Leader (Trainer class): Difference between revisions

The contents of this article have been suggested to be merged into the page Gym Leader. Please discuss it on the talk page for this article.

A Leader (Japanese: ジムリーダー Gym Leader) is the trainer class name the Pokémon games give Gym Leaders during battles. Despite being introduced in Generation I, the name did not appear onscreen until Generation II, and has been incorporated into every game since. Gym Leaders are integral within the Pokémon universe. In order for one to advance in the game, the player must occasionally challenge and defeat the leader of a Gym. Each game is designed in such a way that the player will not be able to move forward until they receive a Gym Badge which will, in turn, allow them to use a HM to overcome natural obstacles or visit previously explored areas. It is one of the player's main objectives to collect eight Gym Badges, allowing him or her to challenge the Elite Four.

In addition to Gym Leaders, there are also Gym Trainers. While not an official trainer class, they are trainers that are either a devotee or apprentice to the Gym Leader. It is usually necessary to defeat multiple Gym Trainers before challenging the Gym Leader. Some Gyms in the game require the player to solve a puzzle, and one must often use Gym Trainers as obstacles to reach the solution. They have no direct impact on the overall plot, other than rarely offering the player helpful advice. It is also worth noting that the type of Trainer appearing in a Gym will depend on the Gym itself. For instance, Gardenia employs Aroma Ladies and Beauties, exclusively, while Misty recruits Tubers and Swimmers; these Gym Leaders represent the types Grass and Water, respectively.

Pokémon

Almost all Leaders rely on a single type of Pokémon. For example, Erika uses only Template:Type2 Pokémon in official Gym battles. Some Leaders, however, stray from this mold, albeit rarely. This is evidenced by the different types used by Blue during his reign as the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym in the Generation II games.

The type of Pokémon a Leader uses is often based on the following:

• Location's geography
• Location's climate
• Personal preference
• Character archetype

Geography and climate can often be connected to the type of Pokémon the Gym Leader of that area uses. Pastoria Gym Leader, Crasher Wake, uses Template:Type2 Pokémon, a direct allusion to the flooded marsh that surrounds the area and the constant downpour that plagues Pastoria City. Personal preference, on the other hand, is more of a speculative issue given that only a handful of Gym Leaders actively profess their love for the Pokémon of that type.

The character archetype in relation to the archetype of the Pokémon a Gym Leader chooses to train is one of the more psychological aspects of the games and can only accurately be addressed by the creators of the characters themselves. That being said, some hints may be present, even in their limited lines of dialogue and, to that end, it is up to the players to form their own conclusions.

Outside of battle

Leaders are increasingly encountered outside of their Gyms with each generation (Giovanni will not be counted as he also happened to be the leader of Team Rocket in Generation I). In Gold and Silver, Gym Leaders are, for the first time, encountered outside of battle on personal terms. The first instance of such an event is when the player first encounters Jasmine; this is subsequently the first task given to the player by any Gym Leader in the games. The second instance is the test given to the player by Clair as proof of their worthiness of the Rising Badge. The third is when the player is required to interrupt Misty's date for a Gym battle.

Some Gym Leaders conduct themselves much differently when confronted outside of an official match. Norman, the father of the player's character in Generation III, takes on the role of a father only after he is defeated by the player in an official Gym battle. In Pokémon Emerald, Wallace (then Elite Four Champion) came to Sootopolis City when Groudon and Kyogre were awakened to help end the conflict, while he merely carries out his duties as a Gym Leader in the other third generation games. In the fourth generation, every Gym Leader is encountered in some capacity outside of battle, with the exception of Maylene, and only in Diamond and Pearl. Of particular significance is Volkner, who the player convinces to remain a Gym Leader at Elite Four member Flint's behest. The pair is later engaged in a double battle for entrance into the Battle Frontier.

In other languages

• Dutch: Gym Leider
• Chinese: 練功場首領 (Liàngōngcháng Shǒulǐng)
• French: Champion
• German: Arenaleiter
• Italian: Capopalestra
• Korean: 체육관 관장 (Cheyukgwan Gwanjang)
• Polish: Lider Sali
• Potuguese: Líder de Ginásio
• Spanish: Líder (del Gimnasio)

Template:Gen I trainers
Template:Project Class notice