Theme skill
A theme skill (Japanese: チームスキル Team Skill) is a type of skill in Pokémon Masters EX. Theme skills are activated when two or more sync pairs with the same theme are placed in a team in a single-player battle, providing some kind of strength bonus to all of the team's members.
Version 1.12.0 introduced type skills (Japanese: タイプスキル Type Skill), which provided a bonus to all members of the team only when two or more sync pairs with the same sync move type were placed on a team. In version 2.4.0, type skills were incorporated into the broader category of theme skills.
Initially, theme skills only provided bonuses based on 
type, 
region, and 
Trainer group. In version 2.6.0, categories for 
fashion and 
other theme skills were added. Currently, all theme skills fall into one of these five categories.
Additional theme skills have been added to these categories over time; for example, the Galar, Alola Adventurer, and Special Costume theme skills were all added after their respective categories were added.
Normally, a sync pair can only receive new theme skills when the pair is released or when a new theme skill is added. The only case of a previously released sync pair retroactively receiving a previously released theme skill was when Gloria (Summer 2021) & Inteleon, Marnie (Summer 2021) & Grimmsnarl, and Bede & Hatterene all received the theme skill Galar Adventurer on July 14, 2022, almost a full year after the skill's release. This was done to coincide with the release of Gloria (Dojo Uniform) & Urshifu, who also received the theme skill.
Mechanics
Every sync pair has at least two theme skills, up to a maximum of five. Each theme skill corresponds to one of the following five categories, and a sync pair may have multiple theme skills from a single category or none at all. Not every theme skill that applies to a sync pair will be given to that sync pair, and a character's theme skills will change depending on their costume.
Type theme skills
These theme skills correspond to the type of the sync pair's sync move. As such, every sync pair has a type theme skill, and no sync pair has more than one type theme skill.
Region theme skills
Almost all sync pairs have a region theme skill, which indicates what region they come from. Each sync pair has at most one region theme skill, even if they have ties to multiple regions. For example, Anabel was introduced in the Hoenn region, but she has the Alola theme skill due to her role in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon. A sync pair's region theme skill may change between their costumes; for example, Grimsley normally has the Unova theme skill, but while in his Kimono form, he has the Alola theme skill.
Trainer group theme skills
Another common theme skill category is the Trainer group theme skill. These designate Trainers who hold a specific role in the Pokémon world. They can be in-universe designations, such as Gym Leader or Elite Four, or out-of-universe designations, such as Main Character. A sync pair can have multiple Trainer group theme skills or none at all.
When a character receives an alternate outfit, their Trainer group theme skill—or one of them, if they have multiple—is usually replaced with a different theme skill.
Fashion theme skills
These theme skills are based on a Trainer's outfit, accessories, or hairstyle. Since those elements often differ between costumes, these theme skills are most likely to be outfit-specific. A sync pair can have multiple fashion theme skills or none at all. Since these theme skills are less common, they provide a slightly greater bonus to sync pair stats than region and Trainer group theme skills.
A character having a certain accessory does not guarantee that they will have the corresponding fashion theme skill; for example, Leon does not have the Cape theme skill, despite his cape being a significant aspect of his design. Additionally, a character with the Pigtails theme skill—the only fashion theme skill based on a character's hairstyle—may lose the theme skill between different costumes, even if their hairstyle does not change.
The only fashion theme skills that are given to sync pairs consistently are the ones based on a Trainer's outfit: Sygna Suit, Special Costume, and Seasonal Outfit. These are given to sync pairs who receive a sygna suit, special costume, or outfit in a seasonal event, respectively. In addition, sync pairs released specifically to celebrate an anniversary (e.g. Steven (Anniversary 2021)) receive the Seasonal Outfit theme skill.
Other theme skills
Any theme skills that do not fit into any of the above categories are put into the other category. Other theme skills can be anything from a shared interest, such as Rock Lover, to an out-of-universe attribute, such as Battle Partner. A sync pair can have multiple other theme skills or none at all. Like fashion theme skills, they provide a slightly greater bonus to sync pair stats than region and Trainer group theme skills.
All paired theme skills fall into the other category.
Paired theme skills
Certain other theme skills are specifically designed to note the relationship between two particular Trainers. As a result, these skills are only given to two specific sync pairs, and they are never given to any other sync pairs formed by either Trainer. The following table lists all paired theme skills and the specific sync pairs who have them:
| Theme skill | Sync pairs | |
|---|---|---|
| Complicated Family
|
  Giovanni & Mewtwo |
  Silver & Ho-Oh |
| Dragon Cousin
|
  Clair & Kingdra |
  Lance & Dragonite |
| Hoenn Family
|
  Brendan & Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile |
  Norman & Slaking |
| Kalos Neighbors
|
  Calem & Espurr/Meowstic |
  Serena & Fennekin/Braixen/Delphox |
| Melemele Family
|
  Hau & Raichu |
  Hala & Crabominable |
| Ninja Family
|
  Janine & Ariados |
  Koga & Crobat |
| Observatory Cousin
|
  Sophocles & Togedemaru |
  Molayne & Dugtrio |
| Old-Timer
|
  Agatha & Gengar |
  Professor Oak & Mew |
| Old Colleagues
|
  Lysandre & Yveltal |
  Professor Sycamore & Xerneas |
| Sinnoh Bros
|
  Flint & Infernape |
  Volkner & Luxray |
| Team Rocket Forever
|
  Jessie & Arbok |
  James & Weezing |
| Unova Gym Besties
|
  Skyla & Swanna |
  Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom |
Effect
Each theme skill can come in six versions, one for each role, which provide different bonuses to the team when activated. The effect of theme skills can be upgraded using Skill Spheres.
| Category | Role | Effect | Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lv. 1 | Lv. 2 | Lv. 3 | Lv. 4 | |||
| Type
|
  Strike
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk when using attacks of the same type | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 |
 Tech
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk when using attacks of the same type Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs |
12 12 |
16 16 |
20 20 |
24 24 | |
 Multi
| ||||||
 Support
|
Raises the maximum HP of allied sync pairs | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | |
 Sprint
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk when using attacks of the same type Raises the Speed of all allied sync pairs |
12 12 |
16 16 |
20 20 |
24 24 | |
 Field
|
Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs Raises the Speed of all allied sync pairs |
12 12 |
16 16 |
20 20 |
24 24 | |
| Region Trainer group
|
Strike
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Tech
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk Raises the maximum HP of allied sync pairs |
1 1 |
2 3 |
3 5 |
4 7 | |
| Multi
| ||||||
| Support
|
Raises the maximum HP of allied sync pairs | 4 | 7 | 10 | 13 | |
| Sprint
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk Raises the Speed of allied sync pairs |
1 1 |
2 3 |
3 5 |
4 7 | |
| Field
|
Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs Raises the Speed of all allied sync pairs |
1 1 |
3 3 |
5 5 |
7 7 | |
| Fashion Other
|
Strike
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Tech
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk Raises the maximum HP of allied sync pairs |
2 2 |
3 4 |
4 6 |
5 8 | |
| Multi
| ||||||
| Support
|
Raises the maximum HP of allied sync pairs | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | |
| Sprint
|
Raises allies' Attack and Sp. Atk Raises the Speed of allied sync pairs |
2 2 |
3 4 |
4 6 |
5 8 | |
| Field
|
Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs Raises the Speed of all allied sync pairs |
2 2 |
4 4 |
6 6 |
8 8 | |
The number of Skill Spheres needed to upgrade a theme skill increases with each level, as shown in the following table. In total, it takes 60 Skill Spheres to fully upgrade a single theme skill.
| Raise in theme skill level |  Skill Spheres required
|
|---|---|
| 1 → 2 | 10 |
| 2 → 3 | 20 |
| 3 → 4 | 30 |
Release dates
The following type skills were all released in version 1.12.0 (July 29, 2020) and reclassified as theme skills in version 2.4.0 (December 21, 2020):
Normal
Fire
Water
Electric
Grass
Ice
Fighting
Poison
Ground
Flying
Psychic
Bug
Rock
Ghost
Dragon
Dark
Steel
Fairy
The following table lists all other theme skills and the date they were released:
| Date | Theme skills introduced | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region
|
Trainer group
|
Fashion
|
Other
| |
| December 21, 2020 | Kanto Johto Hoenn Sinnoh Unova Kalos Alola
|
Main Character Elite Four Gym Leader Champion
|
- | - |
| February 26, 2021 | Galar
|
Rival Villain Trial Giver Battle Facility Foe
|
Sygna Suit Sunglasses Glasses Cape Scarf Seasonal Outfit Pigtails
|
Grown Woman Body Builder Rock Lover Undella Town Pallet Town Veteran Trainer Battle Partner Dragon Cousin Knowledgeable Ninja Family Fancy Lady Cook Complicated Family Contest Lover Observatory Cousin Old-Timer Researcher Pokéathlete Kalos Neighbors Unova Adventurer Sinnoh Bros Nature Lover Hoenn Family Artistic Battleground Foe Supernatural Gadgeteer Sweet Tooth Passionate Spirit Space Cadet Unova Gym Besties Free Spirit Old Colleagues Team Rocket Forever
|
| May 28, 2021 | - | - | - | Alola Adventurer
|
| June 15, 2021 | - | - | - | Melemele Family
|
| June 17, 2021 | - | - | Masked
|
- |
| August 12, 2021 | - | - | - | Galar Adventurer
|
| November 18, 2021 | - | - | Special Costume
|
- |
| February 28, 2024 | Paldea
|
- | - | |
| September 17, 2024 | Pasio
|
- | - | |
List of theme skills by sync pair
All sync pairs formed with a Trainer in the same outfit have the same region, Trainer group, and fashion theme skills, varying only by role. They also have the same other theme skills unless the character has a paired theme skill, in which case other sync pairs they form in that outfit will not have the paired theme skill. The only exception is Professor Oak & Nidorino, who has the 
Knowledgeable theme skill in place of Professor Oak & Mew's Old-Timer theme skill.
Type
Scottie/Bettie can have any type theme skill by forming sync pairs with Egg Pokémon. The pairs listed in this table are all the sync pairs that Scottie/Bettie can form that are not Egg Pokémon.
| Theme Skill | Characters |
|---|---|
| Normal
|
|
| Fire
|
|
| Water
|
|
| Electric
|
|
| Grass
|
|
| Ice
|
|
| Fighting
|
|
| Poison
|
|
| Ground
|
|
| Flying
|
|
| Psychic
|
|
| Bug
|
|
| Rock
|
|
| Ghost
|
|
| Dragon
|
|
| Dark
|
|
| Steel
|
|
| Fairy
|
|
Region
| Theme Skill | Characters |
|---|---|
| Kanto
|
|
| Johto
|
|
| Hoenn
|
|
| Sinnoh
|
|
| Unova
|
|
| Kalos
|
|
| Alola
|
|
| Galar
|
|
| Paldea
|
|
| Pasio
|
Trainer group
| Theme Skill | Characters |
|---|---|
| Gym Leader
|
|
| Elite Four
|
|
| Champion
|
|
| Main Character
|
|
| Rival
|
|
| Villain
|
|
| Trial Giver
|
|
| Battle Facility Foe
|
|
Fashion
| Theme Skill | Characters |
|---|---|
| Sygna Suit
|
|
| Sunglasses
|
|
| Glasses
|
|
| Masked
|
|
| Cape
|
|
| Scarf
|
|
| Seasonal Outfit
|
|