The Greatest Gym Leaders of the Generation

[@danielz6177]

One thing I love about Kofu is that before your battle a lot of people come to him asking him to play with them or try their dishes. It really shows that he’s more than just a gym leader and a chef, he’s a friend to all the people in his city.

[@arachineatzeer7478]

Also he taught Katy how to cook, as confirmed by her in post game

[@GatorEX]

A true pillar of the community. Every city needs a Kofu.

[@ZanfishYT]

Vaultin’ Veluza!

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodsm4708]

That’s what I love about all the Gym Leaders this generation. They’re not just gym leaders, they’re pillars of their communities

[@esbenbjergkongsbak4243]

@@GatorEX he is the man

[@pugachan9928]

Tulip is like our very first psychic gym leader who isnt a psychic at all, she's just into fashion and the emotion yoga therapy thing. lol

[@benji7449]

I mean Lucian doesn't look like he have Psychic abilities at all

[@GMOPsyche]

Lucian is just a scholar, Olympia just strikes me as an astrology nerd instead of a psychic, and Bede just had psychic types for no reason (I know you said gym leader but I just wanted to point these out).

[@FTChomp9980]

Great now you got me picturing Tulip wearing Yoga Shirt and Pants! Considering she's a model well she would be styling.

[@jst1215]

Olympia starts floating when you’re about to battle her, so she does clearly have psychic powers. Bede and Lucien seem to lean more on the “psychic type = high intelligence” association.

[@GMOPsyche]

@@jst1215 Honestly that's kind of a stretch on my part but her whole gym seems weird but it might not involve psychic powers. Maybe her levitating is an illusion from the building?

[@idontchuckle6658]

"This is for you. Though hopefully a child like you has no need to put it on namesake." *You received TM Facade* God I love Larry

[@rafaelcosta8291]

Whats the joke/innuendo

[@decidueyesrandm5526]

@@rafaelcosta8291 he hates his job but puts on a facade to seem like he at least enjoys it Or other way around

[@lfztomwes]

@@rafaelcosta8291 If you need a Poké Innuendo, I have one for you. Remember in X & Y when you're alone on the mansion balcony with Shauna, and then the Butler gives you the TM for Protect? Well, I'll let you figure that out for yourself.

[@tdawgmaster1729]

@@lfztomwes Oh God

[@MariOmor1]

@@lfztomwes hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[@Snowleaper]

I genuinely really like Grusha. I feel like no one talks about him with the context of his background as a pro snow boarder who had to give up on his dream right before achieving it. Like, he's pretty depressed and feels like he has so little going for him. Him covering his face is a good reflection of his mood. When battling, he tries to lower his scarf, but it keeps coming back up to hide his face. I just really like grusha, ok

[@MusicalBoarder]

I thought grusha was a chick lol.

[@雪者]

I never really Grusha was a depressed boyo. Poor guy, I just wanna cuddle him

[@luckyinky7849]

And the thing that he said about taking what's left of him if he doesn't do well as a gym leader made me worried about him more

[@TornaitSuperBird]

Plus, he's the only Gym Leader that's not found in a town or city. The only time you see any other human being in the vicinity of his Gym is when you're inside the Gym, or when a Gym battle is taking place. Every other time, there's nobody in that general area except for the player.

[@1stAid]

His constant remarks along the lines of, "my life sucks," and, "life can change for the worse," honestly helped make him my most disliked Gym Leader. Like I get it, you were the #1 snowboarder and then a bad injury took you out of the game, but one NPC tells you that the accident happened before the player character was probably even born. It's been about 10 years! Stop sounding like a middle schooler trying to be edgy. Not to mention how underwhelming the battle was. Grusha's made to sound like the hardest Gym Leader, with him telling you something along the lines of "now's not a good time to battle me, I'm not gonna hold back at all," and then an NPC telling you Grusha was #1 at snowboarding and is #1 in the Gym Leaders at battling. And then he proceeded to never get to move because my starter kept on one-shotting everything.

[@paralytictactoe9012]

The thing that really gets me with Geeta is how *polished* her shoes are. The overall shading of her art does not have any white highlights, but then you look at the shoes... I can't help but think she spends 3 hours every morning polishing them and that's hilarious

[@iantaakalla8180]

And given how bad her teams are, she might spend more time on shoe shining than on being a Pokémon champion or even the last challenge to prove you are a champion-level trainer.

[@cookier995]

@@iantaakalla8180 She has a fucking avalugg and Gogoat and sends out the pokemon that sets up toxic spikes LAST. She does not deserve to be champion

[@Ditto.007]

@@iantaakalla8180 ngl its the arrangement of her team, if glimora was at the start and scattered poison on the ground as a starter then she had king gambit as her ace coming in last then damn she would be broken i mean king gambits ability of having its Attack and Special Attack are boosted for each party Pokémon that has been defeated means that it would come with +5 attack and +5 sp attack which is insane so yh her team is strong but the arrangement of her team is trash imo

[@concerningindividual629]

@@Ditto.007 Too bad Kingambit has a 4x weakness to fighting, plus a low base speed. If Kingambit were her ace she could have really made them much harder to defeat with a Steel tera type so they could tank a few fighting type moves

[@Ditto.007]

@@concerningindividual629 Sure it may have a 4x weakness but thats ok because at the end of the day you don't want her to be unbeatable i think giving her the best possible team would be silly for a casual game. However, i do think it would be cool giving king gambit a steel tera as steel has a few weaknesses like fire, ground and fighting that could help beat its OP stats from the boost

[@dededeletethis9940]

Fun fact about Larry: he actually wears different outfits depending on where you fight him. As an Elite 4 member, his suit is slightly more blue than his Gym Leader suit, and his shirt and tie are light blue as opposed to the gray shirt and tie he wears in the gym. These changes are so subtle that you likely won’t even notice them unless you see side-by-side screenshots, but i love the devs for putting in such a small detail

[@Commander_Appo]

Are you sure it’s not just lighting?

[@Commander_Appo]

Just checked and yep he definitely looks different. I’m pretty sure the jacket colour difference is just lighting, but the shirt and tie are definitely bluer

[@lucarionite452]

It’s because a normal type is less unconquerable than a flying type but a flying type is still a bit boring

[@seila-dg9ig]

and also he wears gloves

[@smirglepapier531]

I called him being a flying type trainer in the E4 because in the cutscene before you fight him. I noticed his tie and was all like "would be funny if he had an flying team this time around". And he did.

[@nathanhol42001]

Can we also talk about how Larry's eyes are SQUARE? Everything from the brows to the sclerae to the irises and pupils is absolutely quadrilateral. It gives his face a more striking appearance, and I think it also reinforces the unenthused, tired look he has. It may also be a subtle play on words . . .

[@ijustwatchvideosandleaveco1004]

I was waiting for someone to point that out!!! Is there like some kind of story driven explanation for that? Is he an office drone?(terrible pun I know)

[@unknowngamer7058]

Another possible reason is that the square is usually seen as the most uninteresting shape

[@FourFor4]

As far as I know about shape language, it’s a shape of neutrality and fairness. One that’s not very over-the-top, making it a bit uninteresting and boring.. whatever way it is, I enjoy the design with the “little” it has!! XD

[@nathanhol42001]

@@unknowngamer7058 that’s what I mean by play on words. Like people perceived as boring or straight-laced sometimes get called “squares.”

[@killminewin4733]

Iono said “be there or be square” and Larry didn’t care to show up

[@hhjan594]

Fun fact: Hassel's official art has the same color theme as a certain Pokemon. Sunflora. For some reason, they have a very close color theme. Maybe this ties on how Brassius conveys that Hassle saved him as an artist and then he made his best art project about the Sunflora.

[@hunterhq295]

They do have a friendship, I think it's shown in one of the classes with Hassel.

[@hhjan594]

@@hunterhq295 That is exactly what I'm saying

[@kymo6343]

@@hunterhq295 'Friendship', that's one way of saying it... XD

[@qb8030]

Funnily enough, Brassius’ spiky outfit and color gradient makes him look like a really dark Dragonfruit Food for thought!

[@kymo6343]

@@qb8030 Well, whatever kind of fruit he is, dragonfruit or olive... I'm sure Hassel would eat him up either way~ XD

[@user-lc3on9fd9m]

I feel like Grusha's head is also supposed to resemble the tip of an iceberg; the rest of his body is obscured by thick clothing just like the majority of an iceberg would be hidden in the waters, and seeing only his head makes it easy to mistake him for a girl

[@thediabolicalraisin8953]

@@squallthejollyroger no

[@screwmysisterleon]

@@squallthejollyroger I didn't know groomers were color blind in addition to being mentally ill.

[@dededeletethis9940]

@@squallthejollyroger thank you for including the trans flag in your comment, it made it easier for me to disprove your idea that Grusha’s scarf has the trans colors. The trans flag consists of five stripes in three colors: two times light blue, two times light pink, and white in the middle. Grusha’s scarf consists of three stripes: two times deep blue and slightly pale red in the middle, with the only white bit being at the end for the Pokeball decoration. Grusha’s scarf is not the trans pride flag, sorry to tell you. It’s completely fine if you want to headcanon Grusha as trans, but please don’t try to force that headcanon onto others by claiming it’s part of his design. As it stands, the only evidence we have of Grusha being trans is that he looks feminine, and claiming that he’s trans just because of that is reinforcing a stereotype.

[@randomman2307]

No he's just a guy who look like a lady

[@hello.9958]

​​@@squallthejollyroger nope grusha is not trans

[@ScarletRebel96]

Kofu is by far my favorite gym leader for these couple reasons 1. Unpopular opinion but venonat one of my favorite pokemon ever and he carries around a cute venonat wallet 2. He always smiling and his personality makes me wish there was more of him in the game as well as you can see the respect his gym city especially has for him compared to other leaders 3. Gotta love how his apron and beard is a callback to the classic Japanese style of painting ocean waves

[@lordpenn]

4. "VAULTIN' VELUZA!"

[@shinyeeveelution789]

@@lordpenn this

[@rei_cultist]

@@lordpenn That

[@mateuszsosnowski5876]

@@lordpenn There?

[@tropicalbytsanity7845]

@@lordpenn Here

[@Nova-lu3ow]

Tulip's butterfly designs are a reference to the Greek goddess Psyche, who is sometimes depicted with butterfly wings and was known for her beauty (to the point of infuriating Aphrodite!)

[@eugeneimnotgonnatellyoumyl5513]

Wasn't Psyche like, a regular person before having some insane things happen to her, die, and become immortal?

[@Nova-lu3ow]

@@eugeneimnotgonnatellyoumyl5513 Yep! Aphrodite had her do a bunch of tasks that ended in her death, and her husband Eros took her body to Olympus where she becomes the goddess of Soul

[@danshakuimo]

Funny thing is that Cleopatra was actually Greek, despite also being the Pharaoh of Egypt. So her design actually makes even more sense given.

[@jmurray1110]

She was a mortal people started to fawn over more than Aphrodite so she sent Eros to dispose of her but he fell in love and they lived together in his mansion but he was shears invisible Her sisters came to say to visit and talked about how the prophecy that gif her into this situation said she would marry a monster that even the gods feared (and yes they did fear him because Zeus cannot keep it in his yoga and the rest (disregard hera, Artemis and Athena) aren’t much better) So one night she takes a candle to look at him while he’s sleeping and the wax falls in love with him too so jumps off the candle and burns him After Aphrodite finds out she gives her impossible tasks such as sorting individual rice grains and collecting an item on the other side of either a terrible river or the stykes that the other gods had to subtly help her with because apparently they couldn’t interfere After a task involving going to hades to get a box of “Beauty” from Persephone she for sone reason desires to use it herself and is killed by the curse Persephone put on it to either punish or prank Aphrodite and upon Eros escaping his mothers grasp flies her up to Olympus to make her a god and have a child who represents hope

[@jmurray1110]

More accurately ptolomeic who were helonists who Inbred a lot following their take over of the land after ptolome was granted it after a slander the great died without an heir

[@matsu8518]

I really like Larry because he's just a guy but Ryme might be my favourite gym leader this gen. She has a funky and fun design and she seems like a fun person to be around (plus the dancing dog). I really like the skeletal hair that ends with a hand. Fun stuff. She deserves more attention. Fun fact, she's the younger sister of professor tyme who used to be the former gym leader of montenervia. Cool stuff

[@blackavar5723]

She's my favorite, too. I legitimately wanted to have a rap battle with her, (but of course the game only teases you with that option)!

[@Keizer0724]

I had a feeling Ryme and Tyme is somewhat connected. They both rhyme. Note: I know they’re sibling’s and it’s not like the comment I’m replying to literally talked about Ryme and Tyme being siblings in the first place.

[@dustymcwari4468]

I love the dogs, the lil dancing one caught me by surprise

[@GrimYarrow]

Ryme was absolutely my favorite, and I enjoyed having a double battle with her. The way she looked upset to lose but then gives a thumbs up to the player made me love her even more. She feels familiar, like a godmother or aunty. Also shout out to DJ G-Rave, the funkiest little Greavard!

[@kaidenrichards1045]

@@Keizer0724 Their are Sisters by the way. 😃

[@TheAwesomeDarkNinja]

I really appreciate the gym leaders don't look so obvious compared to previous designs. Still fitting their theme of course, but a lot of gym leaders you can't just size up their type at a simple glance.

[@pn2294]

Fits with Terastalization

[@youtubestudiosucks978]

Why dont we have a dark type gymleader already? We have so many starters evolving into fighting types that it should warrant at least 1 dark type gymleader

[@pn2294]

@@youtubestudiosucks978 because they’re mostly Elite Four members

[@Wii4a11]

Piers was the dark type gym leader of the last generation, though. And while I know many wouldn't count it as such, I consider Nanu a gym leader as well.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

@@youtubestudiosucks978 We got 2 last gen lol

[@MisterPrawn]

If/when these characters get added to Pokemon Masters EX, it makes me wonder what kind of voices they'll give them in the game.

[@DkKobaADV]

oh man, i cant wait for ryme

[@GatorEX]

Yep, really excited to hear that. Though, we’ve at least heard Iono’s Japanese voice from the Bellibolt reveal. ⚡️ 🐸

[@honeydarlinggaming9156]

I would pay a comical amount of money to hang out with Larry

[@cornblaster7003]

@@GatorEX I hope they keep her speaking mostly Japanese for the whole vtuber theme she has going on honestly, that'd be a cool way to play into that bit a little more

[@dededeletethis9940]

I’m more curious about which trainer/Pokemon combos we’re getting. How will Sada and Turo work is a good question for starters. Then, which Pokemon will the Gym Leaders bring? Their aces are all older Pokemon, so i highly doubt those would be used. My personal guesses based on their teams are Spidops (Katy), Arboliva (Brassius), Bellibolt (Iono), Veluza (Kofu), Dudunsparce (Larry), Houndstone (Ryme), Espathra (Tulip) and Cetitan (Grusha). Next on the list of questions are the teachers. For three of them, we can very easily pick Gen 9 Pokemon for them. Jacq and Tyme use Farigiraf and Garganacl respectively as their aces, and Dendra has Paldean Tauros. However, the remaining teachers (Saguaro, Salvatore, Raifort and Miriam) don’t have any Paldean Pokemon in their teams. Would they simply use their aces, even if some of them are already in the game (such as Raichu and Hatterene) or would they be given fitting Paldean Pokemon? And how will the starter Pokemon be handled? Will Florian and Juliana have starters or will they go the route of Gloria and Lukas and have Legendaries? And what about Clavel? Speculation like this is really fun and a common pastime of mine

[@hunterhq295]

Some fun trivia -Cricket powder is used in baking for some places and insects are considered a super food with more energy than beef so kinda fits for Katy being a baker -Hassel being an artist once helped Brassius out of a slump and they have a good friendship -Tulip said she doesn't get along well with Geeta since she feels the chairwoman's aura and flare is too similar to her. As for Kofu being a seafood chef wonder what he serves, filleting his veluza over and over again? Or serving a tatsugiri? Proves people eat pokemon?

[@CloutmasterPhluphyy]

People eating pokémon is a known fact and has been for many gens lmao

[@joshcoy6748]

@@CloutmasterPhluphyy I'd personally be more worried about Pokémon eating sandwiches, due to them not naturally being a part of their diet, that and imagine a lechonk eating a ham sandwich for example, wouldn't that be cannibalism?

[@CloutmasterPhluphyy]

@@joshcoy6748 meh, cannibalism happens all the time between animals irl, and all pokémon are just animals with magical powers, so not too much of a problem imo

[@joshcoy6748]

@@CloutmasterPhluphyy personally, I still think it seems concerning.

[@layerex3957]

There's a restaurant that belongs to Kofu in Cascarrafa

[@hrpang]

One detail about Geeta I think it looked over a lot. She looks like a ship captain. She's got a straight uniform and tie, dress shoes, the Compass represents members of the Elite 4 in the game(hint hint at Larry being an E4) as well a ship being the Gym Logo for Paldea.

[@dinghe6948]

Where does Larry have the compass before as a hint? Yes he wears the gloves during the elite four battle, but he doesn't in your gym challenge of him (and the rematch). The same could also be levied at Hassel, but in both the ingame model and in the classes, Hassel doesn't have the elite four glove. I do think the ship element is important (Excluding the whole, elite four are representing the titans theme). There's clearly something there for it, but I would also wager that the compass is also meant to signify trainers looking for treasure.

[@darknephilim3248]

I'm liking this idea, but all I can think of is that Avalugg is the iceberg she's plowing the ship into... Gogoat is there too.

[@its-so-ouverture]

The compass is also on the back of the League representatives coats, so I think it just represents League staff in general

[@its-so-ouverture]

​@@darknephilim3248Glimmora is there too

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Cortondo is based off Jaén in Andalusia, which is known as the world capital of olive oil. They produce 600,000 tonnes of it every year, calling it their liquid gold. This obsession for olives is reflected in the Gym test. That being said, it's a huge missed opportunity you can't get any baked goods at Katy's bakery and it's nothing more than a set prop. They could've let you get a Paldean regional baked good, and then in the post-game, import goods from Kalos like the Shalour Sable and Lumiose Galette. I wouldn't say Tulip's Egyptian, but definitely North African. The southern Iberian Peninsula was historically conquered by the Moors and ruled by several Muslim states. This influence is reflected in the architecture of Andalusia and the Algarve of Portugal today.

[@grapekoolaid6684]

Can we talk about how much the gym leader theme slaps, its so cool how it adds my instruments and gets progressively better as the battle goes on

[@GatorEX]

I absolutely love it!

[@grapekoolaid6684]

@@GatorEX i would love to see a video about this gens music

[@valiant1838]

even so, gym theme is not so popular and a lot of people hate it openly. I tried finding a remix or cover for gym theme but song like quartet legend, tera raid, team star, and great crater are abundant compare to gym theme, a bit sad fact for us

[@sansywastaken]

I love the part when the Gym Leader Terastallizes their last Pokemon and the chanting comes in.

[@mrfutrzaczek9127]

I frickin' love Geeta's design. She looks so cool, and unique. I think it is a great design especially for the champion. Her team tho... it is just frustrateing that Glimmora is at the end instead of the beginning, and Kingambit should have been the Ace

[@nechocat1234]

Glimmora is her ace because is the only pokemon native to paldea, gogoat is from kalos, esphatra is clearly egypcian, bisharp is from unova but kingambit is japanese, veluza is a merluza who are native to south america and new zeland and avalugg is also from kalos but it represents the south and north poles more since it's an iceberg, while glimmets can be rarrly seen in the caves of paldea it's not farfetch'd to say that they are native to area zero since glimmora are thriving there even when they are so close to the source of the paradox pokemon

[@dustymcwari4468]

I think she’s holding back, hence her team being not great and rather counterproductive, she even admits she wants you to win just before the battle begins, and she’s overall more excited when you beat her team, complimenting you for “choosing the correct decision”, but if she lands a crit on your team she doesn’t seem very excited

[@cookier995]

She also uses a Gogoat and avalugg on a champion team. Bro

[@r3alityrjectna452]

@@dustymcwari4468 I feel like she kinda knows that the “real champion”, in terms of the story, is Nemona. She serves as the last step before that final fight.

[@darknephilim3248]

@@dustymcwari4468 she also says "I am incapable of holding back" or something to that effect. This is her best, and its hardly a passing grade. Two good pokemon placed incorrectly, two decent pokemon underultilised (the bird has quick attack... during the champion fight... the fuck) and the less said about fucking GOGOAT AND AVALUGG the better. Even going to game design reasons. Theres no reason for her to be shit. Cynthia is beloved and Volo has the best fight in the series and they're hard as hell!

[@pieterhofkens7259]

Larry is the best character ever, only followed closely by Kofu and arven imo

[@rios5944]

He looks like a freaking angry bird though

[@luckyinky7849]

@@rios5944 that's why he's powerful

[@division6193]

@@luckyinky7849he is the terence of the pokémon world

[@luckyinky7849]

@@division6193 exactly

[@xpastelxbloodx]

I feel like the butterflies on Tulips design are supposed to be a subtle reference to a common style of eyeliner (winged eyeliner), though it may just be a stretch and a half on my part

[@runedoom]

Or psyche, the Greek Goddess of the soul, who was closely associated with butterflies. Butterflies also relating to souls in Egyptian mythology, which fit her. Same reason Caitlyn had butterflies in gen five.

[@GatorEX]

That’s a good idea, honestly, I wouldn’t have thought of that 😅

[@hunterhq295]

@@runedoom Thought it was floating hearts around Caitlin that time

[@runedoom]

@@hunterhq295 they were heart shaped butterflies, as psyche's husband Eros is the God of love and son of aphrodite.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Iono's name not only comes from ion, but also the genus Chionanthus, or fringetrees. In fact all the characters you meet in this game have plant-related names. Larry comes from spotted laurel, Grusha is Russian for pear, Kofu comes from kombu which is edible kelp (which isn't a plant but algae; though I'll give them some slack since many believe that), Geeta comes from the genus Sagittaria (arrowhead/duck potato), Hassel comes from the Hassaku orange, Penny comes from tree peony, Arven comes from Mentha arvensis (corn mint) to name a few. Ryme is a top ten rapper Eminem is too afraid to diss. She only became a Gym Leader recently as according to lore, the former Montenevera Gym Leader is her older sister Tyme, who specializes in Rock-types and is now the math teacher at the academy. Honestly, I like the Ghost-type aesthetic a lot more. Ryme actually looks like a Ghost-type trainer, unlike Tyme who you wouldn't think would be a Rock-type trainer unless she tells you. Her blocky hair is the only hint.

[@FlashFirePrime]

I like to imagine that Tyme dressed differently when she was a gym leader and that her current fit is only what she wears because she’s retired from battling and is a teacher now.

[@Cheshieruu]

i was gonna say ryme stuck out bc it's rhyme, but! i just realized tyme is thyme-- thymus, the herb that i love.

[@Marcythesweets]

HI/Hola KIm JOMG-UN!😄

[@BJGvideos]

Iono also comes from "I donno"

[@TheHammerGuy94]

People probably don't know but as someone who studied psychology 101: The Greek Letter Psi Ψ, translates to "psyche" in Latin, which means butterfly. in Psychology, the butterfly itself represents the soul, and psychology can be roughly translated to "Study of the Soul" So despite Tulip having zero psychic powers compared to previous psychic gym leaders the butterfly motif in her fashion sense pretty much screams "psyche" ever wondered why many butterfly pokemon can learn psychic moves? this is why.

[@frostbitex23]

Also a few moth Pokemon too since they're also under the same group of insects as butterflies. This made me love my butterfly Pokemon even more - especially Beautifly and Venomoth.

[@starlitgalaxy2448]

Here is some interesting detail about Ryme. During one of her cutscenes when she is facing away from the camera, we can see on her back that her hair was braided to resemble a ribcage, spine, pelvis and two skeleton arms, very cool!

[@twinkleplasm]

Poppy gets so much hate, but she is one of my favorites. Across all generations actually. She's adorable and I love her! Rika and Grusha are my other favorites.

[@thanatoast]

I think Katy doesn't get much attention as a first gym leader, but after her rematch battle where she comments that her Gym is easy on purpose since it's the one closest to the school really endeared me to her for some reason.

[@TomsSauce]

Aside from Larry, I ended up really enjoying Hassel and Brassius, real cool guys and the fact they're both artists that are friends is pretty great. On another note, I really want to buy merch based off the Elite 4s gloves

[@bukojoetheslapsoils8273]

Same! Larry is my favorite but I also love Hassel-Brassius tandem. I'm glad I perfected my finals for Hassel's art class.

[@its-so-ouverture]

I'd buy merch based off those gloves too

[@phoebelow68]

Larry is the best in terms of the gym puzzle, gym design, battle cutscenes/dialogue, and character design. Sadly, the gym battle itself wasn't much of a challenge by the time I got to it. I wish that the gym difficulty would scale based on your # of gym badges. I also wish that their aces would terastelize into something OTHER than their designated gym type. Like if his Staraptor turned into a Ghost type instead of Normal.

[@Helm-0]

EXACTLY DUDE, i really thought they were going to finally use the in-universe lore of the gym leaders having different teams based on the challengers badges. The order of gym battles being flexible means nothing if they're always the same in every run.

[@phoebelow68]

@@Helm-0 If I recall correctly, Nemona challenges you when you enter the 3rd gym and after you win the 5th gym. It doesn't matter which order you did the gyms, she just shows up. They did it right with her. I don't get why they wouldn't extend that same logic to the gym leaders.

[@draconinja2728]

@@phoebelow68 For a Open world game which main dialogue is "you can go everywhere you want" they did the progression dirty by putting fixed lvls (Cause i wanted to do first all of the Arvin missions in order to have all Miraidon abilities,but freaking False titan is always lvl 50 or more)

[@Hyper_Drud]

At least Larry’s ace is already part normal unlike the rest of the gym leaders. So it just hits even harder with normal type moves.

[@poweradereal]

iono and larry are the by far best gym leaders of gen 9, no contest

[@tacitgamingfanREAL]

kofu and larry*

[@ihaterosa129]

Iono is arse water

[@questionmarkquestionmarkques]

ryme and grusha are great too

[@somechupacabrawithinternet8866]

the ice type guy is the best he is perfection itself

[@Helm-0]

How dare you lump in my main man Larry the chad with Iono

[@SylvaGardenia]

I feel like not enough people have been talking about how Geeta and Poppy are probably related. Both have yellow spots in their eyes and in their hair (Geeta all over and Poppy with an X shape on the top of her head). Given Pokemon and how they treat these sorts of similarities, I wouldn't be surprised if Poppy was Geeta's daughter or something and that's the real reason the toddler is so high leveled. The difference in skin tone is also easily explainable by Poppy simply being mixed but taking her skin tone from her father's side of the family (which can happen, my skin is tanned while my brother's isn't despite him being more active outside). This also implies Geeta potentially is or was married so I'm curious to see if we get any more info on the possible connection.

[@zerokura]

I like that the yellow X is to me reminds me of the X on metagross a steel psychic type.

[@longbeing]

Nepotism would definitely explain why Poppy’s on the Elite Four (although steel is a great type so it’s not the only possible explanation), and it would also support the “Geeta is the DLC villain” theory

[@adilali8265]

Theory, as the game has advanced robots, that can mimic human behaviour almost flawlessly, Poppy might be a robot, who doesnt age obviously. It is rather odd that a toddler is an elite 4 member, but also she has steel type as her specialty(which is associated with robots, like genesect). Additionally the key might be a key for herself, as she has a very doll-like appearance, reminiscent of the wind up toys. If Sada/Turo could create AI so advanced few years prior to the events of the game, it stands to reason that more advanced AI couldve been developed for the elite 4. And we only see her face and there is light coming out of her eyes. By that extension perhaps Geeta is also an AI, though i do have less of a belief that 2 characters would be like that.

[@BJGvideos]

​@yahoodotcom5321Implying that's the only way to make a super advanced robot though. Also if anybody else is a secret robot I think it's Geeta herself. She seems to only know the vaguest things about what makes a strong trainer and applies them without understanding the reasoning behind them, her eyes take up like a third of her skull, and she comes off like she's only got the vaguest understanding of how to interact.

[@six3792]

"Forget the Gym Challenge he's gotta go buy some fish." I was dead on the floor for a flat 30 seconds with how funny this single quote is.

[@guilhermer4375]

You forgot the best thing about gen 9: Dancing Greavard

[@LostParadise_]

I think my favorite is Hassel. I think spending as much time with him as you do with the art classes definitely helped me grow some sort of bond with him, and I like how he's tied in with Brassius' story.

[@cheesebaby4175]

Fun fact: Tulip’s makeup is obviously quite extravagant, but the detail of having a small white line highlighting the Cupid’s bow of her upper lip is (I think) a reference to American drag queen Gigi Goode, and to drag makeup in general! The technique serves to make over lined lips less noticeable and kind of finish the look. It fits her character so so well to have these subtle references to drag makeup, since real makeup artists share techniques with drag performers all the time! It’s such a small thing but I just think it’s so cool

[@ASmarterThanAverageSeel]

“Katy is kind and welcoming” Also Katy: Allow me to knead you into submission!

[@raiden2901]

Kinky

[@AlexDayz]

I know previous gym leader have other jobs outside the gym (like Erika being a florist) but this is the first time it feels like that’s a big part of them. Katy accidentally uses her greeting for her bakery rather than her gym, Tulip is busy on the phone before your battle, Kofu runs off to get some rare seaweed and the town love him, you’ve got the get the crowd pumped up for Ryme’s concert, etc. Really anda a lot of characters to them

[@killminewin4733]

Larry even talks about him having to go back to his office job soon as well

[@Cheshieruu]

@@killminewin4733 poor larry

[@paxgallery6646]

Ah, yes, the Paldean Gym Leaders: Cooking Mama, Yusuke, Best girl, Big Man, *Larry.* , "YES FINALLY DOUBLE BATTLES", "She's a 10 but she's a psychic type trainer", and Grusha.

[@WorldWeave]

I think my favorite elite four member is Rika, not only do I like her design, but I remember having the most interesting/funny experiences with her…for example, meeting her for the first time, I thought she was a guy…and the contrast between her fight and Poppy’s (the little baby) was hilariously jarring when I first experienced it…it went from seeing Rika’s clodsire and thinking “anyone else feel like we over-trained for this?” To seeing each of Poppy’s Pokémon and trying to figure out how she even HAS them

[@InktheImpassive]

I really like the concept of a preschooler being in the Elite Four cuz they stayed true to Gladion's quote; "You know why being a Trainer is so great? Because when you're battling, it doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult. Everyone's equal in Pokémon battle!".

[@CrabMushroom]

Something I don’t see many people mention about Hassel specifically is that his tie pattern may actually be a, pun not intended, tie to Druddigon: a dragon type introduced in Unova that, while not appearing on his team, still makes sense for a reference.

[@Spelllboundmiyuki]

Brassius is my favourite gym leader i love how he looks like he’s died inside 5 times but has got the arty flair and also the randomness that i have (randomness by the fact that the first time you see him he’s chilling on a windmill (i literally said to that “looks like Brassius is enjoying human fall flat”))

[@its-so-ouverture]

I vibe with him so much, part odd the reason I love him too

[@Brianycus]

I love all of them, but my absolute personal favorites are Larry, Tulip, Ryme, and Katy and here's why: Larry: literally the embodiment of a regular guy in a Pokemon world, and he just speaks to me on a whole other level. Tulip: She's surpsiringly down to earth as a model-basec character and gets along with the player very well, especially when she says in the rematch that she would much rather prefer to battl you than Geeta. She respects us and I love her design for its simplicity. Ryme: She gives cool grandma vibes and she's the twin sister of one of my favorite teachers in this game. Nuff said. Katy: First gym leader I took on and made the best impression on what the Gym Leaders of Paldea are offering. She's so motherly and love how simple she is design wise. And the photo we take with her is just so wholesome.

[@joshtompkins1538]

I actually love Kofu. His happy-go-lucky attitude towards just about everything is just so infectious.

[@whatgsaid]

Considering that Paldea is based off of Spain, I interpreted Tulip and the general music in her area to be Moor-inspired, calling to the period of time where the Moors ruled Spain and how you still see influences in the culture / buildings / language today.

[@TheRoomforImprovement]

I noticed that the badges didn't have epithets like usual so i made a few fan made ones. Feel free to critique. Katy: Web Badge Brassius: Thorn Badge Iono: Stream Badge Kofu: School Badge Larry: Meal Badge Ryme: Hymn Badge Tulip: Peace Badge Grusha: Drift Badge.

[@mega-swampy1311]

My favorite Elite 4 member (beside Larry) has to be Hassel as he literally makes dragon puns as the battle progresses as I am a type of person who likes puns.

[@thehermit8618]

Another cool design you neglected with Ryme is that the bone motif of her dreads extents to her back, with more dreads resembling bones and a big one with the form of a pelvis. Another cool detail of her is that when she raps her eyes go all white which i believe its meant to reference _glossolalia_ or "speaking in tongues", a common cliche of spiritual possession or seance. To round it all up her name is a triple hit of references: Ryme is meant to reference rime, a type of ice but its also Rhyme because she's an MC; and in Japanese the "R" and "L" sounds are the same which makes her "Lyme" as in "Lime", inkeeping with the botany naming convention of the Pokemon names

[@iliannapino483]

Fun fact: The key necklace around Poppy's neck is actually a portable pouch that contains candies, according to her concept artwork.

[@frostbitex23]

I've seen folks pointing out that Tulip's design is also a reference to the Greek goddess, Psyche whose name is the origin of the word "Psychic". Psyche is the Greek goddess of the soul who is associated with butterfly wings which could explain the butterflies on Tulip's dress. Not to mention, Psyche herself is very beautiful.

[@spacetofu5306]

THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE HOLY

[@pixlbelle8081]

The thing I just realized about Rika’s design is that her tie and suspenders are not exactly just that- they’re repurposed climbing gear, which is why they have all those triangular latches, that’s what you attach the latches to when going rock climbing, at least on vertical walls.

[@OrangeSpaceNewt]

Brassius was simped for to hell and back because they LOVED that he had a vine whip thing

[@IveGotTenCents]

Ngl, some of my favourite character designs so far. Rika, Larry and Grusha are all great

[@elfilin-to6dh]

I love how both Larry and Brassius look like they *really* need sleep

[@tadesubaru1383]

Grusha's red and blue scarf made me think of Barça immediately. I guess all spaniards thought of that

[@Thats_not_my_real_name.]

Interesting fact, about Grusha🍐 He's name comes from гpyша (grusha, Russian for "Pear") and possibly "glacier," referring to his Ice-type specialty.

[@zoro-ke]

"Brassius seems like he needs someone to" "WAKE HIM UP INSIDE."

[@yorukage5926]

Kofu, Larry, and Brassius are the best gym leaders. All three are polite and kind towards the player, praise/don't talk smack during their battles, they also aren't annoying like a certain vtuber, and they have the best badge photo.

[@somethingbanter]

one detail i noticed about hassel during my recent playthrough is that he has a heavy lumbering walk. made me think dragon, so i guess it works. i like it either way

[@coatrak1357]

Kofu's forehead hair thing reminds me of how birds (usually seagulls) are drawn from far away

[@ShockInazuma]

Bro, imagine if Brassius and Burgh collaborated. They would make the best art ever known in the Pokémon world if they did that.

[@ksoundkaiju9256]

Imagine if all the gym leaders were Alumni at the Naranja/Uva Academy and were all classmates

[@someoneawesome8717]

Fun fact! The butterflies on Tulip are likely a reference to the Greek goddess of the mind Psyche who was noted to be so beautiful that Aphrodite got SUPER jealous

[@luckyinky7849]

7:48 Hassel is also shown to play the piano in his consept art so that why

[@Joshua-pt1ck]

I think the yellow marks on Poppy’s head are supposed to resemble a screw whenever you look at her from the back. Also Geeta gives off Illumi vibes, mainly the eyes.

[@elipticalecliptic481]

there's something going on with her; she's hiding something

[@julienleu6314]

kofu's specific colours and pattern on the facial hair kinda reminded me of the great wave of kanagawa more than any art piece depicting it and if you look at ryme's back you'll also see that her dreadlocks are shaped to form a coccyx

[@arachineatzeer7478]

The Magnemite hair clips Iono has also changes expression when she does, stars for excited or cocky, big puppy dog eyes for worried or shaken and so on Ryme's hair has more skeleton theming at the back with a ribcage and spine (which is dope ngl) The clock looking pattern on the Elite 4's (and Greta's) gloves are an eyecatching detail and it seems to be always on the right glove only, talking of the Elite 4, Rika's Terastallize animation is kinda flashy with a cheeky spin after throwing. Kofu's Terastallize Animation is one of the best as he just laughs at the energy pouring into the ball, being the happy, friendly guy he is. Larry's is noteworthy as well as he just adjusts his tie while most other characters struggle a little with it (Arven and most of the other Gym Leaders come to mind)

[@shuichisaihope398]

Man seeing Brassius' at the Academy made me feel so bad for him. He was really depressed

[@hunterhq295]

He was but not anymore thanks to Hassel.

[@renote5559]

Kofu is in my opinion the best one since he has an original character, style of talking and has really cool desigh that fits him perfectly

[@longbeing]

7:54 Hassel also mentions he used to be a musician when he was younger. Long thin fingers are advantageous when playing the piano, as well as some other instruments.

[@leoryff979]

Still think there is more to Geeta than what we have seen so far. Gives me Chairman Rose vibes. Not evil, just hiding something. Also we never learn how she had the only Paradox Pokemon outside of Area Zero. Where'd she get that that? Only other one was the Titan and that's been around a while.

[@worgorbestloser7668]

I don't remember ,which Paradox Pokemon does she have ?

[@bloodorange7428]

Glimmora’s pre evolution glimmet can be obtained in certain caves in the overworld. It is not an area zero exclusive

[@TornaitSuperBird]

@@bloodorange7428 Glimmora itself is Area Zero exclusive, though.

[@leoryff979]

@@worgorbestloser7668 I made a mix up. could have sworn I fought her using an Iron Valiant when I fought her in the League, but I think I am mixing that up with her Kingambit. My mistake.

[@worgorbestloser7668]

@@leoryff979 Oh yeah ,memories can trick you like that sometimes ! No big deal ,have a nice end of the year anyway!👍

[@somethingfunnyyt]

I think you forgot an elite four member yes I was expecting the bit of covering Larry twice.

[@Soupurman]

"As she owns a bakery she is dressed accordingly. She has that ca-"

[@makototakara7025]

I heard that the butterfly motifs on Tulip’s outfit alludes to the Greek goddess Psyche who is associated with butterflies herself. Even more fitting is that the word psychic is derived from Psyche herself.

[@BuckBlaziken]

I remember people complaining about how this generation’s main characters are too “Gen X” inspired and too “Progressive”, but personally I think these are some of the best designed Pokémon characters we’ve gotten ever.

[@BJGvideos]

Gen X inspired? You know Gen X by now is like...characters Ryme's age, yeah?

[@barbarian0323]

When i saw kofu's face for the first time made me tink about a pokemon but i cold't remember it in the first place, after hi's ace came out (crabominable) i realaized

[@ailehunter]

my favourites would be Larry, Iono and Rika. They'll be Pokefairs for Masters. I CAN SEE IT! Also, missing for your Xmas drip for Masters :D

[@JanusHoW]

Something you can see, but neglected to mention about Iono is that her Magnemite hairclips emote along with her!

[@ghastlyweather1750]

I wish you would've pointed out Ionos "fake eyes"/hair accessories were most likely inspired by her favorite partner pokemon.

[@whatislife281]

I'm curious about iono. Mor specifically her eyes. When she says "Yor eyeballs are MINE--caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? Iono!" The camera zooms to the blue Magnemite and its eye, which turned into a star. But next to the text box you can see that her eye is now white and has a black spiral in it

[@taiscommentingaccountusedf1908]

I personally adore Iono! She is perfectly written. Kofu and Larry are fantastic as well! I also love Rika's aesthetic. She looks badass.

[@erict.miyahira6241]

2:52 i did not expect a yugioh reference, and a modern one to boot.

[@nestrior7733]

I'm only now noticing the similarities between Claire and Hassel. You might argue that it's only the hairstyles, but look at the Dragon Tamers around Paldea and Claire. Their outfits are extremely similar and they are all female, indicating that they possibly belong to the same Clan. It's also a break from it being an all male trainer class outside of Gyms and Champs. If that isn't a subtle nudge towards Hassel being from Johto, I don't know.

[@CAMnami]

My guess is he uses the whip in dramatic entrances such as when he jumped down from the windmill, we don't see him use it to slow himself but only way he could survive is by the whip

[@njivwathomassilavwe2056]

My favorite gym leader is definitely the MC of RIP, Ryme. So much personality, great title and DJ G Rave dancing was so cute

[@Angel-nx6wy]

There is a lot of shape theory to this in a way - Kofu much like Katy has rounded shapes to his appearance, circles typically give a wholesome look to things, which fits Kofu a lot given he's a chef and a friend, he seems like that fun uncle. Larry is mainly squares, which squares are used to depict strong characters who seem as though they could be difficult to move, this adds to this "whatever" look in my opinion. Brassius is made up of mainly triangles, which are accosiated with unstableness, but also powerful, (to me they seem straight forward as well) which over-all makes a lot of sense. I dunno just what I saw.

[@Gangsta_Playz]

Katie has the best design imo, I think her design best fits her gym

[@_xlampix1439]

... Wow. I *just* realized Iono is named after an ion. I'm so stupid.

[@jeronimoroldan2677]

It's good that now, thanks to Galar, it seems that they are going to make Gym Leaders have more personalities again (in Kalos and Alola there was nothing).

[@mlggd890]

Wdym

[@13rieCheese]

Kalos, maybe, but Alola? Wdym?

[@Lissy_YT481]

The heck are you talking about, you weeb?

[@TheGalaxyWings]

There were no gyms in alola

[@the_godbodor7026]

It’s probably just due to the wave design but Kofu’s facial hair reminds me of The King of Red Lions from The Wind Waker, which works pretty well since the personality of the two seem like a pretty close match

[@bearmarion93]

I always thought Rika had a vintage look. Her outfit seems to loosely resemble those worn by miners in earlier times.

[@kingollysorigamishow4819]

When we see brassias as an artist she always reminds me of seabold from the Kalos elite floor

[@fujitsu4216]

Brassius is by far the best gym leader i love how depressed he looks, and when i first encountered him his flair pleasantly surprised me

[@MM_Massacre]

Ryme is pretty cool. I like her design with the skeleton theme and ghost type is my favorite type, not to mention rap is my favorite music genre

[@EinsamPibroch278]

Brassius wields Hermit Purple, disguised as his thorn whip. How else could he survive that drop? (He's a Stand User!🙀)

[@ScarletRebel96]

Its ironic cause I kept calling Hassel sppedwagon as a joke the whole game

[@Shin_Aniki]

Ionos jacket reminds me of a straightjacket. Makes sense because she's freaking insane

[@FreedomDaveX]

You missed something really big about Tulip’s design, which I think many people have missed as well, since I haven’t seen anyone talk about Tulip’s design or her personality. The butterflies look like hands clapping her, which goes really well to her vain personality.

[@sweatyplayermeme]

I don’t know about you, but brassious just looks like kakyoin from JJBA and that when he uses his rope that it looks like the 20 meter emerald splash

[@Thejigholeman]

the bug leader was wholesome Iono was a meme Larry was a good man (my absolute favorite)

[@nschannel826]

I love Kofu so much. I have a soft spot for friendly grandpas.

[@pabs356]

you missed on that Grusha's scarf color also resemble the football team of Barcelona in Spain, which are mainly blue and red. Not sure why a it is like this but it's interesting to know.

[@13rieCheese]

@@squallthejollyroger Are you just going around telling everyone you see make a comment about Grusha this? It's fine to have headcannons but don't push it as fact....

[@pabs356]

@@squallthejollyroger that doesn't stop it from being Barcelona's colors, I'm not a fan of football but I can perfectly see how that fits it and I basically don't care about whatever your opinion is

[@squallthejollyroger]

@@13rieCheese ok, I see, I feel like a bit too many people are flaming me here

[@13rieCheese]

@@squallthejollyroger It's because you kept being pushy with your head canon. I browse the comment section after I watch a video and almost every comment even mentioning Grusha, you were there telling people your head canon was "fact". It's perfectly fine to have and share your thoughts about about characters to other people but it crosses a line when people start to enforce their own ideas as fact - that's how information gets mixed up and the wrong representation occurs. I see it happen far too many times. So just don't push your headcannons as facts, simply say it's a headcannon and you'll find people are much more accepting about it.

[@squallthejollyroger]

@@13rieCheese ok, that’s a fair response