seeing someone rise above him is a great bit of showing the growth he had off-screen. Honestly though, my problem with current Elite Four/Champions is they don't have that larger-than-life feel that they used to.

[@Aleph3575]

1:56 Its a bit of a plothole, probably because they didn't realize they'd end up coming back to it in the future, but the game kinda implies that there technically is NO champion for Kanto until your Rival wins first. Thus he becomes champion and prior to that, Lance was pulling double duty. 12:01 Tbf, he's MUCH better in the anime where he really is a heck of a final boss for Ash. Such a shame that, even there, they couldn't really hype him up enough because of how much of a push over he is in the games. Like the amount of shitslinging I saw from people saying there was no way he could be the best was unreal. They always ignore that he actually genuinely has a decent team in SwSH, it just gets overlooked because of how ungodly easy is it is to be super overleveled in that game, not to mention that the game was just stupidly easy even without overlevelling. 15:01 I suppose that it is somewhat fitting that the region where the rank of champion means the least has probably the worst champion in the series. I guess at least its kinda interesting that we know people don't really like her in game too?

[@OriginalGameteer]

As somehow who lost to Leon 5 times in my first playthrough, Leon definitely has a pretty compenent team, ESPECIALLY if he has Rillaboom imo Aegislash, Haxorous, and Dragapult were fast and strong enough to punch holes in my team's weaknesses, while Rillaboom and Rhyperior (and occasionally Zard) could clean up the remains

[@Aleph3575]

@@OriginalGameteer Oh yeah the Rillaboom team is really strong. Like I'm not trying to be too disparaging about Leon, especially given that I myself had trouble with him since I didn't know about the Raid mechanics and how much EXP candy you could get from them so i wasn't really overlevelled.

[@chilling-boy]

Great video I really enjoyed watching from start to end

[@patrickkh1245]

Leon is my favourite. He is the perfect example of What a champion should look like Even though he isn’t that hard to beat in the games. He is super cool in the anime though🤩

[@Chillaccino1]

Bro that Dragapult was scary. But he had great character and buildup, and if you watch Generations, you see the mental toll Eternatus brought on him

[@castform7]

Not hard to beat? Tell that to his stupid Haxorus that sweeps you with Outrage and never gets confused.

[@PTp1ranha]

I can't bring myself to hate Geeta's Avalugg too much. I used Avalugg myself in the Elite 4 and other late game fights and it really saved my skin.

[@sakulhd8189]

I think Greeta should have gotten a proper "all out rematch" As she technically isn't supposed to go all out by lore and Nemona is kinda the actuall fight in that story line. Having her as actual "Top-Champ" rematch rearranging her team and maybe swapping some, would have helped alot.