Pokémon: 10 Toughest Gym Leaders In The Main Series Games

Every Gym Leader in the Pokémon gaming franchise is unique, but which Leaders are actually the toughest enemies to battle?

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The Gym format is the Pokémon franchise’s bread and butter. Even when the games alter the dynamic, as they did in Generations VII and VIII, the basic idea remains the same. Players battle their way through the different Gyms, winning eight badges that allow them to challenge the Elite Four and, eventually, the League Champion.

Throughout the main series games, fans met numerous Gym Leaders, some more memorable than others. However, a few of them stand out because of how challenging they are. Whether because of their Pokémon team, strategy, or both, these Leaders represent the very best the Pokémon world has to offer, making the gaming experience more enjoyable and, at times, frustrating.

10 Lenora

Lenora is one of the most prolific characters in the main series games. Besides being a Gym Leader, she’s also an archeologist and the director of the Nacrene Museum. In Pokémon Black & White, Nacrene Gym is the second challenge for the player.

Lenora specializes in Normal-types. A criminally underrated type, Normal has only one weakness but isn’t Super Effective against anything. With a level 18 Hardier and a level 20 Watchog, her team might not seem like much, but her strategy is admirable. Hardier’s Take Down can be problematic, and Watchog’s Retaliate is almost certain to OHKO at least one of the player’s Pokémon.

9 Fantina

The Ghost-type can be tricky to handle. It’s only weak to itself and Dark and Super Effective against itself and Psychic. Fantina acts as the fifth Gym Leader in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl and the third in Pokémon Platinum. Like the type she masters, her team can be equally treacherous.

In Diamond & Pearl, she has a Drifblim, a Gengar, and a sneaky Mismagius with Confuse Ray and holding a Sitrus Berry. As a pure Ghost-type, Mismagius will only be weak to Dark or another Ghost, and players may struggle to take it down. In Platinum, her team is less challenging, with her Drifblim becoming a puny Duskull and her Gengar regressing to Haunter. Fans will have a chance to fight her again with the upcoming release of Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

8 Drayden

At first, Drayden only appears in Pokémon Black. He’s the last Gym Leader, a position he shares with White’s Iris. In Black 2 & White 2, he’s the only leader, with Iris becoming the Champion.

He specializes in Dragon-types, and because Fairy wasn’t a thing in Gen V, battling him wasn’t as easy as it may seem. Back then, Dragons only had two weaknesses: themselves and the frail Ice-types. In both Black and the sequels, Drayden’s ace is his Dragon-Dancing Haxorus. In the sequels, it’s holding a Sitrus Berry, further complicating things. Dragons aren’t easily obtainable in any game, which means most players fought Drayden’s Gym with an Ice-type.

7 Volkner

As the last Gym Leader in the Sinnoh region, players already expect Volkner to be a worthy opponent. However, the Electric-type leader has more than a few aces up his sleeve.

In Diamond & Pearl, Volkner has two completely random Pokémon, Octillery and Ambipom. They both know Electric moves, but one is a Water-type, and the other is Normal. Players must then use a varied strategy to defeat him. In Platinum, and with the expanded Pokédex, his team becomes all-Electric, with Raichu and Jolteon replacing Octillery and Ambipom. Electivire also takes Luxray’s place as Volkner’s ace, resulting in a more complicated battle.

6 Elesa

Electric is a surprisingly convenient type. It only has one weakness, Ground, and is Super Effective against the most common type in the franchise, Water. Most players will go into an Electric Gym with a capable Ground-type and breeze through it. Elesa changes the dynamic by having Emolga as her ace.

Emolga is a dual Electric/Flying-type, making it immune to Ground, and in Black & White, she has two of them. However, what makes her so obnoxious is her Volt Switch strategy. It allows her to juggle her three Pokémon, constantly switching them out. To make matters worse, her Zebstrika knows Flame Charge, a Super Effective move against one of Emolga’s two weaknesses, Ice.

5 Clair

Like Drayden, Clair is the last leader in her home region and a Dragon Master. Her team lacks variety but makes up in strength. In the original Gold & Silver, she has three Dragonair and a Kingdra. In the remakes, Gyarados replaces one of her Dragonair, but the other mons remain. In all games, Kingdra is her ace.

Clair’s Pokémon all know the same Dragon-type move, Dragon Breath in Gen II and Dragon Pulse in Gen IV. Gyarados is four times weak to Electric, but it still poses a threat. Dragonair, a pure Dragon-type, is vulnerable to itself and Ice and isn’t as bulky as Gyarados. Kingdra, however, is only weak to Dragon thanks to its dual Water/Ice-typing. That, coupled with the Sitrus Berry it holds, makes for a nail-biting battle.

4 Blue

Without a doubt, Blue is one of the best rivals in the games. In Gen I, he’s the player’s rival and eventually acts as the first-ever Champion. In Gen II, he takes over the role of Viridian City’s Gym Leader, replacing Giovanni.

Much like his Champion team, Blue doesn’t have a type for his Gym match. He has a balanced team that includes the frail Exeggutor, the impressive Machamp and Rhydon, and the mighty Gyarados, Arcanine, and Pidgeot. This last mon acts as his ace and holds a Sitrus Berry. Pidgeot also knows Return, a move that becomes more powerful with friendship.

3 Norman

Generation III featured a unique idea, having the main character being the child of a Gym Leader. During the games’ course, the player battles their father, Norman, a Normal-type Gym Leader. The bond gives an extra touch to the battle, but Norman’s team is threat enough.

Norman’s primary menace is the mighty Slaking. With unbelievably high HP and Attack and above-average Speed, Slaking’s stats rival those of Legendary Pokémon. There is, of course, a catch, and Slaking’s Truant ability does make the battle more balanced. Even so, taking down Slaking is no easy feat, and in Ruby & Sapphire and their remakes, he has two! More than one player will end with a headache after this battle.

2 Whitney

And speaking of headaches, perhaps no Gym Leader has caused more than Whitney. Infamous in the community, Whitney is the third Gym Leader in Johto, a Normal-type specialist. Whitney’s team may not seem like much at first sight, but she packs a deadly punch.

Her Clefairy is manageable enough, but as every player knows, it’s her Miltank that is the real challenge. The obnoxious combination of Charm to infatuate the enemy, Rollout and Stomp to attack, and Milk Drink to heal itself, make Miltank a golem, notorious for being extremely tough to defeat. Many YouTube videos chronicle just how frustrating it is to battle Whitney, earning her a place in the pantheon of Pokémon Gym Leaders.

1 Sabrina

Back in Generation I, the Psychic-type was ridiculously overpowered. It was only weak to Bug, and all Bug-types in Kanto were pretty underwhelming. Nowhere did this lack of balance become more notorious than when battling Sabrina, Saffron City’s Gym Leader.

Venomoth is the least memorable member of her team, although its Status moves may be problematic if they land. Kadabra’s Disable and Recover make it slightly tiresome, and her Light Screen and Barrier-setting Mr. Mime is more of a nuisance than anything. But Alakazam is her ace, a Pokémon so impressive that it still gives nightmares to even the most passionate of Genwunners.

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