Pokémon Champion

A Pokémon Champion (Japanese: チャンピオン Champion) or Pokémon League Champion (Japanese: リーグ優勝者 League champion) is the highest known level of rank for a Pokémon Trainer. It usually refers to a Trainer who has completed a Pokémon League by collecting all the necessary badges, and either winning a regional Pokémon tournament or defeating the Elite Four and the previous Pokémon Champion (if there is one). There is usually only one Pokémon Champion per region at a time. It is assumed that the Champion must defend their title against challengers, although this is never explicitly stated.

Each Champion always has a full party of six tough Pokémon to test their opponents' strength, if the opponent cannot defeat the Champion, just like the Elite Four, they are sent back to the Pokémon League and must start over.

In the games, Kanto and Johto share a Champion, while the other regions with a Pokémon League have their own.

Players who become the Pokémon Champion will notice that it is mostly a symbolic honor, as they are unable to battle challengers or take up any other league duties. In addition, the former Champion will still remain at the Pokémon League and can be battled again even after being deposed.

In the games

A Champion (Japanese: チャンピオン Champion) is a type of Pokémon Trainer that first debuted in the Generation I games. It is the name given for the Trainer who last defeated the Elite Four and the previous Pokémon Champion.

After becoming Champion, the player returns home, rather than staying at the Pokémon League to fight challengers, and the previous Champion keeps the position; however, this may not be official Pokémon League rules, as Champion Blue keeps his position.

Sprites

Indigo

Blue's Champion sprite from Red and Blue	Blue's Champion sprite from Yellow	Blue's Champion sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen	Lance's sprite from Gold, Silver, and Crystal	Lance's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver

Hoenn

Steven's sprite from Ruby and Sapphire	Wallace's sprite from Emerald

Sinnoh

Cynthia's sprite from Diamond and Pearl	Cynthia's sprite from Platinum

Unova

Alder's sprite from Black and White

In the anime

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing sections and complete it.

The path to becoming Champion differs between the anime and the games. In the anime, instead of fighting the Elite Four, there is a tournament among accomplished Trainers; however, Lucian mentioned that the winner of the Sinnoh League has the opportunity to battle the Elite Four and their Champion. Even an Elite Four member can usurp the Champion by battling them.

In the manga

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing sections and complete it.

Pokémon Adventures

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the Champion is the winner of an elimination tournament held at the Indigo Plateau. Although the Elite Four appear in this manga, it is unclear whether they have any connection to the Champion as they do in the games.

List of Champions

In the games

In the anime

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Trivia

• Unlike the Elite Four, all five Champions have appeared in the anime at some point (Gary counting in Blue's place).
• The player has always met the Champion before challenging the Elite Four.
• In HeartGold and SoulSilver, all Champions from previous paired versions appear.
  • Blue, the Champion from Red and Green, Red and Blue and FireRed and LeafGreen, is the Viridian Gym Leader,
  • Lance from Gold and Silver is of course the current Indigo Plateau Champion,
  • Steven from Ruby and Sapphire alerts the player to Latias/Latios roaming and later gives the player a Hoenn starter Pokémon
  • Cynthia from Diamond and Pearl appears in the Sinjoh Ruins.
• Only Wallace does not appear; however, he was Champion only in a third version (Emerald), while all others aside from Steven were Champions in all games of their region.
  • Red, although not a Champion at the time, also appears and can be fought at Mt. Silver. He is the only player character Champion to appear.
• The Gym Leaders in the French versions are called Champions, while the Champion is called maitre. Maitre means master, while Champion simply means champion.
• Every Champion except for Blue has shared their battle theme with another Trainer. Lance's theme is shared with Red when the player battles him at Mt. Silver. Steven's theme is given to Wallace after the latter becomes Champion in Emerald. Cynthia's theme is used against Palmer in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Finally, Alder's theme is used during the battle against Ingo and Emmet, the Subway Bosses.
• In Black and White, Cynthia tells the player that once every few years, the Champions from all the regions come together and battle to find the strongest among them.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese チャンピオン Mandarin Chinese 冠軍 (Guàn​jūn) Dutch Kampioen Finnish Mestari French Maitre German Champ Greek Πρωταθλητής Italian Campione Korean 챔피언 (Champion) Polish Czempion Spanish Campeón

	The Pokémon League
	Participation Pokémon Trainer • Pokémon battle Gym Leaders • Gyms • Badges Frontier Brains • Symbols • Prints Championship Matches Elite Four • Orange League Battle Frontiers Hoenn and Kanto • Sinnoh and Johto	Pokémon League Conferences Indigo • Silver • Ever Grande • Lily of the Valley Pokémon League Locations Indigo Plateau • Mt. Silver* • Ever Grande City Pokémon League*/Lily of the Valley Island* • Pokémon League Regional Pokémon Leagues Indigo • Orange • Johto Hoenn • Sinnoh • Unova

This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.